The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found problems in the way North Tyneside Council was paying support to special guardians.

The government will fully fund the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding by councils and housing associations, estimated at £400 million.

Sadiq Khan has announced a major boost to London councils to help get 10,000 new council homes underway over the next four years.

New analysis of funding pressures on social care services have emphasised the worrying lack of progress on social care reform in the UK.

New guidance has been made available on policy and legislation which can be used to address climate change at a local level.

Parliamentary staff are to be encouraged to put sustainability at the heart of their work and phase out plastic bottles, cups, bags and cutlery.
The move will see 125,000 plastic water bottles removed from sale immediately, followed next year by the phasing out of condiment sachets and plastic carrier bags, which will be replaced by paper ones. Procurement procedures will also be overhauled and reusable packaging trialled, with hot drinks in new compostable cups set to incur a 25p charge for a trial period to ‘encourage behavioural change’.

Oxford City Council has been awarded £474,000 to become the first city in the world to trial ‘pop-up’ on-street electric vehicle charging points.

The HCLG Committee has launched an inquiry examining the future of England’s high streets and town centres in 2030.

Exchequer Secretary Robert Jenrick has unveiled further plans to clamp down on pollution in urban areas.

The Fostering Network has reported that over 8,000 new foster families across the UK need to be found in the coming year.