The Editorial Team 
A workaround allowing councils with responsibility for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to balance their books will continue after March to 2028, the Government has confirmed.
Effective resource management is one of the biggest challenges facing councils. Recruiting and retaining professional expertise is vital to meet the needs of local communities but today at least eight out of 10 planning departments are short of staff.
A major report on sentencing does not appreciate the significant role councils play in managing risk and supporting offenders outside custody, the LGA has warned.
Almost every council in England continues to struggle to recruit and retain key frontline staff, including children’s and adults’ social workers, according to an LGA workforce survey.
The LGA says more children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) should get the care and support they need in schools and other mainstream settings without the need for a statutory plan.
Increasing the number of occupational therapists working in councils would help meet government health goals, a new report by the LGA says.
Housebuilders will have to commit to delivery timeframes before they get planning permission, and submit annual reports to councils showing their progress, under new rules to ensure homes with planning permission are built out.
The Government is set to give local authorities the flexibility to allow councillors to attend council meetings remotely, almost nine months after Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner promised the move at the LGA’s 2024 annual conference last October.
More than half a million more children will be able to receive a free nutritious meal every school day, following the Government’s expansion of free school meals.
