Councils in England face a £2 billion funding gap in the current financial year and could be forced to cut services if the Government does not meet the cost of soaring COVID-19 spending, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has warned.
Weight-related stigmas need tackling to help prevent rising levels of obesity from having a significant impact on demand and cost pressures in adult social care, the LGA has warned in a new report.
People’s mental wellbeing will play a crucial role in every aspect of recovery planning, the LGA has said in a new joint report with the Centre for Mental Health.
The NHS Test and Trace system in England will cut 6,000 staff by the end of August, with the remaining contact tracers working alongside councils’ public health teams to reach more infected people and their contacts in communities, the Government has announced.
The LGA has reiterated the need for new homes to be delivered through a planning system “with public participation at its heart”, after the Government announced proposals to reform the way the country builds.
The LGA has called for councils to be given tougher licensing powers to close down pubs and other licensed premises that are not following COVID-19 safety guidelines.
Public Health England (PHE) is being replaced by a new body, the National Institute for Health Protection, which will be focused on preparing for external threats such as pandemics.
A new report by the Salvation Army is calling on the Government to fund homelessness support services properly in this autumn’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR).
Education should be “prioritised over other sectors” if the country goes into lockdown again, Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield has said in a new briefing paper.
A further £256 million of emergency funding to help keep bus and tram operators running during the coronavirus pandemic has been announced by the Department for Transport.