Tag: News Story

STORY

Councils are being given additional support to identify vulnerable teenagers who may be missing from official education, employment or training records.

The Department for Education said new data showed 32,100 so-called ‘Phantom NEETs’ were unaccounted for, with some councils missing information for large numbers of 16 and 17-year-olds. Official statistics published in March estimated that 57,000 young people aged 16 and 17 were not in education, employment or training.

Bridget Phillipson is writing to all councils setting out expectations for improving identification and support. The Government is also rolling out a Risk of NEET Indicator tool, using factors such as poor attendance, special educational needs and care experience to help councils intervene earlier.

STORY

School teachers and leaders are to receive a 6.5% pay increase over two years after the Education Secretary accepted the School Teachers Review Body recommendations in full.

The Department for Education said teachers would receive a 3.5% rise from September 2026 and a further 3% from September 2027. The Government said the settlement would mean a cumulative 17% increase since the general election, with additional school funding of £1.8 billion over two years.

The Government is also placing new curbs on academy trust executive pay. From September, trusts will need Government approval before advertising posts above £174,000, and executive pay rises will be expected to remain in line with the wider school workforce.

STORY

Andy Burnham is expected to inherit a significant defence funding challenge if, as expected, he becomes Prime Minister later this month.

It is reported that Keir Starmer’s defence investment plan includes a £4.7 billion gap which will need to be addressed through future tax decisions, spending cuts or other budget choices. The plan committed an additional £15 billion for defence, but documents showed that around a third of the funding was still to be found.

The issue is likely to become an early test for Burnham, who has not yet set out his own detailed position on the plan. Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis said he had confidence that Burnham would secure the investment needed for national security.

STORY

Keir Starmer has warned that racism and intolerance have worsened in Britain over the last decade, saying that the trend is damaging social cohesion and discouraging people from taking part in public life.

The Prime Minister made the comments in Parliament after being asked about concerns that racist language and incitement were becoming normalised. He said racism and intolerance were tearing society apart and should be called out by politicians at every level.

Starmer also referred to the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox in 2016, saying that on reflection he believed the position had deteriorated rather than improved since then. His comments come amid wider concern about the impact of anti-migrant rhetoric and the tone of political debate.

STORY

Keir Starmer is expected to issue a formal state apology in the House of Commons to mothers and children affected by historic forced adoption policies in England and Wales.

The apology relates to the period between 1949 and 1976, when an estimated 185,000 babies born to unmarried mothers were placed for adoption. Campaigners have long argued that women were coerced by a culture of shame and by the actions of public bodies, religious organisations and other institutions.

The statement follows calls from parliamentary committees for the Government to acknowledge responsibility for the harm caused. The apology will put England and Wales closer to the position already taken by administrations in Wales and Scotland, where formal apologies were issued in 2023.

STORY

Jennifer Anderson has been appointed as His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said Anderson will succeed Jill Morris in the role and will take up the appointment in August 2026.

Anderson is an experienced diplomat who has previously served in Turkey. She was Deputy Head of Mission in Ankara from 2017 to 2020, after completing pre-post training which included Turkish language training.

Her appointment comes after a career including senior work on consular affairs, crisis response, counter-terrorism, security policy and European political and military issues. From 2020 to 2024, she served as Director for Consular and Crisis at the FCDO.

Anderson also served as the UK’s High Commissioner in Gaborone and as UK Representative to the Southern African Development Community between 2010 and 2013. Her earlier overseas postings included Jakarta and Brussels, where she worked at the UK Permanent Representation to the European Union.

The ambassadorial role in Ankara is one of the UK’s significant diplomatic postings, covering relations with a NATO ally and a country central to regional security, migration, trade and wider foreign policy issues.

The FCDO said Anderson’s appointment had been made in succession to Morris, who has served as ambassador to Turkey since 2023.

STORY

More than 450 Blue Badges have been cancelled in Wirral after a Government-backed fraud investigation found that permits issued to deceased residents were still being used.

The Cabinet Office and Public Sector Fraud Authority said 459 unauthorised badges had been cancelled by Wirral Council, with an estimated saving to the taxpayer of more than £363,000. The badges were identified through the National Fraud Initiative, which matched council data against central Government records held by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Blue Badges are intended to help disabled people park closer to the places they need to access. Ministers said misuse of the scheme denied spaces to people with genuine need and undermined public confidence in support intended for vulnerable residents.

The investigation created a high-priority list of potentially fraudulent badges by cross-checking records and internal council data. The Government said the approach showed how better use of data could help identify and prevent fraud more quickly across local and central Government.

STORY

The Local Government Association has announced that Joanna Killian is stepping down as chief executive. The development comes during a period of significant policy pressure for councils, including local Government reorganisation, devolution, financial sustainability and adult social care.

Killian has led the organisation through a period in which councils have warned repeatedly about rising costs and limited resources. Local authorities have faced growing demand in children’s services, housing, special educational needs and adult social care, placing pressure on budgets across the sector.

The appointment of a successor will be watched closely by council leaders and ministers. The LGA’s next chief executive will inherit an organisation seeking to influence a busy Government agenda while representing councils with very different political, financial and structural challenges.

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Oxford City Council has voiced disappointment after Oxfordshire County Council vetoed a devolution deal which the city council argued could have brought billions of pounds of investment to the Thames Valley. The disagreement has created a major setback for local devolution plans in the area.

Supporters of the deal argued that it would have strengthened local decision-making and helped secure new powers and funding. Opponents raised concerns about governance, accountability and whether the proposed arrangements were right for the county.

The dispute highlights the continuing difficulty of securing agreement between councils on devolution and local governance changes. It also comes as the Government continues to push devolution as part of its wider local growth agenda.

STORY

The Local Government Association has raised concerns about proposed metrics that could trigger new Government intervention powers over councils. The Government is consulting on powers that could force councils to sell assets or curb borrowing if they are judged to be acting recklessly.

The LGA’s analysis suggests there are issues with the proposed methods for deciding when intervention should apply. Council leaders have warned that poorly designed metrics could penalise authorities facing structural financial pressures rather than identifying genuinely reckless behaviour.

The debate forms part of wider concern in local Government about financial oversight, council autonomy and the handling of authorities under severe budget pressure. Ministers are seeking stronger safeguards, while councils argue that intervention powers must be fair, transparent and proportionate.