The Editorial Team 
New analysis from the County Councils Network estimates that councils in England could be transporting more than 100,000 more young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to school by the end of the decade.
MPs have warned that the Government’s SEND reforms have left “unanswered questions” on home-to-school transport and council deficits.
Complaints about planning enforcement are increasing and some councils are taking years to resolve cases, according to a new report from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Local authority allocations for the 2026/27 public health grant have been confirmed by the Government at £4.4 billion, a real-terms funding increase.
The Government is to establish a national safeguarding board and accelerate dementia trials in response to some “simple asks” from Baroness Louise Casey, Chair of the Independent Commission into Adult Social Care.
The Government has committed to resolving 90 per cent of councils’ historic deficits in respect of provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The Government’s proposed adult social care Fair Pay Agreement (FPA) will be unworkable without full, sustainable funding and meaningful local government involvement, the LGA has warned.
New LGA-commissioned research has found that integrated local services are crucial to meeting the national ambition for 75 per cent of five-year-olds to reach a good level of development (GLD) by 2028.
