VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Councils struggle to tackle violence against women and girls
16/05/2025 Local support services for violence against women and girls (VAWG) are experiencing increased pressure due to high volumes of referrals and inadequate funding, study finds. |
East Suffolk launches campaign against abuse
23/04/2025 A campaign against threatening and abusive behaviour towards front line workers has been launched in East Suffolk. |
Pupil violence costs South East councils £65k
02/04/2025 Councils in the South East paid £64,555 in compensation to staff injured during school violence from 2019/20 to 2023/24, an investigation has revealed. |
Car driven into council officer outside school
20/02/2025 Police have joined local authority staff on school parking patrols in a Kent borough after a car was ‘driven deliberately’ into a council officer. |
Council to stop using X
20/02/2025 Southampton City Council has announced it will no longer post on X, formerly known as Twitter, in a decision it said was ‘fundamentally about values’. |
UNISON: School support staff face daily abuse
29/11/2024 School support staff are subjected to verbal abuse and violence on a daily basis, a new survey has revealed. |
One in five councillors threatened with violence
21/10/2024 More than a fifth of councillors in a new Local Government Association (LGA) survey said they had received a threat of violence in their role. |
Workers face abuse over road repairs
18/10/2024 Staff and contractors working to maintain roads in West Sussex have faced escalating levels of abuse in recent months, the council has reported. |
LGA: ‘Emergency cash injection’ needed to tackle child abuse
08/10/2024 Local authority leaders have called for emergency support for children’s social care as figures reveal councils investigate 600 child protection cases a day. |
East Suffolk pledges to tackle abuse
27/09/2024 East Suffolk Council has committed to challenging the abuse or intimidation of its members and officers. |
Old Bailey jury clears former chief of rape
25/07/2024 Ex-Harrow LBC chief Michael Lockwood has been cleared of raping and molesting two 14-year-old girls 40 years ago. |
LGA calls for powers to withhold members’ address
03/04/2024 Council leaders have repeated their call for legislation enabling councils to withhold councillors' home addresses amid fears of abuse and intimidation. |
Council criticised after teacher harassed for Muhammad cartoon
25/03/2024 Kirklees Council demonstrated a ‘lack of consideration’ towards a teacher who faced harassment for showing a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad, advisor says. |
Council apologises for failing to recognise abuse
14/03/2024 The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has apologised after failing to properly identify the abuse suffered by a homeless man. |
Nine in 10 women cycling in London face abuse
19/01/2024 A new report has highlighted the extent and toxicity of abuse experienced by women cycling in London. |
LGA calls for powers to withhold councillors' address
10/01/2024 Monitoring officers should be allowed to withhold councillors’ home addresses from public registers to help tackle rising levels of abuse and hate, Smith Square has said. |
‘Toxic’ environment at council waste service
15/11/2023 A report describing a ‘toxic’ working environment at Brighton and Hove City Council’s waste service includes accounts of staff bringing weapons to the depot. |
Council suspends social media comments to stop ‘abuse’ after facility closures
03/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has suspended Twitter users’ ability to comment on its posts and said people’s anger over a decision to close 39 facilities ‘does not entitle them to post abuse’. |
Scandal-hit firm reports losses
14/08/2023 A firm at the centre of a residential care abuse scandal has reported operating losses of £5.8m for the year to June 2022. |
Disadvantaged women in North East dying early
10/07/2023 Disadvantaged women in the North East are dying prematurely as public services are failing to meet their needs, according to a new report. |
Campaigners call for more ‘sex for rent’ protections
29/06/2023 Generation Rent has called for the Government to do more to protect financially vulnerable renters from being forced into ‘sex for rent’ arrangements. |
Council stops publishing planning application comments
12/06/2023 Leeds City Council has stopped publishing public comments on planning applications due to the amount of ‘vociferous comments’ they receive and GDPR concerns. |
Abuse victims ‘exposed to risk’ due to funding issues
24/05/2023 Funding to tackle violence against women and girls in London is fragmented, complex and difficult to understand, according to a new report. |
Court clarifies council obligations under Human Rights Act
18/05/2023 There is no requirement for children to be in the care of a local authority for the obligations under the Human Rights Act to arise, Court of Appeal rules. |
Councils failing to support abused children, charity warns
15/05/2023 Children and young people who have suffered sexual or domestic abuse risk missing out on the help they need due to lack of support from councils, NSPCC warns. |
Abuse survivors take legal action against council
05/04/2023 Former pupils who were sexually and physically abused at a school in Liverpool have begun legal action against the city council that ran it. |
Council deletes contacts due to Nicola Bulley disappearance ‘abuse’
13/02/2023 Wyre Council has been forced to remove the contact details of councillors due to ‘inappropriate’ emails in the wake of Nicola Bulley disappearance. |
Council criticised for failing to support woman fleeing violence
08/02/2023 West Berkshire Council did not do enough to support a woman and her children who were fleeing threats of violence, the Ombudsman has ruled. |
Domestic abuse fund gets £18m boost
10/01/2023 Up to £18m per year over two years is set to go towards the next phase of the Domestic Abuse Perpetrator Intervention Fund, the Home Office has announced. |
Council staff face abuse over traffic filters
08/12/2022 Councils in Oxfordshire have been forced to clarify how Oxford’s new traffic filters will work after misinformation led to abuse of staff and councillors. |
Toolkit to combat abuse of councillors launched
01/12/2022 A new toolkit to help combat abuse of councillors was launched yesterday by the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Sexual assault conviction prompts investigation
01/11/2022 An independent investigation has been launched by East Devon District Council after a former councillor was convicted of sexually assaulting two teenage boys. |
Councils told to review children’s homes after ‘culture of abuse’ revealed
26/10/2022 Councils have been urged to ensure children with disabilities living in children’s homes are safe after a new report finds a ‘culture of abuse’ in three homes. |
Council ‘gatekeeping’ endangers abuse survivors
26/09/2022 Bureaucratic obstacles across local authorities are preventing survivors of domestic abuse from accessing housing support, a new report has revealed. |
Former looked-after child to appeal abuse case
21/09/2022 Court of Appeal agrees to hear appeal in case brought by a former looked-after child (“AB”) against Birmingham City Council and Worcestershire County Council. |
Councils receive £6m supported housing boost
04/08/2022 Four local authorities have been given a £6m boost to help support vulnerable tenants living in supported housing. |
Seven in 10 councillors face abuse, survey reveals
30/06/2022 Council leaders are calling for a change in legislation to allow councillors to withhold their personal addresses as evidence of abuse and intimidation grows. |
Children’s trust at Star Hobson council to ‘go live’ next year
07/06/2022 A report to Bradford Council’s executive has confirmed that a children’s trust will ‘go live’ next year as part of the response to the murder of Star Hobson. |
Commission set up after Bobbi-Anne McLeod murder publishes report
30/05/2022 A commission set up by Plymouth City Council in the wake of the murder of Bobbi-Anne McLeod has published its first report. |
Council criticised after homophobic abuse complaint
26/05/2022 Coventry City Council has been criticised for not doing enough to help a man who was subject to homophobic abuse. |
Council chiefs warn of ‘increasing number’ of threats against councillors
03/05/2022 Council leaders have called for more action to be taken to ensure that councillors and candidates in local elections are not subjected to threats and abuse. |
Mayor Khan launches campaign against epidemic of misogyny
14/03/2022 The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today launched a new campaign to tackle misogyny and violence against women and girls in the capital. |
Shortcomings revealed in second child murder case
14/12/2021 A second court case in a month has revealed serious shortcomings in how local agencies responded to allegations of abuse shortly before a child’s murder. |
Ofsted to visit schools facing sexual abuse allegations
08/04/2021 Ofsted has announced it will visit a sample of schools and colleges in England where sexual abuse claims have been made. |
Burnham launches strategy to tackle gender-based abuse
18/03/2021 Greater Manchester Combined Authority is consulting on proposals that support councils in seeking PSPOs that protect women and girls from abuse. |
New £40m fund launched to support victims of abuse
01/02/2021 The Government has launched a £40m fund to help victims of rape and domestic abuse during the pandemic. |
Covid-19 recovery will ‘pile on pressure’ for families, report warns
16/06/2020 A report released today reveals concerns about the impact the coronavirus crisis has had on vulnerable children and families. |
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Report highlights complex nature of safeguarding in residential schools
03/04/2020 New research has revealed the unique challenges staff in residential schools face to protect children from sexual abuse. |
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Court finds woman has capacity to decide about contact with husband
26/03/2020 The High Court today ruled that a woman with a relatively rare form of dementia has the capacity to make decisions for herself when it comes to her husband. |
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Care leaders must promote ‘awareness’ of good practice in sexual safety
27/02/2020 Care leaders should promote a culture that keeps people in social care safe from sexual abuse and supports them in expressing their sexuality, regulator says. |
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Child sexual exploitation cases in Greater Manchester ‘reopened’
14/01/2020 Victims of child sexual exploitation in Greater Manchester are having their cases newly investigated as a result of a review commissioned by the Mayor of Greater Manchester. |
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Forty people investigated over child abuse in Rotherham
09/05/2019 Forty people have been arrested or interviewed over child sexual abuse in Rotherham in the past two months. |
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Government announces nearly £400,000 to tackle FGM
27/03/2019 Communities secretary James Brokenshire has announced £375,000 of funding to tackle female genital mutilation (FGM). |
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Lambeth survivors of abuse receive £7.7m compensation
25/03/2019 More than 1,000 applications for compensation have been made during the first year of a council scheme which was set up to compensate victims of abuse. |
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One in four trafficked children reported missing from care
21/12/2018 Nearly a quarter of trafficked children were reported as going missing from care in 2017, a new study has revealed. |
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Union calls for action to prevent violence against school support staff
08/11/2018 The union for school support staff has called on councils and schools to sign a charter of demands to help prevent violence against support staff in schools. |
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Thousands of babies at risk due to children’s services cuts
17/10/2018 There are nearly 16,000 babies growing up in households where they are at risk from harm, the commission that monitors the care of children has warned. |
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People who abuse election candidates could be banned from public office
30/07/2018 People who abuse and intimidate those standing for election could be stripped of their right to hold public office under new government proposals. |
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Former council leader censured for ‘repeated’ sexual harassment
06/07/2018 A former leader of Devon County Council has been censured for ‘sustained and repeated’ sexual harassment of female members of staff. |
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Telford leader calls for public inquiry into child sexual exploitation
14/03/2018 Telford council has called for an independent inquiry into cases of child sexual exploitation after revelations that up to 1,000 girls may have been victims of grooming gangs. |
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Council apologises for historical child sex abuse
18/01/2018 The leader of Nottinghamshire County Council has apologised to victims of historical child sex abuse, admitting the council failed to protect some children. |
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Council reaches settlement with victims of alleged paedophile
20/12/2017 A council has agreed to pay eight victims of an alleged paedophile in an out-of-court settlement. |
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Counting the cost of foster care abuse
12/12/2017 Ceri Sian Williams warns local authorities could face a significant increase in foster care abuse claims following a recent court ruling. |
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Directors call for more cash to tackle domestic abuse
19/09/2017 Councils need more sustainable funding to invest in the prevention of the domestic abuse of children, say directors of children’s services. |
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Rochdale council apologises for child abuse scandal ‘failings’
19/09/2017 Rochdale council has apologised for its ‘significant failings’ ahead of an investigation into child abuse at two institutions. |
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Council chiefs urge frontline staff to report cases of FGM
06/09/2017 Doctors and NHS trusts have been urged to keep reporting cases of female genital mutilation after new figures showed a slight drop in number being recorded. |
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Jersey child abuse inquiry says children 'still at risk'
04/07/2017 A long-running inquiry into child abuse within Jersey’s care system has blasted the British dependency as ‘an ineffectual and neglectful substitute parent’. |
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Report shows 200% increase in emotional abuse of children
21/06/2017 More resources are needed to deal with a huge increase child abuse, council leaders have demanded. |
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Charity reports ‘staggering growth’ in domestic abuse
15/05/2017 A children’s charity has reported a ‘staggering growth’ in the number of young victims exposed to domestic abuse. |
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Professionals urged to spot ‘soft’ signs of child abuse
22/02/2017 Social workers and other people that work with children have been urged to spot the ‘soft’ signs that a child is being abused. |
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Councils warn £40m package to tackle child abuse ‘not enough’
16/02/2017 Councils have warned a £40m package of Government measures to protect children and young people from sexual abuse, exploitation and trafficking, is not enough. |
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Charity finds steep rise in child-on-child sexual abuse
03/02/2017 The number of children committing sexual offences against other children has risen by 78% in three years, new research has revealed. |
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Lambeth pays out ‘tens of millions’ in historical abuse compensation
16/12/2016 Lambeth Council has publicly apologised and paid out tens of millions of pounds after a new report revealed the ‘abuse and poor care’ suffered by children in its homes. |
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British adults believe abuse in care homes is ‘common’
25/11/2016 Over half of British adults believe that abuse and neglect in care homes for the elderly is common, new research reveals. |
