Local Authority round-up 25 September 2026
25th September, 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
More enriching activities for hundreds of thousands of children
Hundreds of thousands of young people in disadvantaged communities will get the opportunity to join sports teams, learn an instrument or take part in debating and outdoor activities, helping them develop new skills and stay engaged in and outside of education.
More than 400 secondary schools will benefit from support backed by £22.5 million through the government’s Enrichment Expansion programme.
This investment will help schools widen opportunities for pupils by putting on more activities during the school day or after school. These activities range from music groups, engineering clubs, debating societies to football teams, volunteering projects and outdoor learning programmes.
The incentive behind this investment is without such enrichment and opportunities, many young people ,miss out on the confidence, skills and sense of belonging that helps one succeed. Those least likely to participate are also more likely to become not in education, employment or training (NEET).
For more information, please click here.
New Vocational GCSEs unveiled in major shake-up to hands-on learning for teens
Every young person will be able to pursue the new Vocational GCSEs and access work experience in a major shake-up of the education system in order to prepare them for the working world.
These new Vocational GCSEs are for students studying vocational courses at school, with nationally-set content, grading and assessment, alongside a strong academic core of English, maths and science. The shake-up reforms build on the new V Levels, Occupational and Foundational Certificates and expended T Levels.
It is a call to arms to employers to provide an additional 200,000 work experience placements to ensure all young people have vital exposure to the workplace between 14 and 16, with Mayors and local authorities helping to make links between schools and employers. This could include spending time in key sectors including accountancy firms, digital media companies and construction companies.
For more information, please click here.
Planning & Housing
£21.8m funding boost to help councils build more affordable homes
A £28.2 million funding boost has been issued to the Council Housebuilding Support Fund (CHSF) enabling more councils to bring forward affordable housing plans.
Available until March 2029, the revenue funding will help local authorities build the skills, capacity and partnerships needed to develop strong bids for the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP).
Councils can apply for funding to support:
- Knowledge and skills development.
- Housing pipeline development.
- Pre-development and enabling activities.
- Partnership working.
- Additional staffing capacity.
For further information, please click 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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