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David Cameron has pledged to extend the Right to Buy scheme, which allows social housing tenants to purchase their home The controversial Right to Buy scheme will be extended under the Conservatives. David Cameron is expected to unveil the pledge, which will allow up to 1.3 million social housing tenants...

The Scottish election campaign is set to focus on the rural economy, apprenticeships, and opportunities for women... It is expected that both the Scottish Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats will set out plans to help rural businesses develop. Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson is set to visit a farm in Aberdeenshire...

Bryn Kewley, Campaigner at the Energy Bill Revolution explores the facts behind our fuel poverty crises and calls on the next government to make home energy efficiency a national infrastructure spending priority… Shortly after the 7th May one man will hold the keys to No.10 Downing Street. The question is...

Colin Pearson, Head of Condition Monitoring at BSRIA details the benefits of smart meters to customers and energy providers…  Smart meters bring benefits to both the energy consumer and the provider, but the extent of these benefits varies. This is partly because there is no single definition; a smart meter...

High street shops will be able to install 'click and collect' lockers without gaining planning permission under new government measures... From the 15 April retailers will be able to install the lockers without having to gain planning permission. It is hoped removing the bureaucracy surrounding the installation of click and...

Victoria Bankes Price, Planning Advisor at the Woodland Trust examines the Biodiversity Duty for Public Authorities and highlights how guidance is lacking in useful information… In addressing The Biodiversity Duty for Public Authorities, just how much guidance does the ‘guidance’ provide? “Every public authority must, in exercising its functions, have regard,...

A new survey has revealed that almost half of county councils do not think the government target to implement superfast broadband can be met... By 2017 the government aims to see 95 per cent of the country able to access superfast broadband. However, a survey conducted by the County Councils...

AG highlights how the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research is ensuring their commitment to research and development over the coming year…   The EU’s significant investment in research comes in the form of the Horizon 2020 programme. This programme is the biggest of its kind with nearly €80bn of funding available...

FirstGroup has been granted an extension on its deal with the government to run services along the Great Western network.... Rail and transport company FirstGroup will continue to run services on the Great Western rail network until 2019, it has emerged. Passengers will benefit from a series of upgrades over the...

A report from the Accounts Commission has called for better scrutiny of council borrowing across Scotland... The public spending watchdog has revealed Scotland's 33 councils have mounted a total of £12.1bn worth of debt from borrowing. An additional £2.7bn has also been borrowed from the Public Private Partnerships, which brings...

One in 6 homes are now under threat of flooding from rivers, sea and surface water. BRE’s Centre for Resilience is calling for a new approach to dealing with the risks along with investment and the development of innovative technologies to improve flood resilience. Director of the Centre, Dr...

Fibre broadband coverage extends to 17,000 more homes and businesses across South Gloucestershire... The Great Western Broadband (GWB) partnership between South Gloucestershire Council, Wiltshire Council, and BT has announced services will roll out to more homes and businesses throughout the region. The first phase of the rollout is expected to complete...

Abellio, the new franchise owner of ScotRail, has unveiled the designs of 70 new trains being built for the service... The 70 new ScotRail trains will operated across the Edinburgh-Glasgow via Falkirk High Line, Scotland's busiest route, by 2017. The Stirling-Alloa-Dunblane line and south Glasgow suburban routes will also use...

Arvid Hallén, Director General of The Research Council of Norway, sheds light on how the country will benefit from the Horizon 2020 programme and the opportunities it will present… Horizon 2020 is an extensive knowledge bank under construction, and it would be unthinkable for Norway as a nation not to...

AG looks at the European Commission’s key priorities in regards to energy, and the challenges ahead… The EU is facing a crisis of confidence that has settled over it like low cloud. Trust of citizens is in short supply as is faith in the future. The new Commission, which began...

A new study has revealed that switching to electric cars could cut the amount of oil the UK needs to import by 40 per cent by 2030... A new study undertaken by Cambridge Econometrics revealed that on average a driver could save £1,000 per year on fuel bills by switching...

£15bn of investment is needed for a Transport for London style body to revitalise transport links in the north of England, a think tank has said… The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has urged the Chancellor, George Osborne to include investment in his 18 March budget to help make...

The government has today announced an agreement has been reached for the sale of its entire interest in Eurostar International Limited (“Eurostar”)… The Chancellor George Osborne, and the Chief Secretary, Danny Alexander announced the sale, which would be for £757.1m for the government’s 40 per cent stake. A consortium comprising Caisse...

Deirdre Glenn, Manufacturing, Engineering and Energy Research Commercialisation Manager at Enterprise Ireland speaks to AG about how the organisation is supporting innovation throughout the country… Ireland is one of, if not the, leading Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) countries in Europe, offering key commercial environments for companies to develop their research...

The government has announced £43m funding for infrastructure and research development for plug-in vehicles... The government has set out plans to develop plug-in vehicle infrastructure across the UK. This will see £32m funding to support the development of chargepoints across the nation. Places such as homes, hospitals, train stations, and...