Local Authority round-up 7 August 2026
7th 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.
Education
Government invests in young people with more opportunities close to home
Through new financial support, more college places and greater access to apprenticeships, the package will help more young people develop the skills local employers need, connect to technical pathways being created in their area, and access the opportunities needed to build successful careers.
The package builds on today’s wider reforms giving 14-year-olds greater access to technical learning and meaningful work experience, helping more young people aged 16 to 19 continue to develop practical skills and real-work experience as they move into the next stage of their education.
A new bursary, worth up to £4,500 per year per household, will remove a barrier that can otherwise discourage young people from taking up an apprenticeship, helping to build skills and independence that lead to long-term, well-paid work.
For more information, please click here.
Families bring claims against academy trust and council for use of isolation rooms for children and young people with SEND
A group of families are bringing civil legal action against a learning trust and the London Borough of Waltham Forest over the use of “locked and padded” isolation rooms for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
The claim includes allegations of breach of duty of care, false imprisonment and breaches of human rights arising from the use of rooms between 2014-2017.
Earlier this month, a Local Child Safeguarding Practice was published by Waltham Forest Safeguarding Partners about the use of restrictive practices at a specialist school for pupils with SEND at the time of the events.
The review examined the seclusion of children and young people in locked and padded isolation rooms, and found that children’s dignity, safety and wellbeing were compromised and that the use of seclusion was “not therapeutic, but punitive”.
For more information, please click here.
Health and Social Care
NHS and industry join forces on next generation of hospitals
Eleven significant long-term partnerships have been signed to deliver new hospitals across England from Manchester to Cornwall and the east of England.
This agreement brings together NHS trusts and leading construction organisations to deliver 11 hospital schemes through a new approach that is designed to build modern hospitals more efficiently, while ensuring every scheme continues to meet the needs of its local patients, staff and communities.
The partnerships will support the delivery of Hospital 2.0 – the New Hospital Programme’s modern, standardised approach to designing, building and operating hospitals.
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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