The government’s long-term plan to support the evolution and regeneration of high streets has been launched.
A key part of the Prime Minister’s plan to level up, the high streets strategy seeks to deliver visible changes to local areas and communities across England, transforming derelict buildings, cleaning up our streets, and supporting a renewed sense of community for current and future generations.

Decreasing local government funding over recent years probably contributed to declines in life expectancy in some areas of England.

North of Tyne Combined Authority has announced that it is working with the Energy Saving Trust to develop a housing stock database.
Alongside its three local authorities, North of Tyne Combined Authority has ambitions of becoming national leaders in the pursuit of net zero emissions and the creation of good green jobs.  
However, over 40 per cent of the housing stock in the region falls below an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band of C, which according to EST estimates, equates to 140,000 homes that will require some form of retrofit.

London Councils has appointed Michelle Binfield as Rough Sleeping Programme Director to help end rough sleeping in the capital by 2024.

Sutton Council is deploying sensors to help combat fly-tipping and the rise of unauthorised access in the borough’s car parks.
Working with UK-based provider IoT Solutions Group, the council will be using IoT technology to anonymously monitor suspicious car park activity in real-time, enabling the authority to check on whether any offences are taking place and notifying the police if necessary.

Half of employers expect an increase in demand for flexible forms of working from employees after the country comes out of the pandemic.

The National Food Strategy has suggested that sugar and salt should be taxed and vegetables prescribed by the NHS.
Led by Henry Dimbleby, the report recommends that GPs try prescribing fruit and vegetables to encourage healthy eating and says that taxes raised could extend free school meal provision and support better diets among the poorest.

More than half a million people are now registered with asthma in London and two-thirds of sufferers say their condition is made worse by poor air quality.

Labour has warned that nearly two million children will leave school without any catch-up support over the next four years.

Council spending on crucial services that help stop children reaching crisis point has almost halved over the last decade.