Local Authority round-up 28 August 2026
28th August, 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.
Planning and Housing
Homes England and government confirm strategic partners set to deliver once-in-a-generation increase in social and affordable homes across England
33 partners will receive grant funding and help to deliver government’s new £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme which is the biggest investment into social and affordable housing in a generation has been confirmed.
The partners will receive the grant funding and partner with the government’s housing and regeneration agency to deliver social and affordable homes across England, outside of London.
The new partners will join the other partner organisations supporting delivery through the 10-year programme’s other funding route (Continuous Market Engagement) to create thousands of new homes. This partnership reflects the governments priority to secure delivery and value from public investment.
For more information, please click here.
Mayors in England to be handed ‘call in’ powers over key planning decisions in their areas
Mayors in England are due to be given ‘call in’ powers over key planning decisions which affect local government. These powers will provide mayors in England with the ability to direct councils to take planning decisions forward or refuse them.
Details of these proposals are to be published later this month but for now, The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) have said the national thresholds will be outside of London for the first time. The scope of their powers will be for schemes with more than 150 homes, more than 15,000 square metres of commercial space, or any building over 30 metres or taller and roughly 10 storeys.
Mayors will be able to grant up front permissions for development, so the building can begin without a developer having to apply. These powers will bring mayors in England in line with powers the Mayor of London already has.
For more information, please click here.
Health & Social Care
Increased risk of wear and corrosion identified with certain cobalt chrome modular neck hip replacements
A review by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has identified increased risk of wear and corrosion linked to certain cobalt-chrome modular neck hip replacements.
As a result of this, NHS trust and hospitals are being advised to identify patients with these devices and invite them for a clinical review to inform them of the potential risks and discuss options of ongoing monitoring if required based on their symptoms and clinical findings.
The affected devices were available between 2007 and 2019 and data suggests around 750 patients currently have these particular hip replacement implanted. These devices are no longer available in the UK.
For more 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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