LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: From 1 April 2026 most planning applications made to local planning authorities will follow a new, simpler route if they are appealed and decided via written representations. Regulations laid by government in February 2026 brought about this change in approach to keep decisions local and provide a quicker route for appeals. We shared theinitial details of this faster, simplified approachin June and followed up ...
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said: It has been two years since an Israeli strike on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza killed seven aid workers delivering food to starving civilians. Among those killed were three British citizens. For two years, the families of Armed Forces veterans John Chapman, James Henderson and James Kirby have sought answers. The UK government has pressed Israel at the...
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: Everyone will be safer to walk the streets freely without fear of public sexual harassment after the government brought in a powerful new law today. For far too long, women and girlsin particular havebeen expected to endure obscene comments, threats of sexual violence, and unnecessary, threatening invasions of their personal space to intimidate them in public. These behaviours can force women and girls to chang...
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: New rateable values for more than two million non-domestic properties have come into effect today (1 April 2026). These are typically commercial properties but include any property not used as a home. Your local council uses rateable values to calculate business rates bills. A rateable value is not the same as what you pay in business rates or rent.  You can see the rateable value of your prop...
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: Three independent board members have been appointed to theConsumer Council for Water. Alison Austin and Hilary Florek have begun three-year termstoday (1April 2026).Peter Judge'sthree-year term will begin on 1 November 2026.These appointments have all been madein accordance withthe Governance Code on Public Appointments, as published by the Cabinet Office. All appointments are made onmeritand political activity ...
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: This statement provides an update on the AAIB investigation intotheaccident to UAS Malloy T600XL which experienced an in-flight fire and associated loss of control during a development test flight. The aircraft struck the ground and was destroyed in the resulting post-crash fire. The investigation into this event iscompleteand a final report will be issuedin due course. Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication....
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: At around 23:41 on Saturday 7 March 2026, a passenger train operated by Govia Thameslink Railway, which was travelling at 62 mph (100 km/h) on the Down Fast line, was involved with a near miss with a track worker at Harpenden, Bedfordshire. The track worker involved was an engineering supervisor who had entered the railway from their designated access point, adjacent to the Down Fast line, to place work site mar...
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: Young people across England will see major upgrades to their colleges, as the government invests £307 million to turn the page on years of neglect. From repairing leaky roofs and fixing broken windows to updating worn-out heating systems, all 175 colleges will benefit. Each one will receive individual allocations in the summer, ranging from £6,000 for smaller institutions to £7 million for large c...
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: * Long-term funding provision for installation of fire alarms in buildings waiting to be remediated. * Response to plans announced in Remediation Acceleration Plan update in July 2025. * Further action in response to Grenfell Tower tragedy More residents will be kept safe in their homes and leaseholders could save hundreds of pounds each month thanks to new £62.7 million government funding for fire alarms i...
LONDON, April 1 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news: The services launched today allow customers to apply for, manage and renew UK patents in one place. This marks the next step in the 'One IPO' digital transformation programme which will deliver new digital services for UK intellectual property. The programme will eventually bring patents, trade marks and designs services together under one roof onto a single digital platform. All of the IPO's core patents servic...