As part of plans to cut wasteful spending across government departments, branded merchandise and staff away days will be banned.
Officials will now be instructed to hold training and team-building exercises and ‘away days’ in government buildings that are available for free, instead of hiring external venues.  
Spending on branded goods has also been banned, as thousands of pounds have been spent in recent years on items such as mugs, jumpers, water bottles, and fidget cubes.

Estimated to be the biggest project of its kind, Brighton is to receive 6,000 electric vehicle (EV) kerbside chargepoints, following a £130 million contract agreement between Brighton and Hove City Council and chargepoint operator char.gy.

A trailblazer programme has been launched in Barnsley, designed to get people back to health and back into work.
South Yorkshire is one of nine areas with 'inactivity trailblazers', backed by £125 million. The aim is to help areas with the highest levels of economic inactivity as part of the wider Plan for Change.

A revised Heat in Buildings Bill, which will set a new target for decarbonising heating systems by 2024, is to be brought forward by the acting minster for climate action, Dr Alasdair Allan.

The Welsh government’s £1.5 Child Poverty Innovation and Supporting Communities Grant is open for applications, which will fund organisations to improve collaborative working arrangements to address child poverty.

Pat Ritchie CBE has been appointed as interim chair of Homes England, as confirmed by the deputy prime minister.
Pat Ritchie has been chair of the Government Property Agency since 2020 and currently sits on the Homes England Board. Previously, she was chief executive of both Newcastle City Council and the Home and Communities Agency.
She will be replacing the current chair of Homes England, Peter Freedom, who is to leave his positive at the end of April after four years to focus his attention on his role as chair of the Cambridge Growth Company.

The leaders of the 32 London boroughs have urged the government to give them “a seat at the table” as part of a new devolution settlement for the capital.

A new contractor for the government office in Manchester City will allow the building to enter its final construction phase. 

A collaboration between Ordnance Survey and the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG) Digital Planning Programme has culminated in the launch of a new £1.2 million PropTech Innovation Challenge

The mayor of London’s development corporation for Old Oak and Park Royal (OPDC) is well underway, following yesterday’s (31st March 2025) announcement that Hemiko has been chosen as the development partner for its innovative new district heat network.