Changes in legislation and new funding arrangements have opened the door for parish councils to be set up in cities, including London.

A parish council is the smallest unit of electoral democracy and they play an effective role in putting power in the hands of local people mainly in rural and some urban areas. The National Association of Local Councils will now help communities create new parish councils in urban areas.

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Almost a quarter less waste was sent to landfill in 2007 compared to 2001, a new report from the Environment Agency reveals.

In 2001, the year before the EU Landfill Directive came into effect in England and Wales, around 84 million tonnes of waste was sent to landfill, last year the figure stood at 65 M tonnes, a drop of 23 per cent. This equates to about 500 million wheelie bins. The amount of waste landfilled in 2006 was 69 M tonnes, with the 2007 figure showing a drop of more than 5 per cent.

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This report from Communities and Local Government presents a statistical picture of seaside towns. It has been prepared following a Select Committee inquiry and will be used for policy development.

The principal seaside resorts have a combined population of just under 2.9 million, or nearly 6 per cent of England’s population, which is as much as a small region. Their population is growing, but in recent years more slowly than in England as a whole.

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