NewzIntel.com

Category: United Kingdom

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First UK survey on sensory loss begins this month

    Source: Anglia Ruskin University

    Published: 28 October 2024 at 11:36

    Project to provide robust data on vision and hearing loss starts in Cambridgeshire

    For the first time, robust data on the sensory health of the nation will be collected thanks to a study beginning this month in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

    The UK does not have an accurate set of data on vision and hearing loss, resulting in a lack of evidence to inform health policies and programmes, and is falling behind nations such as Trinidad and Tobago, Australia, USA, Nepal and Bangladesh that all have national sensory loss studies. It is estimated that 50% of all sight loss is avoidable.

    The UK National Eye Health and Hearing Study (UKNEHS) is a collaboration between sensory loss charities, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), leading eye and hearing care professionals and the public sector to record accurate data on vision and hearing health to give confidence to the NHS and policymakers when making vital decisions that affect people’s health.

    This NHS research study has received charitable and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) support funding to operate an initial study in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough that will see UKNEHS medical professionals visit households in randomly selected postcodes from late October this year until February 2025. The visits are first to introduce the study and then to invite those aged 50 years and older for a free local specialist eye and hearing assessment.

    The area has been chosen for its diverse population, rural and urban areas, and wide range of socio-economic factors.

    It is hoped that this initial study will lead to further funding for a UK-wide study that will, for the first time, give an accurate picture of the nation’s sensory health.

    Rupert Bourne, Professor of Ophthalmology at Anglia Ruskin University and Chief Investigator for the UKNEHS, said:

    “Hearing impairment costs the UK an estimated £30 billion each year and visual impairment, including sight loss and blindness, £28 billion.
     
    “Despite these huge costs, the datasets currently used in the UK are of limited value, due to a reliance on international data, or UK data samples that are either very small scale, or not generalisable to the population as a whole. There is subsequently no robust evidence-base upon which to design a prevention strategy or plan services for the future that meet the population’s needs”.
     
    “Our study aims to enable healthcare professionals and policy makers to understand why people are losing their sight and hearing due to preventable causes so they can target the right preventions, treatment, and public health services, providing support to people who really need it.”

    Phase one of the study has seen UKNEHS teams visit care homes in the area to survey the sensory health of residents. On one of these visits, Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Dr Nik Johnson observed teams carrying out their work.
     
    Dr Johnson said:

    “Having already seen what’s happened at local nursing homes in terms of the screening, it’s fantastic news that out and about in the near future there will be teams visiting different areas of the county, and local people in the community will have the opportunity to get involved in this study.
     
    “I’d really encourage people to take part and have their hearing and eyes checked.”

    Phase two of the study will involve the UKNEHS teams visiting 750 randomly chosen households in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Those who receive an invitation are encouraged to take part in this important national project whatever their vision or hearing status, including those who may be regularly seen by eye or hearing services. It is estimated that 1 out of every 5 people aged 50 plus have impaired eyesight or an eye disease that goes undetected.
     
    The UKNEHS has been developed by Anglia Ruskin University’s Vision and Eye Research Institute in cooperation with the College of Optometrists, the Thomas Pocklington Trust and a number of other partner organisations across the eye health and hearing sector.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Pavement Parking Ban to be enforced from January 2025

    Source: Scotland – City of Perth

    This initiative is part of a broader effort to enhance pedestrian safety and prevent damage to pavements.

    The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 prohibits pavement parking, double parking, and parking across dropped kerbs.

    A national campaign has been underway to raise awareness of these new regulations. The law aims to improve the safety of pedestrians, particularly those with mobility issues, visual impairments, and parents or carers with pushchairs.

    Additionally, pavements are not designed to bear the weight of vehicles, and persistent parking can cause significant damage.

    Local authorities now have the power to enforce this law and issue fines through Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) of £100, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days.

    Perth and Kinross Council will begin enforcing these new rules on January 6, 2025. However, advisory notices are now being issued to educate the public about the new legislation.

    Councillor Eric Drysdale, convener of Perth and Kinross Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee said: “Vehicles parked on pavements stop people from walking safely down streets and can be particularly hazardous for people with disabilities or those pushing prams or buggies, especially if they are forced onto the road to get by.

    “They can also cause damage to pavements, causing a trip hazard and are expensive to repair.

    “Councils have been able to enforce the ban on pavement parking since last year. We’ve reviewed around 2,000 streets in Perth and Kinross and will be focusing our efforts on those area where we know it is a particular problem for residents.

    “But our hope is that people will be aware of the new rules and will park appropriately and safely so there is little need to issue fines.”

    Cindy Godfey-McKay, chair of the Centre for Inclusive Living in Perth, said: “Pavement parking is a complex problem that can cause real problems for pedestrians, but particularly for wheelchair users, people with mobility or visual impairments and those with prams or buggies.

    “The difficulty for me, being registered blind, with approximately 15% residual vision, and regularly using a wheelchair, due to rheumatoid arthritis, is that if there is a vehicle is on the pavement, I don’t see it until the last minute, then I have the difficulty of knowing where the next drop kerb is, to go down and around the vehicle.

    “This could mean me having to go along the road for quite a distance, as I can’t see where the drop kerb is to go back up onto the pavement, after the vehicle. This is a very difficult and dangerous thing to have to do.”

    Certain exceptions to the ban are permitted under the Act. These include:

    • Police, ambulance, Scottish Fire and Rescue Services, HM Coastguard, or naval or air force purposes.
    • Roadworks, removal of traffic obstructions, waste collection by local authorities, or postal services.
    • Urgent or emergency health care by registered medical practitioners, nurses, or midwives.
    • Assistance at an accident or breakdown.
    • Delivering or collecting goods, provided the vehicle is parked for no longer than necessary (up to 20 minutes).

    Incorrect parking on footways, double parking, and parking at dropped crossings can be reported using the My PKC service. While every report will be reviewed, the Council may not always be able to attend every street where incorrect parking is reported

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Global: What you need to know about clonazepam, the drug found in Liam Payne’s hotel room

    Source: The Conversation – UK – By Michael Cole, Professor of Forensic Science, Anglia Ruskin University

    Early toxicology reports suggest that former One Direction singer Liam Payne had several drugs in his system when he fell to his death from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires, Argentina. These include pink cocaine (which comprises several drugs), cocaine, benzodiazepine and crack.

    While the type of benzodiazepine wasn’t mentioned in the toxicology report, it is known that the police found a blister pack of clonazepam in the singer’s hotel room.

    Although there has been a general fall in the use of benzodiazepines, clonazepam has bucked that trend. The reason for this is unclear, but it could be the drug’s potency. It is not without reason that on the street it is sometimes referred to as “super Valium”.

    Clonazepam was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1975. It is used to treat a range of conditions, including epileptic seizures, muscle spasms, anxiety and panic disorders. Doses range from 0.5mg to 2mg in tablet or liquid forms. (By comparison, a teaspoon of sugar weighs about 5,000mg.) It is also 20 times more potent than diazepam (Valium), with 0.5mg of clonazepam being equivalent to 10mg diazepam.

    The onset time for clonazepam – that is, the time to have an effect – is an hour or more. Xanax, also a benzodiazepine, starts to act within ten minutes, while Valium takes between 15 and 60 minutes.

    Although slower to start acting, the effects of clonazepam are longer lasting than many benzodiazepines. For example, the half-life (the time taken for the body to reduce the amount of drug in the body by 50%) of Xanax is six to 25 hours, of Valium 48 hours and clonazepam up to 54 hours.

    In recreational use, tablets are powdered and then snorted. The drug enters the bloodstream through the membranes in the nose. Taken this way the drug is faster to act and more is available in the bloodstream to have an effect.

    The drug is thought to work by enhancing the activity of a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) called Gaba. It dampens brain activity by blocking the signals between neurons. Boosting Gaba is known to reduce anxiety, promote relaxation and help with sleep.

    Steady rise

    Recently there has been a rise in the use and misuse of clonazepam in the UK. Prescriptions for the drug increased by 12% in 2023. The UK Rehab website states: “The rise in clonazepam addiction reflects a larger trend in the misuse of prescription medications, a public health crisis that has escalated into epidemic proportions in some regions.”

    Google searches for clonazepam have increased, with a particular interest in the drug in parts of the US. There are also reports of new polydrug mixtures containing clonazepam, such as karkoubi, which has been reported in Algeria and Morocco, mixing clonazepam with cannabis and tobacco.

    Taking clonazepam is not without dangers. Even under medical supervision, people can develop tolerance to it and become dependent.

    Doctors tend to prescribe low doses and then gradually increase the dose until the desired therapeutic effect is achieved. However, if the drug is taken over long periods (four weeks is often cited) people can become dependent. Withdrawal symptoms – such as tremors, sweating and nausea – are then experienced when the patient stops taking the drug.

    Clonazepam also causes side-effects that can include trouble speaking, feeling sleepy, a slower heartbeat and excitability. Although rarer, some people hallucinate.

    When mixed with other drugs or alcohol, the problems are compounded. For example, mixing with opiates and opioids (for example, codeine, methadone, morphine, oxycodone and tramadol) or alcohol can lead to sedation, slower breathing and heart rate, coma and even death.

    Taking drugs in combination is known to be extremely dangerous. More than 93% of drug deaths in Scotland in 2021 involved more than one drug.

    With these potential dangers, clonazepam is tightly controlled internationally. In the UK, it is a class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Other class C drugs include GHB, tramadol, cathinone and anabolic steroids.

    But tough laws alone will not stop drugs from being misused. So when people choose to take drugs, including clonazepam, it is important that they understand what the drug might do and what the risks might be.

    Michael Cole receives funding and “in kind” support from the European Union and a number police forces and forensic science organisations around the world to carry out research.

    – ref. What you need to know about clonazepam, the drug found in Liam Payne’s hotel room – https://theconversation.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-clonazepam-the-drug-found-in-liam-paynes-hotel-room-241853

    MIL OSI – Global Reports –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: PM speech in Birmingham: 28 October 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer makes a speech in Birmingham.

    Location:
    Birmingham
    Delivered on:
    (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

    It’s always great to be here in Birmingham. A city that is at the heart, not just of our country but also – our plans for growth – as we announced two weeks ago £500m worth of new investment in battery storage will create the jobs of the future right here. And that’s a snapshot of the Britain we are building this week and beyond. 

    Our economy – stabilised. 

    The foundations – fixed. 

    Hope in the future – restored.  

    Another step taken on the long, difficult, but resolute path that we will walk.

    Towards a Britain returned to the service of working people.

    I said on the steps of Downing Street – the day after the election that this would be a government for the working people of this country. 

    That, when the cameras stopped rolling. When that black door closed. We would carry their hopes and aspirations with us. 

    That the basic, completely reasonable desire to want a better future for your family. That would become the driving purpose of this Government. 

    Now, I will never stand here and tell you to feel better, if you don’t. And I will never ask you to feel grateful for what you should expect as a given.  

    Trust in my project to return Britain to the service of working people can only be earned through actions not words: Change must be felt. 

    But every decision we have made. Every decision that we will make in the future will be made with working people in our minds’ eye. People who have been working harder and harder for years, just to stand still. 

    People doing the right thing maybe still finding a little bit of money to put away. Paying their way – even in the cost-of-living crisis but who feel this country no longer gives them or their children a fair chance. 

    People stuck on an NHS waiting list whose town centre is blighted by anti-social behaviour who can’t afford to buy a place they call home or can’t afford the home they have, because of the mortgage bombshell. 

    And people who feel ignored as their lives, no matter how hard they work slide into greater insecurity. Scared of the postman coming down the path – will it be another bill I can’t afford?

    People like that video, we just watched. [Political content removed]

    I know some people want to have a debate about this and I know there will always be the exception that proves the rule. Welcome to the wonders of a diverse country!  

    But I also know that the working people of this country know exactly who they are and that – they are the golden thread that runs through our agenda. Every single one of our national missions is about delivering for them. 

    And we are getting on with the job. That’s why we reformed planning rules to get Britain building again – restore the dream of home ownership.  

    It’s why we ended junior doctor strikes to lift the pressure on our NHS. Start cutting waiting lists. 

    It’s why we stopped the riots with tough sentences for violent thugs. 

    Launched a Border Security Command to smash the people-smugglers. 

    Switched on Great British Energy to get Putin’s boot off our throat. Make our country more secure. Create good jobs – right across the country. 

    And it’s also why we’ve started the work of changing our economy. Stabilising it. Fixing its foundations. 

    But also – changing how it works for them. An employment bill that will finally make work pay.  That will contribute to growth and raise living standards for working people. A direct response to the cost-of-living crisis, we were elected to tackle for them. Because let me tell you, it is working people who pay the price when their Government fails to deliver economic stability. They’ve had enough of slow growth, stagnant living standards and crumbling public services.

    They know that austerity is no solution. And they’ve seen the chaos when politicians let borrowing get out of control.

    We choose a different path. Honest, responsible, long-term decisions in the interests of working people.

    Because it’s stability that means we can invest. And reform that will maximise that investment. £63 billion worth of investment secured from business two weeks ago – a record-breaking show of confidence in our plan for growth.  

    That’s investment that will create tens of thousands of jobs. Good jobs – in every corner of the country. 

    I know some people will recoil when we say we have to take the tough decisions needed to fix the foundations. 

    This doesn’t happen by accident it’s because business can see we are fixing the foundations. Everyone who finds damp in their house – know they have a decision. Paint over it or strip it out, pull off the plaster, deal with it once and for all. 

    So, I will defend our tough decisions all day long.

    It’s the right thing for our country. The only way you get the investment we need. Stability. Investment. Reform.

    That is how we fix the NHS, rebuild Britain, and protect the payslips of working people, delivering on our mandate of change.  

    That’s what the Budget this week will be about.  It’s what every week of this Government will be about. 

    A Budget for working people, from a government for working people. Because returning Britain to their service, that’s our fundamental cause – and it never changes. 

    It will also be the first budget delivered by a woman – ever. That is a moment of pride. That is a moment of pride. When Rachel Reeves stands up – she will be making history – young women and girls will watching across the country. They will look up – and they will notice.   

    It will also be a Budget which will show to the British people that we won’t be distracted from our task.  

    We will stick to our long-term plan.  Run towards the tough decisions, rip-off the short-term sticking plasters, so we can lead our country finally but decisively out of this ‘pay-more, get less’ doom-loop [political content removed].

    Of course there will still be tough decisions. Rebuilding Britain and delivering growth, that will take the skills and effort of all of us. 

    That is why this Budget will also Get Britain Working. It will pave the way for reforms that tackle the root causes of economic inactivity, make sure – that those who can work, do work. 

    [Political content removed] we will always help those who cannot support themselves, but the UK is the only G7 country where economic inactivity is still higher than it was before Covid.

    That is not just bad for our economy, it’s also bad for all those who are locked out of opportunity. So the Chancellor will announce £240 million in funding to provide local services that can help people back into work, and the dignity it brings.

    A Britain that works for working people. With all those who can, playing their part.

    We will also be ruthless in clamping down on government waste, just as we will be ruthless on clamping down on tax avoidance, so the British people that every penny counts.

    Every single person in this country had to do that during the cost-of-living crisis and government must be no different. 

    And frankly, when we’re asking broader shoulders to carry a higher burden on tax, that determination to be more productive and efficient in government, that’s the very least their contribution deserves.  

    Look – nobody wants higher taxes, just like nobody wants public spending cuts. But we have to be realistic about where we are as a country. This is not 1997, when the economy was decent but public services were on their knees.  And it’s not 2010, where public services were strong, but the public finances were weak. We have to deal with both sides of that coin.

    These are unprecedented circumstances, but the budget the Chancellor will deliver on Wednesday, will prevent devastating austerity in our public services and prevent a disastrous path for our public finances.

    [Political content removed]  

    And yes – things are worse than we could possibly have expected during the election – the Budget will set that out very clearly. 

    I mean – just look at the state of our prisons last week.

    [Political content removed]

    On Rwanda, asylum hotels, propping up failing train companies [Political content removed] .  An economy riddled with weakness on productivity and investment. A state that needs urgent modernisation to face down the challenge of a volatile world.  

    A country where people don’t just lack faith in politicians to fix any of this but also wonder – whether Britain can. Whether we still have the resources to move forward or whether decline is now an incurable disease.

    [Political content removed]

    I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with this. I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with it. Politics is always a choice. So we won’t hide from our decisions on Wednesday or for that matter, any day. 

    Besides, as I said two weeks ago at our International Investment Summit we have huge assets in this country. Leading positions in the industries of the future:

    Clean energy, artificial intelligence, life sciences, the creative industries, a technology sector that is the envy of Europe. A heritage steeped in science, trade and innovation. And values. Values deep in the bones of this nation and which say, to the world – this country is open for business. This country respects diversity and difference under the same flag. 

    We are still the country, known all around the world for our pragmatism and our creativity, the ingenuity and industry of our people and so if we do grasp the nettle on our economy, if we do fix those foundations, stick to those values and deliver the change working people need we won’t just get through this – better days are ahead. 

    Seriously – this is an economic plan that will change long-term British growth for the better. We are tackling the biggest challenges in our economy.  

    Higher investment – we’re dealing with it.

    Planning – we’re reforming it.

    The labour market – we’re getting people back to work, but also making sure work pays. 

    On competition – we’re stripping out the needless regulation that holds back private investment and all of this built on that foundation of economic stability. This is what fixing the foundations means.  

    What delivering change means. Everyone in this country will benefit from this. Everyone can wake up on Thursday and see that a new future is being built. A better future. But I tell you now – what we can’t do. Is waste any more time. 

    Politics is a choice and it’s time to choose a clear path.  

    It’s time to embrace the harsh light of fiscal reality. So we can come together behind a credible, long-term plan.  

    It’s time we ran towards the tough decisions because ignoring them set us on the path of decline. 

    It’s time we ignored the populist chorus of easy answers because we saw what happens if you reject the constraints of economic stability and we’re never going back to that. 

    That is our choice. Stability – to prevent chaos.

    Borrowing that will drive long-term growth.

    Tax rises – to prevent austerity and rebuild public services.

    We choose – to protect working people.

    We choose – to get the NHS back on its feet.

    We choose – to fix the foundations reject decline and rebuild our country with investment. 

    And while I’m sure you understand I can’t get into individual measures before Wednesday. I will say this. 

    If people want to criticise the path we choose – that’s their prerogative. But let them then spell out a different direction. 

    If they think the state has grown too big let them tell working people which public services they would cut. 

    If they think tax rises are unfair let them tell working people which taxes they’d raise instead. 

    If they don’t see our long-term investment in infrastructure as necessary let them explain to working people how they would grow the economy for them. 

    [Political content removed]

    Because I have said it before and I will say it again the time is long overdue for politicians in this country, to level with you, honestly about the trade-offs this country faces. 

    To stop insulting your intelligence with the chicanery of easy answers. Working people know that hard choices are necessary. 

    [Political content removed]

    They lived through the cost-of-living crisis so they know that the things they want from us:

    Protecting their living standards. 

    Rebuilding our nation.

    Fixing our public services.

    They know – that this can only be achieved alongside economic stability. There are no short-cuts. 

    No, what they want to see on Wednesday is a country on a different path. Making different choices. They don’t want to pay the price anymore, in times of crisis because our economic foundations are weak and they don’t want to see the proceeds of growth which could serve their family, their community, their public services – instead – always serving those at the top. 

    They want change and that is what they will get. 

    Because that is the mandate we were elected to deliver and the only path consistent with our driving purpose to return Britain to the service of working people.

    That purpose also runs through the priorities we set out in our manifesto. 

    The national missions which capture the hope working people have for the future of our country. Look – there is a paradox in politics at the moment.  

    All around the world, traditional values. Democratic values. Values that have underpinned the way countries like ours have operated for years. The pragmatism that is part of our identity, it’s under attack. 

    Why? 

    Because people – working people most of all have lost faith it can still deliver for their family. And yet, at the same time, what people want from politics that hasn’t changed. 

    People want a stable economy, they want their country to be safe, their borders secure. Economic security, national security, border security. Those are still the foundations everything rests upon. 

    And then beyond that they want exactly what those national missions promise. 

    A growing economy.

    Safer streets.

    Clean British energy in their home. 

    Opportunities for their children.

    And an NHS that is there when they need it. 

    I know populism preys on the fears people have that these things no longer belong to them.  But I have never felt the right response is to ignore those concerns rather than showing that they can still be delivered. 

    So I am never going to pick just one of these missions – and say that’s everything because every single one of them matters to working people. And for the same reason – I will never turn away from them either. 

    In fact, because I know actions speak louder than words because I expect to be judged by the British people.  

    In the coming weeks, on every mission, we will publish clear ambitions for this Parliament and we will also track our progress against them, so that every single person in this country can see exactly how we measure up to things that matter to them. 

    [Political content removed]

    They want to see us build 1.5m homes, make sure a record number of children start school ready to learn, raise living standards so that there is more cash in their pocket, restore confidence crime will be punished. Guaranteed neighbourhood policing in every community. 

    Make our energy system more secure by harnessing clean British energy, accelerating towards net-zero. 

    And on our NHS, they want us to cut waiting times dramatically and meet the 18-week target – that is still the best benchmark for an NHS that is back on its feet facing the future, once more – a beacon of pride to the world.

    These are my priorities for change and I won’t change course.  

    The budget will light the way and we will use the power of government.

    Stability, investment and reform, partnership across the whole of society, galvanised by clear objectives.

    To deliver on the priorities of the British people.  

    The foundations – fixed.  

    Public services – renewed. 

    A country rebuilt by investment.

    Released from decline.

    Returned once more.

    To the service of working people. 

    Now that is the course we set this week.

    That is the driving purpose of this government.

    That is the change we will deliver.

    Thank you very much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Speech: PM speech in Birmingham: 28 October 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer makes a speech in Birmingham.

    Location:
    Birmingham
    Delivered on:
    (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

    It’s always great to be here in Birmingham. A city that is at the heart, not just of our country but also – our plans for growth – as we announced two weeks ago £500m worth of new investment in battery storage will create the jobs of the future right here. And that’s a snapshot of the Britain we are building this week and beyond. 

    Our economy – stabilised. 

    The foundations – fixed. 

    Hope in the future – restored.  

    Another step taken on the long, difficult, but resolute path that we will walk.

    Towards a Britain returned to the service of working people.

    I said on the steps of Downing Street – the day after the election that this would be a government for the working people of this country. 

    That, when the cameras stopped rolling. When that black door closed. We would carry their hopes and aspirations with us. 

    That the basic, completely reasonable desire to want a better future for your family. That would become the driving purpose of this Government. 

    Now, I will never stand here and tell you to feel better, if you don’t. And I will never ask you to feel grateful for what you should expect as a given.  

    Trust in my project to return Britain to the service of working people can only be earned through actions not words: Change must be felt. 

    But every decision we have made. Every decision that we will make in the future will be made with working people in our minds’ eye. People who have been working harder and harder for years, just to stand still. 

    People doing the right thing maybe still finding a little bit of money to put away. Paying their way – even in the cost-of-living crisis but who feel this country no longer gives them or their children a fair chance. 

    People stuck on an NHS waiting list whose town centre is blighted by anti-social behaviour who can’t afford to buy a place they call home or can’t afford the home they have, because of the mortgage bombshell. 

    And people who feel ignored as their lives, no matter how hard they work slide into greater insecurity. Scared of the postman coming down the path – will it be another bill I can’t afford?

    People like that video, we just watched. [Political content removed]

    I know some people want to have a debate about this and I know there will always be the exception that proves the rule. Welcome to the wonders of a diverse country!  

    But I also know that the working people of this country know exactly who they are and that – they are the golden thread that runs through our agenda. Every single one of our national missions is about delivering for them. 

    And we are getting on with the job. That’s why we reformed planning rules to get Britain building again – restore the dream of home ownership.  

    It’s why we ended junior doctor strikes to lift the pressure on our NHS. Start cutting waiting lists. 

    It’s why we stopped the riots with tough sentences for violent thugs. 

    Launched a Border Security Command to smash the people-smugglers. 

    Switched on Great British Energy to get Putin’s boot off our throat. Make our country more secure. Create good jobs – right across the country. 

    And it’s also why we’ve started the work of changing our economy. Stabilising it. Fixing its foundations. 

    But also – changing how it works for them. An employment bill that will finally make work pay.  That will contribute to growth and raise living standards for working people. A direct response to the cost-of-living crisis, we were elected to tackle for them. Because let me tell you, it is working people who pay the price when their Government fails to deliver economic stability. They’ve had enough of slow growth, stagnant living standards and crumbling public services.

    They know that austerity is no solution. And they’ve seen the chaos when politicians let borrowing get out of control.

    We choose a different path. Honest, responsible, long-term decisions in the interests of working people.

    Because it’s stability that means we can invest. And reform that will maximise that investment. £63 billion worth of investment secured from business two weeks ago – a record-breaking show of confidence in our plan for growth.  

    That’s investment that will create tens of thousands of jobs. Good jobs – in every corner of the country. 

    I know some people will recoil when we say we have to take the tough decisions needed to fix the foundations. 

    This doesn’t happen by accident it’s because business can see we are fixing the foundations. Everyone who finds damp in their house – know they have a decision. Paint over it or strip it out, pull off the plaster, deal with it once and for all. 

    So, I will defend our tough decisions all day long.

    It’s the right thing for our country. The only way you get the investment we need. Stability. Investment. Reform.

    That is how we fix the NHS, rebuild Britain, and protect the payslips of working people, delivering on our mandate of change.  

    That’s what the Budget this week will be about.  It’s what every week of this Government will be about. 

    A Budget for working people, from a government for working people. Because returning Britain to their service, that’s our fundamental cause – and it never changes. 

    It will also be the first budget delivered by a woman – ever. That is a moment of pride. That is a moment of pride. When Rachel Reeves stands up – she will be making history – young women and girls will watching across the country. They will look up – and they will notice.   

    It will also be a Budget which will show to the British people that we won’t be distracted from our task.  

    We will stick to our long-term plan.  Run towards the tough decisions, rip-off the short-term sticking plasters, so we can lead our country finally but decisively out of this ‘pay-more, get less’ doom-loop [political content removed].

    Of course there will still be tough decisions. Rebuilding Britain and delivering growth, that will take the skills and effort of all of us. 

    That is why this Budget will also Get Britain Working. It will pave the way for reforms that tackle the root causes of economic inactivity, make sure – that those who can work, do work. 

    [Political content removed] we will always help those who cannot support themselves, but the UK is the only G7 country where economic inactivity is still higher than it was before Covid.

    That is not just bad for our economy, it’s also bad for all those who are locked out of opportunity. So the Chancellor will announce £240 million in funding to provide local services that can help people back into work, and the dignity it brings.

    A Britain that works for working people. With all those who can, playing their part.

    We will also be ruthless in clamping down on government waste, just as we will be ruthless on clamping down on tax avoidance, so the British people that every penny counts.

    Every single person in this country had to do that during the cost-of-living crisis and government must be no different. 

    And frankly, when we’re asking broader shoulders to carry a higher burden on tax, that determination to be more productive and efficient in government, that’s the very least their contribution deserves.  

    Look – nobody wants higher taxes, just like nobody wants public spending cuts. But we have to be realistic about where we are as a country. This is not 1997, when the economy was decent but public services were on their knees.  And it’s not 2010, where public services were strong, but the public finances were weak. We have to deal with both sides of that coin.

    These are unprecedented circumstances, but the budget the Chancellor will deliver on Wednesday, will prevent devastating austerity in our public services and prevent a disastrous path for our public finances.

    [Political content removed]  

    And yes – things are worse than we could possibly have expected during the election – the Budget will set that out very clearly. 

    I mean – just look at the state of our prisons last week.

    [Political content removed]

    On Rwanda, asylum hotels, propping up failing train companies [Political content removed] .  An economy riddled with weakness on productivity and investment. A state that needs urgent modernisation to face down the challenge of a volatile world.  

    A country where people don’t just lack faith in politicians to fix any of this but also wonder – whether Britain can. Whether we still have the resources to move forward or whether decline is now an incurable disease.

    [Political content removed]

    I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with this. I expect to be judged on my ability to deal with it. Politics is always a choice. So we won’t hide from our decisions on Wednesday or for that matter, any day. 

    Besides, as I said two weeks ago at our International Investment Summit we have huge assets in this country. Leading positions in the industries of the future:

    Clean energy, artificial intelligence, life sciences, the creative industries, a technology sector that is the envy of Europe. A heritage steeped in science, trade and innovation. And values. Values deep in the bones of this nation and which say, to the world – this country is open for business. This country respects diversity and difference under the same flag. 

    We are still the country, known all around the world for our pragmatism and our creativity, the ingenuity and industry of our people and so if we do grasp the nettle on our economy, if we do fix those foundations, stick to those values and deliver the change working people need we won’t just get through this – better days are ahead. 

    Seriously – this is an economic plan that will change long-term British growth for the better. We are tackling the biggest challenges in our economy.  

    Higher investment – we’re dealing with it.

    Planning – we’re reforming it.

    The labour market – we’re getting people back to work, but also making sure work pays. 

    On competition – we’re stripping out the needless regulation that holds back private investment and all of this built on that foundation of economic stability. This is what fixing the foundations means.  

    What delivering change means. Everyone in this country will benefit from this. Everyone can wake up on Thursday and see that a new future is being built. A better future. But I tell you now – what we can’t do. Is waste any more time. 

    Politics is a choice and it’s time to choose a clear path.  

    It’s time to embrace the harsh light of fiscal reality. So we can come together behind a credible, long-term plan.  

    It’s time we ran towards the tough decisions because ignoring them set us on the path of decline. 

    It’s time we ignored the populist chorus of easy answers because we saw what happens if you reject the constraints of economic stability and we’re never going back to that. 

    That is our choice. Stability – to prevent chaos.

    Borrowing that will drive long-term growth.

    Tax rises – to prevent austerity and rebuild public services.

    We choose – to protect working people.

    We choose – to get the NHS back on its feet.

    We choose – to fix the foundations reject decline and rebuild our country with investment. 

    And while I’m sure you understand I can’t get into individual measures before Wednesday. I will say this. 

    If people want to criticise the path we choose – that’s their prerogative. But let them then spell out a different direction. 

    If they think the state has grown too big let them tell working people which public services they would cut. 

    If they think tax rises are unfair let them tell working people which taxes they’d raise instead. 

    If they don’t see our long-term investment in infrastructure as necessary let them explain to working people how they would grow the economy for them. 

    [Political content removed]

    Because I have said it before and I will say it again the time is long overdue for politicians in this country, to level with you, honestly about the trade-offs this country faces. 

    To stop insulting your intelligence with the chicanery of easy answers. Working people know that hard choices are necessary. 

    [Political content removed]

    They lived through the cost-of-living crisis so they know that the things they want from us:

    Protecting their living standards. 

    Rebuilding our nation.

    Fixing our public services.

    They know – that this can only be achieved alongside economic stability. There are no short-cuts. 

    No, what they want to see on Wednesday is a country on a different path. Making different choices. They don’t want to pay the price anymore, in times of crisis because our economic foundations are weak and they don’t want to see the proceeds of growth which could serve their family, their community, their public services – instead – always serving those at the top. 

    They want change and that is what they will get. 

    Because that is the mandate we were elected to deliver and the only path consistent with our driving purpose to return Britain to the service of working people.

    That purpose also runs through the priorities we set out in our manifesto. 

    The national missions which capture the hope working people have for the future of our country. Look – there is a paradox in politics at the moment.  

    All around the world, traditional values. Democratic values. Values that have underpinned the way countries like ours have operated for years. The pragmatism that is part of our identity, it’s under attack. 

    Why? 

    Because people – working people most of all have lost faith it can still deliver for their family. And yet, at the same time, what people want from politics that hasn’t changed. 

    People want a stable economy, they want their country to be safe, their borders secure. Economic security, national security, border security. Those are still the foundations everything rests upon. 

    And then beyond that they want exactly what those national missions promise. 

    A growing economy.

    Safer streets.

    Clean British energy in their home. 

    Opportunities for their children.

    And an NHS that is there when they need it. 

    I know populism preys on the fears people have that these things no longer belong to them.  But I have never felt the right response is to ignore those concerns rather than showing that they can still be delivered. 

    So I am never going to pick just one of these missions – and say that’s everything because every single one of them matters to working people. And for the same reason – I will never turn away from them either. 

    In fact, because I know actions speak louder than words because I expect to be judged by the British people.  

    In the coming weeks, on every mission, we will publish clear ambitions for this Parliament and we will also track our progress against them, so that every single person in this country can see exactly how we measure up to things that matter to them. 

    [Political content removed]

    They want to see us build 1.5m homes, make sure a record number of children start school ready to learn, raise living standards so that there is more cash in their pocket, restore confidence crime will be punished. Guaranteed neighbourhood policing in every community. 

    Make our energy system more secure by harnessing clean British energy, accelerating towards net-zero. 

    And on our NHS, they want us to cut waiting times dramatically and meet the 18-week target – that is still the best benchmark for an NHS that is back on its feet facing the future, once more – a beacon of pride to the world.

    These are my priorities for change and I won’t change course.  

    The budget will light the way and we will use the power of government.

    Stability, investment and reform, partnership across the whole of society, galvanised by clear objectives.

    To deliver on the priorities of the British people.  

    The foundations – fixed.  

    Public services – renewed. 

    A country rebuilt by investment.

    Released from decline.

    Returned once more.

    To the service of working people. 

    Now that is the course we set this week.

    That is the driving purpose of this government.

    That is the change we will deliver.

    Thank you very much.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Become a school crossing patrol hero

    Source: City of Wolverhampton

    City of Wolverhampton Council is seeking dedicated and responsible individuals to join its team of school crossing patrol wardens.

    Better known as a lollipop man or lady, wardens can stop traffic to help children and other people cross the road. The council provides these patrols as part of its efforts to improve road safety.

    The current vacancies are for static school crossing patrol wardens at various sites around the city listed on WM Jobs. 

    Applications can be made via WM Jobs.  The deadline for applications is 5 November, 2024.

    Wardens are on duty twice each day, this is usually for 30 to 40 minutes before the start of the school day and after the end of the school day.

    Training is provided to a high standard and wardens receive regular visits from their supervisors.

    By becoming a school crossing patrol warden, you will be working between 6 and 8 hours a week for a static position, earning a good hourly rate plus holiday pay.

    More information about becoming a warden can be found by visiting Crossing Patrol Wardens. 

    Alternatively contact the school crossing patrol team on 01902 555726 or email schoolcrossingpatrol@wolverhampton.gov.uk

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Council calls for action over national £2.2 billion council housing budget black hole

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Canterbury City Council has urged the government to act now on England’s “broken council housing finances”, including “unsustainable” levels of debt previously given to councils by government.

    It has joined local authorities from across England calling for action ahead the budget this Wednesday (30 October)

    A report this autumn – Securing the Future of Council Housing – backed by more than 100 councils, highlighted that our national council housing system is in crisis, with finances pushed to the brink by past national policy decisions.

    The city council has signed a joint statement urging the government to help turn things round.

    “The new government’s commitment to a ‘council housing revolution’ is a huge step forward for communities across our country,” says the statement.

    “The Chancellor’s first Budget and spending review are a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix England’s broken council housing finances.

    “The last government tore up its 2012 council housing settlement and left local government with a £2.2 billion black hole in housing budgets.

    “Our report urges the new government to turn this round, investing in urgently needed new council homes, addressing the unsustainable debt previously allocated to councils and creating a Green and Decent Homes Programme, so together we can deliver the more and better council homes and growth that communities up and down the country so desperately need.”

    Cabinet member for housing, Cllr Pip Hazelton, said: “It is widely recognised that this country’s council housing is in a state of crisis. 

    “Finances are absolutely dire, and we have reached a point where the levels of debt are no longer sustainable.

    “Council homes are the bedrock of the structure of British housing, providing a roof over the head of those who really need it.

    “We are calling on the government to step up and address the many issues we and all councils face, so that we can continue to be there supporting local families and making sure they have good quality, long term homes to live in.”

    Securing the Future of Council Housing was supported by 109 councils across England, led by Southwark Council.

    It highlighted that without urgent action a £2.2bn black hole in councils’ housing budgets is expected by 2028.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New safeguarding course to be launched soon

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    This refreshed product replaces the existing long-standing course, Safeguarding for Children and Adults.

    Gail Charlton, Government Skills

    A new safeguarding course which will be core learning for civil servants across government is to be launched within weeks

    Called Safeguarding, it has recently been piloted by around 160 civil servants from a cross-section of departments and is currently undergoing its final round of refinements following their feedback.

    The course is designed to increase the cross-government awareness of safeguarding roles and responsibilities enabling individuals to identify situations where the safety and well-being of children, young people, adults and the unborn could be at risk. The training will support government organisations in the management of safeguarding activities and ensure that appropriate actions are taken when safeguarding concerns arise.

    “It’s an important awareness level course that helps people recognise the subtle signs that someone may be being exploited or at risk,” said Gail Charlton online business partner for Government Skills (pictured).

    “Whether it’s colleagues, customers, adults or children, we all need to stay alert and know what to do if we believe that something is amiss with someone or their situation.I would encourage all colleagues to take this training as we all have a responsibility to help keep each other safe.”

    Explore the Civil Service recommended learning which offers a diverse selection of high quality courses.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Written Ministerial Statement – Social and Affordable Housing

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    The Deputy Prime Minister has written to Parliament to set out how this week’s Budget will support both affordable housing and social housing need

    Delivered on:

    This week’s Budget will set out how the Government will deliver more affordable housing and ensure social housing is available for those who need it most.

    This will include an immediate one year cash injection of £500 million to top up the existing Affordable Homes Programme which will deliver up to 5000 new social and affordable homes, bringing total investment in housing supply in 2025/2026 to over £5 billion. This comes ahead of the multi-year Spending Review next spring, where the Government will set out details of new investment to succeed the 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme. This new investment will deliver a mix of homes for sub-market rent and home-ownership, with a particular focus on delivering homes for Social Rent.

    The Government will also consult on a new 5-year social housing rent settlement, which caps the rents social housing providers can charge their tenants, to provide the sector with the certainty it needs to invest in new social housing. The intention would be for this to increase with Consumer Price Index inflation figures and an additional 1%. The consultation will also seek views on other potential options to give greater certainty, such as providing a 10-year settlement.

    These measures to increase affordable housing come alongside changes to the Right to Buy scheme. England’s existing social housing supply is depleted every year by the scheme while also disincentivising councils to build new social housing. To address this, the Chancellor will confirm at Budget that councils will be able to retain 100% of the receipts generated by Right to Buy sales. This will enable councils to scale-up delivery of much needed social homes whilst still enabling longstanding tenants to buy their own homes. The Chancellor will also set out how Right to Buy discounts will be reduced to protect existing social housing stock to meet housing need, whilst ensuring long-term tenants can still benefit. This will deliver a fairer and more sustainable scheme that also presents better value for money for Councils.

    The Chancellor will also confirm at the Budget £128 million of funding to support the delivery of new housing projects, comprising of:

    • Confirmation of a £56 million investment at Liverpool Central Docks which is expected to deliver 2,000 homes in North Liverpool, along with office, retail, leisure, and hotel facilities. This will transform Liverpool’s former dockland into a thriving waterfront neighbourhood.
    • A £25 million investment in a joint venture to establish a new fund with Muse Places Limited and Pension Insurance Corporation to deliver 3,000 energy-efficient new homes across the country, with a target of 100% of these being affordable.
    • The confirmation of £47 million to local authorities to support the delivery of up to 28,000 homes that would otherwise be stalled due to ‘nutrient neutrality’ requirements. This funding will not only unlock much needed new housing but also clean up our rivers in the process.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: London Assembly Member urges Londoners’ to be aware of fire risk caused by DIY E-Bikes and E-Scooters 

    Source: Mayor of London

    Len Duvall, London Assembly Member for Greenwich and Lewisham has issued a warning to Londoners to be aware of fire risk caused by Lithium batteries in converted E-bikes and scooters. The warning comes following a fire in Woolwich where two people had to be rescued by fire crews. The incident, which took place in Mr Duvall’s constituency, was likely caused by lithium batteries in a converted e-bike.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to ONS data on fertility and live birth rates in England and Wales in 2023

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Scientists comment on data released by the ONS which suggests birth rates are at a record low. 

    Prof Bassel H.Al Wattar, Associate Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Medical Director of the Clinical Trials Unit, Anglia Ruskin University.

    “The new data from the ONS reflect a worrying yet persistent downward trend of fertility and birth rates in England and Wales. This may be explained by the recent cost of living crisis and financial strain that could be dissuading couples from having more than two children per household. This is also compounded by the progressive reduction in available NHS funding for fertility treatments like IVF which is further contributing to the low fertility and birth rates in the UK as a whole. Many high income countries are seeing a similar worrying trend like Japan and South Korea which has a direct negative impact on the country’s GPD and productivity. The fertility replacement rate should stay close to 2.1 children per woman and the government could implement immediate interventions to help reverse trends such as offering longer paid parental leave, more funding for childcare for working parents, and more funding for fertility treatments in the NHS”

    Prof Melinda Mills, Professor of Demography and Population Health and Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford, said:

    “England and Wales continues the trend of a drop in the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and postponing children until after age 30. Countries such as Italy and Spain reached even lower levels (around 1.24-1.29) previously and South Korea currently has the lowest TRF in the world of 0.72 in 2022.

    “Falling TFRs and postponement in having children to later ages is not surprising given recent trends. People are actively postponing or forgoing children due to issues related to difficulties in finding a partner, housing, economic uncertainty, remaining longer in education and particularly women entering and staying in the labour force. Some individuals also actively make the choice to remain childfree. However, there is evidence that postponing having children to later ages when the partners are less able to conceive results in increases in involuntarily childlessness as well. Linking the medical records from birth of those who were childless in millions of people in Finland and Sweden1, we found that the large increase in those countries was related to mental health and substance use for men and metabolic disorders linked to obesity for women.

    “The structures such as economic security, housing and affordable childcare are essential for allowing people to have the number of children they would like, when they like. Pronatalist policies such as those recently enacted in Hungary with loans or tax incentives are not only expensive but have limited evidence that they will raise the overall fertility rate.”

    Prof Brienna Perelli-Harris, Professor of Demography, The University of Southampton said:

    “The recent decline in fertility in England and Wales is quite surprising, but it is also in line with fertility declines in other countries which until recently had relatively high fertility. The Nordic countries and the United States have also experienced record-breaking lows in the past few years.

    “We are unsure whether the recent declines are due to postponement of childbearing, which can distort the total fertility rate, or an increase in childlessness.

    “Our recent analysis of the Generation and Gender Survey2 suggests that young people are less likely to intend to have a child in the future. The proportion of 18-to 25-year-olds in the GSS who said they definitely do not intend to have a child approximately doubled compared to the same age group back in 2005-2007 (around 7% then compared to 15% today).

    “The low fertility rates observed by the ONS may continue for some time into the future.”

    https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/birthsummarytablesenglandandwales/2023

    1. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01763-x
    2. https://www.cpc.ac.uk/docs/PB72_Intending_to__remain_childless_are_concerns_about_climate_change_and_overpopulation_the_cause.pdf

     

    Declared interests

    Prof Bassel H.Al Wattar “No conflicts of interests to declare”

    Prof Melinda Mills “I am a Trustee of the UK Biobank, on the Scientific Advisory Board of Our Future Health and Health and Retirement Survey US and Lifelines Biobank Netherlands. I do not see a conflict of this with this subject matter but provide it just in case.”

    Prof Brienna Perelli-Harris “Funding for the GGS came from the ESRC (UKRI), so no industry links.”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Local Government pay

    Source: Scottish Government

    First Minister writes to Unison to encourage meaningful dialogue.

    In response to ongoing industrial action in Perth and Kinross, First Minister John Swinney has written to Unison to encourage further meaningful dialogue with Local Government in order to reach a collective agreement on pay for valued workers delivering important public services.

    The full text of the First Minister’s letter: Local Government pay 2024 to 2025: letter to Unison – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: UK sanctions Putin’s interference actors

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The UK has sanctioned three Russian agencies and three senior figures who are attempting to undermine and destabilise Ukraine and its democracy.

    • UK sanctions Russian disinformation agencies seeking to undermine Ukraine.   

    • Kremlin tasked Social Design Agency (SDA) is exposed for trying to incite anti-Ukraine protests across Europe.    

    • New sanctions also hit three leaders directing the firm’s operations.

    Three Russian agencies and three senior figures who are attempting to undermine and destabilise Ukraine and its democracy have been sanctioned today by the UK.  

    The Social Design Agency (SDA) is tasked and funded directly by the Russian State, and along with its partner company Structura, has attempted to deliver a series of interference operations designed to undermine democracy and weaken international support for Ukraine.    

    This year, the SDA also attempted to incite protests in half a dozen European countries. However, despite Russian pouring money into these malign organisations’ interference activities, their lies have consistently struggled online, with bots and fake sites getting limited interaction. This has forced the SDA to consider buying social media views.  

    The Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said:   

    Putin is so desperate to undermine European support for Ukraine he is now resorting to clumsy, ineffective efforts to try and stoke unrest.   

    Today’s sanctions send a clear message; we will not tolerate your lies and interference, and we are coming after you.  

    Putin’s desperate attempts to divide us will fail. We will constrain the Kremlin, and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. 

    These firms and their leadership are responsible for a vast malign online network, also commonly known as Doppelganger, which plagues social media with fake posts, counterfeit documents and deepfake material. These deceitful tactics are designed to mask the truth around Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and distract from the true nature of the war. Their murky actions are part of a co-ordinated attempt to use deceptive information operations to undermine democracy in pursuit of their aims.    

    These new sanctions demonstrate that no matter how desperate the Russian interference activity has become, the UK is committed to taking action against Russian information manipulation. We will continue to bear down on anyone conducting such activities on behalf of SDA.    

    The US, Canada, France, European External Action Service (EEAS), Germany and Australia join us in calling out the SDA’s underhand activity globally. 

    Background:    

    The full list of those sanctioned today is:   

    • PR agency Social Design Agency (SDA).   

    • PR agency Structura National Technologies.    

    • PR agency ANO DIALOG.    

    • Ilya Andreevich GAMBASHIDZE, the founder of SDA.    

    • Nikolay Aleksandrovich TUPIKIN, the CEO of SDA and owner of Structura.    

    • Andrey Naumovich PERLA, SDA Project Director.    

    These firms are responsible for a vast malign online network, commonly known as Doppelganger. Content including fake posts, counterfeit documents and deepfake material has been pushed out to audiences in English, German and French through a complex online network. The SDA has crafted a web of at least 120 sites spoofing existing news and government websites, towards which it deceptively redirects unsuspecting social media users. Tactics included avoiding common trigger words to circumvent content moderation tools and evade account takedowns. We are working with social media platforms to ensure they are aware of this activity.    

    Our international partners have also previously exposed Doppelganger’s malign interference networks, including France and the EEAS. As part of the monitoring and analysis for the 2024 European Parliament Elections. The European External Action Service has detected that an Doppelganger / RRN Media operation actively promoted Russian narratives to disrupt and interfere with the electoral process. This network was previously attributed by META to the SDA and revealed to be running global information operations aimed at weakening support for Ukraine. France has exposed these Russian actors in June 2023 through the publication of a report by its agency, Viginum.

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lord Banner KC review proposes roadmap to speed up delivery of national infrastructure

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    New roads, railway lines and offshore windfarms could be delivered more quickly and easily, powering economic growth, according to a new independent report.

    New roads, railway lines and offshore windfarms could be delivered more quickly and easily, powering economic growth, according to a new independent report published today (Monday, 28 October).  

    The Review of Legal Challenges to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, by leading planning barrister Lord Charles Banner KC, aims to reduce delays to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and get Britain building, with ten recommendations set out for government on how to reduce barriers to development and resolve challenges more effectively.

    These include options to streamline the judicial review process, reduce the amount of time it takes for legal challenges against these projects to move through the courts, and improve the way data on case progress is published.

    These major projects, which can include harbours, power stations and waste water management facilities, are often held up by judicial review challenges, sometimes setting them back years in delays, increasing the costs significantly.

    The Government will carefully review recommendations and the responses received in the call for evidence before publishing a response with a focus on ensuring there is a balance between the critical need for projects and maintaining the public’s right to challenge government decisions. 

    Alongside the publication of the review, the Ministry of Justice, has published a call for evidence seeking views on Lord Banner’s recommendations.

    Housing and Planning Minister Matthew Pennycook said:    

    Building new and improved national infrastructure is essential to delivering the government’s economic growth and clean power missions and we must have planning system fit to deliver it.

    With demands on the consenting process having changed considerably over recent years, I’m grateful to Lord Banner for reviewing how we might speed up the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

    The government will carefully review his recommendations and consider further proposals before determining how we will further improve the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime.

    Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects are major infrastructure projects within the categories of energy, transport, water, wastewater, and waste.  

    The publication of this review comes as the government continues to focus on its commitment to break down barriers to building and deliver the investment, growth and 1.5 million homes that the country needs. This includes a consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework to fix the foundations of the housing and planning system, new mandatory housing targets for councils to ensure homes are built where they are most needed and the forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill, which will turbocharge housebuilding and accelerate the delivery of major infrastructure projects.

    ENDS 

    Notes to editors:

    A summary of the ten recommendations in the report include:

    • The cost caps, which limit the legal costs the losing party must pay the winning party in certain judicial review claims, should not be amended.
    • The current rules on ‘standing’ – i.e. who may bring a judicial review – should not be amended. 
    • There should be fewer ‘bites of the cherry’ for claimants seeking permission to bring a judicial review.  
    • The option of raising the permission threshold for a judicial review of a Development Consent Order (DCO) decision requires further consideration. 
    • The option of introducing an NSIP ticket, authorising a small pool of judges to hear DCO judicial reviews, requires further consideration. 
    • DCO Judicial Reviews should be designated as significant planning court claims, which would ensure these cases are dealt with promptly by the Planning Court, in line with target timescales set out in Civil Procedure Rules
    • Case management conferences should be introduced for DCO judicial reviews, requiring parties to come together at an early stage to consider how best to approach these claims.  
    • Target timescales should be introduced for DCO judicial reviews in the Court of Appeal.  
    • Target timescales should be introduced for DCO judicial reviews in the Supreme Court. 

    • The Planning Court and the Court of Appeal should regularly publish data on key performance indicators such as the average length of time taken for DCO judicial reviews to progress through the courts. 

    • The call for evidence will run for nine weeks and can be accessed here.
    • Lord Banner is a leading expert in planning and environmental regulation and was appointed by the previous government to conduct an independent review into the legal challenges causing delays to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI Security: Owner of Boston Pizzeria Chain Sentenced to More than Eight Years in Prison for Forced Labor

    Source: United States Department of Justice (Human Trafficking)

    BOSTON – The owner of Stash’s Pizza, a pizzeria chain in Massachusetts, was sentenced on Oct. 25, 2024 for forced labor charges. The defendant forced or attempted to force six victims to work for him and comply with excessive workplace demands through violent physical abuse; threats of violence and serious harm; and repeated threats to report the victims to immigration authorities for deportation.

    Stavros Papantoniadis, a/k/a “Steve Papantoniadis,” 49, of Westwood, Mass., was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 102 months in prison, one year of supervised release and ordered to pay a $35,000 fine. At a jury trial in June 2024, Papantoniadis was convicted of three counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor. Papantoniadis has remained in custody since his arrest on March 16, 2023.

    “Labor trafficking exploits the vulnerable through fear and intimidation, all in pursuit of the almighty buck. That is what Stavros Papantoniadis did when he violated the rights of the people working in his restaurants. He deliberately hired foreign nationals who lacked authorization to work in the United States and then turned their lack of immigration status against them, threatening them with deportation and violence to keep them under his control,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “I commend the bravery of the victims here for speaking out and taking a stand against their trafficker. I hope that their strength to speak out sends a message to others whose rights are being abused that the federal government will not tolerate labor trafficking. The stiff sentence imposed on Mr. Papantoniadis demonstrates that there are grave consequences for employers who engage in this type of conduct.”

    “Stavros Papantoniadis exploited and abused his employees, denying them the basic dignity every person deserves. Today’s significant sentence sends a message to employers — employees deserve to work in safety, free from harassment and abuse and exploitative employers will be held to account,” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations, New England. “Labor exploitation targets the disenfranchised in our society but we want employees to know that they have a voice and HSI is working with our partners to uphold and enforce labor laws.”

    “Stavros Papantoniadis used threats of arrest, deportation, reprisals, and physical violence to ensure his employees worked for wages lower than required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Today’s sentencing affirms the Office of Inspector General’s commitment to work with our law enforcement and Wage and Hour Division partners to aggressively investigate labor trafficking by individuals who enrich themselves through coercion or force,” said Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent-in-Charge, Northeast Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

    Papantoniadis forced or attempted to force five men and one woman to work for him through violent physical abuse, threats of abuse, and repeated threats to report victims to immigration authorities to have them deported. Papantoniadis thinly staffed his pizza shops, and purposely employed workers without immigration status to work behind the scenes, for 14 or more hours per day and as many as seven days per week. To maintain control of those undocumented workers, he made them believe that he would physically harm them or have them deported. He monitored the workers with surveillance cameras, which he accessed from his cell phone, and constantly demeaned, insulted and harassed them. When Papantoniadis learned that one victim planned to quit, he violently choked him, causing that victim to flee the pizza shop and run to safety in the parking lot. When other victims separately expressed their intentions to quit, Papantoniadis told one victim that he would kill him and call immigration authorities; and he threatened another worker by telling him he knew where the victim lived. When another worker tried to leave and drive away from one of Papantoniadis’ pizza shops, Papantoniadis chased the victim down Route 1 in Norwood, Mass., and falsely reported the victim to the local police in an effort to pressure the victim to return to work at the pizza shop.

    Papantoniadis is the owner and operator of Stash’s Pizza, a chain of pizzerias with locations in Dorchester and Roslindale, and previously had pizzerias in Norwood, Norwell, Randolph (d/b/a Boston Pizza Company), Weymouth (d/b/a Pacini’s Italian Eatery), and Wareham, Mass.

    Members of the public who believe they are a victim of labor trafficking or have information about labor trafficking, please call 888-221-6023, Option 5 or send an email with contact information to USAMA.VictimAssistance@usdoj.gov.

    Acting U.S. Attorney Levy, HSI SAC Krol and DOL-OIG SAC Mellone made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, the Boston Police Department, and the Norwood Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy E. Moran, Chief of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit, and Brian A. Fogerty of the Civil Rights & Human Trafficking Unit prosecuted the case.
     

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Reports of indiscriminate attacks on Sudanese civilians in Al Jazirah state are appalling: UK statement at the UN Security Council

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at the UN Security Council meeting on Sudan.

    Location:
    United Nations, New York
    Delivered on:
    (Transcript of the speech, exactly as it was delivered)

    I thank the Secretary-General and Ms Eltigani for briefing us today as we pass the harrowing milestone of eighteen months of brutal conflict in Sudan.

    I will make three points on behalf of the UK.

    First, we welcome the Secretary-General’s recommendations for the protection of civilians in Sudan. Both warring parties made commitments at Jeddah to limit the conflict’s impact on civilians. 

    And yet only this past weekend, we have had further appalling reports of major attacks in Al Jazirah State resulting in over 100 civilian deaths, with the Rapid Support Forces allegedly shooting at civilians indiscriminately, raping women and girls, and looting and destroying homes.

    Meanwhile, aerial bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces are causing large-scale destruction and civilian deaths across the country.

    Alleviating the plight of Sudanese civilians is critical, and we hope the Council can come together in the coming weeks to agree further steps supporting the implementation of these recommendations from the Secretary-General.

    Second, as we’ve heard today, the humanitarian crisis continues. With famine in Darfur and cholera spreading across the country, millions are at risk of an early, preventable death.

    And yet bureaucratic obstructions continue. Expelling UN staff and restricting the movements of humanitarian missions, are just a few damning examples of how life-saving assistance is being systematically blocked from reaching those in need.

    We urge the Sudanese authorities to permanently open the Adre border crossing.

    We reiterate our clear calls to both warring parties to comply with their obligations under international humanitarian law and facilitate cross-border and crossline access, across multiple entry points.

    Third President, we call on the warring parties to engage meaningfully with existing diplomatic initiatives–including the efforts of Personal Envoy Lamamra–towards a national ceasefire.

    We also call on the SAF and RSF to agree modalities for monitoring compliance with their commitments made under the Jeddah Declaration. Civil society and women’s participation is also vital for peace efforts to be fully effective.

    In conclusion, coordinated, international action, including by the African Union and the United Nations, is more important now than ever. The RSF and SAF must bring an end to the fighting now.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leicester angler prosecuted for fishing offences

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The Environment Agency has prosecuted a Leicester angler who was caught fishing in the close season and without a licence on the River Soar in May this year.

    •  Angler caught fishing in close season on River Soar between Abbey Mills and Abbey Park
    • Clamp down on angling offences to protect fish stocks and make fishing sustainable
    • Case heard at Northampton magistrates on 21 October 2024 

    At Northampton Magistrates Court on 21 October 2024, the charges against Vaidotas Jucaitis, 52, of Highfield Street, were proved in his absence. He was ordered to pay a total of £415 in fines and costs.

    Jucaitis was caught fishing during the close season between Abbey Mills and Abbey Park on 9 May 2024. He was also fishing without a licence. He was fined £100 for each charge, ordered to pay costs of £135 and a victim’s surcharge of £80.

    Close season

    The close season restrictions, which run between 15 March-15 June, are to prevent fishing for coarse fish in rivers and streams across England. The restriction helps to protect fish when they are spawning and supporting vulnerable stocks.

    Environment Agency officers conduct patrols to ensure anglers respect this no fishing period. 

    A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said: 

    We hope these penalties will act as a deterrent to any angler who is thinking of fishing either without a licence or during the close season. 

    The close season is in place to reduce disturbances to protect vulnerable stocks during their peak spawning period. 

    We urge anglers to respect the close season in order to help reduce pressures on our fisheries, benefitting fish and the wider environment. 

    Our fisheries enforcement team work seven days a week to check that anglers are following fishing regulations.

    Fisheries enforcement 

    The Environment Agency carries out enforcement work all year round and is supported by partners including the police and the Angling Trust. 

    Fisheries enforcement work is intelligence-led, targeting known hot-spots and where illegal fishing is reported.  

    Anyone with information about illegal fishing activities can contact the Environment Agency Incident Hotline 24/7 on 0800 80 70 60 or anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. 

    Fishing licences

    All income from fishing licence sales is used to fund the Environment Agency’s work to protect and improve fish stocks, fisheries and the environment. 

    This includes improving habitats for fish, reinvesting money back to facilities and clubs for anglers and tackling illegal fishing. It also includes working with partners to encourage more people to give fishing a go. 

    Any angler aged 13 or over, fishing on a river, canal or still water needs a licence.  

    A 1-day licence costs from just £7.10 and an annual licence costs from just £35.80. Concessions are available. Junior licences are free for 13 to 16-year-olds.  

    Licences are available from www.gov.uk/get-a-fishing-licence or by calling the Environment Agency on 0344 800 5386 between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.  

    The charges for Vaidotas Jacaitis

    On 9 May 2024, at Abbey Park to Abbey Mills, River Soar, Leicester, fished for freshwater fish in the close season. This is contrary to byelaw 2 of the Environment Agency National Byelaws made on July 12 210. And contrary to byelaw 6 confirmed 22 March 2010 and made pursuant to section 210 and schedule 25 of the Water Resources Act 1991 and contrary to Section 211 of the said Act.

    On 9 May 2024, at Abbey Park to Abbey Mills, River Soar, Leicester, in a place where fishing is regulated, fished for freshwater fish or eels by means of an unlicensed fishing instrument, namely rod and line. This is contrary to Section 27 (1) (a) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Black History Month event to drum up some fun

    Source: Scotland – City of Aberdeen

    Aberdeen City Council is celebrating Black History Month with a free interactive workshop in which participants will be encouraged to show off their drumming skills.

    The event which takes place in the Town House’s Town and County Hall  at 12,30pm on Thursday 31 October features local drummer and percussionist David Imevbore, also known as Bingo Dave, demonstrate his rhythmic skills and encourage the audience to join in.

    The theme of this year’s Black History Month is Reclaiming Narratives and as well as a reflection on the importance of recognising and correcting the narratives of Black history and culture, the event will also include a keynote address ‘Nostalgic Suspension – the Headwrap Journey’ by Ebun Young.

    Councillor Miranda Radley, Communities, Housing and Public Protection Convener, said:  “The Black History Month event offers all of our communities the opportunity to take part in a collaborative event which promises not only to be educational but also fun.

    “Aberdeen is a welcoming, multicultural city. The event reaffirms the Council’s commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and our ambition of ensuring that all our communities can prosper.

    “This is sure to be a very popular event, so I would encourage people to book their place as soon as possible.”

    Culture spokesman, Councillor Martin Greig said:” I am delighted that we are hosting this local event to celebrate Black History Month. It is a great chance to enjoy and learn more about the multicultural character of our city. Aberdeen is a tolerant, friendly place where people from all backgrounds are welcome.”

    Councillor Deena Tissera, who will also be at the event, said: As a longstanding supporter of the Black community, I’m honoured to celebrate Black History Month with Aberdeen City Council.

    “This month is a crucial commemoration of the contributions of Black communities in Britain and beyond, yet much remains to be done to increase representation within Scottish politics.

    “Here at Aberdeen City Council, there are calls to improve BAME leadership in the workforce, as seen in our recent Diversity in Recruitment report. As we honour Black History Month, we’re reminded of the ongoing need to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity in our workplaces and communities.”

    To register for the event visit Aberdeen City Council Event Booking System

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lord Mayor of Leeds to open major Commonwealth trade and investment conference

    Source: City of Leeds

    The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, is set to welcome guests from across the Commonwealth to a major trade and Investment conference in Leeds tomorrow (Tuesday 29 October). 

    The Trade and Investment Opportunities in the Commonwealth conference has been organised by law firm, Womble Bond Dickinson, and is being jointly hosted by Leeds City Council and West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

    The conference will feature a range of speakers including; Megan Wood, Trade Commissioner at the Canadian High Commissioner in London, Dr Olushola Kolawole, lecturer at the University of Bradford’s School of Management, and the Pakistani Consul General in Bradford, Zahid Jatoi. Several influential British-based groups, such as the Ethnic Minority Business and Policy Forum and British Friends of Pakistan, will also attend along with Chief Executive of West & North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce James Mason.

    The event brings together experts from India, Canada, Pakistan, and Nigeria to reflect on the outcomes of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) 2024, held in Samoa last week, and will explore how the UK’s commercial links to the Commonwealth can be enhanced. 

    The 56 nations of the Commonwealth are among the UK’s largest and fastest-growing trading partners. The UK exports £83 billion to Commonwealth markets annually, which accounts for 10% of overall UK exports, with significant further trade and investment opportunities for companies in West Yorkshire.

    The event will be an opportunity to encourage further West Yorkshire-Commonwealth trade, upskill businesses on commercial opportunities in the Commonwealth, and highlight the synergies around culture, education, and diasporic communities. It supports our mission to create an economy that works for everyone as set out in the Leeds Inclusive Growth Strategy.

    The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, said: “It gives me the greatest pleasure to welcome our distinguished Commonwealth guests and partners to Leeds.

    “I look forward to discussing furthering trade, culture, and education opportunities for our city, region and the Commonwealth markets. Leeds has a vibrant range of industries that would directly benefit from increasing opportunities with our Commonwealth partners, especially in our professional and financial services, advanced manufacturing, and digital and technology sectors, highlighted as growth-driving sectors in the UK’s recent Modern Industrial Strategy Green Paper.

    “The strength of our city and a driver of its success is its diversity, vibrancy, and people. Forging closer links with our Commonwealth partners is a great opportunity to build on that diversity, create new ideas and investment opportunities and succeed together.”

    Leeds City Council deputy leader and executive member for economy, transport, and sustainable development Councillor Jonathan Pryor said:

    “We are delighted that Leeds is hosting honoured guests from around the world to this trade and investment conference. As a city Leeds is very proud of the diverse make-up of our communities, and this is reflected in our commitment to welcome and support international trade and businesses to invest here.

    “As one of the leading UK cities for private-sector job creation, international investment and supporting business creation and growth across a wide-ranging economy, we very much look forward to this conference and the benefits it can help deliver through further strengthening international relationships and boosting the city and regional economy for all to benefit from.”

    Notes for editors:

    Leeds City Council Inclusive Growth Strategy: https://www.inclusivegrowthleeds.com/ 

    West Yorkshire Trade and Investment Statistics

    • India: 629 West Yorkshire businesses export goods to India at a total value of £126m, and 963 West Yorkshire businesses import goods from India at a total value of £356m. The value of services exported from West Yorkshire is £113m, and the total value of services imported from India to West Yorkshire is £134m. Total bilateral trade in goods and services between West Yorkshire and India is worth £729 million.
    • Indian Tech company Mastek delivers significant UK digital infrastructure projects (including the NHS Spine, and MOD contracts). Mastek has a substantial presence in Leeds including an ambitious new graduate programme. Mastek continues to strengthen its Leeds operation, recently creating an additional 200 new jobs.
    • In 2021 Mphasis launched a new UK Centre of Excellence in Leeds for their insurance clients. In 2022, Mphasis, announced plans to create an additional 1,000 new jobs in West Yorkshire. The investment will be worth tens of millions of pounds to the West Yorkshire economy.
    • Prime Focus Technologies create high-tech AI-enabled software for the media and entertainment industry.  Leeds is home to their UK headquarters and new state-of-the-art Media Centre which delivers Media and Online services for Channel 4 and other media companies.
    • The latest published figures are for the 2021/22 academic year and show the count of Indian students at West Yorkshire institutions to be 4,080. Indian visitors to Yorkshire as a whole spend £14 million annually. British Indian’s make up roughly 2.7% of the population in West Yorkshire which is higher than most groups except for British Pakistani’s (10.7%).
    • Pakistan: Pakistani’s make up the largest West Yorkshire Diaspora group, with 10.7% of the population.
    • Yorkshire and Humber accounted for over 5% of UK exports to Pakistan in 2023, with a value of £23 million and over 7% of imports from Pakistan, valued at £111 million.
    • Pakistan’s trade with the UK is covered by the Developing Countries Trading Scheme, which allows for preferential and tariff free trade on many products. 94% of goods exported from Pakistan to the UK are covered by the scheme, reducing tariffs by £120 million. Trade is expected to double between 2022-25.
    • The UK is Pakistan’s largest export destination in Europe and the third globally.
    • Canada: In 2023, the value of UK goods traded between Yorkshire and the Humber and Canada amounted to £442 million in exports (7.8% of total exports) and £0.3 billion in imports (5.1% of total imports).
    • With both Canada and the UK being signatories of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), 99% of goods traded between CPTPP member countries will be tariff-free. This is projected to diversify both countries’ supply chains within the broader Asia-Pacific region whilst boosting trade, investment and innovation in sectors such as automotive, pharmaceuticals, and machinery.
    • Leeds-based construction company Turner & Townsend have developed a strong presence in Canada with offices in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver.
    • In the UK in 2020-21 the total number of Canadian students was 6615 while the amount of Canadian academic staff amounted to 1635. Academic partnership has seen 40,745 UK publications co-authored with Canadians, between 2018-2021.
    • Nigeria: In 2023, Yorkshire and Humber was the largest UK regional exporter to Nigeria, accounting for 45.5% of exports worth £661 million. In terms of imports, the region imported £29 million of goods from Nigeria during the same period.
    • The UK-Nigeria Enhanced Trade and Investment Partnership (ETIP) is the first the UK has signed with an African country and is designed to grow the UK and Nigeria’s already thriving trading relationship, which totalled £7 billion in the year to September 2023.
    • In 2022/23 Nigerian students were the third largest international group in Yorkshire. Council figures suggest that between 2018/19 and 2022/23 the number of students coming from Nigeria to Leeds Beckett rose from 17 to 677.

    ENDS

    For media enquiries please contact:

    Leeds City Council communications and marketing,

    Email: communicationsteam@leeds.gov.uk

    Tel: 0113 378 6007

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: 15 years of the Regulatory Policy Committee

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The RPC has now been operating for 15 years. To commemorate this, we have updated the history document originally published for our 10th anniversary.

    15-Year Anniversary Review of the RPC

    PDF, 1.08 MB, 21 pages

    This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

    Request an accessible format.
    If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email enquiries@bis.gsi.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

    The document details the changes to the role of the RPC over the last decade and a half, provides some case studies of the regulatory measures we have worked on, and includes suggestions to the new Government on how to make our role even more effective.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Preston City Council encourages eligible residents to apply for Round 6 of the Household Support Fund

    Source: City of Preston

    Preston City Council encourages eligible residents to apply for Round 6 of the Household Support Fund 

    Round 6 of the Household Support Fund is now open for applications from all residents of Preston to apply for help and assistance with;  

    • energy and water bills 
    • food 
    • essentials linked to energy, water and food 
    • wider essentials.

    The objective of this round of funding is to help residents of Preston with rising energy costs, however continued support is also available for other essentials too. 

    Councillor Khan, Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing said: 

    “Schemes like the Household Support Fund are intended to help those who need help and support during these difficult times, and I would urge all eligible residents in need of help and assistance with energy and water bills, food and essential items to apply.”  

    To be eligible, applicants must reside in the Preston area. More than one application will be considered in this round of funding, however there must be a minimum of three months between applications.

    Funding is aimed at anyone who cannot pay for essential items and to those residents who are no longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment to apply. 

    You do not have to be in receipt of benefits to get help from your local council. If you are in receipt of benefits, they will not be affected if you receive a payment from the Household Support scheme.  

    For a list of supporting evidence and more information, visit the Household Support Fund page.

    How to apply for the Household Support Fund

    You can apply online via the Household Support Fund form, and for any queries or help with your online application please call 01772 906777.  

    Applications are open from today, Monday, 28 October 2024 until Monday, 31 March 2025. However, this is subject to change if all funds have been exhausted. 

    Further Information

    Preston City Council actively applies and prioritises the principles of Community Wealth Building wherever applicable and appropriate. Community Wealth Building is an approach which aims to ensure the economic system builds wealth and prosperity for everyone. 

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Banbridge Job Fair Connects Local Employers with Job Seekers

    Source: Northern Ireland City of Armagh

    Deputy Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon. Councillor Kyle Savage trying the electric scooter from business Post Smart who were advertising job opportunities at a Job Fair held in Banbridge Leisure Centre on Thursday 24th October. Also photographed is Nicola Wilson, Head of Economic Development at ABC Council.

    A vibrant job fair held at the Banbridge Leisure Centre on Thursday 24th October attracted over 200 job seekers and local employers, showcasing the region’s commitment to economic growth and workforce development.

    The event, organized by Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Council’s Labour Market Partnership, in collaboration with the local Jobs and Benefits Office, featured key local businesses from various sectors, including retail, healthcare, and technology.

    The Council’s Labour Market Partnership (LMP) is funded by the Department for Communities. Labour Market Partnerships create targeted employment action plans for council areas, allowing for collaboration at local and regional level to support people towards and into work.

    Job vacancies were on offer from Almac, Tesco, Alternative Heat, The Boulevard, Marks and Spencer, Autism Initiatives, NW Care and more. Job seekers had the opportunity to engage directly with these potential employers and find out about jobs, training and support schemes available to them.

    Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Kyle Savage was in attendance and commented:

    “The goal of these local job fairs is to create a platform where employers and job seekers can connect and explore opportunities. The turnout exceeded expectations, demonstrating the demand for jobs in our community and the eagerness of employers to find local talent.”

    Attendees were able to explore a diverse range of job openings, and their feedback was overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the fair as an invaluable resource for both job seekers looking to launch or advance their careers and companies seeking skilled workers.

    Labour Market Partnership job fairs take place across the borough throughout the year and anyone who attends is given a list of available vacancies when they arrive. They are also provided with information on training opportunities, self-employment, careers guidance and practical advice to help improve their chances of finding employment.

    To find out more about the work of LMP, visit www.armaghbanbridgecraigavon.gov.uk/lmp

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: York care leavers celebrate award nomination during national Care Leavers’ Week

    Source: City of York

    Young care leavers from York’s Care Leavers Forum ‘I Still Matter’ are celebrating being nominated for a prestigious national award this Care Leavers’ Week (28 October-3 November).

    The group, which represents care leavers across the city, and City of York Council’s Pathway Team, which supports care leavers, have been shortlisted for the National Voice Awards 2024 in The Collaboration Award category.

    The shortlisting highlights the work the team and ‘I Still Matter’ group have been doing to work together to reshape and design the new local offer for care leavers. The project included consultations with wide groups of care leavers to ensure the new offering was designed around lived experiences, and includes increase support for care leavers who are parents and improvements to financial support, leisure and travel offering and wellbeing support. The awards will be announced on 30 October.

    National Care Leavers’ Week gives young care leavers the opportunity to challenge the perceptions given to them and raise awareness of the issues those in care face, whilst also celebrating the incredible things many go on to achieve. The theme this year will be: All of us, we are one.

    Events are being organised across the city to celebrate care leavers and the family, carers, friends, and mentors who support them.

    The council is also launching its new Care Leavers’ Offer during Care Leavers’ Week. The document sets out what young people leaving care can expect from the council and how they can access help and support.

    Danielle Johnson, the council’s, Director of Safeguarding, Children’s Services said:

    “We want to support our young people as they make the transition from care through to independent living and beyond, just as most parents support their children well into adulthood.

    “In York, we’re incredibly fortunate to have the support of some fabulous businesses and partners who help support our care leavers, through opportunities or Christmas gifts, work experience placements or apprenticeships. I’d like to thank all those who have helped support our care leavers over the last year. It really does take a village – or in our case, a city – to raise a child.”

    Abbie, a care leaver, said:

    “We’ve spent a lot of time working with the pathway team to co-produce the new offer.

    “We wanted an offer that was tailored more to the individual rather than a blanket offer – because we all need different things at different times.”

    Find more information on helping care leavers.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Middle East: Foreign Secretary’s statement, 28 October 2024

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Foreign Secretary David Lammy gave an oral statement to the House of Commons on the situation in the Middle East.

    Delivered on:

    With permission, Mr Speaker, I will make a statement on the Middle East.

    After over a year of horrifying violence, civilian suffering has increased, the conflict has widened, the risks of a yet wider regional war have risen.  

    Today, Mr Speaker, I want to address three elements of this crisis, and outline the urgent steps the Government’s taking in response.

    Mr Speaker, I will first consider events over the weekend. Targeted Israeli strikes hit military sites inside Iran, including a missile manufacturer and an air defence base.

    This was in response to Iran’s escalatory ballistic missile attacks on Israel condemned across the House. These attacks were the latest in a long history of malign Iranian activity. Its nuclear programme, with their total enriched uranium stockpile now reported by the IAEA to be thirty times the JCPoA limit. And political, financial and military support for militias, including Hizballah and Hamas.

    Let me be clear. The Government unequivocally condemns Iranian attacks on Israel. This Government has imposed three rounds of sanctions on Iranian individuals and organisations responsible for malign activity, most recently on the fourteenth of October. And we have consistently supported Israel’s right to defend itself against Iranian attacks, and attacks by Iranian-backed terrorists, whose goal is the complete eradication of the Israeli state. We do not mourn the deaths of the heads of proscribed terrorist organisations.

    The priority now is immediate de-escalation. Iran should not respond. All sides must exercise restraint. We do not wish to see the cycle of violence intensifying, dragging the whole region into a war with severe consequences. Escalation is in no one’s interest as it risks spreading the regional conflict further. We and our partners have been passing this message clearly and consistently. Yesterday, Mr Speaker, I spoke to Iranian Foreign Minister Aragchi and Israeli Foreign Minister Katz and urged both countries to show restraint and avoid further regional escalation.

    Mr Speaker, let me turn to the devastating situation in northern Gaza, where the United Nations estimates over four hundred thousand Palestinian civilians remain.

    Access to essential services worsen by the day. Yet still, very little aid is being allowed in. Israel’s evacuation order in the north has displaced tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians. Driven from destruction, disease, and despair. To destruction, disease and despair. Nine in ten Gazans have been displaced since the war began. Some have had to flee more than ten times in the past year. What must parents say to their children? How can they explain this living nightmare? How can they reassure it will ever end?

    There is no excuse for Israeli’s government’s ongoing restrictions on humanitarian assistance – they must let more aid in now. Aid is backed up at Gaza’s borders. In many cases funded by the UK and our partners. But now stuck, out of reach of those who need it so desperately. These restrictions fly in the face of Israel’s public commitments. They risk violating international humanitarian law. They are a rebuke to every friend of Israel, who month after month have demanded action to address the catastrophic conditions facing Palestinian civilians. So let me be clear once again. This Government condemns these restrictions in the strongest terms.

    Since our first day in office, the Government has led efforts to bring this nightmare to an end. We have announced funding for UK-Med’s efforts to provide medical treatment in Gaza, for UNICEF’s work to support vulnerable families in Gaza, for Egyptian health facilities treating medically evacuated Palestinians from Gaza.

    We are matching donations to the Disaster Emergency Committee’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal. And, together with France and Algeria, we called an emergency UN Security Council meeting to address the dire situation. We sanctioned extremist settlers, making clear their actions do not serve the real interests of either Israel or the region.

    And we have moved quickly to restore funding to UNRWA, overturning the position of the last Government. We did that to support UNRWA’s indispensable role in assisting Palestinians, and to enable them to implement the recommendations of the independent Colonna report.

    All over the world, in every war zone, every refugee camp, the United Nations is a beacon of hope. And so it’s a matter of profound regret that the Israeli parliament is considering shutting down UNRWA’s operations. The allegations against UNRWA staff earlier this year were fully investigated, and offer no justification for cutting off ties with UNRWA.

    This weekend, we therefore joined partners in expressing concerns at the Knesset’s legislation, and urged Israel to ensure UNRWA’s lifesaving work continues. We call on UNRWA to continue its path to reform, demonstrating its commitment to the principle of neutrality.

    And finally, Mr Speaker, I will cover the conflict in Lebanon. A country that has endured so much in my lifetime and now sees fighting escalate once again, killing many civilians, and forcing hundreds of thousands from their homes. While in northern Israel, communities live in fear of Hizballah attacks, unable to return home.

    Here too, the Government has led efforts to respond. Our swift call for an immediate ceasefire was taken up by our partners and in the United Nations Security Council. The Defence Secretary and I have visited Lebanon, where Britain’s ongoing support for the Lebanese Armed Forces is widely recognised as an investment in a sovereign and effective Lebanese state.

    At the start of October, I announced ten million pounds for the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon. Last week, my Right Honourable Friend Minister Dodds announced further funding for the most vulnerable amongst those fleeing from Lebanon into Syria, while my Honourable Friend Minister Falconer joined the Lebanon Support Conference in Paris. And today, my Right Honourable Friend the Prime Minister will meet Prime Minister Mikati to reassure him of our support.

    Mr Speaker, across the region, our priorities are clear. De-escalation. Humanitarian assistance. Immediate ceasefires. Upholding international law. Political solutions.

    This is how we save lives. How we liberate hostages, like British national Emily Damari. And how we pull the region back from the brink.

    The Government has stepped up our diplomatic engagement to this end. The Prime Minister has spoken directly to both Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Pezeshkian. While I have made five visits to the region in just four months, held around fifty calls and meetings with Ministers and leaders in the region, and spoke this weekend to US Secretary Blinken, just back from the region.

    Mr Speaker, it is a source of deep frustration that these efforts have not yet succeeded. We have no illusions about the deep-seated divisions in this region. A region scarred by fighting and false dawns in the past. But it is never too late for peace. Never too late for hope.

    This Government will not give up on the people of the region. We will keep playing our part in achieving a lasting solution. So that, one day, they might all live side by side in peace and security.

    I commend this statement to the House.

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: First tenants move into pioneering affordable homes in Edinburgh

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Tenants have moved into the first ‘net zero ready’ affordable homes to be delivered in Granton Waterfront.

    A housing emergency was declared in Edinburgh last year and the 75 energy efficient homes for social and mid-market rent at Granton Station View built by CCG (Scotland) Ltd on behalf of the Council are part of the local authority’s £1.3bn regeneration of the area to provide much needed affordable housing.  

    The project is part of the major transformation of Granton Waterfront to create a new coastal town in the north of the city with tenants and homeowners also due to start moving into over 400 ‘net zero ready’ homes for social rent, mid-market rent and homes for sale at Western Villages throughout next year.  Work is also well underway to deliver a further 143 ‘net zero ready’ social and mid-market rent homes at Silverlea due for completion in Summer 2026.

    The homes at Granton Station View are the first Edinburgh Home Demonstrator (EHD) programme pilot which is part of a collaborative programme between local and national government, academia and the construction industry that has developed a new model for delivering affordable housing in Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal. The homes will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the city’s 2030 net zero target. The homes were largely manufactured offsite and have high performance energy efficient features which will help reduce utility bills for tenants. Features include triple glazing, communal zero direct emissions heating as well as solar panels linked to the communal energy centre being provided. The University of Edinburgh will monitor the energy efficiency of the building design for the first year.

    Granton Station View was supported by of over £6.6m funding from the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme (ASHP).  

    Other innovative features in the development include an underground waste collection system, cycle parking twice the capacity of the residents living there and links to existing and established walking, cycling and wheeling routes.

    Three commercial spaces are also situated underneath the homes at Granton Station View providing business and employment opportunities for the area. Two of the spaces have recently been let out ensuring that residents of Granton Station View will have access to a local convenience store with a post office and a fitness gym.

    As well as delivering over 3,500 ‘net zero’ homes in the next 10 years, the wider £1.3 billion Granton Waterfront regeneration will include a primary school, a health centre, commercial and cultural space as well as a new public park at the iconic Granton Gasholder, currently being restored.

    Council leader Cammy Day said:

    Today’s announcement is welcome news as the housing emergency we declared last year means we have a chronic shortage of housing in the city.

    Despite Scottish Government cuts in affordable housing, the homes at Granton Station View are part of an exciting pilot project which will not just help us ease this shortage but will provide many individuals and families with comfortable modern homes using the very latest technology to keep energy bills down.

    I wish everyone moving into Granton Station View well and look forward to seeing hundreds of other individuals and families move into the high-quality homes we are delivering at Western Villages and Silverlea as part of our wider £1.3bn regeneration of Granton Waterfront.

    Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said:

    I am pleased that the City of Edinburgh Council has delivered 75 high-quality, energy-efficient homes for social and Mid-Market Rent in Granton. These homes were backed by over £6.6 million of Scottish Government funding and they will help to meet the needs of the local community for generations to come, whilst supporting Scotland’s net-zero ambitions.

    We remain focused on delivering 110,000 affordable homes across Scotland by 2032 with at least 70% for social rent and 10% in our rural and island communities.

    CCG (Scotland) Managing Director, David Wylie, said:

    Scotland is in a housing emergency and our planet is in the midst of a climate emergency. Both issues are some of the most challenging that will face this generation and it is fundamental that we tackle both in equal measure by delivering more, sustainable homes like we have here at Granton Station View.

    Through our own, pioneering construction methods and a new delivery model that focuses on streamlined procurement and collaborative working, we have unlocked brownfield land and evidenced that a just net zero transition is achievable, the needs of our communities can be met, and our carbon impact can be significantly lowered.

    We thank the partners of the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator programme for their support during construction, and we look forward to continuing our work with the Council at Western Villages where a further 444 net zero ready homes, including 56 for sale from CCG Homes, will be completed in 2025.

     The EHD programme has developed a housing delivery model for ‘net zero ready’ homes across the six council areas in the City Region Deal. As part of this programme, in Edinburgh, there are also 140 affordable homes being built in Greendykes which will be ready in 2027 and another 40 affordable homes currently being designed for Burdiehouse Crescent. These homes will have similar energy saving features.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Music students to get invaluable experience at the King’s Hall

    Source: City of Canterbury

    Home  »  Latest News   »   Music students to get invaluable experience at the King’s Hall

    An exciting new partnership between the King’s Hall in Herne Bay and EKC Canterbury College will see the college’s music students taking part in high quality work experience placements at the iconic seafront venue.

    The project will offer the students invaluable opportunities to learn a variety of skills, explore potential career paths, and develop attitudes and approaches that are highly sought after in the performing arts sector.

    They will develop their skills in organising, supporting and playing active roles in performances and events that take place at the King’s Hall, such as Battle of the Bands and open microphone nights, as well as at other music events organised and managed by the students themselves.

    As a concert, theatre and dance hall venue, the King’s Hall, which is owned and managed by Canterbury City Council, puts on a range of activities for local musicians, performers and community groups to get involved in.

    Cabinet member for culture, Cllr Charlotte Cornell, said: “Given its roots in the heart of the community, the King’s Hall is the perfect venue to back this initiative. We are delighted to be working with EKC Canterbury College to support their students as they develop their skills and learn about the music and entertainment industry.

    “In particular, it will be great to watch them go about organising their own events and I look forward to being in the audience to see the results of their hard work in due course.”

    EKC Canterbury College is part of the wider East Kent College Group. Victoria Copp-Crawley, Executive Principal for the Group, said: “High quality work experience is critical to ensuring the UK’s future workforce is adequately skilled to seamlessly integrate with existing employees, and for the country to remain competitive in the global labour market.

    “To be able to experience this sector first hand at a local venue such as the King’s Hall is a fantastic opportunity and we are sure our students will benefit hugely from all the time they spend there.”

    This is the latest tie in between EKC Canterbury College and the city council, following another project running at the Beaney House of Art and Knowledge in Canterbury.

    Cllr Cornell added: “We were very pleased to collaborate with the college at the Beaney through the launch of their Foundation Degree (FdA) in Creative Professional Business Practice, which started this autumn and gives students the opportunity to work on projects in the museum and galleries as part of their course.”

    Published: 28 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Remembrance Sunday service to take place in Liverpool

    Source: City of Liverpool

    Liverpool City Council’s annual Remembrance Service will take place on Sunday 12 November on the plateau at St George’s Hall.

    Thousands of people are expected to gather on Lime Street for the service, which has the theme ‘Liverpool Remembers’ and involves faith and community leaders, together with the Armed Forces and war veterans.

    The Band of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment and The Pipes and Drums of The Liverpool Scottish Regimental Association will play from 10.40am, in the run up to the start of the service.

    There will be readings and prayers from The Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd Dr John Perumbalath, and The Archbishop of Liverpool, The Most Reverend Malcolm McMahon.

    This year’s guest speaker is Tracy Dunn-Bridgeman, who lost her son, Kingsman Jason Dunn-Bridgeman, in the war in Afghanistan in 2009. He died while serving with the 2nd Battalion of The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment when his platoon became locked in an exchange of fire with the enemy during a foot patrol in the Babaji district of Helmand province. Tracy was later presented with Merseyside’s first Elizabeth Cross in honour of her son’s bravery.

    During the ceremony, Deb Mills-Burns, a military veteran and author, who is part of the ‘Stand by Her’ programme, delivered by Everton in the Community, will read a poignant poem she has written, titled ‘My Liverpool Home’. Launched in May 2023 by the official charity of Everton Football Club, Stand by Her has been designed specifically to support female veterans and provides participants with the opportunity to reconnect socially and helps to improve their physical health through sport and holistic methods as well as offering signposting and access to mental, physical and social health services.

    Father Taras Khomych representing the Ukrainian Catholic Church will lay a wreath to UK and Commonwealth personnel who lost their lives in two World Wars and conflicts since.

    At 11am the traditional firing of the gun will signify the start of the two-minute silence, with another firing to mark its conclusion.

    Following the silence, the traditional wreath-laying and service by key civic, military and religious leaders and Cadets, the parade will then march from St George’s Plateau to salute the Cenotaph.

    The Port of Liverpool, the Cunard and Royal Liver Buildings, along with Liverpool Parish Church, St George’s Hall and Liverpool Town Hall, will be lit up red from Friday 10 November – Sunday 12 November to mark the Remembrance weekend.

    The Hall of Remembrance at Liverpool Town Hall will be open to the public on Sunday, 12 November 2023 between 12:00noon and
    4:00pm.

    Road closures

    The following closures will be in place on Sunday 12 November:

    • William Brown Street from Byrom Street – 7am -1pm
    • London Road between Seymour Street and Lime Street – 9:30am – 1pm
    • Commutation Row between Islington and Lime Street – 9:30am – 1pm
    • Islington between Fraser Street and Commutation Row – 9:30am – 1pm
    • Lime Street between London Road and Copperas Hill 9:30am – 1pm
    • St. John’s Lane and St. George’s Place between Old Haymarket and Lime Street – 9.30am – 1pm
    • Skelhorne Street between Bolton Street and Lime Street – 9:30am – 1pm
    • Queens Square Bus Station will be closed from 9:30am to 1pm
    • Access for the Holiday Inn Hotel and St John’s car park will be facilitated from Elliot Street / Lime Street junction.

    All closures will be signed and stewarded and will remain in force only for as long as is necessary.

    Due to the closure of Lime Street, the football bus services for the Liverpool FC v Brentford FC match Anfield (kick off at 2.30pm) will operate from Monument Place.

    Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Cllr Mary Rasmussen, said: “Our annual Remembrance Sunday service is a poignant event that gives the whole city the opportunity to come together and pay tribute to those who have served to protect and uphold the freedom we have today.

    “This year, we wanted the service to also reflect the important and vital contribution that women make to the Armed Forces, in keeping our nation safe.

    “The sacrifices made by those, past and present, who serve and have served, must never be forgotten.”

    Deb Mills-Burns, from the ‘Stand by Her’ programme, said: I’m immensely proud to be here today as a representation of all ex-servicewomen.

    “To serve was an honour, but to serve amongst other strong and inspirational women was empowering.

    “As a member of the Stand By Her programme at Everton in the Community, I have been able to reconnect and resurrect the strengths and confidence to stand in front of you all here today.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Joy Division guitar to go on display at the British Music Experience

    Source: City of Liverpool

    Last updated:

    The British Music Experience (BME), UK’s Museum of Popular Music in Liverpool is putting Ian Curtis’ Vox Phantom VI Special guitar on display to celebrate the enormous contribution of both Curtis and Joy Division to the history of British music. Bought in September of 1979 by Joy Division’s manager, Rob Gretton, this Phantom Vox was the very guitar used by Curtis on stage during Joy Division’s 1980 European Tour, as well as on the recording of their track “Heart and Soul”, and features throughout the music video for the timeless hit “Love Will Tear Us Apart”. Curtis can be seen playing this guitar at several venues during the band’s legendary 1980 tour.

    The guitar will be added to the collection from 14 November 2024 and the museum will be marking the occasion with a special evening film screening of the 2007 biopic, Control, on Thursday 28 November.  During the evening event, the guitar will be available to view for all ticket holders. Head to the BME’s website to buy tickets to the event.

    Considered by many as a British cultural icon who had a once-in-a-generation talent, Ian Curtis’ musical legacy, even 40 years on, is as strong as ever. Despite a short career, Ian’s association with Joy Division as a fascinating and enigmatic figure was instrumental in the band becoming pioneers of the post-punk movement with their debut album ‘Unknown Pleasures’, released by Factory Records in 1979. Now regarded as one of the best albums of all time, it’s said ‘Unknown Pleasures’ defined not only the city of Manchester, but a moment of social change. Through his complex and melancholic song-writing, his distinct vocals, and commanding stage presence, Ian has managed to leave a lasting influence on musicians everywhere, and the music industry has never quite been the same since.

    Formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester, Joy Division (originally named Warsaw) consisted of singer and ‘song-poet’ Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bass player Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris (who joined in 1977). Inspired by other musicians such as David Bowie, Kraftwerk, Sex Pistols, Jim Morrison, Iggy Pop, Roxy Music and Lou Reed, Ian’s vision had a powerful impact on the band, resulting in Joy Division moving away from the typical ‘punk sound’ of the time, and instead creating their own sound, now considered as the start of the post-punk movement.

    Following Curtis’ untimely death in 1980, the Phantom Vox stayed with the band, who later that year became the prolific ‘New Order’, and was looked after and used by Bernard Sumner. Many years later, Bernard gifted the guitar to Ian’s daughter Natalie.  The guitar is now owned by a private collector who has kindly agreed for the rare object to take its well-deserved place on public display at the British Music Experience.

    All general entry tickets purchased are valid for 12 months and each eligible visitor has the opportunity to support the Museum by Gift Aiding the cost of admission.

    Trustee of the British Music Experience, and Liverpool’s UNESCO Head of Music Kevin McManus commented “It’s a real honour for BME to be able to exhibit such a wonderful piece of music history from one of the UK’s most celebrated artists. Joy Division were one of the most important bands of the punk/post punk era and they remain as one of the most influential bands of the twentieth century. I was lucky enough to see Joy Division play live and it is one of those gigs that will always stay clear in my memory. They were a group that changed many people’s lives and Ian Curtis was at the heart of it: a brilliant song writer with a mesmerising stage presence and haunting vocals.  By exhibiting this very special guitar we can pay our tribute to one of the UK’s greatest ever groups and hopefully encourage more visitors to discover the unknown pleasure of Joy Division.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI USA: Genomic variants that increase risk of kidney disease are found in nearly one-third of West Africans

    Source: US Department of Health and Human Services – 2

    News Release

    Monday, October 28, 2024

    NIH study suggests potential for earlier health interventions for people with West African ancestry.

    A study from researchers at National Institutes of Health (NIH) and their collaborators revealed a significant genetic risk factor for kidney disease in people from Ghana and Nigeria. Their study demonstrated that having just one risk variant in a gene known as APOL1 can significantly increase the risk of developing kidney disease. APOL1 is important for the immune system and variants of the gene are linked to increased risk of chronic kidney disease. The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was conducted by researchers from the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Kidney Disease Research Network.

    Previous research established that genomic variants in APOL1 increase the risk of developing chronic kidney disease among African Americans. However, not much is known about how these genomic variants affect people from West African countries, where many African Americans derive genetic ancestry. Studying how these genomic variants contribute to chronic kidney disease in West Africans and people with West African ancestry can also help inform the risk of kidney disease in many Americans.

    “Our study provides data about West Africans that will help us better understand the risk of chronic kidney disease associated with APOL1 variants,” said Adebowale A. Adeyemo, M.B.B.S., who is a co-author of the study and is the deputy director and chief scientific officer of the Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health at NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI). “By comparing this study to previous studies involving the African American population, we can gain a deeper understanding of the effects of these high risk APOL1 variants. Knowing your genetic risk for a disease, such as kidney disease, can help you make more informed decisions about your health and potentially lead to earlier interventions.”

    Over 8,000 people from Ghana and Nigeria participated in the study, including nearly 5,000 people with chronic kidney disease of various stages and more than 800 people who had kidney biopsies that confirmed their disease.

    The study found that nearly one-third of individuals in these two nations carry APOL1 variants that increase the risk of chronic kidney disease. While these APOL1 variants are seen most often in people of West African descent, other studies have found these variants in people from Europe, Asia, Central and South America.

    The researchers also found that having a risk variant in one copy of the APOL1 gene increases the risk of developing chronic kidney disease, contrary to previous studies in the African American population suggesting that both copies of APOL1 needed to contain such variants to increase the overall risk. One risk variant increases the risk of chronic kidney disease by 18%, while two risk variants, one on each copy of APOL1, increases the risk by 25%.

    These APOL1 risk variants also drastically increase the likelihood of developing a rare kidney condition called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, which is scarring of the kidney tissues.

    “Findings in a particular study or with a specific ancestral group are often taken to be true for all humankind, but there is often substantial diversity even within specific ancestry or ethnic groups,” says Dr. Adeyemo. “This study highlights the importance of studying diverse populations around the globe when studying the genomics of human disease so that genomic medicine can equitably benefit people worldwide.”

    More than 1 in 7 U.S. adults have chronic kidney disease — an estimated 37 million Americans, and African American, Hispanic American and Native American populations are more likely to develop the disease. Both genetic and environmental factors, which includes social factors, such as smoking, lack of exercise, an unhealthy diet and lack of access to healthcare, contribute to the risk of kidney disease. People with kidney disease may not have noticeable symptoms in the early stages of the disease. Additionally, for people with diabetes or hypertension, there is a greater risk for developing kidney disease. As the kidneys are slowly damaged over time, they are unable to filter blood properly, leading to a buildup of waste in the body.

    As the disease progresses, additional kidney functions are affected, such as stimulating red blood cell production and maintaining the body’s calcium balance. The disease can lead to other health issues such as stroke and heart attacks.

    “Further research conducted with participants in the United States can help us understand how APOL1 variants affect the kidney,” says Paul Kimmel, M.D., program director at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) and co-author of the study. “Overall, we hope that these findings can provide insight into improving the health of patients at risk for and with kidney disease.”

    The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the NIH, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The NHGRI Division of Intramural Research develops and implements technology to understand, diagnose and treat genomic and genetic diseases. Additional information about NHGRI can be found at: https://www.genome.gov.

    About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation’s medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.

    NIH…Turning Discovery Into Health®

    ###

    MIL OSI USA News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Over £1 billion to boost bus services across the country as bus fares capped at £3

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    The £3 fare cap will keep bus travel affordable while ensuring it is fair to taxpayers.

    • single bus fares to be capped at £3 until the end of 2025, ensuring services remain affordable and supporting travel in rural areas and towns
    • fare cap extension comes on top of nearly £925 million invested to deliver high quality services and protect vital bus routes up and down the country
    • part of government plans to end the postcode lottery of bus services, ensure access to opportunities and deliver growth

    Millions of people will enjoy better bus services as the government invests over £1 billion to protect vital bus routes and cap bus fares, particularly in rural communities and towns where there is a heavy reliance on buses. 

    Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed today (28 October 2024) that bus travel will be kept down at £3 at the Budget for an additional year – saving up to 80% on some routes. 

    Under the inherited plans, funding for the current cap on bus fares had been due to expire at the end of 2024, with fares set to soar by as much as £13 for the Leeds to Scarborough route, unless the government intervened to keep fares down.

    The government’s announcement will ensure fares remain affordable from 1 January 2025 and prevent a financial cliff-edge for bus operators that would have seen vital services put at risk across the country. 

    The £3 maximum fare cap will keep bus travel affordable while ensuring the cap is fair to taxpayers, helping millions of people access better opportunities and protect vital bus routes, particularly lifeline services in rural communities. 

    The cap means no bus fare will exceed £3, and routes where fares are less than £3 will only be allowed to increase by inflation in the normal way. Local authorities and Metro Mayors can also fund their own schemes to keep fares down, as is already the case in London, West Yorkshire and Manchester.

    Some of the biggest bus savings on some key routes up and down the country include: 

    Journey Normal fare Amount save under £3 cap % saving under £3 cap
    Newcastle to Middlesbrough £8.00 £5.00 63%
    Hull to York £8.50 £5.50 65%
    Leeds to Scarborough £15.00 £12.00 80%

    The cap is being funded by £151 million from government until the end of 2025. It comes as the Department for Transport confirms an additional £925 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to improve bus services across the country, bringing total bus investment at the Budget to over £1 billion.

    Local authorities can use the £925 million to introduce new bus routes, make services more frequent and protect crucial bus routes for local communities.

    Moving forward, the government will also explore more targeted options that deliver value for money to the taxpayer to ensure affordable bus travel is always available for the groups who need it the most – such as young people. 

    Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: 

    Buses are the engines of economic opportunity across the country.  

    We know that reliable, affordable bus services are vital to keeping Britain moving. That’s why the government will cap fares at £3 for an additional year and provide over £1 billion to deliver better bus services. 

    This will avoid a cliff-edge at the end of this year and keep fares affordable across the country – improving access to opportunities, particularly in towns and rural areas, while offering value for the taxpayer. 

    Our bus revolution will give every community the power to take back control of their services, end the postcode lottery of services and turn the page on 4 decades of failed deregulation.

    The move comes ahead of the new Buses Bill, to be introduced later this parliamentary session, which will help bring an end to the current postcode lottery of bus services by empowering local authorities to deliver modern and integrated bus networks that put passengers at the heart of local decision making. 

    The bill will mean local transport authorities can emulate the huge success of publicly controlled buses in Greater Manchester and London. Greater Manchester’s successful Bee Network has already seen passenger numbers grow by 5% since public control began to be rolled out just a year ago.

    Buses remain the most used form of public transport across the country, but – after almost 4 decades of failed deregulation – thousands of vital services have been slashed, with passengers left frustrated at the lack of accountability. 

    Since 2010, the number of miles driven by buses has plummeted by around 300 million. The transformative work this government is doing will turn the tide by giving communities access to reliable and affordable services and the opportunity to have a real say in building local transport networks that work for them.

    David Sidebottom, director at the independent watchdog Transport Focus, said:

    We know that bus passengers want simpler, better value for money fares and buses provide a lifeline for so many people up and down the country. Our research shows the fare cap is having a big impact in helping more people get around by bus.

    We welcome the wider investment in services, and the announcement of a new £3 cap on bus fares will provide certainty for many people who are struggling and worried about the cost of travel.

    Roads media enquiries

    Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

    Switchboard 0300 330 3000

    Updates to this page

    Published 28 October 2024

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –