Rough road ahead…
The Government spent 31 times more per mile maintaining motorways and A roads last year than it did on funding councils to repair crumbling local roads, according to LGA analysis.
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215,000 children missing out on free school meals
Nearly a quarter of a million children are missing out on free school meals worth nearly £500 per child because of the lack of an automated sign-up system, according to the LGA.
Tougher rules needed to tackle underage vape sales
The LGA has called for strict new measures to regulate the display and marketing of vaping products in the same way as tobacco, to crack down on a rise in stores selling to children.
Rising number of Ukrainians homeless
Councils have helped more than 160,000 Ukrainian nationals to settle in the UK since Russia invaded just over a year ago.
Bus funding extended after council warnings
The Government has temporarily extended funding support for bus services after the LGA warned that thousands of local routes could be lost without it.
‘Urgent support’ needed for sport and leisure
A coalition of more than 200 bodies and individuals from the worlds of health, sport, recreation, and leisure – including the LGA – has written to the Prime Minister calling for urgent intervention and greater support for grassroots facilities and clubs, amid the ongoing energy crisis.
More funding for vulnerable households
Nearly £850 million is to be given to councils to support vulnerable households with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
£421m for drug and alcohol treatment services
The Government has announced £421 million of funding to support council-commissioned drug and alcohol treatment services for the next two years.
‘More’ damp and mould in private housing
More than half of private renters – including 1.6 million children – are living in excessively cold, damp or mouldy homes, according to Citizens Advice.
‘Crisis’ in preventative care for older people
The crisis in the NHS is “largely a crisis in older people’s preventative care”, according to a report from the charity Age UK.