More than 60 employers are working with the government to tackle ill-health that is keeping people out of work.
The project has been developed in response to Sir Charlie Mayfield’s Keep Britain Working Review which found that one in five working-age adults are now out of the labour force. This is 800,000 more than in 2019 due to the health reasons.
According to figures, the cost of ill-health that prevents work is equal to 7 per cent of GDP.

A new pilot with Shelter and five major UK banks is enabling people at risk of homelessness to open bank accounts.
This will allow shelter to support people without a fixed address, which is a major barrier that stops people being able to get paid work.
Shelter already had a partnership with HSBC, which has helped over 7000 people. Lloyds, NatWest, Barclays, Nationwide and Santander have now joined.
It can be difficult to open a bank account with no fixed address, and even more difficult to find a job or a home without a bank account.

The government has committed to tackling childhood obesity, as new figures reveal that 10.5 per cent of children in reception and 22.2 per cent of year 6 children are living with obesity.
The figures cover data from over 1.1 million children measured across state-maintained schools in England during the academic year 2024/25 (before the government’s current public health interventions came into effect).
Excluding the pandemic peak, this is the highest obesity prevalence seen in reception since measurements began in 2006 to 2007.

A new law has been proposed to better protect public office holders from harassment and intimidation.
The changes set out in the Crime and Policing Bill, propose restricting protests outside the homes of MPs, peers and local councillors.
The police will be given strengthened powers to stop this form of intimidation and abuse.

The Scottish Government has announced more support for services to help people struggling with energy bill debt.
Services have been expanded after receiving almost £1 million of additional funding.
£944,000 has been allocated equally between Citizens Advice Scotland, StepChange Debt Charity and Advice Direct Scotland.
The services will now provide money and debt advice to customers, increase capacity through additional training for staff, and enhance engagement with energy suppliers to facilitate fairer and more sustainable debt solutions for customers.

Wales's £1 bus fare pilot is to be extended to all 5 to 15-year-olds.
The scheme was launched in September for 16 to 21-year-olds. Since then, a quarter of a million journeys have been made by young people taking advantage of the cheaper fares.
The scheme offers single tickets for £1 and day tickets for £3.
The scheme provides children and young people easier access to education and leisure and also supports the Welsh Government’s efforts to encourage more people to use public transport, reduce carbon emissions and tackle poverty.

The government has set out changes for how public institutions recruit board members.
The changes will make the process quicker and more efficient, with the aim of securing the best possible talent.
The rules will apply to organisations like Ofcom, National Highways, the Civil Aviation Authority and the British Museum.
The old system saw only 13 per cent of hiring campaigns completed within three months in 2023-24.

It has been announced that the winning Town of Culture will receive £3.5 million to deliver a cultural programme in 2028.
The UK Town of Culture competition will be targeted at small and medium sized towns.
Shortlisted towns will receive £60,000 to help deliver their full bids for the competition.
Applications will be judged on the story of the town, how the town will design and cultural programme for everyone and how they will deliver it.

The government has announced a £55 billion R&D funding boost for science and tech breakthroughs that improve lives, create jobs and grow the economy.
DSIT has confirmed long-term R&D funding for the UK’s research agencies and bodies.
Research shows that every £1 spent delivers £8 in net economic benefits over the long-term and every £1 of public money invested in R&D brings in a further £2 in private investment.