Bristol City Council has launched a city-wide consultation on the future of Bristol’s parks and green spaces.
By April 2019, the council will need to save at least £2.868 million from its budget for day to day parks’ services. This means services will need to run in a very different way, working in partnership with communities to look at income generation opportunities, while also making savings and making services as efficient as possible.
The council is now consulting on a number of proposals for 2018 and 2019 that will help achieve the savings target.

Tenants have been welcomed into the largest new affordable rent scheme to be completed as part of the Liverpool Housing Partnership.

At least 150,000 UK workers are set for a pay rise as the new Living Wage rates rise to £8.75 around the UK, and £10.20 in London.
The UK rate has increased by 30p from £8.45 to £8.75 with the London Living Wage rising by 45p an hour from £9.75 to £10.20 an hour.
This is a 3.6 per cent rise in the UK and 4.6 per cent rise in London.

Empowering counties as strategic authorities to lead local labour strategies could ensure people have the skills to do the jobs of tomorrow, a new report says.

A new rural strategy for Norfolk is to be launched at a special business event at the Green Britain Centre in Swaffham.
Since the original Norfolk Rural Development Strategy was published in 2013, there have been significant changes, which will have major impacts on Norfolk’s rural economy. These include the UK voting to leave the EU, the introduction of the National Living Wage and rapid advances in technology.

Residents across Cornwall can now recycle the majority of plastics as pots, tubs and trays have been added to Cornwall Council recycling services.
Following a successful trial across 46,000 households which saw recycling rates increase, the programme has now been rolled out across the whole of Cornwall in six stages.
By 11 November, all Cornwall households will have had at least one collection of plastic pots, tubs and trays.

Oxford City Council has announced a new Oxford Living Wage rate of £9.69 an hour, which will take effect from April 2018.
The Oxford Living Wage is the minimum wage the council pays its staff and agency workers. The council also requires all contractors with contracts over £100,000 to pay the Oxford Living Wage to their staff and subcontractors.
This requirement means that everyone who has worked on the redevelopment of the Westgate Centre and the new housing development at Barton has been paid at least the Oxford Living Wage.

A homelessness task force has been created by the City of Edinburgh Council to investigate the growing problem in the city.
Chaired by the Homelessness Champion, councillor Kate Campbell, the task force will review the use of bed and breakfast accommodation and explore alternatives that could better meet the needs of individuals and families, with an aim to end the use of bed and breakfast accommodation.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced the next stage of London’s Ultra-Low Emission Zone, to be introduced on 8 April 2019