Public sector net borrowing increased by £2 billion to £6.9 billion in June 2017 compared to June 2016, new figures show.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that for the financial year to date, borrowing is up £1.9 billion to £22.8 billion, compared with the same period in 2016.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) forecast that public sector net borrowing (excluding public sector banks) will be £58.3 billion during the financial year ending March 2018.

A £13 million fund to increase England’s woodland has been confirmed by the Forestry Minister.
The fund, part of the Countryside Stewardship scheme, will help landowners to plant more trees to protect wildlife, boost the timber sector and reduce flood risk. It will help plant more than 3 million trees, creating 1,900 hectares of new woodland and contributing to the government’s ambition to plant 11 million trees, with a further one million in towns and cities.

The Environment Agency and Northumberland County Council’s multi-million pound flood scheme in Morpeth is complete.
Work to construct Cotting Burn dam was the final part of work on the joint Environment Agency and Northumberland County Council flood alleviation scheme.
The dam works alongside other flood protection measures to reduce flood risk to around 1,000 properties in Morpeth.

Cities across the North, Midlands and Wales must take the lead to attract a greater share of the private sector investment, a new report says.

Manchester is set to lead a new European Commission-funded project to help cities create a healthier urban environment.
Grow Green is a five-year project which helps cities create high-quality green spaces at the heart of local communities. It will demonstrate how ‘greening’ can help manage the risks of climate change, improve health outcomes and ensure protection and improvement for the natural environment, while they continue to develop and grow.

Sadiq Khan has released a report which invalidates the myth that London receives more than the rest of the country for transport.

Over half of older people with care needs have unmet needs, a new report has found.
The report, conducted by Ipsos MORI and partners, highlights the experiences of unmet need for care among older people living in their own homes. It comes as an increasingly ageing population and cuts to budgets place pressure on services.

The Communities Secretary has announced £15 million grants to local councils to help ‘ease the pressures’ on local services.
Sajid Javid has announced grants totalling £15 million will be given to local councils to help with local services such as housing, schooling and health services resulting from recent migration.
The grants are the first allocations from the Controlling Migration Fund (CMF) launched in November 2016, which allows local authorities in England to bid for funding totalling £100 million over four years from 2016 to 2017, to 2019 to 2020.

Work to transform Congleton town centre with a new public realm scheme will begin soon.
The work will see improved street lighting, new street furniture installed, and ornamental planting and fresh paving laid, as well as an enhanced town centre environment with road junction improvements in key locations.
Cheshire East Council’s highways teams are to start the works on or after Monday 24 July and will last five months. Careful planning will be put in place to minimise disruption and reduce any impact on businesses.

Vulnerable adults are being ‘let down’ by care providers who are not going through the proper processes, a new report has found.
The new report, published by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, outlines concerns about the way some of the most vulnerable people in society are being treated when decisions are being made on behalf of them.