The Archbishop of Canterbury has launched a new commission to explore how the Church can help resolve Britain's housing crisis. The housing shortage is one of the ‘major challenges’ facing Britain. He said the nation must think about building strong communities not just bricks and mortar. Academics and theologians will discuss Christian perspectives on providing affordable homes and flourishing neighborhoods. The commission follows the archbishop's book published last year, Reimagining Britain, in which he connected good-quality housing with equality and justice. The report recommends that thousands of hectares of unused church land be used to build affordable homes in the next few years. The legalities for selling church assets could be amended so that land and buildings are used for social and environmental needs, not just economic benefits. See

Boris Johnson has announced a ‘roadmap’ to loosen restrictions slowly in England. Pray for the schools which will be opening on 8 March. Cases of infection were highest among children when schools fully reopened in September 2020. Ask God to give teachers wisdom as they prepare return strategies; pray for pupils’ protection and parents’ peace of mind. Researchers agree that outdoor gatherings have a low impact on transmission, so by the end of March outdoor gatherings - including some sports - will be allowed. But despite being considered low-risk, the virus is still able to spread outdoors. Pray for people to remember the risks and keep to social distancing in outside gatherings. Finally, contacts between people are more dangerous indoors as particles in the air are replaced less slowly with clean air. Pray for the retail outlets due to open in April to devise wise ‘crowd control’ and hygiene measures that minimise transmission. Pray also for Church leaders as they make the many different church venues safe. See

The Prime Minister has announced an extra £400m to help children in England catch up on lost learning caused by the pandemic. Secondary schools will be asked to run classes in the summer holidays in an ‘extensive programme’ backed by a total of £700m in funding. Teachers will be given the ‘tools and resources they need to support their pupils’ and it will also provide children with the ‘opportunities they deserve to learn and fulfil their potential’. The package will include an expansion of one-to-one and small group tutoring programmes, support for the development of children in early years, and summer catch-up classes for those who need it the most. Education secretary Gavin Williamson said, ‘We're looking at a whole range of different actions. We want to give schools external resources to take action immediately - this is an immediate response to give children that extra boost.’

The Commission for Countering Extremism has called on the Government to close a loophole that has allowed individuals to spread extremist ideologies and views online without any repercussions or fear of prosecution. The commission’s recommendation was made after a legal review into the adequacy of existing legislation to combat the issue of hateful extremism was conducted by Sir Mark Rowley, a retired senior police officer in charge of UK Counter Terrorism policing. ‘Extremist groups whether neo-fascist, neo-Nazi, Islamist or others are able to operate lawfully, freely and with impunity,’ lead commissioner Sara Khan warned. Without action from the Government, hateful extremists will continue to be able to create ‘a climate conducive to hate crime, terrorism or other violence and will be able to attempt to prod and even destroy the fundamental rights and freedoms of our democratic society’. See