The Government is being urged to introduce elected mayors in every major town and city in England to encourage central government to decentralise more powers to local government. The call comes from the Institute for Public Policy Research which also believes that more mayors would also result in stronger local political leadership and clearer accountability. 

Failure to value the work of those who manage volunteers and low levels of funding to support volunteers are undermining the quality of the services they provide. A national survey of volunteer management capacity by Volunteering England found a chronic need to invest more financial and human resources and to change the ‘cost free’ culture.
The survey found that over a quarter of managers of volunteers said they would not want more volunteers even if they were given additional funds. 

This report from Communities and Local Government is one of a series evaluating the New Deal for Communities Programme, which aims to reduce gaps between some of the most deprived areas in England and the rest of the country. It presents findings from case studies.
The 2006-07 British Crime Survey indicates that crime levels in England and Wales have fallen by 42 per cent since their peak in 1995, representing a total of eight million fewer crimes.