The Conservative Party has lost ground in local elections to Labour and other parties in early results from across England.
As half the 146 councils declared results by Friday morning, the Conservatives lost council seats to hold 535 out of a total 4,350 seats in England.
The Labour Party has won 1,189 seats and the Liberal Democrats 257 so far, according to the early unofficial results, whereas the Conservatives lost 124 of previously held seats.
The Conservatives have won 18 councils so far, Labour 37, and the Liberal Democrats four.

Department of Levelling up, Housing & Communities outlines its initial new burdens down-payment

Research suggests four steps towards a Living Income

Millions of homes have an insulation age of 1976 or older – costing households up to £930 a year if they don’t make changes soon, according to a study.
An analysis of 21 million homes across England and Wales has found over half (58%) only meet insulation standards of 1976 or earlier - potentially costing households up to £930 a year if they don’t make changes soon.

The Local Government Association chairman, Conservative Cllr James Jamieson, has called for more action to be taken to ensure that councillors and candidates in local elections are not subjected to threats and abuse.
Cllr Jamieson said that "an increasing number of councillors and candidates are being subjected to abuse, threats and intimidation both online and in-person."
The LGA is calling for more evidence of abuse and intimidation of councillors across the country to improve the association’s understanding of the problem.

Gas boilers replaced with a two-stage heat pump system to reduce energy consumption.

This latest idea could see 2.5 million households become eligible to buy their homes at a discount of up to 70%

The report, 'All Together Now: Inclusion not exclusion - supporting all young people to succeed in school' makes a series of recommendations for how schools can be supported to divert vulnerable teenagers away from crime and exploitation and enable them to thrive.

The Elections Bill has received Royal Assent, providing voters with greater protection against election fraud.