The government has announced England's first-ever heat network zones, supporting businesses and building owners to benefit from low-cost, low-carbon heating.

The government has announced £500 million of funding for the Affordable Homes Programme to deliver up to 5,000 new affordable homes.
At the same time, social housing stock will be increased through a new 5-year social housing rent settlement that will give the sector more long-term certainty on funding. Current stock will also be protected by reducing Right to Buy discounts.

New analysis from the Local Government Association (LGA) has revealed that the future of council housing finances hangs in the balance with rising costs and increasing pressures pushing budgets to the brink.
The research was commissioned by the LGA, the National Federation of ALMOs and Association of Retained Council Housing and carried out by Savills. It explores the cumulative impact of historic and proposed government policies and wider economic factors on the viability of council Housing Revenue Accounts (HRAs).

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has launched a new Leaders' Council, which aims to give local government a voice at the heart of government.
The Council will bring together local government leaders and ministers to tackle shared problems and deliver for the communities they all serve.
It is hoped that members will learn about innovations that councils are pioneering.
Launching the Council at the Local Government Association Conference, Rayner said: "The Leaders’ Council will be critical for co-designing policy at the highest levels.

Four leading local government associations have joined together to urge the new government to address the critical funding challenges facing local authorities.
The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning & Transport (ADEPT), the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS), the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), and the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH) represent senior leaders across place services, children’s services, adult social services and public health.

London Councils has published a new report, which reveals that London boroughs collectively spent £114 million a month on temporary accommodation for homeless Londoners in the 2023-24 financial year. This is equivalent to £4 million a day.
The 'London’s Homelessness Emergency' report also reveals that boroughs’ spending on temporary accommodation jumped by 68 per cent in just one year.
The report highlights that homelessness in the capital is at record levels and that the current situation is “utterly unsustainable”.

A new data bill has been introduced to parliament.
The Data Use and Access Bill aims to harness the power of data to boost the UK economy by £10 billion, and free up millions of police and NHS staff hours.
The Bill is designed to unlock the secure and effective use of data for the public interest, without adding pressures to the country’s finances.
It will also help to deliver three of the government's five missions: kickstarting economic growth; taking back our streets; and building an NHS fit for the future.

Guidance on Civil Servant office attendance will remain the same, with most civil servants expected to spend at least 60 per cent of their time at a Government building or on official business, such as visiting stakeholders.

The government has published its response to the Competition and Market’s Authority’s (CMA) housebuilding study.
Earlier this year, the CMA made 11 recommendations highlighting ongoing issues in the housebuilding market.
The government has accepted the recommendations to bring forward a new consumer code for housebuilders and a New Homes Ombudsman service which will empower homeowners to rightly challenge developers for any quality issues they face in their home.

Winners of a £1.4 million competition to transform the transport sector have been announced by the Department for Transport.