Councils urged to draw on crisis management skills
24/05/2022 Scotland’s councils should draw on their COVID-19 experiences when handling the new challenges posed by service backlogs and rising inflation, watchdog says. |
COVID inquiry chair requests changes to investigation’s focus
13/05/2022 UK COVID inquiry chair Baroness Hallett has written to the PM proposing changes to the inquiry’s Terms of Reference in order to emphasise inequality. |
Council pays family threatened with homelessness £6,000
13/05/2022 Bromley council has agreed to pay a family threatened with homelessness £6,000 after an investigation concluded that it did not do enough to help them. |
Council chiefs call for locally led pavement licensing regime
09/05/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to introduce a permanent but locally led pavement licensing regime for cafés and bars. |
Government confirms it won’t appeal COVID care home ruling
05/05/2022 Government won't appeal a court decision which found the policy of discharging patients from hospitals to care homes at the start of the pandemic was unlawful. |
Discharging patients into care homes was 'unlawful', High Court rules
27/04/2022 The High Court today ruled that the Government’s policy of discharging patients from hospital to care homes at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic was unlawful. |
MPs warn of ‘eye-watering’ levels of fraud in COVID scheme
27/04/2022 The Government is ‘complacent’ about preventing ‘eye-watering’ levels of fraud in the COVID Bounceback Loan Scheme (CBLS), new report by the PAC concludes. |
Ofsted to increase focus on early years education
26/04/2022 The schools watchdog will increase its focus on early years education over the next five years as part of the effort to help children impacted by the pandemic. |
Experts warn of spike in COVID-related mental health problems
25/04/2022 Adults are becoming increasingly concerned about the impact of the pandemic on their mental health as one third say their mental health has got worse. |
All regions told to take asylum seekers
14/04/2022 All regions of England, Scotland and Wales will be expected to take a share of asylum seekers under a new system of ‘full dispersal,’ the Government has told councils. |
Burnham will support Manchester Airport ‘any way we can’
06/04/2022 Mayor Burnham has attempted to reassure passengers stuck at Manchester Airport that the GMCA is working to ‘support them in any way we can’. |
Council defends £237,000 COVID vaccine festival
06/04/2022 A London council has defended a COVID vaccine festival that cost over £200,000 to put on but only saw 435 people jabbed. |
Council staff on £100,000 increased during pandemic
06/04/2022 Senior pay is decided in a ‘transparent way’, council chiefs say in response to report that the number of council staff receiving over £100,000 increased. |
There is no more cash for COVID, Government confirms
31/03/2022 There will be no more funding to help councils deal with outbreaks of COVID, the Government has confirmed. |
Over 300 theatres and museums receive £35m support
31/03/2022 Cultural organisations from across England have received a share of a £35m emergency support package to help overcome the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Council chiefs call for ‘urgent’ extension of COVID fund
24/03/2022 Council leaders and directors of public health have called for an urgent extension of local outbreak management funding to help with rising COVID-19 rates. |
Glasgow tops list of most economically resilient cities
23/03/2022 Glasgow has proven to be the city with the most resilient economy in the face of the pandemic, a new study has revealed. |
Ministers urged to reverse public health cuts
22/03/2022 The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged ministers to reverse public health cuts amid warnings the COVID-19 pandemic has left staff exhausted and exacerbated recruitment difficulties. |
Uncertain future for Scottish councils' finances
10/03/2022 The Accounts Commission found councils were grappling with funding reductions and restrictions as they prepare to meet significant challenges. |
Week-long strike over pay to hit local government sector
08/03/2022 Council workers are expected to strike for a week this month in the first coordinated industrial action to hit the sector in a decade. |
COVID business rates relief ‘a total joke’
04/03/2022 Hundreds of thousands of businesses promised business rates reliefs through a £1.5bn relief fund are still waiting to receive support, analysis reveals. |
Warnings over unmet care needs
01/03/2022 Social care services could be put under further pressure due to unmet needs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research. |
Councils to have access to new online PPE portal
01/03/2022 Local authorities are to be given access to free personal protective equipment (PPE) through a new website, the Government has announced. |
Government’s youth employment scheme branded ‘chaotic’
25/02/2022 Government scheme for helping young people into employment has been ‘chaotic’ and has failed to support as many people as first predicted, PAC says. |
Dealing with complaints became ‘casualty of crisis’, Ombudsman says
24/02/2022 COVID-19 ‘magnified stresses’ that councils were already faced with before the pandemic and dealing with complaints became a ‘casualty’, report says. |
‘COVID-19 hasn’t gone away,’ council chiefs tell PM
22/02/2022 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to ensure that councils have the necessary resources to deal with potential future COVID-19 outbreaks. |
Councils call for local outbreak funding as part of 'Living with COVID' strategy
21/02/2022 Councils have warned they will be forced to stand down public health teams unless the Government extends local outbreak management funding. |
Public health directors warn of dangers in ending COVID-19 testing
17/02/2022 The Government is reportedly looking at scrapping free tests as part of its national post-COVID plan. |
A third of bus services could be cut without emergency funding, experts warn
14/02/2022 Councils have warned nearly a third of bus services will be axed unless emergency funding is extended beyond the end of March. |
DfE welcomes improvements in children’s well-being
08/02/2022 Children’s well-being in 2021 saw improvements when compared to the year before, but research suggests there was a decline over the decade before the pandemic. |
Commissioner reports rise in children ‘struggling’ with mental health issues
07/02/2022 More children are struggling with their mental health due to the impact of the pandemic, the Children’s Commission has warned. |
Government set to scrap mandatory vaccines for care staff
01/02/2022 The Government is considering scrapping compulsory COVID vaccines for health and care workers in England. |
DLUHC 'almost wilfully blind' to state of local government finances warn MPs
31/01/2022 A ‘chronic’ lack of funding for council services amid soaring demand means many communities face a ‘long slog’ out of the COVID-19 pandemic, MPs warned today. |
Restrictions on care home visitors to be removed
27/01/2022 There will be no limit on visits to care homes and self-isolation periods will be cut from Monday, the Government has announced. |
Where does place-making fit into post-pandemic life?
27/01/2022 Merton LBC has completed its widest-ever engagement programme on what a post-pandemic borough in south London looks like. Council leader Mark Allison and CEO Hannah Doody explain. |
Risky business: Look local to learn lessons from the COVID-19 crisis
25/01/2022 Duncan Shaw calls for a more effective ‘whole of society’ approach to managing and assessing risk. |
City centres lose nearly a years’ worth of sales due to COVID-19
24/01/2022 Businesses in city and large town centres have lost more than a third (35%) of their potential takings due to COVID-19, think tank finds. |
Council chiefs warn vital health services ‘at risk’
20/01/2022 Vital frontline health services are at risk due to a lack of certainty around councils’ public health funding, local authority leaders have warned. |
Sheffield chief apologises for Whitehall leaving do
14/01/2022 The chief executive officer of Sheffield City Council has apologised for having her Whitehall leaving do while coronavirus restrictions were in place. |
Staff shortages are ‘excessively high’, warn care providers
13/01/2022 Homecare providers are warning that they are having to refuse new requests for home care because of Omicron and ongoing staffing problems. |
Scottish councils pledge to deploy staff and capacity to social care services
13/01/2022 Scottish councils have warned some services may be paused or reduced in order to protect critical social care services. |
Council staff asked to provide care services amid workforce crisis
11/01/2022 Derbyshire County Council has asked its employees to help the local authority provide care services amid the UK-wide shortage of care staff. |
Council finances fared better than expected in COVID crisis, says IFS
11/01/2022 The cost of COVID for councils has been far less than expected, research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found. |
Council calls on staff to volunteer for social care roles
10/01/2022 North Yorkshire County Council has urged staff working in non-critical services to volunteer for social care roles due to the pressures caused by the spread of Omicron. |
Councils to deliver £700m grants to businesses hit by Omicron
07/01/2022 Councils will deliver £700m to businesses most affected by the Omicron variant in the next few weeks, the Government has announced. |
Sandwell calls for action on test shortage
06/01/2022 A council has written to ministers after it was forced to step in to alleviate a shortage of COVID testing kits. |
Care providers call for ‘emergency army of volunteers’
06/01/2022 Independent care providers have called on the Government to create an emergency army of volunteers to help solve the social care staffing crisis. |
Plans to tackle NHS backlog ‘undermined’ by staffing crisis
06/01/2022 Omicron, the emergency care crisis and staff shortages could derail the Government’s plans to tackle the backlog of elective care cases, MPs have warned. |
School leaders warn of ‘logistical difficulties’ due to COVID absences
05/01/2022 School leaders have warned of ‘logistical difficulties’ after the education secretary recommended combining classes to deal with workforce shortages. |
Extra £60m to support adult social care services
04/01/2022 Local authorities will receive an extra £60m to support the adult social care response to COVID-19 this month, the Government recently announced. |
Thousands of new air filters to be installed in schools
04/01/2022 An extra 7,000 air purifiers will be installed across schools to protect face-to-face education and minimise disruption. |
Social care leaders warn of ‘national emergency’
23/12/2021 Leaders from the social care sector are urging people to take extra precautions to limit the spread of Omicron in order to protect adult social care services. |
Omission of gyms from Omicron relief criticised as ‘shameful’
23/12/2021 The industry association representing gyms and sports centres has criticised the Government for omitting their members from the latest COVID support measures. |
Welsh government confirms £120m for Omicron-hit businesses
23/12/2021 Wales’ First Minister has confirmed that the Welsh government will make £120m available for nightclubs, retail, and other businesses affected by COVID-19. |
Holyrood announces £21m events support package
23/12/2021 The Scottish government has announced a £21m support package to support cultural and events organisations and freelancers. |
Cultural sector to get £30m winter boost
22/12/2021 Theatres, museums and other organisations in the cultural sector will be able to draw on an extra £30m to help them through winter, Government says. |
Councils to get £100m to support businesses hit by Omicron
22/12/2021 Council leaders have welcomed the Government’s announcement that £100m will be made available for local authorities to support businesses affected by COVID-19. |
School leaders warn GCSEs and A-Levels could be at risk
21/12/2021 School leaders are preparing for the possibility that exams and assessments might be disrupted next year as a result of Omicron. |
Former teachers urged to return to ‘protect face-to-face’ education
20/12/2021 The Government is asking former teachers to return to the classroom to sign up from today in anticipation of staff shortages due to Omicron. |
Ex-councillor convicted for COVID loan fraud
20/12/2021 A former councillor and his wife have been convicted for trying to exploit COVID-19 business support grants. |
Councils to receive over £22m to boost vaccine uptake
20/12/2021 Volunteers are to be deployed across the areas with the lowest vaccine uptake and councils are to receive a funding boost to encourage people to get jabbed. |
Mayor Khan calls for COVID business support
17/12/2021 Mayor Khan has joined business leaders from across the capital in urging the Government to support businesses hit by the new COVID-19 restrictions. |
‘Levelling up’ agenda undermined by pandemic response
14/12/2021 Incomes in London and the south-east have increased six times faster than in ‘red wall’ regions since the general election, new research reveals. |
County council launches ‘Vaxi Taxi’ scheme
14/12/2021 Suffolk County Council has partnered with local taxi companies to offer a free taxi service to help young people get the COVID-19 vaccination. |
Schools show improvement despite pandemic, Ofsted finds
13/12/2021 Schools across the UK have shown signs of improvement despite the impact of the pandemic, school inspectors say. |
Council chiefs welcome £300m social care funding
13/12/2021 Council leaders welcome a new package to protect the care sector this winter, but warned that long-term investment was needed to make social care sustainable. |
Councils call for extension to outbreak funding
13/12/2021 Councils have urged the Government to extend its COVID-19 outbreak funding to support local contact tracing. |
Government urged to allow remote council meetings
10/12/2021 Council leaders have urged the government to rethink the rules to allow remote council meetings. |
What does living with COVID really mean for local government?
09/12/2021 We’re not just living with the virus itself, but with the knock-on effects, says Zina Etheridge. |
Councils thanked for ‘integral’ role in fighting COVID
08/12/2021 Local Government Association (LGA) has thanked councils for their role in supporting the COVID-19 vaccine programme one year on from the start of its roll-out. |
Spielman: No silver bullet for children's social care
07/12/2021 Ofsted chief inspector Amanda Spielman has warned there is no ‘silver bullet’ to the long-term problems in the children’s social care sector. |
Enhanced Area Status extended for Peterborough and Cambridgeshire
07/12/2021 The Government has agreed to extend the Enhanced Area Status for an extra three weeks in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire in a bid to drive down COVID-19 rates. |
Top 100: Our most popular local government stories of 2021
06/12/2021 From the ongoing dispute over council pay, to how local government is adjusting in the wake of the pandemic, here are the most popular 100 stories on LocalGov from 2021. |
Councils undertake targeted testing to help stem spread of Omicron variant
29/11/2021 Targeted testing and contact tracing is taking place in Essex and Nottingham after two cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant were identified in the UK for the first time. |
Trust in local government stayed strong during pandemic, researchers find
26/11/2021 The public placed more trust in local authorities than national government in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the findings of a new survey. |
Local knowledge essential for boosting vaccine take-up, study finds
19/11/2021 Local knowledge and leadership could be key in efforts to improve COVID-19 vaccine take-up across different communities, new research has found. |
Ofsted to inspect all schools by summer 2025
17/11/2021 All schools and colleges will be inspected by Ofsted by summer 2025 to determine how education is recovering from the pandemic. |
Wales tops economic vitality index
16/11/2021 A new economic vitality index has revealed that Wales managed to weather the COVID-19 pandemic better than the UK’s other home countries. |
Welsh government announces £51m package to tackle cost-of-living crisis
16/11/2021 The Welsh government has announced a £51m package of support in order to help families facing the cost-of-living crisis pay their bills this winter. |
Delayed SEND review to reduce 'local variation'
11/11/2021 Proposals coming out of the Government’s review of special educational needs and disability (SEND) will look to reduce ‘local variation,’ children and families minister Will Quince has suggested. |
Peers reveal COVID's impact on children's mental health
05/11/2021 The mental health issues of vulnerable children already receiving support have become more severe due to the pandemic, councils have warned in a new survey. |
Over 400,000 firms 'stuck' in business rates appeal system
02/11/2021 More than 400,000 businesses are stuck in the business rates appeal system waiting for COVID-19 reliefs, a real estate company has warned. |
Report highlights 52 areas most at risk of far right extremism
01/11/2021 A new report has identified 52 local communities are at risk of increased far right activity due to the pandemic. |
Three local authorities get extra COVID support
01/11/2021 Extra support is being given to three local authorities in the East of England to help tackle the rise in COVID-19 cases. |
Government announces £65m rent arrears support package
25/10/2021 Councils will receive £65m to support low-income households in rent arrears due to the pandemic. |
More than £13bn needed to make up for lost learning, latest figures show
21/10/2021 A £13.5bn cash injection is needed over the next three years to help pupils recover from lost learning, new analysis has revealed. |
Local councils spent £21.2bn on adult social care in 20-21
21/10/2021 Local councils spent £21.2bn on adult social care in 20-21, according to statistics published today by NHS Digital. |
Pandemic had 'devastating' health impact on shielded population, says charity
20/10/2021 Urgent action is needed to tackle the unmet health need and worsening mental health of those people asked to shield during the pandemic, a charity has said. |
Sunak urged to tackle backlogs in public services or face greater costs
19/10/2021 Chancellor Rishi Sunak must swiftly invest in public services hit hardest by the pandemic or face much greater costs down the line, a report has warned. |
Think-tank makes call for wellbeing budgets
18/10/2021 The Government should introduce ‘wellbeing budgets’ that look beyond gross domestic product (GDP) to reduce regional health inequalities, a think-tank has urged. |
Schools ‘propping up a failing welfare state’
15/10/2021 A 'failing' welfare system is forcing families to rely on schools for basic needs such as access to food, academics have said in a new report. |
Bexley withdraws capitalisation request
13/10/2021 The council said ‘sound financial planning’ meant it would not need the extra funds to balance its books. |
Council chiefs criticise Government’s ‘central first, local later’ COVID response
12/10/2021 Local authority leaders have said that councils could have been given ‘a greater role’ in the initial response to COVID-19 after MPs criticised the Government for pursuing a strategy of ‘central first, local later’. |
Unions call for stronger COVID safety measures in schools
11/10/2021 Five education unions are urging local authorities to consider reintroducing safety measures to tackle rising COVID-19 cases in schools. |
Council tax could easily rise by 5% a year warn finance experts
06/10/2021 English councils will need billlions more from government and big tax rises to maintain services and pay for social care reforms, says new analysis published today by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). |
Public health grant cuts run counter to levelling up, say experts
05/10/2021 Real terms cuts to local public health work against levelling up and the Government must boost funding after years of underinvestment, say two leading health organisations. |
Javid announces £388m to protect care sector over winter
01/10/2021 The Government has announced an extra £388.3m to help prevent infections and provide testing in the care sector. |
Councils to distribute new £500m fund to most vulnerable
30/09/2021 Councils in England will receive £500m to help support vulnerable households pay for daily essentials. |
Scottish councils to issue £10m in grants to tackle rent arrears
28/09/2021 Councils in Scotland will receive an extra £10m to help support tenants in rent arrears who are at risk of eviction. |
Union calls for reversal of pay cuts to give economy £3.3bn boost
24/09/2021 The TUC has called on the Chancellor to reverse public sector pay cuts in the spending review as a means of supporting the post-pandemic recovery. |
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.