Daily roundup 29 June: Fast food, mental health, and benefits

Deprived areas such as Blackpool and parts of Manchester and Liverpool have five times more fast food outlets than affluent areas, a survey has found. The BBC reports that Public Health England data compared levels of deprivation with numbers of takeaways such as chip shops, burger bars and pizza places. Experts say children exposed to fast food on the way home from school are more likely to eat unhealthily.


A "major ramp-up" in children's mental health services is needed to cope with the problems faced by young people, the boss of NHS England has said. The BBC reports that Simon Stevens said social media was contributing to higher rates of mental health problems in young people. He also said more people were "willing to come forward" as the stigma around mental health reduces.


More than 70,000 low-income families lost up to £2,800 each last year after having their entitlement to benefits taken away as a result of the government's "two-child policy", official figures show. The Guardian reports that the statistics reveal that during the first year of operation, 59 per cent of the 73,500 families who lost financial support for a third child were in work. Nine per cent of UK claimant households with three or more children were affected.


Children are carrying knives "like they are mobile phones", a judge has warned, after sentencing a five young men for killing a teenager. The Telegraph reports that Liam Hunt, 17, was stabbed four times after being attacked on 14 February last year. Kane Allaban-Hamilton, 18, of Northampton, was found guilty of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 14 years. The other four men will serve lesser sentences for manslaughter.