Daily roundup 22 July: Free money, payday loan advertising, and child abuse images

Hackney Council is to give children £20 to encourage them to start saving. The Evening Standard reports that the local authority intends to provide cash to year 7 children each September at a cost of around £50,000 a year. The money will be locked into a savings account until the children turn 18.


Payday loan adverts on TV subtly groom children into thinking debt is a normal part of life, former children's presenter Floella Benjamin has warned. The Daily Mail reports that Baroness Benjamin has urged the government to take action on the issue.


Two people are convicted of child abuse image crimes every day, the NSPCC has claimed. The Guardian reports that analysis by the children's charity found there have been at least 1,000 court cases involving indecent images of children since David Cameron’s July 2013 speech in which he threatened to impose tough new laws on internet companies if they failed to blacklist key search terms.


London will have a shortage of 34,830 secondary school places by the end of the current parliament unless there is significant investment, a report by London Councils has found. A study by the organisation found that local authorities in the capital spent approximately £1bn between 2010 and 2015 making up a shortfall in education funding.


Nursery and reception children from Stoke-on-Trent have earned qualifications for their speaking skills through a piloted scheme by the English Speaking Board. The Stoke Sentinel reports the pupils have taken mini-exams to show how they can express themselves, answer questions in full sentences, teach actions and present ideas.


Money spent on specialist help for young people with moderate to severe mental health problems in Cumbria fell by more than £500,000 last year. Figures obtained by the North-West Evening Mail also found clinicians are struggling to keep pace with demand for appointments with each responsible for around 60 cases last year – 10 more than in 2012.