The Transport Committee has warned that the UK’s rail franchising model is ‘no longer fit for purpose’ and is failing passengers.

Figures collated from a freedom of information request (FoI) submitted by the BBC, have shown that nearly 400 reminders have been sent to councillors in arrears.

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on the government to grant councils powers to direct academy schools to take in ‘hard to place' students, including those excluded from other schools.

Swindon Borough Council has agreed to sell its share of Thamesdown Transport Limited to the private company Go South Coast.
The council said that the decision was made to ensure that it had a ’sustainable future’, having been one of the few local authorities in the country to still own a local bus company. Following a competitive process, Go South Coast’s bid was assessed as offering the best value to the council, which wholly owns the company.

Caerphilly, Newport, Torfaen and Bridgend councils have given their backing to the proposed £1.2 billion Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) City Deal.
All local authorities in favour of the deal are expected to meet before 10 February 2017 to vote on the plans, and approve a commitment by the group to borrow a combined total of £120 million as part of the CCR City Deal Wider Investment Fund.
The ten local authorities are Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen, and Vale of Glamorgan.

Cuts in disability benefits should be delayed until clarification is given on how it will support those in need of extra money, MPs urge.

Children’s charity Barnardo’s has revealed a rise of 78 per cent in recorded reports of child-on-child sex offences in England and Wales.
Police figures have revealed that the number of alleged offences reported to police forces in England and Wales rose from 5,215 in 2013 to 9,290 in 2016, with a total of 32,452 reports of alleged sexual offences by children on other children over the four year period – an average of more than 22 every day.

The latest recipients of the Local Growth Fund have been revealed in London, the South East and East of England.

The government has announced that it delivered £1.2 billion of operational savings and £2.1 billion of benefits last year.

The government has published its White Paper setting out its 12 principles detailing policies for the UK’s exit ‘and new partnership’ with the EU.