Voters without ID have just one day left to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate to use at the upcoming May local elections in England. To vote at a polling station, voters must present an accepted form of photo ID. A Voter Authority Certificate is a free form of ID available to anyone who does not have another accepted form of ID or prefers not to use it.

Bestselling crime writers Clare Mackintosh, Vaseem Khan and C.L. Taylor have joined forces with the banking industry’s Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to create a trilogy of original short stories designed to protect the public from scams

An estimated 2 million UK children are being locked out of live music, with cost and location preventing access for two in five primary school pupils, according to new research from music charity Playground Proms.

The Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) says that, despite a small reduction in the number of recorded shoplifting offences in England and Wales, the figures are still shocking.

A major Cochrane review of 17 clinical trials involving over 20,000 people shows that the new anti-amyloid Alzheimer’s drugs do not deliver meaningful clinical benefit.

Fresh plans for a strategic link road between the A66 and the A1(M) in County Durham have been published, marking a significant step forward for the long-awaited infrastructure project. The Darlington Northern Link Road is designed to divert heavy goods vehicles and commuter traffic away from the A1150 and A167, reducing congestion in residential areas of north Darlington.

New TUC survey findings published today reveal 8 in 10 workers have experienced abuse at work in the past year. 45% of surveyed workers have experienced threats of physical harm in the last 12 months. TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak says “ministers must prioritise HSE funding to keep workers safe”.

Entrepreneurs behind ground-breaking agricultural innovations will be celebrated at the Great Yorkshire Show, to inspire new ideas for game-changing farming practices. Entries are open until 11 May 2026 for the Great Yorkshire Show Innovation Awards across five categories.

New urgent treatment centres will do little to nothing in tackling and eradicating the national shame that is corridor care. That’s the warning from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine after the government announced a suite of measures to tackle corridor care in Emergency departments around England.

Invalid Care Allowance, now Carer’s Allowance, was first introduced at the rate of £7.90 a week in 1976. Fifty years on Carer’s Allowance, paid to those caring for a minimum of 35 hours per week, is worth £86.45 a week (2026/27 financial year). If Carer’s Allowance had kept pace with increases in earnings, carers would receive an extra £36.93 each week or £160.46 a month on average.

Equity markets rally after US and Iran agree a two-week ceasefire with FTSE 100 opening up 1.5%. UK Gas prices fall sharply but still remain a third higher as Shell forecasts a cut to gas production in the first quarter. Brent Crude initially falls sharply, as Strait of Hormuz is set to reopen but has been rising again. Inflationary pressures still remain, given energy costs are still significantly higher compared to before the outbreak of war. There are warnings that the jet fuel squeeze will continue for months even if there’s a longer-term agreement.

The Countryside Alliance’s latest investigation has revealed that in 2025 nearly 4,000 crimes were committed on church property as well as other religious premises. Figures were obtained by the Countryside Alliance as part of its continuous campaign to focus attention on rural churches and increase funding for security at places of worship.

‘What stops you from despairing?’ The woman who recently asked me that question was part of a group of older people I was chatting to on a Parish visit. There were eight or nine of them and they were anxious. They were worrying about the conflict in Iran and whether it would spiral out of control.

Average car commute costs £2,228 per year, with rising fuel, maintenance and parking costs Bus travel could save commuters over £1,100 annually while reducing stress and improving journey time use Stagecoach highlights affordable, flexible travel options across Cumbria and Lancashire

YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) release latest consumer confidence index data, covering March 2026. Forward looking measure of how people see their household finances records biggest drop since August 2022. Job security perceptions for the past thirty days were both negative and lower than the previous month

People voting in the upcoming local elections in May can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate, a free form of ID that can be used to vote at a polling station. The Electoral Commission is calling on anyone who needs ID to apply for free now, before the 5pm deadline on Tuesday 28 April.

WASPI CAMPAIGNERS have launched a fresh national lobbying tool in their quest for compensation, ahead of a crucial set of elections on Thursday 7 May.

Landmark moment for Yorkshire as years of work and £5.5 million investment culminate in National Trail celebration. Alfred Wainwright's iconic Coast to Coast route officially becomes a National Trail, more than 50 years after it was first walked. Designation brings numerous benefits including improved accessibility, consistent high-quality signage and a central pot of funding for maintenance. Natural England celebrates iconic 190-mile route, reaching its halfway point at Keld and dramatic North Sea finish line at Robin Hood’s Bay.

Today’s data from the Office for National Statistics showed that annual rate of CPI inflation holding at 3.0% in February 2026. The outlook for inflation has changed markedly. The hit to global energy supply so far from events in the Middle East has been profound and the warnings from the International Energy Agency over its “unprecedented” nature are stark.

Three quarters of people in northern England underestimate how many people are diagnosed with epilepsy each day, new research has revealed. A survey released ahead of Purple Day (26th March) has highlighted widespread misunderstanding about the condition across the region.