New research by Vauxhall has found that 42 per cent of councils will have cross-pavement charging available by the end of 2026.  
The research found that 56 tier one councils across England, Scotland and Wales either currently offer or will be making cross-pavement charging available by the end of this year.
Cross-pavement channel charging allows EV owners to safely charge their vehicles from their home by running a charging cable through a discreet, self-closing channel installed in the pavement to their home charging wall box.

The Home Office has published new guidance to support the implementation of Martyn's Law.
The guidance sets out steps for businesses to ensure evacuation routes are in place, staff know how to swiftly implement a lockdown in their building, and staff know how to quickly communicate with their customers were an attack to occur.
For larger premises and events like concerts and sports stadiums, where 800 people or more will be present, further actions will need to be taken. This includes having CCTV, bag search policies or vehicle checks.

Under new reforms to make the council tax system fairer, vulnerable people will have more time and support to settle their outstanding council tax bills.
Changes will be made to the administration of bills, which have not changed since 1993.
Under the current system, missing one monthly payment means people become liable to pay the entire outstanding sum in a single payment just two weeks later. From next year, households will be given 63 days to settle their bill and councils will be required to work with them on a sustainable repayment plan.

The Environment Agency has confirmed it has exceeded its two-year property protection target by nearly 10,000.
Almost 62,000 thousand homes and businesses have been better protected from flooding over the last two years.
The government has invested £2.65 billion into flood defences since 2024, repairing and replacing existing defences and constructing new ones. 250 projects have now been completed with stronger protections for more than 60,000 properties across England. This is above the original goal of 52,000.

Water companies have paid £8.5 million into environmental restoration projects as part of a strengthened crackdown on pollution and poor performance across the sector.  
This is a 47 per cent increase from £5.8 million the year before.
This money will go into charities and projects that restore the harm done to waterways and improve water quality. This will help rebuild habitats for threatened species like water voles and salmon that have been harmed by pollution.
Severn Trent Water paid £4,627,424, the most of any water company.

130 cultural venues, museums and libraries are set to receive a share of £130 million to boost access to arts and culture.
Beneficiaries include The Lowry Centre in Salford, The Hexagon in Reading and the Royal Shakespeare Company in Warwickshire.
Venues will receive funding to help open up access to facilities, complete much needed building projects and upgrade technology on site.
The projects are the first to receive funding from the Arts Everywhere Fund.

From 1 May, councils will be equipped with strengthened duties and powers to oversee the government’s flagship Renters’ Rights Act.

The government has set out new rules on how councils can spend funding to to fix potholes and maintain local roads.
Under the new measures, local highway authorities that fail to demonstrate they are maintaining roads effectively could lose around a third of their £1.6 billion funding for the next year.
Under the new rules, councils will have to publish reports proving they are spending all of their highways cash purely on road maintenance, showing long-term plans for looking after roads and better training for their highways teams.

DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund has awarded £4 million to 24 local museums.
The Fund brings together £2 million in match funding from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and independent, grant-making charity, the Wolfson Foundation.
The fund will support local museums by improving displays, enhancing collection care and making exhibitions more accessible to visitors. 
In the last 24 years, the fund has awarded over £50 million, which has supported more than 440 projects across the country.

The government has launched a new plan designed to boost philanthropic investment into disadvantaged communities in England.
In 2025, £14 billion was donated to charity across the UK in 2025 however London currently receives more than a third of all funding from the largest philanthropic foundations and four times the value of Gift Aid donations compared to the UK average.