Daily roundup 12 March: Austerity, Telford abuse, and social media

Chancellor Philip Hammond has rejected calls by Labour and some Conservatives to announce the end of austerity in his spring statement on Tuesday. The BBC reports that Hammond is expected to unveil the smallest budget deficit since 2002, thanks to better than expected public finances. There have been calls for him to provide more money for children's services, but he told the BBC that national debt was still too high, adding: "There is light at the end of the tunnel... but we are still in the tunnel at the moment."


Up to 1,000 children could have been victims of sexual abuse in Telford since the 1980s, it has been claimed. The Sunday Mirror reports that authorities failed to act over 40 years - despite repeated warnings to social workers. Telford's Tory MP Lucy Allan has demanded a public inquiry describing the findings as "extremely serious and shocking".


The government could impose limits on the amount of time children spent on social media, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has suggested. The Independent reports that Culture Secretary Matt Hancock said the negative impact on young people from too much screen time was a "genuine concern". He suggested an age-verification system could be used to tackle the problem.


Training to help children who face early childhood trauma is to be offered to all schools in Wales. The BBC reports that teachers will be taught how to support pupils who have adverse experiences such as family breakdown, bereavement, or physical, sexual or substance abuse. It follows a pilot project at three primary schools in Bridgend county.


A primary school head teacher has been accused of "fat-shaming" pupils after he told parents that their children were too overweight and should walk to school to lose weight. The Telegraph reports that Dr Huw Humphreys, head of the Christ the Sower Ecumenical Primary School in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, sent a newsletter to parents which said: "Our children, overall, are fatter and more obese than other children in Milton Keynes." Dr Humphreys later apologised, after his letter prompted a backlash from parents.


More than half of councils in the North West of England are considering selling parks or finding other organisations to maintain them within the next three years, an investigation has found. The BBC said the local authorities claim they are being forced to take these measures to counterbalance government budget cuts. Knowsley Council says it intends to sell 17 parks and use the money raised to "forever" protect its remaining 144.