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.
ADCS: Cuts have led to poor safeguarding outcomes for children
14/01/2025 The combination of poor-quality housing and the cost-of-living crisis is contributing to ‘family distress and breakdown’, safeguarding report concludes. |
Seven areas selected for £45m child protection trial
11/04/2024 Seven more areas in England have been selected to trial the Families First for Children (FFC) scheme, a £45m child protection programme. |
Health chiefs back call for more gambling restrictions
21/12/2023 Local health chiefs have backed a call from MPs urging the Government to do more to minimise children’s exposure to gambling advertising. |
Four in 10 smokers believe vaping is riskier than smoking
03/08/2023 A health charity has called for a campaign to improve understanding of vaping as a poll reveals that four in 10 smokers believe vaping is riskier than smoking. |
Councils chosen for family-focussed social care trials
27/07/2023 The Government has announced the councils that will test two new children’s social care programmes, which aim to support families through early help. |
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. |
Children’s doctors call for disposable e-cigarette ban
06/06/2023 Paediatricians today called for an outright ban of disposable e-cigarettes. |
Former drug addicts to help mentor jobseekers
19/05/2023 Former drug addicts and alcoholics are to be appointed as mentors in Job Centres to help people cope with their addictions. |
Number of children experimenting with vaping up 50%
18/05/2023 The number of shops selling vaping products to people under 18 has risen sharply, according to council leaders. |
Projects to tackle drug use given £5m boost
09/03/2023 New projects aimed at reducing drug use have been given a cash boost in the first allocation of a £5m Government grant. |
Over £420m drug treatment funding announced
16/02/2023 Local government leaders have welcomed the announcement of an extra £421m for councils in England to improve drug and alcohol addiction treatment and recovery. |
Councils ‘in the dark’ about public health funding
06/02/2023 Vital frontline services, such as drug and alcohol treatment, are at risk of being cut unless Government announces public health funding for next year. |
Councils receive £53m for drug and alcohol treatment
03/02/2023 The Government has announced grants totalling up to £53m for councils to provide housing support to people in drug and alcohol treatment. |
Council chiefs call for ‘clarity’ on addiction services funding
19/01/2023 Council leaders have called for ‘urgent clarity’ on how addiction services will be funded after the figures reveal a rise in number of people seeking help. |
Council chiefs welcome £300m to tackle drug addiction
14/04/2022 Council leaders have welcomed a Government announcement of additional funding for local areas to tackle drug dependency as an ‘important step forward’. |
Council chiefs call for powers to crackdown on gambling
21/02/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to toughen up regulations on the gambling industry to help protect vulnerable people. |
Drug users urged to be careful after high number of overdoses
18/08/2021 Drug users have been urged to be extra careful following a high number of likely heroin overdoses. |
London’s first detox unit for homeless people announced
09/06/2021 London’s first dedicated detox unit for people who are homeless is set to open on 14 June to help those suffering from addiction off the streets. |
Funding for addiction services slashed by £26m
29/03/2021 Doctors have called on the Government to invest £43m into youth addiction services to prevent lifelong addiction. |
Council chiefs call for investment to cope with lockdown addictions
15/09/2020 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to increase investment in public health services to help them tackle drug and alcohol addiction. |
|
Thousands miss out on drug services due to cuts, charity finds
29/01/2020 At least 12,000 people experiencing homelessness missed out on vital drug and alcohol services last year, new research has revealed. |
|
Only one in five alcoholics receiving treatment, health experts say
08/11/2019 Local authority leaders have called on the next Government to reverse public health cuts as figures reveal only one in five alcoholics receiving treatment. |
|
Council adopts fingerprint-based drug testing
15/10/2019 Peterborough City Council has brought in fingerprint-based drug testing as part of its family safeguarding social care initiative. |
|
Over 500,000 social housing tenants in poverty due to smoking
27/06/2019 Over half a million social housing tenants are living in poverty due to the cost of smoking, anti-smoking campaigners say. |
|
Service launched to help 55,000 children who are addicted to gambling
24/06/2019 The NHS has announced the launch of the health service’s first young people’s gambling addiction service to help tackle the ‘scourge’ of problem gambling. |
|
Commission launches strategy to reduce ‘gambling harms’
26/04/2019 The commission dedicated to tackling the harmful impacts of gambling has launched a new three-year strategy designed to reduce ‘gambling harms’. |
|
Treatment cut despite ‘soaring’ alcohol-related A&E admissions
11/02/2019 Councils are reducing spending on alcohol and drug treatment services despite ‘soaring’ numbers of hospital admissions due to alcohol misuse, FOI data reveals. |
|
Pilot projects to support rough sleepers launched
09/05/2018 The Government today launched three new pilot projects aimed at helping rough sleepers into ‘stable and affordable accommodation’. |
|
Government launches £4.5m fund to help children with alcoholic parents
23/04/2018 The department for health and social care has launched a new ‘innovation fund’ to help local authorities support children with alcoholic parents. |
|
Think tank calls for 1% levy on gambling industry to help treat addictions
24/01/2018 Funding to help problem gamblers is three times less than funding to treat alcohol or drug abuse, a think tank has highlighted. |
|
Sites of individual placement and support (IPS) trials for addiction named
22/11/2017 Seven council areas have been named as sites for individual placement and support (IPS) trials for drugs or alcohol dependency in community treatment services. |
|
Employment helps tackle addiction, report reveals
06/12/2016 Employment plays an ‘important role’ in improving the self-worth of people with drug and alcohol addictions, report finds. |
