Food bank charity distributes record 3.1m parcels
15/05/2024 A record 3.1 million food parcels were distributed by the food bank network Trussell Trust this year – nearly double the number provided five years ago. |
Third of councils fear being unable to meet Care Act duties
14/05/2024 Only around two thirds of local authorities are confident they will be able to meet all their legal duties under the Care Act next year, council chiefs warn. |
Minister told to refer herself to ethics advisor over 15-minute city claim
14/05/2024 Health minister Maria Caulfield told to refer herself to the ministerial ethics adviser after leaflets accused her council of restricting freedom to drive. |
Watchdogs call for long-term funding for Start for Life
08/05/2024 A scheme to support new parents should be given a minimum level of long-term funding to enable councils to plan provision for longer periods, watchdogs say. |
Sir Marmot sends MPs damning letter on their constituents’ health
01/05/2024 Health inequality expert Sir Michael Marmot has urged MPs and council leaders to act after a report found government policies were ‘cutting people’s lives short’. |
Community-Based Testing: Easing Pressure, Improving Outcomes
30/04/2024 David Wells, chief executive of the Institute of Biomedical Science, discusses the advantages of diagnostics-driven healthcare innovation. |
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. |
First-of-kind ‘health neighbourhood’ gets go-ahead
29/04/2024 A multi-million pound ‘health innovation neighbourhood’ has received outline planning permission from Newcastle City Council. |
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. |
Banning urban pesticide use
18/04/2024 RSPB and PAN are working on a letter from local councillors calling on the Government to introduce a national ban on urban pesticide use. Find out more below. |
Council warns of dangerous autism ‘cure’ fraud
18/04/2024 Greenwich council has warned schools and nurseries to be on guard after learning of an individual offering ‘experimental procedures’ for autistic children. |
ICSs enabling progress on dementia diagnosis, says think tank
18/04/2024 Integrated care systems (ICSs) are enabling the improvement of dementia diagnosis but more needs to be done, health experts say. |
Defra withholds £6m of air quality funding
16/04/2024 Around £6m in funding promised to local authorities to help tackle air pollution will be withheld, a Defra spokesperson has confirmed. |
Dashboard compares healthy life expectancy across councils
10/04/2024 A data tool to compare healthy life expectancy across all councils in England has been launched by The Health Foundation. |
Councils see dramatic rise in bedbug call-outs
05/04/2024 Local authorities saw a surge in pest control call-outs for bedbugs last year with freedom of information requests revealing they increased by a quarter. |
Public health directors call for better regulation of private rented sector
04/04/2024 Public health directors have welcomed measures aimed at improving social housing but called for more action to tackle poor conditions in the private sector. |
Devolve NHS England's £168bn budget to local government, says report
02/04/2024 NHS England’s £168bn budget should be handed to local government in a radical restructure, the Reform think-tank has suggested in a report today. |
Mental illness costs England £300bn a year
27/03/2024 The cost of mental ill health in England was £300bn in 2022, according to new research. |
Council chiefs call for powers to tackle rogue shisha bars
25/03/2024 Local authority leaders have called for more powers to crack down on rogue shisha bars. |
Record 4.3m children in poverty
22/03/2024 More than 4m children are living in poverty, with an additional 100,000 children being pushed into hardship over the last year, Government figures reveal. |
PAC: Government has ‘no roadmap’ for fixing social care
20/03/2024 The Government has ‘no roadmap’ for fixing the failing social care system and ‘nothing meaningful’ in place that might demonstrate progress, MPs warn. |
Council leaders welcome anti-smoking Bill
20/03/2024 Local authority leaders have welcomed the prospect of new powers to discourage smoking. |
Housing Ombudsman awards residents £40k
14/03/2024 Residents left in dire damp and mould conditions by Lewisham Council have been awarded tens of thousands of pounds. |
Adult social care requests hit record high
13/03/2024 The number of new requests for adult social care support have hit an unprecedented two million, a health and social care charity has revealed. |
Council chiefs call for menthol crack down support
13/03/2024 Local authority leaders have urged the Government to do more to help trading standards teams crack down on the use of menthol cigarettes. |
City Hall hails ‘dramatic’ air quality improvements
12/03/2024 Air quality in the capital has improved ‘much faster’ than in the rest of the UK because of policies introduced by the London mayor, according to a report. |
‘Outdated’ pollution warning systems putting swimmers at risk
29/02/2024 Swimmers could be at risk of bathing in sewage due to an ‘outdated’ pollution warning system, researchers at the University of Reading have warned. |
UK’s first healthcare air quality alert launched
28/02/2024 Healthcare professionals in London will be notified directly about high pollution episodes, London mayor Sadiq Khan has announced. |
Sewage pipe failures prompts vote of no confidence
26/02/2024 East Devon District Council has passed a vote of no confidence in a water company after major pipe failures and sewage overflows into the sea. |
Birmingham failed residents over damp and mould, ombudsman finds
22/02/2024 The Housing Ombudsman has found six cases of severe maladministration in Birmingham City Council’s handling of issues reported by tenants. |
Coastal councils raise water quality alarm
22/02/2024 Councils in coastal areas have raised the alarm about the impact on health and tourism caused by the continuing deterioration in coastal water quality. |
Vape industry proposes alcohol-style licensing scheme
21/02/2024 A first-of-its kind licensing framework for the UK vape industry is being put forward in Parliament today. |
Lewes becomes first council to support ‘Zane’s Law’
21/02/2024 Lewes District Council has become the first local authority to support a proposed new law that calls for greater protection from contaminated land. |
Putting personal assistants at the heart of care
19/02/2024 Ben Weatherall, co-founder and director of Curam, discusses the skills deficit in the social care system and what to do about it. |
Sheffield to invest £1m CAZ funds to improve air quality
15/02/2024 An estimated £1m raised through Sheffield’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ) will be used to improve air quality near schools, the city council says. |
Only one in 20 illegal vape sellers fined
13/02/2024 Illegal vapes were seized from nearly 3,000 unscrupulous sellers last year, but only one in 20 were issued fines, new FOI requests have revealed. |
Drug-related deaths up by 80%
09/02/2024 Financial uncertainty is undermining local efforts to battle drug addiction, council chiefs warn as report finds drug-related deaths are up 80% over a decade. |
Council chiefs call for oral health investment
08/02/2024 Council leaders have called for investment in oral health after research found that last year there were 33,000 operations to remove rotten teeth in children. |
Council leader reveals cancer diagnosis live on radio
07/02/2024 The leader of Braintree District Council has revealed on a live radio broadcast that he has been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. |
Council order to pay over £18k after severe maladministration findings
01/02/2024 Waltham Forest Council has been ordered to pay £18,800 in compensation after failings were discovered in three different housing cases. |
Health boost for Housing First residents, research finds
01/02/2024 Housing First – under which homeless people are guaranteed a home while they access support – reduces demand on health and social care services, study finds. |
Local approach needed to prepare for ‘silent killer’ of heatwaves
31/01/2024 MPs have called for a locally led approach to retrofitting houses to protect the most vulnerable from heat waves. |
Disposable vapes to be banned
29/01/2024 Disposable vapes will be banned in the UK to protect children’s health, the Government announced today. |
UK’s first regular drug checking service launched in Bristol
29/01/2024 The first regular drug checking service in the UK has been launched this month in central Bristol. |
Government faces legal action over air pollution death
26/01/2024 The mother of a girl whose death was linked to poor air quality is bringing a High Court claim against the Government. |
Council set to halve sick pay
26/01/2024 Southend Council is planning to halve the amount of sick pay given to staff in a move Unison has described as ‘callous’. |
Brighton U-turns on pesticide use
25/01/2024 The use of a controversial pesticide will be reintroduced by Brighton and Hove City Council less than five years after it pledged to become ‘pesticide free’. |
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. |
Half of young vapers never regularly smoked, study finds
24/01/2024 A new study has found that 316,000 young people who use disposable vapes never regularly smoked tobacco, but warns that banning the vape products would risk causing relapse among ex-smokers. |
Measles outbreak prompts MMR vaccine call
23/01/2024 Local authority leaders have issued an urgent call to parents asking them to ensure that their children have had both doses of the MMR vaccine. |
Ombudsman calls for Royal Commission for social housing
23/01/2024 The Housing Ombudsman has called for the establishment of a Royal Commission to deliver a long-term plan for social housing that tackles social injustices. |
Housing crisis forcing poorer older renters to move
22/01/2024 Older renters living on low incomes are being forced to move to more deprived areas with fewer services due to the housing crisis, new research suggests. |
Sexual health services ‘at breaking point’
22/01/2024 Rising cases of sexually transmitted infections and decreasing levels of funding are pushing sexual health services to ‘breaking point’, according to the Local Government Association. |
Council ‘diligent’ in checking for mould before tenant’s death
22/01/2024 Mansfield District Council insists it was ‘diligent in carrying out appropriate works’ on Jane Bennett’s house before she died of lung disease last month. |
‘Bad health blackspots’ hold back growth
19/01/2024 Stark health inequalities are holding back economic growth, new research has found. |
Stoke-on-Trent council plans to stop ‘sledgehammer’ CAZ
18/01/2024 A team from Stoke-on-Trent City Council is working on a plan to stop a Clean Air Zone (CAZ) being implemented in the city. |
5,000 winter deaths caused by cold, damp homes
18/01/2024 Cold, damp homes caused an estimated 4,950 excess winter deaths in 2022-23, according to the End Fuel Poverty Coalition. |
Care providers closing due to ‘perilous’ environment
16/01/2024 Social care services are facing a situation that is ‘more perilous than ever’ with 43% of providers closing services or handing back contracts, study reveals. |
2024: an epochal year of change and transition
12/01/2024 Jonathan Werran, chief executive, Localis looks at what is coming down the tracks for local government in the year ahead. |
Social care career reforms ‘only scratch the surface’
10/01/2024 The Government today announced new measures to improve the career prospects of social care staff but concerns remain that this ‘may only scratch the surface’. |
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. |
Leveraging tech to tackle black mould
09/01/2024 Deborah Matthews, MRI Software, looks at how arming onsite teams with the right tech can empower social housing providers to be proactive on black mould. |
A million lives ‘cut short’ by inequality
08/01/2024 A million people in England had their lives cut short because of health inequality between 2011 and 2019, research has found. |
Groundbreaking LGBTQ+ housing proposed for Manchester
04/01/2024 A pioneering LGBTQ+ extra care housing development has been proposed for the site of a former hospital in Manchester. |
EVs only ‘part of the solution’, public health directors warn
03/01/2024 Directors of public health have welcomed the Government’s zero emission vehicle mandate but warned electric vehicles are ‘just part of the solution’. |
Think-tank calls for ‘sensible adjustments’ to clean air zones
22/12/2023 Schemes to reduce air pollution should be designed to avoid penalising those living in more deprived areas, a think-tank has said. |
Health chiefs back call for more gambling restrictions
21/12/2023 Local health chiefs have backed a call from MPs urging the Government to do more to minimise children’s exposure to gambling advertising. |
End-of-life care issues ‘still far too common’
21/12/2023 Issues faced by people receiving end-of-life care 70 years ago, including poverty and isolation, are ‘still far too common’, according to a new report. |
Barge death concerns
18/12/2023 Concerns over conditions inside some asylum accommodation intensified last week, after the death of an asylum seeker onboard the Bibby Stockholm barge. |
Gov’s migration plans threaten ‘recruitment crisis’
13/12/2023 Hundreds of thousands of non-UK nationals working in London’s health and social care sector are likely to be hit by the Government’s new migration policies, Mayor Sadiq Khan has warned. |
Special investigation launched into Camden and Hackney
12/12/2023 A special investigation has been launched into Camden and Hackney councils after the Housing Ombudsman found they were struggling to tackle damp and mould. |
‘Astounding’ regional inequality in cancer deaths
12/12/2023 The risk of dying from the cancers with the highest mortality rates varies ‘massively’ across England, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology. |
Report uncovers ‘alarming’ undiagnosed dementia rates
06/12/2023 A commission has said integrated care systems must drive ‘radical change’ after finding that almost two in five dementia sufferers in England are undiagnosed. |
Oxfordshire councils install vape recycling bins
04/12/2023 Three local authorities in Oxfordshire have joined forces to install 60 new recycling collection points for vapes across the county. |
The importance of targeted investment in communities
04/12/2023 Lisa Dodd-Mayne, Sport England, discusses how targeted investment is helping people to get active, and how the strategy can be replicated locally. |
CQC issues verdicts in pilot care assessments
21/11/2023 The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has completed assessments of adult social care at five councils under its pilot scheme. |
Nearly 460k unemployed due to unhealthy lifestyle
21/11/2023 Nearly 460,000 people in the UK are unemployed due to the health impact of tobacco, alcohol, and obesity, costing the economy £31.1bn. |
Investment in local care services could save £2.5bn
20/11/2023 Investment in home-based care, community and reablement services would help free up more hospital beds and improve care for the elderly, council leaders say. |
Social care leaders forced to find millions in extra savings
16/11/2023 Council social care leaders are having to find millions of pounds of extra savings this year despite winter pressures approaching, a new survey has revealed. |
Council failure left ambulance unable to reach resident
15/11/2023 Stevenage Borough Council’s failure to fix a disabled resident’s door entry system left the ambulance service unable to attend to him, a watchdog has found. |
New health and social care secretary announced
13/11/2023 Victoria Atkins has been appointed Secretary of State for Health and Social Care amid Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cabinet reshuffle. |
Places must adapt for ageing population, says Whitty
13/11/2023 Places and infrastructure must be adapted to support an ageing population, particularly in rural areas, according to England's chief medical officer. |
LGA calls for Healthy Start uplift
13/11/2023 The value of the Healthy Start scheme should be increased by 20% to compensate for food inflation, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said. |
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. |
Let’s talk about incontinence: how effective procurement can benefit us all
01/11/2023 Tracy Evans, clinical team leader for the continence service at Southern Health NHS Foundation Trust, discusses the benefits of effectively procuring incontinence products. |
New pilot to monitor care home infections
31/10/2023 A national surveillance study initially set up in response to Covid-19 has received government funding for a pilot scheme to monitor infections in care homes. |
Council chiefs call for workforce plan after ‘unfair care’ warning
20/10/2023 Council leaders have repeated their call for a dedicated social care workforce plan in response to a CQC warning that councils are struggling to meet demand. |
Health outcomes ‘largely absent’ from housing guidance
19/10/2023 Health outcomes are ‘largely absent’ when it comes to local government guidance on housing supply and transport policies, new research has revealed. |
Extra cash for Welsh social care in emergency spending revisions
17/10/2023 Council budgets will remain largely unchanged, but there should be more cash for social services, following the Welsh Government’s emergency public spending revisions. |
Almost 400,000 carers leave workforce
12/10/2023 A new report offers an insight into the care sector’s struggle to retain staff after almost 400,000 carers left their jobs in a year. |
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. |
Care workers in Wales feel undervalued, poll reveals
05/10/2023 Social care workers in Wales feel undervalued by the public and underpaid for the work they do, a new survey has revealed. |
Questions raised over enforcement of smoking ban
04/10/2023 Council chiefs have welcomed the PM’s ambition to eliminate smoking but have called for ‘clarity’ on how restrictions on cigarette sales will be enforced. |
Affordable housing investment could save £1.5bn a year
04/10/2023 Investing much more in social and affordable housing could save the Government an estimated £1.5bn a year, researchers at University College London estimate. |
Council accused of menopause ‘discrimination’
02/10/2023 Employment tribunal will today begin the first case in Britain where a worker will argue that menopause symptoms amount to a disability under the Equality Act. |
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). |
Bradford claims success from watered-down CAZ
29/09/2023 Bradford Council has celebrated questionable success in its struggle to demonstrate compliance with the legal limit for toxic air pollution. |
Newcastle clean air zone brings in £500k
27/09/2023 Newcastle City Council’s clean air zone (CAZ) has brought in over £500,000 in the first six months of its operation, new figures from the council reveal. |
Yorkshire to host ‘internationally renowned’ triathlon
20/09/2023 The Long Course Weekend will take place in North Yorkshire next year, marking the first time the multi-sport event has been staged in England. |
Providers set out ‘pragmatic’ social care plan
19/09/2023 A plan for adult social care with recommendations for the next Government has been put forward by Care England. |
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.