Local Authority round-up – 30 May 2025
30th May, 2025
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
The Government expands the Flexible Working Ambassadors Programme
The Government’s Flexible Working Ambassadors Programme has been extended for a further year to enable more teachers to plan lessons from home, job-share or work flexible hours, seeking to improve teachers’ workload and wellbeing. It is hoped that this will improve teacher retention and deliver high standards for pupils.
To supplement this, the Government has sought to offer tax free financial incentives and professional development to attract and retain teachers.
The Government has also accepted the school teachers’ pay body recommendation which will give teachers a pay boost of 4% from this September.
For more information please click here.
Mental health support set to reach 900,000 more students
The Government has pledged that all pupils will have access to mental health support in school by 2029/30.
The Government has invested in specialist support teams who aim to identify and tackle issues early on, seeking to improve the crisis of poor mental health among young people, but also drive up school attendance. These support teams work directly with school employees alongside NHS services to provide professional advice, easing the pressure on the school.
The recent investment into these support teams means six in ten pupils will have access to a mental health support team by March 2026, with the rollout prioritised based on NHS identification of local need and reaching the most vulnerable children first.
More widely, the Government is aiming to recruit an additional 8,500 mental health workers across children and adult mental health services to reduce delays and provide faster treatment.
For more information please click here.
Regulatory
Government supports prison system reform
The Government confirmed a £4.7 billion investment into prison building, aiming to open 14,000 more prison places by 2031.
To support this investment, the Government has accepted in principle most of the reforms outlined by former Justice Secretary David Gauke following his review of the system.
These reforms include the following:
- A prisoner’s release date will now be more dependent on their behaviour. All offenders on standard determinate sentences will spend at least one-third of their sentence in prison and could face longer for bad behaviour; and
- A presumption against custodial sentences of less than a year in favour of more severe community sentences.
Furthermore, the Government has also supported the expansion of the surveillance of offenders through increased use of tagging, backed by around 45% increase in probation funding of up to £700 million.
For more information please click here.
Upcoming Events
The Exchange. Where HR leaders share, inspire and grow.
We are pleased to invite you to the launch event of our new seminar series The Exchange, in collaboration with NRG.
The event series, specifically designed for HR Directors, Chief People Officers, Heads of HR and People Services, and Senior People and Talent Leaders, will bring together peer-level discussion, underpinned by the combined expertise of our legal advisory services and the HR recruitment and consultancy of NRG.
Roisin Currie, CEO of Greggs, will be also joining us for our launch event to share insights on her leadership journey.
The event will take place on the 3rd June 2025, 9:00am to 12:00pm, at Sandgate House, 102 Quayside, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3DX.
To register your place, 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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