Underfunding, Not Demand, Is Breaking SEND
Jack Lowman, Sense, says properly funding the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system is vital for disabled children to get the best start.
Cuts to council-run pools raise child safety concerns
26/08/2025 More than 120 public swimming pools have closed over the last decade, freedom of information (FOI) requests from GMB have revealed. |
Town halls forced to sell community assets as debts mount
26/08/2025 Local authorities across the UK are selling off public assets – such as schools and care homes – to try and reduce a collective debt of £122bn. |
Scottish Borders props up leisure services provider
22/08/2025 Scottish Borders Council has agreed to provide a £1m loan to its leisure services provider as it grapples with a budget shortfall. |
High energy prices forcing councils to cool swimming pools
14/08/2025 Councils are decreasing temperatures in swimming pools due to high energy prices, data says. |
Council accused of offering ‘freebies’ in devolution bid
13/08/2025 Oxford City Council has been accused of handing out ‘freebies’ to win support for its local government reorganisation plans. |
Remove barriers to gym access, councils told
07/08/2025 Councils urged to improve gym access for people with mental illness, as new report highlights barriers and calls for inclusive fitness services. |
Council launches investigation into water park death
06/08/2025 Stoke-on-Trent City Council has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a four-year-old girl at the Waterworld water park. |
Call for £400m sports fund to be channelled through councils
05/08/2025 Council leaders have called for the £400m announced in the Spending Review for grassroots sports to be targeted toward leisure centres and swimming pools. |
Building Healthier Communities: The Case for Investing in Public Health
11/07/2025 Explore how targeted, community-based public health strategies can improve lives, reduce NHS pressure, and deliver cost savings for local authorities. |
Everyone Active launches new Community Champions scheme
09/06/2025 Leisure Operator, Everyone Active, launches new Community Champions scheme to fund local projects. |
Alliance Leisure Gets All ISG Affected Developments Back On Track
19/02/2025 In the wake of ISG Construction’s sudden collapse, Alliance Leisure has successfully brought all affected leisure development projects back on track. |
Unions warn council over potential strikes
14/01/2025 Trade unions have warned Belfast City Council that leisure centre staff could strike if a pay dispute with an outsourced management company is not resolved. |
Unlocking the benefits of low carbon leisure centres
03/12/2024 Steve Wilkinson, director of energy performance contracts at Cenergist, explores how councils can navigate decarbonisation strategies for leisure centres. |
Five star performance for Everyone Active
28/10/2024 Everyone Active celebrates five awards at ukactive Awards 2024, including top honours for National Centre and Outstanding Organisation of the Year. |
Council demolishes ‘Britain's biggest man cave’
03/06/2024 Forest of Dean District Council has set to work demolishing a leisure complex that was built without planning permission by a local millionaire. |
Two-thirds of councils to cut neighbourhood services
27/02/2024 Community services will have to be ‘drastically scaled back’ or cut altogether without further funding for councils, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned. |
Fitness instructors flex muscles in pay dispute
25/01/2024 Council-employed yoga, aerobics and Pilates instructors in Colchester are voting on strike action after nearly a decade without a pay rise, says Unison. |
£20m boost for leisure centres
06/11/2023 The Government has awarded local authorities a share of £20m to help support swimming pools and leisure centres most at risk of closure or significant service reduction. |
Thousand pools shut since 2010
05/10/2023 More than 1,000 publicly accessible pools have closed since 2010, England’s governing body for swimming has found. |
Council U-turns on decision to close 39 facilities
04/10/2023 North Lanarkshire Council has reversed its plan to close 39 community facilities after Scotland’s First Minister blasted the decision as ‘short sighted’. |
