VE Day: Council duties under the Armed Forces Covenant
As we mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, Geoff Wild, Legal & Governance Consultant, looks at the duties of councils under the Armed Forces Covenant.
Think tank calls for early intervention for children’s mental health issues
19/05/2025 Children with mental health issues are facing long-term health conditions and employment barriers, says new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). |
What the changes to overseas recruitment mean for the care sector
15/05/2025 Melanie Weatherley MBE, co-chair of the Care Association Alliance, responds to the Government’s decision to end the recruitment of care workers from overseas. |
Women face ‘stark underrepresentation’ in manual roles
07/05/2025 Women still face low employment rates in manual or maintenance roles in local government despite a number of councils making positive changes. |
Government launches support network to help local veterans
06/05/2025 Local authority leaders have welcomed a new system designed to make it easier for veterans to access care and support but cautioned against the duplication of services. |
Union hits back after Farage’s ‘alternative careers’ comment
03/05/2025 A public sector union has criticised Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after he said council workers should seek ‘alternative careers’. |
Report finds fall in provision of long-term care
28/02/2025 Councils provided long-term care to fewer people last year than they did a decade ago, according to a new report. |
Nursery fees set to jump 10%
11/02/2025 The rise in employers' national insurance will force most nurseries to increase their fees by 10%, a new survey has revealed. |
National Insurance compensation allocations 'sensible'
05/02/2025 The Government's approach to distributing compensation to councils for higher National Insurance Contribution bills has been described as ‘sensible' by a think-tank. |
The cost of local authority trading companies
30/01/2025 Trading companies provide a model to deliver services under tight financial circumstances, says UNISON’s Paul Bell. But at what cost? |
Union warns of risk of ‘two-tier workforce’
20/01/2025 Council trading companies have created a two-tier workforce as their employees are paid less and receive inferior pensions than town hall staff, UNISON says. |
Union slams council’s ‘fire and rehire’ plans
05/12/2024 The GMB union has criticised Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council over its plans to ‘fire and rehire’ 500 workers. |
Summer riots linked to ‘torn social fabric’
03/12/2024 The majority of towns that saw rioting over the summer after the stabbing attack in Southport have a ‘torn social fabric’, a charitable trust has said. |
NIC hike ‘will be insurmountable’ for some care providers
27/11/2024 A social care leader has warned that the Government’s decision to increase employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) will be ‘catastrophic’ for millions of people who need care. |
Kendall: Local government to join up work opportunities
26/11/2024 Mayors and councils will be given powers to join up services locally to tackle worklessness, the work and pensions secretary will announce today. |
Warrington bans ‘non-essential’ travel to avoid S114
13/11/2024 Warrington Council has announced a ban on all 'non-essential' travel and recruitment as it tries to avoid bankruptcy. |
Social care and the alarming impact of the NIC rise
12/11/2024 The Budget leaves the social care sector alarmed about the rise in national insurance contributions, says Rachael Dodgson, chief executive of Dimensions. |
Migrant care workers face ‘persistent breaches of employment rights’
12/11/2024 Migrants working in adult social care have reported facing unsustainable working hours, ‘demoralising’ financial insecurity, and persistent employment rights breaches. |
NI rise threatens homelessness services
11/11/2024 The rise in national insurance announced in the Budget could be the ‘nail in the coffin’ for many organisations providing homelessness services, charities say. |
Think-tank calls for £6bn devolution to tackle economic inactivity
02/09/2024 A think-tank has argued that the Government should transfer £6bn to local government in a bid to tackle economic inactivity. |
Council staff face ‘hardship’ as they wait months for pensions
02/09/2024 Former council workers in the West Midlands are waiting months to receive their pensions after retiring, creating ‘huge hardship issues’, trade unions and a council have warned. |
Councillors asked to sign off redundancy plans
24/07/2024 Proposals to save £12m a year by axing hundreds of job posts will be considered by councillors in Hertfordshire next week. |
Union slams council’s ‘outrageous’ fire and rehire plan
16/07/2024 Worcestershire County Council is planning to fire and rehire more than 140 employees, despite Labour pledging to ban the practice. |
Shropshire could cut 540 job posts
09/07/2024 Shropshire Council could cut 540 full-time equivalent (FTE) posts in a bid to cut costs by becoming a smaller organisation. |
Warwickshire staff miss 15,000 days due to poor mental health
21/06/2024 Poor mental health was the biggest reason for sickness absence at Warwickshire County Council last year, a report has revealed. |
Levelling up progress ‘glacial’, think tank says
19/06/2024 Progress on levelling up in England has been ‘glacial’ and – according to some metrics – inequality has got worse, a new analysis by the IFS has revealed. |
‘Existential crisis’ for councils as £6bn funding gap revealed
06/06/2024 A new Local Government White Paper has uncovered a £6.2bn funding gap facing councils in England over the next two years. |
Nearly 85,000 childcare places needed, MPs warn
29/05/2024 Around 84,500 more childcare places and 40,000 extra staff are required by September 2025 if the Government is to deliver on its childcare support plans. |
Council employees offered 5.8% pay rise
16/05/2024 Council employees have been offered a pay increase of at least £1,290, which equates to a 5.8% rise for the lowest paid. |
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. |
Years-old study into Carer’s Allowance to be published
25/04/2024 Research into how unpaid carers are impacted when they are forced to repay benefit overpayments will be published ‘shortly’, a minister has pledged. |
10,000 council staff on long-term sick leave
25/04/2024 Nearly 10,000 staff members working in councils across England are currently on long-term sick leave, freedom of information requests have revealed. |
Trade union law ‘nullifies’ right to strike, court rules
18/04/2024 UNISON has welcomed a landmark Supreme Court ruling that found UK trade union law ‘encourages and legitimises unfair and unreasonable conduct’ by employers. |
Future of four-day week in limbo
21/02/2024 South Cambridgeshire councillors have been advised to continue the authority’s four-day week trial until the Government offers more detail on plans to ‘disincentivise’ the practice. |
Keep carers in work to save £6bn, Government urged
19/02/2024 The UK economy will lose billions this year because of unpaid carers who are unable to work, a think-tank has warned. |
Scotland’s public services ‘crumbling’
19/02/2024 Scots have observed worsening poverty and public services are failing to address social problem, according to a new report. |
Nine million adults lack essential skills
03/01/2024 Nine million adults lack essential skills with skill level disparities within local areas far exceeding those between local and combined authorities. |
Middlesbrough proposes job cuts as it warns of ‘tough choices’
14/12/2023 Middlesbrough Council has proposed axing 75 full-time equivalent posts and cutting social care costs as it scrambles to set a balanced budget for next year. |
Local authority leaders criticise minimum service levels
11/12/2023 'Unfair’ and ‘undemocratic’ minimum service levels will lead to ‘more frequent and longer strikes’, according to mayors and council leaders from across UK. |
Leeds councillors to discuss axing 750 employees
06/12/2023 Senior councillors in Leeds are set to discuss plans to reduce staffing levels by 750 by the end of the 2024/25 financial year. |
South Cambs issued Best Value notice over four-day week
03/11/2023 The Government has issued a non-statutory Best Value notice to South Cambridgeshire District Council ‘following concerns about its trial of a four-day working week’. |
Barriers to support impacting carers’ mental health
02/11/2023 Unpaid carers are not receiving adequate support from statutory services and their mental health is suffering as a result, Carers UK has found. |
DLUHC advises councils on four-day week
26/10/2023 The Government has issued guidance for English councils on four-day weeks and said it is exploring other measures ‘to ensure the sector is clear’ that the practice should not be pursued. |
Public support more focus on poor health causes
02/10/2023 The Government should invest more in public health to address the roots of poor health, according to a poll for the charity Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH). |
Care sector ‘stifling’ the economy, report says
18/09/2023 Properly funded social care would power growth and unlock jobs, according to a report published today. |
Council expands four-day week trial after fresh call to end it
14/09/2023 A 12-month four-day week trial at South Cambridgeshire District Council will expand next week, despite local government minister Lee Rowley again calling on the council to end it. |
Employment support services provide support ‘in name only’
06/09/2023 Jobseekers and employers are being failed by Jobcentre employment services, which display a lack of care and support, think tank says. |
LGA: ‘Radical shift’ towards local employment support needed
25/07/2023 Council leaders have called for a ‘radical shift’ from centralised employment support after a consultation emphasised the benefits of 'local involvement'. |
MPs call for devolution of employment support
19/07/2023 The delivery of support aimed at helping people into employment should be devolved to groups of local authorities, MPs have said. |
Union warns of ‘significant rise’ in social care exploitation
10/07/2023 Unison has warned of a ‘significant rise’ in the number of migrant workers who are being exploited in the social care sector. |
Barnsley launches new initiative to boost employment
04/07/2023 Barnsley Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority have launched a new initiative to support thousands of residents into employment. |
NHS leaders call for social care workforce plan
03/07/2023 NHS leaders have written to the Prime Minister calling for a social care workforce plan to boost recruitment and retention in the social care sector. |
Boosting the wellbeing of public sector employees
06/06/2023 Sick days are damaging public sector productivity. Alun Baker, GoodShape, looks at how to boost employee wellbeing. |
Council chiefs welcome £165m skills fund
25/05/2023 Local authority leaders have welcomed the launch of a £165m skills fund but say councils should be given more powers to help people into employment. |
Empowering cities could bring £420m economic boost
23/03/2023 Bringing together employment and skills services in urban areas could result in a £420m boost to the national economy, according to local government leaders. |
Post-COVID work scheme saw ‘missed opportunities’
22/03/2023 Prospects for people getting back into work after pandemic would have been much better if councils had been able to take the lead, council leaders claim. |
New civil service ‘hub’ in York to deliver 2,600 jobs
03/03/2023 A new civil service ‘hub’ is set to open by 2027 in York, bringing up to 2,600 new jobs to the city, the Government has announced. |
Lowest paid council employees offered 9.42% pay bump
23/02/2023 Council employees have been offered what the Local Government Association describes as a ‘full and final’ pay increase of at least £1,925 from 1 April 2023. |
Council concerned by loss of 1,300 jobs at Ford premises
15/02/2023 Basildon Council has said the local authority will continue to work with Ford after the automobile manufacturer announced plans to cut over a thousand jobs. |
County chiefs call for powers to solve rural workforce crisis
06/02/2023 Council leaders have called for powers to tackle labour squeeze as a new analysis reveals that hundreds of thousands of people have left the rural workforce. |
Labour proposes more employment powers for councils
04/01/2023 Local authorities would be given more power in an overhaul of the jobs market and training under plans being looked at by the Labour Party. |
DWP urged to devolve employment support to councils
02/12/2022 Local authority leaders have called for all employment support to be devolved to councils rather than contracted out to large providers. |
Council leaders call for reversal of adult education cuts
11/11/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to use next week’s Autumn Statement to reverse proposed cuts to community learning courses. |
Benefit cuts leave council welfare schemes ‘over-burdened’
28/10/2022 Cuts to benefits have left local authority-administered discretionary welfare support funds ‘over-burdened’, think tank warns. |
Council launches taskforce to plan factory’s future
28/09/2022 Newcastle City Council has launched a taskforce with Nestlé UK to plan for the future of a confectionery factory which is set to close near the end of 2023. |
Council to trial four-day week
05/09/2022 A council in South Cambridgeshire is planning to begin a three-month trial of a four-day week in order to attract new staff. |
Devolve powers to tackle jobs crisis, council chiefs say
17/05/2022 Local authority leaders have called on the Government to devolve more powers to councils to free them up to tackle the growing job crisis at the local level. |
Chancellor urged to use £20bn windfall to support struggling households
11/05/2022 The Chancellor should use some of the reported £20bn fiscal windfall to provide emergency support to squeezed households, report says. |
Welsh government invests £8m in employment services
14/04/2022 Welsh government is investing £8m in employment services that help people recovering from physical, mental ill-health and substance misuse remain in work. |
Government’s youth employment scheme branded ‘chaotic’
25/02/2022 Government scheme for helping young people into employment has been ‘chaotic’ and has failed to support as many people as first predicted, PAC says. |
Council chiefs call for devolution of skills powers
30/11/2021 Local authority leaders are urging MPs to support measures that would see councils have more say in the delivery of skills development at the local level. |
Over 100,000 young people start jobs through Kickstart Scheme
16/11/2021 Over 100,000 young people across the country have now started jobs through the Kickstart Scheme, the Government today announced. |
Business rates system 'discourages shift to net zero'
31/08/2021 Small firms have written to the Government warning that the business rates system is a disincentive to invest in net zero and employee wellbeing measures. |
Labour market recovery uneven, think tank warns
12/08/2021 Tourism-reliant areas have seen job numbers pick up over the summer, but the jobs recovery is uneven and has a long way to go, according to a new anaylsis. |
Bristol council commits to £30,000 plus salaries for inner-city households
11/08/2021 Bristol council have announced a new target to support at least one person from each inner-city household to to secure a salary of over £30,000 by 2030. |
Javid launches £75m autism strategy
21/07/2021 The Government today launched a new multi-million pound strategy to help improve the lives of people with autism. |
Report calls for thousands of new green jobs in areas worst hit by pandemic
05/05/2021 More than 16,000 new green jobs could be created in areas with the greatest employment challenges with Government investment and raised ambition, according to new research by a think tank. |
Councils urged to combine employment support into homelessness services
21/09/2020 Personalised support from councils could help twice as many people stay in employment, a new paper has argued. |
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New scheme to support self-isolating workers does not go ‘far enough’, Burnham says
27/08/2020 Mayor Andy Burnham has criticised the Government’s announcement of a new payment for people who are self-isolating, arguing it ‘goes nowhere near far enough’. |
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Council chiefs call for devolution of skills investment
17/06/2020 Local authority leaders have said they will work with the Government to develop post-Covid economic recovery plans as figures reveal a fall in employment. |
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Inquiry into housing tenure and unemployment launched
09/03/2020 A new parliamentary inquiry launched today to tackle the employment and earnings gap that exists between working age social housing tenants and other tenures. |
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Minimum ‘basic’ income trial reports mixed results
26/02/2020 A pilot scheme assessing the impact of a minimum ‘basic’ income on poverty and inequality improves well-being but financial insecurities remain. |
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Blackpool Council showcases the true value and results of DFN Project SEARCH
04/02/2020 Cllr Simon Blackburn, leader of Blackpool Council, outlines the impact that implementing DFN Project SEARCH’s innovative training programme has had on the council and wider community. |
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Work alone cannot eliminate poverty, think tank says
04/02/2020 Policy makers need to focus on further interventions to reduce poverty, think tank says as a new report warns that work alone cannot eliminate poverty. |
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DWP say ‘record’ levels of disabled peopled helped into work
08/08/2019 Over 36,000 disabled people were supported into work last year, a figure the Department for Work and Pensions says is a ‘record’. |
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Widening the property talent pool
17/06/2019 William Eichler finds out a new programme is encouraging young people to have a career in the property and regeneration sector. |
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Two councils given funding to help women back to work
13/06/2019 Seven successful projects to be given funding to help support women and carers back return to work have been named. |
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London parents 'locked out' of work due to rising childcare costs
06/06/2019 Nearly two in three local authorities in London do not have enough childcare to meet the demand from parents of school-age children, new research has revealed. |
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Council chiefs call for action on 'youth jobs gap'
24/04/2019 Local authority leaders have renewed calls for an integrated employment and skills service following a report highlighting a 'youth jobs gap'. |
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Southern cities provide more jobs for low-skilled workers than in the North
07/03/2019 Employment opportunities are greater for low-skilled workers in southern English cities than those in the North or Midlands, a think tank has discovered. |
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Three areas pilot schemes to get care leavers into work or education
29/01/2019 Three areas have been chosen to pilot schemes to help care leavers access education and employment. |
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Disability employment gap ‘narrows’
15/01/2019 Disabled people have accounted for about a third of the increase in employment in the UK over the last decade, think tank finds. |
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One in four ‘sandwich carers’ suffer mental health problems
15/01/2019 Over a quarter of ‘sandwich carers’ report symptoms of mental ill-health and are struggling financially, according to the latest statistics. |
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Supported housing system ‘isn’t working’, charity warns
05/12/2018 People living in supported housing are being discouraged from finding work because of fears they will not be able to afford their rent, report reveals. |
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Care sector faces staff shortage of 400,000 over next decade
26/11/2018 The struggling adult social care sector is facing a growing workforce crisis due to chronic low pay and endemic job insecurity, a new report has revealed. |
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Council reduces workforce by 138 to balance budget
26/11/2018 Over 130 Bath and North East Somerset Council workers have been made redundant at a cost to the council of £4.75m. |
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Council plans ‘random’ drug tests for employees
25/07/2018 Walsall Council employees may soon be subject to ‘random’ drug testing after drugs paraphernalia was discovered. |
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£4m fund launched to help people with disabilities in work
17/07/2018 The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a new ‘challenge fund’ to help more people with mental health or musculoskeletal conditions to stay in work. |
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Fire services must ‘diversify’ their workforces, council chiefs say
13/03/2018 Councils have called for recruitment of more women and people from minority backgrounds to ensure fire and rescue services are fit for twenty-first century. |
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£135m employment support programme launched
01/03/2018 London boroughs today launched a new multi-million pound employment programme which will provide tailored support to help people find work. |
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Projects launched to support care leavers
28/02/2018 Three new projects to help care leavers into education, employment or training has been launched by the Government. |
