Local councils are borough or county councils. Pretty much your equivalent of town councils, but spreading into the countryside and with a limited ability to tax to provide services using the council tax - our equivalent of property taxes.
Oddly enough, this whole idea started in my own borough. My neighbor across the road got what she thought a good deal on her home from the council - free maintenence, free rent and a lump sum in return for the deeds. Now they are trying to move her out to sheltered accomodation to clear the house for some lowlife scum.
Sounds like the reverse mortgage scheme here. That will turn into a bad deal for elders too.