Category: News Story

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The Government has announced £79 million for tree planting and locally led environmental projects across England. The funding is intended to help communities restore natural habitats and prepare for climate risks including flooding and extreme heat.

A £53 million Community Trees Fund will support the planting of up to 500,000 trees between April 2027 and March 2030. The trees will be planted outside established woodlands, including in streets, parks and rural areas, with local authorities, strategic authorities, environmental organisations, farm clusters and national park authorities eligible to participate.

A further £26 million will support Local Nature Recovery Strategies being delivered by 48 responsible authorities. These plans identify local environmental priorities including wetland restoration, improving rivers and using vegetation to reduce the effects of flooding and heatwaves. Further details about applications to the trees fund will be announced later.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has used his first Labour Party conference speech as leader to set out proposals covering social care, pensions, electoral reform, public utilities and the UK’s relationship with the European Union. Speaking in Liverpool, Burnham called for a break with “politics as usual” and said Brexit had caused more harm than benefit to the country.

Burnham confirmed that the state pension triple lock would remain in place during the current Parliament. However, a Labour Government elected for a further term would replace it from April 2030 with a guarantee based on inflation or 2.5 per cent, while continuing to protect the value of the pension in relation to average earnings. He said the resulting savings would help fund a National Care Service providing support free at the point of use.

The Prime Minister also announced a national commission on electoral reform, with a commitment to include a change to the voting system in Labour’s next manifesto. He said the Government would examine options for a new long term relationship with the European Union, alongside forthcoming legislation on leasehold reform and the water industry. Burnham also announced plans for GB Grid to compete with privately owned electricity network companies and proposed an international code governing artificial intelligence.

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Chancellor John Healey has announced a package intended to create or support 130,000 jobs by 2030, expand local apprenticeship services and restore the Union Learning Fund. The Government said the measures would connect more young people with employers and help workers develop new skills.

The National Wealth Fund will support employment across sectors including artificial intelligence, defence and clean energy. A further £100 million over two years will extend apprenticeship brokerage services to all 14 existing Mayoral Strategic Authorities with directly elected mayors from spring 2027.

The Government will also provide £15 million annually to restore the Union Learning Fund in England, with access available to employees regardless of union membership. Rolls-Royce separately announced £300 million of investment in engineering and manufacturing facilities in Derby, Bristol, Inchinnan and Rotherham.

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The UK has told the United Nations Security Council that it intends to legislate to prohibit imports from illegal Israeli settlements and introduce sanctions against people and organisations which finance, support or facilitate settlement activity. Ambassador Kate Foster, the UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, said that the measures were being developed with international partners to protect the viability of a two state solution.

Foster criticised the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and called for the proposed E1 development not to proceed, arguing that it would separate East Jerusalem from the West Bank. She also called on the Israeli Government to prevent settler violence and ensure that those responsible were held accountable. The UK urged Israel to release clearance revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority, provide sustainable banking arrangements and ease restrictions affecting movement, trade and employment.

Turning to Gaza, Foster said that the UK remained committed to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803 and the 20 Point Peace Plan. She called for Hamas to surrender its weapons, dismantle its infrastructure and relinquish control of Gaza. The UK has pledged $117 million in humanitarian and early recovery assistance during 2026, while calling on Israel to remove restrictions on humanitarian aid, end the killing in Gaza and withdraw.

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The Government has confirmed that it will introduce amendments to the Social Housing Bill intended to improve access to housing for homeless households. Councils would receive new powers to refer homeless households to private registered providers of social housing, with the aim of strengthening cooperation between councils and housing associations and reducing reliance on temporary accommodation.

The Bill will also require private social housing providers to notify councils and other potential purchasers before selling homes outside the social housing sector. The Government intends to extend the notification period to eight weeks, giving councils and housing providers more time to consider purchasing the properties and retaining them for social housing.

A new Duty to Collaborate would require public services to work more closely together to identify people at risk of becoming homeless and consider what action they can take within their existing responsibilities. The Government said that the measures would support local authorities facing homelessness pressures and complement the £39 billion Social and Affordable Homes Programme, which is intended to increase the supply of social and affordable housing over ten years.

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St Martins Preparatory School Limited in Grimsby has had its restricted public service vehicle operator’s licence suspended for 14 days after a public inquiry identified serious maintenance and compliance failings. The suspension runs from 25 September until 9 October 2026, while the number of vehicles permitted under the licence has been reduced from two to one until further notice.

Deputy Traffic Commissioner Gerallt Evans found that the operator had failed to inspect its vehicles at the declared intervals, maintain proper records and meet undertakings concerning drivers’ hours. The inquiry also considered a March 2025 MoT failure involving a school minibus with a tyre cut through to the cord. Evans concluded that the directors had delegated responsibility for compliance to members of staff who lacked the necessary qualifications and resources.

The commissioner acknowledged that vehicles had been withdrawn from service, staff had received some training and the operator had cooperated with the latest investigation. However, he concluded that the negative features significantly outweighed those improvements and said the licence had avoided revocation by the narrowest margin. The operator must now appoint a clearly identified person responsible for the licence and arrange an independent audit of its transport safety and compliance systems in March 2027.

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Around 2,000 protesters blocked an Orange Order parade from passing along the predominantly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown on Sunday, despite the procession having received legal approval. Members of Portadown District Loyal Orange Lodge No 1 assembled at Drumcree Church but were unable to complete the disputed section of the route. Orange Order members remained at Drumcree on Monday morning as political and community representatives sought a resolution.

The Parades Commission had permitted the procession to use Garvaghy Road for the first time since 1998. A judge temporarily suspended that decision on Saturday, but the restriction was overturned during an early morning court hearing which concluded shortly after 2am on Sunday. The Drumcree parade became one of Northern Ireland’s most contentious disputes during the 1990s, with nationalist residents opposing an Orange Order procession through their area.

First Minister Michelle O’Neill and Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald joined protesters on Garvaghy Road, while DUP leader Gavin Robinson expressed support for the Orange Order and said that the legal decision should be respected. Northern Ireland Secretary Sir Chris Bryant appealed for calm and compromise. The PSNI said that its operation had prevented violence and disorder, although evidence was being gathered to identify any offences. Protesters dispersed after midnight after being told that a process would begin to address the dispute, with further talks expected on Monday.

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Darren Anderson, who falsely presented himself as a doctor and aristocrat while operating under several aliases, has been jailed for four years following a series of fraud and theft offences. Anderson, of Gamston in Nottinghamshire, was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court after businesses and individuals suffered estimated losses of £205,455 through his activities across 13 companies during 2022 and 2023. He was also disqualified from acting as a company director for a further 15 years.

The court heard that Anderson made 106 unauthorised direct debit payments worth £79,488 using the bank details of a debt recovery company. His other activities included leaving more than £46,000 in unpaid rent on a hairdressing salon, failing to pay for £15,000 of equipment and leaving a manager with £600 in unpaid wages. He also provided false evidence of payments, submitted inaccurate company accounts and left debts of more than £27,000 after renting a cottage in Derbyshire, from which he later stole furnishings.

Anderson had previously been disqualified as a company director under the names Miles Prestland-Windsor and Timothy Ahlbeck, but continued controlling companies while banned. The Insolvency Service said he had seven previous convictions covering 41 dishonesty offences since 2002 and had used fictitious employees and senior managers to make his businesses appear more credible. The agency is now seeking to recover fraudulently obtained funds under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

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Councils in England will be able to intervene after a home has stood empty for six months under reforms to Empty Dwelling Management Orders. The present qualifying period is two years, meaning local authorities will be permitted to act eighteen months sooner when a property has been left unused.

An order allows a council to take over the management of a privately owned empty home and return it to occupation for up to seven years, while the owner retains ownership. The application process will also be simplified by removing requirements to provide evidence about matters including antisocial behaviour and community support for intervention.

The Government says the changes will help prevent vacant properties falling into serious disrepair and make better use of existing housing. Ministers are considering additional reforms after figures cited by the Government showed that around 300,000 homes have been empty for the long term, although the effectiveness of the policy will depend on councils making greater use of the orders.

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The Government has announced a new equity loan scheme intended to help first time buyers in England purchase newly built homes with deposits of 2.5 per cent. Your First Home is expected to provide a Government backed equity loan worth 20 per cent of the property value, reducing the size of the conventional mortgage required.

The equity loan will include an initial interest free period and will be available only on homes sold by participating developers. Ministers say the scheme will be targeted through household income limits and local property price caps, while developers will be expected to contribute towards its costs.

Chancellor John Healey will confirm the full terms, cost and implementation timetable in the Budget on 28 October. The Government says registration will open by the end of 2026 and argues that the scheme will address the deposit barrier while supporting demand for new homes during a difficult period for housebuilders.