Office for Budget Responsibility boss Sir Alan Budd has announced he will step down by the end of the month. Photograph: Martin Argles The government’s new tax and spending watchdog needs urgent reform to establish its independence from George Osborne’s Treasury, according to a... 

Schools with newly-changed academy status are being encouraged to keep the cost of uniform down. Photograph: Martin Godwin/Guardian Parents should not be asked to pay for new school uniforms by schools that change status to academies, council leaders warned today . The Local Government Association... 

After long days of tiring work and careful saving, when you buy a home, you certainly feel a kind of satisfaction. At last, you have got a roof over your head that you can all your own. You can live in it peacefully with your family or friends; no hassle from dealing with the homeowner and no wasting money on... 

A police dog handler outside Campsfield House immigration centre in Kidlington, Oxfordshire. Photograph: Tim Ockenden/PA More than 100 people at Campsfield immigration centre in Oxfordshire have gone on hunger strike in protest at their prolonged detention at the facility. They claim that many...