Councils to receive over £4bn to support active travel plans
Prevention Accelerators to help councils identify illness risks earlier
Somerset Council commits to reforming adult social care services
Children’s services directors oppose under-16s social media ban
New towns must be designed with young and old in mind
Age-friendly new towns are vital for an ageing population, writes Charlotte Lewis, Head of Communities at Centre for Ageing Better.
Axing patient watchdog risks NHS ‘marking own homework’, warns LGA
6/1/2026 Government plans to abolish the network of Healthwatch patient watchdog organisations that work with councils to monitor NHS and adult social care services have been criticised by the Local Government Association (LGA). |
Exercise for older people essential for prevention agenda, MPs say
5/22/2026 Physical activity should be treated as seriously as medication in the NHS's care of older people, a cross-party committee of MPs has concluded. |
Government publishes plan to overhaul of children's social care
5/21/2026 The Government has set out how it will implement the most significant reforms to children's social care and child protection in a generation. |
Councils target air pollution hotspots to protect rare heathlands
5/21/2026 Dorset Council and BCP Council have completed a major air quality monitoring project to help protect the county's heathland habitats from traffic pollution. |
Cumberland Council calls for new approach to men's health
5/21/2026 Cumberland Council has highlighted inequalities in men's health and called for conversations about social expectations around masculinity and wellbeing. |
CQC hands out third inadequate rating
5/18/2026 Salford City Council is the third council to be rated inadequate for its adult social care services by the Care Quality Commission since assessments began. |
Councils must be at heart of new mental health strategy, says LGA
5/15/2026 The Government has launched a call for evidence to inform a new Mental Health Strategy for England, with frontline workers invited to share their views. |
Rural areas rival cities for toxic air, report warns
5/13/2026 More rural parts of England have air pollution levels comparable to major cities, according to new analysis from the Healthy Air Coalition. |
Poll finds over 90% in favour of more smokefree areas
5/13/2026 A charity has called for the rollout of clear guidance that enables councils to support adults in quitting smoking, following a poll which reveals widespread support for more smokefree public spaces. |
Safety chiefs declare iconic Gloucester cheese rolling event ‘unsafe’
5/12/2026 Authorities have declared a traditional annual cheese rolling event unsafe, warning that thousands of visitors could be without formal safety protection. |
Call for investment in MSI teachers following ‘critical shortage’ across councils
5/12/2026 Over 50% of councils do not have any specialist multi-sensory impairment (MSI) teachers employed to support deafblind children. |
Newly elected councillors urged to prioritise adult social care
5/11/2026 Care England has called on councillors elected in last week's local elections to make adult social care a top priority. |
Children's social care providers show ‘pockets of vulnerability’
5/7/2026 A new analysis of England's largest children's social care placement providers has found significant variation in financial resilience across the sector. |
Call for social care to be treated as 'national infrastructure'
5/7/2026 A new report is calling for a shift in how adult social care is funded and understood – arguing it should be recognised as essential national infrastructure. |
Oxfordshire County Council launches 10-year learning disabilities plan
4/29/2026 A 10-year plan to support adults with learning disabilities has been launched by Oxfordshire County Council and its partners. |
Council launches petition to guarantee job interviews for care leavers
4/28/2026 Staffordshire CC has launched a petition calling on businesses with 50 plus employees, or a turnover above £5m, to guarantee job interviews to care leavers. |
Family of asbestos victim receives over £1m compensation
4/27/2026 The family of a Yorkshire joiner who died from an asbestos-related disease have been awarded more than £1m in compensation. |
Government urges councils to work with ICBs on neighbourhood health centres
4/27/2026 Housing secretary Steve Reed has urged councils to work with ICBs on creating neighbourhood health centres. |
Rising home care costs see councils take legal action
4/24/2026 Over 40 councils were found to have taken legal action against people who had incurred home care debt, research has found. |
Illegal children's home placements up 370%
4/20/2026 The use of illegal, unregistered children's homes has surged by more than 370% in four years, according to new research. |
Public toilet numbers reach crisis point
4/20/2026 New research has revealed there is just one public toilet for every 15,481 people in England, as experts warn of ‘public toilet deserts’. |
Improvement notice lifted on Oxfordshire's SEND services
4/20/2026 An improvement notice for SEND services in Oxfordshire issued following an inspection by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission in 2023 has been lifted. |
Government to examine deaths of vulnerable care leavers
4/16/2026 The Government has announced a review into the deaths of vulnerable care leavers, aiming to improve protections for young people leaving the care system. |
Urgent call to close dementia training gap
4/16/2026 Over a third of care workers lack basic knowledge of dementia, research has found. |
Think tank proposes later-life social care fund
4/16/2026 A think tank is calling for a fundamental redesign of how later-life social care is funded in England, proposing a new national insurance-style fund. |
Lancashire CC apologises for role in failings before Southport attack
4/14/2026 The chief executive of Lancashire County Council has apologised for the authority's role in the systemic failings that preceded the Southport knife attack. |
Thousands of unpaid carers to have allowance debts cancelled
4/13/2026 The Government has announced that tens of thousands of unpaid carers will have debts reduced, cancelled, or refunded following a decade of confusing guidance. |
Pizza Out, Salad In: Schools face sweeping junk food ban
4/13/2026 The Government has announced plans to overhaul school food standards for the first time in over a decade. |
New food plan strives to boost heathy living in West Northants
4/10/2026 West Northants Council has announced a new food plan to encourage healthy eating through increasing access to affordable food. |
Councils cutting services to pay for social care, think tank warns
4/8/2026 Councils are raiding reserves and slashing non-statutory services to keep pace with a ‘precarious’ social care system, according to The King’s Fund. |
£60,000 up for grabs as homelessness award opens
4/7/2026 Organisations tackling homelessness are being invited to apply for the London Homelessness Awards 2026, with a total prize fund of £60,000 on offer. |
Council issued second Ombudsman report following homelessness case
4/2/2026 A second report has been presented to a council by the Ombudsman following the local authority’s failures in the case of a man who required help for homelessness. |
Blackpool care home fire sees emergency services called
4/2/2026 A fire at a Blackpool care home was declared a major incident by emergency services. |
Largest ICB in England established in London
4/1/2026 The largest ICB in England responsible for a £12bn NHS annual investment has been established in London. |
Poll reveals ‘systemic barriers’ in mental health care
3/31/2026 While experiences of mental health care at the local level are improving, systemic barriers continue to leave many patients in crisis, new survey reveals. |
Sibling contact for children in care to be prioritised by councils
3/27/2026 New legislation will require councils to ensure siblings in care remain in contact. |
Parents of SEND children without EHCPs report worst school experiences
3/26/2026 Parents of children with SEND who do not have an EHCP consistently report the poorest experiences of the school system, according to a major new survey. |
Welsh councils warn social care system ‘stretched too far’
3/26/2026 Welsh councils are warning that social care is under unsustainable pressure and cannot continue without long-term funding certainty. |
Health devolution deals to give great powers to mayors
3/26/2026 Two new health devolution deals are to give greater powers to mayors in Greater Manchester and South Yorkshire. |
Care-experienced young people face greater barriers to work, research finds
3/23/2026 Nearly 30% more care-experienced young people aged 19 to 21 are not in employment, education or training, versus their non-care-experienced peers, data has found. |
ICB savings risk shifting care costs to councils, think-tank warns
3/19/2026 An ICB’s £277m savings programme for 2025/26 risks shifting care costs to local councils and residents, the Nuffield Trust has warned. |
Visiting rights in hospitals and care homes to be strengthened
3/18/2026 Visiting rights in hospitals, care homes and hospices are to be strengthened under Government legislation. |
Council care leavers benefit from UTCs, study finds
3/13/2026 Delivering an unconditional cash transfer (UTC) to young people leaving council care could help them secure stable housing, research has revealed. |
Scottish Gov and COSLA unveil alcohol and drugs response
3/12/2026 A new plan to reduce deaths and harms caused by alcohol and drugs in Scotland has been published by the Scottish Government and COSLA. |
Council U-turns on refusal of Ombudsman pay recommendations
3/12/2026 A council has agreed to deliver the financial recommendations of the Ombudsman after its previous refusal to provide remedies. |
Welsh councils urge funding boost to ease social care pressures
3/9/2026 Welsh councils have called for additional funding for social care to help break what they describe as a cycle of ‘managing crisis’ across frontline services. |
BREAKING NEWS: Streeting agrees to 'simple asks' from Baroness Casey
3/5/2026 Health and social care secretary Wes Streeting has agreed to ‘simple asks’ on dementia, social care and motor neurone disease (MND) from Baroness Louise Casey. |
BREAKING NEWS: Baroness Casey makes five 'simple asks' of Streeting
3/5/2026 Baroness Louise Casey has revealed she has written to health and social care secretary Wes Streeting with five ‘simple' social care asks. |
Councils’ wood burning campaign prompts stove industry backlash
3/5/2026 Councils have been warned of possible legal action from the stove industry due to their campaigns cautioning about the dangers of wood burning. |
Contract blunder left 400 children without therapy, ombudsman finds
3/4/2026 Bucks Council left up to 400 children without therapy they were legally entitled to after failing to properly manage a change in its contracted services. |
