Caitlin Webb

England

Chief Reporter at Local Government Chronicle

Chief Reporter for @lgcplus Trustee for @2ndChanceMedway Views are my own - especially the good ones.

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Articles

Adass president: Making social care harder to ignore

5 days ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

Association of Directors of Adult Social Care (Adass) president Jess McGregor talks to LGC about her masterplan to ensure the government's latest social care reform pledge gets 'over the line' Jess McGregor’s ambition as Adass president is to make it “a bit harder” for the government to kick social care policy reform “down the road”. Her tactic is to share stories of “hope and optimism” to "connect with people and help build the awareness and consensus" that social care "really matters".
Rallying call to write off Send deficits

6 days ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

Sector leaders are calling for special educational needs deficits to be written off in light of the government extending the accountancy loophole that keeps them off the books for another two years. The government has confirmed an extension of the dedicated schools grant statutory override, which was due to end next year, to the end of 2027-28 as ministers launched a consultation on reforms to the funding formulas which determine councils' government funding.
Minister 'minded to' extend Thurrock intervention

1 week ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

Local government minister Jim McMahon is "minded to" extend the intervention at Thurrock Council for another three years as its financial recovery "remains fragile". This move comes in response to the latest report from the government-appointed commissioners, which Mr McMahon said "makes clear that the recovery remains fragile as the improvements still need to be embedded across the organisation".
Met 'apparently accepted inadequate children's service'

1 week ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

Tameside MBC has made little progress on improving its children's services, government-appointed commissioner Andy Couldrick said in his first report for the government. Mr Couldrick, who was appointed in March 2024, claims a year where the council could have made "significant improvements" has been "lost".
Cross-border LGR option for Surrey rejected

1 week ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

The government has rejected the proposal for a new cross-border unitary centred around Gatwick Airport. A bid for a unitary that would cover the geographical area of the airport by Reigate & Banstead BC in Surrey and Crawley BC in West Sussex will not be put forward as part of the local government reorganisation consultation in Surrey. A spokesperson for Crawley BC said the council is "disappointed by this decision" and "we are also perplexed".
Labour loses overall control at LGA chair's council

1 week ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

Labour has lost overall control at Chester West & Chester Council, which is led by LGA chair Louise Gittins (Lab), but remains the largest party. Two councillors Jimmy Shannon and Elizabeth MacGlashan both left the party in opposition to decisions made by the national party. In a statement posted online, Cllr MacGlashan said this move has been taken with a "heavy heart" and took aim at government changes to disability benefits.
MHCLG to cut running costs by £50m per year

1 week ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government is required to make £50m in “efficiency” savings per year by the end of the Spending Review period. Alongside the spending review last week, the Treasury which outline how much money each department is expected to save per year by 2028-29. MHCLG has been tasked with delivering £50m per year in “efficiencies” using digital tools, workforce reform and funding “simplification”.
County halts work on single unitary proposal

2 weeks ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

Leaders of the 10 districts and the county council have all ruled out a single unitary for Hertfordshire. The new leadership at the county council has halted all work on developing a business case for a county-wide unitary following the elections last month. The Conservatives lost their majority and the Liberal Democrats are now the largest party at Hertfordshire CC but with no overall control.
Chancellor makes £1.7bn commitment to children and Send

2 weeks ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has confirmed over £1bn of financial support towards reforms to children's social care and the special educational needs (Send) system today. In the Spending Review, the Treasury allocated £760m towards making the Send system to "more inclusive and improve outcomes for all children and young people".
London to get integrated settlement as new mayor fund revealed

2 weeks ago | lgcplus.com | Caitlin Webb

London will join the areas on course to get an integrated financial settlement from the government from next year, the Spending Review announced today. The Greater London Authority will join mayoral authorities in North East, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and Liverpool City Region in getting an integrated settlement from 2026‑27. These five authorities will join Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, that received their first integrated settlements this financial year.