Governments are constantly tempted to push flexible working because it allows them to support a popular social change without having to pay for it themselves. The new, stronger “right to request” flexible working in the Employment Rights Act will be much harder for managers to resist, and even dealing with such requests will impose costs on companies. While private businesses may be able to control some of these costs, the widespread strengthening of flexible working rights is likely to damage productivity, slow growth, and undermine wages and employment. This will be all the more true if unions or workplace rules stop wages adjusting, for example to reflect whether particular jobs can in practice be done remotely. This is likely to be a particular problem in the public sector, reinforcing its existing poor productivity record.

The second largest train operator in the UK has launched a recruitment drive, as it looks to hire up to 18 apprentices who are ready to develop the mechanical and electrical engineering skills needed to fix and maintain trains.

The hunt is on for inspirational children and young people in Cumbria – as well as those dedicated to caring for them – as nominations open for the 2026 WellChild Awards, which seek to recognise those with complex care needs alongside the people who support them.

AVA: The Vending & Automated Retail Association has welcomed the government’s announcement of the UK deposit return scheme, officially named 'Exchange for Change'. The AVA has played a significant role in the scheme’s creation, ensuring the full representation of the needs of vending and automated retail operators.

When news broke recently of two Chinese spies who were caught but then allowed to walk away on legal grounds, followed by MI5’s warning that a proposed super-embassy could conceal a nest of intelligence operatives, it felt like an echo from another age. Espionage had slipped back into public view.

Two Yorkshire lawyers have completed the ‘World’s Toughest Row’, an unsupported Atlantic crossing from La Gomera in the Canary Islands to Antigua, in aid of two much-loved regional charities.

Dear Editor, As we mark Tinnitus Week (2 – 8 February), we know that for many people with tinnitus, it’s not just a hum in the background, but something that can make everyday life a challenge. Despite tinnitus being more common than most people realise with one in seven adults experiencing it, too many are still left confused, worried or unsure of where to turn for help.

Missing People today announces the launch of SafeCall, a new free and confidential support service designed to keep children and young people safe before harm escalates. SafeCall is available to children and young people up to the age of 25 who are at risk of going missing, being exploited, or who feel unsafe and unsure where to turn.

The life of a remarkable artist and pioneering inventor who lived and worked in Lancaster more than a century ago will be celebrated this year, thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Lancashire-based arts and heritage charity, Mirador, has been granted £91,430 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to mark the centenary of Karel Klic’s death.

A major archaeological excavation at Harden Quarry, nestled in the Cheviot Hills within Northumberland National Park, has revealed an extraordinary 360-degree view of Bronze Age life, offering the clearest insight yet into early settlement and farming in upland Northumberland. Archaeologists uncovered a fascinating Bronze Age settlement on a hilltop.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) is urging people to take immediate safety precautions as amber weather warnings are issued ahead of the arrival of Storm Chandra. Storm Chandra, the third major storm to affect the UK this month, is expected to bring a combination of damaging winds and heavy rainfall from Monday into Tuesday.

British Wool has officially unveiled its 2025 Sheep of the Year, following an enthusiastic public vote celebrating the very best of Britain’s woolly wonders. Each week, British Wool shares its ‘Sheep of the Week’ to Instagram, showcasing photos sent in by farmers from across the UK.

In response to Age UK’s new analysis of trolley waits in Emergency Departments in England, Dr Ian Higginson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “These figures, and the heart-wrenching stories from patients, shared by Age UK today are a damning indictment of the state of EDs and reflect the reality that my colleagues and I see each and every day at work.

48% of couples say they share joint responsibility with their partner over the ‘purse strings’. Scottish Friendly survey shows modern couples share cleaning, shopping and DIY tasks

Dear Editor, Many people want to give back to their communities, but sometimes finding the time to volunteer can be a real challenge. It’s not always easy to commit to a traditional volunteering shift, at a specific time or on a regular basis. Balancing giving back with work, family, and other responsibilities can be difficult.

Transdev has launched a Level 2 Bus Driver Apprenticeship programme, with the first cohort beginning in January 2026 and applications now open for subsequent intakes. The scheme, delivered in partnership with training provider Realise, comprises 326 hours of training over eight months. Each apprenticeship is valued at £8,000, funded entirely through Transdev's Apprenticeship Levy.

One in five (21%) – or 11.6 million adults – admit they have no financial aspirations for the year ahead - signalling a widening ambition gap in the UK, according to new research from St. James’s Place (SJP).

Big Give, Global’s Make Some Noise, and NCVO announce the opening of applications for the Small Charity Week 2026 match funding campaign, the second nationwide match funding campaign dedicated exclusively to small charities. Following the success of the inaugural 2025 campaign, Small Charity Week will expand in 2026, aiming to support more small charities than ever before.

New analysis suggests gross costs of net zero could exceed even the highest official predictions of £7.6 trillion. Official estimates of the cost of net zero are often driven by “fantasy assumptions”. Public bodies have consistently underestimated the cost of renewables, heat pumps and electric vehicles, while assuming implausibly low borrowing costs. New analysis warns that misleadingly low figures risk shutting down serious democratic debate over one of the most expensive policies in British history.

New data reveals two-thirds (66 per cent) of 18-34 year-olds believe WASPI women should receive compensation. Over half (53 per cent) of the younger generation want Parliament to hold a debate and vote on WASPI compensation, taking the decision out of ministers' hands. More than three-quarters (77 per cent) of all voters say people affected by maladministration should receive redress without taking legal action

The 2026 Annual Oxford Animal Ethics Summer School will be held at Merton College, Oxford, from 3rd to 6th August, 2026. By popular demand the subject is ‘Ethical Strategies for Animal Protection’. The Summer School, organised by the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, is now calling for abstracts of presentations to be submitted by experts interested in speaking at the event.

Artificial intelligence has slipped into my life with remarkable speed. A few years ago not many people had heard of it and those that had viewed it as science fiction. Now it helps draft emails, summarise documents, translate languages, edit images and navigate cities. It assists doctors, farmers and scientists, and it assists me too.

Every year the AJ Bell Great North Run is a bucket list event for runners across the globe – will you be one of the 60,000 people running the iconic 13.1 course from Newcastle to South Shields on Sunday 13 September? This is your chance as the January ballot for this year’s AJ Bell Great North Run is now open, but be quick, the ballot closes this Sunday 11 January at midnight.

Few labels grate quite as sharply as “Boomer”. Once a neutral demographic tag, it has hardened into a conversational cudgel, swung to dismiss people not for what they say or do, but for the year stamped on their birth certificate. What began as a statistical convenience has become a cultural shortcut — and like most shortcuts, it leads us away from the truth.