Train ticket barriers.

Trials for contactless rail ticketing are on track for later this year across the North and Midlands, which will use Global Positioning System (GPS) based technology which will track locations on train journeys.

Scottish notes.

The 2025-26 Scottish Budget has been approved by Parliament, which will invest £21.7 billion in health and social care services.

Child on playground.

The Raising the National Plan Commission, a year-long independent inquiry into why play is critical to the wellbeing of children in England, has published its Interim Report, ‘State of Play’.

The Procurement Act has now come into force.

The government has announced an extra £30 million for Winter Pressures Funding.

Electric vans being charged.

A £120 million investment package is set to benefit drivers, cabbies, and businesses by supporting them making the shift to cleaner vans, wheelchair accessible vehicles and taxis and removing financial barriers to entry.

Children's breakfast porridge

The first 750 schools have been selected to offer free breakfast clubs, as part of the government’s national roll out.

Young apprentice in hi-vis jacket with clipboard

A recruitment campaign has been launched to address workforce shortages in local authorities, and aims to encourage young people aged between 18 to 27 to take up jobs in local authorities.

The Final Budget 2025-2026 has been published in the Senedd, with an extra £100 million for public services.

Councils that are in exceptional need of help are set to receive letters confirming government support to help balance their budgets.

A new government office complex in Manchester has been given planning consent.

Child and parent looking at a dinosaur skeleton in a museum.

Arts and culture in the UK is set to receive a huge £270 million package as part of an Arts Everywhere Fund, which benefit hundreds of arts venues, museums, libraries and heritage buildings.

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