Daily roundup 9 February: Care leavers, lollipop man, and unpaid internships

Wandsworth Council has become the latest local authority to exempt care leavers from council tax. In addition to exempting care leavers from tax up to the age of 21, it has pledged to pay the council tax of all care leavers wherever they choose to live - not just those staying in Wandsworth.


A well-known lollipop man has stepped down from his role of 20 years after the council received complaints of him "high-fiving" children. The Telegraph reports that Bryan Broom, who works near Kirk Ella St Andrew's Community Primary School, near Hull, was accused of "high-fiving" children when they crossed the road, when he should have been teaching them about road safety. The 77-year-old said he has taken the decision to step down from his post as he couldn't "go on with the present atmosphere".


The government has launched a crackdown on unpaid internships, sending more than 550 warning letters to companies and setting up enforcement teams to tackle repeat offenders. The Guardian reports that HM Revenue & Customs is expected to target sectors such as media, the performing arts and law and accountancy firms, which have a reputation for using unpaid interns. It will also issue guidance to employers spelling out when they are legally obliged to pay at least the national minimum wage to interns.


Families have been urged by a Conservative MP to switch off their televisions and play games together. The BBC reports that Jeremy Lefroy said TV and social media stopped families talking to each other - and revealed he had never owned a television. His family bonded over a "brilliant" word game called Bananagrams instead, he said in a parliamentary debate.


Six men have been arrested on suspicion of child sexual exploitation and drug trafficking during dawn raids in Worcester. The BBC reports that the men, aged between 19 and 25, were arrested in the south east area of the city and remain in police custody. Police executed warrants to raid a total of seven residential properties and three business premises.