A fund for groups of farmers and organisations to bid for cash for large-scale environmental projects in their area opens in September.
The fund, which is the third round of the Countryside Stewardship Facilitate Fund, encourages landowners to think beyond their own fields, meadows and woodlands, and consider how environmental benefits can be achieved over a wider landscape by working on projects together.

Offsite manufactured homes (OSM) may be the answer to London’s housing crisis, the London Assembly Planning Committee has suggested.
In a new report, Designed, sealed, delivered: The contribution of offsite manufactured homes to solving London’s housing crisis, the London Assembly Planning Committee reveal that London needs 50,000 new homes a year to meet its growing needs.
An innovative approach is vital to reach this target, the Planning Committee argue.

Sadiq Khan has announced £300,000 funding for a new outreach team to help homeless people sleeping rough on London’s public transport.

Local taxpayers will be forced to spend £1 billion covering the cost of planning applications by 2022, the LGA has warned.

90 per cent of 101 members of Parliament do not believe the social care system is fit for purpose, a new poll suggests.
A survey, carried out by older people’s charity Independent Age, found that only 10 per cent of English MPs believe the current social care system is suitable for the UK’s ageing population.
It also showed that only 13 per cent of Labour MPs and 35 per cent of Conservative MPs believe social care services in their constituencies are fit for purpose.

£120 million of debt finance and small business loans has been launched by British Business Bank as part of a wider £250 million MEIF.

A pioneering scheme to make young drivers safer on the roads has been shortlisted for two national awards.
Northamptonshire County Council’s CarKraft scheme, which has helped over 10,000 young drivers, has been shortlisted for two national road safety awards in recognition of its commitment to improving road safety skills for young people.
The county council’s CarKraft project has been chosen as a finalist in the 2017 Road Safety Scheme of the Year at the Highways Awards, and the Vulnerable Road Users Safety category at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

Six more Operation Watershed applications have been approved to help West Sussex communities prepare themselves against flooding.
West Sussex County Council announced awards totalling £67,343.40 were being made, including £50,000 towards an ‘island defence’ flood alleviation scheme, £2,800 t help protect a 12th century church and £2,733 towards a school’s drainage investigation works.
Operation Watershed is a county council fund set up to assist communities who want to make their areas more resilient against the threat of flooding.

The Mayor of London has encouraged community groups to apply for his £1 million Greener City Fund.

Construction hoardings will soon be put in place in the main reception area of Derby's Council House.