New research from the Institute of Alcohol Studies has claimed that higher alcohol taxes could benefit disadvantaged groups.
The researchers calculated the amount of alcohol duty that different households paid as a share of their income and total spending. The analysis indicates that alcohol taxes account for a similar share of the incomes and budgets of rich and poor households alike, and at worst are only mildly regressive, with little difference found in the proportion of income or expenditure spent on alcohol duty by more and less affluent households.

Just over one per cent of government infrastructure spending in England will go towards flood defences.

Julie James has announced that a further £24 million is being injected immediately into building more new affordable homes in Wales.

The government will provide £16.6 million to 75 projects across England to help fund domestic abuse refuge services.

Kate Forbes has said that the new Scottish National Investment Bank has Scotland’s transition to net-zero carbon emissions at its centre.

The government is investing £1.2 billion to develop a state-of-the-art supercomputer, which will be used to help more accurately predict storms, select the most suitable locations for flood defences and predict changes to the global climate.

A network of 24 air pollution sensors has been activated across the Central Bedfordshire Council region to improve air quality.

Redcar and Cleveland Council's website has been down since 8 February, leading to calls for a ‘serious review’ of IT systems.

Cambridgeshire County Council has agreed its budget for 2020/21 including plans to take significant steps towards becoming carbon neutral.

The Road Safety Trust is urging organisations to apply for a grant to explore how technology can improve road safety.