Date: 25 Nov 2020
UKSPF to reach £1.5bn a year
The value of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will reach around £1.5bn a year on average, chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced.
Documents released alongside the Spending Review said the total domestic UK-wide value of the UKSPF would eventually ‘at least match current EU receipts’.
A portion of the UKSPF will target places most in need across the UK, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities.
Date: 25 Nov 2020
Chancellor warns of 'lasting' damage to UK economy
The UK economy will shrink 11.3% this year according to official forecasts that lay bare the damage of Covid-19.
While the economy is expected to bounce back in 2021, it will not return to its pre-crisis size until the end of 2022.
The government will borrow £394bn this year to deal with the economic impact, the highest ever amount recorded in peacetime history. Chancellor Rishi Sunak warned that the economic damage from the pandemic was "likely to be lasting".
Date: 25 Nov 2020
Caution urged over household mixing
People have been urged to be cautious of the risk of spreading coronavirus when rules are relaxed over Christmas.
Up to three households will be allowed to stay together and form a "Christmas bubble" from 23 to 27 December, as agreed by all four UK nations. Prime Minister Boris Johnson told people to use "personal judgement" on whether to visit elderly relatives.
A scientific adviser to the government said the relaxation of rules amounted to "throwing fuel on the Covid fire".
Other Headlines
- Chancellor promises 4.5% spending power increase
Date: 25 Nov 2020
- DfE urged to announce plans for January student return amid Covid spike fears
Date: 25 Nov 2020
Council leaders in cities with large student populations have criticised the government for failing to announce a plan for the return to universities in January, amid fears that the student influx will spark another Covid wave.
The Department for Education yesterday published plans for the students to come home to their families at the end of term, which includes calling on providers to stagger the end of face to face teaching. However, the department said while it was “looking to utilise mass testing to make the return to higher education as safe as possible” further guidance would only be available in “due course".
The fears are particularly acute in Nottingham, where the return of 400,000 students after the summer break in September coincided with the city’s Covid rates soaring from below the national average in July to the highest in the country with around 1,000 cases per 100,000.
- County to upgrade chief officer role to deal with post-pandemic challenges
Date: 25 Nov 2020
Derbyshire CC’s lead officer role is set to be upgraded to managing executive director for the next year in order to help the council’s efforts to battle the pandemic and its repercussions.
The move to extend the remit of its head of paid service role, held by Emma Alexander, comes three years after the county scrapped its chief executive role and will be discussed at a full council meeting next week.
The council said the new role was intended to “set clear strategic direction, drive performance and provide accountability to councillors and residents”, as well as to “lead on relationships with key partners locally, regionally and nationally, ensuring Derbyshire has influence at every level and that the county’s voice is heard”.
- Unemployed predicted to rise to 2.6 million
Date: 25 Nov 2020
The number of unemployed people in the UK is expected to surge to 2.6 million by mid 2021, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned.
In his Spending Review, he said the UK's "economic emergency" had "only just begun", with the government expected to borrow £394bn this year.
The latest figures show 1.62 million people are unemployed. Mr Sunak said the government would spend £280bn this year "to get our country through coronavirus".
- [OPINION] By freezing pay and benefits, Sunak will be levelling down, not up
Date: 24 Nov 2020
In this week’s spending review, the chancellor will fulfil Boris Johnson’s lavish manifesto bribes – more police, doctors, nurses and hospitals, as well as infrastructure projects in the north of England. (Although not that 0.7% foreign-aid pledge.) Pensioners will keep their triple lock. Yet the two-child limit and the benefit cap will help child poverty reach record levels.
- Special educational needs support 'offered after exclusion'
Date: 24 Nov 2020
Thousands of children with special educational needs were only offered support after they were excluded from school, the BBC has learned.
A Freedom of Information request found that since 2017, more than 1,300 children were granted an education and healthcare plan (EHCP) after exclusion.
An EHCP legally obliges local authorities and healthcare providers to meet a child's needs.
- Rough sleepers could be forced to stay out in the cold to avoid Covid, councils warn
Date: 23 Nov 2020
Homeless people could be forced to stay out in the cold this winter to avoid catching Covid-19, according to a report for the Local Government Association.
The LGA warned that many councils face a choice between leaving people sleeing rough or bringing them into communal accommodation that risks spreading the virus.
It also highlighted a recent rise in the number of rough sleepers, with some local authorities reporting higher levels than before the pandemic.
- Rishi Sunak says Spending Review will not spell austerity
Date: 23 Nov 2020
Rishi Sunak has said people "will not see austerity" when he makes spending announcements for public services this week, despite the billions spent on the pandemic response.
The government has indicated it will keep to past promises when allocating funds for policing, nurses and schools.
On Wednesday the chancellor will detail the Spending Review. It will outline how taxpayers' money will be spent on departments such as health and education.
- Boris Johnson to unveil post-English lockdown plans
Date: 23 Nov 2020
Gyms and non-essential shops in all areas are expected to be allowed to reopen when England's lockdown ends.
On Monday afternoon, Boris Johnson will explain the detail of England's return to the "three-tier system" when lockdown ends on 2 December.
Pubs in tier three are expected to be open for takeaway only and those in tier two must serve substantial meals.
- Christmas get-together plan backed by UK nations
Date: 23 Nov 2020
The UK's four nations have backed plans to allow some household mixing "for a small number of days" over Christmas.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to unveil on Monday a tougher three-tiered system for England - to be introduced at the end of the current lockdown on 2 December. The 10pm closing time for pubs and restaurants will also be relaxed.
Work to finalise the arrangements for a UK-wide approach to restrictions this Christmas is ongoing.
- Oxford vaccine is up to 90% effective in preventing coronavirus, tests show
Date: 23 Nov 2020
The Oxford vaccine is up to 90% effective in preventing COVID-19, according to tests on thousands of volunteers.
The result compares with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which were recently shown to be 95% and 94.5% effective respectively.
The vaccine, codenamed AZD1222, was developed at Oxford University with support from the pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca.
- Covid fears prompt 38% rise in parents home educating
Date: 23 Nov 2020
There has been a huge rise in the number of children removed from school to be home educated, with many parents saying they were driven by Covid fears.
A survey of 151 local councils by the Association of Directors of Children's Services suggests the number of home-schooled children in England rose 38%.
The ADCS estimates as many as 75,668 children were home educated on 1 October, up from 54,656 a year earlier.
- Education of poorest pupils in England and Wales 'suffers most during Covid isolation'
Date: 23 Nov 2020
Four out of five schools with the poorest pupils in England and Wales do not have enough devices and internet access to ensure all self-isolating pupils can keep learning, according to a leading education charity.
The lack of equipment means schools were having to dip into alternative budgets and that it was the the poorest pupils’ education that suffered during self-isolation, Teach First warned.
A socio-economic divide was also underlined by the finding that schools with the most affluent intakes were nearly three times (29%) more likely to use donations to pay for digital devices compared with schools with the poorest pupils (10%).
- End in sight for contact isolation as repeat testing trial gets under way
Date: 23 Nov 2020
Contacts of those who are diagnosed with COVID-19 may no longer have to isolate under new plans announced by the government.
Currently, a person must isolate for 14 days if they have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive to the virus.
But under the new plans, they would instead have the opportunity to be tested every day for a week and will not need to isolate unless they also test positive.
- Number of unemployed people in UK over 50 rises by third, figures suggest
Date: 23 Nov 2020
The number of unemployed people aged over 50 in the UK has increased by a third in the past year, according to analysis of official figures.
There are 91,000 more unemployed older people than there were 12 months ago, the biggest percentage increase of all age groups and significantly more than the national average increase of 24%.
While the unemployment rate is significantly higher for those aged under 24, analysis shows that it is among older workers that there has been the greatest percentage increase.
- Covid-19 schemes' fraud risk 'considerable’
Date: 23 Nov 2020
Government schemes to protect jobs and support businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic risk considerable levels of fraud and error, particularly the furlough scheme, according to the National Audit Office.
A report from the watchdog said the Treasury and HMRC met their objective to rapidly implement the schemes and they should be commended for making them available ahead of schedule.
However, the NAO said the pace at which the schemes were designed and implemented meant the departments had to accept a greater fraud risk than usual.
- Brexit ‘could hurt fraud prevention’
Date: 23 Nov 2020
Brexit could lead to a lowering in fraud prevention standards, according to the head of counter fraud and investigation at the Government Internal Audit Agency.
Speaking during a session of this week’s PF Live conference, Neil Green said that when the transition period ends in January, uncertainty and disruption could cause an increase in fraud.
He added that the situation could be even worse if the UK fails to agree a deal on future cooperation with the EU. He said: “Historically, the EU only gives money when expenditure is proven.
- PM sets out 'tougher' post-lockdown tiers for England
Date: 23 Nov 2020
Gyms and non-essential shops in all parts of England will be allowed to reopen when lockdown ends next month, the prime minister has announced.
Boris Johnson told the Commons that the three-tiered regional measures will return from 2 December, but he added that each tier will be toughened.
Spectators will be allowed to return to some sporting events, and weddings and collective worship will resume.
- Rishi Sunak to reform anti-Northern spending bias
Date: 22 Nov 2020
The government has confirmed it will make a major reform to the way it assesses the value for money of big spending projects.
It plans to remove a longstanding bias that has affected funding for northern England and other regions.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the changes, to be unveiled at next week's Spending Review, were part of the government's "levelling up" agenda.
- Rishi Sunak signals tax rises in spring
Date: 22 Nov 2020
Rishi Sunak today signals that taxes will have to begin rising next year, warning that Britain is experiencing “economic shock” and cannot keep borrowing money “indefinitely” at sky-high levels.
In a shot at Boris Johnson, who has backed high spending and opposed tax rises, the chancellor said that “by the spring” he must begin “returning to sustainable public finances”.
In an interview ahead of the government spending review this week, Sunak even joked about the prime minister, saying he would like to “take his credit card away”.
- Strengthened tier system for England after lockdown
Date: 22 Nov 2020
A tougher three-tiered system of local restrictions will come into force in England when the lockdown ends on 2 December, Downing Street has said.
Boris Johnson is expected to set out his plan - including details of how families can see different households at Christmas - to MPs on Monday.
More areas are set to be placed into the higher tiers to keep the virus under control, No 10 said.
- Call to expand £500 grant for Covid self-isolators
Date: 22 Nov 2020
The government has been urged to expand eligibility for self-isolation support grants in England.
Currently, people asked to stay at home by the NHS Covid app do not qualify for the £500 grant given to those on low incomes who are told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace.
Parents who have to stay at home to look after children who are self-isolating are also excluded.
- Rishi Sunak to promise £150m extra spending on homelessness
Date: 22 Nov 2020
The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, will use the spending review on Wednesday to set out the government’s ambition to tackle homelessness after the coronavirus pandemic with a multimillion-pound funding boost.
The Treasury said an additional £151m would be made available for the next financial year, beginning in April 2021, to help rough sleepers and prevent homelessness.
It said this would be in addition to the £103m that had already been promised for 2021-22 in Sunak’s first budget in March when the Covid crisis first struck, and would represent a 60% increase on plans laid out by his predecessor, Sajid Javid.
- Thousands could be sent to their deaths because of ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ orders imposed by care homes
Date: 22 Nov 2020
MPs are calling for a review of “Do Not Resuscitate” orders on care home residents, amid fears that blanket decisions which end lives are being taken on behalf of the elderly....
- UK setting up vaccine centres ready for rollout
Date: 21 Nov 2020
The NHS is setting up coronavirus vaccination centres across the UK in preparation for any jab being approved, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.
People will be vaccinated at sites around the country, as well as in hospitals and by GPs in the community.
The government has also officially asked the medical regulator to assess the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
- Mass testing aims to cut quarantine for Covid contacts
Date: 21 Nov 2020
Quarantine for contacts of Covid-19 cases will be halved or eliminated altogether in a pilot scheme that could ultimately free hundreds of thousands of people from needless isolation.
Emergency service workers will be given daily tests with new pregnancy-style kits in the next stage of mass testing in Liverpool due to begin next week. They will be allowed to carry on working if they test negative.
Everyone in the city told to isolate because they have come close to an infected person could also be offered a test after seven days of quarantine, to allow them to leave home faster.
- Lockdown working, insists Matt Hancock as cases start to flatten
Date: 21 Nov 2020
Coronavirus cases have levelled off across England, raising hopes that the lockdown will reduce infections.
Two sets of figures yesterday, for England and for the UK, showed that infections had largely stopped rising and may have started to fall. The health secretary said that Britain was reaching the “peak of the second wave”.
Matt Hancock welcomed figures for England from the Office for National Statistics showing that infections had levelled off, and UK-wide government data suggesting that daily cases were starting to fall.
- We’ll have to cut vital services without £4bn help, say England’s councils
Date: 21 Nov 2020
Councils across England are planning to slash funding for frontline services – including those for adult care and children – in response to a growing cash crisis.
As pressure grows on the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to rescue councils in this week’s public spending review, local authorities are forecast to overrun their budgets by more than a billion pounds this financial year. The Local Government Association (LGA) predicts a £4bn shortfall next year without governnment help.
West Sussex council, which is facing a £44m shortfall next year, is planning to cut early years funding and subsidised bus services, as well as winding down its Help at Home service, which assists nearly 700 vulnerable older people with basic domestic tasks such as cleaning and shopping.
- Sunak mulls public sector pay freeze for millions
Date: 20 Nov 2020
Millions of public sector workers in England could face a pay freeze next year, the BBC has learned.
The 5.5 million affected include key workers lauded for their service during the pandemic, from the armed forces and police, to teachers and civil servants.
But it is expected that NHS workers would be exempt from a freeze, to reflect efforts during the pandemic. The Treasury is trying to bolster public finances after a huge rise in spending to fight coronavirus.
- Flu jab push as Covid vaccine roll-out planned
Date: 20 Nov 2020
People aged over 50 in England are being urged to get a flu jab, as ministers hope for a mass roll-out of a Covid-19 vaccine next year.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was "more important than ever" for people to get a flu jab to fight the "twin threats" of coronavirus and flu.
He said the NHS was preparing to roll out a Covid vaccine if one is approved. It comes as the over-50s have been added to a list of people who are eligible for a flu jab in England.
- NHS prepares dozens of Covid mass vaccination centres around England
Date: 20 Nov 2020
The NHS is preparing to open dozens of mass vaccination centres across England to vaccinate people against Covid-19.
There will be at least 42 centres, based in places such as conference centres, and the NHS is planning to hire tens of thousands of staff to run them, the Health Service Journal reported.
The fresh details of how people will get the vaccine come as NHS England prepares to publish its “deployment plan” for how it will store, distribute and administer the vaccine.
- Councils overwhelmed by asylum seekers as Home Office moves hundreds into hotels
Date: 20 Nov 2020
Public Accounts Committee cites cases in which up to 160 asylum seekers booked into hotels without local authorities being warned
- Outcry over public sector pay freeze rumours
Date: 20 Nov 2020
The Treasury is being accused of delivering a ‘slap in the face’ to council workers through a public sector pay freeze which is expected to be reflected in a lower funding settlement for local government.
The spending review next week is now widely anticipated to factor in a public sector pay freeze next year which would be applied broadly across the public sector but not to most NHS staff. This has prompted frustration that local government workers who have also been at the forefront of protecting communities during the pandemic are not being given the same esteem as their NHS partners.
According to media reports, doctors and nurses would not be covered by the pay freeze, but NHS managers would.
- Thurrock defends ‘potentially risky’ investment strategy
Date: 20 Nov 2020
Thurrock Council’s director of finance has defended his council racking up of debts of more than £1.4bn against accusations that the unitary has been borrowing recklessly to invest in solar energy.
Sean Clark told LGC the majority of the debt - £1.1bn - was "guaranteed" to be repaid when the investments it has funded in bonds with renewable energy companies are cashed in as the bonds are "secured against assets".
He said the council’s renewables portfolio is spread across wind and biomass as well as solar power and is made up of bonds intended to be repaid in between three and 10 years. He said the council had so far received all payments due “in a timely fashion” and there had been “no adverse impact” from Covid, at a time when profits from some other assets councils have invested in such as airports and shopping centres have nosedived.
- Thurrock forced to rethink MRP plan
Date: 20 Nov 2020
Thurrock Council is having to rethink its plan to use capital receipts to repay debt after officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government made clear this would be unacceptable.
The council is facing an overspend of £6.3m this year and a budget shortfall of £19.3m next year. Pressures from Covid prompted the council to freeze recruitment to all non essential posts and halt planned new investments in June this year. The subsequent loss of new investment income, which the council had initially factored into its four year plans back in February has now added £12m the council’s budget gap for the next four years, taking it to £33.7m.
At the start of 2020-21, the council, which has a core spending power of £123m, had general fund reserves of £11m and £32m in earmarked reserves.
- House building plummets by a third with developers blaming local authority planning delays more than the pandemic
Date: 20 Nov 2020
Builders are set to deliver fewer than two-thirds as many new homes this year amid the ongoing pandemic and escalating planning tensions between developers and local government.
With barely six weeks of 2020 left to go, Britain's seven largest house builders have reported property completions are down, on average, by 35 per cent from a year ago.
Together, these developers account for 43 per cent of Britain's new housing supply. Small and medium sized developers have also warned their housing completions will be down this year - by up to half in some cases.
- Backlash over chancellor's 'cruel' expected public sector pay freeze
Date: 20 Nov 2020
Freezing pay for millions of public sector workers has been described as a "cruel body blow" by unions.
Around four million public sector workers are set to be hit with a pay cap as Rishi Sunak looks to rebuild the public finances, according to reports which the Treasury has not denied.
Unison said the freeze would hurt workers who "remain at the heart of the fight against COVID-19".
- Government borrowing record accompanied by huge interest fall
Date: 20 Nov 2020
The government borrowed a record £214bn between April and October – although the figure was £77bn less than projections by the Office for Budget Responsibility.
Figures on the public finances released today by the National Audit Office showed the amount borrowed was £169.1bn more than during the same period last year and the highest public sector borrowing in any April to October period since records began in 1993.
Estimated government’s net borrowing in the first seven months of this financial year was around 9.9% GDP, while net debt stood at around 100.8% of GDP at the end of October 2020.
- The opportunities provided by the comprehensive spending review
Date: 20 Nov 2020
The government must lay out a path towards significant transformational change if our public services are to survive the pandemic, says Rob Whiteman.
Following the cancellation of the autumn Budget owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Comprehensive Spending Review has once again been shortened to just a single year.
Some critical areas – the NHS, schools and infrastructure – will get longer settlements. However, assurance on long-term sustainability across the public sector is vital.
- Negative press forces council into borrowing strategy switch
Date: 20 Nov 2020
An Essex council says it has been forced to change its borrowing strategy because other councils are unwilling to lend to it after negative press coverage over its investments.
At the start of November, PF reported that Thurrock Council had taken out a £125m loan from the Public Works Loan Board.
At a meeting last week, the authority’s director of finance, told councillors that the move was due to a lack of money available to borrow on a short-term basis from other local authorities.
- Quarter of UK home care operators face going bust
Date: 19 Nov 2020
More than a quarter of UK home care providers risk going out of business, research for the BBC suggests.
A study by business analysts for Radio 4's You and Yours programme found 715 of the 2,731 home care operators in the UK are in danger of closure.
The sector has combined debts in excess of £100m.
- Local authorities ‘braced for second wave of homelessness’
Date: 19 Nov 2020
Local authorities are braced for an “absolute train wreck” as they anticipate a second wave of homelessness of people hit by the pandemic’s economic fall out, a report warns.
But English councils fear they may run out of emergency accommodation over the winter months, amid concerns that Government funding will not be sufficient to allow them to meet rising demand.
A report by the homelessness charity Crisis said councils in England, Scotland and Wales have seen a continued new flow of people since the pandemic started.
- Apprentice redundancy numbers rise
Date: 19 Nov 2020
Louise James started her apprenticeship with a butchery company in January, but was made redundant just eight months later due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 33-year-old was "devastated" by the decision, but her employer's business had completely dried up.
Louise is not alone, with the number of apprenticeships ending in redundancy in lockdown two thirds higher than in 2019, provisional figures show.
- Priti Patel 'broke ministerial code with her behaviour towards staff' according to leaked bullying investigation and will get a written warning
Date: 19 Nov 2020
Boris Johnson will not fire Priti Patel as Home Secretary over allegations of bullying despite an official report saying she broke ministerial rules, it was reported today.
The long-awaited probe into the Cabinet minister's bahaviour at three departments ruled she 'had not met the requirements of the ministerial code to treat civil servants with consideration and respect'.
Ms Patel faces allegations she belittled colleagues and clashed with senior officials, with the investigation launched in march
- Ban on new petrol and diesel cars in UK from 2030 under PM's green plan
Date: 18 Nov 2020
New cars and vans powered wholly by petrol and diesel will not be sold in the UK from 2030, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. But some hybrids would still be allowed, he confirmed.
It is part of what Mr Johnson calls a "green industrial revolution" to tackle climate change and create jobs in industries such as nuclear energy.
Critics of the plan say the £4bn allocated is far too small for the scale of the challenge.
- England's 'inadequate' tier system 'did not contain the spread of coronavirus', say doctors
Date: 18 Nov 2020
The tiered system introduced in England in an effort to fight COVID-19 is "inadequate" and "did not contain the spread of the virus", according to the British Medical Association (BMA).
The BMA has also said it was "inconsistent" in the way it was applied, and that it must be "urgently revised" before the country exits its second lockdown on 2 December.
In a blueprint for exiting the strict measures, leading medics have suggested a new system should have "triggers" whereby different areas would move up and down different tiers - and that non-essential travel between tiers in higher and lower prevalence areas should be "restricted".
- Coronavirus deaths in England and Wales rise 40% in a week
Date: 18 Nov 2020
Deaths involving Covid-19 jumped 40 per cent in the first week of this month to their highest level since May.
There were 1,937 deaths involving coronavirus in the week ending November 6 in England and Wales, a total that has not been exceeded since the week ending May 22, when there were 2,589 deaths.
The Office for National Statistics figures include any death where Covid-19 is mentioned on the death certificate, regardless of whether the person tested positive or not.
- Majority of UK teachers have worked in schools with homeless pupils, finds survey
Date: 18 Nov 2020
The majority of teachers in Britain have worked in a school with children who were homeless, or became homeless in recent years, a survey suggests.
The poll, conducted by the homelessness charity Shelter, and YouGov, found widespread concern among the 1,507 teachers it surveyed about the condition pupils arrived at school in.
More than half (56%) of the respondents had worked at an educational setting with children who were, or became, homeless and had to live in temporary housing in the past three years.
- UK care home bosses seek extra £500m for Christmas Covid measures
Date: 18 Nov 2020
Care bosses are demanding £500m in extra government funding to make care homes safe in the run-up to Christmas, while some councils have been accused of taking infection control too far by banning tinsel or advising against trees.
After the health secretary, Matt Hancock, pledged to make visiting possible in every care home by Christmas, the National Care Forum (NCF) said homes need a doubling of the £546m infection control fund to at least £1bn.
This would help prevent the need for staff to move between homes, improve visiting facilities, deliver testing for visitors and guarantee enough PPE, it said.
- NAO: 'Lack of transparency' over Covid-19 procurement
Date: 18 Nov 2020
The government failed to meet standards of transparency on its emergency Covid-19 procurement, according to an investigation by the National Audit Office.
A report by the watchdog, published today, found a number of issues after a March Cabinet Office regulation allowed public bodies to negotiate contracts without a formal competition process.
The NAO found a number of cases where the risks of procuring without competition had been mitigated, and where contracts had not been published within the 90 days recommended in government guidance.
- Social housing landlords in England face checks on tenants' satisfaction
Date: 17 Nov 2020
Social landlords in England will be required to report on residents’ satisfaction in an effort to rebalance power between owners and tenants in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster, the housing secretary has announced.
Robert Jenrick said the measurement of issues “that matter to tenants” could be used to guide investigations by a new proactive consumer regulation body for council and social landlords, which is also proposed in the government’s social housing white paper.
A new wing of the social housing regulator will check on standards including quality of homes and repairs, landlords’ engagement with tenants and their handling of complaints. Currently the social housing regulator mostly examines the finances and governance of housing associations, and it has been seen as remote from England’s 9 million residents of social housing.
- Bosses urge ministers to protect nursing centres against the crippling cost of legal claims... just like the NHS
Date: 17 Nov 2020
Care home bosses are pleading with the Government to protect them from being sued over outbreaks of coronavirus.
Firms have been hit by soaring insurance premiums, and many still cannot get cover for Covid-19, which could leave them ruined if they are taken to court by bereaved relatives of residents.
The fear of being crippled by legal costs is also making some managers more cautious about allowing visitors in to see loved ones.
- UK orders five million doses of new Moderna jab by spring next year
Date: 17 Nov 2020
Five million doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine have been ordered by the UK, the health secretary has announced.
Matt Hancock said preliminary trials showing it to be 94.5% effective were "excellent news" and that, if it proves safe, the jabs can start to be rolled out across the country by spring 2021.
"We can see the candle of hope," he declared, but cautioned that people must keep following COVID-19 restrictions.
- Councils risk killing off the high street after hiking parking charges to bring in extra cash
Date: 17 Nov 2020
The British Retail Consortium said the price hikes will be “counter-productive” and have called on the government to underwrite the charges in the run up to Christmas when shops reopen next month.
This week Croydon Council – who hiked parking charged by 30 per cent – declared themselves bankrupt. Towns like Basingstoke in Hampshire have removed free parking for the disabled while nearby Chichester has also hiked charges.
In Derbyshire many councils have double parking charges, while in Sussex some councils have increased payments between 20p and £1.90 an hour. Other councils up and down the country have also upped the charges.
- Sir Tony Redmond on local authority audit
Date: 17 Nov 2020
Sir Tony Redmond says that his proposals would improve England’s broken local authority audit system while improving financial transparency.
When I was appointed to conduct my review, I saw public accountability as a key driver of my work. This is best summed up as external audit providing independent assurance to local taxpayers over the accuracy of annual accounts and soundness and stability of the local authority’s finances.
My findings revealed a number of key concerns about how local audit could fulfil those requirements effectively.
- Government set to provide social care reform update
Date: 17 Nov 2020
The government is set to provide an update on progress towards reforming the social care system “following the forthcoming Spending Review”, it has said.
The promise was included in a Treasury response to a call for urgent action made in a report by Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee earlier this year.
In its response, the department said that it was “acutely aware” of the long-term challenges to the social care system, which it said was “one of the biggest challenges society faces”.
- Scottish council creates energy joint venture
Date: 17 Nov 2020
A Scottish council has launched a 50/50 joint venture energy company with a Swedish state-owned energy firm to supply heating to a new town on the edge of Edinburgh.
Midlothian Council says the venture, with partner Vattenfall, will deliver projects worth up to £100m through a district heating network over the next 40 years.
The new company will use heat from a nearby energy from waste facility to heat up to 2,900 homes plus council buildings including a new school at the Shawfair development.
- Post-Grenfell social housing reforms unveiled
Date: 17 Nov 2020
Landlords in England are to be held more accountable, the government has said, as part of social housing reforms three years after the Grenfell fire.
They include a charter setting out what tenants can expect from a landlord, including to be safe in their home and to know how the landlord is performing in areas like repairs and complaints.
The housing secretary says it will give tenants "a much stronger voice". But Labour said the reforms "appear to water down previous proposals".
- England tier system may need strengthening - government adviser
Date: 16 Nov 2020
England's regional Covid tier system may need to be "strengthened" to get the country "through the winter", a senior government adviser has said.
Public Health England's Dr Susan Hopkins said they needed to look at what "tiers there may be in the future" when the lockdown ends on 2 December.
A three-tier system was used in England to tackle the spread of coronavirus before the national lockdown began.
- Liverpool mass-testing finds 700 cases with no symptoms
Date: 16 Nov 2020
A mass Covid-19 testing trial in Liverpool has found 700 people unknowingly had the virus.
Public Health England director Dr Susan Hopkins said nearly 100,000 people had been tested over the last 10 days. She stressed that these positive cases would have not been detected otherwise.
About 2,000 soldiers have been deployed in the city for the project, which was intended to run for an initial period of 10 to 14 days.
- Asylum seekers forced to travel miles to sign on with Home Office during lockdown
Date: 16 Nov 2020
Asylum seekers and trafficking victims are being forced to travel miles on public transport despite lockdown restrictions because the Home Office has said they must continue to report to officials in person.
People who are awaiting a decision on their application to remain in the UK – including modern slavery victims and torture survivors – are required to regularly sign on at a Home Office reporting location.
This requirement was temporarily suspended in March because of the pandemic, but in August and September the Home Office sent texts to people stating that they must start reporting in person again “due to the easing of Covid lockdown measures”.
- LGA launches Croydon disciplinary probe
Date: 16 Nov 2020
The Local Government Association has launched an investigation into whether disciplinary action should be taken in relation to senior management actions at financially-stricken London Borough of Croydon.
Croydon last week issued a section 114 notice, banning non-essential spending, in the wake of a highly critical public interest report by audit firm Grant Thornton.
The authority’s cabinet will next week meet to consider an action plan in response to that report, which revealed the LGA probe.
- Large drop in council office need predicted
Date: 16 Nov 2020
Almost two-thirds of council asset managers think their organisation will be able to reduce office floorspace by more than a quarter when the Covid-19 pandemic is over.
The results of a survey by CIPFA also found that more than a quarter (28%) believe that they will be able to reduce the amount by three-quarters or more.
The findings are from a three-part survey, assessing working conditions from June to September through the coronavirus pandemic.
- Business rate retention for freeport councils
Date: 16 Nov 2020
The government has launched a bidding process to create at least seven ‘freeports’ in England – promising host councils the ability to retain business rates growth for 25 years.
A prospectus launched today by the government invited applications by local authorities to host the facilities – which will operate outside of UK customs rules.
As part of the proposals, the government is looking to replicate arrangements in Enterprise Zones, which exempt the areas from periodic resets of business rates.
- Local government must be able to lead shoulder-to-shoulder with NHS on COVID-19 vaccination drive
Date: 14 Nov 2020
The LGA said the Government and NHS must utilise the knowledge and experience of directors of public health when it comes to distributing a potential COVID-19 vaccine.
Millions more people could safely and swiftly be protected against coronavirus if councils are able to act shoulder-to-shoulder with the NHS in the distribution of a vaccine, the Local Government Association sets out today.
GPs are initially expected to provide at least one million doses of the vaccine when available each week across 1,500 practices and drive-through centres, a huge logistical task which councils can support and expand upon. The LGA said this will be too big a task for the NHS to do on its own.
- Children more likely to be infected in second wave
Date: 14 Nov 2020
The number of school-age children with coronavirus has risen "significantly" in the second wave compared with the first, according to the government's scientific advisers.
Children are now more likely than adults to be the person bringing a Covid infection into a household.
But families with children are at no higher risk of severe illness. The National Education Union (NEU) said it was "troubled" by the number of children testing positive.
- R number for UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2
Date: 14 Nov 2020
The R number for the UK has fallen to between 1 and 1.2, the closest it's been to 1 since early September.
It comes as the Office for National Statistics says the number of people infected with coronavirus is slowing down. Data up to 6 November, the day after England's second lockdown began, shows infections falling in the north west but rising in the south and Midlands.
In Northern Ireland, infection rates were levelling off, the ONS says. But in Wales rising infection levels were still continuing.
- Family of care home residents to get regular Covid tests to allow visits
Date: 14 Nov 2020
Family and friends of people living in care homes will get access to regular testing to allow them to visit their loved ones, the government has said.
A pilot scheme launching on Monday will take place in 20 care homes across Hampshire, Devon and Cornwall. But the plan will be rolled out to other regions before Christmas, according to the Department of Health and Social Care.
The tests – offered to one family member or friend for each resident – could put an end to “heartbreaking” restrictions on visits, when used in combination with other protective measures such as PPE.
- Hundreds of thousands of 'invisible' children falling through gaps, warn peers
Date: 13 Nov 2020
Hundreds of thousands of "invisible" children are falling through gaps between social and education services across England, according to a damning new report.
Only one in 10 vulnerable children attended school or early years education during lockdown and their plight was made worse by fewer home visits by social workers, the Lords Public Services Committee heard.
Analysis by the Children’s Commissioner’s Office estimated that 829,000 vulnerable children were invisible to services before the pandemic.
- Learning disability death rates 'six times higher'
Date: 13 Nov 2020
People with learning disabilities were up to six times more likely to die from Covid-19 during the first wave of the pandemic, analysis shows.
A report from Public Health England (PHE) found the death rate for those with a learning disability was 30 times higher in the 18-34 age group.
The charity Mencap said the government had "failed to protect" a group already experiencing health inequalities.
- Retail footfall lowest since the spring
Date: 13 Nov 2020
Footfall on high streets and retail parks has fallen to its lowest level since the spring lockdown after shops were closed under new government restrictions designed to slow the spread of coronavirus.
Road traffic has also dived after the second lockdown came into force on November 5, according to the Office for National Statistics’ weekly report on real-time data. On Monday this week the number of vehicles on the roads was 24 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels, the lowest level since mid June.
- North West sees job ads surge while London lags
Date: 13 Nov 2020
The number of job adverts posted has risen to levels not seen since before lockdown in March, a study indicates.
There were 1.36 million active UK job adverts in the first week of November, according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC).
However, it said regional disparities were clear, with north-west England and Wales leading the recovery, while London had seen a fall in vacancies.
- Local councils advised to push ahead with traffic reduction schemes
Date: 13 Nov 2020
The UK government is to push ahead with a new wave of traffic reduction schemes to help more people walk and cycle, telling councils that while they must properly consult on new projects, they should also not be derailed by a minority of noisy opponents.
Announcing the new £175m tranche of money, part of wider plans to adapt travel to the impact of coronavirus, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, pointed to polling which shows significant support for such measures across England.
The money will be allocated to councils partly for new bike lanes and better pedestrian facilities, but also for so-called low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs), which seek to dissuade short car trips by stopping motor traffic using some residential streets as rat runs.
- Governments urged to go beyond net zero climate targets
Date: 13 Nov 2020
Leading scientists, academics and campaigners have called on governments and businesses to go beyond “net zero” in their efforts to tackle the escalating climate and ecological crisis.
The former archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams and the leading climate scientist Michael Mann are among a group of prominent environmentalists calling for the “restoration of the climate” by removing “huge amounts of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere”.
Net zero targets have been a focus of governments, local authorities and campaigners in their attempts to address global heating. The authors of Friday’s letter, however, say that although stopping emissions is “a necessary prerequisite”, governments and businesses must be more ambitious and work to “restore the climate” to as safe a level as possible.
- Scientists warn of Christmas Covid surge if tier system returns
Date: 13 Nov 2020
England will face a resurgence of coronavirus cases before Christmas if the country returns to the tiering restrictions in place last month when the latest lockdown is over, government science advisers have warned.
The concern was raised in a consensus statement released on Friday in a batch of documents prepared by the outbreak modelling subgroup of Sage, the government’s expert advisory committee.
The consensus document, signed by modelling teams around the country, warns that while an initial analysis found the most stringent tier 3 restrictions had a “noticeable impact” on transmission, it was unclear whether the measures were sufficient to drive the pandemic into decline.
- Older people more likely to break lockdown rules than young, ONS finds
Date: 13 Nov 2020
Older people are more likely to be breaking lockdown rules than their younger counterparts, Government data has revealed, because they are striving to maintain the family unit....
- UK emission targets won't be reached by 2050, think tank says
Date: 13 Nov 2020
The UK is on course to reduce its emissions by less than a fifth of what's needed to meet interim climate change targets, according to data shared exclusively with Sky News.
The think tank Green Alliance says its analysis of current policies shows the longer-term goal of being net zero by 2050 is also in jeopardy.
The government is shortly expected to announce a ten point plan of action on climate change. But Green Alliance says even proposed policies including bringing forward the banning of sales of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars wouldn't be enough to get the government to even half of its interim reduction target.
- Do the right thing: How I issued a section 114 notice
Date: 13 Nov 2020
In February 2018, Mark McLaughlin became the first section 151 officer in almost 20 years to issue a section 114 notice. Writing exclusively for PF, Northamptonshire’s former finance director makes a passionate plea for chief finance officers not to let fear deter them from carrying out their legal duties.
''I issued a section 114 notice after working for Northamptonshire County Council for 30 days.''
''I had not worked in local government for more than 10 years, but I was aware of the poor shape Northamptonshire was in. I was, though, unaware of just how grim the situation was.''
- Waiting list for council homes in England ‘will double to 2 million’
Date: 13 Nov 2020
The waiting list for council housing in England will almost double to two million people next year, amid alarming figures suggesting that hundreds of thousands are already facing the threat of eviction as a result of the Covid-19 fallout.
With evidence that renters on low incomes are using up their limited savings, cutting back on essentials and borrowing money to stay afloat, a new analysis warns that the waiting list for council houses in England will exceed its peak following the 2008 financial crisis as more and more people are unable to afford their homes.
The warning is contained in a study commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) and social housing groups. They are calling for a big increase in social housing construction to deal with the crisis.
- ‘Mood music’ signals bleak prospects for tax loss compensation
Date: 13 Nov 2020
The Treasury appears unwilling to bow to pressure to fully compensate councils for their council tax and business rates losses in the upcoming spending review, sources close to the negotiations have told LGC, with some concerned the government may even backtrack on its previous commitment to share the burden of tax losses.
As part of a “comprehensive package” announced in July to ensure councils’ financial sustainability during the coronavirus pandemic, the government allowed councils to spread council tax and business rates deficits over three years rather than the usual one and committed to “agree an apportionment of irrecoverable council tax and business rates losses between central and local government” at the forthcoming spending review.
But several sector lobbying groups have been pushing for the government to guarantee that councils will be compensated in full for all shortfalls in planned non-tax income and local tax revenues.
- Kickstart jobs scheme creates 19,000 work placements
Date: 12 Nov 2020
A government jobs scheme for young people has helped to create more than 19,000 work placements so far, the Treasury has said.
Many of the participants are due to start this week, after the Kickstart scheme was announced in July.
Young people have been among the worst affected by rising unemployment due to the coronavirus crisis.
The scheme is one initiative aimed at alleviating long-term youth joblessness.
- Croydon Council bans new spending under Section 114 notice
Date: 12 Nov 2020
Cash-strapped Labour-run Croydon Council has imposed emergency spending restrictions with "immediate effect", the BBC has learned.
The Section 114 notice bans all new expenditure at Croydon Council, with the exception of statutory services for protecting vulnerable people.
A document seen by the BBC said "Croydon's financial pressures are not all related to the pandemic".
- Tory council leaders warn of severe cuts in England
Date: 12 Nov 2020
Tory council leaders have delivered a stark warning to ministers that failure to tackle English local authorities’ cash crisis will force them to cut vital services, from social care to libraries and refuse collection.
The County Councils Network (CCN), 32 of whose 36 members are Conservative-controlled said just a fifth of authorities were confident they could meet their legal duty to set a balanced budget next year and avoid effective bankruptcy.
Over half of its member councils were planning “moderate or severe” service reductions in adult social care, nearly a third were seeking heavy cuts to road repair budgets, and 33% were considering major savings in library services.
- UK GDP increases by record 15.5%
Date: 12 Nov 2020
UK GDP soared by a record 15.5% in the third quarter of this year as lockdown measures were loosened, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The record rise in GDP from July to September followed an all-time high contraction in the second quarter from April to June of 19.8%, the ONS said.
The growth came despite slower month-on-month growth in the August and September, when GDP rose by 2.2% and 1.1% respectively on the preceding months.
- Government urged to consider capital gains tax rise
Date: 12 Nov 2020
The UK government has been urged to consider moving capital gains tax rates in line with income tax levels, which could raise an additional £14bn annually, according to the Office of Tax Simplification.
Capital gains tax is the levy that is paid on the profits that are made when an asset is sold, given away or disposed of.
In a report commissioned by UK chancellor Rishi Sunak, the government-run body said the tax, which is levied at 10% for basic-rate taxpayers and 20% for higher-rate taxpayers, could be doubled to be brought in line with income tax.
- Majority of county councils to make cuts next year
Date: 12 Nov 2020
Around 80% of county and unitary authorities are expected to make cuts next year in order to set a balanced budget, according to a survey from the County Councils Network.
CCN predicts a total £1.7bn funding shortfall next year across their 36 councils, which is likely to be exacerbated by the second lockdown.
It added that, without financial assistance, budgetary pressures will continue into 2022-2023, with 60% of respondents saying they will have to make additional service cuts to set their budgets for that year.
- UK prepared for wrong sort of pandemic, says former chief medical officer
Date: 12 Nov 2020
A former chief medical officer has said the UK was left ill-prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic because Public Health England told her a major coronavirus disease would "never travel this far"....
- Children in care 'failed' while some providers 'make millions'
Date: 11 Nov 2020
The most vulnerable children are being "failed by the state" and a broken residential care system, the children's commissioner for England has said.
Greater use of private provision has led to a fragmented, unco-ordinated and irrational system amid "significant profits", said Anne Longfield.
The system has been allowed to slip deeper into crisis, she said. The government said an independent review of children's social care would begin "as soon as possible".
- Universities to oversee student exodus for Christmas
Date: 11 Nov 2020
An evacuation-style operation will take place to get students home safely for Christmas after England's lockdown.
The government has told universities to allocate departure dates during a "student travel window" between 3 and 9 December, to minimise the risk of them spreading Covid-19.
Many students will be offered rapid result tests, and teaching must move online from 9 December. Unions said the plan "leaves little room for error".
- Northern England 'worst hit' by pandemic
Date: 11 Nov 2020
The north has been hit harder than the rest of England during the coronavirus pandemic, "exacerbating" regional inequalities, according to a study.
The Northern Health Science Alliance also found the mortality rate, even after factoring in deprivation, ages and ethnicity, was worst in the north.
It said in the "Northern Powerhouse" area an extra 57.7 people per 100,000 population died between March and July.
- Government ponders simplified regional lockdown system
Date: 11 Nov 2020
The tier system of Covid-19 restrictions will be changed before it is reintroduced because of concerns over compliance, it has emerged.
Ministers are considering carving England up into large regions, that will then be placed into the tiers in order to simplify the system brought in last month.
A fourth tier also remains under consideration if the current lockdown fails to bring down the infection rate far enough, Government sources said.
- UK unemployment rate continues to surge
Date: 11 Nov 2020
The UK's unemployment rate rose to 4.8% in the three months to September, up from 4.5%, as coronavirus continued to hit the jobs market.
Redundancies rose to a record high of 314,000 in the same period, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Firms made more workers redundant in anticipation of the end of the furlough scheme, which was originally supposed to finish at the end of October.
It has now been extended until the end of March. Analysts said the extension had come "too late in the day" to save some jobs and further big rises in unemployment were likely in the coming months.
- Tory MPs form group to oppose future lockdowns
Date: 11 Nov 2020
Conservative MPs have set up a group to fight any future lockdown in England, arguing it would be "devastating" for the economy and "cost lives".
The Covid Recovery Group, which has more than 50 members, wants the country to "live with" coronavirus after nationwide restrictions end next month. The "cure" prescribed by the government ran "the risk of being worse than the disease", MP Mark Harper said.
But the PM has stressed the NHS faces a "medical disaster" without action. A further 20,412 coronavirus cases were reported in the UK on Tuesday, with another 532 deaths within 28 days of a positive test recorded.
- £3.6bn struggling English towns fund 'not impartial', say MPs
Date: 11 Nov 2020
The government's process for choosing towns in England to benefit from a £3.6bn fund was "not impartial" a group of MPs have said.
The scheme was originally launched in 2019 to boost struggling towns. But the Commons spending watchdog warned that a "lack of transparency" over how money has been awarded could "fuel accusations of political bias".
The Ministry of Housing and Communities said the selection process was "comprehensive, robust and fair".
- Tories slammed for lack of progress on environment promises made nine years ago
Date: 11 Nov 2020
Ministers must “pick up the pace” if they want to fulfil an ambition to improve the natural environment within a generation, the public spending watchdog has warned.
The National Audit Office (NAO) said there is a “long way to go” before the Government can be confident it can meet the goal it set nine years ago.
In 2011, the coalition government outlined a vision for the environment with the goal of being the first generation to leave the natural world in a better condition than it was found.
- NHS urged to harness local government partners in vaccine rollout
Date: 11 Nov 2020
Directors of public health and councils are urging the government and the NHS to engage more closely with them on co-ordinating the rollout of a Covid-19 vaccine, amid fears that the sector’s expertise, assets and resources could go to waste.
Following news of the preliminary success of the Pfizer and Biontech vaccine earlier this week, NHS England has been tasked with leading the work to administer a Covid vaccine, in anticipation of a rollout expected to begin as soon as next month.
As well as using GP practices and pharmacies, health secretary Matt Hancock said yesterday that large vaccination centres would be set up in sports halls and car parks, with the armed forces on standby to help. Vaccines will be taken to care homes whose residents and staff will be a top priority.
- Towns fund selection process ‘risks civil service reputation’
Date: 11 Nov 2020
MPs on the influential Commons public accounts committee say they are not convinced by the government’s rationale for selecting 101 towns to benefit from the £3.6bn towns fund.
In a scathing report, published today, the committee says ministers’ justifications for selecting individual towns “are vague and based on sweeping assumptions” and criticises the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government for a lack of openness about why towns were chosen.
It said: “The [ministry’s] lack of transparency fuelled accusations of political bias in the selection process, and potentially is also a risk to the civil service’s reputation for impartiality.”
- LGA to push for devo ‘baseline’ without need for reorganisation
Date: 11 Nov 2020
The Local Government Association is shifting its focus to lobby government to devolve powers and resources directly down to individual councils without the need to reform into unitaries and then set up mayoral combined authorities, in light of the urgent need to focus on economic recovery from the impacts of coronavirus.
With the further delay of the Local Economic Recovery and Devolution White Paper until at least next year but with details of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund which will replace EU funding expected to be announced in the spending review at the end of this month, there is a growing sense that the government will need to call upon existing councils to deliver its devolution aims.
This is because there will not be enough time to set up mayoral combined authorities in new areas to channel much-need new infrastructure and economic recovery funding.
- York, Salford, Durham and Swale appoint to top job
Date: 11 Nov 2020
City of York Council has approved the appointment of a chief operating officer and head of paid service to replace the role of chief executive, despite its main opposition group pulling out of the process.
Ian Floyd will become York’s new most senior officer in a move the council says will save £95,000 a year. A paper to full council said the new role would have “greater focus on operational delivery and service coordination as opposed to strategic management or the ambassadorial role” of a chief executive.
The role was created following a senior management restructure earlier this year after then chief executive Mary Weastell took redundancy on efficiency grounds following a period of absence.
- Council investment strategy ‘deeply concerns’ opposition leader
Date: 11 Nov 2020
An investment strategy agreed by Cotswold District Council to borrow more than four times its annual budget has been labelled deeply concerning by its opposition leader.
The strategy, which was approved by Liberal Democrat and Green councillors in September will see the council borrow £54m for commercial investments in the local area.
The borrowing will be made up of either 25-year or 50-year loans, according to an officer report though the method of borrowing has not been decided yet.
- Lockdown children forget how to use knife and fork
Date: 10 Nov 2020
The pandemic has seen most children in England slipping back with their learning - and some have gone significantly back with their social skills, says Ofsted.
A report from the education watchdog warns some young children have forgotten how to use a knife and fork or have regressed back to nappies.
Older children have lost their "stamina" for reading, say inspectors. The Department for Education says it shows the need to keep schools open.
- Thousands of rapid COVID-19 tests to be sent to local authorities this week
Date: 10 Nov 2020
More than half a million rapid coronavirus tests will be sent to public health authorities this week to detect asymptomatic cases.
The 600,000 lateral flow test kits will be given to more than 50 directors of public health in England during the coming days. They can deliver results in an hour.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "Last week we rolled out mass testing in Liverpool using new, rapid technology so we can detect this virus quicker than ever before, even in people who don't have symptoms.
- NHS ready for Pfizer roll-out, says Matt Hancock
Date: 10 Nov 2020
The NHS is ready to start providing the new coronavirus vaccine "as fast as safely possible", Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said. Asked whether it could be available by Christmas, he said that was "absolutely a possibility" - but he expected the mass roll-out "in the first part of next year".
Mr Hancock said vaccination clinics would be open seven days a week, and he was giving GPs an extra £150m.
But he urged people to be patient. "We just don't know" how many people will need to be vaccinated before life can return to normal, Mr Hancock added.
- UK set to cut Covid self-isolation to 10 days after Cummings and Whitty row
Date: 10 Nov 2020
The Covid self-isolation period is expected to be cut from two weeks to 10 days after a row involving Prof Chris Whitty and Dominic Cummings, who had been pushing for a more drastic change, the Guardian understands.
The reduced quarantine time is to be made possible by increasing the use of rapid tests – for which the UK government has paid more than £500m, despite the fact that some are not designed to test people without symptoms.
It comes amid growing concerns about compliance, with only 11% of people abiding fully by the current two-week self-isolation rule, according to research by King’s College London in September.
- Adult day care centres denied access to ‘vital’ coronavirus testing
Date: 10 Nov 2020
Thousands of people with dementia, learning difficulties and other mental health conditions, as well as their carers, have been unable to get tests for the coronavirus and face missing out on vital support, The Independent can reveal.
The government has rolled out extensive testing in care homes and hospital settings, yet the same programme has not been provided for day centres, many of which have been forced to scale back the services they offer.
The charity Carers UK warned that a lack of testing “will be a factor in stopping hundreds of centres” from being able to deliver crucial services for thousands of vulnerable people.
- NHS told to prepare for Covid mass vaccinations from December 1
Date: 10 Nov 2020
The NHS has been instructed to prepare for mass Covid-19 vaccination of the public from December 1, in one of the biggest immunisation drives in British history.
The plans will see up to 1,500 GP practices and drive-through centres ordered to open every day from 8am to 8pm, each dispensing at least 1,000 jabs a week - meaning there will be capacity for at least one million doses to be administered weekly.
Health officials said on Tuesday that the NHS would be ready to deliver the jabs as quickly as they can be supplied, with medical and nursing students, and retired medics, being drafted in to help.
- Mass testing for 67 local areas in England
Date: 10 Nov 2020
Mass testing for coronavirus will be rolled out to 67 more areas in England, the health secretary has said.
Areas including Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and parts of the West Midlands will receive new rapid "lateral flow" tests.
Matt Hancock said he hoped the new tests would find Covid-19 "wherever it is, especially in those high prevalence areas".
- PSAA proposes 25% increase in audit variation rates
Date: 10 Nov 2020
A 25% increase in audit fee variation rates for 2020-2021 is being proposed by the Public Sector Audit Appointments, following recommendations from the Redmond Review.
The proposal was tabled in a consultation document by the PSAA, which said that, despite the proposed rise, rates will still be “keenly competitive” compared to the private sector.
Audit fee variation is the mechanism used by the PSAA to approve additional fees for audit work, and is calculated on an hourly rate card.
- Government to launch ‘green bond’
Date: 10 Nov 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the UK is set to issue its first sovereign green bond next year, in a bid to help meet the government’s 2050 carbon net zero target.
The bond is aimed at helping fund carbon neutral projects and create jobs in the green energy sector, with further issues set to follow.
The announcement follows similar issuance by the Netherlands and Germany in the past year, after France launched its first green bond in 2017.
- Sunak's cash pledge to head off revolt
Date: 10 Nov 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has pledged extra cash in a bid to head off a revolt by a new northern group of Conservative MPs.
The chancellor told MPs in the Northern Research Group he would pump infrastructure investment into the region to offset the economic impact of the pandemic.
Mr Sunak, who represents a Yorkshire constituency, spoke to the MPs via Zoom but gave no specific detail on the projects.
- NSPCC warns of lockdown's toll on children's mental health
Date: 09 Nov 2020
Rising stress levels have taken a toll on the mental and emotional health of young people since the first coronavirus lockdown was imposed in March, children’s charity the NSPCC has warned.
Calls to the charity’s ChildLine service reached nearly 43,000 between March and October, with mental health worries making up more than a third of all its counselling sessions, new figures showed.
The NSPCC said its counsellors had heard from children who were feeling isolated, anxious and insecure after being cut off from their usual social support networks.
- UK's nuclear future to be decided at key meeting
Date: 09 Nov 2020
Nuclear power's role in the UK's future energy strategy will be discussed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson with the chancellor and business secretary at a meeting this month.
It comes ahead of a new 10-point plan for the UK to hit net zero carbon emissions by 2050. The report is expected to be published next week.
The government insists it remains committed to the construction of new nuclear power stations. They are part of an overall strategy to decarbonise the UK's electricity supply.
- Lack of ventilator supplies 'hit' disabled people
Date: 09 Nov 2020
Some disabled people in the UK have been struggling to obtain essentials such as medication and breathing equipment during the Covid pandemic, research for the BBC suggests.
Some 60% of those who rely on social care told a YouGov survey they were finding it hard to obtain at least one of their necessities. Charity WellChild said people felt more "forgotten than they ever have been".
But ministers say the needs of disabled people were being considered. The Department of Health and Social Care says it has sufficient stocks and patients should contact their local care provider.
- EU and UK negotiators resume trade talks in London
Date: 09 Nov 2020
EU and UK officials have resumed trade talks in London later at the start of another key week for the negotiations.
They are trying to bridge what the two sides have said are still significant differences on fishing quotas and competition issues.
Boris Johnson said on Sunday that the "outlines" of an agreement were clear and a deal was "there to be done". But he has insisted the UK is prepared to leave the single market and customs union on 31 December without agreement.
- Boris Johnson gives cautious welcome to COVID-19 vaccine news
Date: 09 Nov 2020
The prime minister has welcomed the announcement that a COVID-19 vaccine has been found to be 90% effective in preventing people from getting the virus, but says "we absolutely cannot rely on this news as a solution".
Speaking at a Downing Street news conference, Boris Johnson said these are "very, very early days" and "the biggest mistake we could make now is to soften our resolve".
He later added: "There is a long way before we have got this thing beat."
- UK vaccines chief Kate Bingham expected to leave post at end of year
Date: 09 Nov 2020
The head of the UK's coronavirus vaccine taskforce is expected to leave her role at the end of the year.
Government sources stressed Kate Bingham was always due to leave at this stage.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer earlier hit out at the "unjustified" spending of £670,000 of taxpayers' cash on a team of PR consultants for the under-fire vaccines tsar.
- Boris Johnson has “lost interest” in devolution of power in England, says Lord Heseltine
Date: 09 Nov 2020
Boris Johnson is retreating from promises to hand down political power to English regions, according to the former Conservative deputy prime minister and champion of devolution Lord Heseltine.
The Conservative manifesto last December promised “full devolution across England” to enable “every part of our country…to shape its own destiny”.
The government has presented political devolution as a key element of Boris Johnson’s plan to “level up” the UK and promised an English devolution White Paper this autumn.
- Local authority capital receipts fall by 30%
Date: 09 Nov 2020
Capital receipts for councils in England dropped by more than 30% last year to £2.8bn, the lowest level in the last five years, according to government statistics.
The figure, outlined in final outturn receipts for 2019-2020, was however 12% higher than the £2.5bn reported in the provisional release, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said.
Capital expenditure by local authorities also dropped to £26.3bn in 2019-20, down £251m in real terms from 2018-19 – this is the lowest level since 2016-2017, when £24.8bn was spent.
- TfL set to remain dependent on government support
Date: 09 Nov 2020
Transport for London will rely on future government support until 2023, after agreeing two bailouts this year, according to ratings agency Moody’s.
The agency made the comments in an issuer comment report, which said TfL’s credit remains negative although it had agreed a second bailout with government valued up to £1.8bn.
Moody’s added that TfL’s progress towards becoming self-sufficient has been reversed by the pandemic, with the network now reliant on continued support from the government.
- Rashford ‘proud’ after Government U-turn on free school meals at Christmas
Date: 08 Nov 2020
England footballer Marcus Rashford and child poverty campaigners are celebrating after the Government U-turned over providing free meals to disadvantaged children during the Christmas holidays.
The Prime Minister personally phoned the Manchester United star after he played in his team’s Premier League clash against Everton on Saturday to alert him to the decision to lay on £170 million of extra funding for the measure.
The money will pay for the Covid Winter Grant Scheme to support families over the season while the Holiday Activities and Food programme will be extended to cover the Easter, summer and Christmas breaks in 2021, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced.
- Liverpool testing trial sites doubled after queues on first day
Date: 08 Nov 2020
The number of coronavirus testing sites in Liverpool has doubled after "really good interest" in the scheme, its public health director has said.
Matthew Ashton said a total of up to 12,000 people were tested at six centres on Friday as England's first trial of city-wide testing began.
Mr Ashton said a further eight sites were brought in on Saturday. The city council said it could extend the two-week pilot scheme as more opened.
- Number of people seeking help for suicidal thoughts has tripled since lockdown
Date: 08 Nov 2020
The number of people seeking help because of suicidal thoughts has tripled since lockdown, with some ambulance services seeing cases rise by almost two thirds, an investigation has revealed....
- Tens of thousands made homeless despite UK ban on evictions during pandemic
Date: 08 Nov 2020
Tens of thousands of people have been made homeless since the start of the pandemic despite a ban on evictions, the Guardian has found, with charities warning that younger people are falling through the gaps.
Since April this year at least 90,063 people in the UK have been threatened with homelessness – and more than half of these have already lost their accommodation.
Charities say data shows a new cohort of homeless people who have slipped through the cracks despite protections such as the ban on evictions and a government scheme to house the homeless during the coronavirus crisis.
- Test and trace needs radical reform in England, health experts say
Date: 07 Nov 2020
The government faces renewed calls for the central NHS test and trace system to be scrapped in favour of handing responsibility for contact tracing to local public health teams.
Weekly test and trace figures for England show it reached just under 60% of close contacts of people testing positive, the lowest since the service began. It comes as the Office for National Statistics indicated the steep rise in new infections was levelling off in England and stabilising at about 50,000 a day.
Sir John Oldham, adjunct professor in global health innovation at Imperial College London and former leader of large-scale change at the Department of Health, said “lockdown will be a letdown” unless trust was increased through radical reform of test and trace.
- Care home residents face postcode lottery over face-to-face visits
Date: 07 Nov 2020
Care home residents in England face a postcode lottery over visiting because ministers have abdicated responsibility to local officials, according to social care bosses. Thousands of elderly people are still unable to have face-to-face contact with relatives despite guidance from health secretary Matt Hancock last week encouraging operators to allow visitors.
Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said: “In some areas directors of public health have said they will not allow visiting, so a care home might want to reinstate visiting but the local public health director is saying it can’t.
“It is a postcode lottery. And the problem is that there is no accountability trail for directors of public health. Care homes cannot use the government’s guidance to override the local official. This is really a mistake by government.”
- Lockdown 'opportunity' to fix England's roads
Date: 07 Nov 2020
Councils in England have a "unique opportunity" to fix potholes, road junctions and roadside drainage during lockdown, the AA has said.
It urged local authorities to ask drivers to move their vehicles to car parks near disused shops, pubs and restaurants while repairs take place. Reduced traffic means work could happen safely and without causing congestion, AA president Edmund King said.
Councils said £10bn was needed to bring roads "up to scratch". The government said it had already committed £2.5bn for repairs "as part of the biggest nationwide programme ever announced".
- Nursing shortage warning as winter looms
Date: 07 Nov 2020
Widespread nursing shortages across the NHS could lead to staff burnout and risk patient safety this winter, the Royal College of Nursing has warned.
The nursing union said a combination of staff absence due to the pandemic, and around 40,000 registered nursing vacancies in England was putting too much strain on the remaining workforce.
The government says more than 13,000 nurses have been recruited this year. It has committed to 50,000 more nurses by 2025.
- LGPS records negative cashflow position
Date: 06 Nov 2020
Local Government Pension Scheme funds in England and Wales reported a negative cashflow position again last year, as schemes paid out £900m more in benefits than they received, according to government statistics.
Around £10.9bn was paid out in benefits in 2019-2020, with the majority of these coming from pensions and annuities, whilst £10bn was received from employees and employer payments.
Overall expenditure by LGPS funds increased by 5.6% last year to £13.4bn, according to statistics released by the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government.
- Council to ‘fundamentally’ review services
Date: 06 Nov 2020
Manchester City Council is set to fundamentally review its size and structure, warning that efficiency savings cannot not cover a forecast £135m funding gap next year.
The proposal is included in a report to be discussed at an executive committee meeting next week, outlining need to make more than £50m of savings in 2021-2022.
However, it said if further government funding is not given in the Spending Review, it would have to make more severe cuts of around £100m to balance the budget next year.
- Brexit and Covid-19 set to hit HMRC balance sheet
Date: 06 Nov 2020
The combined disruption of Covid-19 and Brexit may lead to a financial squeeze for HMRC next year, a report from the tax department said.
In its annual report HMRC’s chief executive and principal accounting officer, Jim Harra, said the tax regulator’s risk exposure remained high through 2019-2020.
The department’s capability and capacity to manage risk remains an “ongoing challenge”, he said.
- Record weekly Covid cases in England but new infections 'stabilise'
Date: 06 Nov 2020
Almost 620,000 people in England had coronavirus in the past week, according to the latest official estimates, but the rate of infection is slowing.
The Office for National Statistics estimates that 618,700 people in England were infected with the virus in the week to 31 October – one in 90 people, the highest rate measured by the infection survey to date.
This is a 9% rise on the 570,000 people estimated to have had the virus in the previous week. This is a slower increase than in previous weeks – the weekly rise stood at 31% the previous week and was as high as 92% a month ago.
- Councils urged to appoint 'Food Champion'
Date: 05 Nov 2020
Councils have been urged to appoint a Food Champion and work with a Food Partnership in a bid to tackle food poverty.
The Co-operative Party argue that councils which have a visible lead member for food poverty and have a Food Partnership are more effective at responding to issues such as child food poverty and holiday hunger.
Research by the party found nearly half (47%) of upper tier councils have a visible lead member for food poverty, while 37% work with a Food Partnership.
- Councils call for clear lockdown exit strategy
Date: 04 Nov 2020
The Government has been urged to work with councils to develop a clear lockdown exit strategy by the Local Government Association (LGA).
The LGA warned Whitehall must learn from the past seven months and ensure a clear strategy is developed for when national restrictions end on December 2 in partnership with local councils.
It is also calling for clear criteria about which restrictions or Tier Alert Levels will apply, and for the Government to build upon successful local contact tracing efforts.
- Who can go back on to furlough?
Date: 03 Nov 2020
Hours before the furlough scheme was due to end, the government announced it would be extended until December, to cover a further lockdown in England.
Under the Coronavirus Jobs Retention Scheme, to give furlough its official title, employees placed on leave receive 80% of their pay, up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
Since July, employers have been able to bring back employees part-time, and furlough them for the rest. This will continue.
Employees can be furloughed regardless of whether they are on full-time, part-time, agency, flexible or zero-hour contracts, but they must have been on the payroll by 30 October 2020.
- Liverpool to pilot mass coronavirus testing
Date: 03 Nov 2020
The first pilot of whole city testing for COVID-19 is to be carried out in Liverpool.
The scheme will see everyone living or working in the city offered a coronavirus test, regardless if someone has any symptoms or not.
The pilot will help explore if mass testing can be achieved and if reliable testing can be delivered at scale.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said: 'We are pleased that our numerous conversations have resulted in Liverpool becoming a pilot for mass testing, which will help to quickly identify people who have the virus and reduce transmission substantially.'
- Jenrick confirms rapid review into Nottingham City Council
Date: 03 Nov 2020
A rapid non-statutory review will be conducted into Nottingham City Council following the collapse of its Robin Hood Energy scheme.
Local government secretary, Robert Jenrick, said the review will investigate serious governance and risk management issues associated with its energy company.
A public interest report published in August found serious failure of the governance at the council since Robin Hood Energy was set up in 2015.
- Holyrood announces £15m for young people with mental health issues
Date: 03 Nov 2020
The Scottish government has announced that £15m will be made available to local authorities to help them support children and young people who are struggling with mental health issues.
Holyrood says the funding will be distributed to councils to support a local response for five to 24-year-olds, their families and carers.
While the funding pot will be used to help those with a range of mental health issues, £11.25m will be for services responding to the pandemic, such as support for children who are struggling emotionally due to returning to school under new restrictions.
- English lockdown may last beyond 2 Dec, says Gove
Date: 02 Nov 2020
Michael Gove says it is his "fervent hope" that England's new lockdown will end on 2 December - but that ministers will be "guided by the facts". "We do need to get the R rate below 1," the Cabinet Office minister told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.
The strict measures are due to come into force from Thursday. Pubs, restaurants, gyms, non-essential shops and places of worship will close, but schools, colleges and universities can stay open.
The prime minister is expected to deliver a statement in the Commons on Monday before a vote on the latest restrictions on Wednesday. Labour has said it will back the lockdown.
- Government urged to address Covid-19 backlogs
Date: 02 Nov 2020
The upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review must allocate funding to address record public service backlogs, CIPFA and the Institute for Government have warned.
The warning was made in a joint report which said that despite £68.7bn of extra funding since March, huge backlogs have developed as result of the pandemic, most notably in the judicial and healthcare systems.
The report said the crown court case backlog is now equivalent to 56,000 cases, 42% higher than pre-pandemic levels and the highest in over 20 years.
- Poorest pupils can enrol for catch-up tuition
Date: 02 Nov 2020
Disadvantaged pupils in England could begin focused tuition as early as next week, as booking opens for the new National Tutoring Programme.
The government says there is clear evidence that poor pupils lost out most when schools were closed. This scheme aims to close the learning gap. "This is about levelling up those opportunities," said Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.
But education unions say tuition should be delivered by qualified teachers. The 32 organisations selected to deliver the programme are braced for a flood of tuition bookings for pupils from poorer families aged five to 16.
- Homelessness charities call for second Everyone In scheme in England
Date: 02 Nov 2020
As a second lockdown looms over England, homelessness charities and councillors have urged the government to bring back a scheme thought to have saved the lives of hundreds of rough sleepers during the first.
About 15,000 homeless people were provided emergency accommodation in hotels in March and April this year as part of the “everyone in” policy. According to one study, the scheme saved an estimated 266 people from death.
As details of England’s second lockdown appeared in the media and on reporters’ Twitter feeds on Saturday, homeless campaigners issued a fresh plea for a return to the policy.
- Growing numbers of 'newly hungry' forced to use UK food banks
Date: 01 Nov 2020
Food aid charities have identified the emergence of the UK’s “newly hungry”, a growing cohort of people previously in good jobs and enjoying comfortable incomes who have been forced to use food banks and claim welfare benefits for the first time during the pandemic.
The Feeding Britain network and Independent Food Aid network (IFAN) said their members were providing food support to a new influx of middle-income families. Typically with mortgages, cars and often self-employed or business owners, they had been plunged into crisis by Covid-related job losses and gaps in the social security system.
“We now see families at food banks who before the pandemic were able to pay their bills and still be comfortable enough to put food on the table. For the first time in many years that is no longer the case,” said the charity’s national director, Andrew Forsey.
- Sadiq Khan warns Londoners council tax could have to rise as TfL secures £1.8bn bailout
Date: 01 Nov 2020
Sadiq Khan has warned Londoners their council tax bills could have to rise because of the "draconian" conditions attached to a £1.8bn government bailout of Transport for London (TfL).
The capital's transport body said the agreement will enable it to continue operating until the end of March 2021.
The exact amount of money involved will be subject to passenger revenue in the coming months.
- Keeping schools open could lead to longer lockdown, scientist warns
Date: 01 Nov 2020
Keeping schools open could mean infection rates stay higher for longer and could result in an extended lockdown, a leading scientist has told Sky News.
Former chief scientific adviser Sir Mark Walport said the November restrictions were not as "severe" as the first time round, and that there was a "possibility" the restrictions may need to stay in place for more than four weeks.
In an interview with Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday, he warned: "It's unlikely this time to come down quite as fast as it did during the first lockdown because we have got schools open."
- Fears Covid could scupper EU trade deal talks
Date: 31 Oct 2020
Brexit negotiators fear the crunch trade talks could be scuppered by rising Covid-19 cases...
- Covid job losses lead MPs to call for trials of universal basic income
Date: 31 Oct 2020
A cross-party group of MPs has called on the government to allow councils to run universal basic income trials in response to mass unemployment triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A letter to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, signed by more than 500 MPs, lords and local councillors says pilot schemes are urgently needed as the pandemic unleashes widespread economic disruption and drives up redundancies at the fastest rate on record this winter. Launching a UBI would mean the state paying every adult a basic sum regardless of their income.
The letter says issues with the benefit system and the end of the furlough scheme mean Britain is ill-equipped to support people through the financial insecurity of the Covid recession.
- Record demand for council tax support
Date: 30 Oct 2020
More than 2.5 million working age people across England claimed a discount on their council tax between April and June this year - the highest number since records began in 2015.
The Local Government Association said this number is expected to have risen further over the summer and may continue to rise in future years due to the knock-on economic fall-out from the pandemic.
Analysis commissioned by the LGA from LG Futures estimates that the cost of the increased claimant numbers of council tax support due to COVID-19 in 2020/21 could be at least £586 million.
- Most public sector audits by Grant Thornton fall below standard, watchdog finds
Date: 30 Oct 2020
Five out of six major public sector audits by Grant Thornton were not up to scratch last year, according to a leaked review by the accounting regulator seen by The Telegraph...
- One in six childcare providers in England may close by Christmas
Date: 30 Oct 2020
A quarter of nurseries and childminders in deprived areas of England say they will not get by beyond Christmas without additional income, according to a survey.
The poll by the Early Years Alliance (EYA) found that low demand for places and inadequate government support during the Covid pandemic could result in mass closures of childcare facilities.
Overall about one in six providers said they could close by Christmas, and just over half said they would require emergency funding to stay open over the next six months. Nearly two-thirds said the government had not provided adequate support during the coronavirus crisis, and only a quarter expected to make any profit between now and March.
- Council tax support bill to exceed funding
Date: 30 Oct 2020
Council tax support is expected to cost councils an additional £586m this year, 7% more than the £500m allocated through a dedicated fund announced in March, according to the LGA.
Analysis by public sector consultants LG Futures for the association found more than 2.5 million working aged people in England have applied for council tax support in the first quarter of 2020-2021.
The LGA said this was an increase of 9% from the same quarter in 2019, and the highest number for any quarter since records began in 2015/16.
- IMF urges government to keep up pandemic spending
Date: 30 Oct 2020
“Essential” support for companies and workers in the UK must continue if the economy is to recover from Covid-19 and meet the challenges of leaving the EU customs union and single market, the IMF has said.
Fund economists praised the government’s policy response, which the National Audit Office said totals at least £210bn, for mitigating damage to the economy so far.
But they said GDP has still dropped dramatically, and an initial rebound faces “headwinds” from a second wave of the virus, rising unemployment and the end of a transition period with the EU at the end of the year.
- Frustrated public health directors slam NHS Test & Trace
Date: 30 Oct 2020
Directors of public health have branded the performance of NHS Test & Trace “unacceptable” and called on the government to engage in a “serious conversation about a more human and local system”.
In a briefing note published by the Association of Directors of Public Health today, directors also criticise the lack of transparency over funding for the national track and trace system and an “opaque” governance structure which makes it “unclear where responsibility lies for different functions”.
“As a result, it is challenging to direct requests or concerns to the right part of the system, or engage constructively in finding solutions, and responses are often slow or formulaic,” it says.
- Calls to invest £240m in early years provision
Date: 30 Oct 2020
A quarter of early years providers in the most deprived local authorities could close by Christmas without additional funding, a new survey has revealed.
The Early Years Alliance found that overall, one in six nurseries and childminders may not survive the winter due to the impact of the pandemic.
More than half of providers (51%) said they need emergency funding to stay open for the next six months.
- Nearly 100,000 catching virus every day - study
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Nearly 100,000 people are catching coronavirus every day in England, a major analysis suggests.
The study, by Imperial College London, says the pace of the epidemic is accelerating and estimates the number of people infected is now doubling every nine days.
The authors say we are at a "critical stage" and "something has to change". France and Germany have turned to forms of lockdown to control the virus.
- 10% of England's population could be tested for Covid-19 every week
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Up to 10% of England’s population could be tested for coronavirus every week after government officials asked local health chiefs to deploy 30-minute saliva kits in an acceleration of Boris Johnson’s controversial “Operation Moonshot” mass screening plan.
In a letter seen by the Guardian, NHS test and trace claims it is embarking on an “important new front in our fight against coronavirus” and asks all directors of public health to sign up to receive rapid-result test kits for up to a tenth of their populations every week, to contain outbreaks and preserve freedoms.
If delivered, it could result in a huge increase in national testing – up to 5m tests weekly from the current rate of about 300,000 so-called PCR tests a day, carried out by swabbing the nose and throat.
- Planners will be able to build estates of 50 homes without setting aside any for affordable housing, charities warn
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Developers will be able to build estates of 50 homes without setting any aside for affordable housing under the Government’s controversial planning reforms, a coalition of charities has warned....
- Minister attempts to clear up exit cap confusion
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Local government minister Luke Hall has asked councils to apply the £95,000 exit payment cap to pension schemes before regulations are formally introduced – a move one lawyer called a “load of nonsense”.
New rules limiting public sector exit payments to £95,000 are set to go live next week - before the necessary amendments to Local Government Pension Scheme regulations have been made.
In the face of a threatened legal challenge by local government groups, Hall has attempted to clear up confusion over the legal position in a letter to chiefs at LGPS administering authorities.
- Government to review Croydon governance
Date: 29 Oct 2020
The government has announced a rapid review into governance at the London Borough following the publication of a “damning” public interest report.
The review will also look into culture and risk management at the council, after it sought a capitalisation directive from government last month, which would allow it to borrow capital money for revenue spending.
The rare public interest report published by auditors Grant Thornton late last week, accused of Croydon of “corporate blindness” over its financial position, after it ignored previous recommendations on financial sustainability.
- Business rate appeals average ‘1,000 per day’
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Councils face a massive rise in business rates appeals, which have reached around 1,000 a day as a result of Covid-19, according to real estate firm Colliers.
Over the last six months, more than 180,000 “check challenge appeal” business rates appeals were filed with the Valuation Office Agency, Colliers said. The firm said this was significantly higher than the 158,930 appeals lodged in the three years to 31 March 2020.
The surge in CCA appeals was down to a material change of circumstance, which is a notice that shows an impact to the profitability or operational capabilities of a business, Colliers said.
- Spelthorne councillors seize greater investment oversight
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Councillors at Spelthorne Borough Council have voted to give themselves more control over the authority’s property investment decisions.
Approval was given to an action plan tabled by audit committee chair Lawrence Nichols at a meeting last week, in response to a Public Accounts Committee report on local authority commercial investment in July.
The actions approved include greater member involvement in future investment-related decisions above a certain value, which was not defined in the report.
- West Yorkshire to go into tier 3 from Monday
Date: 29 Oct 2020
West Yorkshire is to be placed under tier three Covid restrictions from Monday, the strictest level of rules.
The area - home to an estimated 2.3 million people - includes the cities of Leeds and Bradford. The government has promised a further financial package of more than £59.3m for the region.
Casinos, soft play, adult gaming centres, betting shops and car boot sales will be shut, as well as pubs and bars not serving substantial meals. Under the tier three - very high alert - rules, there can also be no mixing of households indoors or outdoors, including in private gardens.
- Contacts reached by NHS test and trace system stays stuck at record low
Date: 29 Oct 2020
The ability of NHS test and trace to reach the close contacts of people who have positive Covid-19 tests has stalled at a record low, the latest weekly results have shown.
The system failed to reach 40 per cent of the close contacts identified by people who tested positive for coronavirus in England between October 15 and October 21. That matched its worst performance since it was set up in May.
In reality less than half the close contacts on new infections will have been contacted, because a significant portion of people who test positive are not being reached or refuse to say who they have spent time with.
- Government won't cut 300,000 housing target - Robert Jenrick
Date: 29 Oct 2020
The government "will listen" to views on where new homes should be built but won't cut its target to build 300,000 homes a year, Robert Jenrick has said.
The housing secretary said he wanted to encourage more building in the Midlands and the North rather than London.
Several Tory MPs have expressed concern that the government's plan could mean more homes in rural areas and undermine the government's "levelling-up" agenda.
- Increase public spending to tackle Covid second wave, IMF tells UK
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Britain should increase spending to tackle the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic without worrying about its growing debt levels, the International Monetary Fund has said.
In its six-monthly health check of the UK economy, the Washington-based organisation warned on Thursday that the UK faced a difficult winter that was likely to depress economic growth and increase the number of jobs lost, especially among those with few skills.
In its latest forecast for the UK economy, the IMF said it expected a decline in GDP growth of 10.4% this year, compared with an estimate a month ago of -9.8%. An expected rebound in GDP growth next year was pared back from 5.9% to 5.7%.
- ONS finds 2m people still on furlough days before scheme ends
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Almost one in 13 UK workers, about 2 million people, are still on furlough just days before the government job retention scheme comes to an end, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The regular ONS update on the economy during the coronavirus pandemic found 7.5% of the UK workforce was still relying on wage support from the government between 5 and 18 October.
The proportion on furlough was a quarter of that at the start of June, when 29.5% of workers had some of their wages paid by the government.
- Cities issue stark finance warning
Date: 29 Oct 2020
The Core Cities have written to the Government, warning they face Section 114 notices unless the gaps in funding are addressed.
They have called for more resources, greater use of capitalization and a three-year finance settlement.They have also urged the government to reform the Public Works Loan Board to provide lower interest rates for investment schemes, and higher rates for commercial schemes.
Lead members for finance of the UK’s biggest cities have written to local government minister Luke Hall and chief secretary to the Treasury Steven Barclay, to highlight the £1.5bn cost of COVID that they face.
- Surrey looks to future with £20m LED conversion
Date: 29 Oct 2020
Surrey County Council is to convert all of its 89,000 street lights to LEDs over the next three years at a cost of £20m.
The council said the move will save £2m a year at February 2020 prices as LED lanterns use around 65% less energy, and could save more if energy prices continue to rise.
The three-year programme has already started in Guildford borough, with lights in Surrey Heath and Waverley due to be converted in the coming months.
- Rural homelessness in England rises by 115% in past two years
Date: 28 Oct 2020
Homelessness in rural areas in England has more than doubled in the last two years, according to analysis published as campaigners warn of planning reforms likely to worsen the situation.
The number of households categorised as homeless in rural local authorities in England rose to 19,975 – an increase of 115% from 2017-18 – according to the countryside charity CPRE, and the Rural Services Network, which represents many parish councils and other countryside organisations.
The rise in numbers of households owed homelessness relief by councils, according to government figures, has been greatest in the north-east and north-west of England but an increase has happened in all areas.
- Post-furlough unemployment 'hits young and ethnic minorities'
Date: 28 Oct 2020
Young and ethnic minority workers were more likely to be made unemployed post-furlough, according to a new report.
A survey of about 6,000 adults by the Resolution Foundation found 19% of 18-24 year olds who were furloughed during lockdown were unemployed in September. For black, Asian and minority ethnic workers the figure was 22%, compared to 9% for the general population.
The Treasury said its wage support schemes had helped to protect millions of jobs. Speaking on the BBC's Today programme, the Resolution Foundation president, former government minister Lord Willetts, said the group's research findings were grim.
- Rishi Sunak says government has 'provided resources'
Date: 28 Oct 2020
The chancellor says the government has already given money to councils in England for free school meals in the holidays.
Rishi Sunak says they are "absolutely committed" to making sure vulnerable children do not go hungry. But councils say the money they were given in the summer had to be spent within 12 weeks.
Footballer Marcus Rashford's campaign has built pressure on ministers to feed children directly. It led to businesses across the country including fish and chip shops, pubs, restaurants and cafes dishing out free food to eligible children over half-term.
- PM under pressure to toughen restrictions after highest death toll since May
Date: 28 Oct 2020
The prime minister is under mounting pressure to bring in tougher coronavirus rules after UK deaths hit their highest level for five months.
There were 367 deaths linked to the virus recorded on Tuesday, and nearly 23,000 more cases.
Downing Street has not rebuffed an internal projection from its SAGE experts that this winter could see more fatalities than the spring, with a spokesman calling latest figures "concerning".
- Spelthorne councillors seize greater investment oversight
Date: 28 Oct 2020
Councillors at Spelthorne Borough Council have voted to give themselves more control over the authority’s property investment decisions.
Approval was given to an action plan tabled by audit committee chair Lawrence Nichols at a meeting last week, in response to a Public Accounts Committee report on local authority commercial investment in July.
The actions approved include greater member involvement in future investment-related decisions above a certain value, which was not defined in the report.
- Covid is blamed for 5.5% slump in bus passenger journeys to 4.07billion across England over 12 months, DfT data shows
Date: 28 Oct 2020
The number of bus passenger journeys in England fell by 238million in the year ending March 31, figures show.
The total of 4.07billion journeys was a 5.5 per cent reduction on the previous 12 months. The Department for Transport (DfT) said the fall can 'largely be attributed' to the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the national lockdown did not begin until March 23, bus companies 'started seeing declines in journeys in the preceding weeks', the DfT added.
- UK only buying enough vaccines to protect the most vulnerable
Date: 28 Oct 2020
The UK is only buying a vaccine to protect the people most vulnerable to COVID-19 - effectively ending any hope of herd immunity in the foreseeable future, Sky News understands.
Every vaccine bought for the UK stockpile since the summer has been on the assumption that just 30 million people - less than half the population - will get it.
With such low coverage, the virus would continue to spread and some form of social distancing would still be needed.
- Marcus Rashford school meals petition passes 1m signatures
Date: 28 Oct 2020
More than a million people have signed Marcus Rashford's petition calling for children from poor families in England to get free meals in school holidays.
The Manchester United and England forward wants the government to provide free lunches amid fears for incomes as coronavirus restrictions increase.
His Parliamentary petition says that "no child should be going hungry". The government says it has already introduced more effective measures to support families.
- Nearly half of councils in Great Britain use algorithms to help make claims decisions
Date: 28 Oct 2020
Nearly half of councils in England, Wales and Scotland have used or are using computer algorithms to help make decisions about benefit claims, who gets social housing and other issues, despite concerns about their reliability.
A Guardian freedom of information investigation has established that 100 out of 229 councils have used or are using automated decision-making programmes, many without consulting at all with the public on their use.
This is despite one council admitting that results from one algorithm showed it was only 26% accurate in some instances. The company behind it said it was because people often entered information wrongly.
- Scottish GDP drops by 19.4% in second quarter
Date: 28 Oct 2020
Scottish GDP fell by 19.4% during the second quarter of this year, according to statistics released by the Scottish Government.
The GDP drop between April and June is the second consecutive quarter of contraction, following the GDP decrease of 3.2% in the first quarter, the Scottish Government said.
It added that GDP has dropped by 21.9% compared with the same quarter last year. The Scottish Government said: “These results reflect the ongoing direct impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy.
- Reorganisation hopes renewed for counties
Date: 28 Oct 2020
Ministers have given hope to counties pushing for local government reorganisation as they give mixed messages to the sector.
Local government secretary Robert Jenrick had told councils beyond the three chosen areas of Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset that reorganisation was a topic for a ‘later, happier time’.
But The MJ understands that local government minister Luke Hall has also at the same time written to Surrey, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Warwickshire CCs telling them he would still be ‘happy to discuss’ their reorganisation proposals.
- Rural homelessness doubles in past two years, campaigners warn
Date: 28 Oct 2020
Homelessness in rural areas has more than doubled since 2018, new research from campaigners has warned.
Analysis by CPRE, English Rural and the Rural Services Network shows that the number of homeless households in rural local authorities increased by 115% in the past two years.
The campaigners argue that the Government needs to invest in more rural social housing, as rural councils are predicting shortfalls of up to 50% in afforsable house building if planning reforms go ahead.
- Northern Tory MPs demand 'roadmap out of lockdown' in letter to Boris Johnson
Date: 27 Oct 2020
More than 50 Tory MPs from "red wall" seats are demanding a "roadmap out of lockdown" from Boris Johnson and a post-COVID economic recovery plan for the north of England.
As Warrington and parts of Nottinghamshire became the latest areas to be placed under Tier 3 restrictions, the MPs have voiced their anger over the hardship brought by strict lockdown rules.
The demands come in a hard-hitting letter to the prime minister from the newly-launched Northern Research Group of Conservative MPs, led by former Boris Johnson ally and ex-Northern Powerhouse minister Jake Berry.
- Covid has thrived on racial discrimination, says Baroness Doreen Lawrence
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Covid-19 has "thrived" among black, Asian and ethnic minority (BAME) communities because of structural race discrimination, a Labour report says.
Its author, Baroness Lawrence, said these groups were "over-exposed" and faced "barriers" to healthcare. BAME people had also been scapegoated for Covid's spread, she added.
But a government adviser said last week that "structural racism" was not in itself a "reasonable explanation" for rates differing between ethnic groups. Dr Raghib Ali also suggested that focusing on other factors like people's jobs and housing conditions would help more people.
- Clean air could have saved 6,000 lives from Covid, experts claim
Date: 27 Oct 2020
More than 6,000 coronavirus deaths in the UK could have been avoided if the victims had breathed clean air, a study has found.
Researchers said that 14 per cent of coronavirus deaths in the UK and 15 per cent globally were linked to pollution.
Long-term exposure to air pollution is known to be a factor in causing lung and heart disease and these conditions raise the risk of severe coronavirus symptoms.
- High court condemns lack of provisions in UK for suicidal teenager
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Not a single secure bed was available anywhere in the UK last week for a suicidal teenager, according to a high court ruling that highlights the chronic shortage of accommodation to support the country’s most vulnerable children.
Lord MacDonald said the lack of places – partly caused by Covid-19 restrictions – left him facing a “stark choice” either to send the 16-year-old girl to an unregulated placement – meaning she would not inspected – or into the community “where she will almost certainly cause herself possibly fatal harm”.
MacDonald said he had no option but to choose the former in his damning judgment, which began with the Nelson Mandela quote: “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
- Seven areas across England set to receive nearly £180m investment
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Communities in seven areas across England are set to benefit from up to £178.7m in new Town Deals, communities secretary Robert Jenrick has announced.
Barrow-in-Furness, Blackpool, Darlington, Peterborough, Norwich, Torquay and Warrington are the first of 101 places to be offered a Town Deal.
These areas will be able to implement proposals submitted to the Government’s £3.6bn Towns Fund, which is designed to create jobs and drive growth across the country.
- Unions pile on pressure over exit pay cap
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Pressure is mounting on the Government’s cap on public sector exit pay as more unions prepare for legal action.
As reported by The MJ, Lawyers in Local Government (LLG), supported by chief executive groups, has written to the Treasury paving the way for a judicial review of the legislation.
Now Unite and Unison have also written to the Treasury raising concerns about the cap infringing on human rights, indirect discrimination against women and older employees, and breaching of contractual rights.
- £63m hardship fund was not meant to pay for free school meals
Date: 27 Oct 2020
The £63m ‘hardship fund’ ministers claim should be enough for councils to help hungry schoolkids was not designed to pay for free school meals.
As the free school meals debate rages on, and councils of all political colours are stepping forward to offer free meals throughout the holidays, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned that the £63m fund is not enough.
But when it announced the £63m for councils back in early July the Government stated in ‘anticipated’ it would be spent within 12 weeks – so should all have been used by now.
- The plight of the bus network outside London
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Boris Johnson set out a vision of a 'levelled-up' Britain in 2030 in his virtual Conservative party conference speech on 6 October, envisaging young people being able to stay in their hometown which will have "superb transport connections and green buses".
However, a National Audit Office report four days earlier showed the plight of the bus network outside London.
- Council apologises following ‘serious’ issues with its financial situation
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Croydon Council has apologised after a report uncovered ‘serious concerns’ about it’s financial decision making and governance over a number of years.
The report, conducted by Grant Thornton, highlights serious concerns around the borough’s financial position and governance.
The council said it ‘fully accepts’ the findings and will act on all 20 recommendations for change.
- Council seeks approval on £12.5m housing scheme
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Worthing Borough Council is set to approve a housing scheme joint venture with housing association Vivid, which would see the council invest £12.5m.
Under the proposal, set to be discussed at a council meeting next week, Vivid would acquire land at Teville Gate from Mosaic Global Investments, which wishes to sell the land due the impact of Covid-19 on the economy.
The council would be required to invest £12.5m towards 100 market value homes, with Vivid set to invest the remaining 50% and develop and manage a further 130 affordable homes.
- Inquiry launched into local government finance
Date: 27 Oct 2020
MPs will assess the impact of a single-year spending review on councils’ long-term delivery of services as part of an inquiry into the spending review and local government finance.
The inquiry will be led by Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, and will consider what approach the government should take to funding local government as part of the upcoming Spending Review.
The committee is seeking views on the current financial situation of councils, and how this has affected their ability to deliver services.
- Treasury faces legal warning on exit payments
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Three local government organisations have written to the government threatening a legal challenge to changes to local government exit payments.
In a joint letter to the government, the groups said they are “seriously questioning the flawed approach of the implementation” of the exit payment cap for local authority workers.
The payment cap, which comes into force next month, limits redundancy payments and pension scheme strain costs by local authorities through early retirement, to £95,000.
- toddlers from UK's poorest families 'hit hardest by lockdown'
Date: 27 Oct 2020
Babies and toddlers from poorer backgrounds have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, with less access to books and outdoor space during lockdown than children growing up in wealthier families, research has found.
The developmental impact of the coronavirus crisis on children aged 0-3 has been largely undocumented, but early findings from the new study suggest young children from disadvantaged backgrounds have missed out on activities during lockdown which play a vital part in child development.
The study, conducted by researchers at five UK universities and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, surveyed more than 500 parents of children under three about the sort of activities they enjoyed with their child before and during lockdown.
- More cash for poorest as PM seeks end to school meals row
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Boris Johnson will increase funding for the poorest families during the Christmas holidays as he seeks to close down the damaging row over free school meals, allies have said.
Downing Street figures said that work was under way on additional support for eligible pupils outside term time. It is a partial climbdown for the government in the fight with Marcus Rashford, the England footballer who is leading calls for free school meals to continue during holidays.
The prime minister was urged to act by cabinet ministers before the dispute came to a head this weekend. George Eustice, the environment secretary, called at Tuesday’s meeting of the political cabinet for the expansion of a £63 million scheme for the most vulnerable.
- UK records 19,790 more COVID-19 cases and 151 further deaths
Date: 26 Oct 2020
The UK has recorded 19,790 more coronavirus cases and 151 further deaths in the latest 24-hour period, new figures show. Yesterday, 23,012 more COVID-19 infections were reported, up from 20,530 the day before.
The total number of deaths with coronavirus is now 44,896. NHS Test and Trace boss Baroness Dido Harding, meanwhile, is facing calls from within the Conservative Party to be axed.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, who chairs the powerful Liaison Committee of senior MPs, told Sky's Sophy Ridge the management of Test and Trace is bloated and muddled
- NHS denies elderly people were refused care during early Covid
Date: 26 Oct 2020
NHS bosses have denied claims that thousands of frail elderly people were denied potentially life-saving care at the peak of the pandemic in order to stop the health service being overrun.
NHS England took the unusual step on Sunday of issuing a 12-page rebuttal to allegations in the Sunday Times that patients deemed unlikely to survive were “written off” by being refused intensive care.
Prof Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said: “These untrue claims will be deeply offensive to NHS doctors, nurses, therapists and paramedics, who have together cared for more than 110,000 severely ill hospitalised Covid-19 patients during the first wave of the pandemic, as they continue to do today.
- 'Generation Covid' hit hard by the pandemic, research reveals
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Young people, particularly those from deprived backgrounds, have had their earnings and job prospects hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic, adding to fears for the long-term impact on their futures.
BBC Panorama found people aged 16-25 were more than twice as likely as older workers to have lost their job, while six in 10 saw their earnings fall, according to new research.
It also highlighted the impact of school closures on young people and added to growing evidence that students from poorer backgrounds have fallen behind their more privileged peers.
- Only six in ten pupils are getting full education despite schools reopening, report finds
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Only six in ten pupils are getting a full education despite schools going back, a London School of Economics study has found as researchers warn of “permanent scarring” to the Covid generation....
- Auditors issue public interest report over Croydon’s financial failures
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Croydon LBC’s senior officers and councillors displayed a “collective corporate blindness” to the urgency of the council’s financial position and repeatedly failed to act to tackle spiralling overspends, a public interest report has revealed.
The report, of a kind only issued by auditors in exceptional circumstances, also questions whether Croydon has made appropriate use of flexibilities granted to councils to use capital receipts for transformation costs and reveals that members were not informed when one of its companies was struck off by Companies House.
It details how senior officers failed to address concerns being raised by auditor Grant Thornton over the past four years while the council’s cabinet, scrutiny and overview and audit committees did not provide sufficient challenge to officers’ claims of how the budget could be brought back under control.
- Nothing left of £63m for free school meals
Date: 26 Oct 2020
The £63m provided to councils to boost to local welfare assistance during the coronavirus pandemic has already been spent and cannot be used to provide free school meals during the holidays, the Local Government Association has warned.
Responding to suggestions from senior Conservative politicians, including health secretary Matt Hancock, that councils already had money to provide food for children at risk of going hungry this half term, chair of the LGA’s resources board Richard Watts (Lab) said demand for additional support had already exceeded £63m.
He said: “Short-term hardship funding provided by the government this summer helped councils try and provide much-needed crisis support to all households - including those without children – struggling to afford food but also fuel and other essentials.
- ‘If we don’t do something we’ll be blighted for years’ – one borough’s recovery plans
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Alongside managing the immediate impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on their communities, councils across the country are turning their attention to making sure their places can bounce back from the havoc wreaked on local economies.
For Hounslow LBC in west London, where a third of jobs are linked to Heathrow Airport, the likely scale of the impact was apparent almost immediately.
With passenger flights all but grounded, almost a third of residents have been on furlough. Significant numbers will have found themselves among the 10,000 British Airways redundancies announced this summer.
- What Covid-19 means for the future of local government
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Prior to Covid-19, Dee worked as a planning and project officer in her council’s children’s services team. As the crisis unfolded, putting disproportionate pressure on services such as care homes, her council decided to redeploy staff to teams that were in urgent need of support.
Dee stepped outside her day-to-day job to support front line staff in a care home for over 65s. Her new role was drastically different from her regular job, but the experience provided much-needed support to the struggling care home while helping her better understand the work of a carer, knowledge which will inform her work going forwards.
Across, the country, local authorities have been working tirelessly to protect the safety and wellbeing of residents, continuing to deliver on existing commitments while quickly setting up new services, protecting the local economy and supporting civil society, businesses and staff.
- Boris Johnson says councils can use money from fund which has already run out
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Boris Johnson is coming under increasing fire over child hunger after claiming councils could fund meals over half-term using a fund which has already run out.
The prime minister’s own advisory commission on social mobility backed footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign and said free school meals should be extended through half-terms and holidays until the end of the coronavirus pandemic for the 1.4 million pupils in England who receive them.
And more prominent Tories added their voices to calls for a climbdown, with Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen declaring that the government was “wrong” and should reverse its decision not to fund holiday-time meals.
- Nottingham and surrounding areas to move into Tier 3 this week - council bosses
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Residents living in Nottingham, Broxtowe, Gedling and Rushcliffe will face tougher coronavirus restrictions later this week, local leaders say.
The areas are going into Tier 3 - England's highest band of measures to combat COVID-19 - from 12:01am on Thursday.
Council bosses said the change was needed to "achieve a sustained reduction in infection rates" and "help protect our vulnerable residents, the NHS and social care services".
- 14-day quarantine for Covid contacts could be reduced
Date: 26 Oct 2020
The two-week quarantine period for contacts of those who test positive for Covid-19 could be cut to 10 or seven days, amid criticism of Test and Trace.
Writing in the Telegraph, Conservative MP Sir Bernard Jenkin said a "vacuum of leadership in Test and Trace" was affecting compliance.
Tests could be offered to people after a week of isolation, the paper said. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis told the BBC the government would be "led by the science" on the issue.
- Councils forced to ‘prop up’ bus operators during pandemic
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Local authority leaders have accused the Department for Transport of forcing councils to keep private bus companies afloat at the expense of local taxpayers.
Councils have a statutory duty to administer the concessionary bus travel scheme in England, which provides older and disabled people with free off-peak travel on all local bus services in England. Local authorities reimburse bus operators for all journeys made by people with a concessionary pass.
However, since the outbreak of the pandemic, the Government has asked councils to make these payments to bus providers based on pre-COVID-19 concessionary travel levels.
- New guidance to prevent care leavers becoming homeless
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Councils have been urged to identity care leavers that are at risk of becoming homeless, in new guidance published today.
The guidance sets out how council housing departments and children’s services can work together to provide care leavers with stable accommodation.
This includes ensuring each care leaver has a tailored support plan as they transition to independent living, and ensuring those at risk of homelessness are identified early.
- Councils urged to appoint chief foresight officers
Date: 26 Oct 2020
Councils should appoint a ‘chief resilience officer’ to help respond to future crises, a report has argued.
The report, published by the royal society for arts, manufactures and commerce and Manchester Metropolitan University, warns that the response to the COVID-19 crisis has been hampered by a lack of foresight and forward planning.
It calls for a new long-term mindset that thinks several generations ahead, rather than opting for quick-fix options.
- Council accused of ‘corporate blindness'
Date: 26 Oct 2020
London Borough of Croydon has been accused of "corporate blindness” over its financial position in a rare public interest report compiled by audit firm Grant Thornton.
The report said numerous previous recommendations it has made on financial sustainability over the past three years had not been implemented, with a formal action plan not drafted until last month.
As a result, the council’s fragile financial position and weak underlying arrangements have been “ruthlessly exposed by the impact of the Covid-19”, Grant Thornton said.
- Senior Conservative MP and Johnson ally calls for Dido Harding to be axed from Test and Trace role
Date: 25 Oct 2020
A top Tory MP and leading Boris Johnson ally is calling for Dido Harding, the beleaguered boss of NHS Test and Trace, to be axed.
Sir Bernard Jenkin, who chairs the powerful Liaison Committee of senior MPs, told Sky's Sophy Ridge that the management of Test and Trace is bloated and muddled.
He added: "The Test and Trace capability needs to move up several gears... There is a sense that there is a lack of overall strategy that is at the heart of the problem."
- Rishi Sunak’s new youth job scheme attacked as ‘sticking plaster’ that will fail to prevent mass unemployment
Date: 25 Oct 2020
Rishi Sunak’s new job scheme for young people hit by the pandemic is a “sticking plaster” that will fail to provide proper work or training or prevent mass youth unemployment, critics warn today.
The kickstart programme – which starts next week, offering six-month work placements – is inadequate for the momentous task ahead and must be rewritten, they say.
It will leave hundreds of thousands of young people on benefits, while even those offered places may receive little more than “help with their CVs and interview prep”, the chancellor is told.
- Furlough fraudsters 'may have stolen more than £3bn'
Date: 23 Oct 2020
More than £3bn of furlough job protection money could have been stolen by criminal gangs and employers, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said.
The spending watchdog said up to £2bn of taxpayer money may have gone to criminals using fake companies.
Firms also claimed for workers not on furlough or inflated the money needed. The NAO, which has already warned about "bounceback" business loan fraud, said nearly one in 10 workers on furlough had been asked to work by their boss.
- People told to self-isolate stopped from claiming £500 grant by flaw in contact tracing app
Date: 23 Oct 2020
People told to isolate by the contact-tracing app are not able to claim government financial support, Sky News has learned, raising fears that low-paid workers will be forced to choose between health and hardship.
A leading poverty charity said the situation was "ridiculous" and Labour accused the government of putting families at risk of destitution.
Workers with low incomes on benefits are entitled to receive £500 if they cannot work from home while they self-isolate.
- England and Wales begin tougher rules for millions
Date: 23 Oct 2020
England's NHS Test and Trace system needs to improve to provide faster results, Boris Johnson has conceded.
At Thursday's coronavirus briefing, he said he shared "people's frustrations" at the turnaround times for results.
The government's chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, said it was "very clear there's room for improvement" in the system. It comes as figures showed just 15.1% of people who were tested received their result within 24 hours.
- New government Covid scheme to pay up to half of wages
Date: 23 Oct 2020
The chancellor has unveiled increased support for jobs and workers hit by Covid restrictions after growing clamour from firms in tier two areas.
Rishi Sunak announced big changes to the Job Support Scheme (JSS) - set to replace furlough in November.
He told the Commons that even businesses not forced to shut were facing "profound economic uncertainty". Under the revised scheme, employers will pay less and staff can work fewer hours before they qualify.
- Returns show £900m drop in council reserves last year
Date: 23 Oct 2020
Levels of reserves for councils in England dropped by £900m in 2019-2020 to £23.7bn, according to outturn figures published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
More than half of local authorities (58%) recorded a net usage of reserves last year, compared to 37% the previous year, with the proportion highest among unitary authorities, among which 75% reported net usage.
Overall, unitary authorities’ net reserves spending was recorded at £444m last year, compared to a surplus of £188m in 2018-2019.
- Brexit ‘could hurt fraud prevention’
Date: 23 Oct 2020
Brexit could lead to a lowering in fraud prevention standards, according to the head of counter fraud and investigation at the Government Internal Audit Agency.
Speaking during a session of this week’s PF Live conference, Neil Green said that when the transition period ends in January, uncertainty and disruption could cause an increase in fraud.
He added that the situation could be even worse if the UK fails to agree a deal on future cooperation with the EU.
- Covid-19 schemes' fraud ‘risk considerable’
Date: 23 Oct 2020
Government schemes to protect jobs and support businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic risk considerable levels of fraud and error, particularly the furlough scheme, according to the National Audit Office.
A report from the watchdog said the Treasury and HMRC met their objective to rapidly implement the schemes and they should be commended for making them available ahead of schedule.
However, the NAO said the pace at which the schemes were designed and implemented meant the departments had to accept a greater fraud risk than usual.
- Councils gain COVID enforcement powers
Date: 23 Oct 2020
Councils are to gain new powers to issue businesses with improvement notices and close premises if they breach coronavirus restrictions.
Health secretary Matt Hancock told the House of Commons the Government will work on detailed proposals with councils in the coming days.
He said the aim was to create ‘stronger regulations to give local authorities further powers to take action’.
- Cost of facemasks to rise as Treasury scraps VAT exemption on PPE
Date: 23 Oct 2020
The cost of disposable face masks is set to rise by a fifth from next week, the Telegraph can disclose, after the Treasury decided to scrap the VAT exemption on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)....
- One in six children aged 5-16 in England 'likely to have a mental disorder'
Date: 22 Oct 2020
The probable rates of mental disorders among children and young people has increased by almost half since 2017, England’s official survey into child mental health has found, with Covid and lockdown identified as aggravating factors.
One in six children aged five to 16 was identified as having a probable mental disorder – five children in a class of 30 students. This was an increase from one in nine children in 2017.
There was an increase in mental health problems among both boys and girls, but it was more pronounced among primary-aged children, especially boys aged five to 10, according to The Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2020 report, published on Thursday by NHS Digital.
- Councils to receive £100m leisure centre fund
Date: 22 Oct 2020
The fund is part of a £1bn funding package announced by prime minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons earlier this month, and will help support leisure centres most affected by the pandemic.
The government said this takes the funding package given to local authorities to help with spending pressures since the beginning of the pandemic to £5.7bn.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “It is vital that we keep ourselves fighting fit through the winter months and local authority leisure centres are crucial to this.
- Pandemic caused ‘incredible damage’ to social care
Date: 22 Oct 2020
Covid-19 exacerbated the already stark problems faced by the social care sector, but offers an opportunity to change course in some areas, a Public Finance Live session has been told.
Ewan King, chief operating officer of the Social Care Institute for Excellence, said that amid the struggles the sector is currently facing it is important to remember it was facing tough conditions already at the start of 2020.
He pointed to the challenges of rising demand; the increasing complexity of that demand (such as more people with conditions including learning difficulties and dementia needing support); the widening gap between the amount of money local government said it needed to run the service and the amount of money received from central government; the growing number of people who would probably have expected to receive care a couple of years ago now not receiving any and; the shortages in the workforce.
- Hancock defends 'fair' tier 3 offer for Greater Manchester
Date: 21 Oct 2020
A £60m offer to help Greater Manchester deal with the toughest Covid restrictions "remains on the table", the health secretary has told MPs.
The area will get £22m to help enforce the "tier three" rules - the tightest restrictions - which start on Friday.
Matt Hancock said the "door is open" for more talks on a £60m package to support businesses and employees - but local leaders want at least £65m.
- Sadiq Khan condemns 'draconian' conditions of TfL rescue
Date: 21 Oct 2020
New government funding proposals for Transport for London (TfL) are "ill advised and draconian", according to Sadiq Khan.
The mayor of London said ministers aim to impose a "triple whammy" of measures in return for rescue funding to cover the losses incurred through Covid-19.
The proposals include higher council taxes, an expanded congestion charge zone and a hike in Tube and bus fares. The Department for Transport said talks over a settlement were ongoing.
- London the worst city in Europe for health costs from air pollution
Date: 21 Oct 2020
The health costs of air pollution from roads are higher in London than any other city in Europe, a study has found.
Two other urban areas in the UK, Manchester and the West Midlands, have the 15th and 19th highest costs respectively among the 432 European cities analysed.
The research puts a figure on the social costs of car emissions at local level at an unprecedented number of sites across 30 countries – the EU27 plus the UK, Norway and Switzerland.
- Spending Review to conclude late November
Date: 21 Oct 2020
In order to prioritise the response to Covid-19, and our focus on supporting jobs, the Chancellor and the Prime Minister have decided to conduct a one-year Spending Review, setting department’s resource and capital budgets for 2021-22, and Devolved Administration’s block grants for the same period.
Multi-year NHS and schools’ resource settlements will be fully funded, as will priority infrastructure projects. The government has been clear that we would keep plans for the Spending Review under review given the unprecedented uncertainty of Covid-19.
While the government would have liked to outline plans for the rest of this Parliament, the right thing today is to focus entirely on the response to Covid-19 and supporting jobs - that’s what the public would expect.
- Streamline local government under plans to save £30bn a year, think tank argues
Date: 21 Oct 2020
Streamlining local government and selling off high-value council properties could save billions every year, according to a think tank.
A new report from the Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) has set out how the Government could save at least £30bn a year without affecting frontline services.
The nine proposals include selling high-value council properties as soon as they become vacant, using part of the receipts to pay for a local replacement. The report estimates this would generate £1.5bn a year in savings.
- Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson at odds over spending after Covid hits public finances
Date: 20 Oct 2020
Rishi Sunak is battling with Boris Johnson to delay tens of billions of pounds of infrastructure and military spending that he believes coronavirus-ravaged public finances can no longer afford.
The chancellor is pressing for a pared-back spending round next month that will give most Whitehall departments just one year’s cash for day-to-day spending.
Mr Sunak also wants to scale down plans to spend the bulk of £100 billion in capital projects promised by Mr Johnson in the Conservative manifesto over the next three years.
- UK posts highest daily COVID deaths since June and more than 21,000 new cases
Date: 20 Oct 2020
The UK has recorded another 21,331 COVID-19 cases - up from 18,804 yesterday, official government figures show.
There were also another 241 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test, triple the figure posted on Monday when 80 were recorded.
It is the highest daily deaths figure since 258 were reported on 5 June, but there is often a delay in the reporting of deaths over a weekend - causing a spike in the early part of the week.
- Failure to act on Covid 'circuit breaker' will cost billions – Labour
Date: 20 Oct 2020
Labour is stepping up the pressure to impose an England-wide “circuit-breaker”, claiming the economy will be billions of pounds worse off if the government fails to act.
Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, last week endorsed calls by the government’s scientific advisers for a two- to three-week shutdown. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has opposed the plan, calling it a “blunt instrument” and warning about the damaging economic impact of shuttering many sectors.
But the shadow chancellor, Anneliese Dodds, points to analysis, including by the International Monetary Fund, which suggests much of the economic hit from coronavirus comes from “voluntary distancing” – the changes in people’s behaviour when they believe the disease is rife.
- Carers 'on the brink' as they fear further Covid-19 restrictions during winter
Date: 20 Oct 2020
Unpaid carers are fearful of how they will cope with increased restrictions or lockdowns, a charity has said.
Seventy-eight percent of carers claim the support requirements for the person they care for have grown over the period of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Carers UK.
The survey, of 5,904 carers in September, ascertained that 80% are providing more care than they were prior to lockdown, and two-thirds (67%) are concerned about how they will cope with further lockdowns or local restrictions.
- Pupils sent home in half of England's secondary schools
Date: 20 Oct 2020
Almost half of secondary schools in England sent home one or more pupils because of Covid incidents last week, the latest attendance figures show.
It meant pupils isolating in 46% of secondary and 16% of primary schools. The updated figures show 5% - or about 400,000 pupils - are out of school because of Covid outbreaks.
Disruption from Covid has been increasing in schools - but the way of counting has changed which prevents comparisons with previous weeks.
- UK borrowing jumps in September as Covid support continues
Date: 20 Oct 2020
UK government borrowing hit £36.1bn in September as the UK continued heavy spending to support the economy during the coronavirus pandemic.
The figure was £28.4bn more than last year, and the third-highest in any month since records began in 1993, the Office for National Statistics said.
The ONS said the pandemic has had an impact on public sector borrowing "unprecedented in peacetime". Extra money was needed to pay furlough wages and support businesses.
- Councils scoop £50m after VAT ruling
Date: 20 Oct 2020
Mid Ulster District Council has won a VAT case which could see councils in Northern Ireland receive up to £50m in rebates on admission charges to their leisure facilities.
A First Tier Tax Chamber tribunal agreed with the council that charges paid since 2006 were outside the scope of the VAT regime and that the VAT should be repaid.
Cathal Mallaghan, chair of Mid Ulster District Council, said: “This is a mammoth victory from which each and every council here, and their ratepayers, will benefit substantially.
- Investment needed in data analysis skills, conference hears
Date: 20 Oct 2020
Data analysis is the biggest skills gap among public sector accountants, delegates to the virtual Public Finance Live conference have heard.
At a breakfast session, experts chewed over issues surrounding the opportunities and challenges relating to the plethora of data available to the profession.
CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman said that his organisation is now having to put much more thought into the issue.
- Fines for not isolating may stop people getting tested
Date: 19 Oct 2020
Fining people for not self-isolating will backfire by making individuals scared to report symptoms, a government adviser has warned as ministers admitted “a problem with compliance”.
The Times understands that even the most optimistic government estimate says 40 per cent of people are not staying at home for two weeks, after Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, refused to say how many people were not self-isolating as required.
A Department of Health and Social Care survey published last month found that under 20 per cent of people with confirmed coronavirus and their close contacts were following rules to stay at home for two weeks, often citing financial and caring responsibilities.
- Traffic jams caused by badly designed cycle lanes put funding at risk
Date: 19 Oct 2020
The transport secretary has threatened to withhold funding for new cycling and pedestrian schemes after warnings that badly designed programmes were causing unnecessary congestion.
Grant Shapps said that a significant minority of initiatives introduced by councils during the pandemic to promote green transport had backfired, leading to more traffic.
In a letter to councils he said that there were far too many instances in which new cycle lanes had been unused while cars were “backed up alongside them”. He said that funding would be considerably reduced in areas where it had been badly spent in the past.
- Whiteman slams Plymouth's interest rate swap move
Date: 19 Oct 2020
CIPFA chief executive Rob Whiteman has claimed that Plymouth City Council acted outside its legal powers by agreeing an interest rates swap deal.
Last week, PF broke the news that the authority had become the first council to agree an interest rates swap deal since a High Court ruling effectively killed off the practice 30 years ago.
In a strongly-worded Tweet yesterday, Whiteman said that Plymouth’s actions were breaking the law.
- Johnson’s no-deal Brexit claim is a "delusion", says Hammond
Date: 19 Oct 2020
Former chancellor Philip Hammond has described prime minister Boris Johnson’s claim that the UK will prosper under any no-deal Brexit as a "delusion".
Last week, Johnson told businesses to get ready for an ‘Australian-style’ deal after his self-imposed deadline for a deal ran out.
Johnson said that under such a scenario, the UK would “prosper mightily as an independent free trading nation, controlling and setting our own laws”.
- NHS urged not to waste Covid-19 investment
Date: 19 Oct 2020
The NHS will need to continue to derive value from costly infrastructure investments made during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers.
Speaking at the Public Finance Live conference, Saffron Cordery said the NHS has implemented long-term and short-term infrastructure to help with the initial response to the pandemic.
She added that the health service was able to commit large sums to infrastructure projects because funding was not a constraint when first responding to Covid-19.
- Counties warn of test and trace ‘missed opportunity’
Date: 19 Oct 2020
Calls for more support for local contact tracing have been redoubled after the national system’s success rate plummeted.
Latest statistics show the level of contacts traced by the national system dropped to 57.6% in the week ending October 7 – the lowest weekly figure recorded so far.
Local test and trace teams successfully traced 97.7% in the same period. Councils have demanded control over the system across the board after local systems consistently outperformed the national counterpart.
- Hull and East Riding set out on path to form mayoral combined authority
Date: 19 Oct 2020
Plans for an East Yorkshire devolution deal worth £1.6bn have been submitted to the government by Hull and East Riding Councils, bringing government ambitions for every corner of Yorkshire to have a mayoral combined authority one step closer to being realised.
The leaders of Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council hope their joint proposals will unlock funding for transport, flood protection, skills and training, tackling climate change and supporting businesses.
The plans lay out a road map that assumes an agreement could be reached by March next year, meaning a mayor would be elected in May 2022 to serve a four year term. The councils would come together to form a shadow combined authority ahead of this election.
- Household recycling 'soared' during pandemic
Date: 19 Oct 2020
Some councils saw household recycling soar by 100% during the COVID-19 pandemic, council leaders have revealed.
The Local Government Association (LGA) has reported that eight in 10 councils saw an increase in the amount of recycling being collected since the start of lockdown.
Half of councils said they were collecting up to 20% more recycling than normal, with a third collecting up to 50% more.
- UK facing 'tough' Christmas, Sage scientist warns
Date: 18 Oct 2020
Christmas is unlikely to be the "usual celebration" of "families coming together", a leading scientist has said.
Jeremy Farrar, who sits on the Sage committee that advises the government, warned it would be a "tough" Christmas.
The Wellcome Trust director also told Sky News there was "light at the end of the tunnel" as he believed a vaccine would be ready early in 2021. PM Boris Johnson has warned things will be "bumpy to Christmas and beyond".
- UK credit rating downgraded
Date: 18 Oct 2020
Ratings agency Moody’s has downgraded the UK’s credit rating for the third time in eight years, citing factors including a deterioration in the quality of the government’s fiscal decision-making.
In a statement on Friday, the agency announced it had downgraded the UK government’s long-term issuer and senior unsecured ratings to Aa3 from Aa2.
It said an erosion in the predictability of policymaking and “respect for rules and norms” since the last downgrade in 2017 is “most clearly reflected” in the conduct of fiscal policy.
- Police granted access to details of people told to self-isolate by Test and Trace
Date: 18 Oct 2020
Police are being granted access to the details of people told to self-isolate by the government's Test and Trace scheme, Sky News has learnt.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) confirmed it had "agreed a memorandum of understanding with the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC)" to provide forces with the information on a "case-by-case basis".
In a statement, a spokesman told Sky News: "It is a legal requirement for people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and their close contacts to self-isolate when formally notified to do so.
- Teachers search for lost children of Covid
Date: 18 Oct 2020
They are the lost children of Covid. Bright teenagers are dropping out of education to turn to crime, sometimes to feed their families. Teachers spend weeks waiting for promising pupils to return, only to realise they are not coming back.
Other children are being removed from school for home education or long stays abroad for fear of the virus.
Sophie, 16, one of four children in a single-parent family, lives in Walker, one of the most deprived parts of Newcastle upon Tyne. The teenager, whose mother was a nurse before having a family, won a scholarship to start this term at the Royal Grammar School, one of the city’s private schools.
- Higher ethnic death risk 'not linked to health'
Date: 17 Oct 2020
Ethnic minorities' higher risk of dying from Covid-19 is linked to where they live and the jobs they do, rather than their health, figures for England and Wales suggest.
The Office for National Statistics analysis found all ethnic minority groups, other than Chinese, are more likely to die than white people.
Black African men and black Caribbean women had the highest risk. The figures are based on deaths up to the end of July. The ONS looked at the total number of people in each community in England and Wales whose death involved Covid-19.
- Coronavirus emergency has exposed huge gap between Westminster and local government before tier three fight
Date: 17 Oct 2020
A black hole in how the UK is governed has been slowly opening up during the seven months since the Covid-19 pandemic erupted.
Tensions between Whitehall, the devolved administrations and local councils have grown throughout the crisis – exploding into open warfare in the last week, as Northern mayors refused to accept tougher restrictions while the Welsh Government imposed a border with England for the first time in centuries.
Local leaders have been engaged in a power struggle with ministers, each side demanding more control over the response to coronavirus.
- Labour backs Marcus Rashford campaign
Date: 17 Oct 2020
Labour has given ministers 72 hours to agree to provide free school meals during the holidays, warning that one million children could be left hungry.
Shadow education secretary Kate Green said "now is the time to act", and Labour warned would force a vote by MPs if the programme is not extended.
Footballer Marcus Rashford pledged to continue his free school meals campaign after the government rejected it.
- England's 'fragile' care sector needs immediate reform, says regulator
Date: 16 Oct 2020
The government must immediately deliver a new deal for social care with major investment and better terms for workers, the Care Quality Commission has said, as it warned that the sector is “fragile” heading into a second wave of coronavirus infections.
In a challenge to ministers, the regulator’s chief executive, Ian Trenholm, said overdue reform of the care sector “needs to happen now – not at some point in the future”.
Boris Johnson said in his first speech as prime minister, in July 2019: “We will fix the crisis in social care once and for all.” But no reform has yet been proposed, and more than 15,000 people have died from Covid-19 in England’s care homes.
- Plastic to be saved from landfill by revolutionary recycling plants
Date: 16 Oct 2020
Thousands of tonnes of plastic waste will be turned into new plastic in Britain rather than dumped in landfill sites, incinerated or sent overseas under plans for four new plants that will use cutting-edge recycling technology.
Up to 130,000 tonnes of plastic a year will be chemically transformed in the facilities, which are to be built in Teesside, the West Midlands and Perth.
The companies behind them will share £20 million from the government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund after a competition run by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
- SAGE expert says two-week lockdowns at breaks could disrupt coronavirus spread before vaccine is developed
Date: 16 Oct 2020
A top scientist and SAGE expert has today said two-week circuit-breaker lockdowns around school holidays could help disrupt the spread of coronavirus ahead of a vaccine.
Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who is on the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) committee, said the lockdowns would best be imposed around school holidays - to minimise the impact on children.
He said the upcoming October half-term, the Christmas holiday, and next year's February break could all be used as dates to base the circuit-breaker lockdowns around.
- Lancashire Councils respond to Tier 3 restrictions
Date: 16 Oct 2020
Lancashire Councils have responded to the Government’s decision to place Lancashire into the Very High tier of local lockdown restriction.
Bars and pubs are to shut from Oct 16 with other restricted venues, such as bingo halls and soft play areas, to shut from Monday.
Crucially, unlike Liverpool, gyms and leisure centres will be allowed to stay open in Lancashire, showing that there is some wiggle-room even within Tier 3.
- Boris Johnson tells UK: prepare for a no-deal Brexit
Date: 16 Oct 2020
Boris Johnson has claimed there will be no more trade and security talks unless the EU adopts a “fundamental change of approach”, as he seeks to increase pressure on Brussels to give ground in the negotiations.
In a televised statement on Friday, the prime minister said the country would have to prepare for a no-deal scenario on 1 January, with his spokesman further toughening up the rhetoric later in the day.
“The trade talks are over – the EU have effectively ended them yesterday when they said they did not want to change their negotiating position,” the spokesman said, while stopping short of announcing the UK’s intention to decisively walk away.
- Without a ‘generous’ settlement the risk of section 114s looms large
Date: 16 Oct 2020
Section 114 notices have been long threatened but rarely used. A continued lack of funding may change all that, argues Richard Harbord.
It is difficult to remember now that section 114 was in the Local Government Finance act 1988. It seems incredible that it is 32 years ago given I was on the working party set up to draft the sections 114-116 of the act.
It was deemed necessary at the time because the powers under section 151 of the earlier 1972 act were not considered specific enough to deal with the situation faced in 1988. The main concern was that the downgrading of section 151 officers in a number of councils meant they needed greater powers to combat decisions agreed by members which were financially harmful to their authorities.
- City region launches £10m emergency Covid-19 fund
Date: 15 Oct 2020
Liverpool City Region is to launch a £10m emergency fund in a bid to protect hospitality and leisure businesses from the economic impact of new Covid-19 restrictions.
The announcement comes as the region became the first area to be placed in ‘tier three’ of the government’s Covid-19 risk category, which means pubs and bars must close, alongside tighter restrictions for residents.
The region said the fund will be used to help keep businesses in the sector afloat for up to four months, until a wider and more substantial financial support package can be secured from central government.
- Welsh care IT system ‘late and over budget’
Date: 15 Oct 2020
An ambitious IT system for health boards and local authorities in Wales is taking longer to roll out and more “costly than expected”, according to Audit Wales.
The Welsh Community Care Information System is expected to cost the Welsh Government and NHS Wales Informatics Service more than £30m by March 2022, a report from the watchdog said.
Audit Wales said that while it could not provide a complete like-for-like comparison, the full business case allowed for Welsh Government costs of £16.75m up to the end of March 2022.
- Scottish Government allocates £52.6m for bus services
Date: 15 Oct 2020
The Scottish Government is set to allocate an additional £52.6m to maintain bus services during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new funding will aim to cover expected loss of revenue between 9 November and 17 January, as services are running at reduced capacity.
This new funding arrangement comes in addition to a £56.1m funding settlement for bus services announced in June, taking the overall support measures up to £109.7m the Scottish Government said.
- London, Essex, York and other areas moving to Tier 2
Date: 15 Oct 2020
Millions of people in London, Essex, York and other areas face tougher Tier 2 Covid measures from Saturday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.
Under this "high" alert level, there is a ban on households mixing indoors, including in pubs and restaurants.
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is resisting the region moving to Tier 3, ahead of a final decision on this.
- Five-person team gets £25k a day to work on Test and Trace system
Date: 15 Oct 2020
Amid claims that England's crucial COVID-19 contact tracing scheme has failed, Sky News can reveal that the government has been paying a five-person team of management consultants £25,000 a day to work on that part of the system.
The team from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) helped mastermind the creation of the contact tracing systems.
They were only a fraction of the private sector consultants working on the test and trace system, however, they are believed to have been among the most expensive.
- Care home chain denies it will let staff work in multiple homes after furious families leaked letter hinting group would defy government rules
Date: 15 Oct 2020
One of Britain's largest care home chains was forced to deny it would let staff work in multiple homes to protect residents from coronavirus after a letter to relatives suggested they might defy new Government rules.
Care minister Helen Whately insisted on Tuesday this system of working had been outright banned to stop care homes from being thrown to the wolves again, after tens of thousands of elderly residents died from the virus in spring.
Barchester Healthcare — which runs more than 200 homes and employs 17,000 staff across the country — sent a letter on Tuesday saying it was looking at ways to 'limit' staff working in homes, but stopped short of guaranteeing it would never happen.
- Marcus Rashford vows to keep up free meals fight after No 10 refusal
Date: 15 Oct 2020
Marcus Rashford has vowed not to give in after Downing Street rejected his call for poorer children to be provided with free meals during school holidays.
A spokesman for Boris Johnson indicated that ministers would not support giving pupils food during breaks including Easter and Christmas.
Rashford, who forced the government into a U-turn on providing free school meal vouchers over the summer, tweeted: “Merry Christmas, kids … This is not going away any time soon and neither am I.”
- 'Gold' summit to discuss raising alert level for Greater Manchester and Lancashire
Date: 14 Oct 2020
A "gold command" meeting will be held today to discuss whether Greater Manchester and Lancashire should be reclassified and put on "very high" alert, Sky News understands.
If a change is to be made, it would put both areas into Tier 3 of the government's new lockdown system.
Sky News correspondent Inzamam Rashid said: "It may not mean Tier 3 restrictions are imminent, but a Number 10 source tells me they are 'concerned' about Greater Manchester and Lancashire so discussions at the top need to take place."
- Councils must abandon narrow-mindedness over who can adopt children
Date: 14 Oct 2020
Councils make it harder for families who rent – or who are not “a perfect ethnic match” – to adopt, leaving children being “bounced around the system” waiting for a home, the Education Secretary has said.
Gavin Williamson is urging local authorities to abandon “narrow-mindedness” and “outdated messages” to encourage potential adopters who want to give a child a stable home to come forward.
Prospective families too often face a “bureaucratic system with too many boxes to be ticked” and with too many lifestyle judgments, Mr Williamson will warn in a speech on National Adoption Week.
- Pressure grows on PM for half-term lockdown
Date: 14 Oct 2020
A half-term “circuit-breaker” lockdown would save thousands of lives by the end of the year, government scientific advisers have calculated as pressure grows for a two-week shutdown.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, called on Boris Johnson last night to implement such a “reset”, warning that without it Britain would “sleepwalk into a long and bleak winter”.
Mr Johnson hardened his stance against it during a call with Tory MPs organised by the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, saying that it would not be right to impose the restrictions on areas where cases were still low.
- Child poverty increases in England across the north and Midlands
Date: 14 Oct 2020
Child poverty has shot up in towns and cities across the north and Midlands of England, fuelled by stagnating family incomes and the spiralling cost of housing, an analysis has found.
Although deprived inner-London boroughs such as Newham and Tower Hamlets continue to have the highest levels of child poverty in the UK, the most striking increases have been in Middlesbrough, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and parts of Birmingham.
The north-east saw the most dramatic rise in child poverty, up nine percentage points between 2014-15 and 2018-19, taking it from the English region with the joint second-lowest rate to the second highest, behind London.
- New Covid lockdown would inflict terrible harm
Date: 14 Oct 2020
Rishi Sunak warned against "rushing to another lockdown" and made clear his opposition to a national "circuit-breaker" as he said the country faced an "economic emergency".
Ministers are braced for the announcement of a two-week lockdown – which they expect to be made a week on Friday if coronavirus infections continue to rise – after Boris Johnson told MPs: "I rule nothing out."
But the Chancellor described a temporary national lockdown as "a blunt instrument" on Wednesday, saying it would "cause needless damage to parts of our country where virus rates are low".
- Two-week circuit breaker 'may halve deaths', report says
Date: 14 Oct 2020
A two-week circuit breaker at the end of October may halve Covid deaths in the UK between now and the end of the year, says a scientific report.
A circuit breaker would see tighter restrictions on lives, possibly similar to the original lockdown.
The researchers said this "buys more time to put other controls in place" and could relieve pressure on the NHS, but there is huge uncertainty.
- OECD says UK structural deficit ‘likely’
Date: 14 Oct 2020
The UK government will need to get record debt in relation to GDP onto a “downward path” once the economy has recovered from Covid-19, according to the OECD.
The organisation said the public debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to reach historically high levels due to the additional borrowing relating to the pandemic, in an economic survey of the UK.
It said the coronavirus pandemic came against the background of subdued growth, stagnant productivity and flat investment and triggered one of the most severe falls in output of OECD countries.
- Manchester funding gap for 2021-22 could hit £135m
Date: 14 Oct 2020
Manchester City Council says it could face a funding gap of £135m next year as a result of financial pressures relating to Covid-19.
The council said in-year savings and extra resources from the government means the council will be able to set a balanced budget this year, but the coming years will be “more difficult”.
This is in partly because shortfalls in council tax and business rates are reflected the year following their collection, a council report said.
- Sage scientists called for short lockdown weeks ago
Date: 13 Oct 2020
The government's scientific advisers called for a short lockdown in England to halt the spread of Covid-19 last month, newly released documents show.
The experts said an immediate "circuit breaker" was the best way to control cases, at a meeting on 21 September.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick insisted the government had taken "robust action" that "balanced" the impact on the economy. It comes as the Liverpool region prepares to enter a "very high" Covid alert level from Wednesday, the highest of a new three-tier system.
- Regional leaders criticise 'disappointing' Tier 2 restrictions
Date: 13 Oct 2020
The hospitality industry in the West Midlands will need "immediate financial support" after the government's "disappointing" decision to impose Tier 2 restrictions, the mayor of the county has said.
Andy Street added regional leaders have not supported the move and the government should review the decision "as soon as possible".
Conservative mayor Mr Street tweeted the remarks after Boris Johnson outlined the new three-tier lockdown system for England on Monday.
- Lockdown rules in high-risk areas may need to 'go even further', minister warns
Date: 13 Oct 2020
The government may need to "go even further" and introduce stricter measures to combat a rise in coronavirus cases in high-risk areas, a minister has told Sky News.
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick told Kay Burley there was "a lot of work to do" in the fight against COVID-19 and "we're going to be living with it for a long time to come".
"We may have to go even further than what we've announced," he cautioned, echoing a warning from the chief medical officer that the highest level of new restrictions "will not be sufficient" to slow coronavirus infections alone.
- Police in parts of Britain are 80 times more likely to hand out coronavirus penalties than others
Date: 13 Oct 2020
Police in one part of Britain are 80 times more likely to hand out coronavirus fines than others, new figures have revealed.
A breakdown of fixed penalty notices handed out by each constabulary has revealed a postcode lottery when it comes to punishments for breaking social distancing rules.
According to the Office for National Statistics The three forces in England and Wales that issued the highest number of fixed penalty notices per 1,000 population were Dyfed Powys with 3.34, followed by Cumbria with 1.46, and North Yorkshire with 1.4.
- Tax rises of more than £40bn a year 'all but inevitable'
Date: 13 Oct 2020
Taxes rises of more than £40bn a year are 'all but inevitable' to protect UK government debt from spinning out of control, a think tank has warned.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies said borrowing this year will hit levels not seen in peacetime due to the pandemic.
It said the state had pumped an extra £200bn into the economy to support jobs, businesses and incomes this year.
- Jenrick open to reorg election delay requests as he advocates unitary alternatives
Date: 13 Oct 2020
Elections could be postponed next year in the three counties invited to reorganise, it has been confirmed, but a letter from the communities secretary to Conservative councillors has dampened expectations of widespread reform elsewhere.
On Friday, the government announced that councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset had been formally invited to submit proposals to replace existing two tier structures with new unitaries by April 2023. However, this prompted concern from Cumbria CC leader Stewart Young (Lab) that reorganisation could become an election issue, leading to plans potentially being scrapped if an opposition party took control.
However, in a written statement to parliament yesterday, Robert Jenrick said: “I recognise that when making proposals councils may request that the May 2021 local elections in the area are postponed.
- IFS urges delay to cuts and tax rises
Date: 13 Oct 2020
Spending cuts and tax rises to rebalance the public finances should be delayed until 2022 to allow the economy to recover, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has said.
Warning that the economic challenges associated with COVID were’ likely just beginning’ and that public services outside health ‘could well be facing a further bout of austerity’ the report nonetheless backed extra spending now due to the low cost of borrowing.
The report said chancellor Rishi Sunak ‘should pay particular attention to the important role that local governments will play in levelling up, potentially as a part of a broader devolution strategy, and ensure that this is backed up with adequate funding, both for investment and for running costs’.
- Tax rises needed to prevent ‘spiralling debt’
Date: 13 Oct 2020
The UK will need £40bn in tax rises in five years’ time to prevent debt from ‘spiralling upwards’, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
A report by the IFS said by 2024-2025 the UK would require fiscal tightening of 2.1% of national income just to stabilise debt at over 100% of GDP.
It forecast that public sector net would be a little more than 110% of national income by 2024-2025 – compared to 80% prior to the pandemic.
- Welsh auditor issues Covid-19 fraud warning
Date: 13 Oct 2020
The Welsh spending watchdog has warned councils of a significant increase in risk from fraud due to Covid-19, after uncovering £8m of fraud or overpayment over the past two years.
Audit Wales’s National Fraud Initiative found £8m of fraud and mispayments between 2018-2020 - around 50% higher than the £5.3m found by local authorities in Wales between 2016-2018, it said.
It said it expects an increase to fraud as public services have had to urgently process Covid-19 support payments in very difficult circumstances.
- Care homes in England to name relatives as key workers to allow visits
Date: 13 Oct 2020
Relatives of care home residents in England are to be designated as key workers so they can be tested regularly for Covid-19 and continue to visit loved ones.
The plans, initially a pilot project, with no details about how they would be rolled out, were announced to MPs on Tuesday by the care minister, Helen Whately. They are a win for families and charities that have been calling for months for relatives to be given the same key worker status as staff.
Along with testing, the single designated relative would be trained in the use of PPE, she said, although she was unable to give a date for when the pilot would begin.
- IMF warns of long road to recovery
Date: 13 Oct 2020
Britain will still be borrowing nearly £100 billion a year and debt will be on a perilous upward spiral at the end of the present parliament as the state shoulders the cost of rebuilding the economy after the pandemic, the International Monetary Fund has warned.
In its latest World Economic Outlook, the organisation upgraded UK growth this year but set out a stark longer-term forecast for the public finances.
In 2025, Britain will still be borrowing 4.4 per cent of GDP, equivalent to £95 billion. The debt will have jumped from 85 per cent of national income in 2019 to 107 per cent, a level not seen since the end of the 1950s. The next general election is expected to be held in 2024.
- What has gone wrong with England's Covid test-and-trace system?
Date: 13 Oct 2020
When the NHS test-and-trace system was launched in late May, Boris Johnson promised it would help “move the country forward”. We would be able to see our families, go to work and stop the economy crumbling.
In the absence of a vaccine, the prime minister’s “world-beating” system would be worth every penny of the £10bn funding that Rishi Sunak announced in July. The chancellor said it would enable people to carry on normal lives.
Now as pubs are ordered to close, extended families are forced to stop meeting and intensive care beds fill up fast, the government’s Sage scientific advisers have concluded NHS test and trace is not working.
- New local lockdown restrictions in England to be unveiled
Date: 12 Oct 2020
The Liverpool City Region is expected to face the tightest restrictions under a new "three tier" system, which will classify regions as being on "medium", "high" or "very high" alert.
Steve Rotheram, the city region's mayor, says negotiations have taken place through the night but "no deal" has been agreed yet.
Talks between local leaders in England and Westminster continue. Liverpool recorded 600 cases per 100,000 people in the week ending 6 October. The average for England was 74.
- Dire outlook as experts predict 1.5million people are set to lose their jobs before the end of the year
Date: 12 Oct 2020
Almost three million people will be unemployed by Christmas, according to a shocking prediction, with about 1.5million set to lose their jobs before the end of the year.
The dire warning from think-tank the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) comes as its economists said data from its Business Distress Tracker and the Office for National Statistics indicated that Rishi Sunak’s new furlough scheme was ‘unlikely to prevent a major loss of jobs’.
Last week the Chancellor pledged to expand the scheme, which will now pay two-thirds of the wages of staff who have been forced to stop working by local lockdowns.
- Shoppers aid growth but slowdown ahead, says report
Date: 12 Oct 2020
The UK economy may have grown by as much as 17% in the three months to the end of September, says the EY Item Club, but slower growth may follow.
Shoppers splurged during the period as coronavirus lockdown restrictions were lifted, it said. It is a rosier vision than the one offered by Item Club economists in the summer, but they warned that growth for the rest of 2020 would be far slower. Growth for the final three months will be 1% or less, they predicted.
"The UK economy has done well to recover faster than expected so far," said Howard Archer, chief economic adviser to the EY Item Club.
- Surge in number of UK children applying for free school meals
Date: 12 Oct 2020
There has been a surge in the number of UK children registering for free school meals, with an estimated 1 million pupils recently signing up for the first time, according to food poverty campaigners.
Analysis by the Food Foundation thinktank, released as part of footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign to end child food poverty, estimates that as many as 900,000 more children have sought free school meals, on top of the 1.4 million who were already claiming, as the Covid-19 crisis plays havoc with family incomes.
Campaigners urged ministers to prevent a growing food insecurity crisis for millions of children by widening eligibility for free lunches to all children up to the age of 16 whose families were claiming universal credit or other benefits.
- Ministers to have veto on statue removals
Date: 12 Oct 2020
The final decision over whether to remove statues of controversial figures such as the slave trader Edward Colston will belong to government ministers rather than local authorities under forthcoming changes to planning rules.
A Whitehall source has confirmed to The Times that the government will hand veto powers to the communities secretary, Robert Jenrick.
The new rules will allow the ministry to call in decisions over changes to statues, plaques and memorials in the same way that it can planning applications.
- MP refuses to resign after travelling hundreds of miles with coronavirus
Date: 12 Oct 2020
The Scottish MP who travelled hundreds of miles on public transport after testing positive for coronavirus has refused to resign.
Margaret Ferrier travelled from Glasgow to Westminster while awaiting a Covid-19 test result, and made the return trip when she knew she had the virus last month.
The Rutherglen and Hamilton West MP’s breach of the coronavirus rules triggered a backlash, and calls for her resignation came from both Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish first minister, and Ian Blackford, the SNP Westminster leader.
- Tier-three Liverpool City Region to receive £8 per head funding
Date: 12 Oct 2020
Areas placed into the top band of the new three-tier coronavirus lockdown system will get an additional £8 per head to support local contact tracing and enforcement, LGC has been told.
However, LGC understands there has so far been no suggestion from officials that other places are set to receive a funding boost despite communities secretary Robert Jenrick saying yesterday the government would support councils to undertake contact tracing.
Asked on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show whether the government was going to hand track and trace to local authorities, Mr Jenrick said: “We’re going to have the best possible working relationship between national and local government on tracing and on many other things.”
- AA highlights local road spend disparity
Date: 12 Oct 2020
The AA has accused some councils in England of doing ‘next to nothing’ by way of maintenance on their road network.
The motoring organisation analysed Department for Transport statistics on local authority roads that received maintenance in 2018/19, broken down by road class and type of treatment.
It said this shows that 1,711 km (0.6%) of the 28,627 km of council-maintained A-road network was strengthened, with 2% resurfaced and 3.6% receiving a surface dressing treatment.
- Fears for Northants ‘managerial vacuum’ as officers seek early exit
Date: 12 Oct 2020
Some council staff and chief executives in Northamptonshire’s eight councils are seeking to leave their posts early to avoid the new £95,000 exit caps coming into force, LGC has been told, sparking fears over a “managerial vacuum” as the county approaches the launch of the two new unitaries.
From next April Northamptonshire’s county and seven district councils will be replaced by North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire councils, with a children’s trust delivering children’s social services.
The exit cap regulations passed by Parliament on September 30 will come into force 21 days after being signed off by a Treasury minister, expected imminently.
- Dorset Council braces for £43m overspend
Date: 12 Oct 2020
Dorset Council has forecast an overspend of £43m by the end of the financial year.
Its budget gap is largely attributed to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on increasing costs and reducing income.
The impact is estimated at £60m while the Government has provided a £21m grant and income support scheme.
A report to senior councillors said that the council could continue to operate until the end of the year by using previously earmarked reserves, but warned: ‘The financial position is of real concern and it is unsustainable to take this continued level of expenditure into 2021/22.’
- BoE writes to banks over negative rates readiness
Date: 12 Oct 2020
The Bank of England has asked UK banks to assess their readiness if interest rates are reduced to zero or below.
The request for information was outlined in a letter by BoE deputy governor, Sam Woods, as the central bank continues to consider the policy.
Negative interest rates were first discussed by the bank in August, with the bank now exploring how the policy could be implemented to help economic growth.
The letter said: “For a negative bank rate to be effective as a policy tool, the financial sector – as the key transmission mechanism of monetary policy – would need to be operationally ready to implement it in a way that does not adversely affect the safety and soundness of firms.
- Mayors set to be given more test and trace powers
Date: 11 Oct 2020
Mayors and councils look set to be given more control over test and trace efforts on Monday, after ministers moved to placate local leaders angry at the Government’s failure to control the spread of coronavirus.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick admitted that councils are “bound to be better” at contact tracing in “hard-to-reach communities” than centralised Government staff.
The move follows concerns that the £12bn NHS Test and Trace national system is failing following a blunder which meant more than 15,000 positive cases were not sent to contact tracers until days afterwards.
- Councils could spend £1.7bn over budget by March as costs rise
Date: 11 Oct 2020
Nine in 10 major local authorities in England do not have enough money to cover their spending plans this year, official documents have shown. Analysis by BBC News has found the coronavirus could see councils this year overspend their budgets by £1.7bn.
The Local Government Association (LGA) warned authorities faced "spiralling demands" on their finances.
The government said councils had received £4.8bn in emergency support since the start of the pandemic. Since March local authorities across the country have provided emergency pandemic support to some of the most vulnerable people in society.
- Doctors call for mandatory masks in offices and outdoors in new wish list
Date: 10 Oct 2020
Masks should be mandatory indoors and outdoors where two-metre social distancing is not possible, doctors have said.
Publishing a wish list of recommendations for ministers, the British Medical Association (BMA) accused the government of "letting down its guard" and said "inconsistent" messaging since the nationwide lockdown was lifted had played a part in the resurgence of the virus.
Chairman of the doctors' trade union body, Dr Chaand Nagpaul, said: "We are having to swallow a very bitter pill of the infection continuing to spread at a perilous rate.
- How council cuts to public conveniences is keeping thousands of Britons stuck at home out of fear of being caught short
Date: 10 Oct 2020
For the best part of four months during the height of the pandemic, 65-year-old Mandy Simons, who lives alone and has severe asthma, saw not a single other person. So, when the Government announced a pause to shielding in August, she instantly phoned her best friend Donna, who lives on the other side of London, arranging to meet outdoors in a garden centre where the risk of Covid transmission is low.
Yet the happy reunion she had longed for became a mortifying experience, when she arrived and needed to use the loo – but a sign outside stated: ‘We are sorry but our toilets are closed, due to Covid-19 hygiene restrictions.’
Feeling desperate, the former charity worker ventured down the road to a public lavatory, but it was also closed due to Covid restrictions. A nearby coffee shop barred non-customers from its facilities.
- Aspects of welfare system ‘ripe for reform’
Date: 09 Oct 2020
The government will face some tough choices on benefit reforms following record applications, with some aspects of the system already “ripe for reform”, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
At the start of the pandemic, the government brought in a number of temporary increases to Universal Credit and other parts of the benefit system at a cost of £9bn, a report from the IFS said.
The changes included a removal of the ‘minimum income floor’ for self-employed workers, a £1,000 rise in the basic entitlement of UC and increased housing benefits for low-income private renters.
- Council denies investment strategy is unlawful
Date: 09 Oct 2020
Spelthorne Borough Council has denied that its property investment strategy is unlawful after reports that auditors have raised material concerns over some of its purchases.
The authority has gained attention over recent years for its commercial property programme, which relies on borrowing significant sums from the Public Works Loan Board.
According to The Times, audit firm KPMG has written to the council saying it had “material concerns” about the council’s use of its powers to borrow to invest in properties between 2017 and 2018 and the level of risk to which the purchases expose the council.
- Ratings agency issues warning over potential sector downgrade
Date: 09 Oct 2020
The UK local authority sector could see a future downgrade to its credit rating if a sustained recession leads to further spending cuts, according to ratings agency Standard and Poor’s.
The warning was made in the agency’s review of local authorities, as it maintained a “weakened outlook” due to an uncertain political and economic environment which could affect revenue and costs.
The report found that financial performance in councils had improved in 2017 and 2018, following austerity, but that this has now been stunted due to extra costs relating to Brexit and Covid-19.
- UK GDP growth slows in August
Date: 09 Oct 2020
The UK’s GDP growth slowed to 2.1% in August as the UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19 continues, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The figures marked the fourth consecutive month of expansion following April’s record 19.5% drop, though growth was slower than in June and July, which saw increases of 8.7% and 6.6% respectively.
GDP in August was 21.7% higher than in April, but remains 9.2% below the levels seen in February, before the pandemic lockdown.
- Jenrick invites three counties to submit reorganisation proposals
Date: 09 Oct 2020
Councils in three counties have been formally invited by the communities secretary to submit proposals to reform into unitaries, following weeks of speculation ministers had gone cold on the agenda.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government has responded to requests submitted over the summer from county councils in Cumbria, North Yorkshire and Somerset by inviting areas to make locally-led formal proposals to replace existing two tier structures with new unitaries.
These three areas are already in advanced discussions about restructuring, and there was some speculation their bids would be announced alongside the long-awaited local recovery and devolution white paper, which is now believed to have been delayed until next Spring.
- New restrictions for parts of England likely next week
Date: 08 Oct 2020
Covid restrictions are to be further tightened in parts of England early next week, with the closure of pubs and restaurants a possibility in the worst-affected areas, the BBC has been told.
There could also be a ban on overnight stays away from home in these areas.
A final decision on the time period or extent of potential closures has not yet been made.
The government is also likely to introduce a three-tier system for local lockdowns.
- Full lockdown 'left country more vulnerable to another wave' of COVID-19, study suggests
Date: 08 Oct 2020
The full lockdown in spring may have left the UK more vulnerable to another wave of the coronavirus epidemic, researchers have said.
A new report also suggests that short-term lockdowns could result in more people dying with coronavirus.
The Edinburgh University study called for "different strategies for different age groups with more focus on shielding elderly and vulnerable people".
- New spending package allows council receipts to meet cost pressures.
Date: 08 Oct 2020
A new package of funding and financing flexibilities for local authorities in Scotland will allow councils to use capital receipts to meet funding pressures.
The package was agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and gives councils over the next two years additional spending powers worth around £600m.
These spending powers also allow councils to defer debts on loan fund repayments, and extend the debt repayment period over the life of capital assets rather than the contract period.
- Top scientists call for herd immunity approach - as government's 'soft touch' criticised
Date: 07 Oct 2020
Top scientists are calling for a herd immunity approach to the coronavirus pandemic by allowing people who are less vulnerable to the effects of the disease to return to normal life.
The so-called Great Barrington declaration, signed by leading experts from the universities of Oxford, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Exeter, Cambridge, Sussex and York, suggests herd immunity as a way forward.
The declaration states: "The most compassionate approach that balances the risks and benefits of reaching herd immunity, is to allow those who are at minimal risk of death to live their lives normally to build up immunity to the virus through natural infection, while better protecting those who are at highest risk.
- Councils warning on plan to relax developer rules
Date: 07 Oct 2020
Government plans to relax development rules could result in the loss of much-needed homes, council leaders say.
Sites of up to 40 or 50 houses could be temporarily exempted from affordable housing contributions under proposals put forward last month.
The Local Government Association said if the plan had been in place over the last 18 months, it would have led to nearly 10,000 fewer affordable homes.
- Government 'likely' to miss full fibre broadband 2025 target
Date: 07 Oct 2020
A Government promise to deliver full fibre broadband to every home by 2025 is likely to be missed unless ministers make radical changes to telecoms policy, think tank warns. A year ago the Government promised an extra £5bn for the roll-out of broadband.
However, according to a new report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF), the country has a ‘mountain to climb’ to hit the Prime Minister’s target for universal coverage.
Currently full fibre broadband coverage stands at just 14% across the country. The SMF calculated that the UK is lagging far behind other economies on broadband penetration, including Spain, New Zealand and South Korea.
- Current and former Tory party chairs blamed for devolution turmoil
Date: 07 Oct 2020
The government’s devolution agenda has stalled because of resistance from two key cabinet members, according to the director of an influential body at the forefront of the campaign to 'level up' the northern economy with the south.
Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, an independent body chaired by former chancellor George Osborne, told LGC that the chairman of the Conservative party Amanda Milling and her predecessor Brandon Lewis have been “thwarting the hard work of officials and ministers” at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government by “pushing back against the development of metro mayoral deals”.
He accused minister without portfolio Ms Milling and Northern Ireland secretary Mr Lewis, who are both former district councillors, of “rearguard action” and claimed that “internal party political considerations are getting in the way of devolution”, thereby putting the government’s much vaunted levelling up agenda “backwards”.
- Frustration grows over testing access
Date: 07 Oct 2020
Councils are becoming increasingly frustrated over their inability to get local people tested for coronavirus despite working with the Government on local test sites, it has emerged.
Many councils have handed over car parks and public land for testing facilities – often giving up the associated income - but the centralised system of test allocations means councils are failing to get the tests they need locally, including for people like key workers.
One insider told The MJ that, despite the pleas of directors of public health (DPHs), the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) had refused to allow a small allocation of tests to be decided locally.
- Minister moves to head off political rows
Date: 07 Oct 2020
The Government has moved to increase the influence of local political opinions in advance of it changing coronavirus restrictions after heavy criticism from councils.
Areas on the COVID-19 watch list will be asked to provide health secretary Matt Hancock with the views of directors of public health, MPs, mayors, councillors and chief executives before changes are announced, with a new emphasis on political opinion.
It comes after last week’s announcement of new restrictions was met with complaints from council leaders and mayors that they had little to no notice.
- UK youth unemployment 'set to triple to 80s levels'
Date: 07 Oct 2020
Youth unemployment in Britain is on course to more than triple to the highest levels since the early 1980s, according to a report warning that a “Covid generation” could be lost to long periods out of work.
The Resolution Foundation said the young, together with pension-age workers, are the most at risk during the second wave of the pandemic, amid rising concern over job losses as the government prepares to close the furlough scheme at the end of this month.
The RF researchers said unemployment among economically active 18- to 29-year-olds could hit 17% by late 2020. This is the same level as in 1984, when Britain was undergoing economic disruption under Margaret Thatcher’s government.
- Plymouth agrees interest rates swap
Date: 07 Oct 2020
Plymouth City Council has become the first council to agree an interest rates swap deal since a High Court ruling killed off the practice 30 years ago.
The agreement with high street bank Santander allows the council to convert a proportion of its short-dated variable rate loans into fixed borrowing.
Interest rates swaps were banned in 1991 following a landmark House of Lords ruling on a case involving London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham.
- Almost 8,000 missed COVID-19 cases still haven't had their contacts traced
Date: 06 Oct 2020
Almost half of the nearly 16,000 people with coronavirus missed by the Test and Trace system still have not had their contacts traced, the health secretary has admitted.
An "IT failure" within Public Health England - a problem with an Excel spreadsheet reaching its maximum size - has been blamed by ministers for a delay in the reporting of 15,841 COVID-19 cases in England.
Downing Street revealed extra contact tracers had now been drafted in to help track down the contacts of people whose positive tests went unreported between 25 September to 2 October.
- NHS staff struggle with burnout as they warn hospital bosses about looming second wave
Date: 06 Oct 2020
NHS workers are at breaking point after months of upheaval and high pressure during the coronavirus outbreak with hospital leaders warning the health service is facing a “perfect storm” of workforce shortages and a second wave of Covid-19.
In a survey of 140 NHS trust leaders almost all of them said they were worried about their staff suffering burnout ahead of winter.
They also sounded the alarm over concerns there had not been enough investment into social care before this winter.
- Nearly 500,000 redundancies planned since crisis began
Date: 06 Oct 2020
British employers planned 58,000 redundancies in August, taking the total to 498,000 for the first five months of the Covid crisis.
Some 966 separate employers told the government of plans to cut 20 or more jobs, compared with 214 last August, a more than fourfold increase.
However, the figures were down from the levels seen in June and July, which both saw 150,000 job cuts planned.
- Commons rebellions expected at votes on curfew and rule of six
Date: 06 Oct 2020
MPs could signal growing discontent with the government’s coronavirus restrictions at key votes on the regulations this week, amid growing calls for the government to publish the scientific advice behind the 10pm curfew on pubs and restaurants in the UK.
Conservative and Labour MPs have signalled they could withdraw backing for implementing the rule of six regulation and the curfew at votes expected this week.
One senior Conservative MP said a small rebellion was expected on Tuesday on the rule of six statutory instrument – a retrospective vote on the implementation of the new measure under existing legislation.
- Renting 'torture' as charity calls social housing provision 'woefully inadequate'
Date: 06 Oct 2020
Half of private renters do not feel safe or secure in their homes, and the pandemic is making their lives even harder, according to research.
The housing charity Shelter, says a "disastrous" lack of social homes has created a housing emergency, made worse by COVID-19.
According to YouGov polling carried out for Shelter, 25% of private renting adults - equivalent to 2.1 million people - said lockdown made their housing situation harder to cope with.
- Boris Johnson hints at new 'magic of averages' social care system
Date: 06 Oct 2020
Boris Johnson has given his first clear hint that social care will be funded through a form of national insurance as he said the "magic of averages" would solve the problem.
The Prime Minister deliberately chose a phrase coined by his idol, Sir Winston Churchill – who used it when talking about welfare taxes – to point the way forward.
He promised to "fix the injustice of care home funding" as he said coronavirus had "shone a spotlight" on the problems care homes face.
- Leak reveals possible harsher three-tier England Covid plan
Date: 05 Oct 2020
A new three-tier lockdown system is being planned for England, with leaked government documents paving the way for potential harsher restrictions including the closure of pubs and a ban on all social contact outside of household groups.
The draft traffic-light-style plan, seen by the Guardian, is designed to simplify the current patchwork of localised restrictions, which apply to about a quarter of the UK. It also reveals tougher measures that could be imposed by the government locally or nationally if Covid cases are not brought under control.
On Sunday the number of cases jumped by 22,961 after it emerged that more than 15,000 test results had not previously been transferred on to computer systems, including for contact tracers.
- Government launches £238m scheme for jobseekers
Date: 05 Oct 2020
Jobseekers will be offered coaching and advice on moving into "growing sectors" as part of a £238m employment programme, the government has said.
Job Entry Targeted Support is aimed at helping those out of work because of Covid-19 for three months. Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said it would give people "the helping hand they need".
The Job Entry Targeted Support (JETS) scheme will "boost the prospects of more than a quarter of a million people across Britain", Ms Coffey said. The Department for Work and Pensions says it is recruiting an additional 13,500 "work coaches" to help deliver the new scheme.
- Less than half of the UK population could get vaccinated
Date: 05 Oct 2020
Less than half of the UK population could be vaccinated against the coronavirus, the head of the country's vaccine taskforce has said.
Kate Bingham said officials hope to give the vaccine to around 30 million adults - less than half of the country's population of 67 million. The head of the immunisation programme told the Financial Times: "People keep talking about 'time to vaccinate the whole population' but that is misguided.
In September, the government's Joint Committee On Vaccination And Immunisation published a draft list showing who is likely to be at the front of the queue for a jab if or when a coronavirus vaccine is approved in the UK.
- New money for councils to help survivors
Date: 05 Oct 2020
Councils will get an extra £6m to fulfil new duties set out in the government's Domestic Abuse Bill. If the bill passes in Parliament, councils in England will have to provide support and safe accommodation for abuse survivors and their families.
The new funding is intended to help councils to plan services ahead of the duty coming into force in April 2020.
Charities and councils welcomed the announcement but called for wider funding of domestic abuse programmes.
- Boris Johnson to unveil plan to power all UK homes with wind by 2030
Date: 05 Oct 2020
Boris Johnson will promise to power every home in the UK with offshore wind energy within a decade, pledging to make the coronavirus pandemic a catalyst for green growth.
In a speech to the virtual Conservative party conference on Tuesday, he will say that the government will invest in a clean energy future to create “hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs” in the next decade.
The prime minister said the UK would “become the world leader in low-cost clean power generation – cheaper than coal and gas”, comparing the UK’s resources in offshore wind to Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth.
- Boris Johnson to unveil plan to power all UK homes with wind by 2030
Date: 05 Oct 2020
Boris Johnson will promise to power every home in the UK with offshore wind energy within a decade, pledging to make the coronavirus pandemic a catalyst for green growth.
In a speech to the virtual Conservative party conference on Tuesday, he will say that the government will invest in a clean energy future to create “hundreds of thousands, if not millions of jobs” in the next decade.
The prime minister said the UK would “become the world leader in low-cost clean power generation – cheaper than coal and gas”, comparing the UK’s resources in offshore wind to Saudi Arabia’s oil wealth.
- Tory MP accuses Housing Secretary of `shocking betrayal´ over cladding crisis
Date: 05 Oct 2020
Residents trapped in homes they cannot sell because of concerns over cladding have been subject to a “shocking betrayal” by the Government, a Tory MP has said.
In response to the Grenfell Tower fire, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) made £600 million available to fund the replacement of aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding on buildings above 18 metres, but by April this year it had only paid out £134 million.
In March, it announced a further £1 billion would be made available to fund the replacement of other forms of dangerous cladding on high-rise buildings but estimates suggest this would meet only around a third of the total costs.
- Lords defy government over refugee children's right to family reunion
Date: 05 Oct 2020
The government has suffered a defeat in the House of Lords as peers voted in support of an amendment to its flagship immigration bill designed to protect family reunion rules for asylum-seekers beyond Brexit.
The clause, tabled by four peers including Alf Dubs, a former child refugee, aims to ensure that rights under UK law to family reunion, at present covered by EU legislation known as the Dublin III treaty, will continue after the transition period.
The Dublin rules allow asylum-seekers to be transferred to another member state to join family as they claim asylum but will cease to apply when the transition period ends on 31 December.
- Welsh quarantine considered for UK coronavirus hotspots
Date: 05 Oct 2020
People travelling to Wales from Covid hotspots elsewhere in the UK could face quarantine under measures being considered by the Welsh Government.
Health Minister Vaughan Gething said he was looking at how powers could be used to protect areas with lower cases.
It comes after the prime minister rejected calls from Welsh ministers for a travel ban. Currently people in lockdown areas in England can go on holiday in parts of Wales not subject to restrictions.
- Things 'bumpy to Christmas and beyond' - PM
Date: 04 Oct 2020
Boris Johnson has warned it may be "bumpy through to Christmas" and beyond as the UK deals with coronavirus.
Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr, the PM said there was "hope" in beating Covid, and called on the public to "act fearlessly but with common sense".
He said the government was taking a "balanced" approach between saving lives and protecting the economy. It comes as a further 22,961 UK cases are reported, as previously unreported cases are added amid a technical issue.
- 'Winter of discontent' faces North, warns Andy Burnham
Date: 04 Oct 2020
Northern England faces a "winter of dangerous discontent" unless the test and trace system improves, the mayor of Greater Manchester has warned.
Andy Burnham said the system was the "first line of defence against the virus" and the government were "over-relying" on restrictions. Extra rules are now in force for a growing number of areas in the North.
Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr, Boris Johnson said it was "too early to say" if the restrictions were working.
- ‘Exhausted’ teachers warn they have no additional funding to handle Covid-19
Date: 04 Oct 2020
Headteachers have warned they do not have enough funding from the government to meet the extra costs of the Covid-19 crisis, leaving school budgets “in the lap of the gods”.
The new president of the National Association of Headteachers (NAHT), Ruth Davies, said schools are being expected to implement Covid safety arrangements “without any additional funding at all”, placing pressure on “exhausted” school leaders.
She called on the government to provide money for items such as personal protective equipment, extra cleaning, more staff and the physical adaptations made to schools. “It’s all having to be met from existing funds, which already have gaps.”
- Care homes policies violated human rights, says Amnesty
Date: 04 Oct 2020
Sending thousands of older untested patients into care homes in England at the start of the coronavirus lockdown was a violation of their human rights, Amnesty International has said.
A report says government decisions were "inexplicable" and "disastrous", affecting mental and physical health.
More than 18,000 people living in care homes died with Covid-19 and Amnesty says the public inquiry promised by the government must begin immediately.
- Legalise e-scooters in UK as alternative to short car trips, MPs say
Date: 02 Oct 2020
MPs have called on the government to legalise e-scooters in the UK and advertise them to car drivers as a greener alternative for short journeys.
The cross-party Commons transport select committee said the scooters, which are only legal to use in limited regional trials, should be allowed on British roads. They also called for robust enforcement to stop people using them on pavements, which they said was dangerous and antisocial, and an impediment to pedestrians and people with disabilities.
E-scooters are permitted in most European countries but are illegal on public roads in the UK despite their widespread sale and use. Government-backed trials, limited to shared public rental schemes, started in the summer in Middlesbrough, followed by other pilots in the West Midlands, Milton Keynes and Northamptonshire.
- Local contact tracing roll out gathers pace despite lack of funding
Date: 02 Oct 2020
Almost half of councils have launched or are setting up local coronavirus contact tracing to supplement the national system, LGC has learned, but others are being held back by a lack of funding or cooperation from government.
Meanwhile, the reorganisation of national contact tracing to be “local by default” – announced by NHS Test & Trace boss Baroness Dido Harding almost two months ago – has yet to materialise.
Councils in Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire and Nottingham City were among the latest to go live with local contact tracing systems this week, joining others including Hackney and Hammersmith & Fulham LBCs.
- Jenrick predicts November spending review date as ‘challenging period’ looms
Date: 02 Oct 2020
The communities secretary has revealed to councils he expects the spending review to be published next month, amid speculation it will be another one-year settlement.
The government’s original commitment to a three-year spending review is in doubt after the Budget was cancelled last month. The Institute for Fiscal Studies is now advising the chancellor to set a one-year plan, however the Local Government Association is calling for a three-year funding settlement for councils.
On a webinar with council representatives on Wednesday, Robert Jenrick said his officials at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government are “working very closely with the Treasury for the process of the spending review" which is "very much now underway”.
- Extra £10bn needed to plug funding gap, say councils
Date: 01 Oct 2020
An additional £10.1bn is needed annually to help local authorities in England plug funding gaps and improve services, council leaders say.
The Local Government Association said the figure included more than £5bn to ensure councils can maintain services at current levels, amid uncertainty caused by coronavirus.
It said £1.9bn was needed for increased demand in areas such as homelessness. It came as the government geared up to set budgets for the coming years. The figures were included in the Local Government Association's submission to the comprehensive spending review, which establishes the shape of government funding.
- Growth in cases may be slowing in England
Date: 01 Oct 2020
The growth in cases of coronavirus may be slowing down, the largest study of the infection in England suggests. A team at Imperial College London analysed samples from 84,000 people chosen at random from across the country.
They said the R number, the virus's reproduction number, appears to have fallen since measures including the "rule of six" were introduced. However, they warn cases are high, with one in every 200 people infected.
The React study is highly influential, both due to its size and because it gives an up-to-date picture of how the virus is spreading. The last samples used in the analysis were collected as recently as Saturday.
- More than a third of UK employers planning to make staff redundant
Date: 01 Oct 2020
More than a third of UK employers plan to make staff redundant over the next three months, according to research warning of a cascade of job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
With a month to go until the end of the government furlough scheme on 31 October, 37% of more than 2,000 managers polled by YouGov said they were likely to make staff redundant by the end of the year. About 60% of the managers surveyed from larger businesses with more than 250 employees said their companies planned to make redundancies this year.
The Labour party and the TUC said the findings showed that the government needed to do more to protect UK workers’ jobs.
- Up to 10 million Brits could need mental health support after the pandemic ends, charity says
Date: 01 Oct 2020
Up to 10 million people in England could need help with their mental health because of the pandemic, a charity has warned.
According to analysis an estimated 8.5 million adults and 1.5 million children will need support for depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorders and other mental health difficulties in the coming months and years.
This is the equivalent to 20% of the adult population and 15% of all under 18s.
- Coronavirus: Restrictions for England to be standardised into three tiers
Date: 01 Oct 2020
The government is to push ahead with a new "three-tier" approach to coronavirus restrictions in local areas of England, the BBC understands.
The Department of Health confirmed last month the system was being considered - but it has now been signed off by government officials and politicians. An announcement is expected next week, with the roll-out of the new tiers expected in mid-October.
The memo seen by the BBC shows plans for additional money for local authorities placed into tiers two or three. Local authorities would get £1 per head of population if placed into tier two and £2 per head for tier three.
- Comprehensive Spending Review 'should outline £10bn funding' for local authorities
Date: 01 Oct 2020
The upcoming Comprehensive Spending Review should outline £10.1bn in funding for local authorities up to 2023-24 to help meet funding gaps and increased demand on services, the Local Government Association said.
In its submission to the spending review, the LGA said councils in England could face a funding gap of £5.3bn by 2023-24, just to maintain services at today’s levels. The LGA added that an additional £4.8bn will be needed to improve services currently under strain, and reduce inequalities.
LGA chairman James Jamieson said: “Councils are focused on supporting communities through this crisis and beyond as we look to rebuild our economy, get people back to work and level up inequalities.
- Fly-tipping 'became more acceptable in lockdown', MP says
Date: 01 Oct 2020
Lockdown led to an increase in fly-tipping as people struggled to access tips and waste collection, MPs say.
Conservative MP Paul Bristow said the illegal dumping of waste had become more acceptable as people carried out "copy-cat" offences. He is calling for an increase in the penalties for fly-tipping.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said fly-tipping was one of the most common issues she dealt with, both in her constituency and government department.
- Housebuilding in Cotswolds and Cumbria will soar under reforms
Date: 01 Oct 2020
Housebuilding will more than double in the Cotswolds and almost triple in Cumbria under the government’s planning reforms, analysis has revealed.
In August ministers published details of an algorithm — described by one Tory MP as a “mutant” — that calculates which parts of the country are earmarked for development as part of a government drive to build 300,000 homes a year.
The countryside charity CPRE found that the plans would lead to vast construction projects in rural areas, whereas cities and towns outside London would escape the boom.
- Call for more enforcement powers as Leese claims Covid restrictions ‘don’t work’
Date: 01 Oct 2020
Areas including Greater Manchester are lobbying the health secretary to give them extra teeth in the fight against Covid by ramping up powers to close down businesses not complying with Covid regulations.
Environmental health officers are also understood to be in discussions with government seeking more clarity over the latest regulations amid confusion over what exactly they can and cannot do to enforce the Covid restrictions.
Deputy mayor of Greater Manchester CA Sir Richard Leese (Lab), much of whose area has been under Covid restrictions now for several weeks but is still battling rising cases, claims the government’s restrictions are not working.
- North East devo deal back on the table
Date: 01 Oct 2020
The seven authorities that all once made up the North East CA are now within grasping reach of a devolution deal with the government to form a new city region combined authority.
A deal would see the unification of the area after previous talks over a region-wide devolution package collapsed in 2016, when the four southern councils pulled out at the last minute over resistance to an elected mayor. The three northern councils went on to form the North of Tyne CA which was quickly awarded its own relatively generous devolution deal by the government.
However, last week, the seven local authorities in the North East - Newcastle and Sunderland City Councils, Durham and Northumberland CCs, South Tyneside MBC and Gateshead and North Tyneside Councils submitted a comprehensive spending review submission calling for a funding package paving the way for a devolution deal for the North East.
- [Opinion] The government needs to invest £100bn in social infrastructure
Date: 01 Oct 2020
Since the start of the pandemic local and central government have been largely operating in a state of emergency. Although understandable, this reactive approach cannot continue.
We all know we need to collectively lift our heads up and take a longer-term view about where want to get to, whilst still responding to the coronavirus crisis, both in terms of health and economic/social recovery, and preparing to leave the European Union.
The upcoming spending review should be an opportunity to do just that. However, whilst not unexpected, the decision to scrap the autumn Budget and dislocate it from the spending review is problematic. It will make it harder to deliver cohesive, sustainably funded policies that improve peoples’ life chances and drive economic growth.
- Six areas added to England's COVID-19 watchlist
Date: 01 Oct 2020
Six areas in England have been added to the coronavirus watchlist and two have been removed.
The places added to the list of "areas of concern" for coronavirus are:
Barrow-in-Furness
Cheshire West and Chester
Cheshire East
Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Rotherham. South Yorkshire
Luton in Bedfordshire (re-added)
Spelthorne in Surrey and Hertsmere in Hertfordshire have been removed from the watchlist.
- Middlesbrough business mixing ban 'unacceptable'
Date: 01 Oct 2020
A ban on households mixing anywhere indoors in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough is "unacceptable", a mayor has said.
It follows Health Secretary Matt Hancock's announcement of stricter rules in parts of the north of England to combat a rise in Covid-19 cases.
Middlesbrough mayor Andy Preston said the rules would "damage mental health" and "we defy the government and we do not accept the measures".
- Restrictions for England to be standardised into three tiers
Date: 01 Oct 2020
The government is to push ahead with a new "three-tier" approach to coronavirus restrictions in local areas of England, the BBC understands.
The Department of Health confirmed last month the system was being considered - but it has now been signed off by government officials and politicians.
An announcement is expected next week, with the roll-out of the new tiers expected in mid-October. The Department of Health said there were "no imminent changes" expected.
- Confusion as exit cap voted through
Date: 01 Oct 2020
The public sector exit cap was last night voted through the House of Commons, sparking avoidable confusion.
MPs voted to approve the Treasury regulations despite warnings from the Association of Local Authority Chief Executives (ALACE) that a gap between their introduction and the implementation of Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) changes to the pension scheme would result in a ‘financial and administrative no man’s land’.
ALACE said it was ‘sad to see that so many MPs have voted to reduce pensions that public sector key workers can receive’.
- Report calls for universal care service to transform UK economy
Date: 30 Sep 2020
The UK economy needs radical transformation equal to the post-second world war era, including the creation of a universal care service providing free full-time childcare and elderly care, according to a seminal report published by the Women’s Budget Group.
The service, which would be free at the point of delivery, would create more jobs than equivalent investment in transport and construction and help provide secure work for the thousands of people losing livelihoods in retail and hospitality, according to an 18-monthcommission on a gender equal economy.
“We need a change that is as fundamental to the economy as the creation of the welfare state was in 1945,” said Mary-Ann Stephenson, director of the Women’s Budget Group (WBG), which convened the commission. “We’re at a similar moment and we can’t return to business as usual.”
- Care home coronavirus outbreaks cast doubt on official PHE data
Date: 30 Sep 2020
The UK’s largest care home provider has had Covid outbreaks in 70 of its facilities, prompting questions about whether official figures on the virus’s return to social care may be too low.
As care leaders issued fresh warnings about testing delays, HC-One said it had closed one in five of its 329 homes because of outbreaks and that 20 homes had seen new outbreaks in the last fortnight.
Bupa also told the Guardian that in the last 28 days people had tested positive at 21 of its homes – almost one in six of its 130 locations – while Care UK has had positive tests at 19 of its 110 homes.
- Covid-hit Merseyside economy 'may collapse without funding'
Date: 30 Sep 2020
The Merseyside economy may collapse and leave a legacy of poverty “for generations to come” without urgent financial support tied to new coronavirus restrictions, according to the region’s political leaders.
Steve Rotheram, the metro mayor of the Liverpool city region, and six civic leaders, said Merseyside’s public finances were “at breaking point” and needed a “comprehensive package of financial support” from the Treasury when new lockdown measures are imposed.
Additional restrictions are expected to be announced for Merseyside in the next 24 hours after Liverpool and Knowsley recorded the highest infection rates in England. Cases are averaging more than 200 per 100,000 people across Merseyside – four times the England average.
- Rise in pupils in England being home-schooled due to Covid fears, says Ofsted chief
Date: 30 Sep 2020
Anxious parents are taking their children out of school to home-educate them, as widespread misinformation on social media fuels fears over the risks of Covid, the head of Ofsted has said.
In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the chief inspector of schools in England, Amanda Spielman, said that in a pilot study of 130 schools last month, one-third reported unusually high numbers of pupils being taken off roll to be home-schooled.
While the trend might be explained in part by parents who enjoyed teaching their children over lockdown, Spielman said parents’ health fears were likely to be contributing, while others were disappointed by the support their children received from their school during lockdown.
- Five new COVID-19 laws and fines that government slipped out
Date: 29 Sep 2020
Several new coronavirus rules, laws and punishments have been revealed by the government. Ministers updated the legislation which gives police the legal powers to ensure people are following the emergency measures.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock tried to quell anger among some Tory MPs by saying he has to "be able to move at pace" to contain the spread of coronavirus.
But civil liberties campaign group Big Brother Watch have condemned the way the changes were introduced, saying: "Yet again, this was imposed without scrutiny from parliament. Where will it end?
- Public spending rise could last longer
Date: 29 Sep 2020
The government must choose this autumn between more austerity and permanently higher spending, experts warn.
Although the Autumn Budget has been cancelled, the Treasury is still set to publish a Spending Review containing government expenditure plans.
A Treasury spokesperson said: "The Spending Review will proceed this autumn, as planned. The chancellor has already confirmed that departmental spending will increase above inflation - both for day-to-day spending and longer-term investment."
- Under-25s ‘give up dream job hope’ in pandemic
Date: 29 Sep 2020
More than one in three young people say they have lost hope of getting their dream job because of coronavirus, the Prince's Trust has said.
The charity said a survey of 2,000 people aged 16 to 25 across the UK showed 44% had lower aspirations for the future as a result of the pandemic. Its UK chief executive, Jonathan Townsend, said the pandemic had eroded young people's confidence.
According to the research, carried out by Censuswide, 41% of young people believe their future goals now seem "impossible to achieve", with this rising to 50% of those surveyed from poorer backgrounds.
- Children 'must be the priority' in Covid-19 planning
Date: 29 Sep 2020
Children must be the priority at this stage of the Covid-19 crisis, says England's Children Commissioner.
Anne Longfield calls for a recovery package to tackle a "rising tide of childhood vulnerability". She warns of an "inter-generational crisis", with the impact of the economic fall-out of the pandemic on parents determining the future prospects of their children.
Ms Longfield says the nation's efforts to "build back better" must begin with a focus on children, "sometimes sadly lacking during the pandemic".
- Coronavirus: Biggest ever rise in new cases recorded in the UK as deaths jump
Date: 29 Sep 2020
There have been another 7,143 cases of coronavirus reported in the UK in the last 24 hours - the biggest rise since the pandemic began.
71 coronavirus-related deaths have also been recorded - the highest number since 1 July.
The significant rise in COVID-19 cases comes after the number of positive tests fell at the weekend, with Monday's figure at 4,044 cases.
- Government urged to increase children's services funding
Date: 29 Sep 2020
The Spending Review marks a crucial moment for a system of children’s social care that is reaching ‘breaking point,’ an event heard this week.
Speakers at an online event held by the Institute for Government and Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) this week outlined a bleak picture.
CIPFA chief executive, Rob Whiteman, said: ‘We are getting to breaking point.
- The business rates backlash [opinion]
Date: 29 Sep 2020
Local government is increasingly urging government to call time on business rates retention, writes LGC deputy editor Sarah Calkin.
When business rates retention began in 2013 with councils keeping hold of half of the pot there were high hopes in the sector this was the start of something, the beginning of the road towards significant fiscal devolution to local government.
Sure, some places would do better than others out of the freedom to keep hold of half of the annual growth in business rates but the principle would be established that councils should keep hold of more locally-raised tax revenue.
Seven years on, no further fiscal devolution has been forthcoming and the relationship between local areas and business rates has been repeatedly weakened by an ever-growing pot of reliefs determined by central government. All the while the clamour from high street businesses for reform of the tax in the face of the explosion of online retail has been growing, along with the town centre vacancies.
- Testing in care homes getting 'worse not better' as delays leave elderly at risk
Date: 29 Sep 2020
Care homes are having to wait up to three weeks for coronavirus test results, putting staff and elderly residents at "serious risk", an investigation by The Telegraph has found.
The Government's pledge to test care home staff every week and residents every 28 days has sparked a backlog, meaning many care providers are waiting more than seven days for results.
It comes after the Government was heavily criticised for failing to protect care homes at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic (the graphic below shows excess deaths in care homes during the crisis).
- Stockpile will see us through winter, says PPE tsar
Date: 29 Sep 2020
The NHS and care homes will have more than enough personal protective equipment to see them through winter, the government’s PPE tsar has promised.
Lord Deighton said a four-month stockpile, due to be in place by November 1, “really does assume we are back into kind of April intensity on the front line”.
“I would be staggered if that isn’t a significantly conservative assumption,” he said. “So, while I’m telling you it is [going to last] four months, I’d be really surprised if it isn’t a lot more.”
Lord Deighton, who was brought in to lead the government’s efforts to get PPE in April, added: “I don’t have any concern about the next four weeks of production or delivery.”
- CCN chair accuses districts of ‘self-preservation’ in leaked letter to PM
Date: 28 Sep 2020
A leaked letter from the chairman of the County Councils Network to the prime minister has been slammed as “delusional” for talking up the potential gains to the Conservative party of local government reorganisation, and claiming that "many" district councils opposing the creation of more county unitaries are "most acutely interested in self-preservation".
The letter, which was sent on 18 September by David Williams (Con), reveals concern amongst counties that ministers' commitment to local government reorganisation is waning.
It begins by explaining that it is written in his capacity as leader of the Conservative Group at CCN, “the largest and most important group of Conservative councils in England”.
- Scepticism mounts over devo white paper as ministers’ focus turns elsewhere
Date: 28 Sep 2020
Leading figures within local government have told LCG they believe the government will no longer deliver on its ambition to publish its long-awaited recovery and devolution white paper before the end of this year, after previous delays have already seen the paper pushed back from June to September.
Speculation the white paper would be launched at the Conservative party conference next week or later in the year has now given way to emerging consensus, prompted by indicators from civil servants and ministers, that the paper has been delayed until at least January.
The white paper, first announced in the December 2019 Queen’s Speech promising “full devolution”, was in July renamed the Local Economic Recovery and Devolution White Paper when then local government minister Simon Clarke established reorganisation of two-tier areas into unitaries as a “vital first step” for negotiating mayoral devolution deals.
- Covid second wave hits recovery in UK high streets, data suggests
Date: 28 Sep 2020
The recovery in UK’s bricks and mortar retail sector has gone into reverse, according to new data that shows footfall has declined during September amid new pandemic restrictions and concerns about a second wave of coronavirus infections.
Footfall on UK high streets and at other retail destinations was 33% lower last week compared to the same period in 2019, according to data from the British Retail Consortium and ShopperTrak.
That represented a marked deterioration since the first week of September, when footfall was only down by 24% year-on-year.
- Fund civic museums to help reawaken English city centres, bosses urge
Date: 28 Sep 2020
Hundreds of civic museums in towns and cities across England are in a state of high jeopardy and some may never reopen without government action, museum leaders have said.
They say organisations face an existential threat at a time when they could be playing a pivotal role in “reawakening and reimagining” town and city centres.
Consultations on large-scale redundancies have already been announced by museum trusts in Birmingham and York. Local authorities, often the main funder of civic museums, have said their finances are in a potentially perilous state, with at least five English councils suggesting they may not be able to balance their budgets.
- Additional financial statement could lead to extra costs
Date: 28 Sep 2020
A proposed additional statement on local authority accounts outlined in the Redmond Review could lead to additional work and extra costs for councils, Sir Tony Redmond said.
One of three options for reform to local authority accounts proposed that councils produce an additional simplified statement alongside the International Finance Reporting Standard accounts, in a bid to enhance transparency and usefulness of local authority financial statements.
When asked about how this could affect local authorities, Redmond said: “In terms of the work that I'm proposing, as a new financial statement, a simplified statement, yes, that is additional work.
- Only one in five with symptoms self-isolates
Date: 25 Sep 2020
Only 18 per cent of people with Covid-19 symptoms are self-isolating, according to an official survey that questions the basis of a test and trace system that has now cost £12 billion.
Only 11 per cent obey when asked by contact tracers to stay at home, research found, leading to calls for more financial support for those told to isolate for two weeks. Daily confirmed cases yesterday reached 6,634, the highest on record.
While more testing is being carried out than in spring, Yvonne Doyle of Public Health England said the figures were “a stark warning. We must all follow the new measures that have been bought in to help control the virus.”
- UK transport boss urges ministers to get people back on trains and buses
Date: 25 Sep 2020
The boss of Go-Ahead, one of Britain’s biggest bus and train operators, has accused the government of maintaining “absurd” and contradictory coronavirus policies over public transport and pubs.
David Brown, Go-Ahead’s chief executive, urged ministers to change an approach that has encouraged people to go to pubs and restaurants while staying cautious about using public transport.
Brown said that testing of commuter trains and reports from official rail safety bodies showed public transport was safe.
- County lines raids: 1,000 arrests and £1.2m drugs seized
Date: 25 Sep 2020
More than 1,000 people have been arrested and an estimated £1.2m worth of drugs seized in a police crackdown on so-called "county lines" gangs. Young and vulnerable people are used as couriers to move drugs and cash between cities and smaller towns.
Police said raids in the past week, involving all 43 regional forces in England and Wales, had been the most successful of their kind. Almost 200 weapons and £526,000 in cash were also seized.
During a week-long operation, police forces also shut down about 10% of the phone lines (102) being used for drug dealing.
- England and Wales get smartphone contact tracing for over-16s
Date: 24 Sep 2020
People living in England and Wales are being urged to download the government's official contact-tracing app following its official release.
NHS Covid-19 instructs users to self-isolate for 14 days if it detects they were nearby someone who has the virus. It also has a check-in scanner to alert owners if a venue they have visited is found to be an outbreak hotspot.
Anyone aged 16 and over is being asked to install the app on to their smartphone.
- Hundreds of homeless lives saved due to lockdown measures, study suggests
Date: 24 Sep 2020
Emergency accommodation provided during the coronavirus pandemic may have saved the lives of hundreds of homeless people, researchers estimate.
A study by University College London (UCL) found that the use of hotels, increasing infection control measures in hostels and closing dormitory-style communal shelters possibly prevented 266 deaths linked to COVID-19.
Thousands of homeless people, including rough sleepers, were put in safe accommodation at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak as part of the government's Everyone In initiative.
- Flu jabs limited due to high demand
Date: 24 Sep 2020
Pharmacists and GP surgeries are having to limit flu jabs to the most at-risk groups due to increased demand.
The Boots chain has suspended its appointment booking system for anyone outside of the vulnerable groups, which include people aged over 65. It said it faces "unprecedented demand" for vaccinations, but NHS England says enough stocks are available.
Within the next few weeks it is likely that winter flu will start to circulate alongside the coronavirus. This will potentially present an additional challenge to an already stretched healthcare system.
- Male domestic abuse victims 'sleeping in cars and tents'
Date: 24 Sep 2020
Charities dealing with men who suffer domestic abuse have seen pleas for help jump by up to 60% during the lockdown.
The Respect Men's Advice Line said some victims had told them they had sought refuge by sleeping in cars or in tents in the gardens of friends or relatives.
The charity said it had received 13,812 calls and emails between April and July in lockdown compared to 8,648 in the same period in 2019. The advice line said the biggest increase in contact with abuse victims came through emails and the service saw the volume increase by 96% from 372 emails in June 2019 to 728 in June 2020.
- Sunak set to unveil emergency jobs scheme
Date: 24 Sep 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will later unveil a plan aimed at minimising further unemployment as stricter Covid-19 restrictions come into force.
The new measures are expected to replace the furlough scheme, which is set to expire next month. In July, around five million workers were still receiving some or all of their income through the scheme, many in the hospitality sector.
Pubs and restaurants have warned they will be hit hard by new restrictions. From Thursday, hospitality venues in England will have to shut at 22:00 BST as the government tries to control the spread of the coronavirus.
- County unitaries join growing network
Date: 23 Sep 2020
Two county unitaries are among five local authorities that have joined the growing Unitary Councils’ Network (UCN) as tensions bubble around reorganisation.
Cornwall and Shropshire councils, as well as Thurrock Council, and Stoke-on-Trent and Southampton city councils, have joined the group, taking its membership from 20 to 25.
The move comes amid increasing confusion over the Government’s reorganisation plans, with the White Paper on devolution and local recovery now thought to be delayed until 2021.
- Spending Review will 'fail to offer long-term view' for sector
Date: 23 Sep 2020
This year’s Spending Review will fail to offer a long-term view for local government, The MJ understands.
Local government remains hopeful the review will address outstanding matters on funding ahead of the provisional finance settlement for 2021/22 in December and has attempted to put the issue of fiscal devolution onto the agenda.
However, it is believed that hopes the Spending Review will feature fiscal devolution have been downplayed by senior Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) civil servants.
- Ex Conservative local government minister attacks centre on COVID policy
Date: 23 Sep 2020
A former Conservative local government minister has attacked the Government’s lack of consultation and communication with councils on crucial aspects of COVID policy.
Writing in The MJ, Sir Bob Neill, criticised the ‘cumbersomeness of a heavily centralised system of government’.
He said this had been illustrated by the lack of notice local government was given before the proposed marshals scheme was announced and the publication of the rule of six regulations 30 minutes before they came into force, which did not give councils enough time to prepare for their new roles.
- New oversight body 'dead in the water' without legislation
Date: 23 Sep 2020
Sir Tony Redmond’s proposals for a new audit oversight body are ‘dead in the water’ unless the Government devotes some legislative time, a former Section 151 officer has warned.
Chris Buss, who was director of finance and deputy chief executive at Wandsworth LBC for 11 years, said: ‘I wouldn’t have thought it was particularly high up on the Government’s radar given it was initiated by the previous secretary of state [James Brokenshire].’
The Redmond review – published earlier this month - found the audit market was fragile, fees fail to meet the cost of thorough audit and 40% of audits missed their deadlines in 2018/19.
- Ministry charts new course of bespoke support for hard hit councils
Date: 23 Sep 2020
The government has recently been approached by a string of local authorities requesting more flexibility over borrowing rules under so called capitalisation directions, and has already approved the measure for Luton BC.
Normally councils are not permitted to borrow for revenue purposes, but there are exceptions to this rule provided councils first gain permission from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.
The ministry can grant an authority ‘capitalisation directions’ to use capital funds – usually capital receipts – for day to day running costs. They can also use this mechanism to wave rules banning councils from borrowing to fund revenue expenditure. It has recently done so in the case of Luton which is borrowing £60m to lend to its airport.
- County ‘not financially viable’ without significant extra funding
Date: 23 Sep 2020
Pressures from Covid-19 have left Hampshire CC unsustainable in the medium term without a further £52m of government funding, its Conservative leader has warned.
Papers due to go to Hampshire's cabinet on Tuesday say the council has faced extra costs and lost income totaling £160m due to the pandemic with additional government funding covering less than half of that. Over the next three years the financial impact is forecast to rise to more than £210m, meaning £80m of savings will be needed by April 2023.
- Autumn Budget to be scrapped this year
Date: 23 Sep 2020
The Treasury has scrapped plans for an Autumn Budget this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"As we heard this week, now is not the right time to outline long-term plans - people want to see us focused on the here and now," the Treasury said. "So we are confirming today that there will be no Budget this autumn."
There will however be a spending review to set out the overall shape of government spending, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg reported. The decision to scrap the Budget comes as no surprise, according to Genevieve Morris head of corporate tax at accountancy firm Blick Rothenberg.
- Sunak to announce new job protection plans
Date: 23 Sep 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is to make an announcement on Thursday about what happens after the furlough scheme expires at the end of October. "I will update the House of Commons on our plans to continue protecting jobs throughout the winter," he tweeted.
The move comes after a day of mounting pressure on the government. BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg says Mr Sunak has been considering different forms of wage subsidy and will announce more financial help.
He is understood to be looking at options including a salary top-up scheme, similar to those already operating in France and Germany.
- Pubs and restaurants in England to have 10pm closing times
Date: 22 Sep 2020
All pubs, bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues in England must have a 22:00 closing time from Thursday, to help curb the spread of coronavirus. The sector will also be restricted by law to table service only.
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said people should also work from home "if they can" and trials of spectators at sports fixtures would be "paused".
The full measures will be set out by the prime minister in the House of Commons later. Boris Johnson will also address the nation in a live broadcast at 20:00 BST on Tuesday.
- Experts warn of winter deaths in thousands and curbs for months
Date: 22 Sep 2020
Britain could see tens of thousands of Covid-19 deaths over the winter with little prospect of release from restrictions for six months, the government’s chief scientific and medical advisers have warned.
Without urgent action Britain could see 50,000 cases and more than 200 deaths a day within two months, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said yesterday.
He held out the possibility of a vaccine being available by the end of the year “in small amounts for certain groups” but said that the more likely scenario for widespread use was the first half of 2021.
- School bus drivers fearful of coronavirus infection risk
Date: 22 Sep 2020
School bus drivers have raised concerns about a lack of social distancing on services travelling at full capacity, with many children not wearing masks. The Unite union said it was "extremely worried" drivers were at risk of catching Covid-19 on "packed" buses.
Social distancing is not mandatory on dedicated school buses under government guidance across the UK, although it should happen where possible. The government says it is providing £40m to help increase capacity.
Government guidance for England says that, where possible, social distancing should be "maximised" between individuals or "bubbles" of children who stay together throughout the course of the day.
- School funding ‘unfair to poor white pupils’
Date: 21 Sep 2020
Poor white children do significantly worse at school in part because education funding is targeted at larger cities with more ethnically diverse populations, academics have argued.
They accused the Department for Education of making it difficult for experts to analyse underachievement by white pupils because this “did not align” with the government’s focus.
School funding disproportionately benefits children in London boroughs while money for free pre-school education and childcare is also more generous in London, they say. But funding is lower in rural shires, smaller towns and cities, and coastal communities where the majority of children are white, they argue.
- Covid-19 pressures prompt £8bn drop in HMRC tax collection
Date: 21 Sep 2020
HMRC recovered £7.9bn less from fraud and error in the first three months of this financial year than it did in the same period in 2019 – a drop of more than half.
Through its ‘compliance activity’ the tax office recovered or prevented the loss of £7.5bn in owed tax between April and June, after recovering £15.4bn in the equivalent period last year.
A statement from HMRC said: “Delivering the Covid-19 support measures has been resource-intensive and has affected HMRC’s core compliance activity and tax collection. “Recognising this, the quarter one compliance yield – tax revenue that would have otherwise been lost without HMRC intervention – is lower than the same quarter in 2019 to 20 because of the realignment of resources during this period.
- UK cases hit four-month high for second day in a row
Date: 19 Sep 2020
The number of people who have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK has jumped by 4,422 - the highest daily rise in over four months.
Saturday's figure is exactly 100 more cases than were confirmed the previous day, meaning both are the highest since 8 May.
Experts caution more infections are likely to be picked up now because the number of coronavirus tests available has grown dramatically since the pandemic began.
- Coronavirus: Tighter national rules considered for England by government
Date: 18 Sep 2020
New England-wide measures which could see hospitality businesses shut are being considered by the UK government to slow a surge of coronavirus cases.
A short period of tighter restrictions - lasting a few weeks - could be announced in the next week, BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said.
Schools and most workplaces would be kept open during those weeks. Health Secretary Matt Hancock has told the BBC the government is "prepared to do what it takes" against Covid-19.
- Sadiq Khan: London mayor calls for business rates holiday extension over fears of tens of thousands of job losses
Date: 18 Sep 2020
Sadiq Khan is calling for the government to extend the business rates holiday for another year as companies say reintroducing the rates would be the "final blow" for those already struggling during the pandemic.
Business rates for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors have been halted in England until the new financial year starts next April.
The mayor of London, along with councils in the capital, have urged the rate holiday to be extended to 2021/22 over fears tens of thousands of jobs could be lost in the city.
- Schools in poorer areas lack catch-up cash
Date: 18 Sep 2020
Schools in poor parts of England will struggle the most to help their pupils catch-up after the lockdown, says the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The last 10 years have seen real-terms cuts amounting to 9% per pupil which fell hardest on schools in the poorest areas, says the IFS.
And schools in poorer areas will get less of a boost from the extra £7.1bn earmarked for schools up to 2022-23. The government says it is committed to "levelling up" educational opportunity.
- Coronavirus: Tighter rules for care homes over winter second spike fears
Date: 18 Sep 2020
Staff will be told to stop "all but essential" movement between care homes to protect residents during a feared second spike of coronavirus.
Tighter new restrictions for the sector are planned ahead of winter, as COVID-19 cases continue to rise again and people complain they cannot get tested.
In areas subject to local lockdowns, it is understood care homes may be told to stop visits in all but end-of-life situations.
- Up to 30% of residents issued Court Summons over unpaid Council tax
Date: 18 Sep 2020
A report has revealed that up to 31% of residents across certain regions have been Summoned to Court because of unpaid council tax.
The highest region, according to the report is Middleborough with a rate of 31% of residents receiving the Summons. The report revealed the approximately £164m had been reclaimed by bailiffs, with Haringey Council reportedly using bailiffs most efficiently with a total reclaim of £14.9m.
The report used Freedom of Information requests from 243 councils across England and Wales in order to get a picture of how Coronavirus had affected council tax payments.
- Bank of England to ‘explore’ negative interest rates
Date: 18 Sep 2020
The Bank of England has outlined plans to explore how negative interest rates could be implemented for the first time, to help the UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19. The move was outlined by the Monetary Policy Committee as it maintained the record low 0.1% bank rate.
The central bank said it now expects GDP to be 7% lower in the third quarter of this year compared with the end of 2019, an improvement on projections given in August – which showed an 8.6% decline.
“The committee had discussed its policy toolkit, and the effectiveness of negative policy rates in particular, in the August Monetary Policy Report, in light of the decline in global interest rates over a number of years,” the committee minutes said.
- Boris Johnson considering national restrictions on social lives to curb infections
Date: 18 Sep 2020
Boris Johnson is considering the introduction of new national restrictions - possibly as soon as next week - as the prime minister races to try and get a handle on the spread of coronavirus.
With COVID-19 cases now doubling every seven to eight days, the government is looking at introducing nationwide restrictions for a short period to try to "short-circuit" the virus and slow the spread of the disease.
Government figures stressed the plans being drawn up stopped short of a full national lockdown, as seen in the spring, when the country was told to "stay at home".
- Extending furlough could pay for itself
Date: 17 Sep 2020
The Scottish Government has released a paper that outlines how extending the furlough scheme could actually pay for itself, and not be an extra burden to the tax payer.
The research shows that by extending the furlough scheme through to June 2021, at an additional cost of £850m, upwards of 60,000 could be saved.
By saving these 60,000 jobs, GDP will be retained and therefore the extension will essentially pay for itself.
- Coronavirus: Restrictions expected in north-east England
Date: 17 Sep 2020
Almost two million people in north-east England are expected to face restrictions as coronavirus cases rise.
Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, North and South Tyneside, Gateshead and County Durham council areas are in discussions to get the measures.
These may include pubs closing earlier and restrictions on households mixing. It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Sun: "The only way to make sure the country is able to enjoy Christmas is to be tough now."
- Coronavirus: Care homes to get more than half a billion in extra funding to tackle COVID-19 during winter
Date: 17 Sep 2020
Care providers in England will receive more than half a billion pounds in extra funding to help reduce transmission of COVID-19 in the winter, the government has said.
It comes as Nadra Ahmed, executive chair of the National Care Association, told Sky News delays in getting coronavirus test results back are "appalling and negligent".
- Local government staff face ‘deep pension cuts’ if exit pay proposals are implemented
Date: 17 Sep 2020
Public sector members of the Local Government Pension Scheme aged over 55, who are made redundant and wish to take early retirement as result, will face “significant” cuts to their benefits if proposed changes to local government exit payments are implemented, pensions advisor Hymans Robertson has warned.
The firm said that employees are in effect being forced to choose between a full pension benefit and statutory redundancy pay under the new regulations outlined in a consultation document earlier this month.
- Councils will receive £91.5m to house vulnerable people
Date: 17 Sep 2020
The Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick, has today (Sept 17) announced that 274 Councils across England will share £91.5m to house vulnerable people through the Coronavirus pandemic. The £91.5m will be used to help people into the private rented sector, secure interim accommodation such as supported housing, and assess the wider support that people may need in order to rebuild their lives.
Secretary of State for Communities and Housing, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said: “The incredible national effort to support rough sleepers during the pandemic has protected many lives and is widely regarded as one of the most successful programmes of its kind in the world. I’m hugely grateful to all those involved. This funding will ensure that vulnerable people and rough sleepers continue to have safe accommodation and the care and support they need, to ensure as few as possible return to the streets.”
- ADPH hits out at ‘moonshot’ ambitions while local resources fall ‘woefully short’
Date: 17 Sep 2020
The country’s most senior public health director has hit out at the prime minister’s “moonshot” testing plan as she called for an emergency funding package to boost the public health workforce. In a blog post published this afternoon, Association of Directors of Public Health president…
- Fears devo white paper will be watered down and further delayed
Date: 17 Sep 2020
The long awaited devolution and recovery white paper could be less radical than initially anticipated and hampered by further delays following Simon Clarke's recent departure as the overseeing minister, a senior Local Government Association adviser has warned. The sector is still waiting to find out…
- Croydon to seek govt support as it battles to balance budget
Date: 17 Sep 2020
Croydon LBC is to formally approach government to seek a financial support package after acknowledging it does not have a balanced budget this year. A report due to go to cabinet on Monday said the council was facing a £49m overspend in 2020-21 and members…
- Exclusive: Hospitals told to clear beds for coronavirus spike in two weeks
Date: 17 Sep 2020
Isolation units in which Covid-19 patients can recover being created as space made on wards for those needing most care. Hospitals and councils have been told to find extra beds for coronavirus patients within two weeks as the NHS braces for a second spike in cases.
- Social care winter plan must address care home resident isolation - charities
Date: 17 Sep 2020
Isolated care home residents are “dying of sadness” and the Government must set out how they can stay in contact with their loved ones in its winter action plan, charities said.
Charities and unions welcomed Thursday’s announcement of more than half a billion pounds of extra funding to help reduce transmission of coronavirus within care settings in England.
They have now set out the areas they want addressed by the Government’s action plan to help the social care sector prepare for winter, expected on Friday.
- Local authority calls on care home providers to accept COVID-positive hospital patients
Date: 17 Sep 2020
Trafford Council has called on care home providers to accept patients who are COVID-positive from hospitals within two hours of being identified by doctors as ready for discharge, according to a contract seen by Channel 4 News. The council said: “The discharge of patients from hospital is a carefully co-ordinated process in line with national government guidance. We appreciate that there is a quick turnaround, but our contracts reflect the national requirements to ensure people are discharged safely and quickly.”
- Councils report £8m of Covid-19 grant fraud
Date: 17 Sep 2020
More than 100 councils in England have reported fraudulent claims for Covid-19 grants since the introduction of the emergency measures, according to a report.
The findings were outlined in a report compiled by Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council, which revealed the council had prevented five attempts of fraud and fallen victim to one fraud valued at £25,000.
The council said the scam was one of a growing number of attempts by fraudsters to exploit the government's Covid-19 support schemes – including one that involved restaurants falsely claiming compensation under the subsidised meal scheme.
- Eat Out to Help Out drives UK inflation to five-year low
Date: 16 Sep 2020
The UK's inflation rate fell sharply to 0.2 per cent in August as the effect of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme pushed down restaurant prices, latest figures from the Office for National Statistics show.
- Grenfell-style cladding: MPs tell government ‘fix this now’
Date: 16 Sep 2020
A new report by the Public Accounts Committee said that the Government had “missed its target” for all Grenfell-style cladding to be removed by June 2020, with almost a third – 155 out of 455 – of high-rise buildings still wrapped in combustible plastic-filled aluminium panels. It comes as MHCLG set a new target for remaining work to be completed by the end of the year. Lord Porter, the LGA’s building safety spokesperson said: “Leaseholders and residents have suffered enough. The Government has accepted that the building safety system has failed for decades and it must now deal with the consequences.”
- Coronavirus: PM blames 'colossal spike' in demand for test problems
Date: 16 Sep 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has defended the coronavirus testing system, saying it is trying to meet a "colossal spike" in demand.
It comes as the government said it was drawing up a list setting out who will be prioritised for tests.
Care home residents and staff are likely to be near the top of the list, as Mr Johnson acknowledged ministers were concerned about infection rates.
The PM told MPs a new "action plan" for care homes will be released this week.
- Coronavirus: Marshals 'unlikely' in England, councils say
Date: 16 Sep 2020
The widespread introduction of Covid marshals to towns and cities in England is "unlikely" and "almost impossible", some local authorities have said.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested the marshals would enforce rules about social distancing, gathering in groups and wearing masks.
But a lack of detail has been criticised by council and health officials.
- Some care home staff in England not using PPE, find health inspectors
Date: 16 Sep 2020
Health inspectors have uncovered multiple problems with infection control and the use of personal protective equipment in care homes in England ahead of a second spike in Covid-19, which is starting to be detected in care facilities across the country.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) found homes where PPE was not being worn and that had out-of-date infection prevention policies and were failing to take steps to protect black and minority ethnic residents and staff who have been identified as potentially more vulnerable to the virus.
The checks took place last month in 59 English care homes and were triggered by concerns about safety and quality or complaints by residents, staff and relatives.
- Up to 25,000 teachers in England self-isolating due to Covid fears
Date: 16 Sep 2020
Up to 25,000 teachers in England may already have been forced out of the classroom and into self-isolation at home amid a national shortage of Covid tests just a fortnight after schools reopened, research suggests.
With some schools reporting up to a fifth of their teaching staff off and unable to get a test, unions warned the crisis was spinning out of control and jeopardising plans for a full return to education, bringing the risk of “lockdown by default”.
One academy trust leader said that 740 state schools in England were either partially or wholly closed with Covid-related issues, meaning tens of thousands of pupils are stuck at home, with their parents unable to go to work.
- Council confirms £60m loan for airport
Date: 16 Sep 2020
Luton Borough Council has approved the borrowing of £60m, which it then intends to lend to its wholly-owned London Luton Airport Ltd as it seeks to offset losses resulting from Covid-19.
The loan was approved during a restricted session of an executive committee, and is the first of two loans the council intends to provide to the airport over the coming year.
The council said that without the loans, the airport could become insolvent and cease trading, meaning it would be unable to make further dividend payments that the council could then use to fund services.
- It’s the ultimate cliché – another delay to social care reform
Date: 16 Sep 2020
Ministers might have their work cut out as a result of Covid-19 – but the pandemic means social care reform is even more desperately required, writes LGC editor Nick Golding. Today's news and views Peterborough faces uncertainty over setting legal budget County chief to retire…
- Redmond review branded ‘a*** covering’ for finance directors
Date: 16 Sep 2020
A senior councillor at the Local Government Association has described the Redmond Review of local government audit – which recommended the creation of new regulatory body - as “arse covering from finance directors”. Addressing a meeting of the LGA’s resources board on Tuesday afternoon, Peter…
- English addiction services on brink as number of higher-risk drinkers doubles
Date: 15 Sep 2020
A near-doubling in the number of higher-risk drinkers during lockdown has led to warnings that addiction services in England are struggling to cope and in dire need of extra funding.
The Royal College of Psychiatrists analysed data from Public Health England showing the prevalence of people drinking at higher risk was at almost a fifth (19%) in June, up from 10.8% in February.
Using population estimates from the Office for National Statistics, the college said the June figure equated to more than 8.4 million people, a rise from around 4.8 million four months earlier. Higher-risk consumption is defined as drinking more alcohol than the recommended levels of no more than 14 units a week for men and women.
- People in England's 10 worst-hit Covid-19 hotspots unable to get tests
Date: 15 Sep 2020
People in England’s 10 worst-hit coronavirus hotspots were unable to get tests on Monday, leading to claims of a “shambles”.
Those trying to arrange a test in the areas with the highest infection rates were told that none were available at walk-in centres, drive-through facilities or for home delivery.
One official said there was capacity and swabs available at testing centres, but that a backlog in laboratories meant people were being told that no tests were available.
- Care home bosses claim government is failing on coronavirus tests
Date: 15 Sep 2020
Care home leaders have accused ministers of failing to deliver on the promise to prioritise the sector amid testing delays and fears that there could be a rush on PPE before the winter.
In July the government announced that testing would be rolled out across the adult social care sector to enable screening of staff every seven days and residents every four weeks.
However, industry leaders say that the failure of couriers to pick up samples in time and a backlog at testing laboratories has led to a doubling in the waiting time for results in some areas.
- Unison: Care workers who made £4 an hour awarded in £100,000 court case
Date: 15 Sep 2020
The government should guarantee that care workers are paid fairly, the UK's largest union has demanded.
Unison's statement comes on the heels of a legal victory it helped win for homecare workers in north London.
General secretary Dave Prentis said: "It's time the skills and experience of care staff were respected instead of them being underpaid and undervalued."
A government spokesperson said it was "clear" that care workers must be paid at least the national minimum wage.
- Ban on evictions of commercial property tenants set to be extended
Date: 15 Sep 2020
The Government is said to be preparing to extend coronavirus measures preventing restaurateurs and retailers from being evicted from their premises by landlords until the end of the year. Officials are reported to be examining how to prolong the existing ban on evictions of commercial property tenants by landlords from its current expiry date of September 30.
- Peterborough seeks financial rescue package
Date: 15 Sep 2020
Peterborough City Council is in talks with the Government over plans to rescue its finances.
The authority is seeking permission for a repayment holiday on its borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) and has proposed delaying paying into its pensions fund.
- Government urged to ‘adopt own state aid system’
Date: 15 Sep 2020
The UK government should look to create its own state aid system after the Brexit transitional agreement ends, according to the Institute for Government.
A report from the think-tank has suggested a strong system of domestic subsidy control would help direct funds towards effective subsidies and prevent harmful exploitation of subsidies.
Under the Northern Ireland Protocol, which outlines customs arrangements post-Brexit, European Union state aid rules were set to apply in certain cases affecting trade between Northern Ireland and the EU However, the Internal Market Bill, published recently, will give UK ministers powers to “disapply or modify” sections of the Protocol, including the state aid agreement.
- Young people hit as unemployment rate rises
Date: 15 Sep 2020
The UK unemployment rate has risen to its highest level for two years, official figures show. The unemployment rate grew to 4.1% in the three months to July, compared with 3.9% previously.
Young people were particularly hard hit, with those aged 16 to 24 suffering the biggest drop in employment compared with other age groups. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said "helping people get back into, or finding new work" was his "number one priority".
- Labour councillors press Boris Johnson to extend coronavirus furlough scheme
Date: 15 Sep 2020
Some 1,150 Labour councillors have written to the Prime Minister urging him to rethink plans to scrap the furlough scheme next month and target support at the worst-hit industries to prevent mass unemployment. It comes as latest figures from the ONS show that around 695,000 workers have been removed from the payrolls of British companies since the coronavirus lockdown began in March. Cllr Michael Payne, deputy leader of the LGA’s Labour Group, said: “Without targeted support for sectors and local lockdown areas that have been badly affected by the pandemic, we know that viable businesses will fail and employment will be lost.”
- Coronavirus: Testing problems to be solved in weeks, says Hancock
Date: 15 Sep 2020
The Government will publish details of its plan to prioritise coronavirus tests in the next few days, with the testing system facing an "enormous challenge" after a "sharp rise" in those seeking a test, the Health and Social Care Secretary has said. Matt Hancock said that testing “will be solved in a matter of weeks” and that hospitals and care homes will be prioritised. Separately, an NHS email reveals that private laboratories were unable to process all COVID-19 tests which they received throughout the height of the pandemic.
- Covid marshals unlikely to be coming to a street near you: Councils refuse to adopt scheme without funding, analysis reveals
Date: 15 Sep 2020
The majority of local councils said they had no plans to enact a COVID marshal scheme and would not consider it without extra funding, according to analysis by the Telegraph. It comes after the Prime Minister announced last week that marshals would be introduced in towns and city centres to help enforce the new “rule of six” social distancing law and could either be volunteers or members of council staff.
- Government urged to extend eviction ban to avoid ‘cliff-edge’ for renters
Date: 15 Sep 2020
Labour is demanding the government perform an eleventh-hour U-turn and extend the eviction moratorium until they have a “credible” plan to ensure people do not lose their homes as a result of the pandemic.
With just six days remaining until courts can once again begin procession proceedings, shadow housing secretary Thangam Debbonaire warned of a “cliff-edge” facing thousands in the rental sector.
Her comments came after Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, announced a brief extension to the reprieve on evictions until 20 September, following intense pressure from homelessness charities and opposition parties.
- School figures show 88% of pupils were back for start of term
Date: 15 Sep 2020
The first official figures for school attendance in England for the autumn term show 88% of pupils went back.
This is a higher absence rate than the usual figure of about 5% but it is not broken down to show whether pupils were at home because of Covid outbreaks.
The figures show attendance last Thursday, based on responses from almost three quarters of state schools.
- Coronavirus: 86% of doctors in England expect second wave within six months
Date: 14 Sep 2020
Almost 86% of doctors in England say they expect a second peak of coronavirus in the next six months, according to a new survey, as concern continues to grow over a recent rise in cases.
On Friday, new results from a population-based study suggested the R number for England is now at 1.7, with infections doubling every 7.7 days. While the prevalence of the disease remains lower than it was in the spring, an R value above 1 means cases could grow exponentially.
Sunday marked the third day in a row that new coronaviruses cases reported for the UK topped 3,000 – the highest figures since May – with 2,837 new cases reported in England alone. While testing has increased over the past months, experts have said this does not fully explain the recent surge.
- Coronavirus: 'Rule of six' comes into effect
Date: 14 Sep 2020
Restrictions banning social gatherings of more than six people are now in effect, as Covid-19 cases keep rising.
The "rule of six" applies both indoors and outdoors in England and Scotland, and indoors only in Wales. England's restrictions affect everyone, but children under 11 in Wales and under 12 in Scotland are exempt.
Crime Minister Kit Malthouse said people should report neighbours they suspect of hosting a gathering of seven or more people. But some Tory MPs have urged No 10 to exempt young children in England and called for a debate over the rules.
- Local authority peer borrowing continues to rise as rates drop
Date: 14 Sep 2020
Local-authority-to-local-authority borrowing continues to rise, as short-term borrowing rates dropped to 0% last week, according to local government treasury advisors Arlingclose.
Arlingclose told PF that the ‘LA-to-LA’ market is “flush with cash”, as overall investment levels topped £50bn on the firms trading platform in June – with more offers to lend than bids to borrow.
Latest figures from the Ministry for Housing Communities and Local Government suggest that borrowing between local authorities was £13.5bn for the quarter to June.
- Leaked figures reveal scale of coronavirus test shortage
Date: 13 Sep 2020
A huge backlog has forced Britain to send swabs abroad, casting doubt on its capacity to test as many people as it claimed
The government’s “world-beating” testing programme has a backlog of 185,000 swabs and is so overstretched that it is sending tests to laboratories in Italy and Germany, according to leaked documents.
A Department of Health and Social Care report marked “Official: sensitive” also confirms that most British laboratories are clearing fewer tests than their stated capacity, as they are hit by “chaos” in supply chains. The government claims that it has capacity for 375,000 tests a day. However, the actual number of people being tested for the coronavirus stalled to just 437,000 people a week at the start of the month — equivalent to just 62,000 a day.
- Coronavirus: Another 3,497 cases confirmed in the UK over 24 hours
Date: 13 Sep 2020
Another 3,497 people have tested positive for coronavirus in the UK, government figures show. The number of new cases is a 36% increase on last Saturday, when 2,594 new infections were confirmed nationwide.
A further nine people have died within 28 days of returning a positive test - all of them in England. This brings the total number of people who have died from COVID-19 in the UK to 41,623, the official figures show.
- Nationwide curfew 'obvious next step if new coronavirus restrictions fail'
Date: 13 Sep 2020
A national curfew would be an “obvious next step” if new lockdown rules do not reverse the current increase in coronavirus cases, ministers believe. The measure of closing pubs and restaurants in local lockdown areas at 10pm could be rolled out more widely amid fears people tend not to follow social distancing rules when they consume more alcohol.
- Government to prioritise care home testing in coronavirus risk areas
Date: 13 Sep 2020
The Telegraph understands that the Government will prioritise coronavirus tests for care homes in at-risk areas. It follows the Department of Health and Social Care revealing that swabs were being sent to Germany and Italy for testing because UK labs have become overwhelmed.
- Coronavirus: Concerns over increase in COVID-19 cases in care homes
Date: 13 Sep 2020
Fears are growing over the COVID-19 threat in care homes as a report claims there have been outbreaks detected at 43 facilities. The government has sent a letter to care providers warning them to "take the necessary action to prevent and limit outbreaks".
The letter, from Stuart Miller, director of adult social care delivery at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), said: "You will know already that we are experiencing a rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases, across the UK population. "I need to alert you to the first signs this rise is being reflected in care homes too.
- At least a dozen schools have sent home hundreds of pupils in the last week after just one pupil tested positive for Covid
Date: 13 Sep 2020
School leaders are forcing hundreds of pupils to isolate at home for two weeks after just one child tests positive for coronavirus.
Whole year groups are being sent home amid major confusion among teachers and local public health officials over the Government's official guidance for schools.
Current guidance to schools states: 'Maintaining distinct groups or 'bubbles' that do not mix makes it quicker and easier in the event of a positive case to identify those who may need to self-isolate and keep that number as small as possible.'
- Millions at greatest risk from coronavirus may be told to stay at home again
Date: 12 Sep 2020
The Telegraph reports that up to 4.5 million people considered at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 will be asked to stay at home or given tailored advice on protecting themselves if cases of the virus return to dangerous levels. A nationwide alert was sent to care providers and councils on Friday night from the Department of Health and Social Care, urging bosses to “take necessary action to prevent and limit outbreaks”, following cases spreading through care homes again.
- Thousands of people helped during pandemic but problem remains
Date: 11 Sep 2020
The Salvation Army is warning that homelessness and rough sleeping will "soar" if the government fails to properly fund homeless support services in this autumn's Comprehensive Spending Review. The charity wants more investment in a long-term solution.
Despite the recent government scheme, figures from the Greater London Authority have shown a 33% increase in rough sleeping in the capital alone compared with the same period last year, with almost two-thirds (63%) of people sleeping rough for the first time.
Jon Sparkes, chief executive of Crisis, said: "As winter approaches, we cannot see people forced back out onto the streets.
- Councils warned of commercial property ‘disaster’
Date: 11 Sep 2020
A multibillion-pound bet on commercial property by local authorities in England could be a “disaster waiting to happen”, a pressure group has warned.
Income from retail and office investments was millions of pounds below the forecasts of some local authorities before the pandemic, according to the Taxpayers’ Alliance.
The Covid-19 downturn, combined with an increase in home working during lockdown, is expected to result in a fall in rents from commercial property, which has been the subject of a £6.6 billion spending spree by councils in the past three years.
- Furlough 'must be extended' to avoid mass unemployment, say MPs
Date: 11 Sep 2020
The UK government should consider a targeted extension of its furlough scheme, MPs have said. The coronavirus crisis risks mass long-term unemployment and viable firms could go under without support, the Treasury Select Committee has warned.
However, a blanket retention of the scheme would not be good value for money, it added.
The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme is due to end on 31 October. Under it, workers placed on leave have received 80% of their pay up to a maximum of £2,500 a month.
- Sunak gives himself option of postponing autumn Budget
Date: 11 Sep 2020
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak raised the likelihood of delaying an autumn Budget on Friday by requesting the production of official economic forecasts without committing to announcing any tax or spending plans.
The Treasury said Mr Sunak’s instruction to the Office for Budget Responsibility, the fiscal watchdog, to prepare forecasts for mid-to-late November was deliberately vague in the current uncertain economic circumstances to give ministers the option to delay the annual Budget.
The move signals that the chancellor is not keen to commit now to spending plans and tax proposals for the rest of the parliament when coronavirus cases are on the rise and the medium-term economic outlook is almost impossible to determine.
In an unusual written statement to the House of Commons, Mr Sunak asked the OBR “to prepare an economic and fiscal forecast to be published in mid-to-late November” without setting a Budget date.
- UK GDP climbs by 6.6% in July
Date: 11 Sep 2020
The UK economy continued its recovery in July as GDP rose by 6.6% month-on-month, the third consecutive month of growth following April’s record GDP fall of 20%, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Despite the period of growth, the ONS said GDP is still 11.7% below the pre- Covid-19 levels seen in February.
July’s rise in GDP was in part down to the reopening of pubs, restaurants and accommodation as output grew by 140.8% during the month, as lockdown measures were eased, the ONS said.
- Imposing tax increases too early could ‘stifle economy recovery’
Date: 11 Sep 2020
Imposing tax increases too early could “stifle” the UK’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, a report from the Treasury Select Committee has warned.
The conclusion featured in the committee’s second report into the economic impact of the pandemic on government finances, released today, which said that fiscal consolidation would only be required after the UK’s economy has recovered.
In evidence given to the committee, financial experts and former chancellor’s Philip Hammond and Alistair Darling warned against early tax rises. Hammond told the committee: “There would not be anybody seriously advocating increases in taxes at the moment”.
- The road to madness: How eco-obsessed councils - under cover of Covid - have spent millions of YOUR money to shut roads across Britain
Date: 11 Sep 2020
The Mail looks at how councils have introduced traffic measures, by closing roads and widening pavements to enable social distancing, using the £250 million made available to local authorities by the Department for Transport.
- Cornwall, Devon and Dorset could get combined authority with extra powers under ‘regional partnership’ plan
Date: 11 Sep 2020
Boris Johnson’s plans to ‘level-up’ the nation could lead to a new single authority for the South West of England with policy making powers in areas such as education, health, energy infrastructure and transport.
The Government’s White Paper on Devolution and Local Recovery, which is due to be published within weeks, will make reference to “regional partnerships” and herald the creation of formally recognised regional partnerships supported by the Government investment.
The Great South West group, an economic alliance that claims to have the support of the Prime Minister, believes the region should be given the same status as the Northern Powerhouse.
- Catherine Staite: There has never been a worse time for reorganisation
Date: 11 Sep 2020
The emeritus professor at the University of Birmingham's Institute for Local Government, argues local government has bigger problems than its structure
The Henham Strategy report, commissioned by the County Councils’ Network (CCN), which argues in favour of the abolition of 188 district councils and reunification of counties divided into two unitaries, to create 27 additional unitary counties, is only the latest episode in a long running saga. The last major reorganisation in 2009 was itself only one iteration of piecemeal restructuring which has resulted in an historical accretion of a variety of local government types and geographies. This has certainly left us with a very confusing picture – but does it really matter?
Embarking on local government reorganisation, during a pandemic, at a time when local government is vastly overstretched in terms of finances and capacity is akin to tidying your sock drawer when the house is in a state of chaos. It may briefly distract from the real problems but it will do nothing to solve them.
- Social care collapse warning as Cavendish review nears completion
Date: 11 Sep 2020
Social care providers will collapse this winter if the government does not renew its funding to councils to pay for infection control, the president of the Association of Adult Social Services (Adass) has warned.
The Infection Control Fund, a £600 million package announced in May to tackle the spread of Covid-19 in care homes, runs out at the end of September. James Bullion told LGC that if it is not made available over the winter, many providers are at risk of going bust.
In an interview with LGC, Mr Bullion also highlighted his concerns that vulnerable disabled people are at grave risk in a second wave, and warned the government that not pressing ahead with social care reform would be a “betrayal to the public and their experience of Covid”.
- District councils must not be swallowed by faceless monoliths [opinion]
Date: 10 Sep 2020
n June 2016 voters delivered a message to us all. They want to shape their own destiny and take back control. They don’t want power and influence hoovered up by large, remote, inaccessible bureaucracies miles away from their homes and aspirations.
Councils in England are already the largest in the western world. Proposals from county councils to concentrate local accountability in only 25 councils outside London would make them even bigger.
Further centralisation of power and influence is not the answer to delivering on the doorstep in market towns, cathedral cities and coastal communities. Further amplifying the democratic deficit in the countryside compared with the cities does not provide a compelling case for change.
- police get tough with coronavirus rulebreakers
Date: 10 Sep 2020
Boris Johnson said that it “breaks my heart” to introduce new restrictions on people meeting their grandchildren as he announced strict new measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
The prime minister held his first Downing Street press conference since July yesterday to tighten the restrictions and set out plans for tougher enforcement of them.
Ministers fear that Britain is four weeks behind France and Spain, which have experienced an exponential rise in infections, and say that by acting now they might curb the spread.
- No rise in workers in UK city centres despite back-to-office plea
Date: 10 Sep 2020
The number of people going back to work in offices has flatlined in the past two months despite the government push to get more workers into cities to protect Britain’s biggest urban economies from collapse.
According to analysis of mobile phone tracking data by the Centre for Cities thinktank, worker footfall across 63 of the UK’s largest town and city centres was just 17% of pre-lockdown levels at the end of June, remained at 17% at the start of August and was still at 17% in the last full week of the month.
Worker footfall was down most in Oxford, Leeds and London. Numbers had risen most in smaller cities and large towns such as Mansfield, Basildon and Newport but still remained less than half the normal levels.
- Councils say they have no idea how they can pay for Boris Johnson's "Covid Marshals"
Date: 10 Sep 2020
Boris Johnson’s new “Covid-19 marshals” plan has been met with fury by cash-strapped councils who say they have no idea how to pay for them.
The new marshals are expected to patrol city and town centres to make sure people don’t break the rule banning more than six people gathering in England.
Nick Forbes, the leader of Labour-run Newcastle City Council, said he had zero notice of the proposal until it was announced by Johnson at his press conference on Wednesday.
- Reprieve for renters facing eviction in England and Wales
Date: 10 Sep 2020
Renters facing eviction have been offered a reprieve – but only if they live in areas under local coronavirus lockdowns.
Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, confirmed that court proceedings for evictions would restart in England and Wales on 21 September after being suspended early in the pandemic.
But he said that if an area was in a local lockdown that included a restriction on gathering in homes, evictions would not be enforced by bailiffs.
- WHO: Local Restrictions should be Decided Locally
Date: 10 Sep 2020
Decisions on local coronavirus restrictions should be made locally, a top World Health Organisation official has urged.
The comments from Dr David Nabarro, one of the UN health agency's six special envoys on Covid-19, came after health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, confirmed lockdown restrictions will remain in place in Bolton and Trafford following a request from council leaders amid a rise in infection.
(for more see MJ page 3).
- No funding for PM’s Covid marshals
Date: 10 Sep 2020
Councils will not receive additional funding for the “Covid secure marshals” announced by the prime minster yesterday, government has confirmed to LGC. At the first Covid-19 televised press conference since July, which took place yesterday afternoon, Boris Johnson said government would “boost the enforcement capacity…
- local authorities in England demand more control
Date: 09 Sep 2020
Local public health leaders in England are demanding greater control over the Covid-19 testing system after circulating a list of complaints about the way it is running and accusing ministers of giving mixed messages about tests’ availability.
The complaints, seen by the Guardian, have been prompted by fears that a capacity shortage is hindering attempts to quell local outbreaks.
The directors of public health want local testing units to be dedicated to local people rather than being made available nationally, in some cases to people who live hundreds of miles away.
- Government must ban councils placing vulnerable under-18s in unregulated homes
Date: 09 Sep 2020
The Government must ban councils from placing all vulnerable children in unregulated accommodation amid concerns over sexual and criminal exploitation, the Children’s Commissioner for England has said.
Anne Longfield called for a change in the law to stop local authorities placing under-18s in care in bedsits, hostels and caravans, as she warned that young people can become victims of abuse in these settings.
The plea came as a report from the Children’s Commissioner’s Office suggested that thousands of children in care – around 12,800 a year – live in unregulated independent or semi-independent accommodation.
- Sector responds to Redmond Review
Date: 09 Sep 2020
One of the main recommendations of the Redmond Review was the implementation of a new local authority audit oversight body.
The body could take charge of procuring local audit contracts, producing annual reports and summarising the state of local audit.
Effective external audit and clear and transparent financial reporting are vital and councils take them extremely seriously. "This report rightly recognises that current audit arrangements are not working as well as they should and provides some helpful recommendations to try and improve them.
- £11.5bn to help first-time buyers ‘will push out people who rent’
Date: 08 Sep 2020
The housing secretary pledged £11.5 billion today to build up to 180,000 discounted homes over the next five years to help first-time buyers onto the property ladder.
Half will be available to buy using affordable home ownership schemes from 2021. The rest will be discounted or social rentals, which are typically 50 to 60 per cent cheaper than renting privately.
The funding, which was announced in the chancellor’s last budget, is part of Homes England affordable house-building programme that is intended to address falling levels of home ownership.
- UK chief negotiator calls for 'realism' from EU
Date: 08 Sep 2020
The UK's chief Brexit negotiator has called for "realism" from the EU ahead of the next round of trade talks beginning in London.
Lord Frost said there was "still time" for the two sides to agree a post-Brexit trade deal for next year. But he said the EU needed to recognise the UK's negotiating position came from that of a "sovereign state".
His words follow a pledge from Boris Johnson to walk away from the talks if a deal isn't done by 15 October. The exchange also comes after No 10 revealed it would be introducing new legislation on customs rules in Northern Ireland, in case the negotiations fail.
- GPs recorded three times more suspected cases of COVID-19 than official figures
Date: 08 Sep 2020
Suspected cases of COVID-19 recorded by GPs at the height of the pandemic were three times higher than officially confirmed infections, according to new research.
The study suggests that coronavirus was more prevalent among the population than previously thought. Many people who contracted COVID-19, including those with mild symptoms, will not have been tested, lead author Dr Sally Hull said.
Between 14 February and 30 April, GPs recorded 8,985 suspected cases, triple the number of people found positive at test centres over the same period.
- 300,000 redundancies planned in June and July
Date: 08 Sep 2020
British employers planned more than 300,000 redundancies in June and July, as the coronavirus outbreak took its toll on the workplace.
1,784 firms made plans to cut nearly 150,000 jobs in July, almost a sevenfold increase on July 2019. The figures were obtained by a BBC Freedom of Information request.
In June 1,888 employers filed plans for 156,000 job cuts, a sixfold increase on the previous year. The coronavirus lockdown and the resulting record-breaking economic downturn closed restaurants and shops and brought travel to a standstill, forcing many firms to cut staff.
- Devo minister Simon Clarke quits
Date: 08 Sep 2020
Local government minister Simon Clarke has resigned from the government, he has announced.
The minister – regarded as the key figure in the drafting of the devolution and recovery white paper – revealed this afternoon he had resigned “for purely personal reasons”.
- City appoints interim chief
Date: 07 Sep 2020
Andrew Grant, who was chief executive at Aylesbury Vale DC from 2006 until its abolition in 2019 as part of the Buckinghamshire reorganisation, will join the council on 1 October.
He takes over from Antoinette Jackson who announced in January she intended to leave the council in June but agreed to stay on until the end of September to lead the city through the coronavirus crisis.
Mr Grant originally qualified in forestry, then in housing and was a director of housing at Sedgemoor DC and deputy chief executive at Cotswold DC.
- Boris Johnson's new homes scheme 'will harm Tory pledge to level up UK'
Date: 06 Sep 2020
Boris Johnson is facing fresh warnings that his planning overhaul risks denting his commitment to “level up” the country amid mounting Tory anxiety over the proposals.
Conservative MPs have raised concerns directly with the prime minister about planning reforms designed to push through the construction of more than 300,000 houses a year. MPs have focused on the model used to allocate new housing targets for each area, with Tories warning it would lead to houses being built in their shire heartlands rather than the metropolitan centres.
However, there are new warnings that other parts of the plan could end up hurting the government’s central election pledge to “level up” more deprived parts of the country, where the Tories found new supporters at the last election.
- Let councils get back to the business of building schools
Date: 06 Sep 2020
Over the next few years, a marked shortage in secondary school places is forecast to emerge. As a result, thousands of unhappy parents may once again find out just what a challenging job teaching children is.
Figures from the Local Government Association (LGA) show that 11 council areas won’t have enough places to meet the expected demand when it comes to the 2021-22 intake. A projected 3,291 pupils look set to be left high and dry.
It rises to 16,987 within a year, and then to 44,190 the year after that. By 2024-25 it will hit 63,741, and then 77,085, the population of a large town or a small city, at which time one in every three local areas will be affected.
- Care-home plague of loneliness is breaching loved ones’ human rights
Date: 06 Sep 2020
Care homes need protection from being sued by the bereaved families of residents who catch the coronavirus from visitors, experts have warned.
They fear that, without this safeguard and delivery of the government’s promise of regular coronavirus testing in care homes, the widespread isolation of residents will continue. Some care homes are allowing short visits, but in others elderly residents have gone six months without seeing their relatives face to face, fuelling loneliness.
The government is under increasing pressure to extend the indemnity that protects the NHS to the social care sector: some providers say they are unable to allow family visits for fear these will be blamed if the virus spreads.
- Council-owned energy company to close
Date: 06 Sep 2020
The council confirmed the move as it reached agreement with British Gas owner Centrica for the transfer of its 112,000 residential customers and its 2,600 business customers. A fee for the acquisition by Centrica has not been disclosed.
A report from external auditor Grant Thornton said in July that Robin Hood Energy’s losses had risen to £23.1m last year, following a £1.6m loss the year before.
David Mellen, Leader of the council, said: “The review we have been carrying out over the last six months has been comprehensive and considered a range of options for the future of Robin Hood Energy.
- 60% of population living with air pollution above legal limits
Date: 06 Sep 2020
Almost 60 per cent of people in England are living in areas where levels of toxic air pollution exceeded legal limits last year, analysis of official figures has revealed.
Legal limits for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – a toxic gas that inflames airways in the human respiratory system – were broken in 142 local authorities in 2019, potentially affecting as many as 33 million people in total.
This includes groups particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, including 7 million children and 5.5 million people over 65 years old. The latter group is now at additional risk because of the coronavirus.
- Urgent action needed to open up care homes for visits, ministers told
Date: 06 Sep 2020
The Labour party and charities have called on ministers to take urgent action to help care homes in England receive more visitors, amid widespread warnings that isolation because of coronavirus is causing many residents to deteriorate rapidly.
The shadow social care minister, Liz Kendall, said the government should introduce more testing and protective equipment, while a charity that represents care residents and their families called for a wider re-evaluation of visiting rules to take into account the impact of separation from loved ones.
“We need a better balance between protecting people from the virus and protecting their wellbeing and thinking about what makes a good life,” said Helen Wildbore, the director of the Relatives and Residents Association. “People don’t just want to survive, they want to live.”
- Thousands of EU-born 'heroes' could be deported without government action, MPs warn
Date: 06 Sep 2020
Thousands of EU citizens - including coronavirus "heroes and heroines" - face deportation unless the government gives them an automatic right to remain in the UK, opposition MPs have warned.
The politicians say they are "extremely concerned" many of those born in the EU but now residing in the UK could "fall through the cracks" of the scheme they must apply to for permission to stay now Brexit has happened.
Under the current process, EU citizens must apply for "settled status" to remain living and working in the UK after 30 June 2021, given freedom of movement will end at the beginning of next year.
- Covid-19 ‘could be endemic in deprived parts of England’
Date: 05 Sep 2020
Covid-19 could now be endemic in some parts of the country that combine severe deprivation, poor housing and large BAME communities, according to a highly confidential analysis by Public Health England.
The document, leaked to the Observer, and marked “official sensitive”, suggests the national lockdown in these parts of the north of England had little effect in reducing the level of infections, and that in such communities it is now firmly established.
The analysis, prepared for local government leaders and health experts, relates specifically to the north-west, where several local lockdowns have recently been put in place following spikes in numbers.
- London could avoid parts of planning law
Date: 05 Sep 2020
Boris Johnson has suggested to Tory MPs that London could be given a partial exemption from new planning laws as he seeks to placate opponents.
The prime minister is understood to have said that the city could be offered a “carve-out” from some measures after warnings that the reforms risked “destroying suburbia”.
Mr Johnson had suggested the capital could be exempted from the new measures that will allow people to build two-storey extensions without full planning permission.
- Civil servants 'must get back to offices quickly'
Date: 05 Sep 2020
In a letter seen by the BBC, it says it is "strongly encouraging" attendance through rota systems, arguing this would be "hugely beneficial".
The government says it wants 80% of civil servants to be able to attend their usual workplace at least once a week by the end of the month.
They said most civil servants should expect to keep working from home until the end of the year, and they would consider strike action if staff were forced to return when it was unsafe.
- Vulnerable children 'at risk' as councils cut services in Covid crisis
Date: 04 Sep 2020
Vulnerable children are facing a dangerous reduction in support as councils axe services in an attempt to fill a multibillion-pound black hole left by the Covid crisis, Labour has warned.
Town halls across England, including Luton, Oxfordshire and Croydon, have tabled emergency budgets involving cuts to spending on children and young people, sparking warnings that unless ministers add to the £3.7bn in emergency coronavirus funding so far provided to councils, children will suffer.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has calculated that soaring costs and slumping income will result in a £2bn deficit for councils this year. Luton council, which is proposing to cut £3.2m from its children and families budget, said Covid-19 had had a “catastrophic impact” on its finances, not least with income from its airport company plummeting.
- Pupils with special needs 'forgotten' as English schools reopen
Date: 04 Sep 2020
Pupils at special schools in England have been “forgotten about” in the rush to restart full-time education, with 20,000 children with special needs unlikely to return to school because of safety concerns, according to a study.
Parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) said they were concerned about sending their children back to school in September because their children were medically vulnerable or because their child’s needs mean they cannot adhere to social distancing and safe practice.
Headteachers at more than 200 schools and colleges in England told researchers the government’s guidance had been unclear and showed a lack of understanding of how special schools work, the types of pupils they support, and how much they rely on other key services including healthcare and local charities.
- 'Significant gaps' in UK's border plans
Date: 04 Sep 2020
Haulage firms are warning of "significant gaps" in UK border plans for the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December. Eight groups warned ministers that if issues were not addressed, the supply chain "will be severely disrupted".
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government will work to ensure the "best systems are in place". The government has also given itself powers to build temporary lorry parks in England without local approval.
If a deal is not agreed and ratified by parliaments by the end of the year, the UK will go into 2021 trading with the bloc on World Trade Organization rules - which critics fear could damage the economy and cause issues at the border.
- More than 400 care home residents were dying a day at peak of pandemic, data shows
Date: 04 Sep 2020
In just one week in April, there were more than 3,000 coronavirus-related care home deaths in the UK, according to findings by the PA news agency. Deaths rose by 500% between the 1 and 17 April of the month, when almost 500 residents died with COVID-19 across the UK.
It comes at a time when testing for all staff and residents, regardless of any symptoms, was not in place, and providers had not yet been told to restrict the movements of staff between venues.
Carl Heneghan, professor of evidence-based medicine at the University of Oxford, believes that staff movement could have been of "huge" significance in allowing the infection to spread.
- Coronavirus tests run out in north-east England as cases surge
Date: 04 Sep 2020
Coronavirus tests are running out in parts of north-east England despite cases rising to the highest level in months, political leaders have said amid growing concern over the government’s rationing of tests.
Health officials in Gateshead said tests were running out within two hours of becoming available, by 10am “at the very latest”, despite a recent surge in cases meaning the area has one of the highest infection rates in England.
The Guardian understands that Gateshead’s Queen Elizabeth hospital ran out of chemical reagents for swab tests on Wednesday night and was unable to get a new batch until Friday afternoon. The hospital was only able to continue testing patients when other NHS laboratories stepped in to help.
- Charity seeks judicial review on care home visit guidance
Date: 03 Sep 2020
A dementia charity is seeking a judicial review of the government guidance on care home visits.
John's Campaign says many care homes in England are still refusing regular face-to-face visits, often essential for people with severe dementia. Dr Angela McIntyre, a retired doctor backing the campaign, has not seen her 92-year-old mother since March.
A Department of Health spokesman said: "We know limiting visits in care homes has been difficult for many families." He added: "Our first priority is to prevent infections in care homes, and this means that visiting policy should still be restricted with alternatives sought wherever possible.
- Burnham and Leese question new role for MPs in agreeing Covid restrictions
Date: 03 Sep 2020
The mayor of Greater Manchester CA has warned that it should be council leaders, not national politicians in the driving seat when it comes to making decisions on targeted covid measures, as he accused some MPs of attempting to "politicise" restrictive measures in the region.
Andy Burnham (Lab) also warned that the restrictions in place in eight of the ten boroughs of Greater Manchester are becoming “less and less effective” and an “exit model” now needs to be planned, amid concerns from his deputy mayor for policing that Covid restrictions were becoming "increasingly challenging" for police and councils to enforce.
- Councils welcome decision not to ease restrictions in Trafford and Bolton
Date: 03 Sep 2020
Lockdown restrictions will remain in place in Bolton and Trafford following a request from council leaders.
Health and social care secretary, Matt Hancock, has confirmed both areas will remain under existing coronavirus restrictions following a rise in infection rates.
Mr Hancock said: 'This decision has been made in collaboration with local leaders after reviewing the latest data. We continually monitor outbreaks across the country, and have seen infection rates increase more than three times in Bolton in under a week, and double in Trafford since the last review.'
- PWLB borrowing dropped in August
Date: 03 Sep 2020
The figure is the lowest of the financial year to date, and also the lowest sum borrowed from the board since January, when £108m was borrowed, according to statistics from the Debt Management Office.
Transport for London was responsible for the majority of the last month’s borrowing, taking out a loan of £84m as part of its £1.6bn bailout agreed with the government in May.
Discounting the capital’s transport body, councils borrowed just £31.6m from the PWLB last month – although that figure represented an increase on the previous month, when £19.2m was borrowed. It was 25% less than the £41.6m borrowed in June.
- Government urged not to merge English district councils
Date: 02 Sep 2020
Merging some district and county councils in England risks "alienating" communities, the District Councils Network has warned.
It is urging ministers not to implement proposals from the County Councils Network to scrap 213 smaller councils and replace them with 25 larger bodies.
The county councils say their plan could save almost £3bn over five years.
- Health leaders warn Boris Johnson over axing of Public Health England
Date: 02 Sep 2020
The abolition of Public Health England will damage the fight against obesity, smoking and alcohol misuse, the UK’s doctors and public health experts have told the prime minister.
More than 70 health organisations have written to Boris Johnson outlining their fears about last month’s controversial axing of PHE, which prompted claims it was an attempt by ministers to deflect attention from their own failings over the coronavirus crisis.
Signatories include the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, which represents the UK’s 240,000 doctors, the UK Faculty of Public Health and the Richmond Group of health and care charities.
- Cabinet minister calls for tax cuts
Date: 02 Sep 2020
Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey has suggested the cutting of taxes could help stimulate the economy post-Covid-19.
Reports over the weekend suggested that chancellor Rishi Sunak is exploring tax rises in his upcoming Budget, with the Sunday Times saying he is considering a rise in corporation tax from 19% to 24% – at a cost to businesses of £12bn.
Coffey said: “In the past, when we have actually cut tax rates, we have seen taxes increase. Tax rates are a very dynamic situation, and we need to make sure the chancellor has the best opportunities when he announces to the country.
- Covid grants boost local authority balances
Date: 02 Sep 2020
Data released by MHCLG recently, provides another useful insight on borrowing and lending trends within the local authority treasury management arena. The quarterly borrowing and investment tables released by central government provides individual data for all English, Scottish and Welsh authorities, but also provides useful summary tables and trends.
The latest data on borrowing shows a fairly steady position compared with recent quarters, with an increase in net borrowing from the PWLB of just £82m in the quarter to the end of June 2020.
Total borrowing from the PWLB stood at £85.752bn. Total borrowing from all sources by authorities fell £363m to £126.495bn, driven by a reduction of £725m in short-term borrowing from local government, which is not unusual for the first quarter of a new financial year.
- Gap between rich and poor pupils in England 'grows by 46% in a year'
Date: 01 Sep 2020
Urgent support must be targeted at disadvantaged pupils and schools in areas of high deprivation, researchers have said, as figures reveal the gap in England between some pupils and their wealthier peers widened by 46% in the school year severely disrupted by the coronavirus lockdown.
As the school year begins for most pupils in England and Wales, the authoritative study by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), based on interviews with more than 3,000 teachers and heads at more than 2,000 schools, revealed that disadvantaged and black and minority ethnic (BAME) children had gone backwards compared with their better-off peers since March.
While the average learning lost was three months for all pupils, according to teachers, more than half of pupils at schools in the most deprived areas lost four months or more, compared with just 15% of those in the least deprived areas.
- Struggling schools must find cash for £216million bill to keep our kids safe
Date: 01 Sep 2020
Heads will have to pay the £216million cost of making schools safe for pupils to return this week. Staff fear they will have to raid cash meant for teaching.
One union boss said: “The Government should cover these costs.” Teachers’ leaders say that England’s 21,622 schools - already cash-strapped after a decade of austerity - are each spending an average £10,000 to prepare.
They have called on the Government to cover the costs - warning that the “short-sighted” decision means schools will be forced to use educational budgets to balance books.
- Met pauses recruitment after hitting target of 1,300 extra officers
Date: 01 Sep 2020
The force has recruited 1,369 officers this financial year, bringing the workforce to around 32,800 officers. It has now paused its recruitment until early 2021.
The number of officers retiring or resigning also slowed during the pandemic with the result that there were fewer vacancies to fill, it said.
The force also confirmed that 45 officers have returned to the force following the management appeal for ex-officers to rejoin to help police the pandemic in the capital.
- Police put on a 'show of strength' against Extinction Rebellion as fortnight of disruption begins
Date: 01 Sep 2020
Police put on a “show of strength” against Extinction Rebellion on Tuesday, arresting at least 90 protesters as officers contained a demonstration to Parliament Square.
Around 3,000 activists descended on Westminster on Tuesday morning where they formed a blockade - beating drums and waving flags - in front of traffic around parliament.
It was hoped the event would cause the maximum disruption possible on the first day MPs were due back in the House of Commons after the summer recess.
- The feel good factor
Date: 01 Sep 2020
TeamPolice is a new joint-venture by Ethos and Police Sport UK. PSUK is in the process of becoming a registered charity and is the body responsible for supporting all sporting activities across the UK. It reaches a potential membership of over 300,000 serving police officers, police staff, retired officers and staff, and plays a major role in providing social and recreational activities for the membership.
This scheme is run by the police, for the police and the aim of this collaboration is to raise funds for PSUK. TeamPolice do this by offering a unique annual membership scheme, in which companies become sponsors to receive exclusive brand awareness opportunities. These funds then allow our police forces more opportunities to engage in sport and physical activity, in an effort to improve mental and physical wellbeing. Ethos have had previous success with a similar venture that worked to raise funds for TeamArmy. They focussed on raising funds for the british forces sport and managed to raise over £7million in net charitable donations. Ethos partnered with PSUK with the intention of replicating the success of TeamArmy with our UK police service.
- Government late to involve councils in coronavirus testing, report finds
Date: 01 Sep 2020
Central government was late to consider how councils could help ramp up coronavirus testing in the early days of the crisis, according to a new think-tank report.
The report by the Institute for Government said some of the early problems with testing were ‘down to a lack of local input, for instance from regional public health directors, on key decisions’.
It highlighted that the Government had ‘not made basic decisions about a test and trace programme, like whether it would run contact tracing at a local or national level’ before health secretary Matt Hancock laid out a plan in early April to carry out 100,000 coronavirus tests a day.
- Recycling rates lower in England's poorest areas
Date: 31 Aug 2020
Recycling rates for household waste are significantly lower in the most deprived areas of England, a Guardian analysis has found.
A breakdown of data from 303 local authorities in England has found that for 2018-19 85% of local authorities that are among the top 20% most deprived have household recycling rates below the overall average of 42%. By contrast, just one in five of the 20% least deprived areashave a below-average recycling rate.
Chaitanya Kumar, the head of environment and green transition at the New Economics Foundation, said the relationship between recycling rates and social deprivation was well established, but that the reasons were complex.
- Court ruling sets ‘major precedent’ for rights of foster care workers
Date: 31 Aug 2020
Some foster care workers could be entitled to employment rights for the first time after a landmark legal ruling.
Edinburgh Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled that carers Jimmy and Christine Johnstone should have been entitled classified as employees and so were entitled to sick pay, holiday pay, a guaranteed minimum wage and protections for whistleblowing.
After a long-running legal battle with Glasgow City Council, which began when the Johnstones raised serious safety concerns about a young person a number of years ago, a judge ruled that the couple’s arrangement to carry out care work amounted to a contract of employment.
- GB carbon emissions from electricity hit record low in lockdown – report
Date: 31 Aug 2020
Carbon emissions from Britain’s electricity system plunged by more than a third during the coronavirus lockdown after renewable energy played its largest ever role helping to keep the lights on, according to a report.
During the spring bank holiday weekend in May, the energy grid’s carbon intensity reached a record low of 21 grams of CO2 per kilowatt-hour due to a slump in energy demand triggered by Britain’s lockdown measures and a surge in renewable energy.
The quarterly report, undertaken by Imperial College London for Drax, one of the UK’s largest power generators, found that lockdown measures caused Britain’s electricity demand to fall by 13% in the second quarter, compared with the same months last year, which helped the share of renewables to grow by a third to 40% of the energy mix.
- Robert Jenrick backs housing algorithm as Tory MPs fear threat to suburbs
Date: 30 Aug 2020
Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, is standing by plans to bring an algorithm into the heart of a new planning system, but does not rule out “tweaking it” to soothe anger on the Conservative back benches about its potential impact on the suburbs.
This month Jenrick, 38, launched a plan to build more than 300,000 homes a year, giving councils compulsory targets and creating local zones in which development is automatically approved.
The plan will use an algorithm to produce targets for every area in England, based on its “relative affordability” and the extent of development locally.
- Homelessness among prison leavers ‘will rise as Covid support ends’
Date: 30 Aug 2020
Homelessness among prison leavers could increase sharply as additional support introduced by the UK government at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic is brought to an end, charities have warned.
From Monday, additional funding to support the provision of accommodation for all individuals released from prison in England and Wales at risk of homelessness will come to an end.
Figures released by the Ministry of Justice previously showed that 840 men, 89 women and 85 young adults aged 18 to 24 in England and Wales were released into rough sleeping or other forms of homelessness between 23 March, when the lockdown was imposed, and 30 April.
- £500billion cost of ghost town Britain: Staggering hit to economy in next four years if workers stay away from office, study finds
Date: 29 Aug 2020
Almost half a trillion pounds could be wiped off the UK economy over the next four years if workers fail to return to offices, analysis for The Mail on Sunday shows.
Douglas McWilliams, the former chief economic adviser to the Confederation of British Industry, warns that if home working continues in its current form the economy will not return to its pre-pandemic size until 2025. That would mean £480billion of lost output, or possibly more.
Home working has become controversial as firms such as PwC and Schroders unveil flexible working plans that would see most staff never return to the office full-time.
- Matt Hancock warns of extensive lockdowns
Date: 29 Aug 2020
England could face nationwide restrictions and very extensive local lockdowns in the event of a second wave of coronavirus this winter, the health secretary has warned.
Matt Hancock said that under a “reasonable worst-case scenario” Britain could find itself contending with a surge in coronavirus and a bad outbreak of seasonal flu as people spent more time indoors.
In an interview with The Times he said that a second wave of Covid-19 was “avoidable but it’s not easy” and that the return of children to schools next week presented challenges in stopping the spread.
- Single unitary authorities could save up to £3bn over five years
Date: 28 Aug 2020
Single unitary councils in England could deliver £3bn in savings over five years, according to a report commissioned by the County Council Network.
The report, compiled by advisory firm PwC said the cumulative transitional costs of creating a single unitary authority in each of the current 25 tier two authorities would be around £421m. However, this would be offset by national savings of up to £3bn over five years.
PwC said the savings could be generated by reducing duplication across front and back office functions and senior management, reductions in property costs and through the more effective management of supply chains.
- Officials and ministers urged to trust local experts to tackle Covid-19 outbreaks
Date: 27 Aug 2020
Whitehall officials and Government ministers were urged to trust council public health experts to tackle local Covid-19 outbreaks. Town hall leaders told a cross-party group of MPs and peers that experts on the ground knew their areas better than London-based chiefs.
Giving evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Coronavirus, the Local Government Association's Ian Hudspeth said: “Local is good.
“As we move into the next phase, the urge is to say to Government – 'Trust local councils to deliver, we are ready and able and know our areas. One size doesn't fit everybody. Give us some space and give us responsibility – and, of course, the funding'.”
- Tory critics force ministers to review planning formula
Date: 27 Aug 2020
Ministers are reviewing an algorithm at the centre of planning reforms after a backlash from Tory MPs.
Under the changes to planning laws, local discretion over the rate of housebuilding will be removed and central government will “distribute” an annual target, at present 337,000 a year, between local councils that will be required to designate enough land to meet the target.
Analysis by Lichfields, a planning consultancy, has suggested that outside London much of the new housing will be concentrated in Conservative local authority areas in the suburbs and the shires, rather than in town centres.
- Payment for people on low incomes who must self-isolate
Date: 27 Aug 2020
Workers on low incomes in parts of England where there are high rates of coronavirus will be able to claim up to £182 if they have to self-isolate.
From Tuesday, those who claim Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit and cannot work from home will be able to get the money - equal to £13 a day. The benefit will be trialled in parts of north-west England first.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the payment "goes nowhere near far enough", adding people need "full pay". Employed or self-employed people who test positive for the virus are required to isolate for 10 days, so those eligible for the extra money will get £130.
- LGPS funds to be given ability to review contribution rates
Date: 27 Aug 2020
Local Government Pensions Schemes will be given greater flexibility to review contributions rates under new proposals from the government following Covid-19.
The proposals were outlined in a partial government response to a consultation published, following representations from administering authorities and employers on how the pandemic has affected LGPS funds.
The government said the amendments to the regulations include allowing administering authorities to review the contributions of an employer if there have been changes to the employer’s liabilities.
- Test and trace success rate at record low after mystery glitch
Date: 27 Aug 2020
The proportion of infected Covid-19 patients successfully contacted by the government’s test and trace system has hit a record low, according to figures which also show that a mystery “infrastructure issue” has caused delays.
In the week ending July 22, 82.8 per cent of those who tested positive were reached by test and trace call handlers, but this proportion has now fallen for five consecutive weeks and stood at 72.6 per cent for the week commencing August 13.
It falls well below the 80 per cent threshold deemed necessary by scientists for the system to be effective. Of those who were contacted, only 69.7 per cent were reached within 24 hours.
- English city mayors say Covid rules keeping homeless off streets must be extended
Date: 26 Aug 2020
The Labour and Conservative mayors of Greater Manchester and the West Midlands respectively have called on the government to guarantee that everyone who is homeless gets temporary accommodation over the next 12 months, regardless of their immigration status.
In an interview with the homeless charity Crisis, Andy Burnham and Andy Street said the UK needed a reset of homelessness policy and emergency homelessness legislation should provide safe accommodation throughout the outbreak.
It comes as winter approaches and fears of a second wave of coronavirus have been raised. Figures show some 20,000 households in England have been made homeless during the pandemic despite a nationwide eviction ban, which is due to expire on 20 September.
- Primary pupils' learning gap widens for first time since 2007
Date: 26 Aug 2020
The learning gap between rich and poor primary age pupils in England has widened for the first time since 2007, analysis of government data suggests.
And figures for both primary and secondary education show progress in helping poorer pupils catch up has stalled overall.
The figures, from 2019, show the shift began even before the pandemic, says the Education Policy Institute.
- Ditch truancy fines, say doctors
Date: 26 Aug 2020
As the first pupils in England return to school, psychiatrists say truancy fines should be dropped amid a Covid-related spike in mental health issues.
More than 250 psychiatrists have written to the education secretary saying a forced return to school will hit pupils with anxiety hard.
Pupils in Leicestershire and Leicester are the first to return to regular school since schools shut in March.
Some of these areas were under local lockdown restrictions until recently.
- Scrap fines for school non-attendance in England, say psychiatrists
Date: 26 Aug 2020
Hundreds of psychiatrists have urged the government not to fine families for refusing to send their children to school in England, warning of anxiety if young people are asked to return to classrooms before they are ready.
In a letter to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, the chair of the faculty of child and adolescent psychiatry at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, Dr Bernadka Dubicka, said: “The threat of fines could force parents of children who feel anxious to send them back to school, even if they’re not ready.
“This could have serious consequences on their mental health, especially if they are worried about family shielding. Fines could bring more financial stress on families as we’re entering a recession, severely affecting children’s and parents’ mental health.” The letter was signed by 250 child and adolescent psychiatrists.
- Warnings of 'ghost towns' if staff do not return to the office
Date: 26 Aug 2020
City centres could become "ghost towns" if the prime minister does not do more to encourage workers to go back to the office, the head of the CBI says.
Dame Carolyn Fairbairn said allowing staff to work from home had helped keep firms afloat during the pandemic. But as offices stood empty, thousands of local businesses that relied on the passing trade were suffering, she said.
In July, the government dropped its formal advice that people should work from home if possible. At the time, Boris Johnson told people to "start to go back to work now if you can".
- Heads want to know if masks allowed in school
Date: 25 Aug 2020
Head teachers have complained about a lack of clarity over the rules on whether teachers or pupils can wear face masks in schools in England. They want to know if they can override the official guidance which rejects the use of face coverings in school.
"The guidance is silent on what schools should do if staff or pupils want to wear face coverings," says Geoff Barton of the ASCL head teachers' union.
It comes as head teachers in England have written a letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, seen by the Guardian, accusing the government of failing to listen during the coronavirus crisis.
- Housebuilding algorithm unfair to towns and cities, Boris Johnson told
Date: 25 Aug 2020
Boris Johnson has been warned that an algorithm at the heart of his planning reforms is at risk of “levelling down” city and town centres.
Under the changes to planning laws, local discretion over the rate of housebuilding will be removed and central government will “distribute” an annual target, at present 337,000 a year, among local councils. They will then be required to designate enough land to meet the target.
Analysis by Lichfields, a planning consultancy, has suggested that outside London much of the new housing will be concentrated in Conservative local authority areas in the suburbs and the shires, rather than in town centres.
- Coronavirus: Birmingham council to get power to shut businesses
Date: 25 Aug 2020
A council will be given the power to close pubs and restaurants that do not follow Covid-19 rules.
Birmingham City Council will be allowed to take enforcement action against businesses that fail to comply - in a bid to drive infection rates down.
The city is on a government watch list after a spike in cases, but latest figures show numbers are falling.
- Boris Johnson says it is ‘vitally important’ to get children back to school
Date: 24 Aug 2020
Boris Johnson has sought to assure parents that the risk of children getting Covid-19 as they return to school is “very, very, very small”.
In a video posted on Twitter, the Prime Minister said: “It’s absolutely vital that pupils get back into school in September. “It’s vital for their education, it’s vital for their welfare, it’s vital for their physical, and indeed, their mental wellbeing. So let’s make sure that all kids, all pupils, get back to school at the beginning of September.”
Many pupils in England have not been to class since March when schools were closed except to look after vulnerable children and those of keyworkers.
- Care homes ‘ordered not to resuscitate’ as coronavirus pandemic took hold
Date: 24 Aug 2020
Care homes were asked to introduce blanket “do not resuscitate” orders for all residents at the height of the coronavirus pandemic, it has been claimed.
The Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI), a charity promoting community nursing, found that one in ten care homes were ordered to introduce the measure without discussion with staff, family members or the residents. It was intended to help keep hospital beds free.
Half of staff members who said that they had been asked to change DNRs worked in homes for people with learning or cognitive disabilities. The other half worked in homes for the elderly.
- Schools in England will have to provide remote learning if closed again
Date: 24 Aug 2020
Schools in England could be forced to close again if stricter local lockdown measures are needed to prevent the spread of coronavirus, but teachers must prepare remote learning for pupils, Downing Street has said.
Boris Johnson spoke of a “moral duty” to get children back into education after five months of absence and said the risk of picking up the virus in schools was small.
Outbreaks around schools would be dealt with by deploying mobile testing units, testing staff and potentially isolating some pupils or groups, Downing Street said.
- Councils scrapping use of algorithms in benefit and welfare decisions
Date: 24 Aug 2020
Councils are quietly scrapping the use of computer algorithms in helping to make decisions on benefit claims and other welfare issues, the Guardian has found, as critics call for more transparency on how such tools are being used in public services.
It comes as an expert warns the reasons for cancelling programmes among government bodies around the world range from problems in the way the systems work to concerns about bias and other negative effects.
Most systems are implemented without consultation with the public, but critics say this must change. The use of artificial intelligence or automated decision-making has come into sharp focus after an algorithm used by the exam regulator Ofqual downgraded almost 40% of the A-level grades assessed by teachers.
- Bailiffs return but are told not to shout
Date: 24 Aug 2020
Bailiffs resuming operations in England and Wales are being told to keep their voices down to protect against coronavirus transmission. They will be chasing unpaid council tax after a five-month suspension.
Debt charities have warned of a surge in cases, prompting financial and health risks but a trade body for the sector said vital public services would be affected if councils were unable to collect money that has been owed for months.
Part of the government guidance on bailiffs working under the current risk of coronavirus is for them to "avoid unduly raising their voice".
- Local government pay deal agreed
Date: 24 Aug 2020
Under the agreement, staff with less than five years’ service will also see their holiday rise from 21 days a year to 22. The pay deal has also been accepted on behalf of local government chief executives and chief officers.
Unison staff in the local government sector voted two to one (66%) in favour of the 2020/21 pay award, which will apply to England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It comes after 76% of GMB members accepted the offer – while 70% of unite members rejected it.
The union’s national joint council committee said the offer - which amounts to £1.83 a day - ‘fell far short’ of the 10% claim and ‘did not properly reward key workers for their exceptional contributions throughout the pandemic’.
- Schools let down by lack of 'plan B', says union
Date: 23 Aug 2020
The National Education Union (NEU) accused the government of letting down pupils, teachers and parents by failing to have a "plan B" if infections rise.
Millions of pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are due to return to school in the coming days and weeks. In Scotland, schools have already reopened.
Meanwhile, a further six deaths have been announced in the UK, bringing the total number of people to have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus to 41,429.
- We will see 'real problems' with COVID-19 this winter, chief medical officer says
Date: 23 Aug 2020
England's chief medical officer has warned it is unlikely there will be an "effective and safe" coronavirus vaccine before the winter of 2021.
Professor Chris Whitty said this winter would see "real problems" with COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus, and that the UK should assume no vaccine would be available.
Instead, he said there was a "reasonable chance" that a vaccine could be available for winter of 2021-22.
- London councils take funds from developers to pay for planning guidelines
Date: 23 Aug 2020
Councils have accepted hundreds of thousands of pounds from property developers to fund planning guidelines designed to help govern their own schemes, a Guardian analysis has found.
In deals that have been criticised for allowing unfair influence and marginalising local residents, bodies including housing developers, landowners and urban regeneration companies paid large sums to draft supplementary planning documents (SPDs), which councillors must then consider when determining planning applications.
The planning documents subsequently published set out major and potentially lucrative development strategies for the sites in which they have an interest. The payments are not declared in the documents.
- Extension on eviction ban to be announced today, LBC understands
Date: 21 Aug 2020
An extension to the ban on court eviction proceedings could be announced as early as today, LBC understands.
The current ban on eviction cases being heard in court is due to expire on Sunday 23 August, prompting concerns that almost 300,000 households could face eviction in the coming weeks.
The ban was first announced on 18 March which was then extended to 5th June with ministers confirming eviction cases would resume in courts from 24 August.
- Row erupts over county’s plans for Greater Essex combined authority
Date: 21 Aug 2020
Plans being worked up by Essex CC to carve the county into multiple unitaries and a combined authority have drawn the wrath of some district leaders, who accuse it of “pushing a dead duck before it’s out the gate”.
Unlike other counties such as Surrey and Hampshire that are seeking to form a single super-unitary, Essex CC is proposing forming two to four unitaries out of its existing 12 districts and the unitaries of Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea BC, which were historically part of the county.
Essex claims there is consensus among councils to work together on the development of proposals, but two district council leaders have claimed that at least two-thirds of Greater Essex councils are opposed to the plans.
- Wakefield’s chief asks for early retirement ‘with heavy heart’
Date: 21 Aug 2020
Wakefield MDC’s chief executive Merran McRae has requested early retirement as she continues with cancer treatment.
A full council meeting will be held on 2 September at which councillors will be asked to approve Ms McRae’s request and to recommend the appointment of Andrew Balchin, corporate director for adults, health and communities, as her interim replacement.
In a tweet, Ms McRae said: “I haven’t left yet! I’ve asked for early retirement due to continuing treatment for cancer but will be around until decision is made & inbox completed.”
- Almost half of all mets consider hiring freeze this year
Date: 21 Aug 2020
Approaching half of metropolitan councils say they are considering a recruitment freeze amid growing indications of the impact of Covid-19's impact on local government finances.
The Local Government Association's latest workforce survey showed 44% of met respondents saying they are currently considering a recruitment freeze and none hiring more staff overall.
In comparison, 24% of London boroughs, 25% of English unitaries, 11% of districts and 7% of county respondents said they are considering a freeze on all hiring during the current financial year.
- Homeless children hit 14-year high as 130,000 stuck in B&Bs and temporary shelter
Date: 20 Aug 2020
The number of homeless children has hit a 14-year high - with almost 130,000 stuck in B&Bs and temporary shelter.
Devastating new figures show there were 129,380 children living in temporary accommodation in England on March 31. The number is up 3.1% on last year and is the highest quarterly figure recorded since summer 2006.
More than two-thirds of all people stuck in temporary accommodation - a measure of homeless - have dependent children living with them.
- UK government debt hits £2tn for first time
Date: 20 Aug 2020
UK government debt has risen above £2 trillion for the first time amid heavy spending to support the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Spending on measures such as the furlough scheme means the debt figure now equals the value of everything the UK produces in a year.
Ruth Gregory, senior UK economist at Capital Economics, said July's borrowing figure was "another huge sum and pushes borrowing in the year to date to £150.5bn".
- UK inflation rises to 1% in July as lockdown eases
Date: 19 Aug 2020
UK consumer price inflation jumped to 1% in July from 0.6% in June as lockdown measures eased further.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the figure was boosted by rising petrol and clothing prices.
"In addition, prices for private dental treatment, physiotherapy and haircuts have increased with the need for PPE contributing to costs," the ONS said.
The rise, which surprised economists, will mean a bigger increase in some rail fares from January.
- IFS warns of financial pressure on councils as a result of Covid crisis
Date: 19 Aug 2020
Financial pressures on councils as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic will continue into the next year “and beyond”, it has been suggested.
A new report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) indicates that the crisis is pushing up councils’ spending and reducing their locally-sourced incomes by billions of pounds.
The document, produced by IFS researchers and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Local Government Association, suggests that councils’ forecasts of the spending and non-tax income pressures resulting from the crisis will exceed the additional funding made available this year by around £2 billion.
- IFS warns of financial pressure on councils as a result of Covid crisis
Date: 19 Aug 2020
Financial pressures on councils as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic will continue into the next year “and beyond”, it has been suggested.
A new report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) indicates that the crisis is pushing up councils’ spending and reducing their locally-sourced incomes by billions of pounds.
The document, produced by IFS researchers and funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Local Government Association, suggests that councils’ forecasts of the spending and non-tax income pressures resulting from the crisis will exceed the additional funding made available this year by around £2 billion.
- Council tax changes are ‘needed now’ as payment debts reach £3.6billion
Date: 19 Aug 2020
Council tax changes are needed desperately according to the Money Advice Trust. This is largely due to new official figures which have revealed that arrears have reached unprecedented levels.
New official figures have revealed that £3.6billion in council tax was owed before the coronavirus outbreak.
This was an increase of £345million when compared to the previous year and could be made worse by the pandemic.
The Money Advice Trust responded to the figures, urging the government to make changes to the way local authorities are able to collect council tax debt.
- Coronavirus: UK to ramp up coronavirus monitoring programme
Date: 19 Aug 2020
Coronavirus tests are to be carried out on more people to get a better idea of how many are infected at any one time.
The Office for National Statistics' Infection Survey will test 150,000 people a fortnight in England by October, up from 28,000 now.
The survey is separate from the mass testing programme of people with symptoms, as it aims to take a random sample of the general population.
- English councils face £2bn black hole from coroanvrius
Date: 19 Aug 2020
The Institute for Fiscal Studies’ (IFS) new report said Covid-19 has depleted local government revenues and many “face a difficult choice between depleting their reserves to low and potentially risky levels or cutting spending on important local services”.
Central government has already provided £5.2bn for English councils to cope during the coronavirus crisis. However, the IFS found local authorities expect to spend £4.4bn more than expected on the pandemic and will make £2.2bn more of losses than expected.
The IFS estimates that 40 per cent of councils would not be able to balance their budget after using all their reserves. Local Government Association chair James Jamieson called for central government to cover all costs pressures for the country’s local authorities.
- BTEC results delayed over 'unfairness' concerns less than 24 hours before grades due out
Date: 19 Aug 2020
Students set to receive their BTEC results on Thursday will no longer do so after a change in the system less than 24 hours before grades were due out.
Schools and colleges have been told not to issue the results of the vocational and technical qualification following a last-minute U-turn on grading.
Exam board Pearson wrote to education leaders expressing concerns about "unfairness" in the system in light of the government's similar 11th hour U-turn on A-level grades last week.
- Northumberland council faces '£5.5m claim' over virus-halted work
Date: 19 Aug 2020
The temporary shutdown of a building project during the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a multi-million pound claim against a council-owned company.
Work on a £30m energy park in Blyth was mostly halted in late March by Advance Northumberland, a regeneration company owned by the Conservative-led council. It has emerged that site contractor Farrans has launched a claim for losses, thought to be worth £5.5m.
- Casey leaves rough sleeping advisory role
Date: 19 Aug 2020
Louise Casey has left her role as chair of the government’s rough sleeping taskforce, it has emerged.
The former civil servant whose appointment to the House of Lords was announced on 31 July revealed in a letter to sector leaders, seen by LGC, that she has “stepped back” from her advisory role on rough sleeping, which she took on as the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
“Accepting the Crossbench peerage is also a big deal to me and I want to think about how best I can make my contribution to public service from there,” Baroness Casey writes. “So for a number of reasons this seemed like the right moment to step back, especially as the country looks to gear up to the ‘new normal'."
- Thousands of migrants denied help in the pandemic
Date: 18 Aug 2020
As lockdown hit, migrants across the nation who often work in casual and low-paid roles saw their jobs disappear or incomes slashed.
But unlike the rest of the country, they have no welfare safety net to fall back on, because a controversial immigration policy known as No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) means they cannot access benefits.
Recently-released government figures show that applications to the Home Office for the ban to be lifted rose by more than 500% during lockdown compared with the first three months of the year.
- Home Office uses 4,000 hotel rooms to cope with migrants
Date: 18 Aug 2020
The Home Office has booked 4,000 hotel rooms to house asylum seekers to deal with a surge in cross-Channel migrants and the impact of the pandemic.
There is a shortage of permanent accommodation where asylum seekers can live while their claims are assessed.
Hotels in Birmingham, Hull, Southport, Nottingham and Glasgow have been used. It is not clear how many rooms are occupied by asylum seekers but it is thought to be thousands.
- Link between polluted air and COVID-19 deaths revealed
Date: 18 Aug 2020
People were more likely to die from COVID-19 in highly polluted areas in England at the start of the pandemic, new research has found.
Analysis by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found a correlation between pollution and mortality.
However, it found this levelled off in early Mary and can partly be attributed to the outbreak in London where pollution levels are generally higher than the rest of the country.
- Labour calls for evictions ban to be extended
Date: 18 Aug 2020
The ban on evictions in England should be extended in order to prevent a "homelessness crisis", Labour has said.
The government introduced the ban in March to help those financially hit by the coronavirus lockdown.
Homeless charity Shelter estimates 227,000 private renters have fallen into arrears since the pandemic and could lose their homes when the ban on evictions is lifted on 23 August.
- Child migrants to be sent away from Kent as council reaches capacity
Date: 18 Aug 2020
Unaccompanied child migrants arriving in Kent will be looked after by Border Force until accommodation is found outside the county.
Kent County Council has said it cannot look after any more under-18s after a rise in new arrivals in recent months.
Asylum-seeking minors who arrive alone will stay at a Border Force facility in Dover before being sent into local authority care, the Home Office said.
- Heated row between district and county leaders casts doubt on devo work
Date: 18 Aug 2020
A bitter row during a remote meeting that ended abruptly when four district leaders logged off in disgust has cast doubt on work to reorganise local government in Lancashire and form a county-wide mayoral combined authority.
All 15 council leaders in Lancashire agreed in June in principle to explore a combined authority and to explore other models of governance arrangements, after four years of discussions had failed to achieve consensus.
The county council is now preparing an outline business case to support the formation of three Lancashire unitaries to join a county-wide mayoral combined authority, which it hopes to put to government by the end of this month before the anticipated launch of the devolution and recovery white paper in September.
- GMB votes to accept 2.75% pay offer
Date: 18 Aug 2020
Members of the GMB union have voted to accept the local government 2.75% pay offer, with three-quarters of them backing it.
This comes after it was announced yesterday that Unite members had rejected the offer.
Unison, the last of the big three unions to put the offer to their members, is expected to declare its ballot result later this week.
- Councils advised to avoid term ‘lockdown’
Date: 18 Aug 2020
Experts have advised councils to avoid using the term ‘lockdown’ when discussing the reinstatement of coronavirus restrictions.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned that using the ‘punitive and stigmatising term’ could undermine the effectiveness of restrictions.
It said a sense of ‘shared adversity and collective spirit’ was required, while ‘feelings of isolation, fear, anger, stigmatisation and shame’ would deter people from adhering to the restrictions.
- MPs warn of 'wave of homelessness' when eviction ban ends
Date: 17 Aug 2020
England could see "a new wave of homelessness" when a ban on evictions ends later this month, MPs have warned. The ban was introduced in March as part of emergency legislation to protect those hit financially by the pandemic.
Amid fears that evictions may lead to more homeless, 21 MPs have urged the government to guarantee council funds to house rough sleepers for a year.
Last month the Welsh Government stated that for evictions issued on or after 24 July this year, a six-month notice period would apply, with the exception of cases relating to anti-social behaviour.
- UK's £37bn July house-buying boom sees busiest month of sales in a decade
Date: 17 Aug 2020
More than £37bn worth of property sales were agreed in July - the busiest month for home buying for 10 years, according to property website Rightmove.
The spike follows a suspension of the housing market during the coronavirus lockdown, but also coincides with the UK plunging into a recession.
Rightmove said the average asking price for a house in the UK in August stood at £319,497, down by around 0.2% from July's £320,265 - which was a record high.
- Lockdown ‘will mean fewer healthy years for many’
Date: 17 Aug 2020
The impact of the lockdown and the ensuing recession will cause a greater loss of quality of life than Covid-19 itself, according to a government report.
The report, issued by the Department of Health and Social Care, estimates the number of lost “quality-adjusted life years”, or Qalys: a standard measure used to evaluate the impact of a health intervention. A Qaly is equivalent to one year in perfect health.
Although coronavirus is expected to result in the loss of 570,000 Qalys in the UK, the long-term legacy of the lockdown will lead to the loss of 812,000 because of deaths caused by heart disease and distress caused by mental health issues and musculo-skeletal disorders.
- Unite members reject 'insulting' council pay offer
Date: 17 Aug 2020
The union has called the offer 'unrealistic and iinsulting' arguing it amounts to just £1.83 a day.
The union said it now expects a de facto imposition of the 2.75% offer and would be pressing for local pay deals after 70% of its members rejected it.
Unite national officer for local government, Jim Kennedy, said: 'Unite will continue to be the champion and voice of our local government heroes and will move to submitting local claims to address the long hours, culture.
- Recycling rage sparks a 40% rise in attacks on bin workers
Date: 17 Aug 2020
Attacks on refuse workers by angry members of the public have increased by 40 per cent — with staff being stabbed, bitten and even shot.
Physical assaults totalled 156 last year, up from 111 in the year before, a freedom of information request to councils has revealed. Many involved householders left irate over the rules about how waste must be collected.
Some workers were threatened with metal bars or knives in such disputes — including one employee in Thanet, Kent, who found that a green recycling bin was contaminated with other rubbish. They were faced by a resident holding a Rambo-style blade, who said: ‘Are you sure you don’t want to take this?’
- Dido Harding to run agency replacing Public Health England
Date: 17 Aug 2020
Dido Harding, a Conservative peer who heads up England’s widely criticised test-and-trace system, has been chosen to run a new institute to replace Public Health England, after the controversial decision to axe the agency.
Harding will be named as the chair of the National Institute for Health Protection, which will be charged with preventing future outbreaks of infectious diseases, despite the poor performance of NHS test and trace, which she has led since May.
- Kent unable to take in more unaccompanied child refugees, council says
Date: 17 Aug 2020
Kent county council has said it is unable to look after any more unaccompanied child refugees who arrive in Dover, because it has reached the limits of its capacity to provide safe care for them.
The council said social workers and other professionals who provide care and support for this vulnerable group of children had been put under “impossible strain”.
More than 4,300 refugees, including children, are thought to have crossed the Channel in small boats between 1 January and 11 August this year, compared with 857 in the same period last year.
- Calls to extend free school meals to children from migrant families
Date: 17 Aug 2020
Pupils from low-income migrant families should receive free school meals to prevent thousands of children from going hungry, 60 organisations have said.
The Government temporarily extended the free school meals to children in some families affected by the no recourse to public funds (NRPF) condition. However, the 60 organisations are concerned thousands of children will lose out when this help is withdrawn.
Research by the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford shows that more than 175,000 non-EEA citizens under age 18 lived in families affected by the NRPF condition.
- Ministers have just seven days to prevent a ‘wave of evictions’, MPs and charities warn
Date: 16 Aug 2020
MPs and charities have issued an urgent plea for the government to extend the ban on evictions amid fears tens of thousands of renters could be kicked out of their homes after the moratorium expires in just seven days’ time.
One national housing organisation warned inaction from ministers – coupled with an unprecedented recession – could result in many facing the “trauma” of being evicted over the autumn and winter months.
The government confirmed last month that the ban, which was introduced at the start of the pandemic to protect tenants during the crisis, would end on 23 August for England and Wales, despite pleas for a further extension.
- Boris Johnson accused of ‘cynical broken promise’ as some foreign NHS and care staff still pay surcharge
Date: 16 Aug 2020
Some NHS and care workers will still pay the “immigration surcharge”, prompting an accusation that Boris Johnson’s pledge to exempt them is “a cynical broken promise”.
The controversial fees will be levied if staff take a different job within six months – hitting lower-paid cleaners, porters and carers, especially on zero-hours contracts, it is feared.
The prime minister made no mention of the loophole when he was forced, in May, to grant the exemption, after The Independent exposed the home secretary Priti Patel’s phoney “review” into the controversy.
- Hancock axes ‘failing’ Public Health England
Date: 15 Aug 2020
Public Health England (PHE) is to be scrapped and replaced by a new body specifically designed to protect the country against a pandemic by early next month, the Telegraph can disclose.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock will this week announce a merger of the pandemic response work of PHE with NHS Test and Trace into a new body, called the National Institute for Health Protection, modelled on Germany's Robert Koch Institute.
The Health Secretary, who returns to work after a UK holiday this week, wants to give PHE's replacement time to be set up before a feared surge in coronavirus cases this autumn.
- NHS chiefs’ plea: we need more cash for ‘winter risk’
Date: 15 Aug 2020
NHS chiefs are calling for the funding settlement unveiled by Theresa May to be drastically renegotiated, as they warn the service is already at increased risk this winter thanks to a shortage of resources.
The settlement, announced in 2018, promised an average budget increase of 3.4% per year for the next five years, leading to an extra £20bn for the NHS in England in 2023.
However, significant long-term costs created by the Covid-19 pandemic, combined with Tory manifesto pledges for new hospitals and higher staff numbers, mean that NHS figures will push for a major increase in funding at a spending review, scheduled for later this year.
- Birmingham 'can't drop guard' as infections double
Date: 15 Aug 2020
The city council has warned "we cannot afford to drop our guard" as the weekly number rose from 13.8 per 100,000 people to 28.1, with 321 new cases. In neighbouring Sandwell - which was previously identified as an area of concern by Public Health England (PHE) - rates have dropped to below 20.
In a joint statement on Friday with six other councils in the West Midlands - Coventry, Sandwell, Solihull, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton - Birmingham City Council urged people and businesses to remain alert to the risks of coronavirus.
It also said, with thousands of university students expected to return to the region next month, social distancing would be fundamental to preventing campus outbreaks.
- Firms 'fall through cracks' of Covid support scheme
Date: 15 Aug 2020
Frustrated small business owners say red tape is preventing them getting hold of government cash designed to keep them afloat during the pandemic.
More than £12bn was given to local authorities to pass on to eligible small businesses across England, but nearly £1.5bn remains unclaimed. One entrepreneur said accessing the cash had been like "banging your head against the wall".
Gina Broadhurst, co-founder of Forgotten Ltd, a campaign group set up to help businesses, said many firms had "fallen through the cracks". "We're at a critical point where for businesses to survive and to be able to continue to employ millions of people, cash support is needed.
- Theatres, casinos and bowling alleys reopen as more beauty treatments resume
Date: 15 Aug 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson had initially planned to ease the lockdown on 1 August, but a spike in coronavirus cases at the time resulted in the measures being pushed back for two weeks.
While some restrictions are being loosened, people returning to or visiting the UK from France will now have to quarantine for two weeks after infections surged across the Channel.
Travellers from the Netherlands, Monaco, Malta, Turks & Caicos and Aruba will also face a two-week quarantine.
- Migrant children face hunger over free school meal restrictions
Date: 14 Aug 2020
Thousands of children from migrant families are at risk of hunger when schools reopen in the UK unless the free meal provision is extended, according to a group of 60 organisations.
The Children’s Society, Action for Children, Project 17 and Unison are among the organisations that have written to the education secretary, Gavin Williamson, calling on him to extend free school meals to pupils from low-income migrant families classed as having “no recourse to public funds”.
- Children made up just 1% of COVID-19 cases in England in first peak - study
Date: 13 Aug 2020
Children under 16 made up just 1% of coronavirus cases in the first peak of the virus in England, despite accounting for around 19% of the population, according to a new study.
Authors of the study, led by Public Health England (PHE), said it provides further proof of the "limited role of children" in the COVID-19 pandemic.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson presses ahead with his plans for all children to return to school full-time in England next month as the coronavirus lockdown is eased.
- Almost a third of buildings with Grenfell-style cladding yet to undergo removal work
Date: 13 Aug 2020
Almost a third of the buildings still wrapped in Grenfell-style flammable cladding have yet to undergo work to remove it, figures have shown.
A nationwide safety operation was launched in the wake of the 2017 disaster after the aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding blamed for fuelling the inferno was found on hundreds of buildings.
It has so far been identified on 458 high-rise residential and publicly owned buildings, an increase of three since the end of June, the latest Government data revealed.
- UK firms face up to threat of domestic abuse as more staff work from home
Date: 13 Aug 2020
The tragic story of a manager who tried and failed to save his employee from domestic abuse has stayed with Elizabeth Filkin. “He did his best, but he didn’t know what else to do,” she says.
Filkin, the director of Employers Initiative on Domestic Abuse, a business network that raises awareness of the crime, says the manager offered support to his employee after becoming concerned that she was being abused. He said he would go to the police with her, but she said she had a plan in place and was fine.
A few days later the woman’s partner killed her after he discovered she was planning to leave. “It was devastating for that manager, and all of the employees,” says Filkin, whose network has enlisted more than 60 firms since lockdown began
- Unauthorised camping and littering in Britain's beauty spots increase as holidaymakers seek 'staycations'
Date: 13 Aug 2020
Unauthorised camping in Britain's national parks has increased significantly this summer as more people seeking 'staycation' summer holidays are finding camping sites full.
But the National Parks Authority and the National Trust warn that they have seen a dramatic increase in discarded equipment and litter being left behind at beauty spots.
The effect is similar to that of flytipping and has now become known as 'flycamping'.
- Plans to end homelessness will ‘fail’ without funding
Date: 13 Aug 2020
The Government’s pledge to end homelessness will fail unless services are fully funded in the upcoming spending review, the Salvation Army has warned.
In a new report, the charity said investing in homelessness will prevent spiralling costs in the future, such as expensive temporary accommodation that costs local authorities close to £1bn a year.
The report - Future-Proof the Roof - makes a number of recommendations including an investment of £686m annually to tackle homelessness. It also calls for improved data collection, maintaining levels of investments even if rough sleeping figures are stable, and a steady supply of suitable homes.
- Ombudsman criticises council for lack of transport for SEN pupils
Date: 13 Aug 2020
Buckinghamshire County Council has been criticised for its lack of suitable school transport for children with special educational needs.
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman was asked to investigate a complaint after the council told a mother they did not have the right school transport to meet her child’s specific needs and then only paid her for half of her daily journey.
The child, who has sensory difficulties and high levels of anxiety, was eligible for free school transport to get to the school eight miles away. However, as well as not having suitable transport, the council only paid her for two legs of her daily journey to her child’s special school.
- COVID-19 test reveals 6% of population infected by mid-July
Date: 13 Aug 2020
The first report from the world’s largest home antibody testing programme tracking COVID-19 in England has found 6% of the population is infected with coronavirus.
Published today by Imperial College London, the study tracked the spread of infection following the first peak of the pandemic between 20 June and 13 July.
Over 100,000 volunteers tested themselves at home using a finger prick test to check if they have antibodies against the virus which causes COVID-19.
The findings indicate that 3.4 million people - 6% of the population - had already been infected by COVID-19 by 13 July 2020.
- UK officially in recession for first time in 11 years
Date: 12 Aug 2020
The UK economy suffered its biggest slump on record between April and June as coronavirus lockdown measures pushed the country officially into recession.
The economy shrank 20.4% compared with the first three months of the year.
Household spending plunged as shops were ordered to close, while factory and construction output also fell.
This pushed the UK into its first technical recession - defined as two consecutive quarters of economic decline - since 2009.
- Undercover team finds pubs and bars ignoring COVID-19 guidance in area where cases are rising
Date: 12 Aug 2020
Pubs and bars in England are ignoring COVID-19 guidance, potentially putting public health at risk, a Sky News investigation has found.
An undercover team visited a variety of hospitality venues in one Greater Manchester suburb, posing as walk-in customers.
Nine out of 10 venues visited were not following government guidance by asking for customer contact details.
- England's contact-tracing app gets green light for trial
Date: 12 Aug 2020
England's revamped coronavirus contact-tracing app is set to begin public trials on Thursday.
The software will be based on Apple and Google's privacy-centric method of one smartphone detecting another.
Engineers are still trying to reduce how often the Bluetooth-based tech wrongly flags people as being within 2m (6.6ft) of each other.
- Majority of office-based staff ‘will still be working from home at Christmas’
Date: 12 Aug 2020
Nearly three in four council staff believe that most of their authority’s employees will still be working from home by Christmas, and almost nine out of 10 believe their council will require less office space as a long-term consequence of the pandemic, LGC’s latest survey on the impact of Covid has revealed.
Although the prime minister is expecting employers to start asking staff who can to return safely to their offices safely, our survey shows that in the local government sector, the vast majority believe the switch to working from home is a permanent trend.
Only 11% of council respondents expect 80% or more of their staff to be back in the office even if Covid-19 has been eliminated, and 72% claim that most of their authority’s employees will still be working from home by Christmas.
- 6,000 contact tracers will be cut in England in the next two weeks
Date: 11 Aug 2020
The number of national contact tracers will be cut by 6,000 in the next two weeks with the remaining teams redeployed to local contact tracing groups, the Department of Health has said.
Under the new approach, local authorities and public health teams will have more responsibility to strengthen regional test and trace powers in England.
It comes after criticism that the national system was not tapping into local knowledge.
- Research reveals which cities hit hardest by unemployment levels
Date: 11 Aug 2020
Aberdeen, Glasgow, Norwich and Slough had the largest increase in the number of unemployment claimants in the past month, new analysis has revealed.
The analysis of the latest employment statistics by Centre for Cities shows that those areas saw the number of claimants increase by 0.4% in the last month.
Overall, Luton, Slough and Blackpool were the cities and large towns that had the biggest rise in unemployment claims since March, the research found.
The briefing stated: 'All cities saw an increase in claimant counts compared to last month. While in between May and June the number of people claiming unemployment related benefits remained stable or slightly decreased in most places, numbers are now picking up once again. The monthly increase from June to July ranged from less than +0.1 percentage points in Derby, Mansfield and Warrington to +0.4 percentage points in Aberdeen, Slough and Glasgow.'
The figures from the Office for National Statistics reveals the biggest fall in employment in over a decade, with 730,000 fewer people in employment compared to March.
- One in three UK firms 'expect to make redundancies'
Date: 10 Aug 2020
One in three UK employers expect to make staff redundant between July and September, a survey suggests.
The research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and recruiter Adecco shows a 50% jump in the number of employers expecting to cut jobs compared to three months ago.
In the private sector, 38% of firms plan to make redundancies, compared to 16% in the public sector.
- Coronavirus: Little evidence of Covid transmission in schools, says Williamson
Date: 10 Aug 2020
There is little evidence of coronavirus being transmitted in schools, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said.
Mr Williamson said the government was being guided by the best science as it accelerated plans to reopen schools to all pupils in England next month.
Government advisers have warned the nation may have reached the limit of what can be reopened in society safely.
But Mr Williamson suggested an upcoming study would support the government's position on reopening schools.
- Government extends emergency bus and tram funding
Date: 10 Aug 2020
Local authorities have been given a £40m funding boost to increase home-to-school transport provision from September.
Councils will use the money to set up new dedicated school and college transport to ensure pupils can travel to school safely during the pandemic, without putting extra pressure on public transport.
Education secretary Gavin Williamson said: 'While our public transport system has almost returned to full service, I know thousands of people will choose to get active and find alternative modes of transport, because with distancing measures still in place it is important that we all play our part to ensure everyone is able to get to school safely, and on time.
- Income guarantee scheme details awaited
Date: 10 Aug 2020
Councils are still waiting for details of the Government’s much-heralded income guarantee scheme almost six weeks after it was announced.
Local authority chiefs are now not expecting the first payments to be made under the scheme until September at the earliest – two months after communities secretary Robert Jenrick said that where losses were more than 5% of a council’s planned income from sales, fees and charges, the Government would cover 75p for every pound lost.
A spokesman for London Councils said: ‘We’re still awaiting the detail of the fees and charges scheme, which is disappointing.
- Boroughs warn lost income scheme will only cover half of impact
Date: 10 Aug 2020
The government’s scheme to support councils with income lost from sales, fees and charges as a result of coronavirus will only cover half of the impact on London boroughs, rather than the 71% implied by guidance, analysis shows.
The co-payment scheme was announced by communities secretary Robert Jenrick in July as part of what the government said was a "comprehensive plan" to put council finances on a sustainable footing in the wake of the pandemic. This also included an additional £500m support with additional costs, freedom to repay council tax and business rates deficits over three years instead of one, and a commitment to look at funding some of those tax losses at the spending review.
Full details of the co-payment scheme are still awaited but guidance issued by government so far says it will cover 75% of losses after the first 5%, compared with what councils had budgeted to receive in 2020-21. This is equivalent to around 71% of losses.
- Eat out to help out: More than 10.5m meals claimed in first week
Date: 10 Aug 2020
Diners used the "eat out to help out" scheme more than 10.5 million times in its first week, the Treasury has said.
Under the scheme, which is intended to boost the struggling hospitality sector, the government pays for 50% of a meal eaten at a cafe, restaurant or pub on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
The government has set aside £500m to fund the policy and has already led to an increase in the number of people visiting High Streets across the country, according to Springboard, which measures footfall figures.
It said the number of people in retail destinations after 18:00 BST last Monday, the first day of the scheme, was 19% higher than the week before. Meanwhile lunchtime visits were up 10%.
- People with learning disabilities left stuck in lockdown because of cuts to social care
Date: 10 Aug 2020
Seven in ten (69%) people with a learning disability had their social care cut when they needed it most, leaving many stuck in lockdown according to a survey of family carers by Mencap.
The video report can be seen following the link.
- Council test and trace teams to be rolled out
Date: 10 Aug 2020
Local coronavirus test and trace teams are to be rolled out to all upper-tier English councils.
Dedicated, ring-fenced teams and data will be provided from the national service to get in touch with COVID-19 patients and contacts if the national team has been unsuccessful.
They will work alongside local public health officials to provide a 'more tailored service,’ the Government has announced.
- Government reaffirms support for LEPs
Date: 10 Aug 2020
The Government has reaffirmed its support for local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) ahead of this autumn’s local recovery and devolution White Paper.
Some have suggested that LEPs could be for the chop in the White Paper after criticism of their effectiveness.
A report last week led by former chief of staff to Sajid Javid when he was local government secretary said LEPs lacked the ‘democratic mandate required to oversee billions of pounds of public money’.
- Union plans for schools to teach pupils on 'week on-week off' basis
Date: 09 Aug 2020
Schools will teach pupils on a "week on-week off" basis if there is a resurgence of coronavirus, the head of a leading teaching union warned Boris Johnson on Sunday night.
The Prime Minister is due to visit a school on Monday, where he is expected to repeat his pledge that all pupils will be back in the classroom every day from the start of term next month.
The Government will also launch a PR campaign this week to reinforce the message. Mr Johnson has been keen to stress that reopening schools is a matter of social justice as well as integral to kickstarting the economy.
But on Sunday evening it emerged that schools are drawing up contingency plans which threaten to undermine the Prime Minister's pleas.
- Social care at breaking point in England after 'lost decade' – report
Date: 09 Aug 2020
Policymakers’ failure to tackle chronically underfunded social care has resulted in a “lost decade” and a system now at breaking point, according to a report.
A team led by Jon Glasby, a professor of health and social care at the University of Birmingham, says that without swift government intervention including urgent funding changes England’s adult social care system could quickly become unsustainable.
Adult social care includes residential care homes and help with eating, washing, dressing and shopping. The paper says the impact has been particularly felt in services for older people. Those for working-age people have been less affected.
- Where to now? End of eviction ban leaves tenants fearing for future
Date: 09 Aug 2020
After being furloughed from her job as a cleaning manager during lockdown, Denise (54)* is fearful about what the future holds. Her rent and bills add up to £1,000 which leaves her with just £150 a month for groceries, so she has had to rely on her local food bank.
“My landlady keeps harassing me as she wants me out,” says the mother-of-one. “I asked her if we could come to an agreement on the rent while we saw what happened. She went ballistic and demanded I pay it all. I’ve managed to keep paying in full but she’s still on at me to get out. You’re always one step away from eviction.”
Since March, Denise has been able to take some comfort from the protections provided by the government at the beginning of lockdown. As the economy ground to a halt, evictions were banned in England and Wales, allowing some breathing space for tenants who have struggled to pay the rent. But that protection is soon to come to an end in just over two weeks.
- UK enters recession
Date: 09 Aug 2020
The economy will officially enter recession this week after tumbling by a record 20% in the second quarter.
The contraction follows the 2.2% fall in GDP in the first three months and will mean the UK meets the definition of recession by recording two successive quarters of decline. However, economists will look at data for the last month of the quarter, June, to gauge the speed of the upturn as the lockdown restrictions eased.
May’s GDP disappointed economists as it rose by only 1.8%. The consensus is for an 8% rise in June.
- Multi-million-pound funding package for school transport
Date: 08 Aug 2020
Thousands of students will be supported with new dedicated school and college transport to get them to school or college in the autumn term, the Education Secretary said today.
Delivering on the national priority for all children and young people to return to full-time education in September, local transport authorities will receive more than £40 million funding for the autumn term.
This funding will help them create extra capacity and allow hundreds of thousands more students to use alternatives to public transport, while social distancing measures remain in place. We will review further arrangements in the future should it be necessary.
- Over half of workforce in county areas 'at risk' due to pandemic
Date: 08 Aug 2020
Over half the workforce in England's county areas work in sectors ‘at risk’ due to the coronavirus crisis, research has warned today.
The report, from Grant Thornton UK LLP for the County Councils Network (CCN), shows 5.9 million employees in county areas work in sectors such as tourism, retail and manufacturing.
Nearly half (46%) of the country’s entire furloughed workforce are in county areas, it also found.
- At least 151 migrants land on Kent beaches
Date: 08 Aug 2020
At least 151 migrants on 15 boats have arrived on the Kent coast after crossing the English Channel, the Home Office said.
One boat reportedly carrying 12 migrants, was picked up by Border Force patrols at about 10:00 BST and brought to shore at Dover.
A second boat carrying 14 migrants landed at Kingsdown shortly after.
- Help people self-isolate with jury-style payments, say mayors
Date: 07 Aug 2020
The mayors of Manchester and Birmingham have called for jury-style payments to people asked to isolate by the Test and Trace system to ensure it keeps the virus under control.
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, said that poorer people who could not afford to go two weeks without pay were avoiding a contact tracing system that expects them to live on £96 a week.
People will not return to city centres until the contact tracing system improves and the government must financially compensate people doing their public duty, he told Times Radio.
- Air pollution warning as road traffic rises above pre-lockdown levels
Date: 07 Aug 2020
Road traffic has exceeded pre-lockdown levels for the first time, prompting a warning that air pollution could become worse than normal as more people drive instead of taking public transport.
The overall number of vehicles used on Sunday was 3 per cent above the level of a Sunday in early February, with cars at the same level and vans 14 per cent higher, according to Department for Transport data.
Traffic levels are still slightly lower on weekdays than before lockdown, reaching 93 per cent last Friday, but there is a clear rising trend.
- School funding plan 'benefits wealthier pupils most'
Date: 07 Aug 2020
Better-off pupils in England will see larger school funding increases than poorer pupils under the government's latest plan, a study suggests. The government's drive to "level up" funding will disproportionately benefit schools in better-off areas, argues the Education Policy Institute (EPI). The schools' budget will rise by £7.1bn by 2022-23 under government plans.
The government said schools with higher numbers of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds remained a priority. School leaders in England have been complaining of a worsening budget squeeze.
The government has responded by announcing a National Funding Formula for schools, designed to ensure pupils with the same characteristics get the same level of funding, regardless of where in the country they go to school.
- Cornwall first to pass on COVID-19 funding to local councils
Date: 07 Aug 2020
Cornwall Council is set to be the first to pass on government funding to parish and town councils affected by the coronavirus crisis.
The council will become the first principal council in England to announce a financial support offer to local councils for lost income and increased expenditure.
Cllr Sue Baxter, chairman of National Association of Local Councils, said: ‘I’m delighted Cornwall Council are doing the right thing and are the first principal council in the country to pass on government funding to support local councils impacted by the pandemic.
’This is real testament to value they place on local councils and the relationship developed over the last decade since becoming a unitary council, including the devolution of community assets and services.’
- ‘Disastrous’ planning reforms slammed for ignoring build out issues
Date: 07 Aug 2020
The government’s planning reforms fail to address the barriers to getting new homes built while the abolition of section 106 could be “disastrous” for affordable housing provision, sector experts have warned.
The Planning for the future white paper, published yesterday, set out what the prime minster described as “radical reform” to the planning system which will reduce the role of planning committees in approving developments and replace locally negotiated developer contributions to infrastructure with one set nationally.
Tom Stannard, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives & Senior Managers deputy spokesperson on economic growth and housing said there were some elements of the white paper that should be welcomed, such as the commitment to new homes being net zero by 2050 and “zero carbon ready” by 2025.
- Coronavirus: Millions for small business 'sitting in council accounts'
Date: 07 Aug 2020
Emergency coronavirus funding for firms will go back to the Treasury at the end of the month if it is not claimed, business leaders have said.
Four months after £12bn was released to help them through the coronavirus pandemic, £1.5bn is unclaimed.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warned the money was sitting in councils' bank accounts.
- Councils ask for coronavirus licensing powers
Date: 07 Aug 2020
A call has been made for public health issues to be incorporated into licensing laws.
The Local Government Association (LGA) wants adherence to COVID-19 guidelines to be temporarily added to the Licensing Act to help council clamp down on unscrupulous pubs and bars.
Although local authorities can take action under general health and safety legislation, it is more difficult to implement than it would be through issuing and revoking liquor licences.
- Bank of England: Downturn less severe than feared
Date: 06 Aug 2020
The UK economic slump caused by Covid-19 will be less severe than expected, but the recovery will also take longer, the Bank of England has said.
It expects the economy to shrink by 9.5% this year.
While this would be the biggest annual decline in 100 years, it is not as steep as the Bank's initial estimate of a 14% contraction.
However, the Bank said unemployment was likely to rise "materially" as it held interest rates at 0.1%.
- Planning laws sped up and red tape cut in 'once in a generation' shake-up
Date: 06 Aug 2020
Moves to slash red tape and hand automatic planning permission to some homes - and projects like schools and hospitals - are being unveiled by Boris Johnson.
A radical blueprint hailed as a "once-in-a-generation reform" is being published by the government with the aim of sweeping away "slow and complex" planning laws.
The shake-up, a key part of the prime minister's "build, build, build" agenda, also includes automatic planning approval for new homes on land earmarked for growth.
- Race to the bottom: reform to planning system in England could be catastrophic
Date: 06 Aug 2020
“More good quality, attractive and affordable homes faster.” According to the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, that is the main aim of his “complete overhaul” of the English planning system, announced on Thursday. Yet there is precious little evidence that any of the new measures could lead to higher quality, more attractive or more affordable homes. Instead, the proposals look set to deliver the exact opposite.
In an unprecedented move that betrays the Dominic Cummings hallmark of maximum disruption with minimum effort, the government is tearing up the national rule book that has been in place since the second world war to ensure the best use of land, and replacing it with three simple classifications. From now on, all land in England will be designated for either “growth”, with automatic planning permission, “renewal”, with permission subject to some basic checks, or “protection”, preserving the sacrosanct status of the green belt.
- Boris Johnson defends 'long overdue' planning overhaul in England
Date: 06 Aug 2020
Sweeping changes to the planning system in England will make it quicker to build much-needed new homes, the prime minister has said.
Boris Johnson said the plans, which aim stop local opponents blocking development in designated growth zones, were "long overdue". Critics say the changes could lead to "bad-quality housing" and loss of local control. The BBC's Jessica Parker said the plans had prompted disquiet among Tory MPs.
The government says it wants reduce the number of planning cases that get overturned at appeal by creating a "clearer, rules-based system". Mr Johnson said the changes would help developers complete projects in a "more timely way" and help young people onto the housing ladder.
- Redundancy advice calls triple as furlough scheme winds down
Date: 05 Aug 2020
Thousands of firms and employees are seeking redundancy advice as the coronavirus crisis continues to bite into the UK economy.
Conciliation service Acas said calls to its redundancy advice line almost tripled in June and July, as concerns mounted about the government's job retention scheme winding down.
There has been a spate of redundancies as some firms struggle to stay afloat.
Nearly 4,500 jobs have been cut only a few days into August.
- One in eight childcare workers in England earn less than £5 an hour
Date: 05 Aug 2020
One in eight childcare workers in England earn less than £5 an hour, according to new research which warns that low pay, high workload and a lack of career development are having an adverse effect on the sector.
The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) report says there are signs the early years workforce is becoming increasingly unstable, warning that high staff turnover risks undermining the quality of provision and disadvantaged children’s outcomes.
There are also fears the ongoing disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which is threatening the survival of many nurseries and early years settings, will further exacerbate the problems facing the sector.
- Fast-tracked funding to improve school buildings
Date: 05 Aug 2020
The Government has fast-tracked £580m of funding to improve school buildings across England.
The funding will be used to repair and upgrade school 580 academies, sixth form colleges and voluntary aided schools, as well as increasing school capacity at a small number of places.
The investment - announced by the prime minister last month - will be targeted at school buildings in the worst condition.
- Jenny Coles: Children’s services need funding ahead of autumn wave of referrals
Date: 05 Aug 2020
During the pandemic we are seeing new families experiencing domestic abuse, neglect and financial hardship, writes the president of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services.
In July, the Association of Directors of Children’s Services published a short discussion paper aimed at capturing the impacts of Covid-19 on both services and childhoods and putting children and their lived experiences of the pandemic front and centre in national recovery plans.
Covid-19 has heightened the challenges many children and families already faced, from poor housing, hunger, safe spaces to play outside and access to adequate IT equipment or broadband so that they can learn at home.
- Coronavirus: Second COVID-19 wave twice as big as the first without effective test, trace, isolating strategy, says new modelling study
Date: 05 Aug 2020
Reopening schools fully in September without an effective test, trace and isolating strategy could result in a second wave of coronavirus more than twice the size of the first, according to a new modelling study.
Researchers from UCL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) examined the possible implications of schools reopening in the UK coupled with broader reopening of society, such as more parents returning to the workplace and increased socialising within the community.
- Cities face blockades to contain a second wave of coronavirus
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Ministers are prepared to quarantine towns and cities to prevent a second wave of coronavirus, Downing Street said yesterday.
Under the plans, the government would impose travel restrictions in areas with severe Covid-19 outbreaks to stop residents leaving. Police would enforce the measures and could fine people who try to leave unless they fall under a list of exemptions.
Boris Johnson and senior cabinet ministers have “war-gamed” the possibility of imposing movement restrictions on London around the M25 if a surge of cases occurs in the capital.
- Testing and tracing 'key to schools returning', scientists say
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Current testing and contact tracing is inadequate to prevent a second wave of coronavirus after schools in the UK reopen, scientists have warned.
Increased transmission would also result from parents not having to stay at home with their children, they say.
Researchers said getting pupils back to school was important - but more work was needed to keep the virus in check. The government said plans were in place to ensure schools can fully reopen at the start of the new school year.
- Call to scrap two-tier local government system in rural areas
Date: 04 Aug 2020
The ‘confusing' two-tier model of local government should be abolished and replaced with single unitary councils, a report has argued.
The report, published for the County Councils Network (CCN), calls on the Government to move to a system of single tier local authorities, with new powers for town and parish councils.
It argues this would deliver the greatest financial benefit and make it easier to develop local economic recovery strategies.
- Winners of £900m for shovel ready schemes are announced
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Ministers have announced the 300 schemes that will receive a share of the £900m Getting Building Fund and confirmed £360m for mayoral combined authorities to fund homes on brownfield land.
The Government described the cash as part of its comprehensive plan to deliver upgrades to local infrastructure and boost skills to help fuel a green economic recovery.
Officials said the £900m for shovel-ready housing and infrastructure projects is expected to deliver up to 45,000 homes, create up to 85,000 jobs and reduce around 65 million kg of CO2 emissions across England.
- Over half of workforce in county areas 'at risk' due to pandemic
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Over half the workforce in England's county areas work in sectors ‘at risk’ due to the coronavirus crisis, research has warned.
The report, from Grant Thornton UK LLP for the County Councils Network (CCN), shows 5.9 million employees in county areas work in sectors such as tourism, retail and manufacturing.
Nearly half (46%) of the country’s entire furloughed workforce are in county areas, it also found.
- Jenrick to lobby Treasury ‘very strongly’ over council funding
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Robert Jenrick has pledged to “very strongly” urge the chancellor to ensure councils have sustainable finances in this autumn's Comprehensive Spending Review.
The Treasury last month launched its spending review, covering the next three years. Its six priorities include “levelling up economic opportunity across all nations and regions” and “improving outcomes in public services”, with specific mentions of the NHS, crime reduction and education.
However, it also warned that while the government “will deliver on the commitments made at Budget to level up and invest in the priorities of the British people”, the chancellor “was clear there will need be tough choices in other areas of spending at the review,” and government departments have been told to “identify opportunities to reprioritise and deliver savings”.
- The case for more unitaries operating at the county level
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Over the last few decades, the devolution debate has centred around where powers should sit between Westminster, the devolved nations and the big cities of England.
Whatever the reasons for this approach, it has meant that around half of the population – those who live in England’s historic counties – have missed out on the benefits of devolution.
An updated approach to devolution was already needed but the Covid-19 pandemic has made the requirement to reassess the form and function of local government across England all the more pressing.
- County leaders in call for metro mayor powers
Date: 04 Aug 2020
County councils will be “hamstrung” in their efforts to revive local economies in the wake of Covid-19 unless leaders are handed metro mayor style powers over transport and skills, it has been claimed.
A report published by the County Councils Network today concludes rural areas are more at risk from the anticipated job losses once the furlough scheme comes to an end in October than major cities.
The report by Grant Thornton, ‘Place-Based Recovery: How counties can drive growth post COVID-19’, found that 3.5 million workers in county areas were currently on furlough with 5.9 million workers in sectors identified as ‘at risk’ due to the pandemic, such as manufacturing, retail, and tourism. This is equivalent to 53% of the total workforce compared to 44% for the eight biggest cities in England and 38% for London.
- Ministers: Don't rely on more funding
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Ministers have warned councils not to rely on more funding on top of the announcements made so far.
Although local government minister Simon Clarke has admitted there are ‘serious concerns’ about a ‘handful’ of councils issuing Section 114 notices, a policy briefing from chief executives’ organisation Solace read: ‘While ministers have indicated there is a determination in the department to secure a comprehensive funding settlement for the sector in the Spending Review this is not their decision alone and the chancellor has said there will be difficult choices ahead.
‘While officials have said they will be alive to any further concerns about funding in relation to this issue, the indication is that more money will not be forthcoming.’
- Rishi Sunak could hike business rates for 'most valuable properties'
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Rishi Sunak is considering an increase in business rates for the "most valuable properties", with fears being raised that the move could hurt firms already struggling amid the effects of the coronavirus crisis.
The Chancellor has asked for industry feedback on whether high end shops, offices and other large premises should pay a new, higher business rate, with responses due ahead of the autumn Budget.
In a call for evidence as part of a business rates review, the Treasury said failing to raise enough revenue from them could put pressure on "other parts of the tax system".
- English councils with highest Covid rates launch own test-and-trace systems
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Councils with the highest Covid infection rates in England have launched their own contact-tracing operations to plug holes in the “world-beating” £10bn government system, with some reaching 98-100% of people who fell through the gaps.
Blackburn with Darwen council in Lancashire established its own model on Tuesday when its public health chief said national test and trace was “simply not tracing enough cases and contacts fast enough”.
Calderdale council in West Yorkshire, which has the sixth highest infection rate in England, told the Guardian it was hoping to launch its own team next week, while neighbouring Kirklees council said it was considering doing the same.
- Schools 'must come before pubs and restaurants in future'
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Schools should only close after pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops in any future lockdown, the children's commissioner for England has said.
Anne Longfield says children have a right to an education, must not be an "afterthought", and that schools should be "first to open, last to close".
She says children play a smaller role in spreading Covid-19 and are much less likely to get ill from it.
- Former SpAd predicts between five and eight new devo deals
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Government is likely to have capacity to do between five and eight devolution deals with two tier areas over the next few years, a former Marsham Street special adviser has said.
Nick King, who was adviser to Sajid Javid when he was communities secretary from 2016 to 2018, told a County Councils Network webinar this afternoon this would begin with reorganisation into unitaries, making the formation of combined authorities which would receive devolved powers and funding unlikely before 2023.
Asked by a participant whether the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government had the capacity to work with the number of two-tier areas keen to go down this path, Mr King said: “[MHCLG] has said it will put the resources there… it feels to me they are looking like five to eight [deals]. Whether they’ll be able to get down that path remains to be seen.”
- ‘Repetitive’ local gov tendering is undermining NHS covid response
Date: 04 Aug 2020
In a report exclusively shared with HSJ, NHS Confederation has said retendering these services “risks damaging [the] morale” of frontline staff as it creates an “unnecessarily uncertain future” for them.
The paper, written by the Community Network which is hosted by NHS Confederation and NHS Providers, said there have been “worrying reports of local authorities looking to retender contracts for NHS community health and public health services” to help cover a £7.6bn income shortfall for 2020-21.
It said “repetitive, disruptive” retendering would “destabilise” working relationships between the NHS and local authority commissioners. It suggested retendering be paused until the end of 2021-22.
- Winners of £900m for shovel ready schemes are announced
Date: 04 Aug 2020
Ministers have announced the 300 schemes that will receive a share of the £900m Getting Building Fund and confirmed £360m for mayoral combined authorities to fund homes on brownfield land.
The Government described the cash as part of its comprehensive plan to deliver upgrades to local infrastructure and boost skills to help fuel a green economic recovery.
Officials said the £900m for shovel-ready housing and infrastructure projects is expected to deliver up to 45,000 homes, create up to 85,000 jobs and reduce around 65 million kg of CO2 emissions across England.
The cash was allocated following negotiations between bidders and the Government to narrow down longer wish lists submitted during the first stage of the process.
- Call to scrap two-tier local government system in rural areas
Date: 04 Aug 2020
The ‘confusing' two-tier model of local government should be abolished and replaced with single unitary councils, a report has argued today.
The report, published for the County Councils Network (CCN), calls on the Government to move to a system of single tier local authorities, with new powers for town and parish councils.
It argues this would deliver the greatest financial benefit and make it easier to develop local economic recovery strategies.
- Coronavirus 90-minute tests to be provided in care homes and hospitals
Date: 03 Aug 2020
Two new tests for Covid-19 that are said to deliver results within 90 minutes are to be introduced across NHS hospitals and care homes, to speed up diagnosis ahead of winter and differentiate coronavirus infection from flu, the government says.
But some experts were surprised by the government’s decision, saying the particular tests were not well-known.
No data had been published concerning their evaluation. The government had made mistakes in buying tests that turned out to be sub-standard in the past, they said.
- Greater Manchester to 'maximise resources' as it tries to 'reverse the spike' in infections
Date: 03 Aug 2020
A major incident has been declared in Greater Manchester amid a rise in coronavirus infection rates.
Meetings of senior figures from the police, local authorities and other agencies to discuss the city's spike in COVID-19 cases took place over the weekend.
Major incidents are often declared after a terror attack or significant flood and mean a region can access extra national resources if necessary.
- Coronavirus scheme offering UK diners 50% off begins
Date: 03 Aug 2020
Diners across the UK will be able to enjoy half-price meals throughout August from Monday, as part of a government scheme aimed at boosting restaurants and pubs post-lockdown.
"Eat out to help out" applies to eat-in food and drink on Monday to Wednesdays at more than 72,000 venues.
The discount is capped at £10 per person and does not apply to alcohol but critics said unhealthy food should have been excluded from the scheme, over fears it could fuel obesity.
- Local businesses face missing out on £1bn coronavirus help as money not given quick enough
Date: 03 Aug 2020
The Government is planning to end the Small Business Grants Fund, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund and the Discretionary Grants Fund on August 28.
But the Local Government Association estimates there could be a total underspend of £1.37 billion when the schemes close.
It is urging Ministers to keep the DGF scheme open so councils can try and redistribute any unspent resources from the other two funds back to local authorities to reinvest in supporting businesses.
- Coronavirus: Greater Manchester to 'maximise resources' as it tries to 'reverse the spike' in infections
Date: 03 Aug 2020
A major incident has been declared in Greater Manchester amid a rise in coronavirus infection rates.
Meetings of senior figures from the police, local authorities and other agencies to discuss the city's spike in COVID-19 cases took place over the weekend.
Major incidents are often declared after a terror attack or significant flood and mean a region can access extra national resources if necessary.
- Coronavirus: track and trace fails in 50% of ‘easiest’ cases
Date: 03 Aug 2020
The government’s £10bn contact-tracing programme failed to reach almost half the contacts named by infected patients in “non-complex” cases — including people living under the same roof.
The outsourcing giants Serco and Sitel are being paid £192m to provide 18,500 call handlers who are responsible for tracing non-complex contacts referred to them.
“Non-complex” cases, such as when the infected person came into contact with a friend, are dealt with by the two firms, while “complex” ones involving a potential outbreak in a school or workplace are referred to experienced Public Health England teams.
- English pubs likely to be spared new Covid-19 restrictions, No 10 says
Date: 03 Aug 2020
English pubs are likely to be spared any new restrictions on social contact to stem coronavirus outbreaks, with the focus instead falling on limiting gatherings in homes, Downing Street has indicated.
Amid speculation about potential further curbs on freedoms if Covid-19 cases rise following the full return of pupils to English schools in September, officials have stressed that they hope to keep any lockdowns local and avoid further significant harm to the economy.
No 10 also argues that closing pubs or other parts of the hospitality industry would not necessarily be effective, given the importance of transmission between households in local outbreaks, such as those which prompted emergency restrictions for millions of people in the north of England.
- Government says schools are safe and children will be back in September
Date: 02 Aug 2020
The government is adamant schools will be safe to open in September, amid claims it has not given enough clarity to teachers over new procedures to combat the spread of coronavirus.
Most schools closed at the end of March as the UK went into lockdown, although some remained open for children of key workers and for vulnerable pupils.
More students were allowed to return to schools in England and Wales last month, with the government working towards opening schools as normal in the autumn.
- Local businesses face missing out on £1bn coronavirus help as money not given quick enough
Date: 01 Aug 2020
The Government is planning to end the Small Business Grants Fund, Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund and the Discretionary Grants Fund on August 28 but the Local Government Association estimates there could be a total underspend of £1.37 billion when the schemes close.
It is urging Ministers to keep the DGF scheme open so councils can try and redistribute any unspent resources from the other two funds back to local authorities to reinvest in supporting businesses.
The LGA said councils have distributed almost £11 billion to almost 880,000 eligible small businesses through the Small Business Grants Fund and Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Business Grants Fund since March.
- Health Secretary defends late-night surprise announcement that stops 4.5m people from meeting indoors just hours before start of Muslim celebrations
Date: 31 Jul 2020
Matt Hancock today denied targeting Eid celebrations with the last-minute move to introduce strict new lockdown restrictions on 4.5million people living in Greater Manchester and parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire.
The Health Secretary defended last night's surprise announcement to tackle the surge in coronavirus cases across the region, which he made in a series of tweets at 9.15pm - less than three hours before the rules came into force.
Residents in all of Greater Manchester, Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Rossendale, Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees are now banned from mixing with any other households indoors or in a garden to reduce Covid-19 infections.
- Councils set up their own track and trace systems
Date: 31 Jul 2020
Councils are launching their own track and trace operations amid renewed concerns that the national system is missing too many cases.
Sandwell council in the West Midlands, where there are fears of a looming local lockdown, has launched a system in an attempt to track cases.
Bradford council is also hoping to install its own local tracing system but has been unable to implement it owing to a lack of funding.
- 'Chancellor must protect' jobs of those shielding
Date: 31 Jul 2020
Charities are calling on the chancellor to protect the jobs of workers who have been shielding during the pandemic.
A total of 15 charities have warned in an open letter that workers will be forced to choose between health and their jobs, when restrictions ease.
"Some of these workers will find themselves in an impossible position," the letter says. A government spokesperson said that the government had "worked tirelessly" to support the clinically vulnerable.
- Care home visits 'delayed' over lack of testing
Date: 31 Jul 2020
A number of care homes in England are having to delay the resumption of visits because of a lack of coronavirus testing for staff and residents.
It comes after the government withdrew one brand of home-test kits used in care homes over safety concerns.
A leading care home group told the BBC many of its facilities would not be able to host family members for weeks. The government said care homes affected by the withdrawal of kits would get replacements "as soon as possible".
- Fears for children as coronavirus disrupts vaccination programmes
Date: 31 Jul 2020
Tens of millions of children are going without life-saving vaccines because the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted immunisation programmes across the world.
Health chiefs fear that the decline in vaccinations being administered will reverse decades of hard-won progress in reducing deaths from preventable diseases.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that suffering and death among children caused by the disruption “could be far greater than Covid-19 itself”.
- Universal credit 'harms the most vulnerable', says major report amid surge in claims
Date: 31 Jul 2020
Universal Credit is failing millions of people and driving the most vulnerable deeper into poverty, according to a new report.
A House of Lords committee - including former Tory ministers - today calls for urgent reforms to make the benefit system "fit for purpose", saying it is particularly harmful to women, disabled people and the poorest.
Some 3.2 million people made new Universal Credit claims between the start of the lockdown in March and mid-June, with expectations of surge later in the year when the furlough scheme ends.
- Hancock champions role of ‘place’ in health services
Date: 31 Jul 2020
Spending on health and social care must be viewed in terms of the overall benefit to the public purse in a place, health secretary Matt Hancock has said.
In a major speech on Thursday, Mr Hancock said the government would seek to learn from how the health and care system had responded during the peak of the coronavirus outbreak in bringing forward reforms in the coming months.
He said NHS services must be “connected to the places they serve” with “systems” the “foundation stone of the future of the NHS and social care”.
- Leisure centre jobs at risk as Somerset sites remain closed
Date: 30 Jul 2020
More than 72 jobs at leisure centres across Somerset are at risk of redundancy as some sites are to remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Fusion Lifestyle, which runs facilities for some local authorities, said it had been "greatly affected" by Covid-19.
Facilities in Frome and Street are set to reopen but Shepton Lido, Wells Leisure Centre and Tor Leisure in Glastonbury will remain closed for now.
- 'Second wave starting to roll across Europe' as isolation period set to be extended
Date: 30 Jul 2020
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said he is "worried" about a second wave, as the government is expected to extend the isolation period for people with coronavirus symptoms.
Mr Hancock told Sky News there was a "second wave starting to roll across Europe" and warned the UK must "do everything to prevent it reaching these shores".
"It's something I worry about and I worry about it because we can see it coming," he said.
- UK government to expand Covid-19 rescue loan scheme
Date: 30 Jul 2020
The government is expanding its Covid-19 rescue loan scheme to cover small businesses on the edge of collapse, a move that Labour warned would come too late for many troubled firms.
With less than a week before the furlough scheme covering 9 million employees is cut back, plunging more employers into debt, the Treasury said it would use a change in EU state aid rules to allow firms previously locked out of the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS) to access government funds.
The economic secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, said he would write to major lenders advising them of the change, which will make more small businesses – specifically those that have racked up large losses and debts – eligible for loans of up to £5m.
- Government announces £20m in new grants for small businesses
Date: 30 Jul 2020
The Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government Simon Clarke has announced £20m in new grants to support the recovery of small businesses.
The boost will see thousands of smaller businesses in England given access to grants of between £1,000 and £5,000, to fund new technology, equipment and professional advice.
The funding has been allocated to Growth Hubs within each Local Enterprise Partnership to comply with the European Regional Development Fund.
- UK sees highest daily total of COVID-19 cases for more than a month
Date: 30 Jul 2020
The government has reported the highest daily number of coronavirus cases in more than a month - as a quarantine for arrivals from Luxembourg was announced.
A total of 846 new cases of COVID-19 were reported on Thursday, the highest UK total since 28 June (901 cases).
A further 38 people have died across all settings after testing positive for coronavirus, taking the official death toll to 45,999.
- Kirklees agrees £4m leisure services bail-out
Date: 30 Jul 2020
The bail-out was approved during a cabinet meeting earlier this week, in a bid to help the provider remain solvent and manage its cash flow.
KAL is a trust operating 12 leisure centres across the borough on the behalf of the council.
Graham Turner, corporate cabinet member, said: “The sector has been particularly badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, and will continue to be for some considerable time.
- LEP Network comes out fighting ahead of White Paper
Date: 30 Jul 2020
The chair of the network that supports local enterprise partnerships (LEP) has come out fighting amid fears the future of the organisations could be at risk.
This week The LEP Network is expected to publish a five-point plan that looks to place the partnerships at the centre of the Government’s thinking ahead of the crucial devolution and recovery White Paper.
- Government in attempted grants cash grab
Date: 30 Jul 2020
Fresh calls have been made for councils to be allowed to dole out to businesses the £1.6bn unspent from the Government’s small firms grant funds.
The calls come after the Government confirmed that local authorities should make final payments from the small business grants fund, the retail, hospitality and leisure grants fund and the discretionary grant fund by Friday August 28.
Business secretary Alok Sharma has noted that councils have paid out 88% or £10.8bn of the £12.3bn pot to businesses but said any unspent funds will have to be returned to the Government.
- Government announces £20m in new grants for small businesses
Date: 30 Jul 2020
The Minister for Regional Growth and Local Government Simon Clarke has announced £20m in new grants today (July 30) to support the recovery of small businesses.
The boost will see thousands of smaller businesses in England given access to grants of between £1,000 and £5,000, to fund new technology, equipment and professional advice.
The funding has been allocated to Growth Hubs within each Local Enterprise Partnership to comply with the European Regional Development Fund.
- Huge growth in free school meals urged to tackle food poverty crisis
Date: 29 Jul 2020
Up to 1.5 million more children in England should get free school meals to help tackle a growing crisis of food poverty and unhealthy eating, according to a blueprint billed as the first national food strategy since war rationing.
The government-commissioned report also warns that the climate crisis will be the source of the next food emergency, demands more than £2bn for farmers to improve the countryside, and condemns faux-healthy food labelling by big brands - including the idea of “healthy” Marks & Spencer Percy Pig sweets.
- Tourist hotspots hit hardest in UK by Covid-19 unemployment
Date: 29 Jul 2020
Tourist hotspots across the UK are bearing the brunt of the ailing jobs market, an analysis of data on unemployment benefit claims since the Covid-19 lockdown has shown.
Figures from Labour show that in areas heavily reliant on tourism the rise in the number of people seeking unemployment benefits in recent months is an average of 65 percentage points higher than in other areas. The data has prompted Keir Starmer to warn that holiday towns are facing a jobs crisis.
Labour analysed data from the Office for National Statistics showing that in 32 places in England, Wales and Scotland where one fifth or more of the local workforce are in tourism-related jobs, the unemployment benefits claimant count among working-age adults has risen by an average of 174% from February to June – compared to 109% for the UK as a whole.
- Sandwell Council sets up own contact tracing system amid anger with government's version
Date: 29 Jul 2020
A council struggling to stave off a coronavirus local lockdown has got so fed up with perceived failures with the government's contact tracing system that it is setting up its own version.
Sandwell's director of public health, Lisa McNally, told Sky News that dozens of staff had been seconded to the new team to battle COVID-19 outbreaks in the area.
Sandwell, in the West Midlands, currently has the seventh highest case rate in England - 54.1 per 100,000 people - having seen a sharp jump of 332% in the 14 days up to 26 July.
- Thousands of UK public sector jobs to be created in recruitment drive
Date: 29 Jul 2020
Thousands of nurse training places and probation officer jobs will be created as part of a new government recruitment drive for the public sector.
The Ministry of Justice is hiring 1,000 new probation officers just months after it was announced the service would be brought back under government control after a disastrous spell of part-privatisation.
The Department for Education has also approved over 3,000 additional university positions to study nursing after record vacancy levels were recorded in 2019.
- MPs call for adult social care to have an equivalent to NHS chief executive
Date: 29 Jul 2020
The government should appoint an adult social care equivalent to the chief executive of NHS England, a report by MPs that highlights “poor central control over critical elements of the pandemic response” has recommended.
The Public Accounts Committee’s first examination of the health and social care response to Covid-19, published today, contrasts the priority given to the NHS with the social care sector.
It says the NHS was “severely stretched but able to meet overall demand for Covid-19 treatment” during the pandemic’s peak, with an increase in ventilators and beds for Covid patients.
- Government handling of social care during pandemic attacked
Date: 29 Jul 2020
MPs have delivered a blistering attack on the Government’s handling of social care during coronavirus.
They called it ‘slow, inconsistent and, at times, negligent’ and described the discharge of elderly patients from hospitals into care homes as an ‘appalling error'.
The MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also blamed the ‘tragic impact’ of ‘years of inattention, funding cuts and delayed reforms to the sector’ leaving care as the ‘poor relation’ to the NHS during the pandemic.
- Plan to hand social care to NHS is for ‘wrong reasons’
Date: 29 Jul 2020
Plans to hand social care to the NHS are being mooted for ‘all the wrong reasons,’ local government finance expert Rob Whiteman has said.
Speaking amid reports that the Government could remove social care from local government and centralise it as part of the NHS, the chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) said: ‘This is being mooted more for the outcome of post-COVID politics rather than what is best for care.’
Rather than admitting the mistakes made in sourcing personal protective equipment and dealing with care homes, he suggested the Government was ‘going for a structural solution’ that would ultimately pass the blame to a localised social care system.
- Treasury outlines ‘data-driven’ spending review
Date: 29 Jul 2020
In a speech to think tank Onward, Barclay branded the Treasury the “new radicals” and said it would become more like a Silicon Valley company, ensuring public sector projects operate at greater speed and using better data to make decisions.
He added work has already begun to incentivise departments to supply higher quality standardised data and to support the Treasury to better interrogate this data.
Barclay said: “Yet despite its importance, too often we have been behind the curve when it comes to obtaining, analysing, and enabling open access to data.
- Private sector ‘in position’ to shoulder tax rises
Date: 29 Jul 2020
In its quarterly review of the economy, the NIESR predicts the private sector saving surplus to rise from a deficit of 3% of GDP in 2019 to a surplus of almost 13% of GDP this year.
The reason behind the rise in the saving surplus is due to lower spending by private sector employees and businesses during the economic slowdown caused by lockdown.
NIESR principal economist Rory MacQueen told PF: “There are a huge amount of people in aggregate overall in the private sector whose spending has dropped a lot more than their income has.”
- Stretched LRFs in cash plea
Date: 28 Jul 2020
Stretched local resilience forums (LRF) have pleaded for cash amid warnings a lack of funding is hindering their planning for the next crisis.
A leaked Whitehall report said there was a ‘clear need for urgent financial assistance,’ with most LRFs said to be ‘run on a shoestring’.
LRFs have repeatedly pushed for ‘direct funding’ to help them prepare for ‘upcoming concurrent events’ such as a potential no-deal Brexit.
- England's social care plans 'need timetable and be a radical rethink'
Date: 27 Jul 2020
Ministers must publish a timetable for changes to social care before parliament returns in September and that their plans must envision a “radical rethink”, a coalition of councils and charities is demanding.
Any overhauled system for England must acknowledge “the importance of social care’s local dimension”, the coalition says in a clear warning against a centralised national care service modelled on the NHS or merger with it. The group said any proposals must not just be a funding change to save people from selling their homes to meet costs.
- NHS could take over social care, swelling budget to £150bn
Date: 27 Jul 2020
Social care could be brought under the control of the NHS in England in a controversial move that would cause the health service’s budget to soar to £150bn, the Guardian has learned.
Downing Street has drafted in David Cameron’s former policy chief Camilla Cavendish to help finalise proposals designed to honour Boris Johnson’s pledge to “fix the crisis in social care”.
Under plans being examined by Cavendish and ministers, the government would take responsibility for social care services away from councils in England – together with the £22.5bn in annual funding – and hand it to the NHS, the Guardian understands. On Monday night the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) denied it had plans to merge the two public services.
- Residents to get new decision-making powers in England cycling 'revolution'
Date: 27 Jul 2020
Residents will get powers to banish through-traffic from local streets and councils will be prevented from building substandard cycle lanes under what Downing Street has billed as a revolution for cycling and walking in England.
The plans will see the creation of a watchdog to ensure new cycle and walking routes are up to standard, intended to act as a transport equivalent of the schools inspectorate, Ofsted.
Active Travel England, to be led by a yet-to-be-appointed commissioner for walking and cycling, will refuse to fund paint-only bike lanes – without physical barriers or protection from cars – or routes where cyclists and pedestrians have to share space. It could also cut budgets in other areas for highways departments which fail to deliver on active transport.
- People over 40 face higher taxes to fund their care when they’re older
Date: 27 Jul 2020
Britons over the age of 40 could soon be asked to pay more tax to help pay for the cost of their care in later life, as part of radical new plans being considered by ministers, according to reports.
The prime minister has been under pressure to fix Britain’s social care crisis ‘once and for all’, after pledging to do so more than a year ago when he entered office. Officials have said there is a ‘renewed urgency’ to come up with a solution to cover the cost of care, which can exceed £1,000 per week for one person.
According to sources, over-40s paying towards the cost of a reformed system of care is the most popular plan being analysed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
- UK campaigners call for action to tackle surge in Covid-19 fly-tipping
Date: 26 Jul 2020
Across the UK, reports of fly-tipping have soared since lockdown amid the closure of many local authority dumps and other waste management services.
ClearWaste, a free, UK-wide app that forwards independent reports of fly-tipping to local councils, experienced a huge spike in April.
It came amid suggestions people were stuck for places to dispose of the extra waste created by lockdown DIY projects in particular. But, significantly, the app has logged a 74% increase in activity so far for July, nearly two months after most recycling centres and dumps reopened.
- New face covering rules come into force in England
Date: 24 Jul 2020
Face coverings are now compulsory for customers in shops in England, after new coronavirus rules came into force within 12 hours of the government issuing guidance on the change.
Coverings are mandatory in enclosed public spaces such as supermarkets, indoor shopping centres, transport hubs, banks and takeaways.
Police can hand out fines of up to £100 to those who do not comply.
But some retailers have insisted they will not enforce the rule.
- Home Office breaking law by leaving destitute asylum seekers homeless
Date: 24 Jul 2020
Asylum seekers are becoming homeless because the Home Office is unlawfully failing to provide them with accommodation.
Under asylum law, the Home Office is required to grant housing and support to asylum seekers who are waiting on their claims, or whose claims have been refused but who aren’t able to leave the UK.
The Independent has seen court orders from recent weeks in which the government has been told it must house destitute individuals whom it has a legal duty to support.
- Coronavirus: Government borrowing and UK's national debt explode due to lockdown
Date: 23 Jul 2020
The lockdown of the economy has checked the spread of coronavirus but it also triggered a recession that has badly damaged the public finances.
The government is borrowing money on a record-breaking scale, our stock of national debt is now the same size as our annual economic output.
According to the Office for National Statistics, Public Sector Net Borrowing in June stood at £35.5 billion. Lower than in May but still five times the amount borrowed in June last year.
- Child protection referrals could soar by 250% with lockdown easing, social workers warn
Date: 23 Jul 2020
The head of the biggest child protection department in the country has told Sky News they are facing a crisis when children return to school in September.
Matt Dunkley, corporate director for children and young people at Kent County Council, says there could be an increase of 250% in referrals of children that need to be investigated and kept safe when lockdown is eased further.
Before COVID-19, 40,000 cases were referred to the department each year.
- UK set to bring in strict new junk food rules including pre-9pm ad ban
Date: 23 Jul 2020
The government is set to implement strict rules on how junk food is advertised and sold in the UK, with restrictions such as a ban on online adverts and TV commercials before the 9pm television watershed.
Sources say that the plans, which have been spearheaded by Boris Johnson following his coronavirus health scare, are yet to be finalised but could be announced as soon as Sunday or early next week.
The measures to tackle the growing obesity epidemic are expected to be far-reaching, going beyond curbs on media and advertising to include restrictions on in-store promotions.
- UK high streets could be turned into housing, says thinktank
Date: 22 Jul 2020
Promises by government ministers to revitalise high streets with a new breed of shops should be abandoned in favour of turning town centres into residential hubs, creating at least 800,000 homes, according to a report that aims to influence a Downing Street review of planning laws.
The Social Market Foundation (SMF) said the decline of the traditional high street could not be reversed by policies that “turn the clock back” to a time before online shopping, especially after the trend accelerated during the coronavirus pandemic.
Homeworking was also likely to become a permanent feature of many jobs, leading to further declines in footfall in town and city centres and the closure of more retail outlets.
- Jenrick considers covering business rate and council tax losses
Date: 22 Jul 2020
At least some of councils' lost business rates and council tax income could be covered by the government, the communities secretary indicated this morning.
Robert Jenrick also told MPs that "clearly councils need to be funded" for additional expenditure resulting from Covid-19, describing this as often "the right thing to do".
Giving evidence to the Commons’ housing, communities and local government committee, Mr Jenrick said he was considering introducing a "mechanism" to cover lost council tax and business rate income akin to the system announced this month under which the government will guarantee 75% of lost income from sales, fees and charges above 5%.
- Above-inflation pay rise for almost 900,000 public sector workers
Date: 21 Jul 2020
Almost 900,000 public sector workers are to get an above-inflation pay rise, including doctors and teachers.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he recognised their "vital contribution" during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Treasury said the money for the pay increases of up to 3.1% would come from existing departmental budgets. Labour said the rise would not make up for years of real-terms cuts and the British Medical Association said doctors had hoped for "far better".
- Ministers lavished millions on towns in marginal Tory seats before polls
Date: 21 Jul 2020
Ministers used a government regeneration scheme to target millions of pounds in grants at marginal Conservative seats before the last election, an analysis by The Times suggests.
Today a report by the National Audit Office (NAO) reveals the process by which ministers selected 101 towns in England to each benefit from a £25 million boost to their economies last September.
It shows 61 of the towns were chosen at the discretion of ministers led by Robert Jenrick, the housing and communities secretary. An analysis shows that all but one of them were either Conservative-held seats or Tory targets before the election.
- Chancellor launches Comprehensive Spending Review
Date: 21 Jul 2020
The Chancellor has launched the 2020 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR). The Review, which will be published in the autumn, will set out the government’s spending plans for the parliament.
The review will set UK Government departments’ resource budgets for the years 2021/22 to 2023/24 and capital budgets for the years 2021/22 until 2024/25, and devolved administrations’ block grants for the same period.
- Rishi Sunak warns of 'tough choices' ahead as he launches spending review
Date: 21 Jul 2020
Rishi Sunak has warned there will be "tough choices" ahead as he launched his 2020 spending review, with a focus on strengthening the UK's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
It will set out Government departments' resource budgets from 2021-24 and capital budgets up to 2025, and is set to publish in the autumn.
The Chancellor's announcement comes as public sector finance data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed the Government borrowed twice as much in the first quarter of this year as it did in the whole of 2019, as ministers struggled to deal with the impact of Covid-19.
- Patients to be prescribed exercise and nature walks
Date: 20 Jul 2020
NHS patients will be told to attend outdoor exercises classes, plant trees or visit natural beauty spots in a pilot for “green prescriptions” that ministers hope to extend nationwide.
The government is trying to ease pressure on the health service by helping patients to join cycling or walking groups as alternatives to medical intervention.
Spending time in green spaces, or living close to them, has been shown in studies to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, premature death, preterm birth, stress and high blood pressure. In New Zealand, where doctors have been issuing “green prescriptions” since 1998, 60 per cent of patients adopt more active lifestyles.
- Boris Johnson to unveil pupil funding plan during school visit
Date: 20 Jul 2020
Boris Johnson will visit a school on Monday to boast about delivering a year-on-year increase in per-pupil funding – which Labour says will still leave schools worse off than a decade ago.
The prime minister made boosting education funding a manifesto pledge last year, after school cuts were a significant issue in the 2017 general election.
Confirming the second year of a three-year settlement, the government is to announce that each secondary school will attract a minimum of £5,150 per pupil and each primary a minimum of £4,000 under the national funding formula from 2021.
- Leisure centres under threat, warn councils
Date: 20 Jul 2020
A letter to culture secretary Oliver Dowden from chairman of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) culture, tourism and sport board, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, said the pandemic was affecting facilities’ ability to generate income while they faced ‘ongoing high standing costs’.
Cllr Vernon-Jackson added: ‘Many providers are in serious trouble and, without urgent government support, there is a real risk that our leisure facilities will disappear.’
In a message to councils, LGA chief executive Mark Lloyd said: ‘If we do not act to save these vital community resources it will cost us much more in the long-term both socially and economically.’
- Changing Places toilets to be installed in every new public building
Date: 20 Jul 2020
Toilets for severely disabled people will be mandatory in all new public buildings from next year, the Government has confirmed.
The amended building regulations will ensure more than 250,000 people will have greater access to public buildings.
The Changing Places toilets are larger than normal accessible toilets and include hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers.
- Justin Griggs: Give parish councils support they need to help build back stronger
Date: 20 Jul 2020
Measures are needed enable the most local tier of local government continue to play a vital role for their communities during the pandemic, writes the head of policy and communications at the National Association of Local Councils.
For the government’s ‘comprehensive plan’ to ensure the financial sustainability of local government, it must be a plan for all of local government.
A plan that helps principal councils deal with the unprecedented financial challenges arising from additional Covid-19 cost pressures and lost income. And a plan that delivers on the government’s promise to stand with councils and do whatever necessary to support their efforts.
- Government's catch-up fund for English school pupils comes under fire
Date: 20 Jul 2020
The government’s Covid-19 catch-up fund for pupils in England is “badly targeted” and unlikely to prevent a further widening of the attainment gap between children from poor backgrounds and their wealthier classmates, according to critics.
The Education Policy Institute (EPI) said that even before the pandemic disadvantaged pupils’ learning lagged 18 months behind by the time they sat their GCSEs, and surveys had shown they were much more likely to have suffered serious learning loss during lockdown.
Yet instead of targeting the £650m extra funding where it was most needed, the EPI said the government had allocated the same amount of catch-up funding to schools in affluent areas as to schools in the poorest parts of the country, serving the most disadvantaged pupils.
- Oxford vaccine triggers immune response
Date: 20 Jul 2020
A coronavirus vaccine developed by the University of Oxford appears safe and triggers an immune response.
Trials involving 1,077 people showed the injection led to them making antibodies and T-cells that can fight coronavirus.
The findings are hugely promising, but it is still too soon to know if this is enough to offer protection and larger trials are under way.
- Women seeking asylum left 'without basic support' during UK lockdown
Date: 20 Jul 2020
Women seeking asylum in the UK have described a significant increase in unsafe and unsanitary living conditions during the Covid-19 crisis, according to a report from a coalition of charities.
The report took evidence from charities across the UK, including Women Asylum Seekers Together Manchester, Women for Refugee Women in London, and Women with Hope in Birmingham.
“Previous research has established that almost all women who seek asylum in the UK are survivors of gender-based violence. Even before this crisis, we have seen how they are forced into poverty and struggle to find safety” she said.
- Grenfell firm took some of cladding savings for itself, inquiry told
Date: 20 Jul 2020
The main contractor on the Grenfell Tower refurbishment secretly “pocketed” £126,000 while switching the cladding to cheaper, more combustible materials, the inquiry into the deadly fire at the building has heard.
Rydon was bidding for the project in March 2014 when it told the landlord of the council block that it could save £293,368 by switching from the originally specified zinc cladding to plastic-filled aluminium panels, which the inquiry has heard had “significantly worse” fire performance.
At the time, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenants’ Management Organisation (KCTMO) was trying to cut more than £800,000 from the costs and had told Rydon it was “in pole position” to win the contract.
- Districts unite against county proposal for 1.2m ‘mega unitary’
Date: 20 Jul 2020
Hertfordshire CC is drawing up controversial plans for a unitary covering the whole county of 1.2 million people, sparking a backlash from all ten district councils of all three political parties.
In response to papers drawn up by the county council which have not yet been made public but which LGC understands recommend a single unitary for all of Hertfordshire, the districts have joined forces to oppose the idea and commissioned their own research to work up proposals to divide the county into two or three unitaries instead.
In a joint statement, the districts’ five Conservative, three Lib Dem and two Labour district council leaders claim that a county-wide unitary would be “too large and remote” to support local communities and “around three times larger than the size that government are likely to consider suitable for local areas”.
- Landlords tell ministers: let’s go halves on rent bills
Date: 20 Jul 2020
London rents plummeted further in June as the capital's landlords continue to struggle against falling demand and a greater number of properties.
Hamptons International, a letting agent, said the figure was largest fall on record and completely undid all of the rental growth seen in 2019.
Inner London rents fell 7.4pc while Outer London fell 3.6pc. Overall, rents across the capital fell 4.5pc. This follows a 1.3pc fall in March, the last time comparable figures were published.
- UK to appoint chief inspector of buildings to address safety fears
Date: 19 Jul 2020
Ministers are to appoint the UK’s first chief inspector of buildings in reforms prompted by the Grenfell Tower disaster and the discovery that thousands of other high-rise buildings breach fire safety regulations.
The inspector will lead a national regulator of building safety that will also police a system to designate an “accountable person” for each high-rise building. They will be obliged to respond to residents’ complaints after the tenants and leaseholders of Grenfell Tower said their fears about the safety of their homes were ignored by their landlords before the fire on 14 June 2017, which killed 72 people.
The Grenfell Action Group community blog famously published a post in November 2016 that said “only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of our landlord, the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation”.
- £3bn for NHS to prepare for possible second wave
Date: 17 Jul 2020
The NHS in England will get an extra £3bn of funding to prepare for a possible second wave of coronavirus, Boris Johnson is set to announce.
The funding will also help ease winter pressures on the health service, Downing Street said.
It follows warnings a second wave this winter could see around 120,000 Covid-19 deaths in UK hospitals.
- Ministers urged to overhaul early years services in England
Date: 17 Jul 2020
The children’s commissioner for England has called for a complete overhaul of early years services, plus a government-funded rescue package to prevent mass closures of nurseries and childcare providers that could go under as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.
The childcare sector has been hit hard by lockdown, with surveys suggesting as many as one in four nurseries and pre-schools could close within the year, rising to one in three in the deprived areas where children benefit most from early intervention.
- More than 4,000 hospital patients discharged into care homes without test
Date: 17 Jul 2020
More than 4,000 people were discharged from hospital into care homes without being tested for COVID-19 around the peak of the pandemic, figures obtained by Sky News reveal.
The data from NHS Trusts shows two thirds of elderly patients discharged hadn't had a coronavirus test.
A total of 6,435 elderly patients were discharged between 19 March and 15 April, with 2,225 being tested and 4,210 not receiving a test.
- Prime Minister gives local authorities more powers for local lockdowns
Date: 17 Jul 2020
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced in his statement on Coronavirus July 17 that local authorities will have new powers to enforce measures to limit the spread of the virus in their area.
From July 18, local councils will be able to close specific premises, shut public outdoor spaces and cancel events to speed up the response to a local outbreak and contain the spread.
Following a local lockdown in Leicester, which saw the percentage of people testing positively fall from a weekly rate of 12.2% to 4.8%, new framework will enable national and local Government to work more closely together to implement this in other areas if needs be.
- Boris Johnson promises independent inquiry into coronavirus response
Date: 16 Jul 2020
Boris Johnson has committed himself to an independent inquiry into the response to the pandemic.
The prime minister told MPs that it would be wrong to distract officials during the health crisis but that there would “certainly” be a full investigation. Although Mr Johnson has previously said lessons would be learnt it is the first time that he has expressly accepted the need for an independent inquiry.
He is now being pressed to confirm the legal basis for the investigation and publish its terms of reference before the Commons breaks for its summer recess next week.
- Thousands of drivers suffer pothole breakdowns despite low traffic during lockdown
Date: 16 Jul 2020
Thousands of drivers suffered pothole-related breakdowns between April and June despite traffic volumes plummeting amid the coronavirus lockdown, new figures show.
One of the UK’s major breakdown rescue firms, the RAC, said it received 1,766 call-outs for vehicles damaged by faulty road surfaces over the three months.
It described the figures as “a real cause for concern” as Government data shows motor traffic volumes fell by as much as 60% during that period due to lockdown restrictions.
- Distribution of £500m Covid funding announced
Date: 16 Jul 2020
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick has announced how the latest tranche of Covid-19 funding for councils will be distributed.
Worth £500m in total, £6m of the pot is to be used to provide additional support to councils dealing with pressures due to high numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The remaining £494m has been split between all councils with 93% going to upper tier authorities and 7% to lower tier.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said the funding had been distributed based on population and levels of deprivation as well as how the costs of delivery of services varies across the country.
- £62m for local councils to discharge people with learning disabilities or autism
Date: 16 Jul 2020
The Department for Health and Social Care has announced a £62m package on July 16 to help local councils to discharge people with learning disabilities or autism from hospitals into the community.
Secretary Matt Hancock has called for a renewed focus to better support people with learning disability or autism and accelerate their return from hospital.
The Community Discharge Fund, split over three years, will provide financial support to local authorities to remove the obstacles apparent when discharging people and will cover costs incurred through establishing community teams, accommodation and staff training.
- UK government planning new green investment bank
Date: 15 Jul 2020
The UK government is poised to reveal plans for a new state-backed green bank to help finance Britain’s climate ambitions, three years after ministers agreed to sell the UK’s Green Investment Bank.
Kwasi Kwarteng, the energy minister, said that he expects the government to set out how it plans to create a successor to the Green Investment Bank “in the not-too-distant future”.
The move to rebuild a new green lender comes amid growing calls from climate campaigners, economists and academics to invest in green infrastructure to help revive the UK’s struggling economy and help meet its climate targets.
- UK energy efficiency push offers just a third of the investment needed, says report
Date: 15 Jul 2020
The government’s new plans to upgrade the energy efficiency of homes will make only a fraction of the progress needed to help the UK meet its legally binding climate targets, according to a new study.
A report by IPPR, a left-leaning thinktank, has found at least 12 million homes will need to be fitted with low-carbon heat pumps and energy efficiency measures, such as insulation, over the next 30 years for the UK to meet its net zero targets.
However, Rishi Sunak’s pledge to fund a new energy efficiency plan with £3bn of spending is less than a third of the investment needed, and its plans to install heat pumps will deliver less than 2% of the number required, according to the report.
- Workers won't be ordered to wear face masks in offices, says Matt Hancock
Date: 15 Jul 2020
Workers will not be ordered to wear face masks in offices, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed.
From 24 July, the wearing of a face covering will be mandatory in shops and supermarkets in England, with a fine of up to £100 for those who do not comply.
Blackburn with Darwen Council, which is teetering on the edge of a local lockdown due to a spike in coronavirus cases, has recommended people wear face coverings in all enclosed public spaces for the next month.
- Andrea Leadsom to review disadvantaged children's health
Date: 15 Jul 2020
Boris Johnson has appointed former cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom to carry out a review into how to improve health outcomes for babies and children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Leadsom said she would be focusing on the first 1,001 days of a baby’s life – from conception – and that her findings would contribute to the government’s “levelling up” agenda.
“Ensuring that every baby has the best start in life is my passion in politics and I am delighted to be asked by the prime minister to chair a review of early years services on behalf of the government.
- Waste collections ‘return to normal’
Date: 15 Jul 2020
The majority of local authorities are now reporting that they have returned to normal operations of residual waste collections despite the continuing impact of Covid-19.
There is still minor disruption to food waste collections, bulky waste collection, street sweeping and bring bank operations with between 74% and 79% of councils reporting these services to be operating as normal.
Nearly all (98%) councils report clinical waste collections operating normally, with 90% reporting the same for fly tipping clearance. Waste volumes remain high with the largest increases in recycling, residual, garden and food waste.
- A million smokers quit during pandemic
Date: 15 Jul 2020
More than a million smokers have quit the habit since the start of the coronavirus crisis, figures have revealed today.
A new report by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) shows 1.1 million people in Britain have quit smoking, with a further 440,000 people trying to quit over the past few months.
The news has been welcomed by the Local Government Association (LGA), who said the findings are a testament to the work of councils’ public health teams.
- York and districts speak out against North Yorks reorganisation
Date: 15 Jul 2020
15 JULY 2020 BY JESSICA HILL
Leaders in North Yorkshire have been told by local government minister Simon Clarke to restructure in order to secure a devolution deal worth at least £750m over 30 years but a row is brewing over what shape reorganisation would take.
City of York Council is opposed to any shake up that would alter its own boundaries, and some district leaders told LGC they are concerned they will be swallowed up by an 800,000-population ‘super unitary’ which would slash councillor representation from 348 to as few as 100.
In a meeting last week, Mr Clarke gave local leaders a tight deadline to get their reorganisation plans in order, with bids to be submitted by September this year and those which are successful in this round to be established as early as May 2022.
- millions living longer but in far poorer health
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Younger generations can no longer expect to lead healthier lives than their ancestors, a study suggests.
People in England in their forties and fifties are, on average, in significantly worse physical shape than those now in their sixties and seventies were at the same age.
“Earlier in the 20th century a rise in life expectancy went hand in hand with an increase in healthy lifespan — younger generations were living longer, healthier lives,” George Ploubidis, professor of population health and statistics at University College London, a co-author of the study, said.
- Face masks and coverings to be compulsory in England's shops
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July.
Those who fail to comply with the new rules will face a fine of up to £100, the government is to announce. The move will bring England into line with Scotland and other major European nations like Spain, Italy and Germany.
Since mid-May, the public have been advised to wear coverings in enclosed public spaces, where they may encounter people they would not usually meet.
- Face masks and coverings to be compulsory in England's shops
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Wearing a face covering in shops and supermarkets in England is to become mandatory from 24 July.
Those who fail to comply with the new rules will face a fine of up to £100, the government is to announce. The move will bring England into line with Scotland and other major European nations like Spain, Italy and Germany.
Since mid-May, the public have been advised to wear coverings in enclosed public spaces, where they may encounter people they would not usually meet.
- Bailiff fears as councils chase unpaid tax debts
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Bailiffs employed to chase late payers will soon have the right to resume visits to homes following an enforced break during the coronavirus lockdown.
Some 800,000 UK households are behind on council tax, and from 23 August debt collectors can re-start work chasing payment. According to the Local Government Association, £700m is owed in council tax since the start of lockdown - a figure that's expected to grow.
Emergency legislation was introduced in April banning bailiffs from visiting homes to enforce debts during the Covid-19 restrictions.
- Town centres across England may never recover from Covid-19 crisis, Labour warns
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Town centres across England may never recover from the coronavirus crisis, with a £10bn-plus black hole in council finances meaning the closure of libraries, swimming pools, museums and galleries and a sharp reduction in support for economic development, Labour has warned.
Meanwhile, shadow communities secretary Steve Reed warned that government changes to planning rules could see empty shops snapped up by developers for conversion into flats, permanently depriving high streets of retail premises.
With revenues hit and demand on services increased as a result of Covid-19, a number of local authorities are “on the brink of bankruptcy”, which would trigger an immediate requirement for in-year spending cuts to deliver a balanced budget, he said.
- Care workers do not qualify for health visa in new post-Brexit immigration plans
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Social care workers do not qualify for the government's new health and care visa under the UK's post-Brexit immigration system, Downing Street has confirmed.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has unveiled details of how the UK's new points-based system will operate when it comes into effect on 1 January next year, after EU freedom of movement rules end.
The prime minister's official spokesman said the government wants employers to "invest more in training and development for care workers in this country".
- Ten million Britons unable to attend funerals in lockdown
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Nearly 10 million people were unable to attend the funeral of someone they knew during lockdown, according to a new study from the UK’s largest undertaker, which warned that the nation is heading towards a national grief “pandemic”.
In its report, Co-op Funeralcare found Covid-19 restrictions meant that 9.7 million mourners had to stay away from cremations and burials.
Warning of the long-term psychological impact of being unable to grieve properly, the study said the UK could experience a prolonged period of mourning for months, or even years, to come.
- 'No DSS' letting bans 'ruled unlawful' by court
Date: 14 Jul 2020
A judge has ruled that blanket bans on renting properties to people on housing benefit are unlawful and discriminatory.
The "momentous" court ruling found a single mother-of-two had experienced indirect discrimination when a letting agent refused to rent to her.
District Judge Victoria Mark heard this latest case in York County Court on 1 July, and ruled: "Rejecting tenancy applications because the applicant is in receipt of housing benefit was unlawfully discriminating on the grounds of sex and disability".
- Flood strategy 'at odds with Boris Johnson push for mass housing'
Date: 14 Jul 2020
The government’s long-awaited strategy for tackling floods in England does not go far enough and appears to conflict with Boris Johnson’s “build, build, build” plan for more housing, experts have said.
Billed by ministers as the most comprehensive flood defence plan in a decade, the fresh approach will mean more money spent on natural solutions to counter floods, such as capturing water on fields.
But the plan, unveiled on Tuesday, stopped short of banning any new building on land at the highest risk of flooding, disappointing experts, local authorities and flood-hit communities.
- England's free school meals scheme to close for new claims over summer
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Children in England who become eligible for free school meals (FSM) after the summer holidays have begun will miss out on the government’s voucher scheme, it has been confirmed.
Campaigners had recently welcomed the government’s decision to extend the national free school meal voucher scheme over the summer holidays, following an intervention by the Manchester United and England footballer Marcus Rashford. However, they learned this week that any children who become eligible for FSM during the course of the holidays, for example, as a result of their parents losing work because of the pandemic, will not be able to use the scheme.
- Care costs in England should be capped, says social care adviser
Date: 14 Jul 2020
Care costs should be capped at £45,000 a year in England and more cash ploughed into provision for the poorest in society, according to Sir Andrew Dilnot, who has advised successive Conservative governments on reform.
The measures to bring care funding closer into line with the NHS would cost an extra £3.1bn a year – a 14% increase on councils’ social care budget – Dilnot said in evidence on Tuesday to the House of Commons health and social care committee.
The committee, chaired by the former health secretary Jeremy Hunt, has restarted its inquiry into funding social care and its workforce amid the coronavirus pandemic, during which 20,000 people died in UK care homes from confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19.
- Tory peer calls for immediate £8bn care funding boost
Date: 14 Jul 2020
A Conservative peer and former minister has called on the government to make £8bn available for adult social care without delay and boost pay for care workers working in publicly funded organisations.
Lord Forsyth is chair of the Lords economic affairs committee which last year concluded this figure would be needed to return care quality and access to 2009-10 standards. In a letter to care minister Helen Whately today, Lord Forsyth said subsequent research suggested this figure was likely to be higher but would only continue to grow without more funding.
“Without the necessary upfront investment, the gap between funding and need will continue to widen dangerously, the pressure on unpaid carers and local authorities will increase, and the most vulnerable in society will suffer as a result," he wrote. "Continued cross-party talks are not necessary for mitigating this immediate funding crisis.
- Priti Patel to set out post-Brexit immigration details
Date: 13 Jul 2020
Britain is "ready to welcome the best and the brightest global talent", Home Secretary Priti Patel has said, as she prepares to unveil more details of her post-Brexit immigration plan.
The new system is set to come into force on New Year's Day, immediately ending freedom of movement with the EU. The government wants to bring in a "points-based" immigration system which would reward high-skilled workers.
Under the government's plan, those wishing to live and work in the UK must gain 70 points. Points would be awarded for criteria such as having a job offer, holding a PhD relevant to the job, speaking English and earning more than £22,000.
- English councils poised to make cuts amid loss of commercial income
Date: 13 Jul 2020
English local councils are set to shed thousands of jobs and cut services as they count the cost of lost income from multibillion-pound holdings in office blocks, retail parks, airports and cinemas, all badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The commercial investments, many acquired in a £7.6bn property spending spree in England over the past four years, were part of councils’ effort to find alternative incomes and protect local services that faced cuts or closure during a decade of deep austerity cuts.
A Guardian analysis of council finances using data from the Institute for Fiscal Studies indicates more than 30 local authorities receive at least a quarter of their annual income, which they spend on services, from commercial investments.
- Treasury borrowing clampdown ‘should not have been necessary’
Date: 13 Jul 2020
MPs have accused the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government’s of “complacency” over the huge rise in council borrowing to fund commercial investments over the past few years and of being “blind” to level of risk this poses to the sector.
A report from the Public Accounts Committee, said action taken by MHCLG to address the issue, such as amending its guidance on investments, was “too little, too late”.
It said the recent move by the Treasury to ban councils from borrowing from the Public Works Loan Board for a year if they borrowed to fund a commercial property investment “may prove to be more effective” but it said this was a “clear case or reactive, rather than proactive policy making”.
- Councils issue warning over £730m of unspent EU funding
Date: 13 Jul 2020
Nearly a quarter of the European Social Fund is at risk of being sent back to Brussels, the Local Government Association (LGA) has warned.
The LGA said more than £730m in vital EU cash had yet to be allocated by the Government to councils and combined authorities. It warned that the remaining funds must be used to support employment, skills and training by the end of the year or they will have to be returned.
Chairman of the LGA’s EU exit taskforce, Cllr Kevin Bentley, said: ‘The Government needs to make sure the remainder of this fund reaches the local communities that need it desperately following the devastating economic impact of COVID-19.
- District council gets green light to build first zero carbon affordable homes
Date: 13 Jul 2020
Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) has the green light to build the first zero carbon affordable homes in the district.
Plans to build up to 50 zero carbon homes over across a number of sites have had funding approved, with onsite renewable heat and energy and high levels of insulations to be incorporated.
The council’s policy to support the climate emergency and achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 is upheld by this investment, and supports council ambitions to build 1000 new council homes over the next 30 years.
- Calls to devolve £5.2bn flood defences funding
Date: 13 Jul 2020
Councils have called for funding for flood defences to be devolved to local areas, after the Government announced its new long-term plan to tackle flooding in England.
The plan includes £5.2bn investment to create 2,000 new flood and coastal defences, and £200m for projects such as sustainable drainage systems.
An extra £170m will also be spent on accelerating shovel-ready flood defence schemes.
- Cross-party group of MPs to lead first UK coronavirus inquiry
Date: 12 Jul 2020
The only UK inquiry to date into the handling of the coronavirus crisis will take its first evidence from bereaved relatives, amid growing calls for a full independent investigation.
Families of those who have died will give their submissions in writing, via video call, or will arrange to do so in person to the new all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for coronavirus, led by a cross-party group of MPs.
It is so far the only independent inquiry into the pandemic taking place in the UK. The politicians involved hope their findings will be used to inform the government’s response before a potential second peak of the illness this winter.
- Labour urges Rishi Sunak to cancel 'secret £1bn giveaway' for landlords and second home owners
Date: 10 Jul 2020
Labour has called on Rishi Sunak to rethink a 'secret £1bn giveaway' to second home owners in his mini-Budget.
The Mirror revealed today that the Tories' emergency Stamp Duty cut will hand a massive tax break to landlords and people buying second homes, it's been revealed. The Chancellor yesterday slashed the property sales tax by moving the threshold when it kicks in, from £125,000 to £500,000.
Mr Sunak said the £3.8bn temporary change, to March 31, 2021, will take almost nine in ten buyers out of the tax and stimulate the housing market. It will save the average buyer £4,500, rising to a maximum of £15,000 for homes over £500,000.
- Care homes opening for family visits ‘very soon’
Date: 10 Jul 2020
Families will be able to visit relatives in care homes for the first time in more than four months under guidance to be issued by the government within days.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, said last night that visits to care homes in England would resume “very soon”, provided that new safety rules were followed.
Most care homes halted visits to residents well before Boris Johnson issued his stay-at-home instruction to the nation on March 23, to minimise the risk of infection among residents. They switched to keeping families in touch by video and telephone calls.
- Junk food deals will be banned in Boris Johnson’s assault on obesity
Date: 10 Jul 2020
Boris Johnson is expected to take the first steps of a promised anti-obesity drive with a ban this month on supermarket promotions of unhealthy food.
The prime minister is likely to hold off on introducing a 9pm watershed on the advertising of unhealthy food, however, disappointing campaigners.
Mr Johnson, who had declared himself “very libertarian” on food choices, has said that the coronavirus had convinced him that urgent action was needed.
- Cost of rolling out universal credit rises by £1.4bn, say auditors
Date: 10 Jul 2020
There is still no evidence that universal credit benefit is meeting its central aim of getting more people into work – while the costs of implementing it have risen by £1.4bn and it remains beset by delays, according to the government spending watchdog.
In a critical report, the National Audit Office said that although more claimants were being paid on time, the controversial five week wait for a first universal credit payment continued to exacerbate many claimants’ debt problems and push them into hardship.
There are currently 5.3m claimants on universal credit – up from 2.9m in February – as the economic fallout from the pandemic continues. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, announced that the number of work coaches in jobcentres would double to 27,000 over the next year to cope with rising numbers of people signing on.
- Surrey leader ‘seeks country’s biggest unitary’
Date: 10 Jul 2020
Surrey CC’s leader is understood to be pushing to reorganise his county into a single unitary authority, which would make it the country’s largest such council.
Tim Oliver (Con) has discussed restructuring of the 1.2 million-population county, which has 11 districts, in a series of meetings with ministers, civil servants and the county’s MPs. This is in advance of the government publishing a white paper on recovery and devolution later this year, paving the way for more unitaries nationwide.
It is understood Cllr Oliver is anxious to avoid recent improvements in children’s and adult services being potentially lost as a result of any division of services. He also believes that the county would be hard to divide fairly, with its western half being its wealthiest, meaning that he backs a single council.
- Jobs and services at risk as Luton prepares for emergency budget vote
Date: 10 Jul 2020
Councillors at Luton BC are being asked to approve cuts of almost £17m entailing more than 350 redundancies and a restructure of senior management as the council grapples with the financial impact of Covid-19.
An emergency budget report due to go to full council next week says while the budget seeks to protect frontline services “where possible… given the magnitude of the savings it is unavoidable that some frontline services will be affected”.
The council is one of the worst affected financially by coronavirus due to its heavy reliance on income from Luton Airport which it owns. The original 2020-21 budget anticipated income of £33.5m which would have funded around 23% of the council’s total net service expenditure.
- Third of social workers looking to quit profession, survey reveals
Date: 10 Jul 2020
A third of social workers are thinking of leaving the profession putting the system at risk of collapse, new research has warned.
A survey by the Social Workers Union reveals that a third of social workers are considering alternative careers as they feel their concerns during the pandemic have been ignored.
Half of those surveyed said they have put their own health at risk during the coronavirus crisis, while one in ten (11%) have felt threatened with disciplinary measures for raising safety concerns.
- Council to bring housing management back in-house
Date: 10 Jul 2020
Islington Council is set to bring the management of homes back in-house once its current Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract comes to an end.
The PF12 contract with Partners, covering more than 4,000 council homes, is set to end in April 2022.
A consultation with local residents has revealed 91% are in favour of the council delivering services directly. The council has now opted to being housing repairs and maintenance back in-house.
- Care homes face staffing 'black hole' with new immigration bill
Date: 09 Jul 2020
Care homes could face a staffing "black hole" because of the impact of the government's immigration bill, care leaders have warned.
The Cavendish Coalition - which represents UK health and social care groups - says it is gravely concerned. The current proposals would not allow enough overseas workers to be recruited, it has warned.
The government said immigration is "not the answer to the challenges in the social care sector". Leaders of 37 national care organisations, including the NHS Confederation, have signed the letter to the prime minister.
They say the proposed post-Brexit bill could have a damaging effect on care homes and other social care services, especially as the nation heads towards winter - which could bring further challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic.
- 'Flawed' test denies EU migrants universal credit, thinktank warns
Date: 09 Jul 2020
Large numbers of EU migrants are being rejected for universal credit during the coronavirus pandemic due to a “flawed” and “little-known” residency test, a leftwing thinktank has warned.
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said about 45,000 claims for universal credit were rejected due to the “habitual residence” test in the past 12 months – before a significant rise in claims during the Covid-19 crisis.
- Leicester lockdown: No plans for extra Covid cash, minister says
Date: 09 Jul 2020
The first city in the UK to be put in local lockdown will not receive special financial support from the government.
Businesses in Leicester had expected extra help after they were ordered to close on 30 June following a spike in Covid-19 cases. A letter from Business Minister Nadhim Zahawi said there were no plans to change or extend any current schemes.
Leicester Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said he was "absolutely furious" the expected funds had not materialised and described the lack of extra measures as "brutal".
- Cost of funerals continues to rise even as services limited
Date: 09 Jul 2020
The cost of funerals has risen during the Covid-19 pandemic despite the average ceremony only lasting 15 mins, an analysis has found.
Two-thirds of councils have increased the cost of a cremation by up to 16 per cent from last year, according to research by the BBC, with a quarter freezing prices and just seven having cut costs.
This is despite Government guidelines reducing the allotted time for services and the number of mourners who can attend.
- Dementia patients 'deteriorating' without family visits
Date: 09 Jul 2020
Relatives of care home residents with dementia should be treated as key workers, leading charities say.
In a letter to the health secretary, they write that the care given by family members is "essential" to residents' mental and physical health. They argue the current limits on visitors have had "damaging consequences". They want visits to resume safely, with relatives given the same access to care homes and coronavirus testing as staff.
Signed by the bosses of leading charities including Dementia UK and the Alzheimer's Society, the letter calls on the government to "urgently" address what it calls the "hidden catastrophe" happening in care homes.
- Too many youngsters are going to university, Education Secretary says as he rips up 50 per cent target
Date: 09 Jul 2020
Too many youngsters are going to university, the Education Secretary has said, as he rips up the 50 per cent target.
Gavin Williamson said that there are "limits" to what we can achieve by sending increasing numbers of school leavers into higher education, adding that it is "not always what the individual and nation needs".
In a virtual speech, hosted by the Social Market Foundation, he warned that we should not try to drive half of young people down a path which they are not all suited to. School leavers should instead be encouraged to enroll in technical and further education colleges or apprenticeships.
- Coronavirus: Rishi Sunak to unveil 'kickstart jobs scheme' for young people
Date: 08 Jul 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak will announce a £2bn "kickstart scheme" later to create more jobs for young people.
The fund will subsidise six-month work placements for people on Universal Credit aged between 16 and 24, who are at risk of long-term unemployment.
Labour said more action was needed to tackle the "scale of the unemployment crisis" caused by coronavirus.
Mr Sunak is also expected to announce a temporary stamp duty holiday to stimulate the property market.
- Chancellor unveils his three-part plan for jobs
Date: 08 Jul 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced the next phase of his plan to ‘protect, support and retain’ jobs in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
The three-part plan began with the furlough scheme, which has not been extended beyond its October deadline.
Despite predictions of large-scale job losses from the Office for Budget Responsibility and the Bank of England, Mr Sunak told Parliament: ‘I will never accept unemployment as an inevitable outcome.’
Entering the second phase, the chancellor focused on creating jobs for young people, investment in infrastructure, and ‘green recovery’ with cash to for home improvements.
- Leicester mayor accuses Matt Hancock of not sharing Covid-19 data
Date: 08 Jul 2020
The mayor of Leicester has accused Matt Hancock and Public Health England (PHE) of withholding vital data that could help reduce the spread of coronavirus through BAME communities as well as workplaces.
In a letter to the health secretary on Thursday, Sir Peter Soulsby claimed that information sent from Whitehall to local officials did not disclose the ethnicity or workplaces of people who fall ill, increasing the difficulty of tracing the spread of the disease.
Local health officials have relied on figures about death rates and hospital admissions that provide limited information on the backgrounds of individuals, he said.
- England's vulnerable teenagers at risk of 'falling off the radar'
Date: 07 Jul 2020
Tens of thousands of vulnerable teenagers whose lives have been disrupted by Covid-19 are at risk of slipping out of education and becoming easy prey for criminal gangs, the children’s commissioner for England has warned.
Anne Longfield said more than 120,000 teenagers in England with a history of exclusion, persistent absence from school and periods missing from care could “fall off the radar” without focused intervention as the country comes out of lockdown.
Many more will struggle to adapt to normality after six months out of school, with young people who have finished year 11 – the final year of secondary school – and those whose apprenticeships may have collapsed of particular concern, she said.
- Vouchers of up to £5,000 for home insulation
Date: 07 Jul 2020
Hundreds of thousands of homeowners will receive vouchers of up to £5,000 for energy-saving home improvements, the chancellor will announce. Rishi Sunak is due to set out a £2bn grant scheme in England for projects such as insulation as part of a wider £3bn plan to cut carbon emissions.
The Treasury said the grants could help to support more than 100,000 jobs. Labour said renters appeared to be left out and called for a "broader and bigger" plan to cut carbon emissions.
Under the Green Homes Grant, the government will pay at least two-thirds of the cost of home improvements that save energy, the Treasury said. For example, a homeowner of a semi-detached or end-of-terrace house could install cavity wall and floor insulation for about £4,000 - the homeowner would pay £1,320 while the government would contribute £2,680.
- Boris Johnson criticised over 'cowardly' care home comments
Date: 07 Jul 2020
Boris Johnson has been criticised for saying "too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures" during the coronavirus outbreak. The prime minister was responding to the head of NHS England's call for reform in social care within a year.
Mr Johnson said it was "important to fund" the sector, but it needed to be "properly organised and supported". Mark Adams, CEO of charity Community Integrated Care, told the BBC the PM's comments were "cowardly".
Speaking to the Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Adams said he was "unbelievably disappointed" by the reaction. "I think at best this was clumsy and cowardly," he continued. "But to be honest with you, if this is genuinely his view, I think we're almost entering a Kafkaesque alternative reality where the government sets the rules, we follow them, they don't like the results, they then deny setting the rules and blame the people that were trying to do their best."
- Forty charities unite in call for new law to end 'patchy' homeless help
Date: 07 Jul 2020
Forty charities are urging Boris Johnson to end the "patchy" help for homeless people during the coronavirus pandemic by passing an emergency law.
Crisis, St Mungo's and the Big Issue Foundation are among the groups who have drawn up a bill they say would truly deliver on the government's "everyone in" campaign to accommodate all rough sleepers in England.
Sky News can reveal they have criticised the "piecemeal, disjointed approach" taken by councils across the country and are worried about communal shelters remaining closed as winter and the threat of a second spike in COVID-19 cases loom.
- Care chiefs reject Boris' COVID claims
Date: 07 Jul 2020
Care chiefs have rejected claims by Boris Johnson that it was their lack of vigilance that led to a high number of coronavirus deaths in care homes.
On a visit to Yorkshire the Prime Minister alleged that ‘too many homes didn’t follow the procedures in the way they could have’. About half of care homes have had virus outbreaks with 20% of residents infected and 5% of staff.
Martin Green, chief executive of Care England which represents providers: ‘At the start of the pandemic care homes were ignored and our personal protective equipment was directed towards hospitals.’
- Thousands of council jobs at risk due to funding shortfall, union warns
Date: 07 Jul 2020
Tens of thousands of council jobs could be lost unless the Government addresses the current funding shortfall, Unison has warned.
The trade union has analysed the impact of the £10bn ’funding gap’ for 2020/21, which amounts to a 21% reduction in spending compared to the previous financial year.
This could could lead to the loss of 51,000 children’s social workers, 141,000 adult care workers and almost 46,000 refuse collectors, according to the research.
- If lockdown can go local, the plan for recovery should do the same
Date: 06 Jul 2020
We are living through a national crisis. But as the news from Leicester has brought into sharp relief, we are also living through a series of local crises.
What started centred in London has now moved to afflict northern towns and cities. It will no doubt move again. There are some patterns. Death rates are higher in more deprived areas — even more so than normal. There is also a lot of apparently random variation; similar, neighbouring areas have often had very different experiences.
We can expect more local peaks and troughs over the course of the pandemic, possibly requiring more local lockdowns, and certainly requiring localised policy responses.
- Arts venues welcome £1.57bn government support
Date: 06 Jul 2020
The government has unveiled a £1.57bn support package to help protect the futures of UK theatres, galleries, museums and other cultural venues.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden told BBC Breakfast new grants and loans aim to preserve "crown jewels" in the UK's art sector as well as local venues. It follows several weeks of pressure, with industry leaders warning that many venues were on the brink of collapse.
Independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues will also be eligible. Guidance for a phased return of the performing arts, starting with performances behind closed doors and rehearsals, is expected to be published by the government shortly.
- Sunak to give firms £1,000 cash bonus to hire trainees
Date: 06 Jul 2020
The government is pledging to provide 30,000 new traineeships to get young people in England into work, as fears about mounting unemployment increase.
Traineeships provide classroom-based lessons in maths, English and CV writing, as well as up to 90 hours of unpaid work experience.
Under the £111m scheme, firms in England will be given £1,000 for each work experience place they offe
- Another 27,000 excess deaths 'likely' if government continues on this path, warns top scientist
Date: 06 Jul 2020
A further 27,000 excess deaths are "likely" between now and next April under the current approach to tackling the coronavirus pandemic, a former government chief scientific adviser says.
Sir David King, who has been critical of the easing of lockdown measures, told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday, "we need to look at the fastest route out of COVID-19" and the current one "is not right".
He said it looked as though Downing Street's policy was to "maintain" the current level of about 3,000 new infections per day across England.
- Think tank calls for sweeping reforms to local taxes
Date: 06 Jul 2020
A group of former Treasury special advisers have called for revaluation of the council tax and reform of business rates to boost the economy post-COVID-19.
The ex-advisers, part of a centre right think-tank called Onward, call for ‘sweeping reform of the tax system in particular reforming business and property taxes including council tax revaluation.’ The last valuation was in 1991 and it has been prostponed by successivew governments ever since.
In their report, Bouncing Back, the authors call for new fiscal rules targeting debt falling as a percentage of GDP by 2025. They argue that ‘politically, there is no mandate for a course of action that looks like reducing public spending on essential services such as the NHS’ but also stress that ‘a radical vision for permanently and radically bigger government was rejected by the electorate in December.’
- Ed Davey calls for £45bn funding for councils to fuel green economic recovery
Date: 06 Jul 2020
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey will call for local authorities to be granted £45bn of “green recovery investment” money and a suite of new powers, to help kickstart economic growth and emissions cuts in the UK’s regions.
In a speech to the Local Government Association, Mr Davey, a candidate in the Liberal Democrat leadership race, will call for a “Devolution Revolution to drive the Green Revolution”.
He will argue a massive cash injection for cash-strapped councils will help them “take a lead in the fight against climate change” as well as “the fight against the recession”.
- Local officials kept in the dark by Whitehall on Covid-19 testing data
Date: 05 Jul 2020
Local health officials are being “kept in the dark” about Covid-19 infections in their area by Whitehall’s refusal to share all of its data, Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, has warned.
Public health officials and council leaders also told the Observer that they were receiving only partial postcode data, which prevents them from precisely monitoring local areas, and could allow the virus to spread.
Burnham has urged ministers to change their approach after a week that saw Boris Johnson impose a local lockdown on Leicester when health secretary Matt Hancock, revealed that the city had seen a surge of 944 Covid-19 cases over two weeks.
- Sunak considers £500 vouchers for all UK adults to spend in Covid-hit firms
Date: 05 Jul 2020
Radical plans to give all adults £500 and children £250 in vouchers to spend in sectors of the economy worst hit by the Covid-19 crisis are being considered by the Treasury.
The proposals, drawn up by the Resolution Foundation thinktank, which has had recent talks with the Treasury about its ideas, are aimed at kickstarting economic recovery by triggering a highly targeted surge in spending. Under the plans the vouchers could only be spent in certain sectors, such as hospitality and “face to face” retail, as opposed to online.
The proposals are similar to successful schemes already used in China, Taiwan and Malta. In April, the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the Covid-19 outbreak is believed to have started, issued 500 million yuan (£57m) in consumption vouchers for use in restaurants, shopping malls, convenience stores, and cultural, sports and tourist venues.
- Social care reform needed within a year - NHS England boss
Date: 05 Jul 2020
Plans to adequately fund the social care sector need to be in place within a year, the head of NHS England has said.
Sir Simon Stevens told the BBC the Covid-19 crisis had shone a "very harsh spotlight" on the "resilience" of the care system. He said there was a need to "decisively answer" how high quality care could be provided long-term.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said it had set out a "comprehensive action plan" to support social care in England during the pandemic.
- New five-step plan for local lockdowns as Leicester rules come into force
Date: 04 Jul 2020
A five-step plan for imposing local lockdowns in the case of coronavirus spikes has been announced by the government - as new regulations for Leicester come into force today.
Boris Johnson said the approach is now moving to a local focus rather than locking down the entire country.
Speaking at a Downing Street coronavirus briefing, the prime minister said the five-step plan will include: monitoring, engagement, testing, targeted restrictions, and "as a last resort", local lockdowns.
- Councils will be forced to make cuts or face bankruptcy amid £6bn funding crisis
Date: 04 Jul 2020
Councils will be forced to make huge cuts or go bankrupt in the face of a £6.9billion financial black hole.
The elderly, young and vulnerable are likely to be hit hard this winter as frontline services are slashed. Bin collections, social services, youth activities and libraries will also suffer and some leisure centres will never reopen after lockdown.
Council incomes have plunged during the pandemic as revenue from local taxes and charges has nosedive. That comes on top of a decade of Tory cuts which saw a 60 per cent drop in government funding.
- English countryside 'at risk from Boris Johnson’s planning revolution'
Date: 04 Jul 2020
The English countryside and its wildlife are at serious risk because of Boris Johnson’s pledge to revolutionise the planning system, leading green groups warn today.
In a joint letter to the Observer, the organisations, which include the National Trust, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and the Wildlife Trusts, say wide-scale deregulation leading to lower environmental standards and less protection would be a betrayal of promises by Johnson and Michael Gove to deliver a “green Brexit”.
Such backtracking, which they fear is imminent, would also damage the UK’s reputation in the battle against climate change. The prime minister last week pledged to stimulate economic recovery after the Covid-19 crisis with a “build, build, build” strategy, adding that he wanted to drive through the most radical changes to the planning system since the second world war to ensure fast progress.
- Teachers should be vigilant for signs of abuse when schools reopen, NSPCC says
Date: 04 Jul 2020
Teachers should be extra vigilant for signs of neglect and abuse when schools reopen, the UK’s leading children’s charity has said, as ministers draw up plans for a post-coronavirus child recovery strategy.
The NSPCC has urged the Government to give school staff a crash-course over the summer holidays in how to handle disclosures from pupils and how to spot red flags.
It comes amid concerns that when children return to the classroom, teachers may be the first front line professionals they have seen in up to six months.
- Care home staff and residents to get regular COVID-19 tests from next week
Date: 03 Jul 2020
Staff and residents in care homes in England will be regularly tested for coronavirus from next week, the government has said.
Care home workers will be tested weekly, while residents will receive a test every 28 days, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
It has also promised intensive testing in any care home facing a coronavirus outbreak or an increased risk of a flare-up.
- Labour call for free flu vaccines for over-50s this winter to prevent 'perfect storm'
Date: 03 Jul 2020
Everyone aged over 50 should be given a free flu vaccine to safeguard the NHS against the "perfect storm" of a winter flu outbreak and a resurgence of coronavirus, Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News.
The Labour leader said the government "owed it to the NHS" to ramp up its vaccination programme this year in order to prepare for what could be a very difficult winter, as he demanded that 10 million more people be offered a flu jab.
Speaking on a visit to London's University College Hospital, Sir Keir praised the NHS for "an incredible job" in handling the COVID-19 crisis.
- Ministers to tone down warnings over use of trains and buses in boost for public transport
Date: 03 Jul 2020
Public transport is likely to be opened up to thousands more passengers under government plans to drop official advice warning them to stay away.
Ministers are preparing to tone down warnings over the use of trains and buses amid criticism from operators and backbench MPs that too many services are running empty.
The Times has learnt that the government will monitor use of public transport over the weekend and early next week before possibly abandoning the approach it has maintained since March. Over the past three months commuters have been told to use other forms of transport with buses and trains only used for essential journeys.
- Clarke indicates flexibility on unitary size in drive to make state ‘match fit’
Date: 03 Jul 2020
Areas that adopt elected metro mayors will get the “most generous” devolution deals as the government embarks on the “most ambitious devolution agenda in 70 years”, local government and regional growth minister Simon Clarke has said.
Addressing the Local Government Association’s virtual conference this morning, Mr Clarke also revealed the government did not yet have a fixed view on a minimum population size for new unitaries of between 300,000 and 400,000, as he suggested in a parliamentary written answer earlier this week.
Mr Clarke was asked by Martin Hill (Con), leader of Lincolnshire CC – an area where early stage talks on devolution and reorganisation are taking place with the government, whether the government would consider alternatives to metro mayors for devolution deals in rural areas.
- LGC survey: Third of senior officers expect to issue s114
Date: 03 Jul 2020
Concern about the financial impact of coronavirus on council finances has intensified over the past few months with almost a third of senior officers warning that their council could be forced to issue a section 114 notice, LGC’s latest survey has found.
Among the most senior respondents, 83% were very concerned about their council’s financial position as result of Covid-19, up from 65% when we asked the question in the first week of April.
Overall 88% of these respondents said their council was projecting a shortfall as a result of Covid-19, with the remainder unsure.
- LGA says ‘more is desperately needed’ despite funding package
Date: 03 Jul 2020
The package of measures announced by the government yesterday to support council budgets is not enough, the Local Government Association has said.
The LGA renewed its call for ministers to meet all cost pressures and income losses faced by councils as result of Covid-19.
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick yesterday announced an additional £500m to support cost pressures, freedom to spread council tax and business rate collection deficits over three years instead of one and a commitment to fund 75% of losses from sales fees and charges, above 5%.
- England lockdown easing 'biggest step yet', says PM
Date: 03 Jul 2020
The easing of lockdown rules in England is the "biggest step yet on the road to recovery", the prime minister has said.
Many businesses - including pubs, restaurants, hairdressers and cinemas - can reopen from Saturday.
Boris Johnson said the public "must not let them down" by being complacent about social distancing, and he would "not hesitate" to reimpose restrictions if the number of Covid-19 cases rises.
- Almost 30,000 'excess' care homes deaths
Date: 03 Jul 2020
Almost 30,000 more care home residents in England and Wales died during the coronavirus outbreak than during the same period in 2019, ONS figures show.
There were just over 66,000 deaths of care home residents in England and Wales between 2 March and 12 June this year, compared to just under 37,000 deaths last year.
Covid-19 was the leading cause of death for male care home residents, accounting for a third of all deaths, and the second most-common cause of death for female residents, after dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
- Covid-19 exposes stark generational housing divide, UK report says
Date: 03 Jul 2020
The coronavirus pandemic has exposed a generational divide in living conditions across Britain, with young people more likely to be locked down in smaller, overcrowded homes with no access to garden than older age groups, a report has found.
The scale of inequalities in living conditions are, the report concludes, “both striking and worrying as we enter a reopening phase that will see many people continue to work from home, alongside the risks of further local or national lockdowns”.
Lockdown Living, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, found that young people aged 16-24 in England were locked down in homes with, on average, half the floor space of older people, and are more than one-and-a-half times as likely to have no garden, or to live in a derelict or congested neighbourhood.
- Year groups kept isolated in back-to-school plan
Date: 02 Jul 2020
The Department for Education is expected to confirm safety plans based on reducing contact, rather than social distancing.
For GCSEs and A-levels, most pupils will be expected to continue with all of their intended subjects. Attendance will be compulsory, with the threat of penalty fines for parents.
The bubble system also means that if there are infections - either in a class or a year group - that all the children in that group could have to be sent home.
- Fears grow for UK high street as more than 6,000 retail jobs cut in a day
Date: 02 Jul 2020
More than 6,000 retail jobs were cut from the UK high street on Wednesday as the full impact of the pandemic on the high street – combined with the wind-down of the government furlough scheme – starts to emerge.
The latest job losses – from retailers ranging from Harrods to Philip Green’s Arcadia group and SSP, the company behind hundreds of railway and airport eateries – bring the total cuts announced this week to more than 10,000.
New data showed the number of shops that have collapsed into administration in the first six months of 2020 is already more than the number that failed in the whole of 2019.
- Councils warn of £10billion cash black hole as Robert Jenrick pumps an extra £500million into struggling English local authorities
Date: 02 Jul 2020
Robert Jenrick sparked a row with local government this morning after announcing plans to pump an additional £500million into council coffers today.
The Communities Secretary said the cash would go towards covering lost income during the coronavirus lockdown, which has seen mothballed firms given business rate holidays and forced other cuts to income.
It is part of a £4.3billion package of support put in place by the Government and is not ring-fenced and allow council and business rates tax deficits to be repaid over three years instead of one.
- Downing Street blames councils for failure to receive key outbreak information
Date: 02 Jul 2020
A furious row has broken out between central and local government, after Downing Street has blamed the failure to provide town halls with details on coronavirus outbreaks in their areas on the councils themselves.
Boris Johnson's official spokesman said councils such as Rochdale had not received the data because they failed to do the paperwork. But the Greater Manchester borough hit back, saying it had been asking for the information for weeks and data privacy forms finally sent out by Public Health England were "not fit for purpose".
A series of local authority leaders have come forward in recent days to complain that they are not being provided with postcode-level data held by central authorities which would help them stave off a flare-up of the kind which has forced the return of lockdown in Leicester.
- School safety plans will keep groups apart
Date: 02 Jul 2020
The government has published its safety plans for England's return to school in September - built on the principle of keeping classes or whole year groups apart in separate "bubbles".
Schools will have testing kits to give to parents if children develop coronavirus symptoms in school. Mobile testing units may be sent to schools which have an outbreak.
"By working together we will make sure that their hopes and dreams for the future are not to be knocked off course," Gavin Williamson said during a Downing Street press briefing.
- Jenrick pledges to lobby Treasury if more council funding needed this year
Date: 02 Jul 2020
The communities secretary has pledged to lobby the Treasury for more funding for councils if it is needed this year, after announcing a set of measures designed to give them the “confidence and stability” to lead the economic recovery in their areas.
Earlier today, it was revealed that an additional £500m would be made available to support councils with their Covid-19 cost pressures, on top of the £3.2bn previously announced. Alongside this government will guarantee 75% of losses from sales, fees and charges above 5% and will allow councils to pay off council tax and business rates deficits over three years instead of one.
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy, Society of Local Authority Chief Executives & Senior Managers and London Councils have all warned that the £500m would still leave councils facing a funding gap.
- Emergency active travel fund: final and indicative allocations
Date: 02 Jul 2020
- Struggling councils face £10bn black hole, Keir Starmer warns
Date: 01 Jul 2020
Councils face a "perfect storm" as a result of the coronavirus crisis and government inaction which could decimate local services, Labour is warning.
Leader Sir Keir Starmer says local authorities will have a £10bn "black hole" in their finances unless ministers step in to plug the shortfall.
Many councils have struggled with the pressure on budgets caused by lockdown measures cutting off their income sources while demand for support for the elderly, disabled, homeless, and other vulnerable groups is high, and must be paid for while keeping normal services - such as bin collections - running.
- English councils breaking law in 'secretly' relocating homeless people
Date: 01 Jul 2020
Councils across England are systematically breaking the law by relocating hundreds of homeless people outside of their boroughs without notifying the authorities receiving them.
An investigation found that schools are being overwhelmed, with northern cities such as Bradford having received at least 290 households from 31 different boroughs in the past two years, many of them from London, Kent and Essex.
If a homeless person is moved elsewhere in the country, local authorities are legally supposed to notify the council in charge of where they are being placed so social, medical and educational support can be put in place.
- Jenrick expected to announce plans to ease finance woes
Date: 01 Jul 2020
Communities secretary Robert Jenrick is expected to announce new measures to help cash-strapped councils deal with the coronavirus pandemic when he speaks to the Local Government Association virtual conference tomorrow.
Ministers have repeatedly indicated they were working on a ‘comprehensive plan to ensure councils’ financial sustainability over the financial year ahead’ amid growing concern in the sector about the future viability of some authorities.
Mr Jenrick, along with local government minister Simon Clarke, has been involved in detailed talks with chancellor Rishi Sunak in the run-up to his speech.
- MHCLG rejects statutory duties review
Date: 01 Jul 2020
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has rejected calls to review statutory duties on councils, The MJ has learnt.
With councils desperate for more funding to keep services going and a number of leaders expressing fears that their authority will not be able to fulfil its legal duties, ministers had been asked to review which services are a statutory duty and which are non-statutory.
MHCLG acknowledged that local authorities were having to make ‘difficult decisions as to priorities’ but pointed out the Government had already made ‘significant reductions to the burdens faced by local authorities at this challenging time’.
- COVID funding gap hits £7.4bn, LGA estimates
Date: 01 Jul 2020
The funding gap created by COVID-19 now stands at £7.4bn, the Local Government Association has said.
Analysis of the June financial returns showed council incurred £4.8bn in extra cost pressures and income losses as a result of the pandemic.
The association now estimates the cost to councils will now reach £10.9bn. After the £3.2bn emergency funding provided by Government, and a further £300m from clinical commissioning groups, it leaves councils with the £7.4bn black hole.
- Councils miss outbreak plan deadline amid uncertainty over lockdown powers
Date: 01 Jul 2020
Some councils have failed to get local outbreak plans approved by councillors before a government deadline, amid concerns about access to data and a lack of clarity about who would trigger a local lockdown.
The day after the official deadline passed for councils to get their local outbreak plans in place, LGC understands that some plans are still awaiting final approval from councillors.
But directors of public health have been working on shifting sands to finalise their plans, which have been made on the basis of existing powers and responsibilities; secondary legislation is expected to pass through Parliament this week, triggered by the spike in cases in Leicester, which it is reported will give local areas further powers to trigger ‘local lockdowns’ of whole areas as opposed to just particular institutional settings and businesses.
- ‘We’re making a noise because this is money we’ve spent in good faith’
Date: 01 Jul 2020
The chief executive of a council facing a Covid-19 budget deficit equivalent to all of its non-social care services has branded the prospect of major cuts “manifestly unfair” on residents.
Redbridge LBC is urging residents to sign a petition calling on the government to make good on its commitment to provide councils with “whatever funding is needed” as a result of the pandemic after it received just £15.7m to cover the £60m estimated financial impact for 2020-21.
In an interview with LGC chief executive Andy Donald said the shortfall was equivalent to about a quarter of the council’s net revenue budget.
- CIPFA mulls legal action against council
Date: 01 Jul 2020
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) has put aside £500,000 to fund potential legal action against Ealing LBC over a contract dispute.
CIPFA wants to recover its losses from the London Counter-Fraud Hub (LCFH) after the project failed to get off the ground.
London Councils had said that all boroughs intended to participate but, in its early stages, CIPFA publicly admitted that ‘coordinating agreement across 33 organisations, all of which might have their own priorities and political agendas’ would be a ‘significant challenge’.
- Rent arrears could see homelessness treble this year, campaigners warn
Date: 01 Jul 2020
Homelessness could treble this year due to financial impact of coronavirus, campaigners have warned today.
A new report, published by Generation Rent, shows that rent arrears has trebled since the start of the crisis, with over half a million households currently in arrears.
The report urges the Government to suspend evictions for rent arrears and ensure the benefits system covers housing costs.
- UK libraries are set to reopen – but not as we know them
Date: 01 Jul 2020
UK libraries will start to reopen from 4 July. But anyone hoping to pop in and browse the bookshelves, take their child to rhymetime or spend a couple of hours using the computers is going to be disappointed.
Returned books will be put into crates and quarantined for 72 hours. As for browsing, there may be a system whereby any books that have been touched and not borrowed have to go into quarantine; it’s still to be decided. But the system to check books out is in place: librarians will be behind perspex screens, through which library cards can be scanned.
- Ministers reject £6,000 scrappage scheme for toxic vehicles
Date: 01 Jul 2020
A scrappage scheme for petrol and diesel cars appears to have been ruled out by the government despite concerns over levels of toxic emissions.
Ministers said that there were no plans to hand motorists £6,000 to trade in the most polluting vehicles in favour of an electric model.
The Department for Transport added that it was already investing about £2.5 billion on the transition to zero-emission cars. Two years ago ministers had discounted a scrappage scheme because it would be far too costly and potentially open to abuse.
- Faulty masks sent to care homes and GPs recalled
Date: 01 Jul 2020
Batches of surgical face masks delivered to care homes and GPs during the coronavirus pandemic have been recalled because they are faulty, Sky News has learnt.
The masks, which are out of date by as much as seven years but were deemed safe to use, have been withdrawn after faults were reported with the straps and nose protection which hold them in place.
In a recall notice issued by the Department of Health and Social Care on 26 June, care homes were told they must immediately stop using the Cardinal Healthcare IIR masks and destroy them because of "a risk to staff" if the masks degrade.
- Leicester lockdown tightened as cases rise
Date: 30 Jun 2020
The UK's first full local lockdown has been announced in Leicester, with stricter measures imposed in the city.
Non-essential shops will shut on Tuesday, and schools will close for most pupils on Thursday because of a rise in coronavirus cases. The loosening of restrictions for pubs and restaurants in England on Saturday will also not be taking place there.
He told the House of Commons on Monday evening: "We recommend to people in Leicester, stay at home as much as you can, and we recommend against all but essential travel to, from and within Leicester."
- Boris Johnson pledges 'new deal' to build post-virus
Date: 30 Jun 2020
Boris Johnson will promise to "build build build" as he unveils government plans to soften the economic impact of coronavirus.
Speaking in the West Midlands, the prime minister will say he wants to use the coronavirus crisis "to tackle this country's great unresolved challenges".
The prime minister's speech comes as BBC analysis found that the UK was the hardest hit of all the G7 major industrialised nations by the virus in the weeks leading up to early June. In April, the UK economy shrunk by a record 20.4% as a result of the spread of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown measures.
- Coronavirus slump could delay building of 300,000 homes
Date: 30 Jun 2020
More than 300,000 planned new homes may remain on the drawing board over the next five years, deepening the UK’s housing crisis, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, new research predicts.
Stalled construction and the recession will slash the number of new homes being built, with 85,000 predicted to be lost this financial year, according to a study by the property agency Savills with the housing charity Shelter.
Shelter is proposing the government compresses its already announced five-year, £12.2bn affordable homes programme into two years to combat the slump.
- PM promising £1bn to rebuild crumbling schools
Date: 29 Jun 2020
Funding of £1bn for 50 major school building projects in England is being promised by the prime minister.
There will also be a further £560m for repairs to crumbling school buildings.
"It's important we lay the foundations for a country where everyone has the opportunity to succeed," said Boris Johnson.
- Thousands may have died in care homes after families were ‘blocked from discharging them’
Date: 29 Jun 2020
Thousands of care home residents may have died because their families were not allowed to discharge them during the coronavirus pandemic, lawyers have told the Telegraph.
Dr Oliver Lewis, a human rights barrister, claims providers failed to take into account the “clear risk” to its patients and they should have disregarded safeguards to send people home.
In one case a woman passed away from Covid-19 in her care home despite her family fighting for months to remove her. They are now facing a hefty bill for the care she received in the weeks prior to her death.
- UK needs 'biggest-ever peacetime job creation plan' to stop mass unemployment
Date: 29 Jun 2020
The biggest job creation package in peacetime is needed to prevent the worst unemployment crisis in Britain for a generation, a leading thinktank has warned.
Sounding the alarm as job losses mount, the Resolution Foundation called on the government to continue subsidising the wages of workers in the sectors of the economy hardest hit by the Covid-19 crisis until at least the end of next year.
It said the coronavirus job retention scheme – which is supporting the wages of more than 9 million workers at a cost to the taxpayer of more than £22bn so far – should be turned into a job protection scheme that would be kept in place throughout 2021.
- South Yorkshire devolution deal set for approval
Date: 29 Jun 2020
South Yorkshire's devolution deal will be finalised in Parliament later, four years after it was first announced.
The county, under Sheffield City Region mayor Dan Jarvis, will have new powers and receive about £30m from Whitehall. Local Government Minister Simon Clarke said the deal would "unlock real benefits for people across South Yorkshire".
The order for the deal will be laid in Parliament after letters of agreement were submitted by the mayor and council leaders in Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
- Back-to-school safety plans for autumn leaked
Date: 29 Jun 2020
The return-to-school plans for autumn in England will involve entire year groups staying in separate "bubbles".
A draft of the plans, set to be announced later this week, has been published by the Huffington Post. It means that groups of up to 240 pupils could be kept apart within a school, with a separate time for starting and finishing.
The plans, understood to be draft documents shared as part of a consultation, show the approach to safety in the autumn is an expansion of the "protective bubble" approach already used.
- Cash strapped county unitary names new chief
Date: 29 Jun 2020
Terence Herbert has been appointed chief executive of Wiltshire Council as the unitary moves back to a traditional single chief executive structure.
The council, which earlier this month warned it could go bust by the end of the current financial year, introduced a triumvirate management structure in 2018 with the responsibilities of the chief executive split between Mr Herbert, Carlton Brand and Alastair Cunningham.
Following Mr Brand’s departure in January 2020, Mr Herbert and Mr Cunningham split the responsibilities of chief executive between them.
- Jenrick ‘comprehensive plan’ likely this week as June returns show costs rising
Date: 29 Jun 2020
Councils have reported an increase in the financial impact of Covid-19 of at least £800m in June, figures shared with LGC show, as speculation mounts that further government support will be announced this week.
The latest set of returns detailing the cost increases and income lost by councils as a result of the pandemic were submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government on 19 June.
The 47 members of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities are forecasting a combined financial impact of more than £2.5bn during 2020-21, up from £2bn in May’s return. Income losses were up by almost 14% to nearly £1.4bn while cost pressures were up by more than a fifth to almost £1.2bn with services expecting increased pressure across the board. Research officer Sam Blakeman told LGC some of the increase could be down to “more accurate” predictions of full year costs in the June returns compared to the May data which asked councils to assume a return to normality in July.
- Playground guidance branded ‘bonkers’ as minsters urge reopening of tips and toilets
Date: 29 Jun 2020
Whitehall has been accused of unrealistic expectations of councils' ability to ensure facilities such as toilets and playgrounds are reopened in a Covid-19 safe way after a decade of austerity and job cuts.
Senior figures in local government have reacted angrily to a letter issued to leaders and chief executives of councils over the weekend from local government minister Simon Clarke and environment minister Rebecca Pow, urging them to reopen toilets and tips.
The letter “strongly” urged councils with toilets still shut to refer to government guidance on opening toilets in a safe way, to “consider the harm to public health and the local environment caused by people relieving themselves in public” and “the equality implications” of those who need to use the toilet more often.
- Sheffield devo deal set to be passed by Parliament
Date: 29 Jun 2020
A new devolution deal for South Yorkshire will be laid before Parliament today, handing new powers and millions of pounds of funding to the region.
Sheffield City Region Mayor, Dan Jarvis, described it as a ‘landmark moment’.
He said: ‘The journey to reach this point has been long and difficult. I firmly believe it is worthwhile, as it provides leaders in South Yorkshire the opportunity to transform our region. I am confident we will seize this moment to build back better, creating a stronger, fairer, greener economy and society.’
He vowed to work alongside the leaders of the South Yorkshire councils – Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield – as the region works to rebuild the economy post COVID-19.
- Council may have to issue s114, warns CIPFA
Date: 29 Jun 2020
Windsor & Maidenhead RBC may not be able to set a legal budget in future years and may have to issue a Section 114 notice, finance experts have warned.
A review of the council’s governance by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) said the authority (RBWM) faced an ‘uncertain future’. The review read: ‘The position for the royal borough is more acute than other councils due to its very low level of reserves.
CIPFA also found a ‘lack of financial transparency and medium-term financial planning over a number of years,’ a poor officer culture and ‘little differentiation between officer and senior member roles and responsibilities’.
- County set to approve £102m waste contract
Date: 29 Jun 2020
Norfolk County Council is set to approve a new six-year waste management deal with Veolia, worth £102m. If approved, the contract would save the council £2m and 47,000 tonnes of carbon a year.
The report says: 'The new contract would deliver additional recycling, provide a service based on zero waste direct to landfill, deliver improved value for money and savings of £2m a year, and achieve significant carbon savings compared to landfill by using rubbish as a fuel in incinerators to generate energy within the United Kingdom.'
- Clarke: Devo white paper will bring ‘more mayors and more unitaries’
Date: 29 Jun 2020
Local government minister Simon Clarke has confirmed the government is looking to create unitaries with populations of at least 300,000 to 400,000 in one of the clearest indications of the government's plans for the future structure of local government.
Responding to a written question by Simon Hoare, MP for North Dorset, Mr Clarke said that the Devolution White Paper to be published this Autumn will establish “more mayors and more unitary councils”, and has also indicated separately his enthusiasm for strengthening the role of parish and town councils.
The Devolution White Paper will set out “transformative plans for economic recovery and renewal, and for levelling up opportunity, prosperity, and well-being across the country”, Mr Clarke said.
- Local health officials say they have been left in the dark on spread of coronavirus
Date: 28 Jun 2020
The UK's Lighthouse Laboratories were designed to be able to centralise data on the frontline of the fight against coronavirus – but multiple public health directors say they are still being denied postcode-level and specific patient data for positive tests.
Speaking to The Independent as part of it's investigation into the UK’s coronavirus expansion, several said they had been informed about clusters of outbreaks by local media rather than via the NHS test and trace service because key details such as where a person works, or their place of worship, were not routinely recorded.
- 'Unacceptable' drop in care at Kettering home with 12 Covid-19 deaths
Date: 26 Jun 2020
A dramatic collapse in standards at a care home where a dozen people died from Covid-19 has been revealed by inspectors who discovered hungry and thirsty residents living with infected wounds in filthy conditions.
Infection control was inadequate, residents with dementia were left only partially dressed and one family complained of finding their loved one smeared in dried faeces at Temple Court care home in Kettering, which is operated by Amicura, a branch of Minster Care which runs more than 70 homes in the UK.
- Government ‘abandons plans to give Robert Jenrick more power over planning decisions’
Date: 26 Jun 2020
The government wanted to give Robert Jenrick more power over planning decisions before the controversy erupted over his relationship with a billionaire property developer, according to reports.
However, Boris Johnson has decided to put the proposals “on hold” rather than unveil them in a major speech about rebuilding Britain in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, The Daily Telegraph claimed.
The prime minister was also expected to include the changes in a white paper on planning later this year, the newspaper said.
- Trafford Centre owner Intu falls into administration
Date: 26 Jun 2020
Trafford Centre owner Intu has collapsed into administration, after failing to secure its future during crunch talks with lenders.
The shopping centre owner, which also runs Lakeside in Essex, had been in a desperate scramble to agree a “standstill” on its current loan agreements.
On Friday morning the group said it was likely to appoint administrators, as it remained unable to agree the terms of such a deal with its creditors.
- Citizens advice warn of council tax “D-Day”: Bailiffs to chase debts again under new rules
Date: 26 Jun 2020
Council tax debt has become a real problem in recent months and new legislation put through by the government may only make this worse. Three of the UKs largest debt charities have called on the government to take urgent action.
Due to how dire the situation has become, Citizens Advice, the Money Advice Trust and Stepchange have joined forces, calling on the government to implement measures that could protect millions of people from spiralling into debt problems.
These changes could be desperately needed given new legislation that came into effect on Wednesday June 24.
- UK councils fear bankruptcy amid Covid-19 costs
Date: 25 Jun 2020
Some of the largest UK councils say they may have to declare themselves effectively bankrupt unless the government agrees to further support.
Five councils said emergency spending controls - so-called section 114 notices - could be needed due to the impact of Covid-19.
Nearly 150 authorities have forecast a combined budget shortfall of at least £3.2bn, the BBC found.
- Liverpool says £467m will help prevent 'profound crisis' in post-Covid recovery
Date: 25 Jun 2020
Leaders in Liverpool say a "profound crisis" in the city could be prevented if the Government provides £467 million towards a post-coronavirus recovery plan.
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson and Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, have written to the Prime Minister to set out the £1.4 billion plan, which they say will create 25,600 jobs, provide 12,000 construction jobs and lead to more than 9,700 apprenticeships.
It comes as the BBC reported at least five English councils have warned they are effectively bankrupt, with Birmingham City Council saying emergency spending controls "would not rectify" its situation.
- ‘A sticking plaster’: Fears government plans to rehouse rough sleepers will force thousands back on to streets due to their immigration status
Date: 25 Jun 2020
Councils and charities have expressed concern that new government funding to support rough sleepers moving out of hotels will exclude thousands of homeless people because of their immigration status.
The government announced £85m in new funding on Wednesday to provide interim support for about 15,000 vulnerable people who have been accommodated in hotels and other forms of emergency accommodation during the coronavirus pandemic.
Robert Jenrick, the housing secretary, said the money would be used to support rough sleepers and those at risk of homelessness into tenancies of their own, including through help with deposits for accommodation, and securing thousands of alternative rooms already available and ready for use, such as student accommodation.
- ‘Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ to speed up climate action with green recovery
Date: 25 Jun 2020
The Government must seize the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to deliver a pandemic recovery that speeds up the fight against climate change, its advisers have urged.
In its annual report to Parliament, the Committee on Climate Change has warned the UK is not making the progress it needs to drive down emissions and prepare for the impacts of rising temperatures.
But recovering from the economic shock of coronavirus and at the same time accelerating moves to cut greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 is “absolutely necessary and entirely possible”, the advisers said.
- Government to tear up red tape to allow more outdoor drinking and dining
Date: 25 Jun 2020
A bonfire of red tape is being unveiled by Boris Johnson in a move to help the economy to recover from coronavirus and the nation to enjoy the summer sunshine outdoors.
On the day temperatures are set to soar to a record 34C - hotter than the Caribbean and Morocco - the government is publishing new legislation sweeping away dozens of planning regulations.
The result will be more food and alcohol on sale outdoors, more outdoor markets, car boot sales and summer fairs, all allowed without the burden of restrictive planning and licensing laws.
- Quarter of nurseries fear closure due to coronavirus
Date: 25 Jun 2020
A quarter of nurseries are likely to shut within a year as coronavirus restrictions limit the number of places and many parents remain fearful of sending their children back, operators have said.
Nurseries and other early years childcare criticised the government for refusing to offer them similar support to that allocated to schools.
Analysis by Ceeda, a market research company specialising in early years education, found that only 37 per cent of childcare places in England were taken in the first week after nurseries reopened in early June. This compared with an average occupancy of 77 per cent a year earlier. Even if occupancy were to double the nurseries would still lose money because they have not been reimbursed for additional costs associated with the pandemic, such as personal protective equipment and additional cleaning.
- Over £46m paid to survivors of abuse at Lambeth children's homes
Date: 25 Jun 2020
A survivors’ group has secured a total of more than £46m compensation for 1,340 people who suffered “horrific” abuse in children’s care homes that were infiltrated by paedophiles over several decades.
The highest individual payment to date has been £245,000, and with 620 applications still to be reviewed, and more survivors coming forward daily, campaigners believe the overall compensation bill could double.
The money has been paid to people who were in care over a period spanning from the 1930s to the early 1990s, living in homes predominantly run by Lambeth council in south London.
- Anglesey coronavirus cases: How a ‘local lockdown’ would actually work in the UK after spike at 2 Sisters meat factory
Date: 25 Jun 2020
A recent outbreak in Anglesey, Wales – where two hundred cases of coronavirus were confirmed at a chicken processing plant in Llangefni – brought this issue to the forefront, leading to speculation that the area could have to retreat back into lockdown.
Wales’s First Minister has said it could implement a local lockdown in response to the outbreak – with officials reviewing the situation with the aim of judging whether a regional crack-down would be beneficial.
- Local councils face a Covid-19 cash crisis
Date: 25 Jun 2020
ocal government finance is a bit like a sore tooth. It’s something people typically choose to ignore until they wake up one morning and find themselves in so much pain that they need a shot of morphine and a swift trip to see an emergency dentist for a surgical procedure.
Council taxpayers might be about to find out just how painful that surgery is going to be. Local authorities were in a precarious financial position before the novel coronavirus landed on these shores.
- Planning and licensing changes to pave the way for alfresco summer
Date: 25 Jun 2020
Outdoor markets and summer fairs will not need planning permission while pubs and restaurants will be able to use car parks as seating areas, under a raft of new measures intended to boost the hospitality industry in the wake of Covid-19.
The Business & Planning Bill, announced by ministers today, will also make it easier for businesses to obtain pavement licences by reducing the consultation period from 28 calendar days to five working days. Consent will be granted automatically after 10 working days if the council does not issue a decision.
A government press release announcing the moves said councils would “need to continue to ensure their communities are consulted on licensing applications, that waste is disposed of responsibly, and that access to pavements and pedestrianised areas is not compromised”.
- Diana Melville: How to improve councillors’ financial scrutiny
Date: 25 Jun 2020
"Elected members do not need to be financial experts, but they need to know the right questions to ask, writes the Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy’s governance adviser."..
- Fresh reorganisation offensive leaves districts quaking
Date: 25 Jun 2020
The County Councils’ Network (CCN) has launched a fresh offensive to rip up the local government map as the country emerges from the shadow of coronavirus.
Giving evidence to the House of Lords’ Public Services Committee, CCN chairman, Cllr David Williams, argued England had ‘far too many councils’ and called for reforms to the way local government is organised.
- Hand health powers to elected mayors, says report
Date: 25 Jun 2020
Health powers should be handed to elected mayors as part of a ‘rejuvenated and fortified wave of devolution,’ a think-tank report has suggested.
The report by Respublica said the move would provide ‘regional democratic legitimacy’ to devolved health and care systems.
Respublica previously proposed a 'path to reform' involving 'transformative devolution to the counties' and 'complete reorganisation in the form of single-tier unitary councils'.
- Apprenticeships 'are not delivering social mobility'
Date: 24 Jun 2020
The apprenticeship system is failing disadvantaged young people in England, warns the Social Mobility Commission.
The commission also says the Covid-19 pandemic will make things worse and will exacerbate youth unemployment.
In a report, it highlights a 36% decline in people from disadvantaged backgrounds starting apprenticeships, compared with 23% for other groups.
- 1.1m pupils have returned to school
Date: 24 Jun 2020
More than a million children in England are back at school for the first time in three months, data shows.
By the end of last week 1.16 million were getting face-to-face teaching, 12.2 per cent of all school-age children, up from 9.12 per cent the week before.
The rise is owing to secondary schools welcoming back Year 10 and Year 12 pupils for meetings with teachers to discuss online learning and study plans for the summer holidays. They take GCSEs and A levels next summer.
- Health leaders say UK must start preparing for second Covid-19 wave
Date: 24 Jun 2020
Health leaders are calling for an urgent review to ensure Britain is properly prepared for the “real risk” of a second wave of coronavirus.
Ministers have been warned that urgent action is needed to prevent further loss of life and to protect the economy amid growing fears of a renewed outbreak over the winter.
The appeal is backed by the presidents of the Royal Colleges of Physicians, Surgeons, GPs and Nursing – as well as the chairman of the British Medical Association.
- Gyms and swimming pools ‘could reopen in July’
Date: 24 Jun 2020
Swimming pools and gyms in England could reopen in July, the business secretary has announced as it emerged that drinkers who fail to socially distance in pubs could be fined by the police.
Alok Sharma said he hoped that leisure centres and indoor gyms would be able to reopen later next month as the government published hundreds of pages of guidance before reopening big sectors of the economy on July 4.
The bulk of England’s hospitality, leisure and tourism industries will be able to restart from July 4 as the coronavirus infection rate continues to fall. Pubs,
- Government allocates an additional £105m for rough-sleeping
Date: 24 Jun 2020
The ring-fenced fund is made up of £85m of new funding from the Treasury and £20m from refocusing existing homelessness and rough sleeping budgets.
The government said the fund will be used to support rough sleepers and those at risk of homelessness into tenancies of their own.
This will include help with deposits for accommodation and securing alternative rooms already available and ready for use, including student accommodation.
The funding is in addition to the ‘Everyone In’ scheme launched in April, which has seen local authorities house rough sleepers in hotels or emergency accommodation during the pandemic.
- Ministerial role needed to fix unequal education system, say MPs
Date: 23 Jun 2020
A new ministerial post should be created to address the “entrenched inequity” in England’s education system, which is holding back pupils from diverse backgrounds, according to a cross-party group of parliamentarians.
The role is vital, they say, especially in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has called for greater diversity in the curriculum, and the disproportionate impact that the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to have on the most disadvantaged.
A report by the all-party parliamentary group on diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) education calls on the government to make it more relevant to the lives of all young people.
- UK public 'supports green recovery from coronavirus crisis'
Date: 23 Jun 2020
People would be prepared to continue many of the lifestyle changes enforced by the coronavirus lockdown to help tackle the climate emergency, and the government would have broad support for a green economic recovery from the crisis, according to a report.
Working from home is a popular option, along with changes to how people travel, and the government should take the opportunity to rethink investment in infrastructure and support low-carbon industries, the report found.
The findings come from Climate Assembly UK, a group of 108 members of the public chosen to be representative of the UK population and to help shape future climate policy by discussing options to reach net zero carbon emissions, in line with the government’s 2050 target.
- Surge during pandemic of children needing foster care as more families reach ‘crisis point’
Date: 23 Jun 2020
Foster care is in a “state of emergency” as the number of referrals rockets while the number of people looking to take children in has halved during the coronavirus pandemic, a charity has warned.
Barnardo’s, one of the UK’s largest fostering agencies, recorded a 44 per cent rise in foster referrals to its service during the public health crisis, with the figure increasing to 2,349 between 1 March and 23 April, compared with 1,629 for the same period last year.
- Eight out of 10 English councils at risk of bankruptcy, says study
Date: 23 Jun 2020
More than eight out of 10 English councils providing adult social care services are at technical risk of bankruptcy – or face a fresh round of cuts to services – because they cannot meet the extra financial pressures caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research.
The analysis estimated that predicted Covid-19-related costs and income losses in 131 out of England’s 151 upper-tier councils this year will exceed both the levels of their available financial reserves and the support so far provided by central government.
The majority of those councils that are in the “red wall” northern England and Midlands parliamentary seats won by the Tories from Labour at the last general election are at risk of going bust because of Covid-19 pressures, the study found.
- Whitehall not sharing Covid-19 data on local outbreaks, say councils
Date: 23 Jun 2020
Local outbreaks of Covid-19 could grow undetected because the government is failing to share crucial testing data, council leaders and scientists have warned.
More than a month after being promised full details of who has caught the disease in their areas, local health chiefs are still desperately lobbying the government’s testing chief, Lady Harding, to break the deadlock and share the data.
The situation was described by one director of public health as a “shambles”, while a scientist on the government’s own advisory committee said it was “astonishing” that public health teams are unable to access the information.
- Government announces more money to keep rough sleepers off streets
Date: 23 Jun 2020
The Government has committed more money to stop thousands of homeless people returning to the streets after charities warned they could be evicted from hotels without further funds.
Rough sleepers and those at risk of becoming homeless will be helped to secure their own tenancies through £105 million, £85 million of which is new funding, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.
The Treasury money will also help them put down deposits for accommodation and secure thousands of rooms already available, such as student accommodation, while they wait for a permanent home.
- Cash-strapped councils in poorer areas will be hit hardest by coronavirus, study warns
Date: 22 Jun 2020
Councils in hard-up areas are more likely to see increases in demand for their services if poorer families are hit harder by the coronavirus crisis, a report warns today.
More deprived communities have populations likely to be more vulnerable to the health and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says.
Rates of mental illness are more than 1.5 times higher in the most deprived tenth than the least deprived tenth, and around twice as high in places such as Manchester and Hackney, London, than in Wokingham, Berks – the least deprived council in England.
- Call to build 100,000 homes a year for frontline ‘heroes’
Date: 22 Jun 2020
Ministers are being urged to build 100,000 “homes for heroes” every year to ensure that key workers in the pandemic have affordable accommodation.
The ambitious construction programme would boost the economy by creating thousands of jobs and cut the housing benefit bill, according to the Local Government Association.
Properties could be rented to public service workers at reasonable rates and be used to house people who have lost their relatives during the coronavirus pandemic.
- PM to announce on Tuesday if pubs can reopen
Date: 22 Jun 2020
Boris Johnson is expected to announce on Tuesday if the hospitality sector can reopen on 4 July and if the 2m distancing rule in England can be relaxed.
Non-essential shops have reopened in England already. Health Secretary Matt Hancock earlier said England is "clearly on track" to further ease lockdown restrictions.
- Boris Johnson drops plans to suspend Sunday trading laws after objections from own MPs and Labour
Date: 22 Jun 2020
Boris Johnson has shelved plans to suspend Sunday trading laws for a year after they were opposed by a string of Tory MPs and by Labour.
Downing Street had been pushing for the suspension of Sunday trading laws to be included in new coronavirus legislation that will be published this week.
The move was opposed by traditionalist Conservative MPs, however, and by Labour, which is concerned about the impact on shop staff. As many as 50 Tory MPs were said to be opposed.
- GCSEs and A-levels likely to be later next summer
Date: 22 Jun 2020
Next year's A-levels and GCSEs in England could be pushed back later into the summer to allow more teaching time, says Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.
This would allow schools to catch up some of the time lost since the lockdown.
Mr Williamson told MPs he would be consulting the exam regulator Ofqual about extra time to deliver courses.
It follows a similar proposal announced for exams in Scotland.
- Rishi Sunak plans emergency cut in VAT to rescue ailing economy
Date: 21 Jun 2020
Rishi Sunak is ready to slash VAT and pump billions into the economy as the government prepares to ease social-distancing rules.
The chancellor has ordered officials in the Treasury and HMRC to prepare options to reduce the sales tax, including a cut in the headline rate, and zero rating more products for a fixed period.
In private briefings last week, Treasury officials pointed out that Sunak could lower VAT and business rates at the stroke of a pen when he makes a planned speech on the economy in early July.
- 'One metre plus', the new rule that will reopen UK
Date: 20 Jun 2020
Boris Johnson is poised to announce a new "one metre plus" rule for all venues, including shops, restaurants, schools, offices, and parks, in an overhaul designed to unlock swathes of the economy.
The move, which would take effect from July 4, is understood to entail allowing people to remain a metre away from others if they take additional measures to protect themselves, such as wearing a mask or meeting outdoors.
In restaurants, pubs and bars, firms will be expected to introduce measures such as partitions between tables that are less than two metres apart.
- £350m tutoring scheme aiming to help pupils worst hit by school closures pleases some and concerns others
Date: 19 Jun 2020
A multimillion-pound tutoring programme for pupils worst affected by coronavirus closures has been widely welcomed but concerns have been raised about the ability of some schools to pay towards the subsidised scheme.
The £350 million year-long initiative is due to start in autumn and will see state primary and secondary schools in England able to access “heavily subsidised tuition” from an approved list of organisations.
It was announced as part of a £1 billion fund to help children “catch up” with lost learning after months out of school amid the pandemic.
- Up to half of rough sleepers in hotels may not have access to support when they leave, charities warn
Date: 19 Jun 2020
Thousands of rough sleepers living in hotels during lockdown may not be able to access any support when they are made homeless again because of their immigration status, leaving them with no option but to return to the streets, charities warn.
Almost 15,000 rough sleepers have been housed in hotels or emergency accommodation since the lockdown began under the “Everyone In” scheme, under which local authorities in the UK were required to house rough sleepers with a £3.2m pot of funding from central government.
Ministers told local authorities at the end of May they must put in place plans to ensure all rough sleepers currently accommodated in hotels and other forms of emergency accommodation were supported as part of the “next phase” of the government’s strategy for rough sleepers.
- 4.5m people in UK forced to become unpaid carers
Date: 19 Jun 2020
An estimated 4.5 million people – three times the size of the NHS workforce – have been forced to become unpaid carers for sick, older or disabled relatives by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to research.
Charities say the huge increase – a result of support services being withdrawn – has happened behind closed doors.
There were already an estimated 9.1 million unpaid carers before the outbreak. The research comes after it was revealed that more than 100,000 people doing unpaid caring for older, disabled or seriously ill relatives had been forced to use food banks since start of the pandemic.
- UK debt now larger than size of whole economy
Date: 19 Jun 2020
The UK's debt is now worth more than its economy after the government borrowed a record amount in May.
The £55.2bn figure was nine times higher than in May last year and the highest since records began in 1993.
The borrowing splurge sent total government debt surging to £1.95trn, exceeding the size of the economy for the first time in more than 50 years.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the figures confirmed the severe impact the virus was having on public finances.
- Homeless people moved out of hotels prompting fears hundreds will be forced to return to streets
Date: 18 Jun 2020
Homeless people are being moved out of hotels they have been in since the start of lockdown, prompting fears that hundreds of vulnerable individuals will be displaced back onto the streets while the coronavirus crisis is still ongoing.
Almost 15,000 rough sleepers have been housed in hotels or emergency accommodation since the lockdown began under the “Everyone In” scheme, whereby local authorities in the UK were required to house rough sleepers with a £3.2m pot of funding from central government.
Contracts between local authorities and hotels were thought to be terminating at the end of June at the earliest, but The Independent has learned that rough sleepers have already been asked to leave a number of hotels in London.
- Care providers 'will go to the wall' without more funding
Date: 18 Jun 2020
Leaders of social services in England have said there will be "catastrophic consequences" without immediate investment in the sector. Councils could run out of cash and care providers could "go to the wall", a report by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) warns.
It says increased costs due to Covid-19 have exacerbated an existing crisis. The government has given councils an extra £3.2bn to tackle the pandemic and £600m for care.
The ADASS report warns that increased spending due to coronavirus - for example, on personal protective equipment (PPE), staffing costs and sickness cover - means some private care providers may go out of business.
- Get all children back to school, doctors tell Boris Johnson
Date: 18 Jun 2020
More than 1,600 paediatricians have called on Boris Johnson to reopen schools or risk “scarring the life chances” of a generation of children. In an open letter to the prime minister they said that vulnerable children were suffering while schools remained shut during the lockdown.
The letter, signed by members of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, asks the government to publish a clear plan for getting all children back to school as a first step in a national recovery programme for young people.
Most children have been out of school for more than 12 weeks, a break that the letter describes as “without precedent” and which puts the opportunities of a generation of young people in jeopardy.
- Government to fund private tutors for English schools
Date: 18 Jun 2020
The government is set to announce a year-long national tutoring programme aimed at helping pupils in England to catch up on lost learning as a result of school closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Guardian has learned.
Under the plans, schools will be funded to hire private tutors from approved agencies to deliver one-to-one and small group lessons to pupils who have fallen behind with their studies after months out of school. Many have not accessed any remote learning throughout lockdown.
The multi-million-pound programme, to be funded by government, is expected to involve thousands of tutors and will be delivered in schools, with a mixture of online and face-to-face sessions, designed to support and complement pupils’ regular school work.
- Luton Council warns of ‘severe cuts’ to frontline services
Date: 18 Jun 2020
The council said the pandemic has had a “catastrophic” impact on its finances, and it may have to cut services in order to deliver a balanced budget.
It said it had been hit hard by the shutdown of its airport, which it said plays an increasingly key role in supporting vital services.
The council added that it faces a £50m shortfall in its finances, even taking into account government funding to date. It said it is able to draw down on its reserves, but added it still needs to take out almost £22m from the budget in order to fulfil its duty to balance the books.
- Covid-19 effect on Scottish economy revealed
Date: 18 Jun 2020
New monthly data published to track the economic impact of the pandemic estimate that GDP in Scotland fell by 18.9% in April after a decline of 5% in March.
The worst hit sectors have been accommodation and food services, which has seen a decline of 85% over the last two months, and arts, culture and recreation, where output has fallen by over a half.
“These results are very similar to the pattern seen across the UK as a whole and reflect the direct economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic in Scotland during the first weeks and full month of the lockdown phase,” the report from the Scottish Government’s chief economist directorate said.
- Home and school-based learning must be ‘poverty-proofed’, says charity
Date: 18 Jun 2020
Children are sharing workspaces and laptops at home and missing out on seeing their classmates online, as families struggle with the cost of home schooling, a report has found.
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) found that families on low incomes who are living on means-tested benefits are particularly likely to have bought extra resources to help their child’s education during the lockdown.
Families living on means-tested benefits were particularly likely to say that they lacked all the resources they needed to support learning at home, with 40% saying they were missing at least one essential resource.
- Bank of England unleashes another £100 billion to boost economy amid signs of ‘less severe’ hit
Date: 18 Jun 2020
The Bank of England has launched another £100 billion of economy-boosting action in the face of the coronavirus crisis, despite signs the hit may be “less severe” than first feared.
Members of the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted eight to one to expand its quantitative easing (QE) programme to £745 billion, on top of the extra £200 billion announced in March.
The Bank held interest rates at an all-time low of 0.1%, despite mounting speculation policymakers may look to take rates below zero for the first time ever to pull the economy out of its nosedive.
- Social care is running out of cash, experts warn
Date: 18 Jun 2020
Social care could run out of money to deal with the fallout of the coronavirus crisis by the end of the summer unless the Government steps in with more cash.
The peak of the crisis may have passed, but the impact on social care will continue for a long time to come, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care (ADASS) has said. They estimate they will need at least as much funding again as they have already had.
In the second report on the dire state of social care and its funding, the association called for a two-year ring-fenced funding settlement to protect services while a long-term solution is found.
- Council celebrates ‘landmark’ ruling that will save museums thousands
Date: 18 Jun 2020
Exeter City Council has welcomed a landmark ruling over the rateable valuation of a Grade II building in a court decision that could save museums thousands of pounds.
The Royal Courts of Justice ruled that the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery’s rateable value should be reduced from £445,000 to £1.
The council was supported by Arts Council England (ACE) and the National Museum Directors Council (NMDC) due to the importance of the case for the sector.
- UK inflation rate falls to fresh four-year low
Date: 17 Jun 2020
A record fall in fuel prices, including petrol, pushed the UK's inflation rate down to 0.5% in May, the second full month of the coronavirus lockdown.
Fuel prices declined by 16.7% during the month, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said, dragging the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) to the lowest level since June 2016.
- New trials planned for cash-stricken communities
Date: 17 Jun 2020
Eight locations across the UK, including an army barracks, have been chosen for trials to help solve problems with access to cash.
Organisers hope they will inform debate over the future of cash in the UK, particularly for those who rely on it.
The Community Access to Cash Pilot will test new subsidised ATMs and local cash deposit centres for retailers.
It comes as a new forecast suggests cash use will fall faster in the UK than in much of Europe.
- Younger children ‘struggle with behaviour and focus in lockdown’
Date: 17 Jun 2020
Younger children have struggled to cope with lockdown but teenagers are faring well, an Oxford University study suggests.
Parents of primary school age children taking part in the research reported an increase in their children struggling with emotional and behavioural problems and lacking focus.
They saw increases in their children feeling unhappy, being worried, clingy and experiencing physical symptoms associated with worry, according to early results from the Co-SPACE study, set up to monitor how families are coping during the coronavirus pandemic.
- Job cuts warning as 600,000 roles go in lockdown
Date: 17 Jun 2020
The number of workers on UK payrolls dived more than 600,000 between March and May, official figures suggest.
Meanwhile, the number of people claiming work-related benefits - which includes the unemployed - was up 126% to 2.8 million.
The early estimates reflect the impact of around six weeks of lockdown in which large parts of the UK were shut.
- 'Invisible' unpaid carers going hungry in lockdown
Date: 17 Jun 2020
Christie Michael is so worried about protecting her elderly mother that she has not gone outside her front door since the lockdown began in March.
She says it is "lonely and isolating" - but the mother and daughter in Essex have also found themselves hungry.
Research from Sheffield and Birmingham universities suggests more than 100,000 unpaid carers in the UK have had to rely on food banks during the pandemic.
- Toilet fears hamper high street return for some
Date: 17 Jun 2020
The high streets, retail parks and shopping centres are buzzing with life again as the coronavirus lockdown eases across England. But in many areas public toilets remain closed. So how are people meant to spend their hard-earned pounds, when they can't even spend a penny?
Laura Reid needs to carefully plan her shopping trips - and won't be visiting any in a hurry. The 27-year-old has irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) so hasn't been to any shops since they reopened because of a lack of toilet facilities.
"The big thing for me when I go out is 'where is the nearest loo' because you've always got that anxiety in your head," said the journalist, who lives in Barnsley."I've avoided going to the shops or supermarket for that reason."
- England's councils 'face large-scale' cuts to services
Date: 17 Jun 2020
Some of England's biggest councils could see "large-scale reductions" to services as they attempt to balance the books, new analysis says.
A report for the County Councils Network found that 39 local authorities face a funding shortfall of £2.5bn.
It warned councils may have to "use up" all the money they hold in reserve by next year as they deal with the fallout from coronavirus.
- Coronavirus leaves £500m black hole in London's finances
Date: 17 Jun 2020
Coronavirus has left a £500m black hole in the capitals' finances, the Mayor of London has revealed.
Sadiq Khan has warned services, including the police and fire brigade, will need to be cut back without a government bailout.
Local authorities across the country face a shortfall of business rate and council tax income caused by the impact of Covid-19, he said.
- Budget setting could result in ‘large scale reduction’ in services
Date: 17 Jun 2020
England’s largest councils could be forced to make “large-scale reductions” in services in order to set legal budgets this year, according to a report from the County Councils Network.
The study, carried out by advisory firm Grant Thornton, reveals that all 39 of the county and unitary authorities surveyed could use up their available reserves in 2021/22 to cover a funding shortfall of £2.5bn.
It adds there is a risk that a “significant” number of councils will be forced to implement service reductions and, as a last resort, issue a section 114 notices in the current year to meet their statutory duty to deliver a balanced budget in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
- Leeds City Council warns of cuts and job losses
Date: 17 Jun 2020
The coronavirus pandemic could result in "draconian" cuts in services and job losses without further government support, a council has warned. Leeds City Council said it expected to face a budget overspend of almost £200m this year.
Losses from council tax and business rates as a result of Covid-19 have accounted for £61m of the overspend, Victoria Bradshaw, the council's chief finance officer, said. She outlined the scale of the situation, saying the overspend position for the current year stood at around £197.6m. The authority's total budget for 2020/21 is £530m.
- Free internet to help poorer pupils study online
Date: 16 Jun 2020
Free internet access is being offered for six months to help some disadvantaged youngsters study online.
The scheme will provide 10,000 families in England with vouchers for internet access, funded by BT and distributed by the Department for Education. Most primary and secondary pupils are still out of school and learning online. But there have been concerns about a "digital divide" with poorer pupils missing out.
School Standards Minister Nick Gibb said everything possible would be done to "make sure no child, whatever their background, falls behind as a result of coronavirus".
- Council chiefs call for action to resolve £6bn Covid-19 crisis
Date: 16 Jun 2020
Local authority leaders have urged the Government to provide detailed plans on how to ensure the financial stability of cash-strapped councils.
Already strained local authority budgets have been placed under more pressure by the pandemic with the Local Government Association (LGA) estimating the funding shortfall for councils this year to be ‘at least’ £6bn.
Speaking in the Commons yesterday, the local government minister Simon Clarke said that the Government was working on a ‘comprehensive plan to ensure financial sustainability of councils this financial year’.
- Council planning powers under threat
Date: 16 Jun 2020
Planning powers could be shifted from local authorities to development corporations as part of an economic stimulus package to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson later this month.
A panel of experts has been put together by communities secretary Robert Jenrick to advise on changing planning laws that will create a zonal system, transferring powers to development corporations and speeding up permission for infrastructure building, according to reports.
Under the proposals, each council area would be divided up into different neighbourhoods, in which some uses would be permitted and others forbidden.
- Give 1m UK children reliable broadband or risk harming their education, MPs say
Date: 15 Jun 2020
The government must urgently ensure that more than 1 million children have reliable internet access at home or risk irreparable harm to their education, a cross-party group of MPs and former ministers has said.
Tony Blair is among a number of prominent figures, including a Tory grandee, to back calls to equip 1.3 million children eligible for free school meals with a broadband connection and devices.
A bill that will be presented to parliament this week says the coronavirus lockdown had “exposed the digital divide”, with about 700,000 children unable to complete any schoolwork because of a lack of internet at home.
- IFS exposes impact of COVID-19 on different areas
Date: 15 Jun 2020
The balance of protecting public health and returning to economic activity varies from one area to the next, research by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) has found.
In a report that could have wider implications for a localised response to the virus, the IFS found the cost of lockdown could even vary in neighbouring local authories.
Torbay and the Isle of Wight are the areas likely to be hardest hit by the COVID-19 crisis, the IFS said, but there is no north-south or urban-rural divide.
- Councils warn they have no legal powers to enforce ‘local lockdowns’
Date: 15 Jun 2020
Councils do not have the legal powers to enforce a “local lockdown” across a city, town or neighbourhood to prevent clusters of coronavirus cases spreading widely into the community, local authority leaders have warned.
They called on ministers to urgently spell out what a local lockdown might mean in practical terms or risk a local outbreak spreading out of control, at a hearing of a parliamentary committee.
Greg Fell, director of public health for Sheffield, said that while councils did have the power to act to control smaller outbreaks “in a school or a workplace or a care home” by, for example ordering them to close, that did not apply for larger areas.
- [Coronavirus] '3.5 million jobs at risk' if two-metre rule isn't eased, PM warned
Date: 15 Jun 2020
A decision on the future of the two-metre rule will be "underpinned" by science, the foreign secretary has said, as Downing Street was warned "millions of people depend on this decision".
Some Conservative MPs - such as Imran Khan - have claimed 3.5 million jobs are at risk if the restrictions aren't eased.
Speaking at the latest coronavirus news briefing, Dominic Raab the restriction is "something that can be looked at" as the virus is brought under control.
- Four in 10 pupils have had little contact with teachers during lockdown
Date: 15 Jun 2020
Four in 10 pupils in England are not in regular contact with their teachers, a study has found, amid mounting evidence of wide disparities in the provision of schoolwork during lockdown and fears that millions of children are doing little or nothing at all.
The report for the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) also found that a third of pupils were not engaged with their lessons, fewer than half (42%) had bothered to return their work, and pupils in the most disadvantaged schools were the least likely to be engaged with remote learning.
As concerns grow about the impact of learning loss on a generation of children locked out of school, a separate study for the University College London (UCL) Institute of Education estimated that two million pupils in the UK – around one in five – had done no schoolwork or managed less than an hour a day.
- [Coronavirus] Oversupply of kits to care homes raises concern over Covid-19 test figures
Date: 14 Jun 2020
Care homes are receiving far more coronavirus testing kits than they order, raising concern that the extra supplies help the government inflate the number of people it claims have been tested.
Robin Hall, manager of the Home of Comfort nursing home in Southsea and secretary of the Hampshire Care Association, said her home requested 92 kits and received 150. Other homes in Hampshire asked for 62 kits and got 100, another sought 20 and received 50, and another got 50 after requesting 35.
Gabriel Scally, a member of the Independent Sage committee of scientific and medical experts, said the dispatching of extra kits to care homes appeared to be a deliberate attempt to distort the total that ministers announce at the government’s press briefings as the number of tests carried out.
- Wardens hired to police crowds as high streets in England reopen
Date: 14 Jun 2020
Local councils and retail giants will deploy a small army of “social distancing wardens” on Monday to police crowds as non-essential shops open their doors after almost three months of lockdown.
Councils across the country have hired or redeployed staff to ensure shoppers and retailers comply with social distancing rules. And big chain stores, including Primark, Ikea and John Lewis, have brought in extra security staff.
The councils and retailers hope the wardens will prevent unruly queues as people rush back to clothes, homewares and electrical shops that have been closed since March. More than 1,000 people were reported to have queued outside Ikea warehouse stores, some turning up at 5.30am, when the Swedish chain was allowed to open two weeks ago.
- [Coronavirus] jobless total to hit 4.5m as firms wield axe
Date: 14 Jun 2020
Boris Johnson has been warned by cabinet ministers to brace himself for unemployment to hit 4.5 million, the highest number since records began, as a poll finds one in three firms is poised to make staff redundant due to the coronavirus.
A survey by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) reveals that 34% of managers are set to lay off staff, with 26% expecting to do so this year.
The findings come before figures this week that are expected to show the worst rise in unemployment since the 1920s.
- Business rates grant money could be clawed back, says IFS
Date: 14 Jun 2020
Central government funds given to councils to pay for grants and business rates waivers may have to be paid back if it is unspent, a finance think tank has claimed.
Of the £22bn given to English local authorities, up to £400m could be left unspent, according to calculations by the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS).
IFS associate director, David Philips, said a lack of a centralised databases of business rates, and the speed at which the scheme was set up meant it was ‘inevitable’ that the initial allocations would differ from the final cost of the grant scheme.
- Prime minister is risking basic right to an education, says children’s tsar
Date: 13 Jun 2020
Boris Johnson was accused of putting children’s basic right to education at risk last night, as he faced a mounting chorus of pleas to unveil an unprecedented emergency programme for England’s pupils.
With growing frustration among teachers, MPs and unions over the chaotic return of schools, Anne Longfield, the children’s commissioner for England, warned there was a “very dangerous” threat to the historic right to guaranteed education.
She warned that next year’s academic year could be seriously hit, and that reduced access to education was being allowed to become “the default” in some schools. The right to education is enshrined in the UN’s convention on the rights of the child.
- Coronavirus R number may have risen above 1 in parts of England, govt says
Date: 13 Jun 2020
The coronavirus reproduction rate may have risen above 1 in parts of England, government scientists have said.
Official figures indicate the rate - known as the R number - is between 0.8 and 1.0 across the whole of England. This range is slightly higher than for the entire UK, where it remains between 0.7 and 0.9.
The figure is crucial in guiding the government's gradual relaxation of coronavirus lockdown measures. If the R value is one, each infected person will on average pass COVID-19 on to one other.
- UK economy shrinks record 20.4% in April due to lockdown
Date: 12 Jun 2020
The UK's economy shrank by 20.4% in April - the largest monthly contraction on record - as the country spent its first full month in lockdown.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the "historic" fall affected virtually all areas of activity.
The contraction is three times greater than the decline seen during the whole of the 2008 to 2009 economic downturn.
But analysts said April was likely to be the worst month, as the government began easing the lockdown in May.
- Test and trace funding allocated to councils
Date: 12 Jun 2020
Local authorities across England have been allocated a share of £300m to support new test and trace services.
Each upper tier local authority has been awarded funding to develop outbreak control plans, with extra funding provided for communities with lower incomes or higher healthcare demands.
Minister for regional growth and local government, Simon Clarke, said: 'Councils are playing a hugely important role in our national efforts to respond to the virus, and this includes test and trace services.
- Older carers ‘forgotten’ by care system says charity
Date: 12 Jun 2020
Older carers have been ‘forgotten’ by authorities despite them bearing the brunt of the pandemic, a charity has warned today.
Age UK said over one million carers aged 70 or over have been negatively affected by coronavirus due to a reduction in care services.
It found that home care packages of support have been cancelled for many older carer during the pandemic, forcing them to take on more caring responsibilities. It argues this has left them feeling forgotten and at breaking point.
- [Coronavirus] Poorest areas of England and Wales hit hardest by Covid-19 – ONS
Date: 12 Jun 2020
People living in the poorest areas of England and Wales have been twice as likely to die from Covid-19 as those in less deprived areas, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The analysis reveals the disproportionate impact of the death toll in some places, with London boroughs with high levels of socioeconomic deprivation particularly hard hit.
The figures covering March to May show that people living in the poorest 10% of England died at a rate of 128.3 per 100,000, compared with a rate of 58.8 per 100,000 among those living in the wealthiest 10% of the country.
- ‘Simmering community tensions’ spark Covid cohesion concerns
Date: 12 Jun 2020
Councils are concerned about rising community tensions in the wake of Covid-19 amid fears that further inequalities caused by a prolonged recession will provide “fertile territory for extremists”.
The concerns come as the death of George Floyd in the US and the higher Covid-19 death rate among BAME communities in the UK has sparked protests over racial inequality across the world.
Several councils have reported concerns to the Local Government Association about simmering community tensions and how this will play out as the country emerges from lockdown.
- Scientists say coronavirus 2m rule can be relaxed
Date: 12 Jun 2020
The two-metre social distancing rule can be abandoned by businesses reopening after lockdown if they introduce other measures to reduce the spread of coronavirus, Government scientists have told ministers.
Following a political backlash against the two-metre rule, the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) published a paper on Friday which set out protocols – such as regular breaks, and getting workers to sit side by side – that would make it much safer for people to be within one metre of each other.
Over the past few days, officials have begun discreetly contacting business groups to ask whether they would object to it being watered down, The Telegraph understands.
- Unite to ballot members over ‘insulting’ council pay offer
Date: 12 Jun 2020
Around 100,000 council workers will be asked if they want to accept or reject the 2.75% pay offer.
Unite the union will ballot its members over the pay offer which it has described as ‘unrealistic and insulting’. It is warning members that the offer amounts to just £1.83 a day.
- Traffic levels 'now double the lockdown low'
Date: 12 Jun 2020
Traffic on Britain's roads is now at a similar level to that seen in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the AA says.
It slumped to between 35% and 40% of the pre-coronavirus volume at the beginning of lockdown but has since doubled to around 75%.
AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens told the BBC that traffic could return to normal "by the end of July".
But Friends of the Earth said pollution should not be allowed to "creep" back to the pre-pandemic level.
- Low-carbon and renewable economy could create 700,000 jobs by 2030, report says
Date: 11 Jun 2020
A low-carbon and renewable energy economy could create nearly 700,000 jobs in England by 2030, with the potential of more than 1.18 million jobs created by 2050, according to a report by the Local Government Association (LGA).
The LGA’s “Local green jobs” report showed demand for environmentally friendly jobs would rapidly increase as the UK transitions to a net zero emissions economy.
It also suggested that focussing on a low-carbon economy could help to counter job losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which are likely to increase further when the government’s furlough scheme ends later this year.
- Covid-19 crisis means England's local authorities could go bust, warn mayors
Date: 11 Jun 2020
Mayors in some of England’s biggest cities are warning that local authorities are at risk of going bust with potentially devastating consequences for communities unless the government takes immediate action.
As the impact of the Covid-19 crisis hits local authorities, the mayors of London, Greater Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool have issued a joint call to highlight the seriousness of the issue and urge Boris Johnson to respond.
“Unless the government acts immediately to support local and regional government in England there is a very serious risk that the economic recovery from Covid-19 will be choked off by a new era of austerity – something the prime minister promised wouldn’t happen,” the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said.
- Robert Jenrick urged to release documents in planning row
Date: 11 Jun 2020
Labour has urged Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick to publish all correspondence relating to his approval of a £1bn property scheme.
Richard Desmond donated £12,000 to the party two weeks after Mr Jenrick gave planning permission for his company to build 1,500 homes in east London.
The call came after it emerged the developer of the scheme has since given money to the Conservative Party. The Conservatives said policies were "in no way influenced by donations".
The property development was approved the day before the introduction of a new council community levy which would have meant the company paying an additional £40m.
- More than a third of employees furloughed in some UK towns
Date: 11 Jun 2020
More than a third of employees in some towns in Britain have been furloughed due to coronavirus, according to figures that also reveal the government’s job retention scheme has now cost almost £20bn.
Crawley in Sussex, which sits next to Gatwick airport, had 33.7% of employees furloughed last month while in contrast Cambridge had just under half that proportion at 17.4%.
- Children face a 'whole series of harms' because their lives were put on hold by school closures designed to protect the middle-aged and elderly from the coronavirus, SAGE paediatrician warns
Date: 11 Jun 2020
Children may suffer long-term mental health, social and educational problems because of a decision to shut schools to protect old people, a top scientist warns.
Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and a member of government advisory group SAGE, said youngsters' lives had been 'put on hold' to benefit the middle-aged and elderly.
As a result, he said, millions of children have faced a 'whole series of harms', missing out on education and friendships, and vulnerable children have lost the safety net that going to school each day provided.
- Care homes were ‘afterthought’ with devastating coronavirus consequences
Date: 11 Jun 2020
Years of failed efforts to integrate NHS and social care hampered the response to the coronavirus crisis, according to the first independent report into preparations for the pandemic.
The National Audit Office report into the work done to prepare services showed that care home residents were “an afterthought”, Meg Hillier, the chairwoman of the Commons public accounts committee, said last night.
The report said that 25,000 hospital patients had been discharged to care homes at the height of the pandemic. It said: “Due to government policy at the time, not all patients were tested for Covid-19 before discharge, with priority given to patients with symptoms.” It also found that one in three homes for the elderly had suffered virus outbreaks.
- New powers to crack down on cycle lane misuse by motorists
Date: 10 Jun 2020
Local authorities will be given new powers to crack down on misuse of cycle lanes, the Department for Transport has announced.
Councils in England will be able to use CCTV to fine drivers who park illegally in cycle lanes under new laws coming into force on June 22.
It is hoped this will reduce the number of cyclists forced into the flow of traffic because a cycle lane was blocked.
- Rip up planning red tape to spur house building, says Robert Jenrick
Date: 10 Jun 2020
The Housing Secretary has called for a rethink of the "overly bureaucratic" planning system, with reform seen as a key part of the Government's economic recovery plan.
Robert Jenrick has said he wants to "speed up and simplify" the process and help young people buy their first home.
Ministers consider planning reform to be one of the ways to get the UK economy going again after the coronavirus pandemic, with work ongoing in Number 10 and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
- Dozens more statues could be removed due to slavery links as councils promise reviews following protests
Date: 10 Jun 2020
Dozens more controversial statues face being pulled down after councils vowed to review their monuments following a series of Black Lives Matter protests.
Two slave trader statues have been removed in recent days - one by campaigners at an anti-racism protest and another with the approval of a local authority following a petition.
A statue of slave owner Robert Milligan was removed from its position in the docks he founded at West India Quay, east London, on Tuesday.
- [Coronavirus] Plans shelved for primary pupils to be back in school before summer as figures reveal half have reopened
Date: 10 Jun 2020
New figures show around half of primary schools in England reopened to more children last week, as the government scrapped plans for all pupils to return before the summer holidays.
According to the Department of Education, around 659,000 children attended an education setting last Thursday, 6.9% of all pupils who normally attend.
Around 11% of all state nursery and primary school pupils attended education settings on Thursday - the first week that schools in England began admitting children in nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 as part of a phased reopening as the coronavirus lockdown is eased.
- Councils given extra time to update electoral rolls
Date: 10 Jun 2020
Local authority staff will be given more time to complete this year's annual electoral canvass due to the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Government is extending the deadline for revised registers from 1 December 2020 to February 2021.
It will also allow the upcoming boundary review to be based on data from the previous electoral registers before the start of the pandemic.
- Wiltshire warns of s114 amid £50m shortfall
Date: 10 Jun 2020
A £50m financial shortfall resulting from Covid-19 places a “significant risk and threat to the continuation of” Wiltshire Council in its current form, the authority has warned.
The Conservative-controlled council may have to issue a section 114 notice, effectively declaring its bankruptcy, before the end of the current financial year, a report for a cabinet meeting yesterday evening warned.
The document put coronavirus’s financial impact on the council for 2020-21 at £80m, with additional government funding estimated at just £29.8m. When the small impact on last year’s budget is taken into account, the shortfall is £50.6m, equivalent to 15% of Wiltshire’s net budget.
- Social distancing ‘could push leisure providers into bankruptcy’
Date: 10 Jun 2020
The strict social distancing regime that leisure centres will have to introduce when they reopen could push some providers to close down centres permanently, council treasurers have warned.
Leisure providers were already facing financial hardship before the Covid-19 crisis hit, with almost two-thirds of leisure centres in need of urgent new investment, according to Sport England. During lockdown, they have faced a financial double whammy of ongoing utility bills while revenues dried up, and many have not received government support.
The District Councils’ Network is forecasting a financial hit to leisure centres of around £305m this year which it claims will send many out of business.
- District to hold emergency budget today to stave off section 114
Date: 10 Jun 2020
Stevenage BC will hold an emergency budget meeting this afternoon in an attempt to plug a £4.8m budget black hole, but its leader has admitted that the proposed measures will only “put off”, and “not solve” its financial woes.
The Hertfordshire district has received £917,000 of emergency government funding, which even if the economy is only impacted from April to June is still less than half (49%) the total anticipated cost to the council of dealing with the crisis, according to a report going before council today.
Stevenage is grappling with income losses and cost pressures of £4.8m due to the pandemic and its leader, Sharon Taylor (Lab), has warned that its budget shortfall could rise to £6m by the end of this financial year if the economy does not pick up and more funding from Whitehall is not forthcoming.
- Closure of public toilets causing anxiety, distress and frustration across UK
Date: 10 Jun 2020
The ongoing closure of many public toilets across the UK is having a serious impact on wellbeing, limiting people’s capacity to exercise freely or visit loved ones, and creating a significant secondary public health risk as people have no option but to relieve themselves in the open, a Guardian survey and investigation has found.
With reports of bushes in city parks stinking of urine, and human excrement in sand dunes, readers across Britain have described their anxiety, distress and frustration as public toilet closures – coupled with the absence of alternatives in bars, restaurants and public buildings – curtails their daily movements.
- Councils using data analytics to identify vulnerable people
Date: 10 Jun 2020
A number of local authorities in England are using data-mining tools to help identify vulnerable people in need of support, including those who have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Several authorities are now partnering with data management companies to build a picture of those requiring support and, last month, data management firm Xantura partnered with CIPFA to help identify those individuals most vulnerable as a result of the pandemic.
The process identifies vulnerable people based on a broad set of risk factors, including debt levels; income and reliance on benefits; whether they live alone; and disabilities – as well as wider health issues.
- Council tax warning: Town Halls debt-collecting bailiffs must be banned, Sunak urged
Date: 10 Jun 2020
The cross-party group has called on Chancellor Rishi Sunak to end “heavy-handed” debt collection by local authorities. It warned there is a "growing tendency” for councils to rely on bailiffs to collect tax arrears and the practice is “wasteful and punitive”. Hardline debt recovery tactics have been "widely abandoned" by the private sector because they are costly and ineffective, it adds.
Tory former Cabinet ministers Baroness Morgan and Sir Iain Duncan Smith along with ex-Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron and 30 other parliamentarians have written to the Chancellor calling for urgent reforms.
"We are concerned about the regulations governing council debt collection which mean that, on missing one payment, households can become liable for the whole year's council tax bill,” the letter said.
- [Coronavirus] UK economy could be among worst hit of leading nations, says OECD
Date: 10 Jun 2020
The UK is likely to be the hardest hit by Covid-19 among major economies, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has warned.
Britain's economy is likely to slump by 11.5% in 2020, slightly outstripping falls in countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Italy, it said. If there were a second peak in the pandemic, the UK economy could contract by as much as 14%.
In its latest assessment, the OECD found that the UK's largely service-based economy meant that it had been particularly badly hit by the government's lockdown restrictions.
- [Coronavirus] Plan dropped for all primary pupils back in school
Date: 09 Jun 2020
The plan for all primary school years in England to go back to school before the end of term is to be dropped by the government.
There had been an aim for all primary pupils to spend four weeks in school before the summer break but it is no longer thought to be feasible and instead schools will be given "flexibility" over whether or not to admit more pupils.
Head teachers' leaders said it had never been a practical possibility. It comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock conceded at Monday's Downing Street briefing that secondary schools in England may not fully reopen until September "at the earliest".
- [Coronavirus] Cash boost for debt advice as '£6bn tsunami' hits households
Date: 09 Jun 2020
The Treasury has announced extra cash to support debt advice charities as a report warns of a £6bn personal debt mountain facing household budgets, directly caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The government said £37.8m in additional support for debt charities in England was the result of recognition that "some people are struggling with their finances" as the COVID-19 crisis lockdown restrictions continue to wreak havoc on the economy, despite just under £50bn being dispersed to prop up jobs and businesses at the last count.
It believed those with annual incomes below £30,000 are likely to have fallen behind since the crisis began.
- [Coronavirus] New coronavirus task force to protect care homes
Date: 09 Jun 2020
A task force to drive down infections in care homes and protect them as the lockdown is eased has been set up by ministers who said there had been a 79 per cent decline in deaths since the peak of the coronavirus pandemic.
All care home residents and staff will now be eligible for tests after the head of the task force said that asymptomatic cases were a key cause of infections in social care.
More than 12,500 people have died of the coronavirus in care homes and the government has faced accusations that it did not do enough to shield the social care sector as the NHS was prioritised for testing and personal protective equipment.
- £3m fund for urgent work to historic sites to help support recovery
Date: 09 Jun 2020
Grants will be awarded for urgent repairs and work on historic sites under a new emergency fund to help the heritage sector recover from the pandemic.
Government heritage agency Historic England has launched a second emergency fund for the sector, following a £1.8 million fund supporting 70 organisations to weather the crisis and help with the recovery.
The new fund, of up to £3 million, will award grants of up to £25,000 each to those who care for some of England’s most significant historic sites, to help pay for urgent maintenance, repairs and investigations.
- [Coronavirus] How are England's coastal resorts faring?
Date: 09 Jun 2020
In the 1950s, English coastal resorts throbbed with holidaymakers. Nowadays, seaside towns are more commonly associated with decay and poverty than popularity and prosperity.
Will the effects of the coronavirus lockdown tip these places into a terminal decline - or is there optimism that the government's aim of a further easing of lockdown rules next month will save the vital summer season?
BBC News went to three seaside towns to find out.
- [Coronavirus] Local lockdowns will require local furlough schemes, say mayors
Date: 09 Jun 2020
Local furlough schemes must be put in place to compensate workers and businesses in the event of any local lockdowns, regional politicians and business leaders have said.
Matt Hancock, the health secretary, announced last month that “we will have local lockdowns in future where there are flare-ups” of coronavirus. But the government has yet to issue any detailed guidance, prompting consternation across local authorities about what such lockdowns will look like and how they will be enforced.
- [Coronavirus] New UK travel quarantine rules a stunt, says Ryanair boss
Date: 08 Jun 2020
New rules requiring all people arriving in the UK to self-isolate for 14 days have come into effect. Those arriving by plane, ferry or train - including UK nationals - must give an address where they will self-isolate. Rule breakers will be fined.
Home Secretary Priti Patel has said the laws were designed "to prevent a second wave" of coronavirus but the boss of Ryanair has said the rules are a "political stunt" and are not a quarantine.
Michael O'Leary told the BBC: "You could be in Sainsbury's, you could be on the beach, you could be on the golf course in the unlikely event the Home Office calls you - all they will have is a mobile number."
- [Coronavirus] PM may bring forward plans to reopen pubs and restaurants
Date: 08 Jun 2020
Boris Johnson has agreed to accelerate lockdown easing as he prepares to set out more details later this week.
After receiving dire warnings over the future of the hospitality industry, the Prime Minister has reportedly signed off on a series of measures to help reboot the economy during a meeting with Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor.
Having been told by Alok Sharma, the Business Secretary, that 3.5 million hospitality jobs are now at risk, Mr Johnson is expected to bring forward plans to reopen pubs, restaurants and theme parks ahead of the crucial summer period.
- Mayors press for local furlough powers
Date: 08 Jun 2020
The mayors of Liverpool and Manchester have urged the Government to provide funds for ‘humanitarian assistance’ during local lockdowns as figures suggest COVID-19 is spreading.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram said they were ‘disappointed’ at the lack of consultation on lockdown relaxations in a joint letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The mayors also said ‘significant support’ will be required in any local lockdown proposals, including a local furlough scheme. ‘The Government urgently needs to provide more policy detail to local authorities on the proposal for local lockdowns,’ they write.
- Clash over call to scrap requirement for annual balanced budgets
Date: 08 Jun 2020
Senior councillors from both major parties are calling for councils to be freed from the pressure of having to balance budgets on an annual basis, as the scale of the financial impact of Covid-19 becomes clear.
Figures released by the LGA last week showed the sector is facing a shortfall of £6bn between the financial impact of Covid-19 and £3.2bn emergency funding received from government.
Councils are facing a double whammy of increased costs as a result of new demands for services and lost income from fees and charges as well as council tax and business rates.
- MPs call for clarity on proposed Shared Prosperity Fund
Date: 08 Jun 2020
A group of MPs have called on the Government to provide further details on its proposed Shared Prosperity Fund.
The MPs have warned that no details have been published yet about the fund, which is due to replace the European Structural and Investment Fund (ESI) at the start of 2021.
The chairs of the Housing, Communities and Local Government, and Northern Ireland, Scottish, and Welsh Affairs Committees have called for answers on potential timetabling and whether the cost of the Covid-19 crisis will be reflected in financial allocations.
- Council planning powers under threat
Date: 08 Jun 2020
Planning powers could be shifted from local authorities to development corporations as part of an economic stimulus package to be announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson later this month.
A panel of experts has been put together by communities secretary Robert Jenrick to advise on changing planning laws that will create a zonal system, transferring powers to development corporations and speeding up permission for infrastructure building, according to reports.
- [Coronavirus] UK daily deaths drop to pre-lockdown level
Date: 08 Jun 2020
The UK has recorded its lowest daily rise in the number of coronavirus deaths since before lockdown on 23 March, latest government figures show.
A further 55 people died after testing positive with the virus as of 17:00 BST on Sunday, taking the total to 40,597.
This included no new deaths announced in both Scotland and Northern Ireland for the second consecutive day.
- [Coronavirus] Millions have become carers due to coronavirus crisis, new research finds
Date: 08 Jun 2020
Millions of people across the UK have become unpaid carers for loved ones due to the coronavirus outbreak, new research has found.
Data released to mark the start of Carers Week on Monday estimates that 4.5 million more people are now caring for older, disabled or seriously ill family or friends as a result of the pandemic.
This is on top of 9.1 million people who were already caring for loved ones before the crisis erupted.
- Minister slammed for expecting rough sleepers to ‘return to friends and family’
Date: 08 Jun 2020
Rough sleeping minister Luke Hall has been told by a senior councillor to "get back to reality" for making "impractical and callous" suggestions to councils that rough sleepers should be encouraged to return to their friends and family.
Mr Hall made the direction in a letter to council chief executives last week, requesting that they set out next-step support plans for rough sleepers housed during the pandemic within seven days.
He asked that when considering move-on accommodation options, councils should “seek to encourage people, where appropriate and possible, to return to friends and family”.
- Boris Johnson considers giving drivers up to £6,000 in diesel and petrol car scrappage scheme
Date: 07 Jun 2020
Drivers will be given up to £6,000 to swap their petrol or diesel cars for electric ones under plans being considered by Boris Johnson ahead of a major speech to relaunch the economy.
The move is designed to provide a shot in the arm for UK electric car manufacturing and for the car industry as a whole after it was devastated by the coronavirus lockdown.
Mr Johnson is understood to have pencilled in Monday, July 6 for the speech, in which he will set out his plans to get Britain back on its feet. Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, is expected to make a statement on the economy shortly afterwards.
- [Coronavirus] Care home residents face steep hike in fees
Date: 06 Jun 2020
Some older people in care homes are being asked to pay more than £100 a week extra in fees to cover the costs of coronavirus.
Age UK said residents who pay their own fees are facing the bills to pay for protective gear and rising staff costs. It adds "insult to injury" for people who have "been through the mill" during the pandemic, the charity said.
The government said it provided £600m for infection control in care homes and £3.2bn for wider council services.
- [Coronavirus] plans to open shops all day on Sundays
Date: 06 Jun 2020
Sunday trading laws will be suspended for a year and cafés and pubs will be given fast-track approval to serve food and drink outside under plans to boost the economy.
Downing Street is drawing up a package of measures in response to mounting concern that Britain will face mass unemployment as it emerges from the coronavirus lockdown.
The government is preparing legislation that will enable larger supermarkets to open for more than six hours on Sundays. Boris Johnson and Dominic Cummings, the prime minister’s chief adviser, are said to be in favour of the move, which is also being pushed by Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, and Alok Sharma, the business secretary.
- [Coronavirus] Widen rules on where face coverings must be used, say UK doctors
Date: 05 Jun 2020
Doctors have urged the government to make face coverings compulsory in all places where social distancing is not possible, not just on public transport.
All passengers on public transport in England must wear a covering from 15 June, the government said on Thursday but the British Medical Association, the doctors' union, said masks "should not be restricted" to transport.
The current guidance in England, which has been in place since last month, advises people to wear face coverings in enclosed spaces where social distancing is not always possible, such as in some shops.
- Unlock our lavatories, councils told
Date: 05 Jun 2020
Public lavatories must reopen and introduce enhanced safety measures, the government has urged councils.
Government guidance from May 13 said public lavatories could be reopened with stricter cleaning procedures and signs asking visitors to queue two metres apart. However, only a fraction of facilities are open, according to a campaign group calling for greater access to public lavatories.
Councils are responsible for decisions about reopening lavatories, based on risk assessments and whether social distancing can be ensured.
- [Coronavirus] Court action threatened over school meal vouchers
Date: 05 Jun 2020
Campaigners have threatened to bring legal action against the government for not providing free school meal vouchers during the summer.
Normally children only get free meals from school during term-time but eligible pupils received food vouchers over Easter as the country coped with the Covid crisis.
The Department for Education said the scheme will not continue in the summer holidays but campaigners say children in vulnerable families will go hungry. They have written to the Department of Education threatening to bring a judicial review of the decision.
- [Coronavirus] Care homes face £6.6bn bill to fight Covid-19
Date: 05 Jun 2020
Old people's homes and other social care firms face a £6.6bn bill by the end of September as they battle Covid-19, a new report has warned.
Costs for cleaning, staff and protective gear have surged while revenues are falling and extra funding from government is not believed to be enough to fill the gap, the Local Government Association warned.
Funding fears were raised in a report by Lang Buisson which was commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA), Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass), and Care Providers Alliance.
- [Coronavirus] Ban on landlords evicting renters extended
Date: 05 Jun 2020
Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick has announced a two-month extension to the government's ban on evicting renters amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
New evictions in England and Wales of tenants in both social and privately-rented accommodation will be suspended until 23 August.
"No-one will be evicted from their home this summer due to coronavirus," Mr Jenrick tweeted but housing charity Shelter said the announcement was "only a stop-gap".
- [Coronavirus] Calls for post-Covid-19 homeless plan
Date: 05 Jun 2020
More than half of frontline services have reported an increase in the need to provide support relating to homelessness since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report from charity Crisis.
The report, which surveyed more than 150 charities and organisations, found nearly three-quarters have seen a rise in demand for services to support homeless people since the start of the outbreak.
Of those surveyed, 86% reported a rise in people seeking help for basic needs, such as food, while 60% said they had seen a rise in people “sofa surfing”. In addition, 60% reported an increase in people who have recently lost their jobs and seeking support.
- Hughes gets key OBR role
Date: 05 Jun 2020
A former Treasury director has been nominated to become the next chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), the public finances watchdog.
Richard Hughes is a former director of the Treasury fiscal group and was previously acting chief economist.
Once his appointment is ratified by the Treasury Committee, Mr Hughes will take over from Robert Chote, the OBR’s first and only chair since 2010, when it was created by then chancellor George Osborn
- Lockdown legacy: debt and public finances
Date: 05 Jun 2020
In mid-May, a government document leaked to the Daily Telegraph estimated the cost of government measures to support firms and bolster health and social care services in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Treasury predicted that the UK’s deficit – the amount it needs to borrow to balance the books – is likely to reach £337bn this year.
This would be more than six times the £55bn predicted in the March Budget and the highest level since the Second World War. Officials believe the deficit could rise to £516bn in the worst scenario.
- Councils must challenge Government fearlessly for pandemic cash
Date: 05 Jun 2020
Local government is rightly protesting that the Government does not renege on its promise to reimburse local authorities for the financial costs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
As has been reported over the last few weeks in the MJ, local authorities have been hit by a double financial whammy. In responding to the public health crisis, they have had to incur significant additional unbudgeted expenditure. They have properly got on with the job, the expenditure has been unavoidable and certainly it has been fully justifiable. However, they have also lost and continue to face major shortfalls in revenue such as car park revenues, income from leisure services and much more.
Seemingly, the Government is not now committing to meet all the additional expenditure and is apparently expecting local authorities to absorb the loss of planned and budgeted income. It is claiming that this is what it promised. This is disingenuous given the strong clear commitments made by ministers, including the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government; and it is irresponsible too.
- [Coronavirus] Thousands of homeless 'back on streets by July'
Date: 04 Jun 2020
Thousands of homeless people who have been housed during the coronavirus pandemic could return to the streets by the end of June, a charity has warned. Since the lockdown began, more than 14,500 people who were on the streets or at risk of sleeping rough have been given emergency accommodation.
The government said councils must continue to provide accommodation but councils have asked the government to be clear on what extra practical support they will get.
The councils were given £3.2m from the government as part of an emergency scheme called "Everyone In", which was aimed at stopping the spread of the virus.
- [Coronavirus] Govt facing legal action unless it admits to acting 'unlawfully' over care homes
Date: 04 Jun 2020
The daughter of an 88-year-old man who died in a care home is demanding the health secretary retract his claim that "a protective ring" was thrown around care homes or she will take him to court.
Dr Cathy Gardner, whose father Michael Gibson died on 3 April, wants an acknowledgement the treatment of care homes up to and during the pandemic was unlawful.
In particular she wants an admission that guidelines allowing coronavirus patients to be discharged from hospitals into care homes untested was unlawful.
- Apprenticeship promised for every young person
Date: 04 Jun 2020
Every young person in Britain will be guaranteed an apprenticeship, Boris Johnson has announced, as he warned it was “inevitable” that there would be “many, many job losses”.
The prime minister said the government would take an “interventionist” approach as the country recovers from coronavirus in an attempt to ensure the nation “bounces back sharply”.
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is preparing to launch an economic stimulus package in July. He has previously warned that the UK faces an unprecedented recession.
- Gypsies and Travellers in England left without water during lockdown
Date: 04 Jun 2020
Gypsy and Traveller communities around the country have been left without water and sanitation facilities during the coronavirus lockdown, prompting concern from politicians and charities.
Families in England have no access to sanitation, refuse collection, or water for drinking, cooking, showering and washing clothes, the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) for Gypsies, Travellers and Roma (GRT) said in a letter to the Local Government Association.
Some local authorities have directed vulnerable Travellers to uncleaned public toilets with no hand-washing facilities, the letter said, while others are attempting to evict camps. It stressed that these basic facilities were needed for communities to physically distance, self-isolate and follow guidelines on hand washing and hygiene.
- Council stops 300 fraudulent single-person discount claims in one year
Date: 04 Jun 2020
West Suffolk Council prevented 299 fraudulent single-person Council Tax discounts last year – resulting in a saving of £240,362, according to figures from the authority.
The council’s billing, collection and debt recovery is administered by the Anglia Revenues Partnership, a service provider which works on behalf of five local authorities including West Suffolk – and the authority has been working with ARP to enhance its fraud-prevention measures.
The local authority also said its fraud and compliance teams are now reviewing all newly awarded single-person discounts, to confirm that customers are still entitled to the discount.
- Brexit delay ‘would hit Scottish GDP’
Date: 04 Jun 2020
An additional £3bn could be lost from the coronavirus-hit Scottish economy over the next two years if an extension to the Brexit transition period is not agreed, the Scottish Government has warned.
In a new paper, it argues that failure to negotiate an extension beyond the end of this year could lead to a reduction in Scottish GDP by up to 1.1% by the end of 2022, with the agriculture, fisheries and manufacturing sectors likely to be worst hit.
The UK Government, currently in its fourth round of negotiations with the EU over a post-Brexit trade deal, has until the end of the month to broker a further extension to the transition period.
- [Coronavirus] Thousands of homeless people face being evicted as lockdown is loosened
Date: 04 Jun 2020
Thousands of homeless people could be kicked out of hotels and return to the streets at the end of the month if local councils are not giving urgent funding, a charity has warned.
Crisis urged the Government to step in with contracts between local authorities in England and hotels are due to finish at the end of June, when current state funding runs out.
Almost 15,000 people are now in emergency accommodation such as hotels, according to the latest Government figures, after local authorities moved people into safe accommodation during the coronavirus crisis.
- Brits willing to pay an extra penny on income tax to fix social care crisis
Date: 03 Jun 2020
A damning survey for the Daily Express reveals two-thirds of those aged 55-plus support the increase. And 41 percent across all age groups agree that a ring-fenced general tax increase is the best way forward. They want an end to the scandal of pensioners handing over their savings and selling their homes to pay for care. The system's failings have been cruelly exposed by the coronavirus pandemic.
- Decade of progress in tackling pupil disadvantage 'wiped out'
Date: 03 Jun 2020
Nearly 10 years of progress in narrowing the attainment gap in England between disadvantaged pupils and their classmates has probably been “wiped in a few months” due to the coronavirus pandemic, a study has found.
Analysis by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) charity said the closure of schools to most pupils 10 weeks ago was likely to reverse all progress made to close the gap since 2011.
Responding to the findings, Russell Hobby, the chief executive of Teach First, a charity that aims to address educational disadvantage in England and Wales, said urgent action was needed to tackle the problem.
- Record numbers used UK food banks in first month of lockdown
Date: 03 Jun 2020
Poverty campaigners have called for an emergency cash support scheme to help struggling low-income households after UK food bank charities reported that the first full month of coronavirus lockdown was their “busiest ever”.
The charities said their experience of record food bank use in April, following a huge surge in food aid in March, showed it was clear that current social security safety net measures were not enough to prevent poorer families being swept into destitution.
The Trussell Trust, the UK’s biggest food bank network, said it gave out 89% more food parcels in April, compared to the same month last year, while the Independent Food Aid Network (Ifan) recorded a 175% increase over the same period.
- Tony Travers: Covid is delivering John McDonnell’s hoped-for economy
Date: 03 Jun 2020
The political, economic and social consequences of the pandemic are only just beginning, writes the director of LSE London.
Local government has performed well in the months since Covid-19 engulfed all aspects of British public and private life. Councils have maintained a full range of public provision in the neighbourhoods where 67 million people have overwhelmingly been required to remain on lockdown since late March.
There is no evidence of any reduction in the quality of street services, parks, refuse collection, roads maintenance, children’s social care or public health. Care for older people has faced problems, but these have occurred because of the failure of successive governments to fund the service properly.
- Public sector deposit fund reaches £1bn
Date: 03 Jun 2020
A public sector fund run by fund manager CCLA has reached £1bn for the first time since its launch in 2011, due to the financial uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.
The Public Sector Deposit Fund’s investor base is made up of 550 parishes, towns, districts, boroughs, counties, pension funds, police forces, fire authorities and housing associations.
The company said the pandemic is hitting many of the regular income streams councils rely on at a time when councils are having to spend more money addressing issues associated with the crisis. To be able to meet potential redemption requests from investors, the fund is holding increased levels of liquidity.
- Fears that nurseries could be forced to close permanently due to effect of pandemic
Date: 03 Jun 2020
Nurseries across the region say they are only expecting around a third of children to return this week, prompting fears that some providers could be forced to close down permanently without further Government support.
Nearly three in four (71%) nursery leaders expect to operate at a loss over the next three months amid reduced demand and increased costs associated with operating safely, a survey suggests.
Nurseries are planning for 35% of their usual numbers of children coming back straight away, according to the poll of 528 nursery owners and managers which closed on Monday morning.
- Disruption to schools could continue to November, MPs told
Date: 03 Jun 2020
The partial closure of schools in England could continue into the autumn and into November, the Commons education committee has been told.
Primary schools opened more widely to several year groups in some areas this week, 10 weeks after they were closed as part of Covid-19 lockdown measures.
David Laws, chair of education charity EPI, said assumptions all pupils will return in September may be wrong. The committee was hearing evidence on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on education and children's services.
- Deadly risk to social care staff revealed
Date: 02 Jun 2020
Social care staff are at higher risk of dying from coronavirus than other occupations, Public Health England has revealed.
The health body’s analysis has shown race, age and income all have a huge impact on the life chances of those falling ill from the virus.
Its report found people of Bangladeshi ethnicity were twice as likely to die as their white British counterparts, while other BAME groups were also higher risk.
- Somerset CC returns to unitary proposals
Date: 02 Jun 2020
An attempt to restart local government reorganisation in Somerset has been given a frosty reception by district authorities.
Somerset CC has launched a survey of residents and businesses as part of its business case to replace the five councils with a single unitary authority, due to go before council next month.
County council leader Cllr David Fothergill said: ‘Our focus has been, and continues to be on coronavirus and keeping people in Somerset safe. This goes without saying.
- Wage boards advocated for care workers
Date: 02 Jun 2020
Wage boards should be created for low paid staff to improve pay and conditions starting with social care, says a Resolution Foundation report.
The study A new settlement for the low paid says Britain’s 4.2m low-paid workers have been hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic with the lowest earners three times as likely to have lost their job or been furloughed as high earners, and more than twice as likely to do jobs exposing them to health risks.
Half the care workers that are clapped every Thursday are paid less than the real Living Wage (currently £9.30 an hour outside London and below the National Living Wage) while up to 160,000 are not even paid the legal minimum wage. The government pre-pandemic pledged to set the National Living Wage at two-thirds of typical hourly pay by 2024.
- District warns of s114 within two months
Date: 02 Jun 2020
The chief finance officer of a south-west district has warned councillors he could be forced to issue a section 114 notice in less than two months without further certainty from government over emergency funding.
North Devon DC is forecasting £3.4m of lost income and £600,000 cost pressures as a result of Covid-19. The council has received just over £1m from the £3.2bn emergency funding handed out to councils in the wake of the pandemic, leaving it with a shortfall of £2.9m for 2020-21.
The most significant pressure on the council, which has a £13.3m net revenue budget, is the forecast loss of more than a third of its annual £3m parking income.
- [Coronavirus] Loved ones reunite and children begin return to school - despite warnings over lockdown easing
Date: 01 Jun 2020
The wider easing of measures now in place in England will allow groups of up to six people to meet in public spaces or private gardens, while extremely vulnerable "shielded" people can have more social interaction.
Primary school children in reception, year one and year six will return to class, and car showrooms and outdoor markets are reopening.
The new rules also mean families and friends will be able to meet up for picnics and barbecues and travel freely around England, as long as they do not stay anywhere overnight that is not their primary home.
- [Coronavirus]: 'Highly variable' attendance at schools - as UK warned 'disease is not done yet'
Date: 01 Jun 2020
Many parents are choosing to keep their children at home after the easing of lockdown measures - as the health secretary insists the UK is "winning the battle against coronavirus".
On the day many classrooms re-opened in England, Matt Hancock said that the falling death rates mean the government has been able to make some "cautious changes to the lockdown rules, safely and carefully".
He said: "The data show that we are winning the battle against coronavirus."
- [Coronavirus] Far too soon to ease lockdown in north-east England, leaders warn
Date: 01 Jun 2020
Political leaders in the north-east of England have urged residents to disregard the government’s “reckless” relaxation of the lockdown amid concerns it will lead to a second spike of coronavirus in a region with the UK’s highest infection rate.
On the day that some primary schools reopened and people were allowed to meet more family and friends in England, council leaders and MPs warned that the easing of the measures had come “far too soon” in the north-east.
“Our advice is that people should be staying with the initial advice, which was lockdown, stay socially isolated within our homes until such time as we can have an effective testing, tracking and tracing system in place.”
- Top business leaders call on Boris Johnson to set out green recovery plan
Date: 01 Jun 2020
Britain’s most powerful business leaders have called on Boris Johnson to set out economic recovery plans that align with the UK’s climate goals to help rebuild a resilient UK economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.
Almost 200 chief executives – from companies including HSBC, National Grid, and Heathrow airport – signed a letter to the prime minister calling on the government to “deliver a clean, just recovery”.
The letter emerged days after MPs called on the government to deliver £30bn in green aid to help to accelerate “faster, further, fairer” action to help tackle the climate crisis and the economic consequences of the coronavirus lockdown.
- [Coronavirus] Packed beaches see government urged to ban people travelling more than five miles
Date: 01 Jun 2020
People should be banned from travelling further than five miles after "awful scenes" on beaches in Dorset over the weekend, a council leader has said.
Three people were seriously injured after jumping into the sea from the limestone arch of Durdle Door on Saturday, with thousands having descended on coastal areas to enjoy the hot weather.
It came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced last week that some of England's coronavirus lockdown measures would be relaxed within days, allowing up to six people to meet outdoors.
- [Coronavirus] Coronavirus: No figures yet but Matt Hancock claims test and trace system has been 'successful'
Date: 01 Jun 2020
The government's coronavirus test and trace scheme is "up and running" and "successful", the health secretary has declared.
Matt Hancock told the daily COVID-19 briefing that the "vast majority" of new cases of the coronavirus have been contacted since the system was launched last week - but he could not give a specific figure.
The health secretary also told the briefing that a total of 39,045 people have now died in all settings after testing positive for the virus.
- [Coronavirus] Emergency coronavirus budget to save 2 million jobs
Date: 31 May 2020
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is working on an emergency budget statement in an effort to save the economy, after warning MPs last week that two million jobs would be lost unless pubs and restaurants reopened soon.
Plans to save millions of furloughed workers from the scrap heap and retrain them will be a centrepiece of the address to MPs, which is pencilled in for the week beginning July 6.
His intervention will come after a speech by Boris Johnson at the end of June, which is seen as the opening salvo in a “one-two punch” to put Britain back on its feet once the lockdown lifts.
- [Coronavirus] Blueprint to save the High Street
Date: 31 May 2020
Town halls have been ordered to overhaul busy shopping areas before retailers resume trading in a fortnight.
Suggestions include 'queue zones' outside stores with spray markings and temporary barriers. The guidance from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government also recommends that pavements be widened 'to accommodate distancing between pedestrians'.
Councils are even encouraged to think about either limiting the number cars driving down high streets or getting rid of them altogether.
- [Coronavirus] Bosses will have to pay fifth of furlough staff wages
Date: 29 May 2020
Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is to announce that employers will have to pay a fifth of the wages of furloughed staff, and national insurance and pension contributions, as the state subsidy scheme is wound down.
Today Mr Sunak will say that employers will have to contribute from August as the lockdown is eased under plans to restart the economy.
He will allow employers to take furloughed staff back on a part-time basis for as many hours a week as they need.
- [Coronavirus] Government extends self-employed scheme
Date: 29 May 2020
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed the government is to extend the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
The scheme, which was introduced in March, saw workers who had trading profits of under £50,000 a year over the past three years qualify for a grant of 80% of their average profits, up to £2,500 per month for three months.
The extension will see eligible people paid a grant of 70% of their average monthly trading profits, paid out in a single instalment covering three months’ worth of profits, and capped at £6,570 in total – the grant will be available in August.
- [Coronavirus] Councils could need additional £6bn to balance Covid-19 spend
Date: 29 May 2020
Local authorities could need an extra £6bn to cover the costs of coping with the coronavirus pandemic this financial year, according to analysis from the Local Government Association.
The organisation analysed returns councils submitted to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the financial impact of the pandemic earlier this month.
The LGA found that the two emergency tranches of £3.2bn allocated by the government covered costs and income losses so far, but around £2bn more is likely to be needed to cover further costs of responding to the pandemic.
- Welsh government urges lifting of borrowing limit
Date: 29 May 2020
The Welsh government has urged central government to increase its borrowing limit to help fund the country’s coronavirus response.
Under current rules, the Welsh Government is able to borrow £150m a year for infrastructure, up to a limit of £1bn, and £200m a year for day-to-day spending.
The call was made during the publication of the Welsh government’s supplementary budget, which allocated an additional £2.4bn of spending – 10% more than was planned in the March budget.
- [Coronavirus] Test and trace programme launches in England - but insiders report problems
Date: 28 May 2020
The government's coronavirus test and trace system is up and running in England - but there are suggestions it may not be fully ready.
Anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has been infected with COVID-19 will be asked to isolate for 14 days even if they have no symptoms.
Boris Johnson has acknowledged that being told to self-isolate was a "huge imposition" but people should be aware of why the programme was needed.
- [Coronavirus] UK's most vulnerable people at risk of losing 60% of their income
Date: 28 May 2020
A loophole in government guidance has caused some of the country’s most vulnerable people to lose up to 60% of their income and is now forcing many to put their health at risk as lockdown comes to an end, one of the UK’s biggest charities has warned.
Around 2.5 million UK residents, hundreds of thousands of whom are in employment, have been identified by the government as being “extremely clinically vulnerable”. They were ordered to shield at home until the end of June, although their employers did not have to furlough them.
Research by Citizens Advice found that of the 2,000 people contacting them for help who were either shielding or at higher risk from coronavirus, over 70% had not been furloughed.
- [Coronavirus] Shop-bought kits taken off shelves for being unreliable
Date: 28 May 2020
Superdrug is among retailers that have stopped selling a home coronavirus antibody test after the medicines watchdog said that it could give false results.
Laboratories have been told to stop processing commercial antibody kits that use finger-prick blood sampling to determine if someone has had the virus.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that the process had not been validated for Covid-19 tests so results from home kits should be ignored.
- Committee calls again for social care reform
Date: 28 May 2020
In a letter to chancellor Rishi Sunak the committee highlighted the need for reform of the social care sector based on the recommendations of its 2019 report, ‘Social care funding, time to end a national scandal’.
Giving evidence to the committee last week, Sunak cited the absence of a consensus over funding as a significant barrier to care reform, along with expense.
However, Lord Forsyth, chair of the committee, said that the current funding model is “unfair” and the current circumstances have “magnified” the differences between the NHS and social care.
- Liverpool warns of funding ‘blackhole’
Date: 28 May 2020
Liverpool’s combined authority has warned its funding gap could hit £250m as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and has written to the government calling for ‘fairer funding’.
The combined authority's Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram and its six council leaders have written to the prime minister calling for extra funds, claiming the region has seen higher-than-average infection and mortality rates from Covid-19.
Liverpool City Region has estimated that the bill for the pandemic over the next six months is likely to be around £341m. It has received £100m so far from central government, and the combined authority is concerned that the funding gap could be as high as £250m – adding it is currently losing more than £5m a week.
- [Coronavirus] Lockdown easing to allow groups of six to meet
Date: 28 May 2020
Groups of up to six people from different households will be able to meet outside in England from Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced.
They can meet in gardens - in addition to parks - as long as households keep two metres apart. "These changes mean friends and family will start to meet loved ones," in what would be a "long awaited and joyful moment," he added.
Currently, people in England can only meet one other person from another household at a distance in a public place.
- [Coronavirus] Government rejected radical lockdown of England's care homes
Date: 28 May 2020
Public health officials proposed a radical lockdown of care homes last month to stem surging coronavirus deaths, including staff moving in for four weeks and deploying NHS Nightingale hospitals – but it was rejected by the government, the Guardian has learned.
An 11-point plan proposing “a further lockdown of care homes” was submitted to Downing Street on 28 April by officials at Public Health England (PHE), as fatalities peaked in care homes and the virus spread to half of homes in the worst-affected areas.
They urged ministers to “use NHS facilities and other temporary accommodation to quarantine and isolate residents”, and to “consider whether staff can move into the care home for the next four weeks”.
- Government pledges homes for rough sleepers
Date: 27 May 2020
The government has pledged to provide 6,000 supported homes in a bid to “end rough sleeping for good”.
The proposal includes the fast-tracking of £381m announced?for rough?sleeping?services in the last Budget, alongside £52m of new funding to help make 3,300 homes available in the next 12 months.
The government will work with councils, local leaders and the property sector in a bid to deliver houses as quickly as possible for rough-sleepers, it said, adding that “aftercare” would be made available once people have moved into in, to help ensure they can “rebuild their lives”.
- Sigoma shortfall tops £1bn
Date: 27 May 2020
Councils serving some of the most deprived urban communities in England still face a shortfall of £1.2bn between the financial impact of Covid-19 and emergency funding received from government, new figures shared with LGC show.
The 47 members of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities received £841m from the £3.2bn handed out by ministers to councils in response to the pandemic.
However, LGC has been told eight have already used up all of their share on responding to coronavirus or plugging holes in their budgets from lost income while the remainder forecast they will do so next month.
- Tories lose control of district following ‘moral’ resignation over Cummings
Date: 27 May 2020
The Conservatives have lost control of West Devon BC after a councillor resigned from the party whip in disgust at the Dominic Cummings affair.
Okehampton North councillor Mike Davies resigned from the Tory group to sit as an Independent in protest at the actions of the prime minister’s chief advisor which are widely believed to contradict travel rules introduced to combat Covid-19.
His departure leaves the council under no overall control with the Conservatives controlling 15 of the 31 seats.
- [Coronavirus] Care homes plan to withhold funds to CQC in protest at how they handled coronavirus
Date: 27 May 2020
Care providers are calling on the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to waive its registration fees this year, amid accusations the watchdog has “gone Awol” during the coronavirus outbreak.
The call came after a leading care home body expressed its “disappointment” with the role played by CQC during the Covid-19 crisis.
The CQC charges upto £16,096 in registration fees per year depending on the size of the care home.
- [Coronavirus] Text message tells vulnerable people in UK they are dropped from shielding list
Date: 27 May 2020
People with cancer, liver disease or severe asthma have been dropped from the UK government’s coronavirus shielding list by text message before their doctors have been able to speak to them.
The decision to remove people with various health conditions from the shielding programme has caused upset. The text also informed people they would no longer qualify for government food parcels.
Many who received the messages last Friday believed they were fake. But the government has since confirmed the texts are correct and are official government communications.
- [Coronavirus] Pubs could reopen next month as Boris Johnson gives hope to Brit boozers
Date: 27 May 2020
New moves to ease the two-metre social distancing rule could bring more cheer. Boris said: “We may be able to do things faster than I thought.” The PM said pubs, restaurants and hotels may all reopen next month.
He is also expected to announce new rules allowing two households to meet for barbecues at tomorrow afternoon’s three-week review of the coronavirus lockdown.
- Applications for government’s £1bn fund to remove unsafe cladding open next week
Date: 27 May 2020
Applications for the government’s £1bn fund to remove dangerous cladding from high-rise buildings will open on Monday.
More than half a million people in England and Wales could be living in homes with unsafe cladding, analysis by industry body the Association of Residential Managing Agents (ARMA) said in February.
Leaseholders say they have been stuck in homes they cannot sell, as bills run into the tens of thousands to remove cladding approved under building regulations but subsequently deemed unsafe following the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people.
- [Coronavirus] All non-essential shops to reopen from 15 June - PM
Date: 26 May 2020
All non-essential retailers will be able to reopen in England from 15 June, Boris Johnson has announced, as part of plans to further ease the lockdown.
However, the move is "contingent on progress in the fight against coronavirus", and retailers will have to adhere to new guidelines to protect shoppers and workers, the PM added.
Mr Johnson said new guidance had been published for the retail sector "detailing the measures they should take to meet the necessary social distancing and hygiene standards".
- Care workers should be better paid and valued after Covid-19 – poll
Date: 26 May 2020
There has been a dramatic shift in the public’s perception of care workers as a result of the coronavirus crisis, with most people believing they should be better paid and better valued, according to a survey.
The poll, which was published on Tuesday by the gender equality campaigning charity the Fawcett Society, found 65% of respondents supported an increase in income tax to fund a pay rise for care workers, a figure that rose to 68% among Conservative voters polled.
- Exclusive: Councils in England and Wales face £3.4bn funding black hole
Date: 26 May 2020
Play Video
Councils across England and Wales have told ITV News the coronavirus pandemic has already left them with at least a £3.4billion hole in their finances and without more government help they will have to make severe cuts to services.
More than 200 councils have responded to our survey and 16 of those say they've already discussed issuing a 114 notice, which bans all new expenditure except safeguarding vulnerable people and statutory services. The only other time that has happened in history is with Northampton in 2018.
Eighty-three per cent of councils say the government hasn't given them enough to fill the shortfall and 22 per cent of councils have told us that if that doesn't happen soon, they'll have to make cuts to services.
- 'Local lockdowns' to be introduced in UK for future coronavirus 'flare-ups'
Date: 26 May 2020
Future "flare-ups" of coronavirus infections could lead to localised lockdown measures, the health secretary has said.
Matt Hancock revealed stricter social distancing measures could be introduced in certain areas in future as part of the NHS "test and trace" system for continuing to suppress the spread of COVID-19.
"We will have local lockdowns in future where there are flare-ups," he said at the daily Downing Street coronavirus briefing on Tuesday.
- [Coronavirus] 'Virus could be here for year' so schools must open, says education secretary
Date: 25 May 2020
"The coronavirus could be with us for a year or more" so children cannot continue to stay out of school for "months and months" longer, says Education Secretary Gavin Williamson.
But he told BBC Breakfast he recognised there would be "initial nervousness" among parents about children returning.
Teachers' unions have warned it is not safe to open England's primary schools on 1 June.
- England to provide 3,300 homes for homeless after coronavirus
Date: 24 May 2020
The government has vowed to make 3,300 homes available within 12 months to prevent rough sleepers housed in emergency pandemic accommodation in England returning to the streets.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will bring forward £160m of its £381m, four-year rough sleeping services budget to be spent this year.
Six thousand “housing units” will be built using the money and rough sleepers housed through the scheme will be provided support for mental health or substance abuse issues.
- [Coronavirus] Boris finalises plans to lift lockdown as package worth hundreds of millions unveiled
Date: 24 May 2020
Ahead of Monday’s crunch Cabinet meeting to make the final decisions on lifting lockdown, the Government has revealed a package worth hundreds of millions of pounds to allow normality to begin to return and the economy to get going again.New measures include investment in high streets and the transport network to make them safe to use again.
They will also unveil an advanced trace and test system with 25,000 contact tracers recruited as part of the largest virtual call centre operation in the country.
Other measures include a risk assessment report which shows Parliament can return to normal business and end the hybrid arrangements when MPs return from their recess on June 2.
- [Coronavirus] People urged to stay away from UK beaches over bank holiday weekend
Date: 23 May 2020
Pictures of crowds flocking to beaches in Brighton and Southend in recent days have raised concerns over social distancing.
Following the easing of some lockdown measures last week, there are no restrictions on how far people can travel to get to the countryside, National Parks and beaches in England.
Councillor Carmen Appich, from Brighton & Hove City Council, urged anyone thinking of travelling to the city "to consider very carefully how their journey will impact on others".
- [Coronavirus] Transport network to get £283m for Covid-19 protection measures
Date: 23 May 2020
Roads, railways, buses and trams are to receive a £283m funding package to improve public safety and protect services, the transport secretary has announced.
Grant Shapps said the funding – £254m for buses and £29m for trams and light rail – would increase both frequency and capacity of services while ensuring there is enough space on vehicles to allow for social distancing.
In addition, 3,400 people, including British Transport police officers and Network Rail staff, have been deployed at stations to make sure passengers follow the physical distancing guidance put in place.
- [Coronavirus] Councils throw 1 June schools reopening plan into doubt
Date: 22 May 2020
Only 20 of 99 councils to respond to a BBC Breakfast survey said they were advising schools to open more widely on Boris Johnson's target date. Of the 99 who responded, two thirds (68), could not guarantee schools would reopen to Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
On Thursday the governments of Scotland and Northern Ireland announced plans for a phased return to school for pupils, starting in August. Ministers have been insisting that they would only be calling on schools in England to reopen in June if the scientific advice said it was safe to do so.
- Government has ability to make end of rough sleeping permanent if it wants, MPs say
Date: 22 May 2020
The government's decision to end rough sleeping during the coronavirus pandemic could be made permanent with the right financial commitment and strategy, a cross-party parliamentary committee has said.
MPs on the housing and communities committee said it was "feasible" for the current situation to become "the new norm" if the government took the right action, with the progress made during the pandemic a "golden opportunity".
90 per cent of rough sleepers have been given accommodation during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, with many put up in hotels and temporary accommodation.
- UK borrowing at record high as virus cost soars in April
Date: 22 May 2020
The government borrowed £62.1bn in April, the highest monthly figure on record, according to official figures.
It underlines the cost of coping with the coronavirus pandemic through jobs schemes and loans, and is double the forecast of many economists. The cost of furlough schemes had the largest impact, hitting £14bn in April.
Mr Athow said it was impossible to forecast the current year's public finances because of the "high amounts of uncertainty". Tax receipts have fallen heavily, with the government deferring some payments, while Treasury income from VAT and air passenger duty are down significantly.
- £300 million additional funding for local authorities to support new test and trace service
Date: 22 May 2020
Local authorities will be central to supporting the new test and trace service in England, with the government providing a new funding package of £300 million.
Local authorities to work with government to support test and trace services in their local communities. £300 million will be provided to all local authorities in England to develop and action their plans to reduce the spread of the virus in their area. Work will build on the continued efforts of communities across the country to respond to the pandemic locally.
- Rough Sleepers Could Return To Streets As Councils Warn Of Funding Shortfall
Date: 22 May 2020
Rough sleepers taken off the streets as coronavirus hit the UK face being made homeless again because councils have not been given sufficient funding from the government to support them.
When the outbreak hit Britain in March, ministers asked local authorities in England to house all rough sleepers and those in hostels and night shelters, with hundreds of people being put up in hotels in a bid to isolate them from infection.
But in evidence to a parliamentary inquiry, councils have warned the initial £3.2m provided by central government fell well short of the actual cost they incurred.
- Local authorities to receive extra £300m for test and trace services
Date: 22 May 2020
Local Authorities in England will be supported with an additional £300m in funding to help roll out the new test and trace service.
The Department of Health and Social Care announced today (May 22) that local authorities will be ‘central’ to supporting the new service, and will be asked to develop tailored outbreak control plans, in collaboration with local NHS and other stakeholders.
Work is to begin imminently, focusing on identifying and containing the potential areas of outbreaks in workplaces, housing complexes, care homes and schools.
- Vouchers to fix your old bike and more space on roads as part of biggest ever cycling push to be launched next month
Date: 22 May 2020
Vouchers will be issued to pay for repairs to old bikes and more road space will be protected for cyclists, in a new Government initiative launching next month, the Telegraph understands.
Following unprecedented levels of walking and cycling across the UK during the coronavirus pandemic, the Government has fast-tracked statutory guidance which tells councils to reallocate roadspace for significantly-increased numbers of cyclists and pedestrians.
- Channel migrants: Lone children 'could overwhelm council services'
Date: 22 May 2020
The rising number of child migrants crossing the Channel by boat risks overwhelming social services, the leader of Kent County Council has said.
Roger Gough appealed to Priti Patel to "prevent a crisis escalating into something unmanageable and unsafe".
The Home Office said payments to councils to deal with the problem "significantly increased" in May 2019 but, Mr Gough said the numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) had to levels seen during the height of the European migrant crisis in 2015.
- Ministers considered cap on care costs before coronavirus outbreak
Date: 21 May 2020
A personal cap on care costs in England was being considered by ministers prior to the coronavirus outbreak, the BBC has learned.
The idea was raised during talks with Sir Andrew Dilnot, the former UK statistics chief, whose proposals for a cap were abandoned in 2017.
Sir Andrew's proposals would have introduced a more generous means-test for government funding, as well as a lifetime limit on social care costs. They were put into law in 2014 under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition, but delayed and then eventually ditched under David Cameron.
- [Coronavirus] NHS and social care staff to get coronavirus antibody tests from next week
Date: 21 May 2020
NHS and social care staff will be given antibody tests revealing whether they have had coronavirus from next week, ministers are to announce on Thursday.
In a move designed to reduce frontline workers’ anxiety and provide data on how many people have had Covid-19, hundreds of thousands of workers will be offered access to the blood tests, which must be processed in laboratories.
Public Health England (PHE) validated two laboratory-based antibody tests from Swiss-based Roche and US-based Abbott last week, and another – from the Welsh firm Ortho Clinical Diagnostics – this week.
- [Coronavirus] Coronavirus forces two million people to fall behind on council tax bills
Date: 21 May 2020
Two million people face debt collectors and hardship after falling on their council tax bills due to the impact of coronavirus, charities have warned.
Citizens Advice, the Money Advice Trust and StepChange Debt Charity said action is needed to prevent households being pushed over a council tax enforcement "cliff-edge".
The three charities welcomed the Government's temporary ban on bailiff visits to enforce debts during Covid-19 restrictions, and said its measures to protect people's finances during the crisis have been a lifeline.
- [Coronavirus] Up to 1,000 care homes could go bust in wake of Covid crisis
Date: 21 May 2020
Up to 1,000 care homes are predicted to close as financial pressures heaped on the sector by coronavirus could soon make business unsustainable, experts have said.
At least two homes have already shut their doors temporarily. The closures are expected to trigger a domino effect across the long-term care sector, which employs more people than the NHS and is estimated to be worth about £31bn.
- [Coronavirus] Benefit claims fraud could be £1.5bn
Date: 21 May 2020
Benefit officials have told the BBC they fear that as much as £1.5bn may have been lost in fraudulent claims for Universal Credit in recent weeks.
Huge demand for the benefit has seen some processes relaxed to ensure the majority of claims are paid quickly but officials believe that some organised crime groups - as well as individuals - may have taken advantage of the system.
While officials are keen to emphasise that the vast majority of claims came from genuine applicants, especially in the initial surge, they fear the looser checks have opened the door to individuals and some organised crime groups exploiting the system.
- [Coronavirus] Councils create own local outbreak plans amid lack of clarity from centre
Date: 21 May 2020
Directors of public health are drawing up their own local outbreak plans to manage sporadic local Covid-19 surges as the economy is reignited, amid frustration at a lack of a national agreement on how local outbreaks should be managed.
LGC understands that discussions are taking place in Whitehall on what form local outbreak management plans, which outline the measures needed to get future localised outbreaks under control, should take.
One source described councils as being "stuck in a catch 22 position" - "trying to influence what shape of their role will be while waiting for national directive". "It is hard to operate in that context".
- [Coronavirus] Cost of government Covid-19 measures revealed
Date: 21 May 2020
Covering the government’s response until 4 May, as well as any commitments of at least £500m made until 15 May, the NAO found £111.3bn has been spent on grants and payments, £5bn on loans and £8bn on increases to benefits.
The spending commitments included £82.2bn for businesses, including through the job retention scheme as well as loans and grants, and £6.6bn for health and social care measures.
“The scale and nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and government’s response is unprecedented in recent history,” said Gareth Davies, head of the NAO.
- [Coronavirus] Government increases large business loan scheme
Date: 21 May 2020
The government has announced it will quadruple the size of loans available through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme from £50m to £200m.
The CLBILS was launched last month, and allowed firms with turnover of more than £250m to borrow up to £50m from lenders, with an 80% guarantee from the government.
Those using the scheme will now be able to borrow up to 25% of their turnover, up to a maximum of £200m.
- [Coronavirus] New 'on the spot' COVID-19 swab test being trialled
Date: 21 May 2020
A coronavirus test that can give results in 20 minutes is being trialled, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said.
The swab test, which will tell people if they currently have coronavirus, has proved effective in clinical settings and does not need to be sent to a laboratory to be processed.
The trial is beginning in Hampshire and will be rolled out in a number of settings, including A&E departments without access to laboratories, GP coronavirus testing hubs and care homes.
- [Coronavirus] Majority of Cabinet want Boris Johnson to ease coronavirus lockdown
Date: 21 May 2020
Boris Johnson is under pressure to ease the lockdown restrictions causing "massive damage" to the economy, with the majority of the Cabinet understood to support a major "back to work" drive next month.
Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, is among ministers who have expressed concerns about the long-term "scarring" to the economy being caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Provided there is no unexpected increase in the rate of virus infections over the next 10 days, they want the Prime Minister to allow as many businesses as possible to reopen in order to get the country moving again.
- NHS fees to be scrapped for overseas health staff and care workers
Date: 21 May 2020
NHS staff and care workers from overseas will no longer have to pay an extra charge towards the health service after mounting pressure from MPs.
Boris Johnson's spokesman said the PM had asked the Home Office and Department for Health to exempt NHS and care workers "as soon as possible".
Mr Johnson himself stood by the charge on Wednesday, telling MPs he "understood the difficulties faced by our amazing NHS staff", but said the government "must look at the realities" of funding the NHS.
- New rules would see councils warn ministers before a s114
Date: 21 May 2020
Finance directors would need to warn the government before they issued a Section 114 notice during the coronavirus pandemic, if new rules get the go-ahead.
Under existing rules, which would remain in place, section 151 officers must give a warning to the council cabinet and the external auditor if they are going to freeze spending while they try to balance the budget.
The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) are now in talks with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to include the warning to ministers – which would give the government the opportunity to intervene if they wished.
- [Coronavirus] Most apprentices losing work and learning opportunities amid Covid-19
Date: 20 May 2020
Apprentices are being furloughed or made redundant by firms due to the Covid-19 crisis – and the majority are missing out on work experience or learning opportunities, a survey suggests.
The pandemic is having a significant effect on apprenticeships, according to a Sutton Trust report, which warns that a fall in apprenticeship starts is likely to be exacerbated by the crisis.
A YouGov poll of 156 employers suggests that more than three in five (61%) say their apprentices have lost out on learning or work experience as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- [Coronavirus] Directors of public health fear ‘shambles’ over contact tracing
Date: 20 May 2020
Some senior directors of public health have told LGC they are still being kept in the dark on how government plans for track and tracing will be rolled out nationally, and have raised fears it will result in a “shambles” on the same scale as personal protective equipment (PPE) and Covid-19 testing.
They also expressed concern that DPHs have been described as "co designing" the track and testing programme in Whitehall press briefings when in fact their role is more minimal. "We are inputting our perspective and sharing our knowledge, but that is not the same as co-designing," one source said.
The government announced this week that it has employed 21,000 contact tracers, many of whom have been recruited as call handlers by Serco, and there has been criticism of the training that Public Health England is providing to undertake contract tracing work.
- [Coronavirus] Thirty ways Covid will change how councils work: Nos 1-10 [opinion]
Date: 20 May 2020
Following two months during which home working took off and social care’s plight finally became universally known, local government will never be the same again. Here, experts from around the sector – in no specific order – map the new landscape.
- [Coronavirus] Ministers row back on 1 June schools opening as councils voice concerns
Date: 20 May 2020
The body that represents local authorities across England has set out serious concerns over proposals to reopen primary schools on 1 June, as ministers appeared to row back on the idea after sustained criticism from councils and school leaders.
With just 11 days until the government’s schools deadline, the Local Government Association, which represents most local authorities in England, said councils should be given access to local coronavirus testing data in order to safely reopen schools.
The government had said it wanted children in nursery, reception, year 1 and year 6 to begin a phased return to schools from 1 June, with other years following soon after, so that primary children have a month of school before the summer holidays.
- Government to review TfL finances following Covid-19
Date: 20 May 2020
A review into Transport for London’s funding and finances is to begin immediately, transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced, following the agreement of a controversial £1.6bn rescue package last week.
TfL’s main sources of funding are fares, commercial activity, the congestion charge, grants from the Greater London Authority, borrowing and existing cash reserves.
The largest source is from fares, with the body’s 2020-21 budget forecasting £5.1bn of its total £9.7bn of funding coming from passengers.
Since the lockdown, income has dropped by 90% according to a report published by TfL last week, and the operator now predicts a £4bn drop in revenue this year – adding that it will need £3.2bn to balance a proposed emergency budget.
- [Coronavirus] Over 20 care homes warn council there may be 'imminent' collapse in sector
Date: 19 May 2020
More than 20 care homes in the northeast of England have sent a legal warning to their local council over fears of a collapse in the sector, Sky News can reveal.
In the letter the care homes have declared what is called "force majeure", or a major incident.
Sky News obtained a leaked copy sent to North Tyneside Council which warns that if action isn't taken to provide funding and support within five days the care market in that area will start to collapse.
- [Coronavirus] UK records lowest increase in COVID-19 deaths since lockdown began
Date: 19 May 2020
The UK has recorded its lowest daily coronavirus fatality figure since the nationwide lockdown began, with 160 further deaths.
The increase - the lowest recorded by the Department of Health since 24 March - takes the total to 34,796.
On Sunday, the UK had recorded its lowest daily number of deaths in 53 days, as 170 new deaths were announced, although today's figure marks another small drop.
Date: 19 May 2020
- [Coronavirus] Regional lifting of lockdown needed to prevent coronavirus flare-ups, new modelling suggests
Date: 19 May 2020
A regional lifting of the lockdown is necessary in order to prevent coronavirus from growing in some areas, new analysis suggests.
The Tony Blair Institute has developed a model that compares the mobility of people in different parts of the UK to how fast the virus is spreading in order to work out whether there is room for lifting restrictions.
It shows that, across England, the movement of people in shops and workplaces and on transport has dropped to around 40 per cent since lockdown.
- [Coronavirus] Jobless claims surge by record 856,500 in April to highest level since 1996
Date: 19 May 2020
Official figures have shown a surge of 856,500 people submitting benefit claims last month as the coronavirus crisis took its toll on jobs.
The update from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the so-called claimant count, measured through Universal Credit applications, at its highest level since 1996 at 2.1 million in total.
Shortly after the ONS data was released, the Treasury confirmed it was expanding the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) to enable larger firms to access up to £200m from next week - up from £50m.
- [Coronavirus] Luton Borough Council faced with 'stark' savings
Date: 19 May 2020
A council which is facing a £49m black hole in its finances is set to make £22m cuts in an emergency budget.
Luton Borough Council said it was in response to financial pressures brought on by the coronavirus crisis. The authority expects to lose out on £37m revenues from Luton Airport due to a huge drop in passenger numbers.
- [Coronavirus] 'Desperate' care homes plea with council for 'immediate financial support' after struggling to get government cash
Date: 19 May 2020
Care homes in Sheffield have written to their council saying they are "in desperate need of immediate financial support", ITV News has learned.
Palms Row Healthcare, which owns three homes in Sheffield, complains that the local authority has only offered a 5% increase in funding to deal with the costs of Covid-19.
So far the government has promised a total of £3.2bn in additional funding for councils, with a further £600m earmarked specifically for infection control in care homes.
- [Coronavirus] London councils launch procurement partnership as care homes face PPE challenges
Date: 19 May 2020
A care home manager has described the difficulties in sourcing personal protective equipment (PPE) as a new London-wide procurement scheme is launched to provide kit for frontline workers at risk from coronavirus.
The partnership among all of the capital’s councils aims to distribute more than 48 million items of PPE kit in the next 12 weeks.
The emergency supplies, which began being delivered last week, will be prioritised for the under pressure social care sector.
- [Coronavirus] Data delay left care homes ‘fighting losing battle’
Date: 19 May 2020
Care homes in England were planning their response to the coronavirus pandemic "with their hands tied" because data about outbreaks in the sector were not published until the end of April, an industry body has said.
Public Health England had counted more than 4,500 Covid-19 outbreaks in care homes before it issued its findings, figures reveal.
The National Care Forum voiced concerns at the data not being shared but PHE said it was used by health protection teams and to brief ministers.
- Ministers pile pressure on councils over business grants
Date: 19 May 2020
Business secretary Alok Sharma has expressed concerns that some councils have paid out less than 80% of their grants to small firms.
Mr Sharma has written to those councils that are languishing towards the bottom of a performance league table, asking them to explain the reasons that have prevented them from paying out a greater proportion of grants and the further steps they are taking to address this.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) recently confirmed that it will be accountable for any support grants paid out in error or due to fraud as long as councils have ‘done what is reasonable and practicable to have avoided this in the first place and then having exhausted all reasonable and practicable steps to recover any over-payments’.
- Raise taxes for those who live near parks, report says
Date: 18 May 2020
People who live near parks should pay higher taxes to help maintain them, a report recommends.
The NHS should also be given a role in maintaining parks and creating new ones because they are vital in improving physical and mental health, according to the Social Market Foundation (SMF) think tank.
It recommends copying the system used in some US cities, where authorities have the power to charge homeowners a levy for the upkeep of local parks. In Seattle, the tax is about £6 a month for a home worth £410,000.
- [Coronavirus] Better-off children 'studying more than poorer pupils'
Date: 18 May 2020
A survey of families in England suggests better-off children will have studied for around seven days more than their poorer peers by next month.
Children in the highest-income families spend six hours a day on education, but the poorest spend four and a half.
Paul Whiteman, head of the National Association of Head Teachers, said teachers want to see pupils back in class - but they want to understand the scientific reasons as to why the government has said it is safe to return.
- Charities call for 'vital' early intervention funding to safeguard children
Date: 18 May 2020
Funding cuts to children's services have left councils unable to cope with the current crisis, charities have warned today.
New analysis by the Children’s Society, Barnardo’s, Action for Children, NSPCC and the National Children’s Bureau shows that councils can only afford to help children when they reach crisis point and need costly interventions.
The research shows that funding for children’s services has fallen by £2.2bn in the past decade, with late intervention now accounting for 58% of local authority spending on children and young people’s services.
- [Coronavirus] Meeting with Leeds Council leaders to discuss C-19 recovery
Date: 18 May 2020
Council chiefs and leaders in Leeds are set to discuss the latest coronavirus response report and recovery plans in an online meeting tomorrow (Tues 19).
The executive board of Leeds City Council will analyse and consider the work being done to support recovery in the city as well as planning the delivery of work still to be done as lockdown measures start to ease.
The council’s response so far has included tens of thousands of free meals and food parcels for the most vulnerable in communities, over 5,000 active volunteers, who have answered more than 11,000 helpline calls, 6 million items of PPE delivered to care settings and £128m in grants to Leeds businesses.
- [Coronavirus] Government considers bypassing councils to get cash to care providers
Date: 18 May 2020
The Government is considering bypassing local authorities and channelling extra funding directly to care providers to ease cash flow concerns. It comes after ministers told councils to pass on government funding to care providers amid concerns about funding not reaching care homes dealing with the coronavirus crisis.
Last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced £600m of funding would be allocated to local authorities for infection control in care homes.
Martin Green, chief executive officer of Care England, which represents providers, said not enough of the money so far had reached his members and called for the latest £600m to go directly to the frontline.
- [Coronavirus] £5bn needed to stop local cuts say county councils
Date: 17 May 2020
English councils have called on the government to provide a £5bn "income guarantee" to prevent local authorities from having to cut services as the coronavirus hits finances.
The County Councils Network has warned councils could lose £2.4bn as income from tax and business rates fall. The group said councils would have "no choice" but to suspend non-essential expenditure and cut services.
Cllr Richard Watts, who chairs the Local Government Association's resources board, said: "Some councils have warned that they will soon face the prospect of Section 114 reports - this would lead to spending blocks and in-year cuts to the vital local services that are supporting communities through this crisis and the national effort to beat this deadly disease."
- Councils' bets on property market 'battered' by Covid-19 closures
Date: 16 May 2020
Councils who borrowed billions to make risky investments in offices and retail parks have taken a “battering” during the coronavirus pandemic as tenants default on rent. The shortfall could put frontline services at risk, as some councils depend on commercial rents for the majority of those budgets, the Bureau can reveal.
The Bureau has previously shown how local authorities borrowed money to gamble on property investments in the hope rents would make up for major cuts in Westminster funding. The sudden fall in commercial rents, along with a slump in traditional forms of revenue such as business rates and council tax caused by the pandemic, has left councils in a double bind.
- [Coronavirus] Councils call for 'higher risk' schools to be allowed to decide whether to reopen
Date: 15 May 2020
Schools should be allowed to make their own decisions about reopening – especially in areas where there is a higher proportion of black, Asian and minority ethnic residents, council leaders have said.
It comes ahead of Chief Medical Officer for England, Chris Whitty, and the government's Chief Scientific Adviser, Patrick Vallance, meeting teaching unions to discuss schools in England reopening.
The LGA wants councils to be given more powers to close schools if testing indicates clusters of new Covid-19 cases – and it says the Government should urgently publish the scientific evidence underpinning the decision to reopen England’s schools to more pupils from June 1.
- [Coronavirus] ONS survey estimates 148,000 coronavirus cases
Date: 15 May 2020
An estimated 148,000 people in England are infected with coronavirus, according to the most comprehensive national survey yet.
Jonathan Van-Tam, the deputy chief medical officer for England, said that the figures, which came from a long-awaited Office for National Statistics (ONS) survey and exclude care homes and hospitals, represented “quite a low level of infection in the community”.
The household survey, which excluded care homes and hospitals, calculated that on average about 0.27 per cent of the population were infected at any point between April 27 and last Sunday. Those working on the front line in health or social care were much more likely to be infected than those in other professions, at 1.33 per cent against 0.22 per cent.
- [Coronavirus] Homeless people put up in hotels amid pandemic face being kicked out, leaked report says
Date: 15 May 2020
Hundreds of homeless people face being back out on the streets during the lockdown after a scheme was quietly scrapped, according to a leaked report.
The Government has pulled funding for Manchester's 'Everyone In' scheme, which has been putting up homeless people in hotels and hostels.
In Manchester alone almost 1,600 homeless people with nowhere to self-isolate had been sheltered in emergency accommodation.
A report seen by the Manchester Evening News from the Ministry for Communities, Housing and Local Government (MCHLG) to the region's combined authority announced the programme would no longer be funded.
- [Coronavirus] Councils resist government's changed 'stay alert' message
Date: 15 May 2020
Areas with higher coronavirus rates have urged residents to stay at home amid fears the Government’s change of message to ‘stay alert’ was confusing.
Local authorities in Merseyside, which has a ‘significantly higher’ death rate than England and the rest of the north-west, warned that the region was not ‘through the worst of this’ while the message in the north-east, which has the highest rate of coronavirus infection in the country, continues to be for people to stay home.
The comments come amid first minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, refusing to adopt the Government’s stay alert slogan.
- Homeless will not be turfed out, says Casey
Date: 15 May 2020
Reports the Government is planning to let hundreds of rough sleepers return to the streets have been denied by Number 10’s homeless adviser.
The Government’s ‘Everyone in’ scheme saw more than 1,600 rough sleepers taken off the streets amid the coronavirus crisis. Now the Manchester Evening News (MEN) has reported that leaked documents reveal plans to scrap the system.
But homeless adviser Dame Louise Casey has told The MJ, that plans were afoot to rehome people, as the scheme moves on to the next phase.
‘We need to move people out of commercial hotels and into better options than that,’ Dame Louise said.
- Ministers facing renewed pressure over push to reopen schools
Date: 15 May 2020
Education unions are meeting the chief medical officer and other experts today to discuss the government's push to reopen schools in England amid mounting criticism of the approach.
Unions and the Local Government Association (LGA) have expressed concerns as ministers push for a gradual reopening of classrooms from June 1.
But the teaching unions have faced their own backlash over their approach, with former Labour education secretary Lord Blunkett saying: "I am being deeply critical of the attitude.
- Councils in England fear they will have to make cuts of 20%
Date: 14 May 2020
Councils in England fear they will have to make budget cuts of 20% and face a social care funding shortfall of £3.5bn due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Labour claims local authorities are facing a £10bn black hole as they encounter spiralling costs while revenue streams such as parking charges dry up amid the lockdown.
Cuts of up to 21% could be needed to balance the books, according to the analysis by Labour, seen by the Guardian. They could see a shortfall of up to £3.5bn across the local government social care sector, with 225,000 adult social care places put at risk within this financial year, it says.
- Birmingham City Council 'was sent PPE six years out of date'
Date: 14 May 2020
A council has asked for government reassurance that a supply of personal protective equipment for staff on the front line against Covid-19 is safe, despite being six years out of date.
Birmingham City Council said it received a delivery in April of about 4,000 masks with 2014 use-by dates.
The authority claims a further supply was sent to it with plain stickers covering the 2014 date with a 2019 one.
- [Coronavirus] New £600m funding to support care home ‘lockdown’
Date: 14 May 2020
The £600m adult social care infection control fund announced by the prime minister yesterday is to be used to help “lockdown” care homes by paying staff not to work in more than one setting.
Details of the fund, announced by Boris Johnson at prime minister’s question time yesterday, were sent to council chief executives and other senior officers this lunchtime by the Department of Health & Social Care.
The letter, from care minister Helen Whately and seen by LGC, confirms the cash will be handed to councils and receipt of it by adult social care providers will be “conditional” on compliance with information reporting requirements set by the government.
- [Coronavirus] Inquiry over Covid-19 patients sent to care homes
Date: 14 May 2020
The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is considering whether human rights laws were breached by hospitals discharging older patients into care homes, The Telegraph understands.
Shortly after the lockdown began on March 23, Government guidelines encouraged care homes to accept discharged patients if they were asymptomatic, without testing. The guidance was abolished last month – but care providers warned that it was too late and "the damage was already done".
According to the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, deaths in care homes made up 40.4 per cent of overall coronavirus fatalities across England and Wales in the week to May 1.
- [Coronavirus] Government considers free parking in town centres to keep workers off public transport
Date: 14 May 2020
Free parking could be laid on in town centres to encourage people to use their cars rather than public transport to get to work, Grant Shapps has hinted.
The Transport Secretary said he was in talks with local authorities about making it easier for motorists to park near their workplace to help minimise crowding on trains and buses.
He is also in discussions with cinemas and other entertainment venues that are currently closed about opening their car parks for workers.
- Impact on UK GDP becomes clearer
Date: 14 May 2020
The ONS said the economy contracted by 2% in the three months to March, following zero growth in the final quarter of 2019 – the largest quarter-on-quarter reduction since the final quarter of 2008.
The decline was due in large part to a 5.8% fall in March, the biggest monthly fall since the ONS measurement began in 1997 – and that only reflected the first full week of lockdown.
The fall included a 1.9% drop in services output – including retailers, travel agents and hotels – and a 2.6% reduction in construction sector output during the quarter.
- Public sector pay freeze ‘dangerously demoralising’
Date: 14 May 2020
According to a Treasury assessment reported by the Telegraph newspaper, the UK’s deficit could reach £337bn this year, and a pay freeze for public sector workers could be implemented to help fill the funding gap.
The document warned that a ‘policy package’ of tax increases and spending reductions, as well as an end to the triple lock on pensions, could be deployed to help offset the financial implications of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is a huge own goal by the government. Public sector workers are on the front line, saving lives, keeping people safe and maintaining the economy,” Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said.
- [Coronavirus] Care-home resources ‘should be allocated at local level’
Date: 14 May 2020
Prime minister Boris Johnson has announced plans to allocate an extra £600m to help infection control within care homes.
The government is yet to publish details on exactly how the additional funds will be allocated, but the move was welcomed by the Local Government Association.
“This extra funding for infection control in care homes is good news and will help councils’ public health teams in their efforts to reduce and prevent coronavirus outbreaks,” said Ian Hudspeth, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board.
- Councils face £10bn funding 'black hole'
Date: 14 May 2020
Councils could be forced to cut billions from social care services due to a £10bn 'coronavirus black hole,' Labour has warned today. The analysis, based on 2019/20 budget estimates, warned that local authorities may need to cut adult social care by £3.5bn.
There would also have to be £2bn cuts to children's social care and £700m cuts from public health budgets, Labour said.
Labour’s shadow local government secretary, Steve Reed, said: 'Local authorities are the biggest funders of social care in England so when the Government promised to stand behind councils through this crisis Labour supported them.
- [Coronavirus] GDP down 2% as UK economy struggles with pandemic
Date: 13 May 2020
The UK economy shrank by 2% in the three months to the end of March - the first official look at the financial effects of the lockdown.
The fall was the biggest since 2008 and included a contraction of 5.8% in March GDP alone - the biggest monthly fall on record.
The UK went into lockdown near the end of the quarter in an effort to limit the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, so the GDP figure is only a partial representation of the lockdown's financial impact.
- Ministers were warned two years ago of care homes' exposure to pandemics
Date: 13 May 2020
Ministers faced fresh allegations on Wednesday of failing to prepare care homes for a pandemic, as it emerged that Covid-19 may have killed 22,000 residents in England and Wales – more than twice the official toll.
Council social care directors in England warned the government two years ago, in a series of detailed reports, about care homes’ exposure to a pandemic, the Guardian has learned.
They called for better supply plans for personal protective equipment – warning that “demand for PPE could rapidly outstrip supply” – plus improved infection control and a system to enlist volunteers to help services expected to be stretched to breaking point.
- [Coronavirus] First coronavirus antibody test given approval by Public Health England
Date: 13 May 2020
A coronavirus antibody test kit has been approved by Public Health England (PHE), The Telegraph has learned, in a breakthrough that could be key to easing the UK's lockdown restrictions.
The Telegraph understands that the Department of Health is in negotiations with the Swiss healthcare company Roche to buy millions of the kits.
The accuracy of the test was given approval by experts at PHE’s Porton Down facility last week.
- [Coronavirus] Chancellor Rishi Sunak warns of 'significant recession'
Date: 13 May 2020
The chancellor has said it is "very likely" the UK is in a "significant recession", as figures show the economy contracting at the fastest pace since the financial crisis.
The economy shrank by 2% in the first three months of 2020, as coronavirus forced the country into lockdown.
Rishi Sunak told the BBC that just "a few days of impact from the virus" in March pushed the economy into decline.
- Jenrick warned of ‘massive cuts’ as treasurers prepare Covid returns
Date: 13 May 2020
Councils serving some of the most deprived communities will be left with no choice but to make massive cuts or declare themselves bankrupt, the communities secretary has been warned.
In a letter to Robert Jenrick, sent ahead of the submission of the second round of returns on the financial impact of Covid-19 to government on Friday, Sir Stephen Houghton, chair of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities says members face a shortfall of £1.4bn as a result of the pandemic. This is even after their £842m share of the £3.2bn coronavirus funding is taken into account.
Highlighting figures from the Office for National Statistics showing that death rates from coronavirus are almost twice as high in the poorest parts of the country than the wealthiest, Sir Stephen says additional funding for councils must consider the impact of deprivation and the costs of social care, which he describes as “the most immediate cost-pressure our councils face”.
- [Coronavirus] Care homes faced funding cut if they didn't take in COVID-19 patients
Date: 12 May 2020
Several councils threatened to withhold funding to help care homes deal with the coronavirus outbreak if they didn't agree to take in COVID-19 patients, Sky News can reveal.
It comes as dozens of care homes fear a government policy allowing the transfer of coronavirus-positive or untested patients is a "major factor" in why COVID-19 deaths are so high.
The policy was changed in the middle of April but some care homes believe the damage had already been done by then.
- [Coronavirus] Care homes to get extra help from NHS
Date: 12 May 2020
All care homes across England will be given enhanced clinical support by local hospitals and GPs from Friday to shore up the sector against the coronavirus as criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis increases.
The National Care Association said government advisers should apologise for being too slow to act, for not testing staff and residents in homes and diverting protective equipment to the NHS while patients with Covid-19 were sent out of hospitals into care homes.
All nursing and residential homes will have a named clinician, either a local GP or other specialist, to support the medical needs of residents. Homes will be given equipment, such as pulse oximeters, to help monitor patients remotely with plans for regular “virtual wards” to help teams of specialists assess each patient.
- [Coronavirus] NHS shielding letters miss thousands of cancer patients
Date: 12 May 2020
Tens of thousands of cancer patients have not yet received letters advising them to “shield” themselves from the coronavirus threat, The Times has learnt.
Peter Johnson, national clinical director for cancer, has written to charities asking for their help in tracing the missing patients and alerting them to the need to take stringent self-protection measures against infection.
His appeal comes as the government increased by one million its estimate of the number of people at greatest risk of severe illness should they contract Covid-19.
- [Coronavirus] Bus firms face struggle as lockdown eases
Date: 12 May 2020
Bus operators face a challenge to restore services for returning workers amid union claims lockdown easing plans had caused "chaos and panic".
With fewer passengers allowed on each bus and the government encouraging people to avoid public transport, firms say fares will not cover their costs.
Unions are also concerned about safety amid reports of higher death rates linked to Covid-19 among male drivers.
- [Coronavirus] Rishi Sunak extends furlough scheme to OCTOBER and government will STILL cover 80 per cent of pay with staff able to come back part-time
Date: 12 May 2020
Rishi Sunak today extended the government's massive coronavirus bailout to October.
The Chancellor said the multi-billion pound subsidy, which had been due to end next month, will stay in place for four more months, and it will still cover 80 per cent of wages up to a ceiling of £2,500 a month.
With concerns the scheme is costing £14billion a month - roughly equivalent to the NHS budget - Mr Sunak also told the Commons that from July it will be available for workers who go back part-time, in a bid to 'wean' businesses off the support.
- Finance chiefs say Government could underwrite tax losses for councils
Date: 12 May 2020
The Government could protect councils from financial collapse by underwriting the potential loss of council tax and business rates, finance chiefs have claimed.
Councils reeling from the cost of the coronavirus and are increasingly concerned that they will not be able to balance their budgets.
Despite early reassurances of financial assistance, Robert Jenrick back-tracked last week and said the Government would only pay for the services it had requested.
While the funding so far has eased cashflow issues, the longer-term financial stability for councils is at risk if they can’t collect council tax and business rates in a post-COVID recession.
- ‘Honour your promises’, cash-strapped Lancs leaders tell ministers
Date: 12 May 2020
Lancashire’s 15 council leaders have jointly signed a letter to ministers demanding that promises are honoured to fully reimburse local government for the cost of responding to Covid-19.
This comes as 25 MPs have signed a separate letter demanding a “sufficient and long-term funding settlement for councils as a matter of urgency”, acknowledging the sector needs more funding to cover its costs and income losses resulting from coronavirus.
The Lancashire leaders, including Conservative leader of Lancashire CC Geoff Driver, expressed dismay that the councils’ collective share of the second tranche of £1.6bn funding from the government fell by £6m in comparison to the first.
- Whiteman: ‘We want to avoid the risk of a public negotiation’ on funding
Date: 12 May 2020
The 2021-22 budget setting round will be the “toughest ever” faced by local government, MPs have been told, with councils also finding it “harder and harder” to hold off making in year cuts as a result of the financial impact of coronavirus.
Giving evidence to the public accounts committee on Monday, Chartered Institute of Public Finance & Accountancy chief executive Rob Whiteman said councils did not yet know how much the cost of wages and personal protective equipment will go up in social care or how much their income will plunge by. They were also anticipating a spike in care for vulnerable children, he warned.
He said planned savings in social care were “not now going to be deliverable in the new economy post covid” but it would be “a disaster” if chief finance officers were forced to freeze expenditure while emergency actions are being deployed.
- [Coronavirus] Care home deaths 'starting to decline'
Date: 12 May 2020
The number of coronavirus deaths in care homes across the UK has started to fall, figures show.
A review of death certificates showed there were 2,800 deaths linked to the virus in the most recent week - down 12% on the week before.
It brings the virus death toll in care homes to more than 9,700. The data also showed that between mid-March and early May more than 50,000 more deaths have been recorded than would be expected during this period.
- [Coronavirus] Testing for coronavirus in UK care homes a ‘complete system failure’
Date: 12 May 2020
Care home operators have accused the UK government of “a complete system failure” over testing for Covid-19 after officials repeatedly deflected responsibility for the task and left vulnerable residents unchecked.
As ministers admitted it will be more than three weeks before all homes are offered tests, care home managers said lives have been put at risk and conditions for dementia sufferers worsened because of the government’s failure so far to test hundreds of thousands of staff and residents.
The programme was announced by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, two weeks ago but only tens of thousands of people have been tested.
- [Coronavirus] Dementia patients three times more likely to get severe coronavirus, study finds
Date: 12 May 2020
Dementia patients are three times more likely to develop severe coronavirus, the first study of the issue has shown, with experts saying they should be added to the shielded list.
The analysis, by the University of Exeter and the University of Connecticut in the US, looked at which conditions put people at the greatest risk from the virus.
It was already known that some conditions, such as diabetes and lung disease, exacerbate Covid-19, but it is the first time dementia has been found to be a major risk factor.
- [Coronavirus] Councils face losing tens of millions of pounds in coronavirus crisis
Date: 12 May 2020
Councils across the region face losing tens of millions of pounds as a result of the coronavirus crisis, raising serious concerns about whether vital services could be cut.
Bath & North East Somerset Council and Bristol City Council are just two local authorities calling for more financial support from central Government.
They warn they could be forced to make "tough decisions" in the months ahead as they try to protect frontline services for the most vulnerable.
- [Coronavirus] Public advised to wear face coverings in PM's 50-page plan for lifting lockdown
Date: 11 May 2020
In a new 50-page blueprint for lifting the lockdown in England, Prime Minister Boris Johnson wants all primary school children to have at least a month's teaching before the summer holidays and some hairdressers and beauty salons back in business at some point in late summer.
The document, called "Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government's COVID-19 recovery strategy", sets out the three-phase approach, starting this week with further lockdown loosening at the start of June and further changes potentially from 4 July.
- [Coronavirus] Furloughed workers set to be allowed back part-time
Date: 11 May 2020
Furloughed staff who go back to work part-time may have their wages subsidised by the taxpayer as ministers battle to prevent as many as 1.2 million redundancies when the economy reopens.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is under pressure to set out plans to extend the taxpayer-backed furlough scheme and make it more flexible amid bleak forecasts suggesting that many workers hoping to head back in will be laid off due to the economic downturn.
- [Coronavirus] School classes to have 15 pupil limit, Government's new coronavirus guidance says
Date: 11 May 2020
Class sizes should be split in half with a 15 pupil limit and corridors should operate a “one way” system, the Government’s new coronavirus guidance for schools says.
When primary schools begin their phased reopening next month, the beginning and end of the day will be staggered to avoid congestion at the gates, according to advice published on Monday by the Department for Education.
Children will be expected to spend their break times and lunch with the other children in their class, to ensure that they are only mixing within their group of 15 pupils plus their teacher.
- Warning over coronavirus and commercial investment cocktail
Date: 11 May 2020
Worried finance chiefs have warned some councils that invested in commercial property have been put at increased risk by the coronavirus pandemic.
MPs on the Public Accounts Committee this week heard that councils had spent £6.6bn on commercial property between 2016 and 2019 – 14 times more than in the previous three years.
Mr Whiteman criticised the £1bn borrowed by Spelthorne BC for commercial investment, adding: ‘You don’t have to be accountant of the year to know that’s quite a lot of excessive leverage and commercial risk.
- Unite expected to urge pay offer rejection
Date: 11 May 2020
Trade union Unite is expected to recommend that its members reject the employers ‘final’ 2.75% pay offer at a national committee meeting later this week.
Unions have hit back at local government employers’ attempts to close down talks on pay.
The unions have lodged a formal request to join with the Local Government Association, Welsh Local Government Association and Northern Ireland Local Government Association in approaching Whitehall to fund a bonus to employees in recognition of their response to the COVID-19 emergency.
- Chiefs to develop care home resilience plans
Date: 11 May 2020
Council chief executives will be put in charge of developing and reviewing council-level care home resilience plans.
The move by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) aims to help the Government better understand the care sector’s resilience.
Under the new regime, local partners will have to collectively rate their confidence across a range of measures designed to support care homes, highlighting any areas of concern.
- Shielding improvements on agenda for LGA and Whitehall
Date: 11 May 2020
The Local Government Association is working with Whitehall to improve the support system for the more than two million people being shielded from coronavirus.
Provision of better data about the clinically vulnerable is among the issues that have been highlighted after the sector raised a number of concerns about the sharing of information.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is understood to be in touch with a range of councils to look at ongoing issues with data and food deliveries.
- [Coronavirus] PM unveils 'conditional plan' to reopen society
Date: 10 May 2020
Boris Johnson has unveiled a "conditional plan" to reopen society, allowing people in England to spend more time outdoors from Wednesday. The PM also said people who could not work from home should return to the workplace - but avoid public transport.
He said a new Covid Alert System with five levels would govern how quickly lockdown restrictions could be eased.
He hoped the next step "at the earliest by 1 June" would be for some primary pupils to return to school in England.
- [Coronavirus] Businesses want 'clear guidance' on return to work
Date: 10 May 2020
Business groups have called for clarity on what will need to change in the workplace as Boris Johnson unveils a "conditional plan" to reopen society.
"Businesses need their practical questions answered so they can plan to restart, rebuild and renew," said the British Chambers of Commerce.
The prime minister said those who could not work from home should be "actively encouraged to go to work" in England.
Carolyn Fairbairn, the director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) said businesses were "keen to open and get the economy back on its feet". "But they also know putting health first is the only sustainable route to economic recovery. The message of continued vigilance is right," she said.
- [Coronavirus] PM to review lockdown restrictions with cabinet
Date: 07 May 2020
Boris Johnson will review the coronavirus lockdown in England with his cabinet later, after suggesting some rules could be eased from Monday.
By law the government must review the restrictions every three weeks, and Thursday marks the latest deadline. The prime minister will address the nation on Sunday to outline plans for the next stage of the lockdown.
The "stay at home" message is expected to be scrapped, with ministers keen to restart the economy.
- [Coronavirus] Care home crisis is a bitter regret, admits Johnson
Date: 07 May 2020
Boris Johnson has expressed “bitter regret” at the epidemic of infections in care homes as questions mount over whether a decision to speed hospital discharges helped to start outbreaks.
The prime minster was told to “get a grip” as he was pressed by Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, over the latest figures showing that deaths in care homes were still rising.
Mr Johnson insisted there had been a “palpable improvement” in the death rate in recent days and said that “tens of thousands of people” had been working to get more personal protective equipment into care homes.
- [Coronavirus] Bank of England scenario sees biggest annual slump in GDP since 1706
Date: 07 May 2020
The Bank released its first work on the potential impact of the lockdown measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 as its monetary policy committee left interest rates unchanged at their record low level of 0.1%.
The expectation of a 14% decline in economic growth this year would be the worst since 1706.
It said the figure was also dependent on significant support from both the Bank and government with cash currently available from a range of schemes to support businesses, employment and wages.
- Colchester becomes latest council to furlough staff
Date: 07 May 2020
Colchester Borough Council has become the latest of around 20 authorities to furlough some staff in a bid to offset the financial impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
The council expects the crisis will leave it with a £10m shortfall this year – government funding notwithstanding – and has become the latest of a swathe of authorities to turn to the job retention scheme.
Furloughed staff will continue to receive full pay, with the council topping up the 80% contributed by central government. Those employees will be asked to return to a role within the council as quickly as possible, when opportunities arise, the authority said.
- Many children with special educational needs ‘failed’ by system – report
Date: 06 May 2020
Children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send) are seeing their education, well-being and life chances “damaged” by failings in the system, MPs have warned.
A report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said education, health and care plans (EHCPs) have become a “golden ticket” that parents fight for to secure support for their children.
Children with Send who do not have a plan risk missing out on the provision they need, especially in mainstream schools that are under financial pressure, according to the findings.
- Coronavirus: Social workers brace for a surge in child protection referrals when schools re-open
Date: 06 May 2020
Social workers are bracing for a surge in referrals of vulnerable children when schools re-open again as abuse and neglect suffered by youngsters in their homes goes unnoticed during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Children’s Commissioner said resources would be needed for councils and schools to meet the needs of thousands of pupils who are facing heightened risk during the UK's lockdown, which she warned could have a long-term impact on both their mental wellbeing and education.
Local authorities warned they would struggle to cope with the expected surge in demand without additional support from central government.
- [Coronavirus] Jenrick: Councils so far receiving more Covid funding than they say they need
Date: 06 May 2020
06 MAY 2020 BY MARTIN GEORGE
Councils are currently getting more money from the government for their Covid-19 response than they say they need, the communities secretary has said.
Robert Jenrick also told Wednesday’s 10 Downing Street briefing that Whitehall would “take into consideration” extra costs faced by councils as the result of action they have been required to take by the government.
The briefing saw regional journalists press the communities secretary on the shortfalls councils are reporting between the impact of Covid-19 on their finances and the money pledged by the government.
Mr Jenrick said his message to council leaders was “we will stand behind them and ensure they have the resources that they need to carry out the absolutely critical functions that they are playing in our national response to the coronavirus”.
It comes after Mr Jenrick’s appearance at the Commons housing, communities & local government committee on Monday caused widespread concern.
- [Coronavirus] 'Abandoned' care homes warn councils of legal action
Date: 06 May 2020
Care home managers have questioned whether local authorities should face corporate manslaughter charges over their response to coronavirus.
Councils have been accused of failing to hand over extra funds from the Government, leading one manager to accuse local authorities of “sitting on your hands, watching people die”.
The Government has given councils an extra £3.2 billion to cover the costs of coronavirus and last week told them to spend up to 10 per cent more on social care.
- Business rates revaluation postponed
Date: 06 May 2020
A revaluation of business rates will no longer take place in 2021 to help reduce uncertainty for firms affected by the impacts of coronavirus.
Legislation had been introduced to bring the next revaluation forward by one year from 2022 to 2021, but following the recent economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic ministers want to ensure businesses have more certainty during this difficult time.
- Jenrick spending pledge ‘backtracking’ sparks widespread dismay
Date: 06 May 2020
Senior council leaders have reacted with shock and anger to news that central government will not commit to footing the whole bill for their Covid-19 spending.
On Monday, communities secretary Robert Jenrick said councils should not “labour under a false impression” that Covid-19-related costs over and above what government set out it expected of them will be reimbursed.
Council leaders have accused him of backtracking on previous commitments, made on March 16, to “give councils the support they need” to contribute to the national effort to tackle coronavirus.
- DfE urged to get a ‘grip’ of SEND system
Date: 06 May 2020
The Department for Education lacks “grip” of the education system for children with special educational needs and disabilities, MPs on the Commons’ public accounts committee have found.
In a report published today, the committee says the department acknowledges the current system is inadequately funded and considers the “difficult position” of many councils and schools “helps to explain” why half of local authority areas have been found not to meet expected standards.
The Department for Education lacks “grip” of the education system for children with special educational needs and disabilities, MPs on the Commons’ public accounts committee have found.
- [Opinion] Tony Travers: Councils face multitude of dilemmas as they plan for recovery
Date: 06 May 2020
The UK, in common with most countries, has been transformed by many weeks of social and economic disruption. Life as we knew it is unlikely to return to normal till the middle of 2021 at the earliest, and the economy will not fully recover till 2023 or 2024. Councils now have to turn to the step-by-step move away from lockdown, thinking through policies that allow local businesses to return, as far as possible, to a degree of normality.
Alok Sharma, the business secretary, has been working with officials and industry representatives on steps to shift from a full lockdown to a partial one with social distancing. Local authorities will need to take account of guidance issued from Whitehall but also to think through policies which are sensitive to their particular circumstances.
- Jenrick warns not all costs will be covered and brands lost income estimates ‘highly speculative’
Date: 05 May 2020
Councils should not “labour under a false impression” that Covid-19-related costs above and beyond what had been expected of them will be reimbursed, communities secretary Robert Jenrick has warned.
Giving evidence to the Commons' housing, communities and local government committee on Monday, Mr Jenrick also said the second £1.6bn of grant funding for local government as a result of the pandemic had been intended to compensate district councils for income losses as well as direct costs arising from the crisis. However, he cautioned the government would not bail out councils as a result of "unwise investments".
- Jenrick insists local government will have input into contact tracing
Date: 05 May 2020
Local government will play an “important role” in designing the contact tracing system crucial to the next phase of the response to Covid-19, communities secretary Robert Jenrick has said.
Speaking at the Commons housing, communities and local government committee on Monday, Mr Jenrick refuted the suggestion that the sector would not have an input into the scheme following reports that the bulk of the work will be contracted out nationally to at least two companies providing 15,000 call centre staff.
Mr Jenrick said bodies such as the Association of Directors of Public Health will be "important in designing the model". “Local authorities will be asked to contribute staff, some of whom have huge experience to bring to that,” he said.
- [Coronavirus] Teachers warn of early school return 'spike'
Date: 05 May 2020
Teaching unions across the UK and Ireland are warning national leaders not to reopen schools too early.
The British Irish Group of Teacher Unions has written to the education ministers of all five nations in which the million staff it represents work.
Its letter warns the ministers of the "very real risk of creating a spike in the transmission of the virus by a premature opening of schools".
- [Coronavirus] Firms need up to three weeks to exit lockdown, government warned
Date: 05 May 2020
The government is being warned that businesses will need up to three weeks to resume activity once the coronavirus lockdown is eased.
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) urged ministers to maintain financial support and deliver clear instructions in the coming days, to give firms time to prepare themselves as supply chains remain limp and staff away from the workplace.
It issued the plea as the prime minister prepares to update the nation on the state of play this weekend as the UK continues to make progress in bringing down infection and death rates from COVID-19.
- [Coronavirus] 'Segment and shield' way to lift UK lockdown now
Date: 05 May 2020
Strengthening protection for people shielding, while easing restrictions for everyone else, is the only immediate way to safely lift the UK's coronavirus lockdown, researchers say.
They say people could be sorted into three groups by risk - the most vulnerable, those caring for or living with them and everyone else.
It is not pain-free or perfect, they say, but could lift curbs for many yet still protect the NHS and save lives.
Their unpublished work uses modelling.
- [Coronavirus] Treasury rolls out small business 'bounce back' loans
Date: 04 May 2020
Businesses will be able to apply for loans of up to £50,000 from Monday in a scheme backed by the Treasury.
The new scheme, dubbed bounce back loans, will offer smaller amounts than the existing Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).
But the Treasury says they will be quicker and easier to apply for and will have a 2.5% interest rate. The form will be seven questions long and the loan is 100% guaranteed by the government.
- [Coronavirus] Antibody tests could be approved by Public Health England this week
Date: 04 May 2020
A first coronavirus antibody test could be approved by Public Health England (PHE) this week, with hundreds of thousands available each week if officials give the green light.
Government scientists are currently evaluating the accuracy of a test made by Roche, which was cleared for use by the US Food and Drug Administration on Saturday.
They are expected to report their findings by the end of the week, the Swiss manufacturer said last night.
- [Coronavirus] The eight-year-old carer looking after her mum and sisters in lockdown
Date: 04 May 2020
Large numbers of young carers are struggling to cope with looking after their loved ones by themselves during the lockdown.
Many who look after a parent or help care for a brother or sister face the risk of mental health problems because support they would normally receive has been removed due to coronavirus restrictions.
Under regulations set by the government to tackle the COVID-19 crisis, many of the obligations on local authorities to ensure those in need are cared for have been relaxed.
- [Coronavirus] Launch of PPE delivery system for care home staff hit by delays
Date: 04 May 2020
A planned Amazon-style delivery system for personal protective equipment to care workers will not be nationally available for at least another fortnight, the housing and communities secretary has told MPs, before weekly figures for deaths in care and nursing homes which are on course to rise by more than 2,000.
Robert Jenrick told the housing, communities and local government select committee on Monday that the logistics system for PPE could take three more weeks to launch.
Jenrick told the committee he wanted the Clipper system to be brought online “as quickly as we possibly can” but said it was still being piloted.
- Robert Jenrick pledges more than £76m for charities to help domestic abuse and trafficking victims in England
Date: 02 May 2020
The government has pledged more than £76m in a new funding for charities to help survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and victims of modern slavery in England.
Speaking at the government's daily coronavirus briefing at Number 10, Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick announced that the Domestic Abuse Bill going through parliament will ensure victims "get the priority need status that they need to access to local housing services much more easily".
Mr Jenrick said it will be fully-funded - ensuring that no one has to choose between staying somewhere they know is unsafe or becoming homeless.
- [Coronavirus] Council bosses 'short-changed' by government fund
Date: 01 May 2020
Leaders from the larger local authorities fear the second round of emergency funding will still fail to cover their costs during the pandemic.
Whitehall has confirmed how it will allocate the second £1.6bn package to support councils. Smaller district and borough councils will receive a greater proportion of the funding this time around.
Council bosses faced with a rising social care bill say the fund does not address their pressures. One leader in the North East told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the area had been left "short-changed" by the latest round.
- [Coronavirus] Calls for clarity as tips due to reopen
Date: 01 May 2020
Households in parts of England may be able to take their extra rubbish to their local tip this weekend but despite a government plea, some councils have said further measures are needed before refuse sites reopen.
Those authorities say they will only reopen with sufficient staffing, proper protective equipment for workers and assistance from police forces.
On Tuesday, Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick told the Commons he expected tips to reopen "within weeks". Some areas have reported a rise in fly-tipping since the coronavirus restrictions came into force.
- [Coronavirus] Care home coronavirus deaths could be four times higher than official figures suggest
Date: 01 May 2020
Care home deaths could be four times worse than official figures suggest, with new analysis showing that more than 17,000 deaths in homes across the UK are linked to coronavirus.
At Wednesday's Downing Street briefing, the Government unveiled its improved daily reporting system, which includes clinically confirmed virus deaths in care homes and the community as well as hospitals, for the first time.
The additional 3,811 deaths confirmed between March 2 and April 28 meant the total UK coronavirus death toll stood at 26,711 on Thursday.
- Pothole-related breakdowns up 64% in first three months of 2020, figures suggest
Date: 01 May 2020
Vehicle breakdowns caused by potholes increased by nearly two-thirds during the first three months of 2020, new figures suggest.
The RAC received 3,426 call-outs for problems such as distorted wheels, broken suspension springs and damaged shock absorbers between January and March. This was up 64% on the previous three months and 5% on the same period in 2019.
“In his Budget in March, the Chancellor committed to funding our local roads and it is clear that the economic recovery as the UK emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic will need to be built on solid infrastructure – which of course needs to include good quality roads.
- [Coronavirus] Boris Johnson says UK is past the peak of outbreak
Date: 30 Apr 2020
PM Boris Johnson said he will set out a "comprehensive plan" next week on how to restart the economy, reopen schools and help people travel to work following the coronavirus lockdown.
He said the UK was "past the peak" of the virus outbreak, but stressed the country must not "risk a second spike". Mr Johnson said face masks will be "useful" as part of the strategy for coming out of lockdown.
More than 81,000 coronavirus tests were carried out on Wednesday, still short of the Downing Street's target of 100,000 by the end of April. Mr Johnson insisted: "We're massively ramping up testing."
- Fair Funding Review delayed further
Date: 30 Apr 2020
The delay to the review was confirmed by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as it announced the allocation for the latest round of coronavirus funding.
The review will set a new baseline funding allocation for local authorities based on up-to-date needs and resources – but was initially delayed in September 2019 with a consultation then set to take place this summer.
The department said the delay would “allow councils to focus on meeting the immediate public health challenge posed by the pandemic”.
- Coronavirus: County councils say non-essential spending at risk
Date: 29 Apr 2020
County councils in England have warned they may have to suspend non-essential spending because of what they say is a £600m shortfall in their budgets.
They said they faced tough choices after getting less than expected in an emergency government coronavirus fund.
They suggested ministers had favoured smaller district councils despite the fact they and unitary authorities were responsible for social care provision.
- Coronavirus: County councils say non-essential spending at risk
Date: 29 Apr 2020
County councils in England have warned they may have to suspend non-essential spending because of what they say is a £600m shortfall in their budgets.
They said they faced tough choices after getting less than expected in an emergency government coronavirus fund.
They suggested ministers had favoured smaller district councils despite the fact they and unitary authorities were responsible for social care provision.
- [Coronavirus] Councils vying for emergency virus cash
Date: 28 Apr 2020
Ministers are facing competing demands from councils across England for a £1.6bn emergency coronavirus fund.
County councils and unitary authorities, which are legally responsible for providing care for the elderly in their areas, say they ought to be prioritised as they are facing an added £1.3bn financial burden,
The County Councils Network, which represents 36 county councils and unitary authorities, has warned already stretched social care budgets could come under further strain if funding mechanisms are "dramatically altered".
- [Coronavirus] UK failed to stockpile crucial PPE
Date: 28 Apr 2020
The government failed to buy crucial protective equipment to cope with a pandemic, a BBC investigation has found. There were no gowns, visors, swabs or body bags in the government's pandemic stockpile when Covid-19 reached the UK.
NHS staff say they are being put at risk because of the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). The government said it has taken the right steps and is doing everything it can to increase stocks.
The investigation by BBC Panorama found that vital items were left out of the stockpile when it was set up in 2009 and that the government subsequently ignored a warning from its own advisers to buy missing equipment.
- [Coronavirus: Lockdown] exit must take domestic abuse rise into account - May
Date: 28 Apr 2020
The government must consider the impact of the lockdown on domestic abuse and mental health as it plans its exit strategy, Theresa May has said.
The former prime minister said measures to tackle coronavirus must not do "more damage than the disease itself".
She spoke as MPs debated the Domestic Abuse Bill, amid evidence of rising violence during the lockdown.
- [Coronavirus] Contact tracing can’t be run by Westminster, experts warn
Date: 28 Apr 2020
Ministers must relinquish their top-down control of the coronavirus epidemic after the lockdown to allow millions of people potentially infected with Covid-19 to be traced and supported by local teams in their own communities, say experts.
Urgent discussions have begun between central government, local authorities and public health officials about the 18,000-strong army promised on Friday by the health secretary, Matt Hancock, to help trace the contacts of people who test positive or have symptoms of the coronavirus.
- Local dumps to reopen for your rubbish - but only if you book an appointment and bring ID
Date: 28 Apr 2020
Council-run tips might reopen as early next week but householders could be asked to book appointments and produce proof of identification before throwing away their rubbish.
In one of the first indications that the coronavirus lockdown is starting to be relaxed, Robert Jenrick, the Local Government secretary, said he wanted town halls to draw up plans to reopen local tips.
However the experience of visiting the tip for many is likely to be different from normal with householders being asked to book time slots online and produce a bank statement to show where they live to gain access.
- Government confirms allocations of £1.6 billion funding boost for councils
Date: 28 Apr 2020
Individual councils in England have had their funding allocations confirmed following Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick’s announcement of £1.6 billion in additional funding.
The £1.6 billion funding, recently announced, means councils in England will be provided with over £3.2 billion to deal with the immediate impacts of coronavirus.
During the pandemic, councils are playing a crucial role and this extra funding will help them to continue to deliver frontline services and support to those who need it most, as well as meeting new pressures.
- [Coronavirus] Boris Johnson back at Downing Street to lead response
Date: 27 Apr 2020
Boris Johnson has returned to Downing Street to take charge of the UK's response to the coronavirus outbreak.
The prime minister will chair the regular morning cabinet meeting on Covid-19 before holding talks with senior ministers and officials.
He arrived back at No 10 on Sunday evening amid mounting pressure from Tory MPs to begin lifting the lockdown but Health Minister Edward Argar said "now is not the time to ease up" even if people were feeling frustrated.
The latest official figures bring the total number of deaths in UK hospitals to 20,732, after a further 413 were announced on Sunday.
- [Coronavirus] Bosses appeal to the government for a lockdown exit plan
Date: 27 Apr 2020
The government must set out its lockdown exit plans to restore confidence among British businesses that have become increasingly bleak about the economy’s future, a leading employers’ group has warned.
The Institute of Directors said its 28,000 members were “clamouring” for information so they could start drawing up return-to-work plans. Jon Geldart, its director general, said it was in everyone’s interests to kickstart the economy again once it is safe to do so.
“Directors from all parts of the UK need to make plans for riding out this tempest, but they can’t get very far if they have no idea what will be happening in a few weeks’ time,” Geldart said.
- [Coronavirus] Councils need 'rock solid' financial support as homelessness rises during outbreak
Date: 26 Apr 2020
Council leaders have told Sky News they will need "rock solid" financial support from the government if they're to deal with the social challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Charities have said they are already starting to see a rise in homelessness among some of the most vulnerable in society.
- [Coronavirus] £3.2bn cash for councils may not stop 'uncontrollable' second wave
Date: 25 Apr 2020
Britain's public health sector has told the Government that the emergency £3.2 billion support package for local authorities may not be enough to avoid an "uncontrollable" second wave of coronavirus.
A letter sent to Professor Chris Whitty, England's chief medical officer, and Professor John Newton, the official in charge of testing, also suggests a national "one-size-fits-all" strategy cannot beat lockdown.
- [Coronavirus] Care homes face weeks of delay for vital protective kit
Date: 24 Apr 2020
Staff at care homes, GP surgeries and hospices will have to wait at least a month for government-supplied personal protective equipment, prompting criticism that they are being treated as second-class citizens.
An online portal allowing primary and social care providers to order PPE, which had been due to start operating early this month, is now not expected to be in full operation for another five weeks, The Times can reveal.
Police forces have also been told to expect no deliveries of PPE for community use to local “resilience forums” — an alliance of blue light services, NHS and local authorities that respond to emergencies — until the end of May.
- Contact tracing costs could ‘place more pressure’ on council budgets
Date: 24 Apr 2020
Concern is emerging that ministers expect thousands of council staff to be redeployed to trace the contacts of those who could have Covid-19, without extra funding being provided to undertake the mammoth task.
The government is now recruiting 18,000 people, including council workers, to undertake the task, as well as developing a smartphone app to identify people who are newly infected and rapidly warn those they have come into contact with that they could be at risk.
But no extra funding for the new burden has been announced and it has been implied that councils will be expected to use the additional £1.6bn they were promised last Saturday to carry out the new duty.
- [Coronvirus] Covid-19 should be game changing for social care [Opinion]
Date: 24 Apr 2020
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting every aspect of life, across all sections of society. But it’s also clear that the burden is falling more heavily on some groups than others. Four groups seem at particular risk: the elderly, BAME communities, those with pre-existing health conditions, and the people on the frontline caring for them.
The adult social care system, with its central role in caring for the elderly and vulnerable, is critical in the fight against Covid-19. Managing this outbreak raises some huge challenges for social care: how to keep staff and service users safe, how to ensure that there are enough staff to care, and how to work effectively across NHS and care providers so that patients who have been in hospital can be discharged quickly.
- Five councils start bypassing Care Act duties amid Covid pressures
Date: 24 Apr 2020
A number of councils have taken advantage of new legal provisions which allow them to suspend their duties to provide elements of adult social care in order to redirect resources towards coronavirus support, LGC has learnt.
The 'easements' to the Care Act 2014 remove the legal duty to meet certain care needs unless it would breach human rights to do so - however, concern has already been expressed about lack of transparency in some cases, and about the impact on potentially vulnerable service users.
Adult social care directors at Birmingham and Sunderland city councils, Warwickshire CC, Solihull MBC and Middlesbrough Council have implemented the ‘easements’ to the Care Act 2014 which were created under the Coronavirus Act 2020 to help the care system manage rapidly growing pressures.
- Government confirms extension to accounts deadline
Date: 24 Apr 2020
The publication date for final audited accounts will move from 31 July for category one authorities and 30 September for category two authorities – to 30 November 2020 for all local authority bodies.
The letter stated: “Draft accounts must be approved by 31 August 2020 at the latest. However, they may be approved earlier, and we would encourage councils to do so wherever possible, to help manage overall pressure on audit firms towards the end of the year.”
- Hackney funding gap ‘could hit services’
Date: 24 Apr 2020
Hackney mayor Philip Glanville has called for further government support after forecasts suggested existing funding would cover less than half of frontline services.
The borough is expected to receive £17m from the government’s emergency support fund, but emergency measures in areas including adult social care and education, and the maintenance of measures including refuse disposal, could reach £36m over the next three months alone.
- [Coronavirus] Coastal and ex-industrial towns 'most economically at risk'
Date: 23 Apr 2020
Coastal and ex-industrial towns are most economically at risk from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research.
Sky News analysis of the data for England and Wales shows that although some high-risk towns also suffer already high levels of social and economic deprivation, there is no clear correlation between deprived towns and towns hard hit by lockdown.
The research conducted by the Centre For Towns and the University of Southampton, and seen exclusively by Sky News, also indicates that Wales is worst affected, while the South East is faring best.
- [Coronavirus] Heads say 1 June earliest realistic school opening
Date: 23 Apr 2020
The earliest "realistic" point at which schools in England could start re-opening would be 1 June, head teachers' leader Geoff Barton has said.
"We cannot see any realistic way that schools could be re-opened to more pupils before the second half of the summer term," he said and "planning would need to begin very soon" in order to meet a 1 June target.
Schools closed their doors to all except vulnerable children and those of key workers over a month ago.
If schools are to maintain social distancing, they could not run at full capacity, meaning a phased return, such as starting with a few year groups or pupils rotating between studying at home and school.
- [Coronavirus] Government confirms extension to council accounts deadline
Date: 23 Apr 2020
Councils will be given more time to publish their audited accounts due to the increasing demands of dealing with Covid-19.
The Government has written to all council chief executives, outlining plans to move the deadline for publishing final, audited accounts to 30 November 2020. This is an extension from 31 July for Category 1 authorities and 1 September for Category 2 authorities.
The requirement for the public inspection period to include the first 10 working days of June or July has also been removed.