Local authority round-up 24 April 2026
24th 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
Government scraps high-sugar food from school menus
Millions of children will benefit from healthier, more nutritious meals at school as the government sets out its plans to overhaul the school food standards for the first time in over a decade.
One in three children are leaving primary school overweight or obese, while tooth decay from diets high in sugar is the leading cause of hospital admissions for children aged 5 to 9. The move to cut sugar out of school menus comes after a parent poll revealed three quarters were concerned about the food their children were consuming.
In order to tackle this, the government will limit food and drink high in fat, salt and sugar as well as ensure access to more fruit, vegetables and wholegrains in children’s school meals.
The schools food standards consultation has launched over 500 new free breakfast clubs to begin this month, offering places to up to 142,000 children. This is in addition to the currently active breakfast clubs in schools, helping parents save up to £450 a year and gaining up to 95 hours back a year.
These new food standards have been developed alongside nutritionists and public health experts and will apply to all breakfasts and lunches served by schools. Under these new plans, schools will no longer be able to offer unhealthy ‘grab and go’ options, while deep fried food will be banned completely.
For more information, please click here.
Health and Social Care
Women’s voices to be at the heart of renewed health strategy
Women across the country will be better heard and served under new plans set out in the renewed Women’s Health Strategy. Women’s experience will be put at the centre of care across the healthcare system, ensuring patients’ voices are listened to and acted upon. The move aims to ensure services are held accountable for listening to women, in a bid to stamp out long-standing issues with women being ignored.
Women will be directed to the right professional first time through a single referral point, along with marrying local services with online support to drastically cut waiting lists and ensure women no longer face years-long waits for diagnosis and treatment conditions like endometriosis, which can take nearly a decade to diagnosis.
A new standard of care will also be produced to ensure women are offered appropriate and effective pain relief for invasive gynaecological procedures, from contraceptive fitting through to hysteroscopies, addressing long-standing concerns around inadequate pain management.
For more information, please click here.
NHS patients to get quicker tests and scans closer to home
Patients across England will benefit from faster and more convenient tests, checks and scans after the government announcement of 36 new and expanded Community Diagnostic Centres backed by £237 million government investment. This investment will significantly boost NHS diagnostic capacity and deliver more care in local communities.
The funding is part of an extra £26 billion a year this government is investing into the NHS, which has so far helped NHS England carry out a record 29 million tests and scan this year.
Community Diagnostic Centres are located in convenient community settings, from high streets and shopping centres to retail and leisure centres. Many of these CDCs are open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week so patients can access tests closer to where they live, without needing to travel to hospital.
For more information, please click here.
Upcoming events
Procurement and Public Law Update
Join us for our next in-person Procurement and Public Law Update, taking place on Thursday 14 May between 9am – 11.30am at our Manchester office.
A significant challenge everyone in the public sector is facing is implementing the new procurement rules with their increased transparency requirements.
Tim Care and Matthew Brady will look at what those changes have meant in practice since the introduction of the new Act and the new NHS regime, while Sam Burgess will provide an overview of what Judicial Review is and what organisations need to be mindful of. We will also give practical tips on how to manage procurements now and how to deal with the risks of challenge when the timescales are so tight.
You can register for the event here.
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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