From April 6, some financial firms will be able to offer targeted support, giving people more tailored guidance on what to do with their finances, based on what the firm would typically recommend to others in similar situations.

Under the change, banks, pension providers and other authorised firms will be allowed to give suggestions aimed at groups of customers who share common characteristics, rather than only offering generic information.

This targeted support is intended to bridge the gap between broad, general guidance and fully personalised, paid-for financial advice, so that more people can make confident, informed decisions.

Customers will receive “ready-made” options designed for groups, without undergoing a full, in-depth assessment of their individual circumstances.

In December, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said that at least 18 million people could be offered extra help with their investments and pensions over the next decade with the introduction of targeted support.

According to FCA data, around seven million adults in the UK with £10,000 or more in cash savings could be missing out on the benefits of investing throughout their lives.

Lucy Castledine, director of consumer investments at the FCA, said: “Too many people aren’t getting the help they need to navigate their financial lives.

“Without the right support to make decisions about their investments and pensions, many people risk falling short in retirement.

“Targeted support is designed to change that. It will help millions of people make better informed decisions and understand the potential rewards and any risks, including of not investing.”

Chira Barua, chief executive of Scottish Widows said: “The arrival of targeted support is a game changer for people who want help with their money but don’t know where to start.

“It bridges the gap between doing nothing and getting full financial advice, empowering millions to make better financial decisions.

“Technology will be key to making that support available at scale.

“Our AI (artificial intelligence) agent in the Scottish Widows app will work like sat nav, by helping people understand their options and choose a route that makes sense for them, based on others on a similar journey.”

A survey commissioned by KPMG UK found that more than two-fifths (44%) of people are confident they will use targeted support if it becomes available to them.

More than half (58%) of people surveyed said they have never sought professional advice on pensions or long-term savings and a similar proportion (53%) said they would welcome being offered targeted support.

Jane Wilson, targeted support lead at KPMG UK, said: “The fact that almost one in two consumers want to receive targeted support creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity to close the advice gap and support the UK’s ambition to create a nation of savers.”

KPMG found that of those consumers who have never sought professional financial advice, nearly a third (31%) feel they do not have enough money to make advice worthwhile, while around a quarter (26%) said it would be unaffordable.

When looking across the age brackets, people aged between 25 and 44 who were surveyed were most open to using targeted support, with 58% of 25 to 34-year-olds saying they are likely to use the support and 56% of 35 to 44-year-olds also saying this.

Those over 65 were the least inclined to access targeted support, at 22%, which KPMG suggested is driven by this age group being particularly likely to have already made pension decisions.

Ms Wilson added: “The notion that financial advice is only needed if you have notable wealth is simply not true; people with modest finances perhaps need support more than anyone else.

“Retirement no longer means handing in your lanyard and putting on your slippers; people work part-time, take on new challenges, or dip in and out of work to suit their changing lifestyles or meet their financial needs.

“The strong appetite for targeted support amongst the young shows there’s a chance to move people beyond saving and give them the confidence to invest for the long term.

“Done well, this can help individuals grow their wealth in line with their ambitions, while also channelling capital into the parts of the economy that drive sustainable growth.”

KPMG commissioned OnePoll to carry out the survey among 2,000 people across the UK in March.

Tom Shields, senior policy adviser, long-term savings policy at the Association of British Insurers (ABI) said: “We’re delighted to see targeted support now becoming a reality.

“After years of collaboration between industry, government and the FCA, this new approach is a significant step towards helping people get the support they need through their financial lives.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with our members and the regulator as more firms bring the service to market.”

The Labour Mayor of York and North Yorkshire, David Skaith, has heralded a four-year transport capital funding settlement of £456 million as a “defining moment” for the region.

He added: “We’re moving away from short-term fixes and delivering the long-term solutions residents expect.

“We’re now in the driving seat with greater funding and local control that was previously out of reach and I’m investing a record amount to fix our streets and make them safer for everyone that uses them.”

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority has agreed £298.4 million for highways maintenance and £17.5 million for active travel over the next four years.

An additional £30 million has been ringfenced for road safety work including improvements outside schools.

This pot also includes £2 million for the county’s first fixed and average speed cameras for the county.

Locations of the cameras would be determined by road safety partnerships.

For road maintenance, North Yorkshire Council will receive £63.8 million in 2026/27 — up from £57.8 million it received the previous year.

City of York Council will see its allocation rise to £7.1 million in the same period, up from £4.4 million in 2025/26.

But the decision on the settlement was taken without the support of North Yorkshire Council leaders who say their authority will receive around £20 million less over the four years than it would if the money came directly from the Department for Transport.

They are unhappy that extra money provided by the government has been “top sliced” by the mayor for other transport schemes.

They have also opposed a change to the calculation for road maintenance funding which means £4 million of their allocation will be diverted to City of York Council.

Conservative council leader, Councillor Carl Les, said: “To be clear, this is a decision made locally that will mean we have less money to maintain our roads.

“We had asked the mayor to reconsider the plans, and it is extremely disappointing that the proposals have now been voted through.

“There are no guarantees beyond the next financial year, and the allocations could change again to make the situation even worse.

“The approach actually risks a worsening rating for our highways from the Department for Transport, which could lead to a further reduction in funding.”

During the meeting at County Hall in Northallerton, North Yorkshire Council’s deputy leader, Councillor Gareth Dadd, questioned what data the Combined Authority had to support the introduction of speed cameras.

In response, Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and Crime, said 2,000 people had been killed or seriously injured on North Yorkshire’s roads in the last five years.

She added: “Lancashire’s own introduction of fixed and average speed cameras, which I think is probably about ten years ago now, has had a significant impact on the numbers of people killed and seriously injured on the roads of Lancashire.”

Later in the meeting, the mayor stopped Cllr Dadd from speaking for a second time about the settlement.

In response, Cllr Dadd said it was “utterly disgraceful” that he was being “gagged” over the issue.

Both he and Cllr Les voted against the settlement.

But Councillor Peter Kilbane, deputy leader of Labour-led City of York Council, welcomed the extra funding for road maintenance for his authority.

He said: “Conservative Liberal austerity destroyed our roads.

“We are now setting about fixing them with that additional £105 million extra over that period. I think it’s bizarre that this has been resisted and spun as somehow being the worst thing that’s ever happened to North Yorkshire.”

Last year, a fixed speed camera installed as part of a trial on the A64 in Sherburn, between Malton and Scarborough, was deliberately knocked over hours before it was due to be switched on.

Sydney Sweeney starring as real-life boxing legend Christy Martin in the movie “Christy” and “Hacks” launching its fifth and final season on HBO are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Country hitmaker Ella Langley releasing her sophomore album, Nintendo dropping the monster combat game Pokémon Champions and “Malcolm in the Middle” fans getting a four-episode revival with Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek.

New movies to stream from April 6-12

— Sydney Sweeney stars as real-life boxing legend Christy Martin in David Michôd’s “Christy” (HBO Max, Friday, April 10). The film, which Sweeney also produced, drew some of her best reviews. Her distinctly unglamorous performance spans Martin’s small-town West Virginia beginnings to a professional career shadowed by her abusive manager-turned-husband (Ben Foster). In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck wrote that Sweeney “imbues her no-holds-barred portrayal of Martin with both sweetness and rage, with brio and real vulnerability.”

— One of the highlights of last year, Akinola Davies Jr.’s tender father-son drama, “My Father’s Shadow,” begins streaming Friday, April 10, on MUBI. The film, penned by Davis and his brother, Wale, is loosely autobiographical. Their father died when they were young. But in “My Father’s Shadow,” two Nigerian boys have unexpected day with their father ( Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù ) in Lagos, at a pivotal time for the country. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr called it “a gem, a deeply felt memory piece and vibrant portrait of Nigeria in 1993.”

— Jonah Hill made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age skate film “Mid90s.” He returns to directing in “Outcome,” a Hollywood satire starring Keanu Reeves as a movie star named Reef Hawk who fears a video could destroy his reputation. Hill, who co-wrote the movie, also co-stars as Reef’s crisis-management lawyer. It debuts Friday, April 10, on Apple TV.

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

New music to stream from April 6-12

— A chart-topping country hitmaker preps her sophomore album: Ella Langley — known for such radio mainstays like the throwback “You Look Like You Love Me” with Riley Green and the George Strait-referencing No. 1 “Choosin’ Texas,” co-written with Miranda Lambert — will release a new record on Friday, April 10. If the whole of “Dandelion” is anything like those songs, she’s got a long career ahead of her.

— The English disco-pop singer Jessie Ware will release “Superbloom,” also on Friday, April 10. She’s as ready to soundtrack a late night on the dance floor as she’s ever been — like on the single “Ride,” which interpolates the theme from the 1966 spaghetti Western film “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” and melts into her sequined synths. “Come be my cowboy, baby, come, let’s ride,” she sings, more discotheque than honky-tonk. “You know I want you, I need you tonight, tonight.”

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from April 6-12

— “The Boys” launches its fifth and final season Wednesday on Prime Video. The critically acclaimed series is based on comic books and follows villainous superheroes and the crew trying to thwart them. Series regulars Jack Quaid, Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty and Jessie T. Usher and Chace Crawford are all returning, as are more recent additions played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jensen Ackles. “Hamilton” star Daveed Diggs also joins the cast.

— Hulu’s sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” called “The Testaments,” also premieres on Wednesday. Ann Dowd reprises her Aunt Lydia character from the original and is now in charge of a school for girls that basically prepares them for adulthood, marriage and babies. These young women have never known anything other than Gilead. It stars Chase Infiniti and Lucy Halliday and is also based on a novel by Margaret Atwood.

— Elizabeth Banks and Matthew Macfadyen lead a new sci-fi comedy, “The Miniature Wife,” for Peacock. They play a couple working on their marriage when their lives are further complicated after an unusual accident. It premieres Thursday.

— Another series launching its fifth and final season is “Hacks” on HBO. The show, debuting Thursday, follows the love-hate relationship between a legendary comedian (Jean Smart) and a talented writer played by Hannah Einbinder. The series has racked up a lot of hardware, including an Emmy for outstanding comedy series. Smart has won four consecutive Emmys for the show while Einbinder has taken home one.

— Do you ever wonder how your favorite former TV stars would fare in the present day? “Malcolm in the Middle” fans are getting their wish. Twenty years after their show went off the air, Frankie Muniz, Bryan Cranston and Jane Kaczmarek return to TV for a revival where Muniz’s character is now a dad to a teenage girl. The four episodes of “Malcolm in the Middle: Life’s Still Unfair” premiere on Friday, April 10, on both Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.

— Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from April 6-12

— Nintendo is pulling out all the stops to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pokémon. Just a month after releasing the cozy community-builder Pokémon Pokopia, it’s dropping the considerably less comfortable Pokémon Champions. This time it’s all about the combat, as you recruit and train monsters before pushing them into the arena to fight other trainers’ creatures. You can compete in ranked events with players from around the world, or enjoy casual or private battles that won’t affect your ranking. It’s a free-to-start challenge, but you may want to set some cash aside for in-app purchases. The fight club opens Wednesday on Switch and Switch 2, with iOS and Android versions coming later in 2026.

— Annapurna Interactive’s People of Note tells the tale of a pop singer named Cadence who decides she wants to start a band. That means she’ll need to trek across the world of Note, where each city is defined by its own style of music. In her travels, though, Cadence learns that a Harmonic Convergence is disrupting music itself, and she and her bandmates will have to solve puzzles, explore dungeons and fight tone-deaf villains to stop Note from going silent. Los Angeles-based Iridium Studios promises that “each battle is an interactive musical performance,” and you can pump up the volume Tuesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

— Lou Kesten

Hundreds of people lined the streets as a record-breaking 1,264 bikers arrived at Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Easter bunnies, Captain America, Cookie Monster and Minions were some of the bikers chosen attire for the feel-good ride which brought families and people of all ages together.

The streets of Darlington were filled with the sounds of revving engines, children screaming and shouting and dogs barking. In one word, excitement.

One child, upon seeing Captain America rev his engine, screamed: “I love you Captain America”, to which the Avenger gave a little salute.

Orgainsers said it was the biggest Durham Easter Egg Run yet (Image: Chris Booth)

Organiser Graeme Mills said he was “flabbergasted” by the number of bikes which turned out and thanked the public who lined the streets.

He said: “It was our biggest year ever, with 1,264 bikes. It has gone fantastic, that’s the only word I can say.

“I think this has been the biggest year for public support along the route. It makes it a spectacular event, and I am really pleased the public turned out to support in some not so good weather conditions too.”

Children and families lined the streets for the Durham Easter Egg Run (Image: Chris Booth)

The event has been a staple since 2005 when just a few hundred bikers took part, with the event getting bigger and bigger each year.

It took just under 30 minutes for all 1,264 bikers to make their way along Woodland Road, onto Hollyhurst Road and into the hospital.

The Durham Easter Egg Run outside Darlington Memorial Hospital (Image: Chris Booth)

The sun was shining on their arrival, as children and families got a glimpse of the bikes.

The bikers set off from the Durham Tesco in Dragonville at 10am, travelling en-masse to Darlington Hospital and arriving at about 11am.

The break meant children had a chance to see the bikes up close and personal and people could deliver Easter eggs to the children’s wards.

And Graeme spoke about the importance of the run.

“It has become an annual event. It does take a lot of organising, but the feeling you get as a biker is just really nice,” he said.

“Some of the team members have been around SEN groups and autism walks and given Easter eggs out. It pulls at your heartstrings when we get to do this.”

The sun was shining on the bikers as they rode into Darlington (Image: Chris Booth)

The hospital in Darlington was packed with a sea of bikes; there were that many bikes that some even parked outside the hospital.

Bikers handed out Easter eggs and let children sit on their bikes, and Graeme called it a “fantastic experience”.

He said: “Seeing the looks on the children’s faces, no words can describe it.

“A couple of years ago, we got absolutely soaked on the way down and my helmet was drenched. A kid wanted to try it on, and I did tell him how wet it was, but he put it on and was so happy.”

And Graeme thanked everyone who has donated eggs and money to the run this year.

The Durham Easter Egg Run outside Darlington Memorial Hospital (Image: Chris Booth)

The organiser said: “There are loads of supermarkets, members of the public who have supported us. We get more and more each year.

“The support of the Easter eggs for the kids in hospital, we could not do that without the public’s support. There are groups, workplaces that also collect Easter eggs to donate. It has become a long-established event, and it is being recognised for all the right reasons.”

Some of the charities benefitting from the run today include the Teenage Cancer Trust, British Heart Foundation, Feeding Families, and Missed A Beat, among others.

At the time of writing, nearly £4,000 has been raised on the GoFundMe page, with hundreds more expected from fundraising across the day.

You can donate to the fundraiser by visiting: www.gofundme.com/f/durham-easter-egg-run-2026.