Local Authority round-up 14/08/20

Brexit

Progress for UK-Japan trade talks

The UK and Japan said that they had made progress during the two days of face-to-face talks in London and hope to agree the details of a trade agreement by the end of the month. Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said there was “substantial” agreement in most areas and it is reported that agriculture is the last point to be agreed upon. International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, said “We have reached consensus on the major elements of a deal – including ambitious provisions in areas like digital, data and financial services that go significantly beyond the EU-Japan deal. Our shared aim is to reach a formal agreement in principle by the end of August.”

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New Zealand is “very frustrated” over trade talks

Following the first round of trade negotiations with New Zealand via video link last month, New Zealand’s deputy prime minister Winston Peters has said that he is “very frustrated” with the pace of post-Brexit trade talks with the UK saying the UK’s EU membership had not left it “match fit” to negotiate its own agreements around the world. In contrast, a spokesperson for the Department for International Trade said “The first round of talks with New Zealand were positive and productive.  We’re a step closer to reaching a comprehensive trade deal to boost trade and investment between our like-minded economies. DIT is focused on securing free trade agreements that secure benefits for every region and nation of the UK and talks are up and running.”

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Commercial

£40 million funding for home to school transport

The Government has announced that it will be providing councils with £40 million in fundung in order for them to increase transport for children travelling to and from school when they reopen in September. Due to the ongoing pandemic, it is essential that safe travel is provided for children to enable them to attend schools when they reopen so councils will be able to use the money to provide additional dedicated transport for schools and colleges. Education secretary Gavin Williamson said “For those that have no other option than public transport, this investment for local authorities will mean more students will be able to travel on dedicated home to school and college transport, creating even more capacity where it is needed most.”

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£300,000 funding available from Road Safety Trust

Road safety charity, Road Safety Trust, has announced that it will be providing a £300,000 fund for councils to enable them to deal with changing road use and road safety concerns as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The fund will open to applications on 15 September for five weeks and successful applicants will be awarded between £20,000 and £50,000. Sally Lines, chief executive of Road Safety Trust said “We are focusing this round of funding on the changing road use and emerging safety issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Projects should have the potential for being brought to scale, with the ultimate goal of reducing deaths and injuries both locally, and across the UK.”

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Yorkshire councils bid for extra funding

Seven councils in Yorkshire that have appeared on the national COVID-19 watchlist in recent weeks have pledged to work together in a bid to secure extra funding. The councils are Barnsley, Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Rotherham, Sheffield and Wakefield. They are also calling for extra support for low-income households during local outbreaks and additional funding for care homes. The councils have proposed they join forces to help work with communities to prevent community and household transmission, and to support care homes and low income households with council leaders saying these measures would provide the most cost effective way of managing outbreaks and reducing the chances of a resurgence of COVID-19 cases. In a joint-letter to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and Dido Harding, Chair of the NHS Test and Trace Programme they set out the nature of the challenges that exist in those areas and put forward an action plan for how they can be overcome through tailored interventions.

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Regulatory

LGA calls for tougher licensing powers

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for councils to be given the powers to close down pubs and other licensed premises which are failing to comply with COVID-19 safety guidelines. The LGA said licensing laws currently do not allow councils to take action on public health grounds, such as where COVID-19 guidelines are not being followed noting that “They would need to use general health and safety legislation, which is less specific and makes it harder to intervene.” The LGA said it wanted to see the introduction of a temporary public health or COVID-19 objective in the Licensing Act which “would enable councils to take action where premises are not protecting the public during the pandemic – such as collecting people’s contact details or maintaining social distancing.” The current Government guidance sets out that licensed premises should voluntarily implement social distancing measures and record the details of people that visit their premises however the LGA has said this should be made mandatory and legally enforceable through the Licensing Act. Cllr Nesil Caliskan, Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said “some councils are beginning to see isolated cases where the guidelines are not being followed and they are limited in what they can do to stop it. This is clearly a danger to communities, putting people at risk of infection. It needs to be mandatory for premises to follow this Government safety guidance and councils need the right powers to intervene and take action if necessary.”

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Planning and housing

Funding for neighbourhood planning groups

Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced that Government grants to individual neighbourhood planning groups in both urban and deprived areas will increase to £18,000. The funding had already been increased from £9,000 to £10,000 in May but has now been extended further to help with the effects of coronavirus. The groups will also be given access to additional technical expertise free of charge. Mr Jenrick said “I want to ensure all communities have a strong voice in this process which is why I am doubling the funding available in some of the most deprived parts of the country to help residents in these areas shape the future of their neighbourhoods.”

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If you have any questions about the issues raised in this update, please do not hesitate to get in touch.