Building Healthier Communities: The Case for Investing in Public Health
Explore how targeted, community-based public health strategies can improve lives, reduce NHS pressure, and deliver cost savings for local authorities.
Council faces backlash over transgender pride flag crossings
07/07/2025 Camden Council could encounter legal action due to its Transgender Awareness Crossing, a road crossing painted pink, blue and white. |
Councils urged to ‘contextualise’ employment support
01/07/2025 Employment support funding must address regional inequalities that perpetuate ‘worklessness’, think tank says. |
Birmingham CC approves equalities motion
19/06/2025 Birmingham City Council has committed to improving inclusive data collection practices. |
Study reveals local government gender gap
15/05/2025 A new UK-wide study has revealed vast regional disparities in gender-based outcomes relating to economic success and growth. |
Union hits back after Farage’s ‘alternative careers’ comment
03/05/2025 A public sector union has criticised Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after he said council workers should seek ‘alternative careers’. |
Toilet access depends on biological sex, watchdog says
28/04/2025 The equalities watchdog has issued interim guidance for public bodies outlining the implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a ‘woman’. |
Court ruling on definition of a ‘woman’ prompts guidance update
17/04/2025 Equalities watchdog is ‘working at pace’ to update its code of practice for public bodies following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of a ‘woman’. |
Glasgow faces legal action over education cuts
15/08/2024 Parents have begun legal action over ‘drastic cuts’ to education services in Glasgow City Council’s budget. |
Council requests fresh appeal over discrimination case
04/07/2024 A council has requested a second appeal over an employment tribunal that found it had racially discriminated against an employee. |
Council spending on diversity doubles to £23m
11/03/2024 The amount spent by local authorities on promoting equality and diversity almost doubled in a three-year period, campaigners have revealed. |
Sefton council to get first female leader
17/01/2024 Sefton Borough Council will be led by a woman for the first time since it was established 50 years ago. |
Tribunal rules against council in discrimination case
10/01/2024 Westminster has apologised following ruling the borough had discriminated against social worker Rachel Meade after complaints about gender critical beliefs. |
Care service failed to meet cultural needs
28/11/2023 A woman suffered diet and skin problems because the nursing home her council placed her in failed to meet her cultural needs, a watchdog has found. |
Sheffield faces major equal pay claim
25/09/2023 Thousands of women are set to launch an equal pay claim against Sheffield City Council today. |
Brighton settles 10-year equal pay issue
20/09/2023 Brighton and Hove City Council will adjust bank holiday pay for more than 800 staff in response to calls from Unison. |
Mayors call for Northern ‘New Deal’
11/09/2023 Mayors and business leaders are set to urge the main political parties to put the North of England at the heart of their 2024 general election manifestos. |
Older people struggling to apply for Blue Badges, charity warns
29/06/2023 Councils need to do more to help older people who might not be ‘computer savvy’ apply for Blue Badges and access other digital services, charity says. |
Birmingham City Council faces £760m equal pay bill
29/06/2023 Birmingham City Council has revealed it will have to pay up to £760m to settle equal pay claims. |
Closing council gender gap could boost output £23bn
15/06/2023 Closing the gender employment gap in UK local authorities would increase economic output by £23bn or 1% of GDP, according to campaigners. |
Making communities dementia friendly
01/06/2023 To ensure our communities are inclusive, it is important that all places are dementia friendly, writes Ailidh Aikman, Dementia Services Development Centre. |
Strategy to deliver ‘joined-up digital inclusion’ launched
22/05/2023 A campaign group has launched a ‘unique and revolutionary strategy’ linking government, industry leaders and community organisations to tackle digital poverty. |
Councils dominated by men, study reveals
03/04/2023 Councils are still heavily dominated by men, according to research by women’s campaigners. |
Mencap threatens council with legal action over cuts
30/03/2023 A learning disability charity has threatened to take legal action against Devon CC over the council's plans to ‘severely cut’ adult day and respite services. |
Huntingdonshire District Council ranked #1 on gender equality
08/03/2023 Huntingdonshire District Council has emerged top of a list that ranks local and central government employers when it comes to gender equality. |
Systemic sexism costs economy over £88bn a year
08/03/2023 Barriers faced by women wanting to work is costing the economy in England, Scotland and Wales £88.7bn every year, according to new research. |
How can we plan cities to work better for women?
07/03/2023 Aoife Hand, planner at Carter Jonas (Cambridge), argues that with gender-sensitive planning, cities can be much more inclusive. |
Empowering women in a male-dominated industry
07/03/2023 Catherine DeMarco, partnerships director at First Bus, discusses working in a male-dominated industry and empowering women to drive change through transport. |
Social care users ‘failed’ by complaints system, watchdog says
28/02/2023 Adults attempting to challenge social care decisions made by councils are ‘being failed’, the national equalities watchdog has said. |
Council chiefs blast ‘costly’ approach to levelling up
19/01/2023 Councils have demanded a new way of funding the sector following the announcement of the Levelling Up Fund second round winners. |
Council apologises for cancelling event over trans rights row
10/10/2022 Nottingham City Council has apologised for cancelling an event by the feminist activist Julie Bindel, describing decision as ‘procedurally unlawful’. |
Equality regulator to monitor racist AI
01/09/2022 Equality regulator is set to start monitoring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by councils to ensure technologies are not discriminating against people. |
Over 30% of girls struggle to access free period products
28/07/2022 A third of girls say free period products are not available at school despite a Government commitment to remedy this. |
Taxi drivers could be fined £1,000 for not supporting disabled passengers
04/07/2022 Taxi and PHV drivers could face fines of up to £1,000 if they fail to offer an accessible service to disabled passengers taking a pre-booked vehicle. |
Outer London left behind in post-COVID recovery
13/06/2022 Ethnically diverse local authority areas on the outskirts of London are being left behind in the post-pandemic recovery, think tank warns. |
Ombudsman reminds councils of Equality Act duties
19/05/2022 It is important that disabled people are placed at the heart of local services, Ombudsman tells local authority leaders. |
Slow Gigabit broadband roll-out ‘stumbling block’ for levelling up
19/05/2022 Levelling up likely to hit a ‘stumbling block’ due to lack of awareness, funding and focussed roles when it comes to Gigabit broadband roll-out, study says. |
Gender equality campaigners in Wales warn of ‘glacial’ progress
25/04/2022 Councils have been urged to increase the number of women in local politics as campaigners warn Welsh local democracy won’t see gender equality until 2050. |
Record number of disadvantaged students apply for college or university
17/02/2022 More than a quarter of young people from the most disadvantaged areas have applied to start university or college this autumn, new figures have shown. |
Care cap will fail to help poorer pensioners, charity warns
10/02/2022 More than four out of five older people will not benefit from the Government's social care cap, a charity has warned. |
Improving health of 'left behind' neighbourhoods could boost economy by £30bn, report finds
13/01/2022 People living in England's most deprived neighbourhoods have among the worst health outcomes, a new report has revealed. |
Government sets out plans to tackle gender health gap
23/12/2021 The Government has announced that it will ban hymenoplasty and appoint a Women’s Health Ambassador as part of the effort to close the gender health gap. |
Research highlights regional differences on fuel poverty
24/11/2021 New research has highlighted ‘glaring disparities’ on fuel poverty levels across England. |
Newcastle Council publishes data on ethnicity pay gap
30/09/2021 Newcastle City Council has published data showing the pay gap between their white and BAME staff for the first time. |
No gender equality in local councils until 2077 data reveals
08/09/2021 Only 35% of councillors across England are women - which is less than a 1% increase since the 2019 elections - new data has revealed. |
Catch-up policies must target poorer pupils, say researchers
07/09/2021 Four in ten children did not meet the minimum guidelines for learning time during the pandemic despite improvements in home learning, a report has found. |
Disabled people 'failed' by key policy areas, think tank warns
03/09/2021 The pandemic has deepened inequalities in health, income and employment for disabled people, a think tank has warned today. |
Democracy under threat: Elections Bill’s risk to people with additional needs
03/08/2021 Dr Mark Brookes discusses why measures to introduce voter ID could affect voter participation for those with learning disabilities. |
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. |
Changing Places toilet fund opens for bids
30/07/2021 Councils in England are being urged to apply for a share of £30m to install Changing Places toilets in public places and tourist attractions. |
Government launches £1.6bn disability strategy
28/07/2021 The Government has launched a new strategy aimed at delivering accessible housing, easier commuting and better job prospects for people living with disabilities. |
New funding to tackle racial inequality across Liverpool City Region
27/07/2021 New investment will see 22,000 local authority staff receive race equality training across Liverpool City Region. |
Combined authority first to be awarded RACE quality mark
26/07/2021 The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has become the first organisation in the UK to be awarded the RACE Equality Code. |
Coastal towns have ‘worst health outcomes’, Whitty warns
21/07/2021 A national strategy is needed to tackle the serious health problems of coastal communities, England’s chief medical officer has warned today. |
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. |
Childcare crisis deepened by pandemic, study reveals
01/07/2021 The availability and affordability crisis in childcare is being exacerbated by the pandemic and subsequent childcare closures, warns a gender equality group. |
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. |
White working-class pupils have been 'neglected' for decades, say MPs
22/06/2021 White working-class pupils have been 'let down and neglected' by the education system for decades, MPs have warned today. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
Everyone with a learning disability should have their voices heard in the local elections
04/05/2021 Emma Fraser explains why having a learning disability should never be a barrier to taking part fully in elections. |
Only a third of local election candidates are women
04/05/2021 New research has shown that only a third of candidates in the English local elections are women, leading to concerns about a lack of gender equality in local government. |
Council chiefs in Wales commit to become ‘diverse councils’
09/03/2021 Local authority leaders in Wales have agreed to ensure council chambers are more representative of their communities following the upcoming local elections. |
COVID-19 has 'exacerbated inequalities'
17/02/2021 While the pandemic has brought communities closer together, 44% of people also believe it has increased social divisions, according to a new report. |
Women on the frontline are 'exhausted' survey warns
17/02/2021 Women working in local government have warned the emotional, physical and financial impact of the pandemic is taking its toll, a new survey has revealed. |
Disabled people accounted for six in 10 deaths from COVID-19 last year
12/02/2021 Figures have shown that six out of 10 people who died from COVID-19 last year were disabled. |
School closures could costs hundreds of billions in lost earnings, study predicts
01/02/2021 The long-run cost of lost schooling could be as much as £350bn, a new study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned. |
New funding to improve life of mothers and babies
22/01/2021 The 19 projects chosen to share a £7.6m fund to reduce health inequalities among new mothers and babies have been announced by the Government. |
London boroughs vow to do more to tackle racial inequalities
09/12/2020 The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities shows there’s ‘so much more to do’ to promote racial equality, London borough leaders have said. |
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Public health cuts biggest in North East
09/12/2020 The Midlands and the North have suffered the biggest public health cuts in England, new analysis has revealed. |
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Tracing COVID-19 less successful in deprived areas, analysis reveals
07/12/2020 Tracing positive COVID-19 cases and their contacts is less successful in more deprived local authority areas when compared to the least deprived areas, according to a new analysis. |
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Report calls for an improved public health system to prevent thousands of premature deaths
30/11/2020 The public health system should be reformed to prevent at least 77,000 premature deaths every year, a new report has argued. |
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Ombudsman tells council to review its housing allocations policy
19/11/2020 East Lindsay District Council agreed to review its housing allocations policy to ensure it meets its equality duties following investigation by the Ombudsman. |
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Nearly 80 health groups join forces to press the Government to tackle health inequalities
26/10/2020 A coalition of nearly 80 organisations has been launched in order to pressure the Government into tackling health inequalities. |
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Child poverty has risen most in Northern areas and Midlands, research finds
14/10/2020 Child poverty has risen fastest in parts of the Midlands and Northern towns and cities in the past four years, new research has revealed. |
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Levelling up agenda would add £242bn to economy each year, research finds
05/10/2020 Successfully delivering on the levelling agenda would boost the economy by £242bn a year, new research has argued today. |
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Black people three times more likely to experience homelessness, figures reveal
02/10/2020 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups are being disproportionately impacted by homelessness, new figures have revealed. |
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Black working-class pupils criminalised by ‘two-tier education system’
29/09/2020 Black working-class young people in England are being unfairly excluded and criminalised by a ‘two-tier education system’, a new report says. |
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Progress on closing the learning gap has stalled, report warns
26/08/2020 The attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in primary schools has increased for the first time since 2017, new figures have shown. |
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Waste incinerators more likely to be built in deprived areas, research uncovers
03/08/2020 Waste incinerators are three times more likely to be built in poorer areas than in the UK’s richest areas, an investigation has revealed. |
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Progress on ethnic diversity at leadership level has stalled, report finds
28/07/2020 Ethnic diversity in public sector leadership roles has failed to improve over the past three years, a new report has warned today. |
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Voter ID plans will have a disproportionate impact on BME people, campaigners warn
23/06/2020 Mandatory voter ID plans could bring ‘US-style voter suppression to the UK’, anti-racist and BME organisations have warned today. |
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Children 'cut adrift' due to four-year rise in poverty, campaigners warn
20/05/2020 Child poverty is ‘rising rapidly’ in Britain’s poorest communities, a report has warned today. |
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Think tank warns of growing educational gap during lockdown
18/05/2020 Children from better-off families are spending more time on educational activities than those from the poorest households, a think tank has found. |
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Two councils join forces to address health inequalities
06/05/2020 Two councils have joined together to tackle health inequalities affecting Black African and Caribbean communities. |
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Migrant women left unsupported during crisis, report warns
05/05/2020 Migrant women are at risk of being left without support during the Covid-19 crisis due to ‘hostile’ immigration rules, a new report has warned. |
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Deprived areas see twice as many deaths from Covid-19
01/05/2020 The most deprived areas have experienced twice as many deaths from Covid-19 than the least deprived, new figures show. |
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Life expectancy stalls for the first time in a century
25/02/2020 Life expectancy has stopped improving for the first time in more than 100 years, and has actually declined for England’s poorest women, according to a new study. |
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Government fails to 'break the grip of poverty'
07/02/2020 Poverty has risen for children and pensioners in the past five years despite efforts to ‘level up’ Britain, new research has revealed. |
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Newcastle first council to be named UK’s most LGBT inclusive employer
30/01/2020 Newcastle City Council has become the first local authority to claim the top spot of Stonewall’s Top 100 Employers list. |
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Report calls for end of 'age apartheid'
07/01/2020 Radical action is needed to create ‘a country for all ages’ by 2030, according to a report published today. |
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Parish councillors call for childcare support
23/12/2019 Local councillors have urged the new Government to reform rules which prevent them from being able to claim childcare costs. |
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‘Horrifying’ lack of support for vulnerable men
18/11/2019 Only three councils are providing accommodation for male victims of domestic violence, a new investigation has revealed. |
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Tackling race inequality
06/11/2019 As Bristol approaches the first anniversary of its Equality Charter, Cllr Asher Craig says the city has forged ahead with initiatives to begin delivering real change to BAME communities. |
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Men dominate top table at combined authorities, research warns
04/11/2019 Only one in five with a vote at the top table in combined authorities are women, new research has found. |
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Tackle racial inequalities to promote growth in the North, think tanks says
16/08/2019 A new policy briefing has called for racial inequalities to be tackled as part of an inclusive economic growth agenda for the North. |
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Majority of top 1% of earners in South East, study reveals
06/08/2019 More than half of the top 1% of earners in this country live in London and the South East, new research has revealed. |
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Education disadvantage gap has ‘stopped closing’, think tank reveals
30/07/2019 Poorer pupils in the North are struggling to keep up with their peers, an education think tank reveals, as research shows the education disadvantage gap has stopped closing. |
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Homeless people denied access to healthcare, study finds
17/07/2019 Homeless people are being denied access to basic healthcare, a new study has revealed. |
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Councils still dominated by male politicans, says Fawcett Society
02/07/2019 Women’s representation in local government is ‘at a standstill’ according to the Fawcett Society. |
