Dudley heavily criticised by Ofsted
Three in four school menus breach food standards
London faces £36bn-a-year climate bill by 2050s, report warns
London ULEZ proves effective in supporting children’s lung growth
Social Care Crisis: What local government needs to know
Councils are £715m over budget and PM Andy Burnham says social care reform is essential to stop the NHS collapsing — here's what it means for local government.
EXCLUSIVE: Lib Dems set out three tests for cross-party social care talks
18/08/2026 Liberal Democrat health spokesperson Helen Morgan has set out three tests for cross-party social care reform talks with the Government. |
North Devon Council to stage ‘special meeting’ amid maternity unit closure concerns
13/08/2026 North Devon Council is to stage a ‘special meeting’ next week amid concerns around the temporary closure ‘with little notice’ of the area’s maternity unit. |
Urgent call for stronger protections for migrant nursing staff
07/08/2026 Research has found that migrant nursing staff in the social care sector are being exploited by employers, with unethical practices around visa sponsorship having been exposed. |
159 new NHS mental health centres to open
07/08/2026 159 mental health facilities will open from autumn, backed by £343m in what officials call the biggest overhaul of mental health services in a generation. |
Four arrested as 4-tonne illegal meat haul seized in Dudley
07/08/2026 Four men have been arrested and more than four tonnes of illegal meat removed from an unapproved cutting plant in Dudley. |
Doubts over health and care integration agreements
06/08/2026 Doubts have been cast over the future of a key model for joint working between health and council services. |
Ombudsman warns over safeguarding failures after Portsmouth scandal
05/08/2026 The LGSCO has warned councils cannot outsource safeguarding responsibilities after finding serious failings in the care of an elderly woman in Portsmouth. |
Call for ‘community-centric approaches’ to reduce dementia hospitalisations
05/08/2026 People with dementia stay seven times longer than others in acute care, research has found. |
Ofsted secures first-ever prosecution of illegal children's home operator
05/08/2026 Ofsted has won its first criminal prosecution of an unregistered children's home provider, in a case highlighting the dangers of illegal care placements. |
Pupils from deprived areas in Gloucestershire face obesity issue
04/08/2026 Gloucestershire County Council has published new figures showing stark health inequalities linked to deprivation across the county. |
Compassion is key when delivering end of life care, Ombudsman says
30/07/2026 Councils have been urged by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) to enhance the quality of end life care. |
Councils call for greater powers to boost vaccination rates
28/07/2026 Councils have called for greater powers to boost vaccination rates and tackle rising measles cases. |
Social care is main driver of councils' emergency funding requests
27/07/2026 Social care is ‘taking centre stage' as the main factor driving councils' requests for exceptional financial support from Government, a new paper has found. |
NHS faces collapse without social care reform, says Burnham
27/07/2026 The NHS will collapse without social care system reform, Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said. |
Wakefield greenlights £10m redevelopment scheme for new SEND school
24/07/2026 Wakefield Council has backed proposals for a £10m project that will see an unused building transformed into a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school. |
Warwickshire CC approves £8.2m early years funding
23/07/2026 An investment of more than £8.2m has been approved by Warwickshire County Council to safeguard over 500 early years nursery places. |
B&M fined £2m after council exposes mouse infestations
22/07/2026 B&M Retail Ltd has been fined £2m after Birmingham City Council successfully prosecuted the retailer for food hygiene offences at three Birmingham stores. |
Directors warning over proposed powers for child protection authority
16/07/2026 Stronger powers expected for the Government's child protection authority (CPA) need to be ‘proportionate' and focus on improving outcomes, ADCS says. |
Bristol welcomes ‘city of harm reduction’ status
16/07/2026 Bristol has become the first official ‘city of harm reduction’, with the declaration confirming that the council’s response to drug usage will prioritise support over punishment. |
Majority of councils rated ‘good’ for adult social care, but gaps remain
15/07/2026 Two thirds of councils are rated as ‘good’ when it comes to the delivery of adult social care but many are struggling to retain that rating, CQC finds. |
Report calls for legal duty on councils over gambling harm
13/07/2026 Local authorities should be legally mandated to combat gambling harms, as they already are for drugs and alcohol, a new report argues. |
Initiative to tackle profiteering in child placements expanded
13/07/2026 Over 100 councils will take part in the Government's expanded regional children's care initiative, which ministers hope will help tackle profiteering. |
Council closes beach amid asbestos testing
13/07/2026 Plymouth City Council has closed a beach in Mount Batten following the discovery of ‘hazardous waste’. |
ADCS conference: President warns of risks from 'Jenga tower' of reforms
09/07/2026 England's children's services' chiefs are holding together a ‘new and ever-growing Jenga tower' of reforms including reorganisation, president of ADCS warns. |
Leaders react to Casey's call for national health and social care service
09/07/2026 Local government leaders have reacted to a call from Baroness Casey for a national health and social care service. |
Casey warns social care reform needs ‘challenging conversation’
07/07/2026 Adult social care reform requires a ‘different and more challenging conversation with the country’, Baroness Louise Casey has told the LGA annual conference. |
‘Stark local gaps’ in childcare provision revealed
03/07/2026 Just 34% of councils have sufficient childcare places to support full-time working parents, research has found. |
Ofsted sets out plans to crackdown on unregistered children's homes
03/07/2026 Ofsted has outlined a new approach to tackling the sharp growth in unregistered children's homes. |
Next PM must fast-track social care reform, MPs say
02/07/2026 The Health and Social Care Committee has urged the next Prime Minister to ensure findings from the Casey Commission are published before its current 2028 deadline. |
Baroness Casey open to a faster social care reform timetable
24/06/2026 Baroness Casey has said she is open to a faster implementation of social care reforms if required by the next Prime Minister. |
London air pollution deaths fall 40% since ULEZ launch
24/06/2026 Deaths linked to air pollution in London have fallen by around 40% between 2019 and 2024, according to new independent analysis. |
Free toothbrushes for thousands of Liverpool children
23/06/2026 Liverpool CC is set to distribute 40,000 free toothbrushes and nearly 40,000 tubes of toothpaste to children across the city this July to combat tooth decay. |
NSPCC admits failing to report high-risk child contacts to councils
23/06/2026 The NSPCC has referred itself to the Charity Commission after discovering that contacts from children categorised as high-risk were not passed on to councils. |
Researchers call for more ‘proportionate’ alcohol policies
22/06/2026 Pubs are ‘vital social infrastructure’ and should be recognised for their value, a report from WPI Strategy has proposed. |
Cornwall care workers pushed to breaking point
22/06/2026 Adult social care workers in Cornwall are operating at or beyond sustainable capacity, according to a new report from Healthwatch Cornwall. |
Southampton named England's best city for cycling
19/06/2026 Southampton has topped a new ranking of England's best cities for cycling, beating Newcastle and Cambridge into second and third place. |
Long term sick leave at Norfolk council doubles
18/06/2026 Long term sick leave at North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) has nearly doubled over the last year, new figures reveal. |
Ombudsman finds council failed disabled teenager over housing delays
18/06/2026 A disabled teenager was left without access to vital medical equipment after a London council failed to act on repeated warnings about unsuitable housing. |
Government urged to create child protection authority 'today'
18/06/2026 The children's commissioner for England has demanded the Government opens a child protection authority immediately. |
Councils must monitor quality of TA offered to disabled children, charity says
16/06/2026 Roughly one in eight children with disabilities are living in temporary accommodation across England, research has revealed. |
Council launches safeguarding review after toddler's death
16/06/2026 Oldham Council has confirmed an independent child safeguarding practice review is underway following the death of 13-month-old Preston Davey. |
Councils to receive over £4bn to support active travel plans
12/06/2026 More than £4.5bn is to be provided by the Government to help councils deliver thousands of new walking, wheeling, and cycling routes, as well as crossings. |
Prevention Accelerators to help councils identify illness risks earlier
10/06/2026 A new programme is to be rolled out to support councils and community health services in identifying early risk of preventable illness. |
Government starts roll out of new £1.8bn SEND service
08/06/2026 Children with SEND will get faster access to specialist support without needing a diagnosis, as the Government launches its new Experts at Hand service. |
Somerset Council commits to reforming adult social care services
08/06/2026 A report from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has prompted Somerset Council to improve its adult social care services. |
Children’s services directors oppose under-16s social media ban
02/06/2026 The Association of Directors of Children’s Services has said its members are against a complete social media ban for under-16s. |
Axing patient watchdog risks NHS ‘marking own homework’, warns LGA
01/06/2026 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
22/05/2026 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
21/05/2026 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
21/05/2026 Dorset Council and BCP Council have completed a major air quality monitoring project to help protect the county's heathland habitats from traffic pollution. |
