MSPs are set to examine the payments received by election returning officers in Scotland following calls for reform of the system, which sees some highly-paid council chiefs collect extra substantial sums of payment.

In an interview with the BBC, Chancellor Philip Hammond has said he will focus on spending on new homes and transport, ahead of November’s Autumn Statement.

Newport Council is set to double the amount of council tax on long-term empty homes in the region as part of a wider plan to tackle the issue of vacant properties.

Liverpool City Council has approved plans to sell Grade II listed Municipal buildings as part of the local authority’s attempt to generate £90 million of savings over the next three years.

Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green has said it was pointless to re-test recipients of the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) benefit wage if their illness was such that they had no prospect of recovering.
Thousands of people suffering from long-term sickness claiming ESA will no longer have to undertake regular medical assessments to keep receiving their payments.
Currently, more than two million people receive ESA, which is worth up to £109 per week.

A report conducted by Carers UK has advised that one in 10 unpaid carers who called 999 or took their loved one to A&E did so because they had not been educated on what process to take in key care situations, and because of a lack of local support.

Birmingham City Council has announced it has joined the bidding to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

New research published by the RAC Foundation has indicated that installing average speed cameras on roads can reduce the number of fatal and serious crashes by 36 per cent.

Aberdeenshire Council has elected Alison Evison as its new co-leader, following the so-called Legogate row, in which the former council leader expressed dissatisfaction over his Legoland accommodation.

Plymouth City Council has launched a fraud investigation after pupils have reported seeing the papers for their 11-plus English and Maths exams.