Local authorities have been set 10 requirements that campaigners believe they need to meet to make communities better for older people. The list has been produced by Help the Aged, which has published a survey showing that a quarter of older people believe the places where they live have changed for the worse in the last 10 years.
The findings reveal that the equivalent of almost three million pensioners are prevented from going out because of a lack of facilities in their local area. 

From today small and medium sized businesses will get free access to thousands of opportunities to win contacts from the public sector. Until the end of July businesses can register for contracts that are individually valued at under 100,000 pounds.
The free trial via the site http://www.supply2.gov.uk is part of the Department for Business’s Enterprise Strategy which was launched in March and set out measures to increase the amount of government business placed with smaller companies. 

This paper from Communities and Local Government identifies the economic reasons why place matters.
Drivers of productivity come together in places. Places offer a combination of assets which can boost the productivity of firms and attract the skilled workers they need. Place is becoming increasingly important in a globalising world of mobile investment and people.
Place can and does impact on economic and social outcomes.