Vessels will soon use future fuels and plug into shipping ‘chargeports’ as part of UK’s new goals for shipping operators to reach net zero by 2050, part of the Government’s Plan for Change to make the UK a clean energy superpower. Worst polluting vessels will decarbonise first as Government sets out new plans to deliver energy security and build a clean maritime future. News comes ahead of the UN’s maritime meeting where the UK mission will push for global greenhouse gas reductions across the industry.

£1.6 billion investment to tackle scourge of potholes to be delivered to councils from next month as PM tells councils to put cash to use. For the first time, councils in Yorkshire and the Humber must publish how many potholes they’ve filled to unlock their full pothole cash Local authorities that comply will receive their full share of the roads pot. Government also announces £4.8bn across the country, to maintain motorways and deliver economy boosting road schemes including the A63 Castle Street in Hull

Debt Awareness Week (24th-30th March) is an important opportunity to highlight the financial struggles many people face and the stigma that prevents them from seeking help. This year the theme of Debt Awareness Week is stigma and shame.

Ilkley, West Yorkshire has been named the best place to live in the north and northeast in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide. The Sunday Times judges said: “Our national winner in 2022 is back and proof that you can’t keep a good town down.

Yorkshire Water is about to embark on its largest infrastructure investment of the last 20 years, tackling poor performing assets, as it starts a five-year plan to replace more than 1000km of water mains.

37% of 18-24 year olds had at least one near miss in 2024. 35% of drivers in Northern Ireland were almost involved in a crash. Roundabouts, traffic lights and car parks amongst common places where collisions nearly happen. “Concentration on roundabouts and at junctions is especially important,” advises MD for AA Accident Assist.

A significant number of UK adults are put off from having important financial conversations with their partners in fear of sparking arguments. New research by Columbia Threadneedle, a leading global asset manager, providing a range of savings plans, found discussions about investments are most likely to be avoided.

Commenting on the Green Paper’s plans for social security reform announced by the government today (Tuesday), TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “During 14 years of Tory failure, too many people were written off.

Overhaul British society to fix welfare state and make claimants “work ready”. Government must tackle “opt-out” work culture. Up to £13 billion savings and tax receipts in this Parliament

{2@TheLawSociety1}The 200th anniversary of the Law Society of England and Wales marks an occasion to celebrate but also to reflect on the continued erosion of legal aid, our recent wins and the urgent need for sustainability. Legal aid seems as if it has always been a pillar of our justice system but, in reality, it was born only 76 years ago.

Government reforms to create an England wide system of strategic planning, and speed up decision-making at a local level, won’t mean better decision-making unless the Labour government also strengthens capacity and accountability in combined authorities, warns a new Institute for Government report.

A new report by UK ecology consultancy, Arbtech, reveals that the Government’s plans, announced in Tuesday’s Planning and Infrastructure Bill, for a new tax on development that includes a single payment into a Nature Restoration Fund could put UK cities at risk of losing green space and nature.

Full-time undergraduate students in England are being encouraged to apply now for student finance, as the application service launches for the 25/26 academic year.

The average unsecured debt per UK adult continued to rise throughout 2024, standing at £4,287 per person. It shows no signs of slowing down either. Indeed, the past two decades has seen household debt only increase since 2004, when money owed from homes collectively surpassed £1 trillion for the first time. Today it is more than double that amount.

The owners of second homes in North Yorkshire have been warned a strict policy will be enforced to ensure that they pay a new council tax premium as plans are due to be discussed to use funds raised to tackle a critical lack of affordable housing.

Overall YouGov/Centre for Economics and Business Research consumer confidence index increases by 1.4 points in February. However, Britons were less optimistic about household finances for the year ahead (-1.4), and workers more worried about job security (-0.5) compared to January 2025. Business activity measures for past 30 days (+2.0) and next 12 months (+1.2) rise Outlook for house prices rises (+5.2), as do retrospective measures (+1.6)

Acer House is the new site for the Adult Sexual Assault Referral Centre and Child Sexual Assault Assessment Services in York and North Yorkshire. Victims of rape and sexual assault will receive immediate healthcare and a forensic medical examination if required at the Centre, to collect and document evidence.

A new survey from the MS Society/Opinium has revealed only one in five UK adults know multiple sclerosis (MS) is most likely to be diagnosed in people in their 30s and 40s. With misunderstandings and misconceptions about the condition making life harder for people with MS, the charity spoke to more than 2,000 people around the UK to find out what awareness is like.

UK household wealth across savings, investments and physical possessions has risen 12% over the last 12 months - with pay rises, better savings rates, investment performance, and paying off debts driving an improved financial picture for many.

Passengers across England can now see how reliable their local train services are, as performance data goes live at over 1,700 stations from today. The data, broken down by operator, shows the percentage of trains cancelled and how punctual trains are at each station, marking the first time that station-level data has been available in the history of the railway.

A third of drivers feel a lot less safe on any form of ‘smart’ motorway than they did three years ago, according to a new AA survey. However, two thirds felt safer on a traditional motorway. These new figures highlight the scale of anxiety drivers suffer on ‘smart’ motorways. The 4th annual safety Stocktake due to be published last year has yet to be released.

Tractor Fest returns to North Yorkshire this summer, marking its 19th anniversary as the UK’s largest tractor festival. Newby Hall, near Ripon, will host the famous tractor spectacle over the weekend of Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 June 2025.

FNHS patients around the country are now receiving a lifesaving medicine made from the plasma of blood donors in Yorkshire. This historic milestone marks the first time in a quarter of a century plasma is being used to make life-saving medicines for NHS patients, reducing reliance on imports. These lifesaving medicines can only be made from human blood.

Majority of young people in Yorkshire and the Humber state having a job makes them feel confident about their future (70 per cent), but a third (34 per cent) worry about losing their job and not being able to find work