Rochdale MP Paul Rowen has taken the fight against Ding Quarry to Parliament. Mr Rowen said: "I promised that I would raise this issue in Parliament and I have and will continue to do so. From my discussions in Parliament it seems that this is a problem that is going to face dozens of areas in the North West.
Chesterfield MP Paul Holmes has adopted a humpback whale to show his opposition to Japanese whaling.
Liberal Democrats fear that confidential details of every child in Essex to be held on a council database, will not be secure enough in the light of the government's recent loss of 25m pieces of personal information. Councillors at Essex County Council today (4 December) have now agreed to undertake regular reviews of the system.
People who rely on motorised scooters to help to cope with disabilities are to be hit with a £300 tax, after an EU ruling that they should be categorised along with "leisure vehicles".
Some patients with neuromuscular diseases may die more than a decade too soon because specialist services are too far away, a report says. It found people with muscular dystrophy in north east England - close to a centre of excellence - live an average of 30 years after diagnosis. However, in the south west the average was just 18 years.
The environment secretary Hilary Benn has published the government's Climate Change Bill, introducing legally binding targets for reducing carbon dioxide emissions for the first time. The Bill sets a target of reducing emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2050 and a mid-term target of between 26 and 32 per cent by 2020 with five-year "carbon budgets" from next year. The budgets are set 15 years in the future and are intended to help direct businesses and policy-makers towards a low-carbon economy.