Starmer hails child poverty strategy as a ‘moral mission’ which will include measures to help with childcare and getting families out of temporary housing My colleague Peter Walker has a full report on the plan, the key new elements of which I’ve pulled out for you below: As part of what Keir Starmer has described as a “moral mission” for his government, the strategy will include an £8m investment in a pilot scheme across 20 councils with a particular prevalence of homeless families in temporary B&B accommodation, to ensure they are all moved within six weeks. Continue reading...

Rescue operations in Wales, submerged railway lines in Cornwall – these events are ever more common. So why have we utterly failed to prepare, asks Guardian columnist John Harris

The government has a generational opportunity to tackle the homelessness emergency and women must be at the forefront of that strategy, writes MP Paula Barker.

Our services prevent crises, reduce pressure on the NHS and help individuals contribute to communities, writes Katherine Hernandez, Home Group regional director

Climate advisers warn that current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequate Britain must prepare for global heating far in excess of the level scientists have pegged as the limit of safety, the government’s climate advisers have warned, as current plans to protect against extreme weather are inadequate. Heatwaves will occur in at least four of every five years in England by 2050, and time spent in drought will double. The number of days of peak wildfire conditions in July will nearly treble for the UK, while floods will increase in frequency throughout the year, with some peak river flows increasing by 40%. Continue reading...

Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable * The flood-prone Worcestershire town being abandoned by insurers * Doors, drains and paving perils: protecting your home from flooding Millions more homes in England, Scotland and Wales face devastating floods, and some towns may have to be abandoned as climate breakdown makes many areas uninsurable, a Guardian investigation has found. New analysis from the insurance industry, seen by the Guardian, reveals the extent of concern in the sector, with bosses warning that large swathes of housing and commercial property in densely populated areas will be at greater risk. Every constituency in Great Britain is projected to have increased flood risk in future. In England, 69% of constituencies are likely to have an increase of more than 25% in the number of properties facing flood risk by mid-century. In Wales and Scotland, every area is projected to have a similar rise with many being much worse hit. Bermondsey and Old Southwark in London and Boston and Skegness in Lincolnshire are projected to have about 90% of homes at risk from river and coastal flooding by 2050 – the highest proportions in the country. Overall London and Yorkshire and the Humber collectively represent more than half of the top 20 constituencies affected by river and coastal flooding, highlighting that the east of England could be most negatively affected. Surface-water flood risk is likely to be particularly acute in dense urban areas, with 14 London constituencies ranked in the top 20 Bournemouth East shows the largest projected increase in surface-water flood risk, with its low-lying topography and inadequate drainage making it particularly susceptible. Over the past decade, 110,000 new homes were built in the highest risk flood zones, equivalent to one in 13 of the new homes built. Aviva calculates that if this trend were to continue, 115,000 of the government’s planned 1.5m new homes would also be in the highest-risk flood zones. Continue reading...