The future of design guides and codes
Jane Dann explains how the proposed National Planning Policy Framework and National Model Design Code changes will impact on future design codes.
Funding boost for councils’ weight management services
04/03/2021 The Government has announced £100m funding to help adults and children achieve and maintain a healthier weight. |
Councils fear homelessness ‘tidal wave’
01/03/2021 Local authorities are braced for a surge in the number of homeless people as protections put in place for the COVID-19 pandemic are allowed to lapse. |
LGA responds to white paper plans to radically reform the NHS
11/02/2021 Council leaders have warned that local government needs to be an equal partner in the design of any national oversight of social care as the Government sets out its white paper plans to overhaul the NHS. |
Report calls for a joined up public health approach to gangs
08/02/2021 Local authorities are failing to tackle the key drivers for youth violence in their areas, the Children's Commissioner has warned in a new report. |
Councils face funding shortfall for self-isolation schemes
03/02/2021 Funding for council schemes supporting people forced to self-isolate due to COVID-19 do not go far enough, according to new research. |
Alcohol-related deaths hit record high during pandemic
03/02/2021 Alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales rose to record highs during the first nine months of 2020, official figures have revealed. |
Councils welcome £148m funding boost to cut misuse of drugs
20/01/2021 Five areas across England will pilot a new approach to tackling drug misuse under plans announced today by the Government. |
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. |
Cheshire leaders put concerns to Government on jabs, lockdown and schools
13/01/2021 Council leaders in Cheshire and their partners have written to the Government laying out their concerns about the vaccination rollout, the current lockdown arrangements and schools. |
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. |
Calls for 'credible plan' to keep people active during lockdown
06/01/2021 The Government has been urged to create a 'credible plan' to help people stay active during the winter. |
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. |
Councils resist pressure to reopen schools
04/01/2021 Scores of councils have raised concerns over the return of primary school pupils to classrooms amid soaring COVID-19 infection rates. |
Lack of data is hampering local responses to new virus variant, says Lord Porter
24/12/2020 District councils are unable to deliver a local response to the new variant of COVID-19 due to a lack of ‘accurate, good quality data’, according to Lord Porter of Spalding. |
'Bitter disappointment' greets tiers review
17/12/2020 Millions more people are facing tougher restrictions from this weekend in an effort to curb a rise in COVID-19 cases in the east and south-east of England. |
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. |
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. |
Boost to local test and trace funding
11/12/2020 The increase of up to £200m per month follows criticism from the National Audit Office. |
Council drops COVID tier three legal challenge
09/12/2020 Stratford-on-Avon DC said new information had come to light following a response from the Government. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
PPE supply for care workers was 'inadequate'
24/11/2020 The social care sector was ‘left to fend for itself’ during the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an investigation into supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE). |
‘Forgotten city’ in plea for government aid
17/11/2020 The leader of Hull City Council has written to Prime Minister Boris Johnson to plead for additional support amid rising COVID-19 cases. |
Councils bid for vaccine role
16/11/2020 Councils have made a bid to play a key role in distributing the new coronavirus vaccine. |
Childhood obesity rises again in past year
30/10/2020 Children living in the most deprived areas are more than twice as likely to be obese as those in the least deprived, new figures have revealed. |
Barking & Dagenham offers same-day testing to key workers
26/10/2020 Barking & Dagenham LBC is thought to have become the first in England to set up a same-day COVID testing service for key workers, to sidestep delays in the national system for tests and results. |
Councils gain COVID enforcement powers
23/10/2020 Councils are to be given new powers to issue businesses with improvement notices and close premises if they breach coronavirus restrictions. |
Greater Manchester will move into Tier 3 as talks collapse
20/10/2020 Prime Minister Boris Johnson says Greater Manchester will head into Tier 3 restrictions on Friday after talks with local leaders broke up without a deal. |
Greater Manchester's mayor will not 'roll over' on COVID cash
19/10/2020 Greater Manchester’s standoff with government on moving to new tier three COVID-19 restrictions continues today, with mayor Andy Burham saying he will not ‘roll over’ at the sight of a cheque. |
Manchester leaders unite to oppose Tier 3 restrictions
15/10/2020 Local leaders across Greater Manchester have rejected plans to put the region into Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions. |
PM pledges extra £1bn for local government amid three-tier system
12/10/2020 Boris Johnson has announced a further £1bn in funding for local government as the country heads into the second wave of COVID-19. |
Northern leaders propose five point plan to manage local lockdowns
07/10/2020 Four northern leaders have called for more local input to bring down COVID-19 infection rates. |
Council leaders call for local track and trace systems
02/10/2020 Five council leaders have called on the Government to ditch the private track and trace system. |
Ten million people may need mental health support due to pandemic, study warns
01/10/2020 Local authority leaders have called for a ‘new national focus’ on mental health as a study estimates that up to 10 million people in England may need support for depression and anxiety as a result of COVID-19. |
Leaders call for a ring-fenced Sports Recovery Fund
22/09/2020 The Government has been urged to ringfence funding for sports and physical activities to avoid creating health problems for a generation. |
Council chiefs call for investment to cope with lockdown addictions
15/09/2020 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to increase investment in public health services to help them tackle drug and alcohol addiction. |
Women struggling to access contraception due to cuts, inquiry finds
11/09/2020 Women in England are struggling to access contraception putting them at risk of unplanned pregnancies, MPs have warned. |
Watchdog warns progress on childhood obesity is 'slow'
09/09/2020 Government efforts to tackle childhood obesity have been slow and uncoordinated, the public spending watchdog has warned today. |
Health experts urge ‘safer sex’ after rise in gonorrhoea cases
03/09/2020 The Government has urged people to practice safer sex after data reveals that gonorrhoea cases in England have risen by 26%. |
Councils call for more investment in suicide prevention
02/09/2020 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to invest more in public health to help councils prevent suicide with a locally-driven approach. |
Health experts raise serious concerns over scrapping PHE
02/09/2020 Health experts have raised 'serious concerns' about Government plans to reorganise the public health system. |
Fifth of care homes took on Covid patients, survey reveals
24/08/2020 One in five care homes had to accept patients discharged from hospital who had tested positive for COVID-19 during the early part of the pandemic, a survey has found. |
Hancock under pressure on anti-obesity plans following PHE closure
24/08/2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock is under growing pressure today to say who will take responsibility for the national fight against obesity following his decision to close down Public Health England (PHE). |
Obesity stigma fuelling ‘severe impact’ on adult social care
20/08/2020 Weight-related stigmas need tackling to help prevent rising levels of obesity having a significant impact on adult social care, local authority leaders say. |
Hancock scraps Public Health England
17/08/2020 Ministers have been accused of making Public Health England (PHE) a scapegoat by scrapping the body for alleged failures in the testing and tracing of coronavirus. |
Council test and trace teams to be rolled out
10/08/2020 Local coronavirus test and trace teams are to be rolled out to all upper-tier English councils. |
Calls for urgent investment in mental health recovery
07/08/2020 Investment in mental health is crucial to seeing the country through the next phases of the pandemic, a new report has said today. |
Hancock's new rules to halt COVID spread
31/07/2020 New rules on social gatherings have been introduced in Northern England as the number of COVID cases has started to rise. |
A third of council-owned pools will stay closed this year
27/07/2020 Nearly a third of council-owned swimming pools could remain closed until next year, new research has revealed. |
Councils call for public health funding to avert obesity crisis
27/07/2020 Council leaders have warned that the Government must reverse public health funding cuts in order for any new obesity strategy to be successful. |
Millions more people to be offered free flu vaccine
24/07/2020 More than 30 million people in England will be offered a free flu vaccination in a bid to ease the pressure on the NHS this winter. |
Hancock announces plans to share more data
20/07/2020 Health secretary Matt Hancock has announced plans to share more data with local government in a bid to help track and trace COVID-19 cases more effectively. |
Councils call for action to ensure smoke-free pavements
20/07/2020 Councils have called for pavements outside pubs, bars and cafes to be smoke-free. |
PM announces new powers for local lockdown
17/07/2020 Councils will get new powers to shut down premises in a bid to control the spread of coronavirus as we head towards the next phase of the pandemic, the Prime Minister has announced. |
A million smokers quit during pandemic
15/07/2020 More than a million smokers have quit the habit since the start of the coronavirus crisis, figures have revealed today. |
Blackburn with Darwen announces new local measures to control virus
15/07/2020 Blackburn with Darwen Council has introduced five new local measures to control the spread of coronavirus, including wearing masks in all enclosed public spaces. |
Less than one in seven people are now smokers, data reveals
08/07/2020 The number of smokers in the UK has fallen from 14.7% in 2018 to 14.1% in 2019, according to official figures. |
Local authorities need extra resources to lead contact tracing now
02/07/2020 Pascale Robinson explains why local public health teams are best placed to lead contract tracing services. |
Local public health teams should manage contact tracing, poll reveals
02/07/2020 Two-thirds of the public want local public health teams to be in charge of the contact tracing system, a new poll has revealed. |
Leicester locks down after surge in coronavirus
30/06/2020 England’s first local lockdown will begin in Leicester this week in a bid to combat a surge in COVID-19 cases. |
Leicester could be first city to face local lockdown
29/06/2020 Leicester could be the first place in England to be placed in a local lockdown following a rise in the number of coronavirus cases, the home secretary warned over the weekend. |
Combined authority 'spending reserves like it's going out of fashion'
17/06/2020 Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s chief executive has expressed doubts about whether his region would be able to cope with a second wave of coronavirus infections. |
Racism raises the risk from COVID-19 for minorities
17/06/2020 Racism has raised the risk of people from black and ethnic minority communities developing COVID-19 and dying from the disease, says an official report. |
Councils call for clarity on local lockdowns
16/06/2020 Councils this week called for clarity on the legal powers they will have if they are forced to implement local coronavirus lockdowns. |
IFS exposes impact of COVID-19 on different areas
15/06/2020 The balance of protecting public health and returning to economic activity varies from one area to the next, research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found. |
The power of local systems to save lives
22/05/2020 Councils and their partners could do even more to contain the spread of COVID-19 if properly funded to undertake a robust localised system of testing, tracking and tracing, argues Professor Donna Hall. |
Campaigners warn children more exposed to secondhand smoke since lockdown
14/05/2020 More than one in ten smokers who live with children are smoking indoors more since lockdown, new research has revealed today. |
Leeds chief takes on key contract tracing role
13/05/2020 Leeds City Council chief executive Tom Riordan will take on a key role in the Government’s contact tracing programme in the battle against coronavirus. |
Helping smokers to quit during Covid-19
06/05/2020 Alan Sutherland calls on councils to make use of more digital tools to help smokers quit during Covid-19 |
'High risk' staff are being forced back, claims Unison
04/05/2020 Unison is demanding Milton Keynes Council steps back from what it says is a ‘rogue local plan’ to order staff in high risk categories back to work. |
Around 300,000 quit smoking due to coronavirus
04/05/2020 Council leaders have welcomed figures that show around 300,000 people have quit smoking due to an increased risk from coronavirus. |
Districts win in latest allocations
28/04/2020 Districts have won a significantly higher share of funding in the latest allocations of government cash to help councils cope with coronavirus. |
Council staff will be deployed for Covid-19 contact tracing
21/04/2020 Council staff will be deployed to help spot, trace and isolate new cases of coronavirus, the Welsh Government has confirmed. |
Officials warn coronavirus impact could trigger measles outbreak
15/04/2020 The UK is at risk of a measles outbreak if routine vaccinations are delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Measles & Rubella Initiative has warned. |
Councils to be fully funded for coronavirus costs
18/03/2020 Councils in England will be fully funded for implementing measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, the chancellor has confirmed. |
Electoral Commission calls for autumn polls
12/03/2020 May’s local elections should be postponed until the autumn, the Electoral Commission has said. |
Jenrick launches taskforce to ‘strengthen’ plans to tackle coronavirus
10/03/2020 The local government secretary, Robert Jenrick, has launched a new taskforce to strengthen local plans to help tackle the outbreak of coronavirus. |
Government to give volunteers job protection to help fight coronavirus
09/03/2020 New measures to make it easier for volunteers to help support health and social care services have been introduced by the Government in the fight against the coronavirus. |
A fifth of public toilets lost in past decade
05/03/2020 More than a fifth (22%) of public toilets have been closed down since 2010 due to council funding cuts, a trade union has found. |
Public health cuts ‘stall’ progress in children’s health
04/03/2020 Progress in children’s health and wellbeing has ‘stalled or is in reverse’ partly because of cuts to local authority budgets, study finds. |
Council advises pupils to ‘self-isolate’ following Coronavirus fears
26/02/2020 Cheshire East Council has told pupils who have been to Italy where Coronavirus cases have been identified to ‘self-isolate’ as a precautionary measure. |
Life expectancy stalls for the first time in a century
25/02/2020 Life expectancy has stopped improving for the first time in more than 100 years, and has actually declined for England’s poorest women, according to a new study. |
England ‘unlikely’ to meet 2030 smoke-free target
25/02/2020 England will fail to reach the Government’s 2030 smoke-free target unless smoking in the poorest communities is tackled, research has revealed today. |
Cuts will lead to tragedy, health visitors warn
20/02/2020 Nearly half of health visitors in England worry a tragedy is waiting to happen where they work due to cuts to public health budgets. |
Councils cannot afford to roll-out anti-HIV drug
12/02/2020 Local authority leaders have warned that cash-strapped councils cannot afford to roll-out the anti-HIV drug PrEP without guarantees it will be fully funded. |
London aims to be ‘first city’ to stop new HIV infections
05/02/2020 Over 30 organisations have joined together in an effort to make London the first city in the world to stop new HIV infections. |
Public health cuts leading to 'spiralling' STI rates
05/02/2020 Local authority leaders have called for more investment into public health services as a new report reveals that there is an STI diagnosis every 70 seconds in England. |
Nearly 300 children start smoking every day, figures show
03/02/2020 Campaigners have called for tobacco manufacturers to pay to end smoking after figures show 280 children in England start smoking every day. |
Funding cuts put 2030 smokefree target ‘at risk’
14/01/2020 Funding shortages for local tobacco control could put the 2030 smokefree target at risk, campaigners have warned today. |
Planning system is ‘failing’ children’s rights, says report
29/11/2019 The planning system is neglecting the rights and needs of children, a new report has warned today. |
Asbestos still ‘serious’ threat to public heath
25/11/2019 Asbestos can be still be found in 1.5 million public buildings putting people at risk of exposure, a think tank has warned. |
Councils chiefs call for more powers to ‘restrict’ takeaways
12/11/2019 Local authorities have called for more planning powers to help them prevent takeaways from ‘clustering’ as part of the fight against health inequalities and obesity. |
Policy action to secure the future health of young people
08/11/2019 We need to invest across housing, employment and transport to secure the health prospects of the next generation, argues Martina Kane. |
Councils welcome increase in funeral expenses payments
06/11/2019 Councils leaders hope the increase in funeral expenses payments will help lower the number of public health funerals. |
Think tanks calls for public health funding to be linked to NHS budgets
05/11/2019 Public health funding should be linked to increases in the NHS budget, a briefing published by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggests. |
Thousands of inpatients with learning disabilities and autism to receive care review
05/11/2019 Thousands of people with learning disabilities and autism that have detained in a mental health hospital will have their care reviewed over the next 12 months, the Government announced today. |
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.
