Up to 800,000 clinically vulnerable people may have missed out on government support in the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic, because of a lack of “joined-up systems”, according to a cross-party report by MPs.
As first was going to press, schools in England were preparing for the return of all pupils from 8 March, as part of the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown.
The Government has allocated more than £23 million to 60 councils and voluntary groups across England to expand work to support those most at risk from COVID-19, and to boost vaccine take-up.
The LGA has warned that office blocks left empty following the pandemic are at risk of being turned into potentially substandard housing under permitted development rights, which allow developers to convert buildings into homes without planning permission.
More than 80 per cent of councils would be very likely or fairly likely to conduct meetings remotely once the coronavirus emergency is over, if they had the power to do so, according to an LGA survey.
Fire and rescue services have responded very well to the pandemic, with services maintaining their ability to respond to fires and many providing pandemic-specific support outside their statutory duties.
The LGA has warned that around 450 primary schools’ worth of homeless children are spending lockdown in temporary accommodation, amid a chronic shortage of affordable housing.
The Government has announced a package of measures to protect leaseholders from the cost of removing unsafe ACM cladding from buildings.
The Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick MP, has announced the establishment of a new national construction products regulator to ensure homes are built using safe materials.
Education inequalities and learning gaps have been exacerbated by the pandemic to such an extent that they are unlikely to be solved by a quick “catch-up” initiative, the LGA has warned.