News

We’re delighted to announce that the LGA is part of a new Department for Education (DfE) project to design a Centre for Excellence in digital and data for children’s services. Working as part of a ‘D2I consortium’, the LGA will be leading on the research and contributing experience from our existing sector support programmes. The Centre of Excellence will be a major investment by DfE in the capability of local authorities to use data and digital in children’s services, and the D2I consortium will work together to design it with the sector. The D2I consortium members are:  Data to Insight Coram LGA S

“Councils, who know their communities and areas best, already play an essential role in bringing together a sometimes-fragmented skills offer for residents and employers. "

“It is disappointing the Schools White Paper has been delayed.

New figures show the number of investigations carried out by councils where a child is thought to be at risk of harm is on average over 600 every day, underlining the need for councils to be adequately funded in next month’s Autumn Budget.

At the 10-year milestone of children’s public health responsibilities moving to local authorities, the Local Government Association (LGA) is urging the Government to commit to public health in the Autumn Budget to meet the ambition of raising the ‘healthiest generation of children’, with strong leadership and sustained investment.

“We are pleased the review has acknowledged the curriculum needs to benefit all pupils, including those with SEND. Improving mainstream inclusion is vital in reforming the SEND system.

“Rising high needs deficits are pushing councils to the brink, and these findings reinforce the urgent need for reform of the SEND system, which is failing too many children and families.

Latest figures released today show there are 81,770 children in the care of councils.

An independent report on rising needs in children under five commissioned by the Local Government Association has found councils and early years providers are consistently seeing an increase in volume and complexity of need.

“While it is positive government has committed to absorbing the costs of SEND spending from 2028/29 – and we look forward to clarity on how this will be funded – this does not address existing deficits, which are pushing many councils to the financial brink."