Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange: media coverage of LGA teenage pregnancy briefings

In case you missed it there has been some helpful media coverage of the recent LGA teenage pregnancy briefings for councillors.. All highlight the recent rise in rates, LGA’s warning against complacency and their call for a continued focus at national as well as local government level. 

BBC news

Chemist and Druggist – which highlights the role of pharmacies in the Liverpool and Barking and Dagenham case studies

Children and Young People Now. You need to register with CYP Now to read the full article but the journalist has kindly given me permission to paste it in this email below.

CYP Now 7th October 2025

Joe Lepper

A first rise in the under-18 pregnancy rate for more than a decade has raised concerns among sexual health experts that service providers, educators and policymakers have become complacent and need to rethink their approach.

The rise in teenage pregnancies has been seen across all regions of England. Picture: Emiliau/AdobeStock

For the first time in 14 years the teenage pregnancy rate has risen, according to Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures released this summer.

These show the conception rate increased from 13.1 in every 1,000 15–17-year-olds to 13.9 between 2021 and 2022, with rates up in all regions.

The specific under 16 pregnancy rate is also up over the same period, from 2.1 to 2.2 for every 1,000 girls in this age range, and the rate of terminated pregnancies is up from 53% to 58%.

To put this in context, the rate has been successfully reduced, by 72% since 1999 when Tony Blair’s Labour administration launched the UK’s first cross government strategy on the issue.

But could the latest figures signal an erosion of the good work to take place over the last 26 years?

The ONS figures certainly offer “a stark caution against complacency”, according to Alison Hadley, director of University of Bedfordshire’s Teenage Pregnancy Knowledge Exchange and member of the Association for Young People’s Health (AYPH).

In a recent blog post, she warned of an emerging attitude that “rates are down, so the job is done”, among representatives of 16 councils who took part in research she co-authored.

Funding reductions are another factor in the rate rise, according to Rebecca Shutt, assistant director of education and wellbeing at Brook, who warns that particularly over the last 15 years, “sustained cuts to public health funding have left sexual health services struggling to meet demand”.

Other factors, according to APYH deputy chief executive and evidence and policy lead Kirsty Blenkins, include “the impact of Covid, which disrupted education and reduced access to trusted adults and health services”.

Shutt agrees, saying “access to sexual health services was severely disrupted during lockdown”.

“Many clinics were forced to close their doors, and young people often felt unsure about whether they were allowed to visit doctors, pharmacies or clinics under restrictions,” she adds.  

The growth of social media is another factor, adds Hadley, who is particularly concerned about content that “normalises unhealthy relationships, including violence” and features influencers with “negative views of hormonal contraception” that “can carry more weight than professionals”.

Shutt agrees. “We are seeing a decline in both hormonal contraception use, and condom use among young people,” she says, adding that this is “undoubtedly contributing to rising pregnancy rates”.

On what needs to happen to ensure the rise in recent years is not repeated, Blenkins calls on the government to “renew its focus” on the issue by producing a national strategy on sexual and reproductive health.

This is also being called for by council membership body the Local Government Association (LGA), which says “a modern, cross-departmental plan is urgently needed to reflect young people’s realities and support effective local action”.

More investment in relationships and sex education training for teachers and “stronger support for youth-friendly services” is also being called for by Blenkins.

“Crucially, young people tell us they want clear, non-judgmental information, easy access to confidential services, and for decision-makers to listen to their voices about what they need for their health and wellbeing,”

Laura Coryton, founder of the social enterprise Sex Ed Matters also wants to see reform of sex and relationship education.

She warns that the rise in the teenage pregnancy rate “indicates that even the foundational biological teaching of sex education is not being taught effectively”.

“If this is the case, then I worry about the quality and mere existence of teachings on consent and other topics such as joy and power which help students build healthy, happy relationships.

“Without these topics, students cannot navigate the reality of sex and relationships successfully.”

Any new strategy also needs to tackle persistent regional differences, which is seven-fold between some areas, according to the ONS’s latest figures.

While Redcar and Cleveland, Kingston upon Hull, Middlesbrough, Blackpool, Halton, and Torbay are teenage pregnancy hotspots, more affluent Richmond upon Thames, Wokingham, Kingston and Chelsea have among the lowest rates.

Such local differences are highlighted in an LGA guide for councils on ways to strengthen local leadership in teenage pregnancy prevention.

Family poverty, persistent school absence, care experience, domestic violence, substance abuse and mental illness can heighten the risk of a local teenage pregnancy rate rise, it warns.

Strategies should focus on ensuring RSE and contraceptive advice reaches “young people most at risk”, says the LGA.

“This may be through outreach work, taking RSE and contraceptive advice directly to young people in education or community settings,” it adds.

Other ways councils can help are to rebuild partnerships, between councils, charities and the NHS, forged during Blair’s strategy but eroded over time.

Shutt says greater funding is needed for public health programmes, and for schools “so they can properly train teachers to deliver high-quality relationships and sex education”.

Improving access to free condoms is also needed to normalise their use and “give young people the confidence to protect themselves”, she adds.

Unless action is taken “it would not be surprising if rates continue to rise over the next few years”, says Shutt.

Scroll to Top