60 seconds with…Councillor Sir Ron Watson CBE
Sir Ron Watson CBE (Con, Sefton), 80, has been a councillor since 1969 and helped establish the LGA
The Editorial Team
Teen pregnancies on the rise
Teenage pregnancy rates are rising for the first time in 14 years, prompting an LGA call for renewed action, including a national sexual health strategy.
Right to Buy reforms ‘need to go further’
While recent reforms of Right to Buy (RTB) led to a sharp increase in applications from people wanting to buy their council houses, local authorities in England see long-term benefits from them for boosting their stock of social housing, a new LGA survey has found.
Clay Cross Active: A Flagship Community Hub Driving Health, Wellbeing and Regeneration in North East Derbyshire
In July 2025, the doors of Clay Cross Active, a revolutionary new leisure and wellbeing hub, opened for the first time in Derbyshire. The £26.3m project acts as a blueprint for local authorities wishing to embrace the co-location of health, social, and wellbeing services, and is set to transform the lives of the local community it has been tailored to serve.
Care-experienced ‘need better access to physical activity’
A new report has called for care experienced children and young people to have better access to physical activity.
Councils delivering on free health checks
A record 1.04 million people aged over 40 were invited to free NHS health checks in the first quarter of this year, as part of a national programme commissioned by local councils.