10 ways councils are making budgets go further
Discover 10 ways councils are stretching budgets further, from digital transformation and energy efficiency to community partnerships and data-driven decision-making.
Lack of investment 'threatens' shift to community care, says CQC
24/10/2025 A lack of investment in community services threatens the 10-Year Health Plan’s goal of shifting care closer to home, according to the CQC. |
Adult social care in East Riding rated ‘inadequate’
22/10/2025 East Riding of Yorkshire Council has been rated as ‘inadequate’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in its latest assessment of adult social care services. |
England’s councils face poorest finances since 2010
16/10/2025 Local authorities in England are set to be poorer by the end of this parliament than they were in 2010, according the Institute for Government (IfG). |
Reading BC’s adult social care ‘requires improvement’, says CQC
10/10/2025 Reading Borough Council’s adult social care service has been rated ‘requires improvement’ in its latest assessment by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). |
SEND improvement plan to address ‘systemic failures’
29/05/2025 Bracknell Forest Council has set out plans to improve SEND provision including funding for extra staff. |
Local area partnership promises urgent improvements
03/04/2025 Bracknell Forest Council and NHS Frimley ICB have promised ‘urgent and sustained improvements’ following a critical Ofsted and CQC report. |
Report ‘lays bare significant challenges’ caused by CQC inspection model
12/02/2025 A Care Provider Alliance report has revealed the ‘significant challenges’ services have faced since the adoption of the CQC’s Single Assessment Framework. |
Care service outsourcing surges despite quality concerns
08/10/2024 The outsourcing of care services to private providers has ‘surged’ over the last two decades despite concerns over quality, a new study has found. |
Social care watchdog ‘not fit for purpose’
26/07/2024 The Care Quality Commission (CQC), the body responsible for regulating adult social care services, is ‘not fit for purpose’, the health secretary says. |
Council resists calls for leader to quit after critical SEND report
15/07/2024 West Northamptonshire Council has resisted calls for its head of children’s services to quit following a damning Ofsted and CQC report. |
Council told to tackle safeguarding backlog
14/06/2024 A Local Government Association peer challenge urged Cumberland Council to take immediate action on a ‘significant’ safeguarding backlog. |
Suffolk councillors resign over ‘widespread’ SEND failings
05/02/2024 Three councillors have resigned their posts at Suffolk CC after a damning report found there were ‘widespread’ failings affecting SEND outcomes. |
Regulator praises Bolton care service
08/01/2024 An inspection of Bolton Council’s home support reablement service has found it is effective, caring, and well led. |
New inspections require ‘significant’ work, pilot councils say
01/12/2023 Councils have reported spending 'a huge amount of time and energy' preparing for and undergoing the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) new adult social care assessments. |
CQC issues verdicts in pilot care assessments
21/11/2023 The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has completed assessments of adult social care at five councils under its pilot scheme. |
Lack of capacity hindering early help
07/11/2023 A lack of capacity is hindering early help services for children and families, a joint report by three watchdogs has found. |
Kent receives improvement notice for SEND failings
06/04/2023 An improvement notice has been issued to Kent CC after it failed to turn around its special educational needs and disability (SEND) services. |
Care home residents struggle to access NHS dental care
20/03/2023 The proportion of care home providers saying that people who use their services could 'never' access NHS dental care has increased fourfold, regulator finds. |
No extra social care funding for struggling councils
13/03/2023 A minister said councils would receive further support if they were found to be in need of improvement under new Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessments. |
Social care regulator staff vote for strike action
07/03/2023 Staff at the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have voted to take strike action over pay, their union has announced. |
Sector given role in NHS plan
31/01/2023 Local government will join an ‘expert group’ with the community sector and care providers to ‘build adult social care capacity’ as part of a new NHS plan. |
Consultation for new SEND inspection framework launched
14/06/2022 Ofsted and the CQC have today launched a consultation on a new draft framework for inspecting local provision for children and young people with SEND. |
SEND children being left behind by council
31/08/2021 Children with special educational needs are being left behind by council services across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, inspectors have found. |
Councils 'broadly support' focus of Health and Care Bill
06/07/2021 Councils ‘broadly support’ the focus of the Health and Care Bill introduced into Parliament on improving the health and wellbeing of the population, says the Local Government Association (LGA). |
CQC launches new ‘dynamic and flexible’ strategy
27/05/2021 The health and social care regulator, Care Quality Commission (CQC), has launched a new strategy which places more of an emphasis on how well local health and care systems are working and addressing local challenges. |
MPs tell department to 'get a grip' on SEND
05/05/2020 The Department for Education (DfE) does not have a grip on mounting pressure in the special educational needs and disability (SEND) system, a watchdog has found. |
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Union calls for Sanctuary Care homes to be brought ‘back in-house’
14/01/2020 Unite is urging councils who have contracts with Sanctuary Care to bring them ‘in-house’ after a criminal investigation was launched into one of its homes. |
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Call for inspection pause in case of Brexit hit
10/04/2019 Council chiefs have urged Whitehall to be ready to ease pressures on the sector for up to six months if Brexit threatens to stretch capacity. |
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Care home quality ‘worsens’ in a third of council areas
06/03/2019 The quality of care homes has worsened in more than a third of local authority areas over the last year, according to an elderly persons charity. |
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Exclusive: Government must 'step up' on adult social care
28/02/2019 The council ranked the best at delivering most for the money it spends on adult social care has called on the Government to ‘step up’. |
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Social care spending rises by £556m
25/10/2017 Spending by councils on social care rose by £556m in 2016/17 to £17.5bn - the first time it has risen in real terms since 2009/10, new figures have shown. |
