Sweeping reforms to England's home-buying system, unveiled today, have been welcomed by one of the country's leading mortgage lenders as a step towards tackling Britain's affordability challenges.

Northern's 'Creating Customer Confidence' programme is helping to deliver one of the biggest customer satisfaction turnarounds in the operator's history. Train operator Northern has moved up from the bottom of the national rankings in Transport Focus's latest rail passenger scorecard, in one of the clearest signs yet that the operator's drive to rebuild passenger trust is working.

Over 100,000 passengers surveyed in the biggest rail satisfaction survey in British history. 87 per cent of passengers satisfied with their journey. CrossCountry worst-performing train operator in survey with 79 per cent of passengers satisfied. Hull Trains passengers most satisfied with their journey. Results will be used to drive day-to-day improvements for passengers and inform Great British Railways priorities.

ONS data that shows inflation to have held at 2.8 per cent in May

The amount of money people invest when they first open an Individual Savings Account (ISA) has jumped by 84% in a year, according to proprietary data from Scottish Friendly. The modern mutual’s data shows that opening values have been steadily increasing over the last four quarters, data for Q4 2025 and Q1 2026 shows a 21% increase.

Four in 10 adoptive families say they are facing severe challenges or are at crisis point as the Adoption Barometer 2026 calls for a legal right to lifelong, needs-led support. A major new report from Adoption UK has revealed that too many families are still being left without the support they need once adoptions are made, and adult adoptees continue to be overlooked by policymakers.

Britain’s roads have become the “number one issue” for drivers, businesses and the wider economy, warns Edmund King OBE, AA president, saying motorists are paying billions into the Treasury while too many roads remain dangerous, badly repaired and roadworks poorly coordinated.

A new competition will be held to see who can travel to the highest number of railway stations in the North of England in a single day. Passengers can now apply here for a place in The Great Race Across the North, which will be held on Saturday, 25 July. Ten people will be selected to take part and they can compete solo or bring a friend.

Carers UK today has welcomed the Government’s announcement of a public consultation on employment rights for unpaid carers. The Government’s consultation will explore a range of options to help unpaid carers remain in and return to work, including the introduction of a statutory right to paid Carer’s Leave.

Nearly one million people in the UK are living with dementia, including more than 41,000 in the North East, but its impact stretches far beyond those diagnosed, with millions of families silently carrying the strain. New research from Alzheimer’s Society, based on a UK-wide survey of more than 2,000 people, reveals the emotional toll many are carrying behind closed doors.

Overall index increases by 2.6 points this May, the largest monthly increase since May 2021. Britons forward looking view of their household finances recorded the largest monthly increase since May 2020. Perceptions of house prices also improved.

Too many patients are missing out on their life-saving prescription drugs, or being given them late, in Emergency Departments – and hospital overcrowding is making the problem worse. These are some of the findings the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) can share today, 3 June, from its latest Quality Improvement Programme (QIP) report.

Half of UK adults say risk warnings on financial promotions put them off investing, new research from Scottish Friendly reveals, as the mutual’s chief executive Stephen McGee backs calls for a more balanced approach to communicating investment risk and long-term opportunity.

New data released by blood cancer charity DKMS UK reveals that just 3.3% of 16-55’s in the North East are registered as potential stem cell donors with DKMS – just slightly above the UK average of 3.1%. Things you didn’t know about blood cancer:1.Blood cancers are the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK.

A new nationwide heart health check programme launches today, aiming to testup to 100,000 workers for risk indicators of cardiovascular disease, with follow-up information and supportprovided by Pharmacy2U, the UK’s largest online pharmacy. The first-of-its-kind initiative by an online pharmacy aims to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease inthe workplace.

The UK's expected housing market recovery has stalled, with upward inflation, political instability and stubbornly high borrowing costs creating the most uncertain conditions seen in years, according to a leading property expert At the start of 2026, economists and industry figures widely expected falling inflation and lower interest rates to trigger a steady rebound in the property market.

UK inflation eased more sharply than expected last month, falling to 2.8% in the year to April from 3.3% in March, but economists have cautioned that the respite for hard-pressed households would prove fleeting as the inflationary aftershock from the conflict in the Middle East continues to build.

The Ben Kinsella Trust has announced that Knife Crime Awareness Week 2026 will take place from 18 to 24 May alongside National Police Chiefs’ Council Sceptre Week, combining policing, prevention and community action in a coordinated effort to tackle knife crime.

Labour has suffered a harrowing defeat as Green Party leader Zach Polanski declares that two-party politics is “dead and buried”. Keir Starmer takes the loss on the chin and declares that he “won’t walk away”.

Relatives and patients affected by serious failings at Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys (TEWV) NHS Foundation Trust have voiced growing anger at the continued delay to a promised public inquiry, with legal representatives at Ison Harrison warning that the lack of progress risks undermining confidence in the Government’s commitment to uncovering the truth.