Daily roundup: Youth unemployment, child obesity and violence against girls

Youth unemployment is "unacceptably high", despite the UK economy being on course to overtake its pre-2008 peak, the British Chamber of Commerce has warned. The BBC reports that the organisation estimates growth in the economy of 2.8 per cent this year - overtaking the peak level it was at before the 2008 financial crisis. But it added that action is required on the number of young people out of work.

Less than one per cent of local authority public health cash is being spent tackling childhood obesity, despite it being a top health priority. The Independent reports that figures obtained by Freedom of Information requests found just 0.9 per cent of local council budgets were spent treating child obesity.

The government has published an action plan on the actions it is taking to tackle violence against women and girls. The publication comes as the Child Sex Offenders Disclosure Scheme, better known as Sarah’s Law, comes into force across England and Wales.

Somerset Council has been told to improve its children's social care services following an inadequate rating last summer. The authority has been issued with an improvement notice by children's minister Edward Timpson.

Labour has said that its proposed "jobs guarantee" scheme for young unemployed people will last for the whole of the next parliament, if it wins the next general election. The BBC reports that under the plan, 18 to 24-year-olds out of work for a year will be offered a taxpayer-funded job for six months.

School improvement support in Middlesbrough has been rated as ineffective. Ofsted inspectors found that the local authority has not established effective partnerships with schools, particularly secondaries and has failed to balance promoting greater autonomy and school-to-school support with maintaining a secure enough oversight of performance.

Primary schools applied for permission to serve alcohol to parents at fetes, discos and sports days on more than 8,000 occasions last year. The Guardian reports that Debbie Bannigan, chief executive of drink and drugs charity Swanswell, which compiled the figures, said children might adopt dangerous drinking habits as a result.