Active Travel England has awarded grants through its £1 million Innovation Fund to 12 projects.

The government has announced two new education programmes that will help children in some of England’s most under-served communities.

The Prime Minister has appointed two new advisers. Former PM Gordon Brown has been appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation and Harriet Harman takes on the role of the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Women and Girls.

With almost half of councils declared, the results are coming in for local elections across England.

ICO has said that FOI practitioners are talking about the growing impact of AI on their work

Local council and mayoral elections are taking place in England, while voters in Scotland and Wales will elect representatives to their national parliaments.

EdTech charity LGfL has launched an enhanced National Free School Meal (FSM) Eligibility Checker to break down the digital and administrative barriers that prevent hundreds of thousands of eligible children from accessing Free School Meals.
Despite being entitled to support, an estimated 250,000 eligible pupils in England are not currently registered.  With 18% of children living in food-insecure households, the need to simplify access to Free School Meals is more urgent than ever.

The University of Cambridge’s mission on AI, ai@cam, has announced six projects for its inaugural Local Government AI Accelerator.
The programme establishes a new model for how universities and government can work together to advance AI innovation in public services.
The Accelerator is funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

The government has announced a further £1 million for Jewish communities across England to tackle antisemitism and strengthen community cohesion.
An immediate £500,000 will be given to Barnet Council, as a result of recent antisemitic incidents in the area and the large number of Jewish residents there.
The funding will expand MHCLG’s Common Ground programme to power local efforts to counter antisemitism, support safer communities and respond to rising tensions in those towns and cities where our Jewish communities are most fearful and concerned.