Ep 59. Sensible conversations needed

At the beginning of July, it was announced that we would be getting a Labour government for the first time since the Conservatives won the 2010 General Election. This saw Sir Keir Starmer become Prime Minister, replacing Rishi Sunak – who subsequently announced his intention to step down as Leader of the Conservative Party.

In the short space of time since they came into power, the new government has been getting to work to deliver on some of its key priorities, including furthering devolution, prioritising clean energy, and nationalising our railways. But what does this mean for local government?

On hand to answer that question, and reflect on the results of the general election was Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, Chair of the District Council Network, who joined host Dan Benn on the 59th episode of the Public Sector Executive Podcast.

When discussing what would be on his wishlist for the new government, and its relationship with local government, Chapman-Allen said:

“We’ve had a good relationship with government, but actually we’ve seen external pressures outside of the UK Government’s control – which has either slowed programmes and activities, or caused activities to be paused because other programmes have taken that attention. Actually, we need a grown-up conversation around certain areas, such as asylum and immigration so we will ensure that that those individuals who comes to England are provided safe, appropriate homes and housing….

“I think the second part is around our finances and making sure we actually have a robust conversation, understanding where their appetite is to support local government on the day-to-day expenditure, but also where is our appetite to support some of those big intervention pieces around regeneration, levelling up…?”

To hear more from Sam on how the new government can work alongside councils, and how this changing of the guard can bring benefits to communities, listen to the latest episode of the PSE Podcast now.

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