If the government does not act urgently to halt drastic funding cuts, local authorities could see 340 public libraries close in the next five years.
The Chartered Institute of Librarians and Information Professionals (Cilip) has warned that those predicted figures equal the number of closures witnessed by the sector over the past eight years.

Beating 26 other finalists, Blackburn town centre has beaten hundreds of high streets across the country to be named Britain’s best.
Blackburn has reinvented itself over recent years with the council investing £9 million in its heritage buildings, and will now receive the £10,000 grand prize for winning the Best High Street award.

A new report argues that more needs to be done to build business confidence in the north following a year of increasing uncertainty.

Decades of employment failure is turning the West Midlands into Britain’s biggest employment blacks, a report claims.

The Local Government Association has urged the government to reverse the planned £600 million funding cut to the the education services grant.

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) has approved almost £100 million funding for a city centre development in Coventry.
The much anticipated City Centre South scheme includes a major retail, residential and leisure scheme, with a top name anchor store, new homes and a cinema.
Cllr Izzi Seccombe, finance and investment lead on the WMCA Board approved a grant of up to £98.8 million for the project, which was first discussed in 2011.

A public flood information centre in the Kirkstall area of Leeds is to open to provide advice and support to those at risk of flooding.

Councils in England and Wales could be given power to increase council taxes to fund the social care system, it has been reported.
Since 2010, local councils have suffered more than a 40 per cent reduction in government grants, leaving a social care funding gap that leaves the system vulnerable to ‘topple at any moment’.
Care homes, nursing homes and support provided to people in their own homes are all funded through social care investment which protects the physical and mental health of the elderly and those with disabilities.

Property website Rightmove has warned that prices for properties in the UK will rise by two per cent in 2017.

The Fire Brigades Union have warned that budget cuts are beginning to slowly undermine the effectiveness of fire services in England and Wales.