The real opportunities from second-hand marketplaces have yet to be unlocked
By Kim Faura, Joint Managing Director at Gumtree The circular economy is often talked about in relation to tackling climate change, but in 2025 it has become an economic solution too. The second-hand market is now performing a vital function in helping households stay afloat: keeping essential goods affordable and opening up new ways to […]
Local Authorities Need a 4% Funding Rise Or Risk Going Backwards
Councillor Stephen Conway, Leader of Wokingham Borough Council On the 17th December we should hear about the long-awaited provisional Local Government Funding Settlement. The future doesn’t look good for local authorities like mine in Wokingham. For the last decade we have done things right, we have grown our council tax base, built housing, and […]
Why getting the Employment Rights Bill Right for both Workers and Businesses Matters
By Niki Turner-Harding, Senior Vice President & Country Head, Adecco UK & Ireland The Employment Rights Bill presents an opportunity to strengthen protections for workers. It also carries risks that must be addressed to safeguard jobs, investment, and operational viability across sectors. If we don’t strike the right balance, the practical implications for agencies, businesses […]
Ending the postcode lottery for Britain’s military children
By Louise Fetigan, Founder of Little Troopers Over the past year, the government has set out clear ambitions to improve opportunities and wellbeing for young people – from expanding Mental Health Support Teams to renewed commitments to tackling inequality in education. Yet one group remains largely absent from this national conversation: the over 74,000 children […]
MDU warns Chancellor clinical negligence system ‘not fit for purpose’
Ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, the Medical Defence Union (MDU) has issued an open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging her to take decisive action to tackle the soaring legal costs of clinical negligence claims. In the last year alone, the NHS spent more than £800 million on legal fees relating to clinical negligence […]
Northern Ireland RE curriculum is ‘indoctrination’ – Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of a non-religious father and his child that the exclusively Christian teaching of Religious Education (RE) and collective worship in Northern Ireland are ‘indoctrination’. Alongside mandatory Christian collective worship and a ‘stigmatising’ right of withdrawal, this is therefore discriminatory under human rights law. This ruling will have wide-ranging […]
The Curriculum and Assessment Review: Making Outdoor Learning a Right for Every Young Person
by James Blake, Chief Executive of YHA (Youth Hostels Association). The Curriculum and Assessment Review recognises something many of us have long understood: education extends far beyond the classroom. So the government’s recent commitment to institute a new entitlement to enrichment activities for pupils – including access to nature, outdoor and adventure activities – is […]
AI therapy is no fix for Britain’s mental health crisis
By Ross Elliott, CEO of Chrysalis, the UK’s largest counsellor and therapist training provider. It is no secret that the UK economy needs more people in work to generate the economic growth the country and the government urgently require. The Mayfield Review: Keep Britain Working made one point unmistakably clear: getting people into work, and […]
The Power of Specialist Further Education: Why it’s an essential part of an inclusive system
By Clare Howard, CEO of Natspec. Conversations about special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) tend to focus on schools, too often leaving further education (FE) overlooked. This year, from Monday 1st to Friday 5th December, The Power of Specialist FE awareness week seeks to change that by celebrating the transformative work of specialist FE […]
Seven Assisted Dying Bill opponents table 587 amendments between them
Today, members of the House of Lords will debate the Terminally Ill Adults Bill for the first sitting of Committee Stage. Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Baroness Grey-Thompson, Lord Carlile of Berriew, Baroness Coffey, Lord Goodman of Wycombe, Lord Moylan, and Lord Sandhurst, all opponents of the Assisted Dying Bill, have together tabled 587 amendments to […]
