disabilities | LocalGov


Hunger costs put severe strain on public services 29/04/2025 Public services are under £13.7bn worth of pressure due to the Government’s negligence in addressing hunger and hardship, according to anti-poverty charity.
Hackney’s blue badge assessments ‘flawed’ 11/04/2025 Drivers in Hackney have been urged to reapply for a blue badge after an investigation revealed flaws in the council’s scheme.
Stepping up to help disabled social housing tenants 07/04/2025 The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is calling for social housing providers to train staff in disability issues to help impaired tenants.
Council apologises for failing to assess carer’s needs 03/04/2025 Southend-on-Sea City Council has agreed to apologise to a mother for failing to assess her needs as a carer on two occasions.
Schools for pupils with SEND short by 8k places 28/03/2025 Department for Education figures have revealed that the shortage of places in special schools for secondary pupils in England worsened by 25% in 2023/24.
Cuts to disability benefits could cost councils £1.2bn 24/03/2025 The Government's cuts to disability benefits could lead to £1.2bn of extra costs for social care services and the NHS, according to a think tank.
Celebrities speak out against cuts to disability support 20/03/2025 Celebrities, including Rosie Jones and Sir Stephen Fry, have spoken out against benefit cuts, arguing they will force disabled people to use food banks.
PAC: Inequalities risk being ‘baked into’ charge point roll-out 12/03/2025 Regional divides and inequalities risk being ‘baked into’ the roll-out of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, MPs have warned.
Make a dent in the £100m compensation claim bill 19/02/2025 With stairs being the most common hazard in the home, AAT is giving local authority social care teams a best value tool to manage safety, fast.
Quarter of children need social care by 18, study finds 03/02/2025 One in four children in England require social care services by the time they turn 18, a new study has revealed.
Disability benefit claimants miss out on £4bn 31/01/2025 Benefit claimants received over £4bn less than they were entitled to in 2023-24 increasing the risk of financial hardship for those losing out, watchdog says.
Special educational needs statutory override is 'abomination' 10/01/2025 Accountancy alone will not be enough to end the ‘abomination' of statutory overrides for special educational needs (SEN) budgets, a minister has said.
Child put in care after councils fail to adapt home 05/12/2024 Errors made by two councils left a child with significant and complex needs living in an unsuitable home for ‘far too long’, an ombudsman has found.
Council calls for SEND tribunals to consider safety valve arrangements 27/11/2024 Norfolk CC has called for tribunals handling special educational needs and disabilities appeals to consider if councils are receiving extra financial support.
MPs sound alarm on SEND deficits 20/11/2024 Deficits in SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) budgets are among the top concerns for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
Care for working-age and disabled adults to cost £17bn by 2030 11/11/2024 Social care costs for working-age adults and those with a lifelong disability could reach £17bn by 2030, according to new research.
New steps to keep tenants safe 08/11/2024 Housing Associations can now access a cost-effective method of managing the risk of helping keep tenants safe when using stairs.
Many children not getting the right support, care regulator warns 25/10/2024 Many children and young people are not currently getting the support they need, England’s health and social care regulator has warned.
Last provider of holidays with 24-hour care to close 11/10/2024 The UK’s only holiday provider that offers 24-hour care for people with complex disabilities is set to close over ‘insurmountable’ financial challenges.
Mother fleeing abuse forced to live in mixed-sex B&B 10/10/2024 A mother fleeing abuse was forced to live in accommodation so unsuitable her disabled child would soil themselves rather than use the shared bathroom.
Birmingham day centres set for axe 10/10/2024 Councillors in Birmingham have been advised to approve the closure of four day centres for disabled adults.
Council apologises for flawed approach to travel support 04/10/2024 Sandwell Council has apologised after the local government Ombudsman found flaws in the way it considered a family’s application for travel support.
Supported housing ‘on a knife edge’ 20/09/2024 The Local Government Association (LGA) has urged the Government to boost spending on supported housing and consider a ring-fenced fund in next month’s Budget.
Council SEND spending up 70% 16/09/2024 Local authority spending on children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has risen from £6.9bn to £12bn since 2018/19, new analysis reveals.
Placing accessibility at the centre of house building 30/08/2024 Disabled architect and renowned access consultant, Amy Francis-Smith, argues that accessibility should be the focus of new local government house building.
Council offers to brief Farage on SEND pressures 09/07/2024 Essex CC has offered to brief Nigel Farage MP on special educational needs and disabilities issues after the Reform UK leader criticised the council.
Council failed in duties over care home closure 08/07/2024 Wokingham Borough Council’s failures over a struggling care home caused distress and anxiety for a woman who had lived there for 16 years, an investigation has found.
Council pays family £1,500 after school transport failure 04/07/2024 A family in Surrey has been paid £1,500 in compensation after the county council failed to provide school transport for a child with medical needs.
Leeds council proposes SEND transport overhaul 02/07/2024 Leeds City Council has proposed reducing transport support for post-16 learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Councils face £1bn SEND shortfall 18/06/2024 Local authorities in England are facing a critical shortfall of almost £1bn in special needs budgets this year, new research has found.
Councils looking after record 576k children with SEND 13/06/2024 Local authorities are looking after record numbers of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), council chiefs warn.
Annual welfare spending to rise by £20bn 13/06/2024 Welfare spending is set to increase by £20.8bn a year by the end of the next parliament, a think-tank has found.
London sees 400% increase in blue badge thefts 04/06/2024 A fourfold increase in the number of blue badge thefts in London is partly the result of local authority cuts, warns London Assembly Member.
Autism care plans in North Yorkshire rise by almost 400% 31/05/2024 The number of children and young people in North Yorkshire who have autism as a primary need on their care plan has risen by 387% since 2015.
What do safety valve agreements mean for children with SEND? 14/05/2024 Catriona Moore, policy manager at SEND legal advice charity IPSEA, looks at the impact of safety valve agreements on local SEND provision.
Ministers propose disability benefits overhaul amid ‘spiralling’ costs 30/04/2024 Plans to overhaul the disability benefits system and ‘deliver better value for the taxpayer’ have been laid out by the Government.
Elderly forced to wait over six months for home adaptations 30/04/2024 Elderly and disabled people are being forced to wait over six months for the installation of home adaptations due to poor administration at the local level.
MPs call for Carer’s Allowance review 23/04/2024 MPs have called for a review of Carer’s Allowance as new figures showed rising numbers of benefit overpayments going undetected, The Guardian has reported.
Proposed disability benefit reforms criticised 22/04/2024 The Prime Minister’s proposed Personal Independence Payments (PIP) reforms will ‘heap more misery’ on people with disabilities, charity says.
Union criticises Government’s ‘shameful’ SEND support 04/04/2024 Teachers and support staff are ‘losing faith’ in the special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system due to inadequate resources, a union has warned.
Newcastle moves cycle barriers that blocked disabled access 04/04/2024 Newcastle City Council has agreed to move a set of barriers after a disabled cyclist raised concerns that the design constituted indirect discrimination.
Spending on SEND school transport doubles to £1.4bn 27/03/2024 The special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) school transport system is threatening 'the financial viability of councils’, council leaders warn.
Bristol SEND services get £54m bailout 25/03/2024 Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) services in Bristol are to receive a nearly £54m bailout, the Government has confirmed.
Thurrock bin crews trapped wheelchair user 20/02/2024 Bin crews in Thurrock have repeatedly trapped a disabled woman in her home by not returning her bins to the proper place, ombudsman finds.
The joys of inclusive play 12/02/2024 Nathalie Esfandi, co-founder of the Fair Play playground, discusses the important role local councils can play in creating inclusive play environments.
Children with SEND just ‘badly behaved’, councillors claim 07/02/2024 Warwickshire CC has launched an investigation after a video revealed councillors making disparaging remarks about children with special educational needs.
MPs to debate free school meals extension 10/01/2024 MPs are set to debate the extension of the free school meals scheme today as tens of thousands of eligible disabled children miss out on extra support.
Councils hit by improvement notices 20/11/2023 Oldham MBC and Oxfordshire CC have received improvement notices for their services for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Government falling 'woefully short' on supported housing 10/11/2023 Vulnerable people are increasingly provided with poor quality supported housing and suffer ‘significant, detrimental’ impacts due to inadequate support, a report has found.
London faces ‘chronic’ street clutter issue 18/10/2023 Central London has a ‘chronic’ issue with street clutter such as disused phone boxes and discarded e-bikes, a think tank has warned.
Councils ‘wasted’ £46m on SEND tribunals 26/09/2023 Councils ‘wasted’ £46m on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) tribunals in 2021-22, economists have reported.
Charity calls for pavement parking crack down 25/09/2023 A charity for the visually impaired has urged the Government to do more to crack down on pavement parking.
Newham to review hundreds of rejected freedom passes 07/09/2023 Following an ombudsman investigation, the London Borough of Newham will review more than 200 applications for freedom passes it rejected.
Why we should be concerned with the SEN2 survey 05/09/2023 Gareth Copeland, education consultant, OLM Systems, looks at the SEN2 survey and argues there is a disconnect with what really counts.
Government failing to protect disabled people 17/08/2023 The UK and Welsh governments are failing to protect disabled people from discrimination and the situation is worsening due to the cost-of-living crisis.
DfT faces Court of Appeal challenge over kerb heights 16/08/2023 A disability campaigner has won the right to take her case to the Court of Appeal in battle over the Department for Transport's minimum kerb height guidance.
Disabled people missing out on £24m every month 16/08/2023 Delays to Personal Independent Payment (PIP) reviews have left disabled people missing out on an estimated £24m every month, according to Citizens Advice.
Housing Ombudsman orders Waverley to pay £13,000 11/08/2023 Waverley Borough Council has been ordered to pay nearly £13,000 after delays meant a resident was forced to install disability adaptations themselves.
Pedestrian crossings lights could stay green longer 25/07/2023 Active Travel England (ATE) is considering introducing new guidance for councils that could increase the amount of time people have to cross the road.
Inquiry on housing for people with disabilities launched 25/07/2023 MPs have launched an inquiry into how far the planning system is helping to deliver homes that are suitable for disabled people.
Toolkit to help carers of disabled children launched 09/06/2023 The Government has launched a new toolkit aimed at helping families access funds belonging to disabled young people.
Bristol council faces bankruptcy 25/05/2023 Bristol City Council has been warned it must take urgent action to avoid bankruptcy over the spiralling cost of special educational needs and disabilities.
Care leaders warn social care system ‘run out of road’ 26/04/2023 Body representing social services directors has published ‘roadmap’ for fixing care and says there is a consensus on what needs to be done but a lack of will.
Safeguarding overhaul called for after ‘horrific’ child abuse case 20/04/2023 Council leaders have called for more powers to hold partners to account after a review into the abuse of children with disabilities at Hesley Group of homes.
Council agrees to refund thousands in school transport costs 20/04/2023 Leicestershire County Council has agreed to refund a mother’s school transport costs after Ombudsman found flaws in the way it handled her application.
Legal threat forces Devon CC to halt care cuts 17/04/2023 Devon County Council will halt its plans to cut adult day and respite services after the mental health charity Mencap threatened to take legal action.
Counter-terrorism measures restrict blue badge parking, campaigners say 11/04/2023 A policy of restricting access to York city centre for motorists with blue badges has been slammed as ‘disproportionate’ and a human rights breach.
Mencap threatens council with legal action over cuts 30/03/2023 A learning disability charity has threatened to take legal action against Devon CC over the council's plans to ‘severely cut’ adult day and respite services.
Council welcomes £3.5m Morrisons fine after employee death 20/03/2023 Morrisons has been fined £3.5m following successful prosecution by Tewkesbury BC after the death of an epileptic employee in one of the supermarket’s stores.
Autistic children face discrimination in care system 03/03/2023 Marginalised families with autistic children face serious problems in the health, care, and education systems, according to new research.
Birmingham City Council to review respite care complaints process 02/03/2023 Birmingham is to review the way it responds to complaints about respite care for children with disabilities after it told families to appeal to the Ombudsman.
New SEND plan fails on ‘fundamental’ issues, council chiefs say 02/03/2023 New plan to support children with special educational needs and disabilities fails to address ‘fundamental cost and demand issues’, council chiefs say.
Charity calls for Newcastle e-scooter trial to be ‘closed down’ 27/02/2023 A trial of an e-scooter rental scheme in Newcastle has come under fire for risking the ‘safety and accessibility’ of disabled pedestrians.
Surrey council agrees to review SEND support 16/02/2023 Surrey CC has agreed to review its SEND support for children and young people following an investigation by the local government and social care ombudsman.
Charity calls for ban on pavement parking to improve accessibility 09/02/2023 People with disabilities struggle to move around their communities due to ‘inadequate infrastructure’, a sustainable transport charity has found.
Building inclusive schools 17/01/2023 School sector lead at ADP Architecture Claire Mantle looks at the role of architecture in making schools more inclusive and accessible.
SEND pupils ‘unfairly excluded’, charity says 16/12/2022 Pupils with additional needs have said they are unfairly excluded from mainstream schools because of racism and a lack of understanding from professionals.
Croydon council criticised for failing to provide respite care 09/12/2022 Croydon council has been criticised for failing to provide respite care for the mother of a disabled teenager because it would cost too much.
Council fined £30,000 after disabled man left in unsuitable accommodation 24/11/2022 Birmingham council has apologised after a disabled man was left in unsuitable temporary accommodation for eight years.
Council delay leaves disabled woman stuck downstairs 03/11/2022 A delay by Slough Borough Council in a decision about a stairlift forced a disabled woman to sleep, eat and wash downstairs, investigation reveals.
Delayed EHC Plan highlights recruitment crisis 03/11/2022 North Yorkshire County Council’s struggle to recruit an educational psychologist highlights a wider problem faced by councils across the UK, Ombudsman says.
Providers specialising in autism care warn of contract hand back 31/10/2022 Providers of adult social care have called for more support to be given to providers who look after individuals with a learning disability and autistic people.
Council leaves visually impaired woman without support 20/10/2022 Leicestershire CC has agreed to improve how it prepares social care and support plans after a visually impaired woman was left without support for two years.
Six million people on disability benefits to receive £150 20/09/2022 Six million people who are paid certain disability benefits will begin to receive a one-off payment of £150 from today to help with the cost-of-living crisis.
Disabilities charity calls for ‘immediate increase’ in benefits 12/09/2022 A charity has called for an ‘immediate increase’ in disability benefits and for more assistance with energy costs to help families with disabled children.
Council's disability support policy over a decade late 19/08/2022 A council in Lancashire was more than a decade late in introducing a policy outlining how it supports disabled people to use its services, Ombudsman finds.
Councils receive £7.6m to help people with autism into work 18/08/2022 Twenty-four councils are set to receive £7.6m over the next three years to help over 2,000 adults with learning disabilities and autism move into work.
Lambeth Council to make controversial LTN permanent 16/08/2022 Lambeth Council is proposing to make one of its Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) permanent and to introduce a number of improvements.
Councils warned not to ‘forget’ about people with learning disabilities 11/08/2022 Local authorities must ensure people with learning disabilities are supported through the cost of living crisis, charity says.
Disabled teenage siblings left without support for 18 months 04/08/2022 Liverpool council has apologised after two teenage siblings with significant needs were not provided with the support they should have received for 18 months.
New homes to be more accessible for older and disabled people 29/07/2022 The Government will raise the accessibility standard for new homes following a consultation on the proposals.
Council forced into U-Turn over care package 26/07/2022 Stockport Council has been forced into a U-Turn over plans to reduce a disabled woman’s care package following a successful legal challenge.
Seven more Scottish councils make Adult Disability Payment available 25/07/2022 The Adult Disability Payment is now available in seven more council areas in Scotland ahead of national roll out on 29 August.
Peers highlight lack of progress improving 'flawed' Act 11/07/2022 Little progress has been made in addressing the lack of coordination between the licensing and planning systems, a House of Lords committee has reported.
Autistic Dorset boy left for two years without school 07/07/2022 Dorset Council to reform the way it provides alternative education for children, after a boy with special educational needs missed out on two years of school.
Disabled benefit claimants forced to wait five months for first payment 06/07/2022 Benefit claimants applying for disability support are waiting around five months on average to be awarded their first payment, financial experts have revealed.
Taxi drivers could be fined £1,000 for not supporting disabled passengers 04/07/2022 Taxi and PHV drivers could face fines of up to £1,000 if they fail to offer an accessible service to disabled passengers taking a pre-booked vehicle.
Council apologises after failing to support autistic girl 30/06/2022 Suffolk council apologized after an investigation revealed that the local authority had failed to provide therapy for a child with special educational needs.
Council chiefs call for ‘action’ to deal with spiralling SEND costs 29/06/2022 The number of children in England in need of special needs support has increased dramatically over the past year, local authority leaders say.
Consultation for new SEND inspection framework launched 14/06/2022 Ofsted and the CQC have today launched a consultation on a new draft framework for inspecting local provision for children and young people with SEND.