Call for renewed contraceptive focus amid rise in teenage pregnancies

A post-pandemic rise in England’s teenage pregnancy rate has prompted the Local Government Association (LGA) to call for renewed national action on prevention, including contraceptive services.

Since the launch of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy for England 25 years ago, under-18 conception rates have fallen by 70%, with the biggest declines seen in the most deprived areas.

However, recent figures show a reversal of this long-term trend, with both under-18 conceptions and abortions increasing since 2020.

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The LGA said this has coincided with a decline in condom use among adolescents and growing pressure on local authority budgets.

According to the LGA, cuts to public health funding are forcing councils to focus on crisis response rather than prevention, leaving many young people without easy access to contraceptive services or reliable sex education.

The association also pointed to challenges such as digital exclusion, school absence and misinformation as contributing factors.

In response, the LGA has called on the government to restore national leadership, develop a new sexual and reproductive health strategy, improve data collection, and invest in prevention to ensure young people can access contraception and support.

The call for government action is supported by new guidance for councils, emphasising the need for youth-friendly contraceptive services, targeted support for those most at risk, high-quality relationships and sex education, and comprehensive help for young parents.

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Dr Wendy Taylor, chair of the LGA’s health and wellbeing committee, said: ‘Councils have led the way in reducing teenage pregnancies. We must now build on the achievements of the past 25 years by tackling persistent inequalities, digital exclusion, school absence and pandemic legacies.

Teenage pregnancy is not just a public health issue, it’s about safeguarding, education, and social justice.’

James Woolgar, chair of the English HIV and Sexual Health Commissioners Group, added: ‘The teenage pregnancy prevention agenda remains a vital public health and local government priority – not only in supporting young people to make informed choices, but also in addressing the wider social and health inequalities that can arise from unintended pregnancies.’

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It comes as a new national emergency hormonal contraception service will begin in England next month which will make the morning-after pill free across England with an aim of reducing health inequalities and removing the 'postcode lottery' of locally commissioned services.

According to Community Pharmacy England, Wednesday 29 October 2025, has been set as the provisional date that the Pharmacy Contraception Service (PCS) will expand to include the provision of oral emergency contraception.