New steps have been announced to tackle the problem of waste crime are to be granted, and further action opened for consultation in a crack-down on illegal sites.

HM Revenue and Customs has opened Tax-Free Childcare to parents whose youngest child is under nine.
The scheme will open to all remaining eligible families with children under 12 on 14 February 2018.
This means all eligible parents will be able to apply for Tax-Free Childcare before the end of this financial year.
Parents can apply online for Tax-Free Childcare by visiting Childcare Choices. Parents can also access the government’s childcare calculator through Childcare Choices, which helps parents to choose which government childcare support is best for them.

A blueprint for the future of mineral prospecting and waste management in Buckinghamshire will go to public consultation before being sent to Sajid Javid, it has been agreed.

Home First, a Somerset health and social care initiative, is freeing up hospital beds by giving people the care they need at home.

Almost £2 million worth of improvements for Broughton village will be discussed by Lancashire County Council’s cabinet soon.
The planning consent for James Towers Way, previously known as the Broughton Bypass, included a condition for proposals to be developed for cycling, walking and environmental enhancements along Garstang Road.
Measures will be introduced to discourage vehicles from driving unnecessarily through the village, encouraging use of James Towers Way and improving the centre of the village.

An Economy Strategy to build on Edinburgh’s success to tackle inequality and poverty has been published by the City of Edinburgh Council.
The draft strategy recognises that although Edinburgh remains the second most prosperous UK city outside London, jobs growth alone has not been sufficient to tackle poverty and deliver sustained improvements in living standards for everyone.

New figures show that there were almost 43,000 hospital operations to remove teeth in teenagers and children last year alone - 170 a day.

Construction giant Carillion has declared insolvency, threatening thousands of jobs.
The move came after talks between the firm, its lenders and the government failed to reach a deal to save the UK’s second biggest construction company.
Carillion ran into trouble after losing money on big deals and running up huge debts. Its failure means the government will have to provide funding to maintain the public services run by Carillion.

A plan to use HS2 as the spark to create thousands of jobs for the Leeds City Region has been launched.
Around 300,000 jobs are expected to be created over the period covered by the Leeds City Region HS2 Growth Strategy including 41,000 from proposals set out in the plan, 5,000 from construction and a further 40,000 from the broader economic impact of HS2 which has the potential to add over £54 billion to the region’s economic output.

Greater Manchester is one of four UK settings chosen to ‘pioneer’ new ways of enhancing the natural environment.