The government has set out an ambitious plan to create a generation of non-smokers in the next few decades.
Health officials estimate that, despite smoking rates in England the lowest level since records began, smoking currently kills 200 people a day in England.

The government needs to introduce incentives for purchasing electric cars to address the air quality crisis in the UK’s regional cities.

The Unite union has announced that Birmingham City Council’s refuse workers will further their industrial action through August until 1 September.
The union has accused the council of ‘playing games’ and being more interested in ‘conflict’ than finding a negotiated settlement.
The conflict has arisen as a result of plans to axe 121 waste collection jobs in the region, with Unite arguing that the council has now begun issuing redundancy notices to Birmingham’s refuse workers.

Amber Rudd has announced plans to consult on new offences to toughen up knife crime laws, to restrict the online sale of knives.
Proposed measures to stop under 18s being able to purchase knives will mean anyone who buys a knife online will be required to collect it in person, with retailers responsible for checking the age of all buyers, making it harder for underage sales to go undetected.
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show that there was a 14 per cent increase in knife crime offences for the year ending December 2016 on the previous year.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has unveiled a new scheme to assist councils in tackling local housing challenges.
The Housing Advisers Programme is being made available to councils undertaking specific housing projects that helps councils generate savings or revenues, and reduces homelessness.

To mark Love Parks Week, green charity Keep Britain Tidy have announced the latest winners of the Green Flag Awards.
With research suggesting that the public only visit a park if they perceive it to be clean and safe, the Green Flag Award is an easy way for them to see at a glance that their park meets the highest standards.

If current housing trends are maintained, fertility may fall even further, a new report warns.
The Adam Smith Institute has published a new report which argues that high house prices prevent a generation of people from having children and delay people starting a family until later in life.
The report shows that although rising house prices increase fertility amongst existing homeowners, they have negative effects amongst renters.

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has said that public sector workers are thousands of pounds a year worse off than they were in 2010.
The TUC has said that with inflation outpacing the government’s one per cent limit on pay rises for state employees, real wages are being eroded.
Prison officers and paramedics were more than £3,800 a year poorer, the TUC states. However, the chancellor has said state sector workers get a 10 per cent premium over private sector counterparts.