Birmingham residents are urged to be on the lookout for emails and letters from the council’s elections office over the next few weeks. As well as the usual forms that many people will be familiar with, some people will receive an email instead as part of a trial to reduce costs. Head of Electoral Services, Robert Connelly, said: “To ensure you get a vote in the next election please look out for correspondence from the Elections Office." 

Hangzhou is poised to welcome top political leaders from around the world as it hosts the first ever G20 Summit in China from 4th - 5th September 2016. Prime Minister Theresa May has written to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to express her anticipation of attending the G20 Summit this September and her support for China in hosting a successful event. 

More than four in 10 British motorists are either too lazy or too busy to wash their own cars, and get someone else to do it, according to a survey carried out by AA Cars. That figure rises to nearly six in ten  for time-poor Londoners. In Scotland, the weekend tradition still appears to be in fashion with more than two-thirds stating they wash their own cars, followed by Wales, the North East and South West.

It may be difficult to get your child into a top state school but affording the school uniform isn’t, reveals a new survey by the Schoolwear Association, whose members together help to clothe three-quarters of Britain’s children. All of the top 20 state schools in England insist on a uniform, and the majority also stipulate a blazer and tie. The study carried out by the Schoolwear Association reveals the average cost of a complete outfit in these schools is less than £107 - just 54p a day per school year, and even better value when you consider that items such as blazers and ties will last for more than one school year.

When it comes to dogs, the West Midlands seems to be ‘barking mad’ for man’s best friend, with two thirds of dog owners in the West Midlands opting to spend an evening with their dogs rather than without, and a half have left a pub that claimed to be dog-friendly but wasn’t. Research by DogBuddy.com; Europe’s leading online dog-sitting and home dog boarding community, also revealed Paul O’Grady (31%) as the area’s favourite dog-owning celebrity.

Underlying muscle pain can be a trigger for aggressiveness in dogs and must be considered in cases of dangerous behaviour, a canine expert has said. Julia Robertson, the founder of the Galen Therapy Centre in Sussex which treats dogs suffering from musculoskeletal pain, has spoken out about the links between underlying conditions in canines and attacks in the light of the RSPCA’s report into the Dangerous Dogs Act.