NEW: Road Closures, September 29 Our weekly round-up of major road closures in your area gives drivers all the information they need on waiting times and where to avoid. 🔗: app.radarai.com

Labour's new Housing Secretary has promised to "build, baby build" - but new figures show the party's housebuilding plans have not got off to the best start 🏗️ There's more on that, and all our other recent stories, below 👇

📣 A reminder of our stories on RADAR last week 👇 • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, July 28 • Teen Pregnancies • Mental Health Act • Unniversal Credit Assessments • Homeless Accommodation • Housebuilding • Benefit Cap 👉

📣 RADAR's stories this week: • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, July 28 • Teen Pregnancies • Mental Health Act • Unniversal Credit Assessments • Homeless Accommodation • Housebuilding • Benefit Cap 👉 app.radarai.com

NEW: Benefit Cap Some 123,094 households across GB were capped on Universal Credit in May – up 7% from February Disability Rights UK said the cap "is a brutal measure that punishes people" and urged the Government "to stop making cuts to social security and public services" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Housebuilding The number of new housing projects started in the year 2024-25 fell by 17% on the previous 12 months. @homebuildersfed.bsky.social warned housing supply levels "are flatlining at best" and called on the Government to make it easier for companies to build 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Homeless Accommodation Councils across England spent £1.4 billion on temporary homeless accommodation in 2024-25, up 31% from the year prior @sheltercharity.bsky.social warned private providers are "cashing in" on the crisis by charging "eye-watering sums" for rooms 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Mental Health Act Black people in England were 3.8 times as likely as white people to be detained under the Mental Health Act in 2024-25 @mind.org.uk said the "worsening" of racial inequalities in mental health crisis care "is a shocking indictment of the UK Government" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Universal Credit Assessment Three-quarters of those receiving Universal Credit for health or disability-related reasons are unable to work. The charity Sense said many who could work with the right support "are frozen out of the labour market by unacceptable barriers" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Teen Pregnancies The number of teen pregnancies recorded across England and Wales rose for the second year in 2022, after eleven years of year-on-year decline before the Covid-19 pandemic This prompted @local.gov.uk to call for "renewed national action on prevention" 🔗: app.radarai.com

Hello, hope your week has started well 👋 Here's a quick reminder of all the new stories subscribers can access on our newswire from last week 👇

NEW: Road Closures, September 22 Our weekly round-up of major road closures in your area gives drivers all the information they need on waiting times and where to avoid. 🔗: app.radarai.com

📣 A reminder of RADAR's stories from last week: • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, September 15 • Apprenticeships • Fire Prevention • Health Disparities • House Prices, July • Rent Prices, August 🔗 app.radarai.com

📣 RADAR's stories this week: • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, September 15 • Apprenticeships • Fire Prevention • Health Disparities • House Prices, July • Rent Prices, August 🔗 app.radarai.com

NEW: Rent Prices, August The average private rent in Great Britain was £1,360 per month in August, up 5.7% in the past year Campaign group @generationrent.bsky.social warned "rents continue to rise faster than our wages", and urged the Government to act on rent increases 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: House Prices, July The average UK house price increased by 2.8% in the 12 months to July, slowing from 3.6% in the year to June. Zoopla said cooling demand "has big implications for home building where weaker demand is holding back investment" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Health Disparities New analysis by @foodfoundation.bsky.social reveals "shocking" health inequalities across England, with dental decay, obesity and diabetes afflicting deprived constituencies The charity called on policy makers to target action where it is needed most 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Fire Prevention The number of fire safety warnings issued to organisations after an audit by firefighters has risen by a third in five years. @fbunational.bsky.social said the figures are positive, but "a mere slap on the wrist if not accompanied by strict enforcement" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Road Closures, September 15 Our weekly round-up of major road closures in your area gives drivers all the information they need on waiting times and where to avoid 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Apprenticeships A record 120,420 people in England started an apprenticeship in 2023-24 – up 8% on the year before @ascl-uk.bsky.social welcomed this all-time high, but warned of the growing number of young people not in education, employment or training across the country 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Treatment Waiting Times, July The waiting list for planned hospital treatment rose for the second month in a row, as the NHS was hit by resident doctor strikes Radiotherapy UK said "it is vital that urgent action is taken to stop treatment delays" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: A&E Performance, August Around 76% of patients were seen within four hours in A&Es across England in August – missing the Government's recovery target of 78% by March 2026 @healthfoundation.bsky.social warned the NHS "remains a long way off from meeting national targets" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Green Homes Grant 69% of eligible homes selected for energy-efficiency improvements under a Government scheme have now been upgraded. @friends-earth.bsky.social welcomed the scheme but warned its progress has been "patchy and unequal" 🔗: app.radarai.com

Last week we mapped TB cases across the UK - and found a city in the Midlands has the highest rate of confirmed cases anywhere in the country. More on that, and all our other recent stories, here 👇

NEW: Electric Vehicle Chargers Over 23,000 EV charging sockets have been funded by a Government grant scheme since 2022. @friends-earth.bsky.social called it "a positive step towards decarbonising transport" 🔗: app.radarai.com

📣 A reminder of our stories on RADAR last week 👇 • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, July 28 • Dementia • Fire Fatalities • Cancelled Operations • Tuberculosis Cases 👉

📣 RADAR's stories this week: • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, July 28 • Dementia • Fire Fatalities • Cancelled Operations • Tuberculosis Cases 👉 app.radarai.com

NEW: Tuberculosis Cases New local figures show Leicester has the highest rate of tuberculosis cases in England, with 42.1 notifications per 100,000 people It comes as cases continue to rise across the UK Check our wire to see how many cases your area has seen in recent years 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Cancelled Operations A record 85,018 elective operations were cancelled at the last minute for non-clinical reasons by NHS providers across England last year @thekingsfund.bsky.social said both short-term factors and "systemic" issues within the NHS are to blame 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Fire Fatalities The number of people killed in fires across England rose by 8% last year. The National Fire Chiefs Council said "Fire and rescue services are under increasing pressure, responding to a growing number of 999 incidents despite a shrinking workforce" 🔗: app.radarai.com

Hello, happy September - is it the end of summer already? 🔆 Here's a quick rundown of everything the team at RADAR produced last week 👇

NEW: Dementia More than half a million people in England have received a dementia diagnosis on the NHS As September marks #WorldAlzheimersMonth, the @alzheimerssoc.bsky.social called for "bold, ambitious action" to ensure equal access to diagnosis and care across the country 🔗: app.radarai.com

📣 A reminder of our stories on RADAR last week 👇 • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, July 28 • Admission Appeals • Rental Affordability • Fertility Rates • Knife Sentencing 👉

📣 RADAR's stories this week: • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, July 28 • Admission Appeals • Rental Affordability • Fertility Rates • Knife Sentencing 👉 app.radarai.com

NEW: Knife Sentencing The number of knife and offensive weapon offences which resulted in a caution or sentence in England and Wales rose 26% over the last decade But the Ben Kinsella Trust warned of an increase in reoffending and called for "fundamental change" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Rental Affordability Most private rental homes in England are 'unaffordable' - costing more than 30% of the average wage, while Welsh homes are broadly affordable, at 26%. @crisis-uk.bsky.social said renters are "overburdened with rental costs" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Fertility Rates The fertility rate for England and Wales fell to a new record low in 2024, with 1.41 children per woman Earlier this year, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson warned of the "worrying repercussions" of declining fertility rates 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Admission Appeals One in five English school place admission appeals were successful last year - but the success rate varied wildly across the country. @naht.org.uk said more should be done to "ensure all families have a suitable local school place available" 🔗: app.radarai.com

How much local taxpayer funding does your police force get? And how happy are local people with the service they receive for it? 👮 Across two stories last week, we looked into the numbers to answer exactly these questions, for every force in England and Wales 👇

NEW: Road Closures, August 25 Our weekly round-up of major road closures in your area gives drivers all the information they need on waiting times and where to avoid 🔗: app.radarai.com

A reminder of our stories on RADAR last week 👇 • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, July 28 • Police Funding • House Prices • Rent Prices • Autism Waits • Wheelchair Provision • Pupil Absence • Percentions of Police 👉

📣 RADAR's stories this week: • Food Hygiene Ratings, daily • Road Closures, July 28 • Police Funding • House Prices • Rent Prices • Autism Waits • Wheelchair Provision • Pupil Absence • Percentions of Police 👉 app.radarai.com

NEW: Perceptions of Police Just 49% of people in England and Wales believe the police does "an excellent or good job" @stopwatchuk.bsky.social‬ said there is a "growing disillusionment with the police" and questioned whether the service is still "fit for purpose" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Pupil Absence Some 2% of pupils missed at least half of school sessions last autumn term – the highest level on record @naht.org.uk warned fining parents is a "crude tool", calling instead for better support for families and schools to address the root causes 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Wheelchair Provision Over 7,000 patients did not receive their required NHS wheelchair within four months this year, a 21% increase on last year. Muscular Dystrophy UK said people in dire need are being denied "life-changing equipment" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Rent Prices, July The average rent in Great Britain was £1,355/month in July, up 6% in the past year @generationrent.bsky.social called on the Government to "urgently slam the breaks on soaring rents" and "give renters up and down the country the breathing space we need" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: House Prices, June Average house prices in the UK have increased 3.7% in the year to June Check our wire to see how prices in your area have changed 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Autism Waits Patients with a suspected autism referral in England waited an average of 17 months to get assessed in June ‪@autisticsociety.bsky.social‬ called the waits "staggering", adding "the case for more direction and funding from central Government is crystal clear" 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Road Closures, August 18 Our weekly round-up of major road closures in your area gives drivers all the information they need on waiting times and where to avoid 🔗: app.radarai.com

NEW: Police Funding Police forces in England and Wales will receive £17.7 bn in 2025-26 including £6 bn from council tax precepts The Fairer Share campaign said increases in council tax contributions reflect "a fundamentally unfair system that shifts the burden onto households" 🔗: app.radarai.com