The National Drought Group (NDG) has met and agreed further action to manage the current drought and to reduce the risk of drought next year.
The group is made up of of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and key representative groups under the chairmanship of Sir James Bevan, EA Chief Executive. Water Minister Steve Double was also in attendance.
The group agreed further steps to manage the current drought, to start work now to reduce the risk of drought next year, and to accelerate measures to ensure long-term water security.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has said that HGV drivers should be banned from using standard car sat navs and instead use specialist lorry sat navs. Car sat navs are causing lorries to crash into bridges and get stuck down narrow roads.

More rural homes and businesses in Scotland will be able to access faster broadband following a further £36 million expansion of the Reaching 100% (R100) contracts. Following the extension of contracts with delivery partner Openreach, a further 2,637 rural properties will be able to access gigabit-capable connections.
This is part of Scottish and UK government investment in the R100 programme fulfilling a 2021/22 Programme for Government commitment to deliver gigabit capable connections to the islands.

Research has shown that small businesses received £21.3 billion in local authority business support grants during Covid.
The grants were used to support business in sectors including accommodation and food services, wholesale and retail, and arts entertainment and recreation. The scheme was created to support businesses during and to recover from the impact of the pandemic.
The scheme was was created by the UK government and was administered by local authorities.

The government has announced up to £130 million of funding to support bus services across England with the aim of ensuring services keep running and affordable transport is still available.
The funding will run from October 2022, to March 2023.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "This funding will ensure millions across the country can continue to use vital bus services, and brings the total we’ve provided to the sector throughout the pandemic to almost £2 billion.

Four northern mayors have demanded the government take action as the Bus Service Recovery Grant (BSRG) comes to an end.
BSRG supports commercial bus operators where fewer people are using their services due to the pandemic and is due to end in October.  

The government has announced upgrades for Oxford station with the aim to increase journey times.

New research published by the University of York has found that two-thirds of UK households could be in fuel poverty by January.
It is estimated 45 million people will struggle to pay their energy bills this winter.
Fuel poverty is defined as when energy costs exceed 10 per cent of a household's net income.
90.4 per cent of lone parents with two or more children are expected to fall into fuel poverty, along with 86.4 per cent of pensioner couples

The Mayor of South Yorkshire, Oliver Coppard, has criticised the government’s approach to levelling up, saying it is failing and costing the people of the region.

According to Paul Johnson, the director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), inflation could have a worse effect on local government than austerity did.
Recent research by the IFS has found that councils would need an additional £1.2 billion to protect the 3% increase in core spending power for this year.
Speaking to the Local Government Chronicle, Johnson warned that if the conservative leadership contenders did not increase public sector funding to compensate for rising costs, they risk bringing back austerity “by the back door”.