Local authority round-up 27 February 2026
27th February, 2026
Our Local Authority round up provides brief summaries of topical information on a weekly basis, to keep you aware of the changes and updates relevant to you.
Education
Specialist SEND support in every school and community
Following the government’s unveiling of the schools white paper, every child with additional needs is set to benefit from better, more tailored support. This comes from the government’s £4 billion investment into schools to transform outcomes for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The investment includes a Mainstream Fund of £1.6 billion over 3 years, provided directly to early years, schools and colleges to ensure children get support where and when they need it. In addition, for children who need a little extra help, the government will fund a new ‘Experts at Hand’ service, investing £1.8 billion over 3 years to create a bank of specialists like SEND teachers and speech and language therapists in every local area which schools can draw down from on demand, regardless of whether children have an educational, health and care plan (EHCP) – meaning every child will be able to access these resources If they need them.
In addition to these funds, the white paper set out the government will:
- Invest over £200 million so every community’s Best Start Family Hub provides a dedicated SEND outreach and support offer.
- Invest £200 million to ensure all local authorities can transform how they can operate in line with reforms while maintaining current SEND services.
- Train every teacher of children with SEND.
- Create 60,000 new places for children with SEND, including 10,000 places already delivered, backed by an investment of over £3.7 billion.
For more information, please click here.
Health & Social Care
More children set to be protected from deadly viruses
New changes to GP contract will help protect thousands more children across the country from deadly and highly infectious diseases.
The updated contract for 2026/27 includes additional help for GPs to save young lives and shield families from preventable illnesses by strengthening vaccination delivery where it is needed the most. This move should help reduce outbreaks, such as the current one in Enfield, where dozens of unvaccinated children have contracted measles and in the worst cases find themselves in hospital fighting a serious but preventable disease.
Currently, childhood vaccination rates are well below the 95% World Health Organisation (WHO) uptake target needed to prevent a measles outbreak, and these rates are falling.
This next GP contract will help to change this by providing improvement incentives that recognise those practices making progress. These additional resources can then be used to reinvest in outreach and to follow-up with families and unvaccinated children.
For more information, please click here.
Better access to GPs with same-day appointments for urgent care
Patients to benefit from improved access to GP appointments under new contract backed by a £485 million uplift in government investment.
This investment brings the total increase in spending on primary care under this government to £1.6 billion across a period of two years. Separately, nearly £300 million of existing funding will be ringfenced and diverted into GP practices as part of plans to recruit additional GPs, or increase sessions undertaken by GP’s already hired at the practice, as government continues to tackle GP unemployment and underemployment.
The new GP contract requires all patients with urgent needs to have access to same-day GP appointments, so that everyone can get the urgent care they need when they need it. The funding for the new GP contract of 2026/27 is set to come into force from 1 April 2026. Additional key measures of the contract include:
- GPs will help identify thousands of patients for referral through better data sharing with Lung Cancer Screening Programme.
- Patients with severe obesity and comorbidities will be supported by their GP to access weight loss support programmes and jabs.
- In addition to telephone and walk-in access, online consultation systems will be required to continue staying open throughout core hours (from 8am-6:30pm, Monday to Friday) so patients can contact their GP digitally during working hours.
For more information, please click here.
Upcoming events
HR Conversations
The Employment Rights Act represents the biggest shift in employment law in decades. In this session, we will outline the key changes and provide practical guidance to help you prepare for what’s ahead. Following popular demand, we will also use the session to explore the challenges of managing toxic employees in the workplace.
Come join a relaxed, invite-only event where HR professionals can openly talk about the real challenges they’re facing at work. It’s a safe, judgment-free space to share experiences, ask for advice, and swap ideas with people who truly get what it’s like to be in HR.
Whether it’s plans to enhance workplace culture, tricky team dynamics, tough conversations, or navigating change, this is your chance to connect with others who understand – and maybe walk away with some fresh perspectives, too.
You can register for this event here.
International Women’s Day
You and your colleagues are invited to join us for our 9th International Women’s Day celebration (formally an Endeavour Partnership event), exploring this year’s theme of Give to Gain.
Our approach to the theme focuses on the importance of investment by organisations and individuals, and the lasting impact it can have. Through our sub-theme, Empowering Women, Strengthening Business, we will look at how access to education, development and alternative routes into careers enables women to build confidence, capability and opportunity at every stage.
The event will centre around a panel discussion, bringing together senior leaders and industry experts to share practical insight and lived experience. Together we will explore what meaningful investment looks like in practice, from professional development and skills-building to inclusive leadership, non-traditional career pathways and personal growth.
The afternoon will begin with arrival drinks and informal networking. Guests will then enjoy Wynyard Hall’s afternoon tea before the panel discussion, which will be followed by an interactive Q&A session, offering the opportunity to engage directly with our speakers and continue the conversation.
You can secure your tickets here.
Procurement and public law update
Our in-person Procurement and Public Law Update covers the new procurement rules and their increased transparency requirements.
This seminar will look at what those changes have meant in practice since both the new Act and the new NHS regime came into force. We will give practical tips on how to manage procurements now and how to deal with the risks of challenge when the timescales are so tight.
Register here to join this free session with procurement law experts Tim Care and Matthew Brady.
Please note that this briefing is designed to be informative, not advisory and represents our understanding of English law and practice as at the date indicated. We would always recommend that you should seek specific guidance on any particular legal issue.
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