Prime minister and Welsh first minister commit to homegrown clean energy

21 August 2024
Prime minister and Welsh first minister commit to homegrown clean energy
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Welsh first minister Eluned Morgan have met for the first time in their new roles.
Over a two-day visit, the pair visited a wind farm in west Wales, where they committed to cooperation to unleash the benefits of a publicly owned energy company.
Starmer also pledged to build on work already done by the Welsh Government to establish a publicly owned energy company.
Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru was built from scratch in a year. It is on course to produce 1 GW of clean energy by 2040 – enough to power up to a million homes in Wales.
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Carer Support Payment extended in Scotland

21 August 2024
Carer Support Payment extended in Scotland
The Scottish Carer Support Payment is now available in seven more council areas.
The replacement for Carer's Allowance, is now available in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Fife, Moray and North, East and South Ayrshire.
The extension comes after pilots in Perth & Kinross, Dundee City, Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles), Angus and North and South Lanarkshire.
It is set to be available across all of Scotland from 4 November.
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Lancaster City Council and partners sign up to strategic partnership

20 August 2024
Lancaster City Council and partners sign up to strategic partnership
Nine organisations from across the Lancaster district have pledged to work together more closely to improve the lives of the local community with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.
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Shaking hands.

Barnsley road to close to cars to improve active travel

19 August 2024
Barnsley road to close to cars to improve active travel
Barnsley Council has made an order to stop motor vehicles driving along a section of Fitzwilliam Road in a bid to improve active travel routes.
Cars, vans and lorries will be prevented from driving down the road as part of a plan to support cyclists and people walking in the town.
The council's A635 ‘Active Travel Scheme’ was signed off by the council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority in September 2022.
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LGA update on virtually attending council meetings

19 August 2024
LGA update on virtually attending council meetings
The LGA has responded to news that the Government is considering making changes to how councillors can attend meetings virtually.
Cllr Louise Gittens, chair of the Local Government Association, said: “It is encouraging that the new Minister has signalled he is open to looking again at flexibility around virtual attendance at council meetings – something the LGA has been calling for since 2021.
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LGA says councils will struggle when Household Support Fund ends

16 August 2024
LGA says councils will struggle when Household Support Fund ends
The LGA has revealed that 6 in 10 councils will be unable to provide extra local welfare support when the Household Support Fund ends.
The fund helps people struggling to buy food, pay bills and cover other essentials and is due to expire at the end of September.
The LGA says it needs to be extended for at least another six months.
More than four out of five councils expect demand for welfare support to increase over winter, at the same time the fund is due to end.
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LGA to launch local government recruitment campaign

16 August 2024
LGA to launch local government recruitment campaign
The Local Government Association is to launch a national recruitment campaign to encourage people to 'Make a Difference' in their local areas by working for their local council.
The LGA is highlighting opportunities ranging from working with adults and children, to finance, planning and environmental health.
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UK has largest ZEV bus market in Europe

16 August 2024
UK has largest ZEV bus market in Europe
New research from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has found that the UK has the largest ZEV bus market by volume in Europe.
Italy, Germany and France make up the rest of the top four.
New registrations of the latest, greenest buses were up by a third (36.3 per cent) to 424 units during Q2 2024.
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