A £50 million project has been launched to tackle youth unemployment in the West Midlands, with the aim of getting 16,000 young people into work.

New proposals to speed up housebuilding will enable local governments to process planning applications and fast track application services.

Zoe Billingham, HM Inspector of Constabulary (HMIC), has cautioned that police forces are slowly regressing to an old model of policing, where they are becoming ‘isolated from communities’.

A new survey conducted by The MJ has found that 82 per cent of councils are considering implementing additional charges for services and increasing council tax, in order to balance their books.

Research conducted by the National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) has found only 45 per cent of nurseries will be increasing the number of free places on offer, due to funding fears.

Glasgow is set to create a new £46 million drainage system, which is expected to help unlock the development of 22,000 new homes across the region.

The UK’s employment rate has hit a record high, rising to 74.1 per cent.

Local authorities across England have predicted they will generate a record-breaking £23.5 billion income from business rates next year, as the devolution revolution kicks off.
The expected increase will be around £400 million more than normal, and is down to the rise in the number of new businesses across the country. New regulations will mean councils which drive growth will be rewarded by new rules which enable them to keep 100 per cent of business rates income.

Starter homes could be out of reach fro the majority of families in England, according to new analysis from the Local Government Association (LGA).
Under the national starter homes scheme, first-time buyers will be able to buy 200,000 new starter homes over the next five years at a minimum discount of 20 per cent off the market value, with discounted prices capped at £450,000 in London and £250,000 elsewhere in the UK.

Fire and rescue services could be at risk due to further cuts to funding, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has warned.