More than 1,300 council leaders, councillors, officers and national politicians are meeting at the annual conference of the Local Government Association (LGA) in Bournemouth today (6 July), to consider what the impact the vote to leave the EU will have on local services and communities.
According to the LGA EU laws impact on many of the council services that affect people’s day-to-day lives, including waste collection services which is largely influenced by the EU’s Waste Framework and Landfill Directives.
With exit negotiations yet to begin there is still a level of uncertainty as to whether the UK will seek to implement its own waste legislation, or keep the existing regulatory framework, which stems from EU Directives.
A key issue to be resolved will be whether councils will still be required to meet the 50% by 2020 recycling target, a major component of the Waste Framework, and one of the key drivers to improving recycling rates to date.
The LGA said councils must play a central role in deciding how to replace any EU laws, and suggested that a greater level of regional devolution could help to improve services and make them more cost effective.
Local government
The LGA will use its Annual Conference to launch its ‘What next for devolution’ consultation to carry out a national debate about how to ensure the right powers are devolved to local government and communities.
Lord Porter, LGA chairman, said: “The vote to leave the EU is the most important decision that the British people have made in generations and will have a big impact on local government and our communities.
“Now that the British people have voted to part company with the EU, it is vital that we avoid powers or funding which affect local government getting swallowed up in Whitehall. Over the last year, more powers and funding have been given to local areas. The referendum result and the political uncertainty that has followed must not see that process stall or go backwards.
“Councils need to be involved from the outset in deciding how EU laws affecting local services are replaced and given the power to run them the way we think is best for our communities. Local government must have a seat at the negotiating table.”
The LGA’s Annual Conference takes place between 5 -7 July at Bournemouth International Centre.
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