Today the government laid out its legislative programme for Parliament in the King's Speech, announcing a host of Bills that could impact on county councils and unitary councils.
Cllr Matthew Hicks, Chair of the County Councils Network, said:
“Today’s King’s Speech set out a range of important Bills for county councils and unitary councils, ranging from the Police Reform Bill, the Education For All Bill, the Overnight Visitor Levy Bill, to the Social Housing Renewal Bill. As the voice of England’s counties, the County Councils Network will scrutinise all of these Bills, assessing their impact on county and unitary authorities, and engage parliamentarians to ensure the county perspective is heard clearly.
“Arguably of biggest importance to local government is the Education For All Bill, which will put special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) reforms on the statute book. From now, it is imperative that the government stays the course with the radical overhaul to the SEND system that it set out earlier this year and remains committed to introducing the package of changes.
“County and unitary councils have engaged with these vital reforms positively and are currently finalising their own local SEND improvement plans for submission to what is a tight deadline, bearing in mind these are highly-pressurised services. As we move forward, ministers should not lose sight of the big prize on offer: the chance to improve the system and experiences for young people with SEND, alongside setting in motion changes to bring stability for local authorities in the long-term.
“Today’s announcement of the Education For All Bill is another important step, but it will now be key to maintain this momentum.”
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