Rayner set to hit English councils that block new housing with tougher sanctions

Angela Rayner is poised to introduce tougher sanctions on councils in England that block local housing developments.Councils could be forced to approve new housing developments – overturning locally agreed plans – under stricter rules or risk handing over control of their planning departments to Whitehall officials.Rayner, who has come under pressure this week for adding to her constituency residence and grace-and-favour home in London with the purchase of an £800,000 apartment near Brighton, already has considerable powers to overrule councils that block housing developments but is believed to be frustrated with continuing delays in the system.It is understood that before the end of the year the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will reduce the number of times a council can have planning appeals overturned before sanctions are imposed by central government.Hundreds of councils are expected to fall foul of the new rules after Rayner established new building targets to achieve the government’s aim of 1

Third of children do not play outdoors after school, UK research finds

One in three children do not play outdoors after school and a fifth do not at the weekend, according to research that found outdoor play has a beneficial impact on young people’s developing social and emotional skills.The University of Exeter study looked at data from 2,500 children between sevenand 12 from the multiethnic Born in Bradford research programme, which tracks the health, development and wellbeing of mothers and children from pregnancy onwards.Based on information from questionnaires completed by the children’s parents, researchers measured the social-emotional skills of the children using the “total difficulties score”, a screening tool that can help identify potential behavioural or emotional issues in children and young people.Researchers found outdoor play had a positive effect on children’s social-emotional skills, meaning they were better able to understand, manage and express their emotions and behaviours, as well as interact with the world around them and build relationships.The study, funded by the Medical Research Council and due to be published in the Wellbeing, Space & Society journal, also uncovered different patterns of outdoor play based on ethnicity

Why is chickenpox vaccination being offered to children in England next year?

For the first time, a free chickenpox vaccination will be offered to children in England by the NHS from January next year. Here we explore the background to the rollout.Chickenpox is a highly contagious infection caused by the varicella zoster virus, and is common in the UK. It results in an itchy rash, and can also cause aches, a high temperature and loss of appetite, according to the NHS.Most people catch chickenpox in childhood – about 90% have had it by the age of 10, according to UK Health Security Agency – and tend to have a mild illness, but it can also occur in adults who have not previously been infected

Older autistic people need more help after years of misdiagnosis, review finds

Researchers have called for better support for middle-aged and older autistic people after a review found that 90% of autistic people aged over 50 in Britain are either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.Greater awareness of autism and improved assessments globally mean it is typically spotted in childhood today. But in past decades autistic people were often forced to navigate middle and old age without the support a diagnosis can unlock.The review into ageing across the autism spectrum found that people in the UK faced widespread difficulties with employment, relationships and milestone events such as menopause and retirement. They consistently suffered from poorer mental and physical health

Chickenpox jabs introduced as experts warn many children in England start school without vaccinations

England needs to “wake up” to its faltering infant vaccination programme, experts have warned, as it was revealed that one in five children start primary school unprotected from serious infectious diseases.It comes as the government announces a new vaccination programme for chickenpox from January, meaning that GPs will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella – the clinical term for chickenpox – as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the target for vaccine uptake among children in order to achieve herd immunity is 95%. But figures for 2024-25 released by the UK Health Security Agency on Thursday show that no childhood vaccine has met this requirement.Only 83

Quit dumping on older people, we’re giving back to our communities | Letters

Phillip Inman’s got me bang to rights (Can a nation in crisis rely on the baby boomer generation to step up? I think the UK is about to find out, 21 August). Born in 1953, passed the 11-plus, joined the 8% who went to university and spent a lifetime in white-collar jobs that paid well enough for housing and pensions. Not all smooth sailing – four or five redundancies – but each came with a lump sum and a decent job soon after. And I was a basic rate taxpayer for all but a few years.Now I’ve got assets far beyond my needs, and children who don’t need my money