Democracy under threat: Elections Bill’s risk to people with additional needs
Dr Mark Brookes discusses why measures to introduce voter ID could affect voter participation for those with learning disabilities.
Supporting the most vulnerable in Herts
05/08/2021 Hertfordshire CC is investing £9.6m to support its most vulnerable residents in overcoming the repercussions of the pandemic. Scott Crudgington explains why the council is determined to remain ‘a county of opportunity’ for all. |
Councils approve more than 2,000 pavement licences in past year
04/08/2021 Councils approved requests from businesses for more than 17,000 extra outdoor seats in the past year, new research has discovered. |
Councils call for the tools to support small charities to recover post-COVID
04/08/2021 Local authorities need to be provided with funding and tools to ensure that they can continue supporting smaller charities after the pandemic, county leaders say. |
Unions urge pinged staff to isolate
02/08/2021 Unions have urged waste and recycling staff to stay at home if ‘pinged’ by the COVID-19 app despite several councils having to reduce or suspend services. |
Long COVID - lessons for local government employers
30/07/2021 Sarah Gilzean explains why local government must set the standard for dealing with Long COVID in the workplace. |
Councils call for urgent action to tackle health inequalities
30/07/2021 The pandemic has 'cruelly exposed and exacerbated' health and social inequalities, council leaders have warned. |
Councils concerned about future of childcare
29/07/2021 Local support for children and families during the pandemic has been wide-ranging but there have also been notable local variations, new study reveals. |
Keep up COVID funding to end homelessness, says Kerslake
27/07/2021 Ending homelessness is possible, but the Government needs to keep up funding or face a post-pandemic surge, an independent commission concluded. |
Local government workers on self-isolation exemption list
23/07/2021 Local government has been included on a list of sectors that may be allowed to ignore COVID self-isolation rules, the Government has confirmed today. |
Over 39,000 care home residents die with COVID-19
22/07/2021 Local authority leaders have called on the country to reflect on the ‘dedication and commitment’ of the social care workforce as data on deaths involving COVID-19 in care homes is published. |
Local councils need more help to support disabled residents
20/07/2021 Martin Usher explains why local councils need greater financial and care support disabled people in their communities. |
Councils forced to suspend waste services due to staff shortages
20/07/2021 Several local authorities have been forced to reduce or suspend waste and recycling services due to staff having to self-isolate and a national shortage of drivers. |
Vaccinated social care staff no longer required to self-isolate
19/07/2021 Health leaders have been left divided by the Government’s announcement that fully vaccinated social care staff and NHS workers who have been told to self-isolate will be allowed to continue working. |
Al fresco dining to boost high street recover
16/07/2021 The Government has announced plans to make al fresco dining easier to help pubs, restaurants and cafes on the high street recover after the pandemic. |
Council chiefs urge Government to put children at ‘heart of recovery’
14/07/2021 Local authority leaders have called for a cross-government strategy to ensure that children and young people are at the heart of the post-pandemic recovery. |
Protests force council to close COVID vaccination service
12/07/2021 Brighton & Hove City Council was forced to close its mobile vaccination van yesterday following protests from anti-lockdown campaigners. |
Javid vows to reform social care 'quite soon'
08/07/2021 New health secretary Sajid Javid has promised to bring forward plans for social care reform ‘quite soon’, but failed to commit to an exact timetable. |
Liverpool's COVID-19 mass testing pilot cut cases by a fifth
07/07/2021 Liverpool's community testing pilot managed to reduce COVID-19 cases by more than a fifth, an evaluation of the project has found. |
Councils call for better understanding of lasting impact of COVID-19
06/07/2021 Council leaders have called for funding and research to understand the long-term health and care impact of COVID-19. |
Inquiry finds people in poorest areas 'nearly four times more likely' to die from COVID
06/07/2021 People living in the poorest parts of England were almost four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than those in the wealthiest areas, new research has uncovered. |
Council chiefs launch campaign to ‘Build Back Local’
06/07/2021 Local authority leaders have insisted that the Government must guarantee long-term investment for local services in order to ensure the country’s economic and social recovery after the pandemic. |
Delivering safe events in the wake of the pandemic
05/07/2021 LocalGov caught up with Sunbelt Rentals who provided a wide range of equipment and products to the Sefton Park Pilot music festival. |
Council leader warns self-isolating pupils risk being ‘left behind’
05/07/2021 The leader of Oldham Council has called on the Government to urgently review the approach to self-isolation to address the increasing number of children missing vital time in school. |
Health providers accelerate digital transformation plans in response to Covid-19
02/07/2021 The UK health sector is fast accelerating its digital transformation plans in response to the surge in demand for remote services during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new study. |
A diverse approach to tackling vaccine hesitancy
01/07/2021 Cllr Khtija Malik outlines Luton’s multi-layered approach to tackling vaccine hesitancy within some communities, and says more help is needed from the Government to help the town bounce back from the ravages of the pandemic. |
Most vulnerable to be offered booster COVID jabs ahead of winter
01/07/2021 The Government has announced that those most vulnerable to COVID-19 may be offered a booster vaccination from September. |
COVID vaccination programme prevents 27,000 deaths
29/06/2021 The COVID-19 vaccination programme has so far prevented an estimated 7.2 million infections and 27,000 deaths in England, according to the latest research. |
Adult social care given extra £250m for COVID-19 protections
28/06/2021 The Government is providing an extra £250m to help protect people in adult social care from COVID-19. |
Councils urged to support ‘pop up’ campsites this summer
28/06/2021 The Government is urging local authorities to support the extension of ‘pop-up’ campsites across England this summer to help meet the surge in demand for staycations. |
Councils need more data for test and trace, says watchdog
25/06/2021 Local authorities’ involvement in test and trace has improved the service – but councils still need more data, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. |
Over two million people thought to have long COVID
24/06/2021 Two million people in England are thought to have suffered from long COVID - with a tenth of those experiencing severe symptoms - according to new research. |
Northern cities and towns face a debt ‘avalanche’ warns think tank
23/06/2021 The withdrawal of COVID support this summer will hit people in the in the North and Midlands disproportionately hard and risks derailing the Government’s levelling up agenda, Centre for Cities has warned today. |
Councils receive extra £160m to support struggling families
23/06/2021 Councils will receive an extra £160m to help struggling families with food and utility bills. |
Self-isolation payments 'failing' workers
21/06/2021 Two out of three people applying for self-isolation payments are being rejected, according to new research. |
Remote working sees major cities lose billions in spending, research warns
21/06/2021 Five of the UK’s largest cities could lose £322m a month in city centre spending if people work from home in the long-term, according to new analysis. |
Councils levy over £1m fines for COVID offences
18/06/2021 Councils have issued over £1m in fines to businesses for COVID offences, an investigation has unveiled. |
Virtual meetings have boosted local democracy, survey finds
17/06/2021 Nine in 10 councils believe local democracy has improved as a direct result of online council meetings, a survey has found. |
COVID vaccines to be mandatory for care home staff
17/06/2021 The Government has confirmed everyone working in a CQC-registered care homes in England will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. |
Ministers appear 'complacent' over care home closures, MPs warn
16/06/2021 The Government ‘seems complacent’ about the risk of care homes collapsing in the wake of the pandemic, MPs have warned today. |
Councils urged to 'sharpen commercial edge'
15/06/2021 A new report has argued that allowing councils to sharpen their commercial edge will ‘unlock immense latent place potential’ and help ‘galvanise recovery’. |
Councils receive extra COVID support as lockdown easing delayed
15/06/2021 The Government has announced additional support to help Birmingham, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Liverpool City Region and Warrington tackle the Delta variant of COVID-19. |
PM told to invest more in pandemic recovery measures for children
09/06/2021 Government urged to ‘reconsider’ pandemic recovery measures for children as researchers estimate it has committed to spend only one-tenth of what is needed. |
Council chiefs call for long-term funding to boost post-pandemic resilience
09/06/2021 County council leaders argue that local authorities need a long-term funding settlement to invest in organisational resilience. |
COVID cases on the rise in Greater Manchester and Lancashire
09/06/2021 Additional COVID-19 measures, including surge testing, tracing, and isolation support, are to be deployed across Greater Manchester and Lancashire. |
Pandemic hits disadvantaged pupils hardest, study reveals
07/06/2021 Disadvantaged pupils have experienced ‘greater learning losses’ than their more affluent peers, new research has found. |
MHCLG is 'too optimistic' about councils' cash, says watchdog
04/06/2021 The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is overly optimistic about councils’ financial resilience after the pandemic, MPs have warned. |
Unpicking the pilots
04/06/2021 The Government’s quick reversal of its stay local guidance in new variant surge areas has led to calls for clear messaging from the centre, says Paul Marinko. |
Children’s social care services ‘creative’ during pandemic, study finds
03/06/2021 A new study has found that children’s social care services have been ‘flexible’ and ‘creative’ in their responses to supporting care leavers during the pandemic, but it also found COVID-19 has exposed fragility in current systems. |
Education recovery tsar resigns over lack of funding
03/06/2021 Sir Kevan Collins has resigned as the Government’s education recovery commissioner after warning the support announced ‘falls far short of what is needed’. |
Government publishes next phase of school catch-up plan
02/06/2021 The Government has pledged to provide up to 100 million hours of free tuition for children and young people across England. |
Health spending rises by record quarter
01/06/2021 Spending on taxpayer-funded health services rose by a record 25% to £220bn last year as the NHS battled with pandemic costs, according to latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). |
Council tax collection deficit hits £500m
27/05/2021 Councils will need ‘additional help from taxpayers’ to balance their books, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has warned. |
Sustainability of Scottish councils 'at risk' without long term financial certainty, watchdog warns
27/05/2021 The financial sustainability of Scottish councils is at risk without a longer-term settlement, the public spending watchdog has warned today. |
Data sharing 'crucial' to how councils managed pandemic, study reveals
27/05/2021 Data sharing was critical to how Scottish councils responded to the COVID-19 crisis, academics have revealed. |
Pandemic has increased attendance inequalities in schools, study finds
25/05/2021 Disadvantaged pupils are the least likely to return to school after lockdown, a new study has revealed. |
Councils to pilot new self-isolation support scheme
24/05/2021 Nine local authorities have been chosen to pilot new ways of supporting people needing to self-isolate. |
Report finds cities hit by 'Zoomshock' are best placed for economic recovery
21/05/2021 Cities have been hollowed out by COVID but they are still best placed to drive the recovery, a report by economic growth specialists Metro Dynamics has said. |
What should our local authorities look like after COVID-19?
21/05/2021 Martin McFadyen explores how local authorities have rapidly adapted since the COVID-19 crisis and how they can continue the speed of digital transformation. |
New measures rolled out across COVID variant hotspots
20/05/2021 Surge testing and additional vaccines are being made available to local authorities experiencing a rise in the Indian COVID variant, the Government has announced. |
COVID crisis exposed council underfunding, says watchdog
19/05/2021 The COVID crisis exposed existing weaknesses in public services, including the underfunding of local government and the neglect of social care, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said. |
Council criticised for handling of COVID-19 business support
18/05/2021 A north Yorkshire district council has defended itself after criticisms that there was a lack of transparency in the way it administered the discretionary grant scheme designed to help businesses impacted by COVID-19. |
Hancock warns 86 council areas have five or more cases of Indian variant
18/05/2021 There are 86 local authority areas with five or more confirmed cases of the Indian variant of COVID-19, the health secretary has said. |
More than 100 leisure centres could go bust, DCN warns
13/05/2021 More than 100 leisure centres in England could go bust due to the coronavirus crisis, district councils have warned. |
Multi-million funding boost to tackle inequalities in accessing sport
13/05/2021 An extra £20m will be invested by Sport England to tackle inequalities in accessing sport and physical activities. |
Green social prescribing projects chosen for funding
13/05/2021 Funding has been awarded to 10 green social prescribing projects to help communities recover from COVID-19. |
Poorer areas see greatest fall in park visits
13/05/2021 The poorest areas have reported the largest fall in the number of people visiting parks and green spaces during the pandemic, new research has uncovered. |
Calls to ring-fence funding for ‘social plumbing’
13/05/2021 The Government should spend 25% of its ‘levelling up’ funding on public spaces such as parks and playgrounds to help revive ‘left behind towns’, a new report has argued. |
Queen's Speech: No funding pledge on social care reform
11/05/2021 The Queen’s Speech fell short of including a Social Care Bill and there was no pledge on funding. |
Council chiefs call for care ‘fix’ after lockdown impacts mobility of millions
11/05/2021 The ability of one in four older people to do everyday activities has worsened during the pandemic, research from the charity Age UK has revealed. |
End blanket ban on care home visits, MPs say
05/05/2021 MPs have urged the Government to change the law to ensure an end to the blanket ban on care home visits. |
Public call for underlying inequalities laid bare by COVID to be addressed
05/05/2021 More than three quarters of UK adults are calling for action to address the underlying inequalities exposed by COVID, a new poll has revealed. |
Government scraps self-isolation rule to allow care home residents to visit polling stations
04/05/2021 Care home residents will be allowed to vote in person in this week's local elections without having to self-isolate afterwards for 14 days, due to changes in Government guidance. |
Initial lockdown caused 'unprecedented' drop in activity levels
30/04/2021 The pandemic had an ‘unprecedented impact’ on activity levels during the initial restrictions, according to new research. |
Housing-with-care ‘safeguarded lives’ during pandemic
29/04/2021 A new study looking at how housing-with-care has coped over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic has found that retirement village and extra care housing operators successfully ‘safeguarded lives’ of residents and staff. |
Letter urges '1948 moment' for adult social care
28/04/2021 The Prime Minister has been urged to give adult social care a '1948 moment' ahead of the Queen's Speech next month. |
Summer schools programme opens for bids
27/04/2021 Schools are being encouraged to bid for a share of £200m to offer summer schools to help children recover lost learning. |
Call to tackle 'mental health crisis' in care sector
27/04/2021 Three quarters of care workers have experienced worsened mental health as a result of the pandemic, new research has warned. |
Study to track long-term impact of COVID-19 on year 11 students
26/04/2021 A new study to track the pandemic’s long-term effects on year 11 students in England - particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds - has been launched. |
Council apologises after mother and son left to live in tent during pandemic
23/04/2021 A mother and her teenager were forced to sleep in a tent for almost two months after Medway Council failed to house them during the pandemic, an investigation has found. |
Watchdog urges 'revaluation' of councils' role
22/04/2021 The ‘role and value’ of councils in Wales should be revaluated in face of rising demand and financial pressures, according to a new report. |
Charity gives out record 2.5 million emergency food parcels
22/04/2021 Food bank networks have called for local authority support schemes to be prioritised as a record?2.5 million emergency food parcels are given out by just one charity over the lockdown. |
Pandemic made councils 'more responsive' to charities, survey finds
22/04/2021 The pandemic has helped improve the relationships and collaboration between local authorities and charities, according to new research. |
Homeless charity warns calls from young people up a third in past year
21/04/2021 Vulnerable young people have struggled to access the support they need in the past year, a charity has warned in a new report. |
Shielding scheme took too long to identify up to 800,000, says PAC
20/04/2021 MPs have hit out at the Government’s ‘quickly drawn up’ COVID-19 shielding programme for taking too long to identify up to 800,000 people who may have missed out on help. |
Confusion and stigma stopped half a million people claiming UC during pandemic
20/04/2021 Around half a million people failed to claim for Universal Credit during the start of the pandemic despite being eligible for the benefit, new research has found. |
Welsh councils face £178m funding gap next year
19/04/2021 Welsh local authorities will face a funding gap of £178m next year due to post-pandemic pressures, a new report has found. |
COVID-19 self-test kits rolled out across Wales
16/04/2021 The Welsh government is encouraging all those who cannot work from home to access lateral flow self-test kits as they are rolled out across Wales. |
Lockdown rules eased in Scotland ahead of schedule
16/04/2021 New rules governing travel and outdoor socialising in Scotland have come into force today. |
COVID-19 mortality rates twice as high in insecure jobs, TUC finds
16/04/2021 Mortality rates during the pandemic are twice as high in insecure jobs than in other professions, a TUC analysis has revealed. |
Social care reform depends on market overhaul
15/04/2021 Social care reform will ‘fail’ without addressing weaknesses in the provider market, a think-tank has warned. |
Pandemic drives increase in ‘stress-smoking’
15/04/2021 COVID-19 has led to more than half of smokers ‘stress-smoking’ more and 10% lighting up again after quitting, a survey suggests. |
Coronavirus grant scheme extended with extra £40m
15/04/2021 Council chiefs have welcomed the Government’s decision to extend until June a coronavirus grant scheme providing support to vulnerable households. |
Zoom star Jackie Weaver calls for online council meetings to be made legal
15/04/2021 Zoom star Jackie Weaver and the professional body for IT have joined forces to urge the Government to make online council meetings legal. |
Vaccine may be made compulsory for care home staff
14/04/2021 Staff in English care homes with older adults may be required to have a COVID-19 vaccine in a bid to tackle hesitancy within the sector. |
Scale of council deficits due to pandemic is revealed
14/04/2021 Councils are facing a budget deficit of nearly £1.2bn by the end of the financial year due to the impact of COVID-19, research has revealed. |
Expansion of scheme assessing firm's COVID-19 safety measures
13/04/2021 An accreditation scheme assessing COVID-19 safety measures in London’s pubs, restaurants, gyms, hairdressers and shops has been extended following a successful pilot. |
Largest surge testing operation deployed in South London
13/04/2021 The largest surge testing operation to date will take place across parts of South London where the variant first identified in South Africa has been found. |
Government urged to consult on a national 'right to food' in England
07/04/2021 MPs have urged the Government to consult on a national 'right to food' and appoint a new minster for food security to prevent food poverty in England. |
Council apologises over faulty COVID support vouchers
07/04/2021 Lancashire County Council has launched an investigation after vulnerable families were given faulty vouchers meant to buy food and pay bills. |
COVID passports have ‘significant implications’ for councils
06/04/2021 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to work closely with councils on the COVID-19 status certification proposals because of the impact they will have on local enforcement and other areas. |
This issue of Public Property examines how how flexible workspaces can lead the way in regeneration for local authorities, Why local authority intervention is key to successful urban regeneration schemes and if the Government’s challenge of embracing beauty is an opportunity for communities.
The March issue also takes a closer look at Blackburn with Darwen Council's first digital health hub to help people gain control over health and care services.
