Local authority round-up 2 April 2026
2nd April, 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
Councils value Ombudsman recommendations on SEND provision but often lack resources to improve, study finds
A study analysing the impact of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) on English local authorities that deliver SEND services has found that although councils value the Ombudsman’s recommendations, they often lack the resources to improve.
The LGSCO investigates complaints of maladministration or service failure in England by local authorities, adult social care providers, and some other public authorities.
According to the study, which is led by the University of Manchester, SEND complaints make up 27% of the complaints received by the Ombudsman and 48% of the cases that it upholds. Common issues include delays in carrying out Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessments, and failures to deliver the support which children are legally entitled to.
The report also warned of a significant gap in LGSCO’s jurisdiction owing to its “outdated” statutory framework. Currently, the Ombudsman can only investigate complaints against councils, not schools, despite schools being responsible for delivering SEND provisions.
The report recommends that the LGSCO’s remit is extended, enabling it to investigate complaints against the schools in order to strengthen accountability, provide families with a clearer route to redress, and help ensure that statutory responsibilities are met consistently across the system.
For more information, please click here.
Health and Social Care
Men to get better health support through innovative partnership
Men will be given greater support to live longer, healthier lives through new multi-million pound partnership with Movember and People’s Health Trust.
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) will join forces with the charities to support community-led men’s health projects and to tackle health inequalities. The Men’s Health Community Fund is backed by £3 million from DHSC with Movember and People’s Health Trust more than doubling the government’s initial funding to give an overall investment of £6.3 million.
The Grant will back community projects that reach undeserved men and boys aged 16 and over, particularly in areas experiencing the greatest disadvantage and key life moments, such as:
- Community projects for new fathers.
- Activities supporting men experiencing loneliness and social isolation.
- Young men’s social connections and engagement with the health system.
- Services that help men in work, out of work and moving to retirement.
For more information, please click here.
£1 billion invested in health protection as new Pandemic Strategy published.
The UK’s readiness for future pandemics is being overhauled through the publication of a new Pandemic Preparedness Strategy, backed by around £1 billion of investment in health protection measures including enhancing our access to essential vaccines and therapeutics.
Published by the Department for Health and Social Care, the strategy outlines action already taken across government to embed lessons from Covid-19:
- PPE stockpiles will continue to be replenished with a variety of products and sizes.
- Departmental pandemic response plans will be reviewed to ensure government services and critical national infrastructure can be maintained effectively in a pandemic.
- An ‘All Pandemic Hazards Bill’ will be drafted to ensure the government has legislative options ready to review and introduce as necessary in response to a range of pathogens. This will sit alongside a suite of prepared options for community protection measures to support swift decision making and prioritisation to keep people safe.
- UKHSA will build a new set of services to manage large scale testing contract tracing and other scaled public health response measures.
- Chemicals and equipment stockpiles needed for testing will be built up further to protect against supply risks that could develop in the early stages of pandemic.
- Data requirements to support decision-making will be reviewed to ensure information needed in a pandemic response is available, transparent, and can be shared quickly between organisations and with the public.
The new strategy replaces a previous strategy for Pandemic Influenza published in 2011 and builds on wider reforms taking place through the 10 Year Health Plan.
For more information, please click here.
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