A new tool from the Department of Transport shows how well different places are connected to health services, education, shopping, leisure and workplaces. 
It is hoped that as a result, transport projects will be better connected to jobs, shops, schools and healthcare.

A Bill to reform bus services in Wales has been passed by the Senedd.
The Bill is designed to transform the way local bus services are planned and delivered across Wales putting passengers first and giving the public sector a bigger say in how services operate in both rural and urban areas.
the Welsh Government and Transport for Wales will work with local authorities, Corporate Joint Committees, bus operators, unions, and the public and use local knowledge to design and plan services that puts the voice of the passenger at the heart of their local bus network.

Great British Energy has announced £12 million of extra funding for renewable energy in the devolved nations.
The publicly owned company recently announced it would back over 1,000 local and community energy projects over the next five years.
The additional £12 million brings funding up to £21 million, following an initial pledge of £9.3 million for the devolved governments to use for renewable energy schemes and solar panels on public sector buildings.

The Welsh Government has announced an additional £8 million for Universal Primary Free School Meals across Wales over the coming two years.
The additional 20p per meal increases the unit rate set by Welsh Government from £3.20 to £3.40. This means Wales provides the highest rate to primary schools and council catering teams in the UK to provide nutritious free meals to learners.
Wales still also remains the only UK nation to provide Universal Primary Free School Meal to all primary learners.

The government has announced £500 million of investment, as the first National Youth Strategy in 15 years is published.
The plan aims to rebuild youth services over the next decade. 
Youth Matters has been co-produced with more than 14,000 young people across England through a ‘State of the Nation’ survey.
Figures show that local government spending on youth services fell by 73% between 2010/11 and 2022/23, with more than 1,000 youth centres closing and over 4,500 youth worker roles being lost.

The Mayor of London and London councils have announced a new city-wide Ending Homelessness Accelerator Programme to help Londoners at risk of homelessness get the support they need as early as possible.
The programme is backed by £3.5 million secured by City Hall and London Councils from Government.
The programme will bring together more services to better prevent homelessness and get people help when they need it the most.

The National Drought Group has met to discuss preparing for future droughts.
England's drought-hit areas are beginning to heal following recent wet weather. November saw 149% of the long-term average rainfall, which did help drought recovery, but also brought flooding.

The government has announced a £820 million funding package for learning or employment opportunities for young people. 
The funding will create around 350,000 new training or workplace opportunities to young people on Universal Credit to help them develop on the job skills, employer networks, and CV and interview coaching.
In total, 900,000 young people on Universal Credit and looking for work will also benefit from a dedicated work support session, followed by four additional weeks of intensive support.

The government has published it Child Poverty Strategy, promising to lift around 550,000 children out of poverty.
After the announcement of removing the two-child child benefit limit, the new strategy will tackle the root causes of poverty, by cutting the cost of essentials, boosting family incomes, and improving local services so every child has the best start in life.
Research has found that children growing up in poverty do less well in school, are more likely to be unemployed when older and earn less throughout their lifetimes.