Publications

Councils have a statutory duty to “secure, so far as is reasonably practicable, sufficient provision of educational and recreational leisure-time activities for young people” and to make sure young people have a say in the local offer.

The annual budget process is probably the single biggest, most complex exercise that any council undertakes as part of its annual cycle. Getting this process right is vital to the council’s success and contributes significantly to what it achieves for the local area.

This Must Know Guide is intended to provide a summary guide for chief executives on the importance and role of the Annual Statement of Accounts.

This ‘Must Know’ guide covering Working with Auditors provides information and practical guidance to help you ensure this valuable resource is maximised.

This ‘must know’ for elected members sets out the importance of weight management services and seeks the support of all elected members in championing these services, as a part of a place based whole systems approach to tackling obesity.

This guidance has been developed for each of the following areas: finance, human resources (HR), information technology (IT) and legal. The intention is to further support and strengthen the development of a strong corporate and whole council approach to delivering effective services for children.

Is your council using the National Child Measurement Programme to promote healthy weight? The purpose of this ‘Must Know’ is to understand the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) and how it is used locally to support local planning.

This document sets out key areas for focus and specific questions to ask to assure you that your council is effective in keeping adults safe.

This Must Know includes examples of health and care systems that have focused on developing strong partnerships both across the system at integrated care systems (ICS) level and in place-based partnerships and updates the 2020 Must Know on integration.

Mental health problems are on the increase, with a rising demand on services and increasing complexity of need. This was happening before COVID-19, but the pandemic has undoubtedly made the situation worse. Local government makes a vital contribution to promoting good mental health and need to continue to invest in this to ensure good mental health in their communities.