Coronavirus (COVID-19)

This subtopic contains materials, commentary and analysis on the implications of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for local government, together with links to related guidance and policy documents.

COVID-19 toolkit and tracker

Organisations, irrespective of their business type, sector or size, have found themselves in uncharted territory with the onset of the coronavirus. There are many common areas of concern.

Although legal restrictions introduced by the Coronavirus Act 2020 and by statutory instrument have largely expired, some restrictions remain and guidance is available to manage this stage of the pandemic. Coronavirus (COVID-19)—local government tracker—post July 2021—our COVID-19 tracker is designed to assist lawyers in local government to understand and stay ahead of changes in relevant legislation, powers and duties in response to the coronavirus pandemic. For details of the regulations and restrictions before 19 July 2021 so called ‘freedom day’, see: Coronavirus (COVID-19)—local government tracker up to 18 July 2021 [Archived].

We have also produced a Coronavirus (COVID-19)—legislation tracker [Archived] to track primary legislation such as the Coronavirus Act 2020 (CA 2020) together with a database of statutory instruments collating details

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Latest Local Government News

JCSI publishes thirty-fifth report of Session 2024–26

The Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments (JCSI) has published its thirty-fifth report of session 2024–26. Ten instruments were drawn to the special attention of the House: the Marking of Retail Goods Regulations 2025, SI 2025/790, reported for unexpected use of enabling power due to unintended retrospective effect; the Online Safety Act 2023 (Fees Notification) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/747, for failure to comply with proper legislative practice by omitting access details for incorporated documents; the Electricity Act 1989 (Requirement of Consent for Solar Generating Stations) (England) Order 2025, SI 2025/762, for unjustifiable delay in laying before Parliament; the Road Vehicles (Type Approval) (Amendment) (No. 2), Regulations 2025, SI 2025/796, for defective drafting in one respect; the Fire Safety (Residential Evacuation Plans) (England) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/797, for failure to comply with proper legislative practice by not citing consultation under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR); the Air Navigation (Amendment) Order 2025, SI 2025/850, for doubt as to whether it is intra vires in one respect; the Childcare Payments (Eligibility) (Amendment and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2025, SI 2025/857, for defective drafting. The Committee also reported three Orders made under the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006: the Isle of Man Order 2025, SI 2025/824, the Jersey Order 2025 SI 2025/825, and the Guernsey Order 2025 SI 2025/827, each for doubt as to vires arising from incorrect citation of enabling powers.

MHCLG publishes guidance on Awaab's Law timeframes for social housing repairs

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published updated non-statutory guidance to help social landlords understand their responsibilities under Awaab's Law. The guidance relates to the Hazards in Social Housing (Prescribed Requirements) (England) Regulations 2025, which come into force on 27 October 2025 and covers timeframes for repairs in the social rented sector in England.

DHSC announces Liberty Protection Safeguards consultation for first

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has announced a consultation on Liberty Protection Safeguards to be launched in the first half of 2026, jointly run with the Ministry of Justice. The consultation will seek views from families, carers and practitioners including social workers, nurses, psychologists and occupational therapists. Responses will inform a final Mental Capacity Act (2005) Code of Practice to be laid in Parliament. The revised Code of Practice will incorporate changes in case law, legislation, organisational structures, terminology and good practice since 2007, addressing challenges in the existing Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards framework. The announcement comes as the Supreme Court reviews what constitutes deprivation of liberty in a case from Northern Ireland, with the UK government granted permission to intervene. The current system has a backlog of 123,790 individuals and the proposed Liberty Protection Safeguards aim to streamline processes, reduce intrusive assessments and focus on the most vulnerable people. The last consultation on this topic occurred in 2022 without resulting in changes.

Education Committee urges government not to cut Universal Credit for care leavers

The House of Commons Education Committee has urged ministers not to reduce Universal Credit support for care leavers aged under-22, following the Department for Education's (DfE) response to the Committee's children's social care report. The government stated 'no decisions have been made yet' on proposed Universal Credit cuts for under-22s, with any savings intended for the new Youth Guarantee scheme. The DfE committed to consulting the Committee on potential profit caps for children's services providers and agreed to pilot co-located mental health services for looked after children. The government rejected several recommendations including a National Care Offer and national workforce strategy, while confirming it will consult young people during the Timms Review on Personal Independence Payments reform.

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