London boroughs have warned that the homelessness crisis in the city is spiralling out of control.
The warning comes has new data has suggested that rough sleeping numbers in the capital are at a record high.
According to the latest CHAIN figures, 4,068 people were counted sleeping rough in London between July and September 2023. This is a 12 per cent increase on the same period in 2022 and is London’s highest quarterly rough sleeping count since records began.

The third annual Ireland-Wales Ministerial Forum took place in North Wales on 20 October.
The event was hosted by Mark Drakeford MS, first minister of Wales and the Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd, who were joined by the Welsh ministers for economy and climate change. Irish attendees included Micheál Martin TD, Tánaiste and minister for foreign affairs and minister for defence, and Simon Harris TD, minister for further and higher education, research, innovation and science.

Representatives from leading AI nations, experts and organisations have met at Bletchley part for the AI Safety Summit.
The first global AI Safety Summit will discuss the global future of AI and work towards a shared understanding of risks.
The summit will take place over two days with a small, but focused group comprising of AI companies, civil society and independent experts gather around the table to kickstart urgent talks on the risks and opportunities posed by rapid advances in frontier AI.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has announced a pilot scheme to monitor infections in care homes in England.
The pilot aims to build on the success of the Vivaldi study during the pandemic, with a wider remit to study other infections.
The Vivaldi social care project has been commissioned by UKHSA in collaboration with University College London (UCL) and other partners including The Outstanding Society, Care England, and NHS England.

The Procurement Act has received Royal Assent and become law.
The Act aims to deliver simpler, more effective public sector procurement, and help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) secure a greater share of approximately £300bn of expenditure per year.
It is also hoped that the new rules will protect against national security risks in public contracts. High-risk suppliers will be put on a public debarment list and be prevented from bidding for some categories of goods or services, such as areas related to defence and national security.

The Scottish Government has announced £30 million has been invested in restoration projects.
Around 150 projects across the country have received support from the Nature Restoration Fund since its launch in 2021.
The fund aims to restore species and habitats, protect marine and coastal areas, eradicate invasive, non-native species, and improve the health and wellbeing of local communities.

From Monday a ban on a number of single-use plastics has come into force in Wales.
The purpose of the ban is o reduce the flow of plastic pollution into the environment by prohibiting the supply of certain single-use plastic products.
The act is part of the Welsh Government’s response to the climate and nature emergencies.
More than 87 per cent of the public support the ban.

The Online Safety Act has received Royal Assent, putting the rules it contains into law.
The Act places legal responsibility on tech companies to prevent and rapidly remove illegal content, including terrorism and pornography.
Tech companies will also be responsible for ensuring that children cannot see material that is harmful to them such as bullying, content promoting self-harm and eating disorders, and pornography.
Those that fail to comply with the law will face fines and even prison for company bosses.

Thanks to funding from the Mayor of London half a million free meals have been delivered in London over the the half term.
The Mayor of London has warned of the pressures facing Londoners over winter and has urged the government to do more to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.
The latest City Hall polling showing that 45 per cent of Londoners with a total household income of lower than £20,000 and 50 per cent of disabled Londoners are already using less water, energy or fuel to help them manage living costs.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has said it is looking to introduce a statutory duty for local transport authorities to have local electric vehicle (EV) charging strategies.
In its response to the Future of Transport Zero Emission Vehicles consultation, the DfT says it will update Local Transport Plans to include the need for Local Transport Authorities to produce local electric vehicle (EV) charging strategies.
The DfT says the rapid charging fund will be used to support sites with open-access charging and competition on site.