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. |
Charities call for action on ‘dangerous’ homes
22/04/2024 A coalition of charities has launched a campaign urging the Government to halve the number of homes blighted by mould, damp and other serious hazards. |
Crisis support requests quadruple in five years, FOI reveals
06/02/2024 Applications to council crisis funds for help with beds for children have more than quadrupled in half a decade, a children’s charity has revealed. |
Homelessness charities extend Crisis at Christmas service
05/01/2024 National homelessness charities Crisis and St Mungo’s are teaming up for a third year to extend their hotel service in London into the new year. |
Cruelty to children doubles in five years
08/12/2023 The number of reported cases of children in England being subjected to cruelty or neglect has doubled in the last five years, a children’s charity has warned. |
Charities call for family reunion scheme for Palestinians
23/10/2023 Charities have called for an emergency family reunion scheme for Palestinians modelled on the approach introduced after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. |
Government ‘dodges scrutiny’ in levelling up Bill amendment
18/10/2023 Both rural campaigners and planners have raised concerns that communities were sidelined in yesterday’s amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. |
Fighting poverty at the local level
18/10/2023 This week for London Challenge Poverty Week John McGeachy, campaigns manager for Age UK London talks poverty amongst older people and what councils can do. |
Charities repeat call for ‘no-fault’ evictions ban
16/10/2023 Thirty charities and non-profit organisations have called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to pass a bill to ban ‘no-fault’ evictions. |
Eviction fears affecting older renters’ mental health
06/09/2023 Every 16 minutes, a tenant aged over 55 is given two months to leave their home, according to Shelter. |
Charity calls on planners to help older people move homes
29/08/2023 Planning authorities should be more responsive to local and personal circumstances to help older people who are ‘trapped’ in their current homes, according to a new report. |
Charities accuse Government of social care 'wild goose chase'
24/07/2023 More than 60 charities in England have urged Rishi Sunak to fulfil the Government’s 2019 pledge to ‘fix the crisis in social care once and for all’. |
Disadvantaged women in North East dying early
10/07/2023 Disadvantaged women in the North East are dying prematurely as public services are failing to meet their needs, according to a new report. |
Charity calls for more 20mph near schools
14/06/2023 A road safety charity has called on local authorities to implement 20mph speed limits around all schools. |
Record number of children at risk of exploitation
05/06/2023 A record number of children are at risk of exploitation because families will be unable to afford activities over the holidays, Barnardo's warns. |
‘Shocking’ number of children in care far from home
25/04/2023 A ‘shocking’ number of children are being moved into care far from their communities, according to a campaigning charity. |
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. |
Private renters risk eviction if they complain, charity reveals
30/03/2023 Private renters risk being evicted if they complain to their landlords that repairs are needed in their homes, according to new research. |
Budget’s lack of social care support ‘disappointing’
16/03/2023 Council leaders welcomed the new funding in yesterday's budget but were disappointed by absence of investment in social care, health and children’s services. |
Third of parents worried about losing their home, charity warns
08/03/2023 A third of parents are worried about losing their home because of the cost-of-living crisis, according to campaigners. |
Rough sleeping numbers see record rise
28/02/2023 The number of rough sleepers has risen by 26% – the biggest increase since 2015 – in what one charity has branded a ‘collective failure’. |
Charity calls for preventative care to save ‘overstretched’ NHS
17/02/2023 An older person’s charity has called for more investment into preventative care to help ease the pressure on the ‘overstretched’ NHS and social care system. |
Charity collaborates with ICSs to boost childhood health
16/02/2023 Children’s charity Barnardo’s have linked with other organisations in a scheme to boost childhood health. |
Council launches £120,000 poverty grant scheme
03/02/2023 Central Bedfordshire Council is launching a grant scheme to help local charities and voluntary groups which support people in poverty. |
Nearly 250,000 people in temporary accommodation
11/01/2023 Nearly 250,000 people living in temporary accommodation due to a ‘chronic shortage’ of social homes and expensive private renting, homelessness charity says. |
End of energy support will be ‘devasting’, charities warn
16/12/2022 Homelessness organisations have warned that many homelessness services may be forced to ‘close their doors all together’ unless energy support is extended. |
Charity calls for better social care support from councils
07/12/2022 Almost four in five people in England say they know little to nothing about how paying for social care services works, an older person’s charity has found. |
Foodbank workers call on PM to increase benefits
17/10/2022 Thousands of food bank workers have signed a letter calling on the Prime Minister to increase benefits and to end the reliance on food banks. |
Charities warn of ‘public health emergency’
30/09/2022 A quarter of parents have cut back on the quantity of food they buy in order to afford essentials such as energy bills, survey reveals. |
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 sets up cost-of-living crisis fund
09/09/2022 Buckinghamshire Council yesterday launched an appeal to raise extra funds to help vulnerable residents through the cost-of-living crisis. |
Universal Credit recipients ‘skipping meals’, charity says
07/09/2022 Forty percent of people claiming Universal Credit are skipping meals to survive, new research from the Trussell Trust reveals. |
Charity shares best practice from councils tackling homelessness
29/06/2022 A new study has brought together examples of best practice from councils that have helped prevent homelessness amongst non-UK nationals. |
Local authorities must seize the potential for health and care volunteering
31/05/2022 Paddy Hanrahan calls on councils to harness the support of trained volunteers to help combat huge challenges |
Children ‘bounced around’ care system
06/05/2022 Research by the charity Barnardo’s has found young people are facing frequent changes of home, school and social workers. |
Care home closed after children revealed to be ‘at risk’
15/03/2022 A care home in Northern Ireland has been criticised after an inspection revealed that vulnerable children were ‘at risk’. |
Study finds councillors do more voluntary work than MPs and civil servants
04/03/2022 Local councillors do more voluntary work and are more engaged with charities than other policymakers, according to new research. |
New fund to provide struggling families with a free break
14/02/2022 More than 800 families facing difficult times will be given a free holiday or trip under a new Government fund. |
Care cap will fail to help poorer pensioners, charity warns
10/02/2022 More than four out of five older people will not benefit from the Government's social care cap, a charity has warned. |
Councils call for the tools to support small charities to recover post-COVID
04/08/2021 Local authorities need to be provided with funding and tools to ensure that they can continue supporting smaller charities after the pandemic, county leaders say. |
Councils urged to embrace three changes to strengthen partnerships with charities
12/05/2021 A new report has urged councils to make three key changes in order to get the best from their local voluntary sector. |
Over 800 charities receive share of £4m fund to tackle loneliness
10/05/2021 More than 840 charities and community groups tackling social isolation have received a share of £4m to tackle loneliness, Government says. |
Charity gives out record 2.5 million emergency food parcels
22/04/2021 Food bank networks have called for local authority support schemes to be prioritised as a record?2.5 million emergency food parcels are given out by just one charity over the lockdown. |
Pandemic made councils 'more responsive' to charities, survey finds
22/04/2021 The pandemic has helped improve the relationships and collaboration between local authorities and charities, according to new research. |
Homeless charity warns calls from young people up a third in past year
21/04/2021 Vulnerable young people have struggled to access the support they need in the past year, a charity has warned in a new report. |
Charity warns of 'astonishing' level of underclaimed council tax support
14/04/2021 Older people on low incomes in Scotland missed out on £88m in Council Tax Reduction support last year, a charity has warned. |
Government announces £2.4m to support charities during pandemic
31/03/2021 The Government has announced £2.4m of funding for thirteen charities that help autistic people, disabled people and those with a learning disability. |
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. |
Red Cross calls for £250m top up for local welfare assistance schemes
08/02/2021 Local authorities should receive an extra £250m a year to help improve access to emergency cash, a charity has said today. |
Minister announces £16m grant to distribute food to ‘vulnerable’
02/12/2020 The Government has announced a new multi-million-pound grant that will allow thousands of local charities across England to distribute food to people struggling as a result of the pandemic. |
We must all step up to support our communities
18/06/2020 If we are to ensure a just recovery, the feelings of common purpose this crisis has caused must be harnessed, says Steve Butterworth of Neighbourly. |
Charity reports huge increase in women seeking domestic abuse help
28/05/2020 The number of women seeking help for domestic abuse has 'spiked significantly' since lockdown began, a charity has warned. |
Charities warn millions of people in council tax arrears due to Covid-19
21/05/2020 Over two million people have fallen behind on their council tax payments as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, debt charities have warned. |
Scots charities launch bid to end rough sleeping
21/05/2020 A coalition of Scots charities will today present plans their plans to end rough sleeping to the Scottish Government. |
Charities call for 'vital' early intervention funding to safeguard children
18/05/2020 Funding cuts to children's services have left councils unable to cope with the current crisis, charities have warned today. |
Charities call for frontline feedback
29/04/2020 Sam Royston calls on emergency support providers to provide feedback on how Covid-19 is affecting their services. |
Charity calls for ‘emergency measures’ to tackle child poverty
27/03/2020 A charity dedicated to fighting child poverty has called on the Government to introduce a package of ‘emergency measures’ to lift children out of poverty. |
Charities struggle to deliver public sector contracts as they lose £4bn
24/03/2020 Charities and public services are more vulnerable to the Covid-19 crisis than was previously thought because of the squeeze on funding the former is experiencing as a result of the pandemic, study shows. |
Families living in poverty ‘struggling to keep heads above water’
23/03/2020 A children’s charity has launched an emergency appeal to help families who fear they will ‘go under’ as a result of the economic and health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. |
Over 20 charities call for inquiry into ‘welfare-related deaths’
12/03/2020 Twenty-one charities and mental health organisations have thrown their weight behind a campaign calling for an independent inquiry into the deaths of people relying on the welfare system. |
Care denied to 700,000 older people, charity reveals
07/02/2020 Around 700,000 older people have had their request for care turned down in the past year, analysis by a charity has discovered. |
Building society pilots ‘contactless’ donation scheme to tackle homelessness
31/01/2020 A branch of the building society Nationwide has introduced a novel new way to donate to a homelessness charity – ‘contactless posters’. |
Charity cancels evangelical event over preacher’s ‘repulsive views’
30/01/2020 A charity which manages venues in Sheffield has cancelled an event by an evangelical preacher after LGBT+ groups warned that he promoted homophobic views. |
Khan urges Londoners to support rough sleepers this winter
17/12/2019 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called on residents of the capital to support his winter rough sleeping campaign ahead of Christmas. |
Private renters overspending £11bn a year on rent
26/11/2019 Private renters in England are spending £11bn more a year on rent than they can afford, new research has shown. |
Nearly 700 children a day at risk of domestic violence
21/11/2019 Many children facing domestic abuse are failing to get the support they need because of a 'postcode lottery, a new report has warned today. |
Over 22,000 young people face homelessness this Christmas
18/11/2019 A charity has warned that tens of thousands of young people in England will be homeless or at risk of homelessness this Christmas. |
Glasgow faces legal battle over homeless services
03/10/2019 Shelter Scotland has launched a legal battle against Glasgow City Council over failures in its homelessness service. |
Older people face ‘significant barriers’ in applying for EU Settlement Scheme
27/09/2019 The Government has been warned it could face a ‘Windrush 2’ as vulnerable older people are failing to apply to the EU settlement scheme (EUSS) in time. |
Youth service spending set to hit ‘lowest point in a generation’
25/09/2019 The young persons charity YMCA has warned that spending on local youth services is at ‘breaking point’ with a nearly 70% decrease in funding in a decade. |
Over 300,000 people forced to sell homes to pay for care
19/09/2019 Over the last 20 years hundreds of thousands of older people have been forced to sell their home to cover the cost of social care, charity reveals. |
Casey calls for support to tackle homelessness
16/09/2019 Homelessness expert Dame Louise Casey has issued a call to arms to tackle the rising tide of homelessness around the world. |
Councils sent 2.6 million debts to bailiffs in just one year, charity reveals
11/09/2019 Councils have substantially increased their use of bailiffs to collect debts over the last two years, a surge driven by a rise in parking debt referrals. |
Council charity to run Hertfordshire's libraries
02/08/2019 Hertfordshire County Council is set to save £500,000 in business rates by transferring its libraries to a charity it set up for the purpose. |
Around 770,000 denied support during social care green paper delay
22/07/2019 Nearly 800,000 people have been denied state help during the social care green paper delay, an elderly persons charity has said. |
Report explores how public donations could protect future of parks
18/07/2019 Charitable donations could help protect the future of the UK’s parks and green spaces, a new report has found. |
Charity calls for help feeding children during the holidays
16/07/2019 The Trussell Trust is urging people to donate food to their local food bank to help support families with children during the summer holidays. |
Young people ‘fear for their future’, charity says
08/07/2019 Young people fear for their future and feel ignored by politicians, according to new report. |
Charities call for £1bn a year to reverse public health cuts
12/06/2019 Two health charities are calling on the Government to reverse the £1bn a year cuts to public health grants. |
Cuts creating ‘care deserts’ across England, charity says
15/05/2019 Years of underfunding has undermined the care market and created ‘care deserts’ in England, an elderly persons charity has warned. |
Homeless shelter closes due to safety concerns
03/05/2019 A homeless centre in Shrewsbury has been temporarily closed down after safety concerns about the building were brought to Shropshire Council’s attention. |
Universal Credit ‘key driver’ behind increase in foodbank use
25/04/2019 The number of food parcels given out across the UK has gone up 73% in five years, according to a major charity. |
Homelessness charity wins £3.6m lottery grant
23/04/2019 A charity which helps people battling with homelessness, long-term unemployment and addiction is set to expand thanks to a grant from the national lottery. |
Charities warn about ‘dangerous’ cuts to children’s services
26/02/2019 Thousands of children are at risk of falling into crisis due to ‘devastating and dangerous’ funding cuts in children’s services, five charities have warned today. |
Council apologises for evicting anti-abortion charity
20/02/2019 Lambeth Council have paid £5,000 in damages to an anti-abortion charity after evicting its volunteers and staff from an event in the London borough last year. |
One in five people are living in poverty, report warns
04/12/2018 Britain has suffered a 'relentless rise' in the number of working families struggling to make ends meet over the last five years, according to poverty campaigners. |
RSPCA calls for more council funding for animal welfare services
28/11/2018 Councils are being forced to cut or outsource animal welfare services, a report from the RSPCA has warned. |
Households owe £18.9bn on everyday bills
21/08/2018 Households owe nearly £19bn on essential bills such as council tax and utilities, Citizens Advice has warned today. |
Charities merge to improve support for ‘vulnerable children’
10/08/2018 More vulnerable children will be given specialist support as a result of a partnership between two leading charities. |
UC claimants lose ‘hundreds of pounds’ due to assessment timing
06/08/2018 Many Universal Credit claimants are losing hundreds of pounds each year because their payday falls too close to their assessment date, a charity has revealed. |
Universal Credit system ‘too complicated’, charity says
23/07/2018 Universal Credit claims ‘falter’ due to a complicated process and a lack of support, a charity which supports claimants has found. |
North Tyneside saves over £100,000 thanks to children’s charity
13/06/2018 A local authority has saved more than £100,000 and reduced the flow of children into care by 16% thanks to its partnership with an ‘innovative’ charity. |
Council response to Grenfell tragedy was 'weak' - report
30/05/2018 Damage caused by Kensington and Chelsea RLBC's ‘weak’ response in the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire will be ‘difficult to repair,’ a report has suggested. |
Councils failing to support thousands of young homeless people warns charity
03/05/2018 At least 86,000 young people in the UK are estimated to have sought help from their local council last year because they were homeless or at risk of homelessness, according to new research. |
Charity launches community-led services to tackle social care pressures
11/04/2018 More person and community-led approaches are needed to help tackle increasing pressures on health and social care services, charity says. |
Charity shops face business rates relief ‘postcode lottery’
09/04/2018 Charity shops are ‘falling victim’ to inconsistent and unfair policies on business rates relief and waste management, charity representatives say. |
Investigation launched into serious failures at specialist school
06/04/2018 An investigation has been launched into a charity for the blind following ‘serious concerns’ over the safeguarding of vulnerable children and young people. |
Half a million older private renters are ‘invisible’ in housing policy
27/03/2018 Older private renters are being overlooked by housing policy despite being more likely to report cold and damp in their homes, a charity has warned today. |
‘Unnecessary’ hospital admissions for terminally ill cost NHS £2.5bn
21/03/2018 There were over 1.6 million emergency hospital admissions for people in their last year of life during 2016 costing the NHS £2.5bn, a charity has warned today. |
Councils join new alliance to help people report child abuse
16/03/2018 Local councils have joined forces with police chiefs, charities and the Government to help encourage the public to report suspicions of child abuse. |
Shell is helping power the journey towards a circular paving industry with Shell Bitumen LT R, a new product for roads that uses plastics destined for landfill as part of the additives to make the bitumen.
Effective Energy Group is now offering its support to the 40 Local Authorities who have received a share of the £430m to deliver their projects on the ground by surveying properties and installing measures.
Dougie Belmore explains how one of the main interfaces between you and Bacs is about to change.