New research by the Institute for Public Policy Research has highlighted the challenges of gender equality in local government.

The government should roll out devolution deals nationally to help tackle the wide variation in regional productivity and boost local growth.
Fostering More Industrious Places – Getting the devolution revolution back on track, published by EEF, argues that England-wide devolution is key to the government’s policy on place as part of the industrial strategy. This would close the productivity gap between London and the South East and other regions, ensuring better alignment between national policy and local opportunities and challenges.

New government research has revealed that more than two thirds of companies say their directors have no training in responding to cyber attacks.
The Cyber Governance Health Check found that one in 10 of the 105 businesses in the FTSE 350 questioned have no plan to cope with hacking, despite 54 per cent of company boards listing computer hacking as one of the main threats to their business. A worrying 68 per cent have no specific training to deal with a hacking incident.

Five local authorities are to combine adoption services to increase the number of children being adopted and improve the experience of adopters.

The ICO has fined Islington Council £70,000 for failing to keep up to 89,000 people’s information secure on its parking ticket system website.

The Labour leader has written to Theresa May to express his concerns over the Grenfell fire inquiry.

Salford City Council is to decide whether to make funds available for fire safety works to nine council-owned tower blocks in Pendleton.
A council meeting on 23 August will determine whether the council uses its borrowing powers to provide a temporary cash flow of up to £25 million to improve the safety of its tower blocks.
John Merry, Deputy City Mayor, said: “We will not allow the lack of immediate funding to become a barrier to undertaking further essential fire safety works on the Pendleton tower blocks.

The average new home in England will have to last 2,000 years if the slow rate of house building and replacement continues, the LGA has warned.

The Environment Agency has improved its flood warning systems across West Yorkshire, now including four new communities near Meanwood Beck, Leeds.
The improved service uses new modelling data to help communities be better prepared for flooding.