Council leaders in the West Midlands are urging the government to grant more powers to the region to aid recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Leaders have submitted a proposal to government to devolve more powers from Whitehall to the West Midlands ahead of a white paper and legislation expected to be published later this year. The proposal has the backing of Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands Combined Authority.

The government is being urged to 'get cars off the road', as traffic in Britain returns to levels seen before the coronavirus lockdown.
According to official figures, between 87 per cent and 105 per cent of the usual amount of vehicle journeys for the time of year have happened in the past two weeks.
Although some have argued that busy roads were a sign of economic recovery, the Liberal Democrats have stressed that it was time to 'fundamentally' rethink transport, whilst the Green Party warned of 'gridlock'.

£5 million in funding will support people to stay connected and maintain their health and well-being following the coronavirus pandemic.

Families are being urged to contact their local GP, school or health centre to make sure their children’s vaccinations are up to date.

Five local authority pilot areas have been announced to test how the recovery of England’s landscapes and wildlife can be driven locally.
The local authorities of Cornwall, Buckinghamshire, Greater Manchester, Northumberland and Cumbria have been selected by the government to help kick-start nature recovery on a countrywide scale, receiving a share of £1 million of funding to set up ‘Local Nature Recovery Strategies’ (LNRS) pilot studies.

Free school meals should be permanently extended to the children of migrants who are currently ineligible for public support, say charities.

A number of remaining aspects of England’s culture, sport, leisure and business sectors will be permitted to reopen from 15 August.