A stark social mobility postcode lottery exists in Britain where the chances of someone from a disadvantaged background succeeding in life is bound to where they live.

The senior vice-chair of LGA has urged the government to allow all councils to borrow to build at the House of Commons’ Treasury Select Committee.

Newport’s tourism industry is continuing to boom, official figures reveal.
Over the last decade, the importance and value of the visitor economy has grown and there was significant change between 2015 and 2016.
In 2016, 4.78 million people came to the city, an increase of more than 57 per cent compared to the previous year.
According to the latest STEAM survey, the total economic impact of tourism last year was £373.59 million, a rise of 19.4 per cent.

The Environment Agency has created a new free service which provides people in the Calder Valley with river forecasts to help them manage flood risks.

The Mayor of London has strengthened his commitment to protect London’s Green Belt and set out plans to make more than half of London green by 2050.

The Environment Agency has developed deployment plans for temporary barriers in two new communities in the north east.
The Environment Agency has been working with partners at Gateshead Council and Northumberland County Council to develop flood barrier deployment plans for Dunston and North Blyth.
The two communities have been identified as locations where temporary barriers could reduce the risk of flooding to properties when high tides are expected.

Three Scottish councils could run out of their cash reserves within three years, the public spending watchdog has said.
Moray, Clackmannanshire and North Ayrshire face running out of spare money for emergencies, the Accounts Commission found.
Overall, the commission said the amount of funds pledged by the Scottish government was down by 7.6 per cent in real terms from 2010-11.
In 2016-17, a total of 19 councils used cash for their revenue reserves - up from the eight authorities that did this in 2015-16.

Norfolk County Council’s Policy and Resources Committee has been notified of a proposal to build a new gas-fired power station near King’s Lynn.

Buses in Lancashire are to get major improvements as the county council awards contracts for new services due to start in December.
The council’s new administration has agreed to make an extra £1 million available to support bus services, increasing the budget from £2 million to £3 million.
Key priorities are to restore lost links between communities, increase the frequency of services on routes where there is more demand, and stabilise the network to support routes which might otherwise disappear.

The Welsh Business Secretary has launched the government’s Industrial Strategy, which sets out a long-term vision for how Britain can build on its economic strengths.