Councils call for £100m investment in school counselling
Cheshire West and Chester Council to bring care services back in-house
Government told to ‘invest’ in social care to solve recruitment crisis
Study finds 'alarming' fall in life expectancy even before pandemic
Personal Independence Payment for people with mental health problems: Implications for local government
Richard Machin outlines the findings of a new paper exploring the impact of welfare reform on local government services.
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. |
Social care contributes £50.3bn to economy, study reveals
08/10/2021 The adult social care sector and its skilled workforce contributes billions of pounds to the English economy, according to a new report. |
MPs call for post-COVID recovery strategy for new parents
07/10/2021 MPs have called on Government to publish a COVID-19 recovery strategy for new parents which should include a fund to help councils arrange in-person visits. |
Pilots aim to 'end cycle' between homelessness and hospital admissions
07/10/2021 Homeless people will receive extra support after being discharged from hospital as part of a pilot project across England. |
Draft guidelines to help reduce health inequalities for homeless people
06/10/2021 Mobile outreach services and drop-in centres could help reduce barriers homeless people experience accessing health and care services, according to new guidelines. |
Calls to roll out 'no referral’ early support hubs
06/10/2021 Councils are calling for the creation of early support hubs to allow young people to access mental health support without a referral. |
One in 10 people will have diabetes within a decade, charity warns
06/10/2021 One in 10 adults in the UK could be diabetic by 2030, according to new analysis by Diabetes UK. |
System 'failing' thousands of children affected by modern slavery
05/10/2021 Thousands of children affected by modern slavery are being 'overlooked and forgotten' by the system, a charity has said. |
Tennis courts in deprived areas to receive £30m investment
04/10/2021 The Government has announced a £30m package to refurbish thousands of public tennis courts in deprived parts of UK. |
Launch of far-reaching review into health and social care leadership
04/10/2021 Ministers have launched a review of health and social care leadership in England. |
Problem gambling costs society £1.27 billion a year, review finds
01/10/2021 Gambling-related harms costs society at least £1.27bn a year, a review by Public Health England has found. |
One in six children have poor mental health
01/10/2021 One in six children in England struggled with their mental health in 2021 - the same number as during lockdown last year - according to new figures. |
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. |
A million extra health and social care staff needed in the next 10 years, says report
01/10/2021 More than 600,000 extra social care staff are needed in the next decade to meet the growing demand for care, according to new research. |
Social care system is 'levelling down' analysis warns
30/09/2021 The quality of social care is worse in the most deprived areas undermining the Government's levelling up agenda, new analysis has revealed. |
A third of kinship carers warn children are missing support
29/09/2021 Thousands of vulnerable children being looked after by kinship carers are not getting the support they need, a new survey has revealed. |
Ombudsman: Care system failing to deliver
28/09/2021 Funding problems rather than individual errors explain a ‘relentless rise’ in the proportion of social care complaints upheld by the local government ombudsman, the watchdog has said. |
Fruit and veg linked to better mental health in children
28/09/2021 Children who have plenty of fruit and vegetables in their diets have better mental health, new research reveals. |
Call to give care staff priority access to fuel
28/09/2021 The Government has been urged to introduce emergency measures to ensure social care staff can get fuel for their cars. |
Social care plan 'contains far too little detail' warn councils
27/09/2021 Implementing the Government's cap on care costs will be an 'enormous undertaking' for councils, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Decade of improvement in life expectancy undone by pandemic, data reveals
24/09/2021 The pandemic has undone a decade of improvement in life expectancy, a health think tank has warned. |
Record number of children referred to mental health services
24/09/2021 Local authority leaders have stressed the importance of investing in community-based services in order to drive improvements in children’s mental health. |
Free 'Glasses in Classes' to boost literacy
23/09/2021 Thousands of children will receive two pairs of free glasses as part of a trial to improve literacy. |
Charity calls for minimum service guarantee on early years support
21/09/2021 A new report has warned that 4.3 million parents are missing out on early years support services despite needing help. |
Wales introduces COVID passes for events
17/09/2021 People will have to show a NHS COVID Pass to enter nightclubs and attend events in Wales from next month, the First Minister announced today. |
County council leaders warn social care reforms ‘fall short’
16/09/2021 Social care reforms will protect more individuals from large care costs but will not improve access to care and could make local care markets ‘unsustainable’, county council leaders say. |
Welsh councils share £40m social care recovery fund
15/09/2021 Local authorities in Wales have been awarded £40m to help social care services overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic. |
Union warns of mental health crisis in care sector
15/09/2021 More than two-thirds of care workers (68%) have seen their mental health decline during the pandemic, according to the results of a new survey. |
Union calls for 'new deal' for Shared Lives foster carers
14/09/2021 Councils have been urged to provide a 'pay rise' and respite care for Shared Lives foster carers who look after vulnerable adults in their homes. |
One in ten care workers 'trapped' on Universal Credit
13/09/2021 One in ten care workers are in receipt of in-work benefits, analysis by GMB has revealed. |
Report calls for 'significant shift' in adoption system
13/09/2021 Adoptive families need lifelong help to support some of England's most vulnerable children, MPs and Peers have said today. |
Consultation on mandatory COVID vaccines launched
09/09/2021 The Government has launched a consultation on plans for staff in health and care settings in England to be required to have COVID-19 and flu vaccines. |
Directors warn people are waiting longer for care
08/09/2021 Directors of adult care services have faced a spike in demand over the summer months, according to new figures published today. |
Khan warns of link between air pollution and COVID
07/09/2021 New research has found a link between a person’s exposure to air pollution and the severity with which they will experience the effects of COVID-19. |
Charity warns children needing care rises by a third
07/09/2021 The number of children being referred to its fostering service has risen by a third in the past year, a charity has warned. |
Union warns mandatory vaccines will cause care home 'catastrophe'
06/09/2021 Mandatory COVID vaccines for care home workers will cause a staffing crisis that will overwhelm the sector, a trade union has warned. |
‘No evidence’ integration improves healthcare
03/09/2021 New analysis of health and care integration pilots has questioned the benefits they bring about. |
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. |
Scotland behind on housing-with-care provision
01/09/2021 Older people in Scotland are missing out on care options because the country is falling behind on housing-with-care provision, a new group has warned. |
SEND children being left behind by council
31/08/2021 Children with special educational needs are being left behind by council services across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, inspectors have found. |
Study links air pollution to use of mental health services
27/08/2021 Those exposed to high levels of air pollution are more likely to use mental health services, a new study has revealed. |
Children’s happiness suffers ‘significant decline’
26/08/2021 An estimated 300,000 children across the UK unhappy with their lives, a children’s charity has warned in its annual state-of-the-nation report. |
Dramatic increase in lockdown smoking ‘ticking time bomb’
25/08/2021 Campaigners have urged the Government to be more ambitious in tackling smoking as new figures reveal a rise in the number of young people becoming addicts. |
'Levelling up home care' would save local authorities £1.1bn a year, says think tank
24/08/2021 Local authorities could save £1.1bn from their social care budgets if home care services were levelled up across England, new analysis has revealed. |
Schools to receive £25m for CO2 monitors
23/08/2021 All state-funded schools are to receive carbon dioxide monitors from September to help tackle COVID-19, the Government has announced. |
Yorkshire council calls for social care reform ‘as a matter of urgency’
19/08/2021 The Government needs to address the social care crisis ‘as a matter of urgency’, North Yorkshire County Council warns as it faces care staff shortages. |
Council agrees to refund care home top-up fees
19/08/2021 Dudley Council has agreed to refund care home top-up fees for families whose relatives were not offered an affordable placement. |
ME/CFS charities ‘shocked’ at national guidelines delay
18/08/2021 Charities representing people with ME/CFS have said they are ‘shocked’ at pause of the publication of of guidelines on the diagnosis of the medical condition. |
Drug users urged to be careful after high number of overdoses
18/08/2021 Drug users have been urged to be extra careful following a high number of likely heroin overdoses. |
Unions call for better ventilation in schools to reduce COVID disruption
17/08/2021 Education unions have written to Gavin Williamson urging the Government to take action to improve ventilation in schools to reduce further COVID disruption. |
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.
