New research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies has suggested that council funding reform may mean big winners and losers in local councils.
The Business Rates Retention Scheme currently allows local areas in England to keep up to 50 per cent of the growth in their business rates revenues that result from new developments.

Campaign group We Own It is calling on MPs to ‘take control of our buses’ by opposing the government ban on new public bus companies.
The group has called on bus passengers to take 'bus selfies' and explain why they want public ownership to be an option for local authorities.
Recent polls emphasised that 57 per cent of the British public think local authorities should be allowed to set up new public bus companies, with only 22 per cent opposing the notion.

The NSPCC has joined forces with three London boroughs to raise awareness of the signs of child neglect and where to find help.

21 organisations representing the solar industry have argued that the industry needs certainty to invest.

A community energy scheme in Merthyr, Wales, which will use profits to enhance a local park has been officially opened.
The 100kw Taff Bargoed Park hydropower scheme is situated in Parc Taf Bargoed in Merthyr and is run by the Friends of Taff Bargoed Park Group.
The scheme will generate 480MWh of energy per year and the income produced will be invested back into the park to improve the facilities, support a park warden and make environmental improvements for the benefit the whole community.

Nursery providers have warned that increased demand for a new free 30-hour childcare scheme will mean many nurseries are likely to ‘go bust’.
Currently, parents are able to claim free childcare for three and four-year-olds through a pilot scheme, which has encouraged take-up rates of over 80 per cent.
Despite the government investing a ‘record £6 billion in childcare’, nurseries say that rising staff costs and inflation will force many providers to close as the funding will not be sufficient enough.

The government has approved the expansion of Heathrow airport, to include a third runway, in order to expand the UK’s airport capacity.

Isle of Wight Council has decided to go ahead with a plan for a joint Solent authority which could secure £900 million in government grants, after previously voting against the move.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has announced that ‘several hundred’ more children are due to arrive in Britain following the dismantlement of Calais’s ‘Jungle’ camp.

The government is set to review fixed odds betting terminals (FOBT), machines which are common on high streets, and take a closer look at children’s access to gambling.