Children’s care referrals fall during lockdown peak
The number of children referred to children’s social care services for support fell by almost a fifth during the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, according to LGA analysis.
The challenge of combined elections
Local electoral administrators, unsung heroes of democracy, have become used to conducting combined elections in recent years. But May 2021 will present many of them in England with their biggest challenge yet.
A prime minister in waiting
Although very low on the list of sacrifices that coronavirus has forced on people, I was sorry not to have my annual catch-up with local government friends and colleagues from across the UK at the Labour Party Conference.
Repurposing historic buildings
The continuing decline of the high street has been hurried along by the COVID-19 crisis. But in Great Yarmouth, a dynamism and willingness to be innovative, supported by the Architectural Heritage Fund, is helping buck the trend and creating jewels from treasured community assets.
Cash to help people self-isolate
Councils have been given powers to ensure pubs and restaurants take their customers’ contact details, and will administer new support funding for people on low incomes to help them self-isolate.
Billions needed to plug council funding gap
Councils will need billions in extra funding to address growing funding gaps, a new independent report finds.
Oversubscription risk for secondary school places
New analysis by the LGA has revealed that up to a third of local areas in England risk being oversubscribed for secondary school places within five years, leaving almost 80,000 young people and their families at risk of missing out on a place.
Test and trace is a joke
As I predicted, test and trace has become a joke in many parts of the country.
Deliver on devolved powers and money
September began with a growing number of challenges marching towards us – a forced reorganisation, planning numbers that make little sense, sweeping changes to the planning system that fail to address any current problems in the system, the ongoing fight for funding, a care crisis, climate emergency – and all at a time of a pandemic.
Chairing remote meetings
While many of the principles of running good face-to-face council meetings apply to remote meetings, chairing in a virtual world does present some additional challenges.