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 every council in England must publish how many potholes they’ve filled or lose road cash. Local authorities that comply will receive their full share of the £500m roads pot – enough to fill the equivalent of 7 million potholes a year, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change. Government also announces £4.8bn for 25/26 for motorways and major A-roads including economy boosting road schemes on the A47 and M3.

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.

Woolton, Liverpool, has been named the best place to live in the Northwest in the annual Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide. The Sunday Times judges said: “Everything is within walking distance in the Liverpool suburb where Lennon and McCartney met for the first time.

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.

Research commissioned by National Highways has revealed that 65% of drivers who admit to littering have discarded food and drink waste on the roadside.

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.

New buyer enquiries and agreed sales tip slightly negative. House prices continue rising overall at a national level, but momentum wanes. Coming changes to stamp duty threshold impacting decision-making Near-term expectations point to a further softening in the months ahead. Lettings demand reduces again but availability of rental properties reduces at a faster rate leading to more rent price increases

A new report has exposed a serious lack of progress on the availability of ear wax services in England, leaving 8.1 million with zero support and at risk of preventable hearing loss.

Martin Slater, Director of Operations at Yorkshire Wildlife TrustOur thoughts are with everyone on the ships and the rescue crews.

An unusual advertisement that is not selling anything has appeared in Barrow town centre. The bus shelter poster, sited near The Forum, is in fact a work of art and not a piece of marketing.

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)

As March marks Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Awareness Month, new research from Zerenia Clinic, a specialist UK medical cannabis clinic, reveals a growing demand for policy change to improve access to medical cannabis treatments for those suffering from MS and other chronic conditions.

A new survey of 300 UK mortgage brokers has found: 69% believe the base rate will be higher than the current level of 4.50% at the start of 2026. 67% expect interest rates and the cost of borrowing to be the single most important factor in determining the performance of the property market in 2025. 64% said recent regulatory and tax changes have made the property investment landscape more complicated.

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.

Boys are behind at every stage of education Brits believe that men are being let down by society

Majority of young people in the North West state having a job makes them feel confident about their future (71 per cent), but two fifths (40 per cent) worry about losing their job and not being able to find work

First Class TransPennine Express (TPE) customers can now tuck into a tasty new menu while travelling between Liverpool and Newcastle. The new service, TransPennine Kitchen: Coast to Coast combines locally sourced, mouthwatering dishes with exceptional hospitality.