Nottinghamshire County Council has approved a £140 million procurement framework to manage emergency care placements and crisis support for children. The 10-year framework will pre-approve care providers capable of delivering urgent support, including last-minute foster placements and in-home interventions aimed at preventing children from entering care.

The move is intended to replace costly, inconsistent “spot contracts” with a controlled system that improves service quality and procurement efficiency. Providers will be vetted through a digital tendering platform to ensure financial and operational suitability.

The framework will be used only when existing contracts cannot meet urgent needs. It is expected to reduce budget volatility in children’s services and create a more competitive, responsive local provider market. Annual spending could reach up to £14 million, exclusive of VAT.

Poor internet connectivity is delaying digital transformation across UK farms, particularly in Derbyshire, where rural operations are struggling to access reliable broadband. A new nationwide survey of British farmers highlights the extent to which sluggish internet is blocking progress in adopting technologies such as artificial intelligence, real-time monitoring, and precision farming tools.

According to the Censuswide study commissioned by CityFibre, 60% of farmers see internet access as essential to daily operations, yet 8% of farms are still entirely offline. Even among those connected, nearly half say the lack of reliable broadband is a key barrier to embracing new technology—second only to cost.

The impact is not just operational. Many farmers report having to avoid internet use during peak hours, disrupting both business and family life. Inadequate connectivity also contributes to social isolation in rural areas, cutting farmers off from community resources and affecting wellbeing.

Where full fibre broadband is available, farms report notable improvements: 47% have been able to deploy precision farming systems, while others have seen boosts in administrative efficiency, land diversification, and general productivity.

The findings underline the importance of accelerating rural broadband infrastructure. CityFibre, awarded nine government contracts under the Project Gigabit initiative, is contributing to a £1.2 billion investment aimed at connecting over 500,000 hard-to-reach rural premises, including both homes and agricultural businesses.

University Hospitals of Northamptonshire (UHN), which manages Northampton General Hospital and Kettering General Hospital, has launched a Mutually Agreed Resignation Scheme (MARS) in an effort to reduce staffing levels without resorting to compulsory redundancies.

The scheme, which opened this week, targets corporate, administrative, and support roles. Patient-facing clinical staff are not included in the offer. Under MARS, employees can apply to resign in exchange for a severance payment. Unlike standard voluntary redundancy, the process does not require formal consultation.

UHN stated the approach aims to manage staffing reductions in a structured and voluntary way. However, unions have raised concerns about the impact on workloads and patient services if significant numbers of staff leave. NHS guidelines stipulate that such schemes must be time-limited, typically no longer than three months.

While not guaranteeing avoidance of future layoffs, UHN is using MARS as a first step to restructure and streamline operations.

Age UK Lindsey, a long-established charity supporting older adults in Lincolnshire, will cease operations this week due to sustained financial pressure. The closure affects services provided across West Lindsey, East Lindsey, and North Lincolnshire.

The organisation cited a combination of long-term funding shortfalls, rising operational costs—including increases in National Insurance contributions and the national minimum wage—and lingering economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic and cost-of-living crisis.

While Age UK Lindsey is shutting down, related services in the region will continue through Age UK Lincoln and South Lincolnshire, which is working to absorb affected clients and coordinate future support.

This closure underscores a broader trend within the UK voluntary sector. According to the Charity Commission, financial pressures have reduced public donations significantly since 2020, even as demand for services has tripled. Many organisations are facing difficult decisions, including closures and mergers, as funding fails to keep pace with growing needs.

Derbyshire businesses and residents suffered £1.3 million in scam-related losses during the first quarter of 2025, according to Santander’s latest Scamtracker report—a dramatic 467% increase on the previous quarter.

The report tracks the scale and nature of Authorised Push Payment (APP) scams and other financial fraud incidents. While Kent led in terms of scam volume outside London with 208 recorded cases, Derbyshire followed closely with 104 incidents. Despite fewer cases, Derbyshire tied with Devon for the second-highest monetary losses outside the capital, each reporting £1.3 million lost.

The volume of scam activity in Derbyshire rose by 10% compared to the final quarter of 2024, signalling growing challenges for financial crime prevention in the region. Other counties, including Hampshire and Greater Manchester, also saw significant increases in fraudulent activity.

The data signals a rising threat for firms managing business payments and customer interactions, particularly as APP scams continue to evolve. The findings reinforce the importance of tightening internal controls, staff training, and client verification procedures to mitigate fraud risks.

The report serves as a warning to businesses operating in high-risk regions to remain vigilant as scam tactics become more sophisticated.

Retailers are banking on a sales uplift during the May bank holidays, as 22 million UK workers plan annual leave, according to Virgin Media O2 Business’s Q1 2025 Movers Index. The report combines anonymised mobile network data with national polling to track movement and behaviour patterns across the country.

Retail footfall dropped 8% year-on-year in Q1 2025, continuing a sluggish start to the year marked by a reported 41% increase in retailers experiencing reduced customer spending. To counter this, 55% of retailers plan to offer special deals or events to draw in customers during the upcoming holidays. However, staffing is a concern, with 42% of retailers blocking employee leave over the period and more than half worried about shortages due to domestic travel plans.

Commuter activity has increased, with a 5% rise in travel during the first three months of the year. Office attendance is also rising, with 52% of employees commuting more frequently and 43% of businesses expected to enforce full-time office returns by June. Wednesday remains the busiest day for office presence. Workers are responding positively to these mandates, especially when companies offer new perks and invest in workplace culture.

Consumer spending remains cautious. Nearly half of Brits plan to spend less over the next three months, with many cancelling subscriptions and prioritising value-driven purchases. The decline is most noticeable among middle-aged shoppers, with the 25–54 demographic making significantly fewer trips to retail areas.

Digital convenience continues to influence purchasing habits. A majority of consumers shop via phone or online to find the best deals, while those who still shop in-store rank checkout speed, Wi-Fi availability, and mobile connectivity as their top priorities. Subscription models tied to travel, wellness, and home improvements may offer stronger potential, as these are the main spending categories identified for spring.

The data highlights a shift in how both consumers and businesses are navigating 2025’s economic landscape. Retailers hoping to drive sales will need to align with evolving work patterns, spending priorities, and customer experience expectations.

St George’s Preparatory School in Boston, Lincolnshire, will shut down at the end of the academic year, citing financial strain following the introduction of VAT on private school fees.

The school, rated “outstanding” by Ofsted, is among the first in the independent sector to announce closure directly linked to the government’s new tax policy, which took effect in January. The VAT measure is part of a broader initiative expected to generate £1.8 billion annually by 2029/30, supporting public services, including state education.

In addition to the VAT burden, the school’s operating costs have risen due to increases in employer National Insurance contributions and the National Minimum Wage. The combined financial pressure has led to daily losses that the school describes as unsustainable.

Falling enrollment has also contributed, as fewer families opt for fee-paying education due to the higher cost base.

The decision highlights growing concern within the independent education sector over the impact of fiscal policy changes on private institutions’ viability. Support measures are being arranged for students transitioning to new schools and for staff facing redundancy.

The policy is currently under legal challenge, with critics arguing it may breach human rights and be discriminatory. The government maintains that the primary aim is revenue generation for public investment.