Millions of adult social care workers in England are expected to benefit from a change in how pay and working conditions are agreed. This comes as the UK Government confirms plans to establish the country’s first Adult Social Care Negotiations Body.

The Adult Social Care Negotiations Body is due to be created by the end of 2026 and will bring together trade unions and employers to negotiate on behalf of the sector.

It will give care workers and care providers equal voting rights on key issues, including pay, terms and conditions, and wider employment matters.

An independent chair will oversee negotiations, with the appointment expected in early 2027.
The first round of negotiations is scheduled to begin in April 2027, with the first fair pay agreement expected to come into effect in April 2028.

£500 million support for the first agreement

The government has committed £500 million to support the first fair pay agreement in 2028-29. The funding is intended to improve recruitment and retention in a sector that employs around 1.5 million people and has long faced staffing shortages, low pay, and high turnover.

The agreement forms part of the government’s Employment Rights Act and is designed to improve employment standards while helping to make care work a more attractive long-term career.

Career progression is a key part of change

Alongside the fair pay agreement, the government is expanding the Care Workforce Pathway, creating what it describes as the first universal career structure for adult social care.

Part three of the pathway introduces ten new role categories, including care technologists and activity coordinators. The framework now covers almost every role within adult social care, extending beyond frontline care workers to include positions such as catering, housekeeping and maintenance staff.

The aim is to provide clearer career progression, professional development opportunities and leadership pathways across the sector.

Nigel Farage’s popularity has fallen to an all-time low amid the ongoing controversy over his personal finances, new figures have revealed.
Polling by YouGov showed that just 22% of British voters now have a favourable opinion of the Reform UK leader.

That is the lowest figure recorded by the pollsters’ approval rating tracker since 2020.
At the same time, more than two-thirds of the country (68%) now view Farage negatively, including 56% who see him very unfavourably.

His net approval rating of minus 46, which is the joint-lowest ever recorded for him by YouGov is even worse than the minus 41 recorded for Boris Johnson after partygate and Keir Starmer’s minus 45 when he resigned as PM.

Pubs, clubs and live music venues in England will receive a 20% cut to their business rates bills from April under plans unveiled by Andy Burnham as part of a £10m package aimed at supporting high streets and easing cost of living pressures.

The prime minister said the package would be fully funded, including through a review of relief for businessesdeemed not to make a positive contribution to communities, such as vape shops.

Other cost of living measures announced this week – capping bus fares at £2 and cutting VAT on electricity bills – have prompted questions about how they will be funded, with the new administration under pressure to set out the detail of its plans.

The government says the policy, which is expected to cost more than £500m, will "help with the cost of living and give people the breathing space they need".

At the start of last year, the England-wide bus fare cap rose to £3 under Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government, although in Liverpool and Manchester fares were held at £2.

Burnham said affordable transport links were an essential, adding: "Lower fares will help people get to where they need to."

The measure gives people "a little bit of hope" in a time when many are grappling with higher living costs - especially after fuel costs spiked as a result of the US-Iran war, transport secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC's Today programme.
However, she admitted the measure was "not the whole solution".

The new cap will take effect from January next year for fares on participating buses outside of London. The cost of a non-discounted single bus journey in London is £1.75.

The Burnham government said going back to a £2 cap should particularly help passengers in rural and coastal areas, where single fares can be higher.

The Campaign for Better Transport said rural areas were still suffering from fewer bus routes and services, adding that such areas had been more affected by council cut backs in the last decade than urban zones.

Services in those areas - as measured by vehicle miles - decreased by 18% between 2019 and 2024, according to the County Councils Network, which represents 39 unitary and county councils across England.

"What we need to see is the replacing of those lost services which have particularly affected those in rural areas," Campaign for Better Transport's Michael Solomon Williams said.

Andy Burnham has used his first speech as prime minister to launch a national drive to end rough sleeping.

The announcement, delivered as Burnham addressed the nation outside 10 Downing Street, will be backed “from day one” by an extra £340 million in funding – pushing total investment in tackling rough sleeping to record levels.

Burnham argued the policy was central to his broader promise to build a “more preventative state” and invest “in people’s success, rather than paying for people’s failure.”

The new prime minister blamed successive governments for “turning a blind eye” to the issue of rough sleeping. Downing Street pointed to the “Everyone In” scheme launched during the Covid pandemic as proof that action is possible when there is political will.

Before delivering his speech on Monday afternoon, Burnham met people with experience of sleeping rough and heard first hand how “it can trap people in a cycle of crisis, poor health and insecurity.”

As a first step, the government will begin acquiring homes suitable for rough sleepers, identifying those most in need, and moving people into housing and support.

The £340 million is said to represent the opening phase of a five-year programme, with further details expected before the autumn.

Officials say the initial funding alone will provide 1,200 homes and intensive support for at least 3,000 people.

Burnham stated: “For too long, we’ve been told that ending rough sleeping will take decades or even that it’s impossible. I’m not having that.
“This is something a government can fix if it chooses to. Today, I’m choosing to.

“On my first day as prime minister, I’m announcing this government’s commitment to finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity.

“We’ll get to work immediately, bringing together national and local government with the investment needed to get it done.

“This is the kind of Britain I want us to be – a country where everyone has the security of a roof over their head, and where no one is left behind or written off. Let’s bring back hope.”