Potholes: Treating the illness not just the symptom
With the publication of the ALARM survey, chair of the Asphalt Industry Alliance, David Giles, talks to LocalGov about investing in local roads.
Alcohol-related deaths prompt health funding call
06/02/2025 The number of alcohol-related deaths hit record levels in 2023, prompting council chiefs to call for certainty over funding for public health services. |
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. |
Call to exclude alcohol industry from health policymaking
05/08/2024 Campaigners have urged the new Government to protect public health policy from ‘interference’ from the alcohol industry. |
Alcohol harm costs England £27.4bn a year
20/05/2024 Research has uncovered a £27.4bn annual bill for alcohol-related harm in England, prompting a call for local powers to control alcohol availability in the worst affected areas. |
Sunderland considers minimum alcohol price
03/04/2024 Sunderland City Council is set to launch a consultation on introducing a local minimum unit price for alcohol. |
Offering alcohol-free beer on draught can improve public health
21/03/2024 Making alcohol-free beer more widely available on draught in pubs may help people switch to non-alcoholic drinks without hurting profits, a new study suggests. |
Nearly 460k unemployed due to unhealthy lifestyle
21/11/2023 Nearly 460,000 people in the UK are unemployed due to the health impact of tobacco, alcohol, and obesity, costing the economy £31.1bn. |
Councils urged to allow pubs to open early for World Cup final
18/08/2023 Michael Gove has written to council leaders across England urging them to ensure pubs can open early on Sunday for the Lionesses historic World Cup final. |
Takeaway pint licensing rules extended
14/08/2023 The trade association representing pubs in England and Wales have welcomed an extension of the licensing rules that allow landlords to sell takeaway pints. |
MPs call for more funding for alcohol treatment
25/05/2023 Local authorities must be given the certainty and stability over funding they need to maintain and improve alcohol treatment programmes, MPs say. |
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. |
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 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. |
Deaths caused by alcohol reach 'record high'
09/12/2022 Council leaders have called for a 'concerted approach' to tackling alcohol dependency after figures showed the number of deaths caused by alcohol has hit a record high. |
Council apologises after teenage suicide
29/09/2022 West Sussex County Council has apologised for failing to provide the right level of support to a teenage boy who has died after a suicide attempt. |
Report calls for stronger action on major health risk factors
23/02/2022 The Government's current approach to tackling the leading risk factors for ill health is 'insufficient' to deliver on its key targets, according to a new report. |
Alcohol-related deaths rose by record levels during pandemic
08/12/2021 The number of deaths caused by alcohol misuse increased by nearly 19% in 2020, official figures have shown. |
Largest ever funding boost to tackle drug misuse
07/12/2021 All local authorities in England are set to receive new funding to tackle drug and alcohol misuse over the next three years. |
Two councils to pilot new approach to children’s care
26/11/2021 Two local authorities in Wales will pilot a new approach to helping families where there are concerns about substance misuse. |
'Deeply concerning' rise in alcohol-related deaths during pandemic
15/07/2021 Increased alcohol consumption during the pandemic has led to a 'deeply concerning' increase in deaths, new figures have warned. |
Alcohol-related deaths hit record high during pandemic
03/02/2021 Alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales rose to record highs during the first nine months of 2020, official figures have revealed. |
Rough sleepers to get extra support for drug and alcohol dependency
14/12/2020 Extra funding will be given to 43 areas across England to help rough sleepers recover from drug and alcohol misuse. |
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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. |
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Council seeks temporary drinking ban in London Fields Park
03/07/2020 Hackney Council is taking legal action to temporarily ban drinking in London Fields Park after high levels of antisocial behaviour. |
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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. |
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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. |
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Council proposes random drug testing of staff
10/04/2019 West Lothian Council is considering introducing random drug testing for staff in posts defined as ‘safety critical’. |
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Health body announces £6m for alcohol treatments
22/03/2019 The Government today announced that £6m of capital funding will be made available to help councils increase access to alcohol treatments. |
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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. |
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Plan to help problem drinkers and smokers unveiled
07/01/2019 All problem drinkers and smokers that are admitted to hospital will be given extra support under new NHS prevention measures. |
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NHS to fund council ‘drunk tanks’ over Christmas
21/12/2018 The NHS has announced it will be funding council ‘drunk tanks’ over the Christmas period to ease the pressure on local hospitals. |
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Vulnerable offenders increasingly referred to health services rather than prison
10/08/2018 Offenders with mental health, alcohol and drug abuse problems are increasingly being referred to health services as part of community sentences. |
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Council plans ‘random’ drug tests for employees
25/07/2018 Walsall Council employees may soon be subject to ‘random’ drug testing after drugs paraphernalia was discovered. |
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Two million children at ‘serious risk’, report reveals
04/07/2018 Over two million children are growing up in families where there are ‘serious risks’, a major new study has revealed. |
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Council to introduce alcohol and drug tests for staff
10/05/2018 A council in Northern Ireland could soon be introducing a new scheme to test employees for alcohol and drug use. |
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Nine out of ten councils forced to cut health services, study reveals
02/05/2018 Nine out of 10 councils have cut spending on public health services in response to Government reductions to their budgets. |
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Alcohol treatment services at ‘crisis point’
01/05/2018 Severe funding cuts and a loss of qualified staff have pushed England’s alcohol treatment services to crisis point, a report has warned today. |
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Increase in drug-related deaths linked to health cuts
27/04/2018 Whitehall should reverse its cuts to local authority public health grants in order to tackle the increase in drug-related deaths, doctors say. |
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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. |
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Councils urged to provide more support for children of alcoholics
12/02/2018 Over half of councils do not have a strategy in place to help children of alcoholics despite the ‘horrific’ impact of parental alcohol misuse, a new parliamentary report has warned. |
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Liverpool to measure alcohol consumption in donuts
05/02/2018 Public health officials in Liverpool are abandoning the use of alcohol units in their struggle against heavy drinking and are instead now talking about calories. |
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Government refuses to include public health objective in the Licensing Act
08/11/2017 Councils ‘disappointed’ at lack of public health objective in the Licensing Act as new figures reveal over 7,000 people died because of alcohol last year. |
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London council to help provide safe spaces for intoxicated people
01/11/2017 A pilot scheme to provide a safe space to help people sober up has been launched by Westminster City Council. |
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New law proposed to ban cheap, strong alcohol in Wales
23/10/2017 Plans to introduce a minimum price for alcohol have been unveiled in Wales to help crack down on excessive drinking. |
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Life Chances Fund awards first round of investment
18/10/2017 The first round of funding to projects that tackle drug dependency and support children in care has been awarded to ten projects. |
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Number of Community Alcohol Partnerships to tackle underage drinking
12/10/2017 An organisation dedicated to tackling underage drinking is set to double the number of its local groups around the country. |
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Vulnerable women ‘trapped’ due to patchy service
14/09/2017 Patchy services across the country are trapping vulnerable women in ‘cycle of disadvantage’ a new report has warned. |
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1,300 jobs are saved after charity goes into administration
06/06/2017 Over ,1000 jobs have been saved after a drug and alcohol abuse charity went into administration due to ‘unsustainable financial pressure’. |
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Expansion of drug and alcohol prevention in schools
13/03/2017 Extra funding has been announced to pay for a new drug and alcohol prevention programme in schools and community settings. |
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Drink drive limit should be lowered, LGA says
06/03/2017 Council chiefs have called for the drink drive limit in England and Wales to be cut to help cut road accidents. |
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Charity sees sharp rise in drugs and alcohol being used near children
13/02/2017 The NSPCC has reported more than 20,000 concerns over substance abuse near children to the police and children’s services over the past three years. |
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More local areas granted powers to fight alcohol-related violence
30/01/2017 A programme designed to help local areas tackle alcohol-related problems will be expanded to 33 new regions. |
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New round of funding to support Social Impact Bonds opens
16/01/2017 Local authorities are able to apply for a new round of funding to support the development of Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) focused on helping children and young people. |
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'Pocket money' booze prices putting drinkers at risk
06/10/2016 High strength alcohol sold at ‘rock bottom’ prices is putting children and harmful drinkers at risk, health experts are warning today. |
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Binge drinking ‘social glue’ for students and young workers
20/09/2016 Peer pressure and a ‘fear of missing out’ is driving binge drinking among students and young workers, study finds. |
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Whitehall blocks minimum alcohol pricing plans
16/09/2016 Plans for the Welsh government to introduce minimum alcohol pricing have been blocked by Whitehall. |
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Council looks into random drug and alcohol testing
26/07/2016 Council considers implementing a random drug and alcohol testing policy for employees. |
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Data shows rise in numer of alcohol-related hospital admissions
01/07/2016 The number of people admitted to hospital with problems related to alcohol went up nearly 3% last year and is a third higher than a decade ago, latest figures reveal. |
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Alcohol consumption has increased in retirees, Government figures reveal
04/05/2016 Alcohol-related hospital admissions are falling for younger age groups, but increasing for the over 65s, new figures reveal. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.
