Nottingham City Council is pledging to stop using single-use plastic over the next four years as part of its new Council Plan.
The local authority has an action plan which includes looking at ways to reduce the use of plastics at events in the city, promoting the use of refill bottles and food containers and replacing recycling bags with wheelie bins. Additionally, local businesses will be encouraged to become a free water refill station.

An approach that has changed the way children’s social care operates in Hertfordshire is set to be adopted by Oxfordshire CC.

Discussions to establish Birmingham as the first officially designated ‘Tree City’ of the UK are being held.

Newcastle City Council has hosted a national conference looking at the future of parks and how councils can protect and develop them.

The NHS will form new partnerships to solve some of the biggest issues facing health and social care over the next five years.

The government has unveiled nearly £4 million of new investment into Grimsby as part of the next phase of its pioneering Town Deal.

Retirement communities have a major role to play in meeting the housing and care needs of our ageing population.

80,000 more children are now studying in good or outstanding sponsored academies, according to new government statistics.
The Department for Education has released new figures which show that there are 380,000 children in England now studying in good and outstanding sponsored academies, up from 300,000 in December 2017.

A comprehensive deposit return scheme for plastic bottles, cans and glass could boost the economy by £2 billion.

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire has launched a review into the quality of local authority audits.
Assessing whether audits, in their current capacity, are spotting warning signs early enough, the government says that the work, to be led by former local authority treasurer Sir Tony Redmond, will examine the effectiveness of local authority financial reporting and audit regime.