Council chiefs welcome £120m boost to social care workforce
18/01/2021 Local authority leaders have welcomed a multi-million-pound funding boost from the Government which is aimed at supporting the social care workforce. |
Lords call for urgent action to improve health in old age
15/01/2021 The Government will miss its pledge of delivering five extra years of healthy living by 2035 without urgent action, Lords Committee has argued today. |
Councils voice concerns over drop in number of children being active
15/01/2021 Less than half of children and young people are physically active for the recommended hour or more a day, a new survey has revealed. |
Six areas secure funding to develop local health partnerships
14/01/2021 Six areas in England have been chosen to take part in a programme aimed at tackling health inequalities and improving the wellbeing of local communities. |
Council chiefs call for mental health services funding
13/01/2021 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to ensure that councils’ mental health services receive the funding they require to meet ‘unmet demand’ in response to a landmark reform of mental health laws. |
Council chiefs welcome ‘largest vaccination programme in British history’
12/01/2021 Local authority leaders have welcomed the Government’s announcement of the COVID-19 vaccination plan, but argue councils need more information to ensure everyone receives their jab promptly. |
Commission proposes third option on integrated care
11/01/2021 The Health Devolution Commission (HDC) has called for a third 'health and prosperity' model of Integrated Care Systems. |
Mass testing for asymptomatic COVID-19 rolled out to all local authorities
11/01/2021 All local authorities will be able to offer asymptomatic community testing to critical workers from this week. |
Closure of leisure centres to cost £7.25m in missed health savings
08/01/2021 The continued closure of sport and leisure facilities during the latest lockdown will cost £7.25m in missed health savings, new analysis has revealed. |
Welsh council takes over care home amid COVID-19 outbreak
06/01/2021 A county council in Wales has taken over the management of a private care home that has been severely affected by COVID-19. |
Council ensures homeless people are offered COVID-19 vaccine
06/01/2021 Homeless people in Oldham are being given priority for COVID-19 vaccinations in a bid to stem the spread of the disease. |
Majority of adults determined to lead healthier lifestyles in the face of COVID-19
05/01/2021 Seven in 10 adults say that the threat of the coronavirus has motivated them to lead healthier lives this year, a public health survey has revealed. |
Major incidents over COVID declared
04/01/2021 Essex, Oxfordshire and Berkshire have declared major incidents amid fears the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases could overwhelm health services. |
New COVID-19 vaccine rolled out
04/01/2021 The first people in the world are set to receive the Oxford University/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine today as the NHS expands COVID-19 vaccination programmes across the UK. |
Hancock announces £149m grant to fund COVID-19 testing in care homes
24/12/2020 Care homes across the country are to be given access to a £149m grant to support the roll out of rapid coronavirus testing. |
Government launches £7.5m loneliness package
23/12/2020 The Government has announced a £7.5m funding package to help tackle loneliness during the winter period. |
York council issues warning after police hand out ‘shocking’ number of COVID fines
23/12/2020 City of York police have issued what they describe as a ‘shocking’ number of fines to tier 3 residents who visited the city last weekend. |
Liverpool testing sites reach ‘hard to reach’ young people
23/12/2020 Two new testing sites in Liverpool have helped reach young people who have been reluctant to come forward for testing, the city council says. |
Councils anticipate ‘permanent closure’ of childcare providers
22/12/2020 Over half of local authorities in England anticipate the permanent closure of childcare providers after COVID funding ends, a childcare charity has found. |
Babies ‘largely invisible’ in pandemic response
21/12/2020 Babies and young children have been forgotten in the Government’s response to the pandemic, health visitors warn. |
Professor Whitty warns of health inequalities across country
18/12/2020 Deprived areas have higher levels of ill-health and disease, a report has warned today. |
Social workers report significant spike in nation’s mental distress
17/12/2020 Nearly all local authorities have reported an increase in the number of people accessing mental health services for the first time, according to a new survey. |
Testing rolled out to areas at ‘significant risk’ of moving into Tier 3
17/12/2020 Local authorities in the worst-affected Tier 2 areas will now be offered community testing in addition to Tier 3 areas, the Government has announced. |
Calls to break down weekly vaccine figures by local authority
17/12/2020 The Local Government Association (LGA) has called for the weekly coronavirus vaccination figures to be broken down by region and local authority in the future. |
Council chiefs concerned about impact of COVID-19 testing on ‘exhausted’ school staff
16/12/2020 Local authority leaders have raised concerns about the impact of the Government’s plan to roll out coronavirus testing in schools on already overstretched school staff. |
One in nine care workers not tested weekly
16/12/2020 A government pledge to test all care home staff every seven days is not being met, according to a survey published today. |
Government urged to 'Build Back Fairer’ in new Marmot review
15/12/2020 A new generation of children and young people face shorter lives and worsening health, a new report has warned. |
Deaths of homeless people in England and Wales hits record high
15/12/2020 The number of homeless people dying in England and Wales has reached the highest level since records began in 2013, according to official figures. |
London enters tier three restrictions
14/12/2020 The Government’s timetable for COVID-19 tier reviews has been pre-empted with the imposition of extra restrictions on London, Essex and Hertfordshire. |
Hancock names Tier 3 local authorities to roll-out community testing
14/12/2020 Nearly 70 local authorities in Tier 3 will start community testing programmes from today to help drive down transmission rates. |
Rough sleepers to get extra support for drug and alcohol dependency
14/12/2020 Extra funding will be given to 43 areas across England to help rough sleepers recover from drug and alcohol misuse. |
West Sussex to keep control of children’s services for at least 12 months
11/12/2020 West Sussex County Council will keep control of its children’s services for at least another year following improvements made, the Department for Education (DfE) has said. |
Councils caring for 16,000 more children in past decade
11/12/2020 Councils are looking after nearly 16,000 more children compared to ten years ago, new figures have revealed. |
New guidance to help councils scrutinise services for children in care
10/12/2020 Councils have been urged to review their services for looked after children after a report highlighted variation in practice across the country. |
Councils warned to push ahead with clean air zones
10/12/2020 Air pollution exceeds pre-pandemic levels in 80% of places despite continued lockdown restrictions, new research has uncovered today. |
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. |
Review of gambling laws should take ‘public health approach’ says alliance
08/12/2020 A ‘public health approach’ should be at the heart of the review of gambling laws, an alliance has urged today. |
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. |
Care home workers take vaccine priority over NHS
04/12/2020 Care home workers have been given top priority in the COVID-19 vaccination programme following a revision of Government guidance. |
ADCS issues warning of family crisis to come
04/12/2020 The Government need to provide a long-term financial settlement for to tackle rising demand for children’s services, experts have warned as economic consequences of COVID hit. |
Multi-million funding boost to Disabled Facilities Grant
04/12/2020 Councils will be given an extra £68m to help thousands of disabled people make adaptations to their homes. |
'Data desert' on vulnerable children and county lines, report warns
03/12/2020 Local authorities and police forces are failing to identify the number of vulnerable children being exploited by criminal gangs, a new report has warned. |
Secure children's home places 'inadequate'
02/12/2020 Young people are being ‘failed’ by a lack of places in secure children’s homes, research published today has revealed. |
Minister announces £16m grant to distribute food to ‘vulnerable’
02/12/2020 The Government has announced a new multi-million-pound grant that will allow thousands of local charities across England to distribute food to people struggling as a result of the pandemic. |
Pandemic made vulnerable children 'invisible' report warns
01/12/2020 Vulnerable children became 'invisible' during the pandemic, Ofsted's chief inspector warned today. |
Tier 3 areas offered community testing support
01/12/2020 The Government has invited areas in tier 3 to apply for support for community testing as part of the effort to detect asymptomatic cases of COVID-19. |
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. |
More than 200 councils launch local contract tracing schemes
27/11/2020 Council leaders have welcomed the news that 200 local contact tracing partnerships have now been set up across England. |
Hampshire CC criticised for failing to meet elderly man’s needs
26/11/2020 Hampshire County Council has been criticised by the local government Ombudsman after the local authority failed to meet an elderly man’s needs when his finances ran short. |
Spending Review: NHS receives £3bn funding boost
25/11/2020 The chancellor has announced £18bn will be spent on preventative coronavirus measures next year, including vaccines, testing and PPE. |
CASE STUDIES: Northeast Group once again confirms Telensa as Global #1 in Smart Street Lighting
COMPANY ANNOUNCEMENTS: PayByPhone donates more than 41,000 trees with its 2020 Green Christmas Campaign
NEW PRODUCTS: Eye-catching EcoArc Recycling Station
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.