New analysis shows that approximately 1,000 children’s centres across England have not been inspected for over five years.

New flood scheme that reduces the risk of flooding to over 200 homes and businesses in Selly Park South has officially opened.
The scheme, which cost £2.7 million to construct, has been delivered as part of the Environment Agency’s programme of a £2.5 billion investment into flood defences across the country. The scheme was made possible through a partnership with Birmingham City Council and St Andrew’s Healthcare.

Almost 3,500 council-maintained road bridges have a greater risk of collapse, new figures have revealed.
The analysis by the RAC Foundation found 3,441 structures over 1.5m in span are ‘substandard’ - including having weight restrictions in place, bridges that are being monitored or even managed decline.
Redbridge Council had the highest proportion of substandard bridges, will all its structures being substandard.

Road maintenance spending by councils is at the lowest level it has been in 10 years, new government figures show.
Department for Transport (DfT) statistics show local authority maintenance spending on B roads, C roads and unclassified routes in 2016-17 was £1.87 billion. This is the lowest it has been in a decade and is down from £2.46 billion in 2004-05.
The DfT also said the state of local authority-managed highways and other major roads has improved gradually over the last five years.

Devon County Council has successfully applied for funding to support unaccompanied children who arrive seeking asylum in the UK.
Almost £200,000 will be given from the government to help the council recruit and train foster carers, and appoint volunteers to help children settle into their communities.
It is part of a package worth £29 million from the government to increase capacity to support unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and care leavers.

Children’s Services in Norfolk no longer require the county council’s intervention and the adoption service is outstanding, Ofsted has found.

More than 77,000 beds for older people in England are in sub-standard homes, Which? has discovered.
Which?’s research into the homes, rated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), uncovered big variations in quality between the largest providers: 35 per cent of Four Seasons’ homes in England were rated inadequate or requiring improvement, compared with just 15 per cent of Sanctuary Care’s homes.

Nearly one in 10 new homes over the last two years was converted from an office and included no affordable housing or supporting investment in infrastructure.

The District Councils’ Network has urged for changes to the ‘unfair’ system governing council tax increases which are curbing their key role in prevention.