Further homes in Leicestershire are to benefit from fibre broadband thanks to project extension, it has been announced.
People living in some of the most rural parts of the area are set to benefit from a further £4.4 million extension of fibre broadband. Areas to benefit include Brooksby, Elmesthorpe, Scalford, among others.
To celebrate the news, the head of the government’s broadband delivery arm, William Priest, visited some of the places expected to benefit.

Bristol City Council has joined authorities across the South West in supporting a new campaign to help care providers.

Manchester’s universities are using technology to cut their carbon emissions, thanks to a new Triangulum project.
The project, funded by the European Commission, allows Manchester City Council, in collaboration with the University of Manchester (UoM) and Manchester Metropolitan University (Manchester Met), to transform their vehicle fleets and make huge energy savings, while demonstrating the power of the new innovations to help create economic growth and generate environmental benefits.

The Secretary of State has planned a return of more powers to Rotherham Council.

The government should reach out to county communities and deliver them a ‘fairer’ deal, a new report says.
The report, A new deal for counties: Our plan for government, which was published by the County Councils Network (CCN), argues that the government should change its relationship with rural England and and address their concerns over funding.
County leaders have demanded that, following the general election, the Conservative government delivers a new and fairer funding package that ensures fairness for residents, but also trusts and empowers them.

The UK’s product safety and recall system is not fit for purpose, and is potentially putting lives at risk, a new report says.
The report, Strengthening the consumer product safety regime, published by Which? holds a lack of joined-up national oversight and action responsible for the ‘fragmented’ system.
It highlights a number of problems created by a localised system, which has no single source of information on product recalls for consumers and uses an ineffective local solution to tackle what is a national problem.

Oxford City Council is set to install new signs on all 11 roads leading into the city centre, proclaiming Oxford as a cycling city.
The council’s recently-published draft Vision 2050 set out plans to create accessible cycling routes across the city to help tackle congestion and reduce air pollution. The new signs are reported as he first time a UK city has installed cycling city signs.