{"id":453512,"date":"2026-03-02T11:40:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-02T11:40:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/453512\/"},"modified":"2026-03-02T11:40:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T11:40:07","slug":"most-senior-council-officers-in-england-say-building-work-hit-by-delays-local-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/453512\/","title":{"rendered":"Most senior council officers in England say building work hit by delays | Local government"},"content":{"rendered":"

Almost two-thirds of senior council officers have said they are seeing construction projects delayed, despite the key role of local authorities in creating the wave of new housing and infrastructure promised by Labour<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Before Rachel Reeves\u2019s spring forecast on Tuesday<\/a>, a survey of senior council officers showed that 40% do not think the local authority they work for is well placed to follow through on its construction plans.<\/p>\n

Local authority finances have been under sustained pressure for more than a decade. Labour recently announced a shake-up of the funding formula<\/a> for England\u2019s local councils, to redirect resources from affluent parts of the country towards more deprived areas.<\/p>\n

Among those surveyed, 64% reported project delays, with as many as 94% calling for more certainty about future financing \u2013 such as multi-year funding settlements. When asked to state in their own words what was causing the hold-up, many just wrote \u201cfunding\u201d.<\/p>\n

More than a third (34%) said Labour\u2019s radical reorganisation of local government could also create delays in the short term, while 40% pointed to skills shortages. Regeneration, housing and transport projects were identified as those most subject to potential disruption.<\/p>\n

The survey was carried out by the Local Government Information Unit and the public sector procurement body Scape.<\/p>\n

Scape\u2019s deputy chief executive, Caroline Compton-James, said: \u201cLocal authorities across the country really want to step up. They\u2019re galvanised. They want to deliver for local communities, and there\u2019s a real will and ambition to deliver. But there are some constraints that they are feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added: \u201cThe ask for long-term funding settlements, where local authorities and their partners will be able to invest in pipelines of work across those settlements, is really key.\u201d<\/p>\n

Labour came to power promising to be the party of \u201cthe builders, not the blockers\u201d and has reformed planning legislation to allow more projects to go ahead. It has pledged to enable the building of 1.5m homes in England during this parliament \u2013 although there is scepticism in the industry over whether the target can be achieved<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Reeves also changed the government\u2019s fiscal rules in her first budget, to allow a significant increase in borrowing to fund investment projects, including transport infrastructure and social housing, and is expected to promise more planning changes in a speech later this month.<\/p>\n

But council officers cited rising costs and policy uncertainty as obstacles to getting projects successfully built \u2013 with problems often occurring at the earlier scoping, planning or contracting stages.<\/p>\n

Councils are expected to play a key role in Labour\u2019s flagship Pride in Place scheme, which is allocating up to \u00a35bn to local areas across the UK, with new neighbourhood boards deciding how the money will be spent locally.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing<\/a>, Communities and Local Government said: \u201cOur landmark Planning and Infrastructure Act brings seismic reforms to a planning system that for too long has held back growth. It will break down barriers in the planning system, making it easier for councils to seize land and approve developments for much-needed homes and critical infrastructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe recent local government finance settlement is our most significant move yet to make English local government more sustainable and certain. We have made over \u00a378bn available for council finances next year, an increase of over 6% compared with 2025-26.\u201d<\/p>\n

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