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“Councils want every child to have the best start in life, but national prioritisation and investment in early years public health and the health visiting workforce have not kept pace with need."

"It’s never too late to catch up on vaccines. Councils will continue to play a central role in providing trusted information to families and helping tackle misinformation so that more children are protected from preventable illness."

New research has found that integrated services are key to meeting the national target of achieving 75 per cent of five-year-olds with a good level of development (GLD) by 2028, but that workforce shortages and limited access to high-quality early years education are restricting progress.

"Councils are ready to support the ambitions of the plan by helping to ensure that new approaches – innovation, technology, and digital tools – reach every community, particularly those with the poorest outcomes."

We are launching a conversation and engagement series with councils, sector stakeholders and people with lived experience on the role of local government in a future reformed system of adult social care. 

We are pleased to see a real terms increase in the grant, alongside alignment with the Local Government Finance Settlement, the bringing together of key funding streams for services and continued investment in the Swap to Stop scheme.

"Creating a smokefree generation will only be achieved through sustained prevention, legislation and a shared commitment across government, local government, health services, and communities."

Baroness Casey is right to recognise the need to elevate the true value and purpose of care and support nationally. It is encouraging that she has strongly signalled for this to be a core foundation behind her proposals for the sector’s future.

A major new local authority public health improvement and support offer is to be led by the Local Government Association (LGA) over the next three years.

Responding to the Government's latest Women's Healthcare strategy, Cllr Louise Gittins, Chair of the LGA, said: “We support the ambition to put women’s voices and lived experience at the heart of healthcare.