The stunning sights and sounds of Light Night Leeds transformed the city centre last night as the incredible cultural spectacle returned for its 20th edition.
A huge programme of mesmerising illuminated artworks from around the world arrived at well-known buildings and locations in Leeds for the event’s first night, with the stunning show set to continue this evening (Oct 25).
The UK’s largest light art festival, this year’s Light Night features a compelling mix of large-scale projections, live street theatre and interactive installations which wowed crowds of thousands last night.
At The Queens Hotel The BookBinder saw a fairy tale figure lead a cast of birds, beasts and boats, in an impressive projection across the iconic hotel’s façade.
A collaboration with the British Library and created by artists Illuminos, the piece is inspired by British Library’s Flickr Commons collection which includes fantastical drawings, prints and images.
At Leeds Dock, Norwegian artist Anastasia Isachsen’s stunning Monad, was projected onto the water, taking inspiration from nature and the universe and accompanied by a compelling soundscape.
Aire Park hosted the magnificent Parallels by Architecture Social Club, where multi-coloured laser beams pulsed and flickered overhead near the new Aire Park, outside The Tetley.
And at Leeds Civic Hall, the breath-taking Out of the Aire paid tribute to some of the people and events that have been part of the fascinating story of Leeds.
Dynamic, live street performances this year also included a giant Ghost Caribou, the return of the ever-popular Spark Drummers and a fire-breathing dragon.
This year marks the 20th edition of Light Night Leeds, and over the past two decades, the event has attracted more than 1.1 million visitors to the city and generates millions of pounds for the local economy.
Councillor Salma Arif, Leeds City Council’s executive member for adult social care, active lifestyles and culture, said: “Light Night always promises to be a breath-taking and compelling cultural spectacle like no other, and last night certainly did not disappoint.
“Watching so many people come together in the city centre to see some of our most famous places and spaces transformed is truly amazing, and really brings home the power which culture and the arts have to unite and inspire.
“The event is also a massive credit to all the people, organisations and businesses who have shown their support and helped create an event which showcases the very best of Leeds. Tonight is set to be just as special and I hope people have a memorable evening.”
Light Night Leeds 2024 will continue this evening, October 25 from 6pm to 10pm.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A further billion pounds of investment will be injected into the British economy as the Prime Minister continues his drive to attract foreign business back to the UK.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues drive on growth during historic first visit to the Pacific
This comes as Australian superannuation fund Aware Super forms a strategic partnership with a British property firm to invest up to £1 billion in UK property
Australian boost builds on the major success of International Investment Summit last week, which included a further £2.4 billion of investment from Down Under
A further billion pounds of investment will be injected into the British economy as the Prime Minister continues his drive to attract foreign business back to the UK.
The boost comes as UK firms break into the New Zealand banking sector, growing jobs in the UK, and expanding their global operations.
Australia’s biggest pension fund, AustralianSuper is also preparing to bolster its international investment team in London, in a major vote of confidence for the UK as a global asset management centre.
The Fund expects to manage £250 billion from its London office by 2035, an increase of more than 10 times over the next decade, from its current management of around £15 billion from its UK base.
The Prime Minister met the CEO of the Australian firm, Paul Schroder, on arrival in Samoa yesterday to discuss the move.
Meanwhile, Aware Super, one of Australia’s top performing and largest profit-for-member superannuation funds, has formed a strategic partnership with Delancey Real Estate to invest up to an initial £1 billion in UK property, further bolstering UK – Australia economic ties.
Its initial focus will be on Central London office sites in prime locations, upgrading and renovating properties to ensure they meet environmental standards and deliver on the partnership’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions in the property market.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“These investments are a major vote of confidence in the UK, and in this government.
“I am determined to ensure that UK is the best place in the world to invest and do business, so we improve the lives of hardworking people.
“By attracting strong, sustained investment, we will also build the expertise we need to drive innovation, stay ahead of the global game, and support economies around the world with British backed projects.”
AustralianSuper chief executive Paul Schroder said:
“We invest heavily in Australia, but our size requires an increasingly international focus. We are ramping up our investment capabilities in the UK as it is one of the world’s leading gateways to both talent and global markets, which are key for driving future returns for members.
“By 2035 we expect to manage approximately £250 billion of investments from our London hub, which will represent a significant portion of our global portfolio. We have great confidence in the fundamentals of the UK economy and the country’s commitment to global growth.
“This underpins our confidence in the investments we have already made in the UK such as the Canada Water urban regeneration project, London’s King’s Cross Estate, Peel Ports Group and Vantage Data Centers. We also see great potential for new investment opportunities in the energy transition, digital infrastructure, mixed-use estates, transport and logistics.”
Aware Super chief executive Deanne Stewart:
“Aware Super has strong confidence in the UK economy and markets and is pleased to announce a ground-breaking new commercial partnership that will invest up to an initial £1 billion, an exciting milestone that will coincide with the first anniversary of establishing our London Office.”
Meanwhile, UK firms obconnect and Raidiam have been making waves in the New Zealand banking sector, rolling out the British Confirmation of Payee (CoP) system to revolutionise banking in the country, in partnership with the NZ Banking Association.
No other companies are currently able to offer the same service, with the partnership combining specialist expertise of the two British companies to serve as a fulcrum for data sharing and facilitating fraud prevention across any territory.
The deal has allowed the companies to expand their UK operations to more than 250 people.
The win for the British companies come after mobile banking app Revolut broke into the New Zealand market last year. The firm is preparing to expand their operations in the country from 4 FTEs focused on New Zealand investments, to 10 over the next 12 months.
The British business wins coincide with the UK securing CPTPP ratification from Australia in the next step towards accession of the trading bloc – the first non-founding country to do so.
The boost in Australian investment also comes after a string of Australian announcements as part of the government’s International Investment Summit, which attracted more £63 billion of investment into the UK economy and created 38,000 jobs.
They included Australian firms Macquarie supporting investment of £1.3 billion into new green infrastructure and IFM investing more than £1.1 billion through Manchester Airports Group into London Stansted Airport to expand its existing terminal by around a third. The investment will secure new air routes to key business and leisure destinations, boost local supply chains and create 5,000 jobs.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is the first by a sitting Prime Minister to a Pacific Island. During the summit, the Prime Minister will make the case to build resilient economies across the Commonwealth to unlock growth and investment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Prime Minister met the President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The Prime Minister met the President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
They reflected on the long-shared history between the two countries and their commitment to a growing economic and trade relationship.
The President updated on Guyana’s new Global Biodiversity Alliance, and they discussed the work the two countries have undertaken on the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership.
They agreed to continue to look for opportunities to deepen ties on trade, climate finance and biodiversity.
Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street
A further billion pounds of investment will be injected into the British economy as the Prime Minister continues his drive to attract foreign business back to the UK.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues drive on growth during historic first visit to the Pacific
This comes as Australian superannuation fund Aware Super forms a strategic partnership with a British property firm to invest up to £1 billion in UK property
Australian boost builds on the major success of International Investment Summit last week, which included a further £2.4 billion of investment from Down Under
A further billion pounds of investment will be injected into the British economy as the Prime Minister continues his drive to attract foreign business back to the UK.
The boost comes as UK firms break into the New Zealand banking sector, growing jobs in the UK, and expanding their global operations.
Australia’s biggest pension fund, AustralianSuper is also preparing to bolster its international investment team in London, in a major vote of confidence for the UK as a global asset management centre.
The Fund expects to manage £250 billion from its London office by 2035, an increase of more than 10 times over the next decade, from its current management of around £15 billion from its UK base.
The Prime Minister met the CEO of the Australian firm, Paul Schroder, on arrival in Samoa yesterday to discuss the move.
Meanwhile, Aware Super, one of Australia’s top performing and largest profit-for-member superannuation funds, has formed a strategic partnership with Delancey Real Estate to invest up to an initial £1 billion in UK property, further bolstering UK – Australia economic ties.
Its initial focus will be on Central London office sites in prime locations, upgrading and renovating properties to ensure they meet environmental standards and deliver on the partnership’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions in the property market.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“These investments are a major vote of confidence in the UK, and in this government.
“I am determined to ensure that UK is the best place in the world to invest and do business, so we improve the lives of hardworking people.
“By attracting strong, sustained investment, we will also build the expertise we need to drive innovation, stay ahead of the global game, and support economies around the world with British backed projects.”
AustralianSuper chief executive Paul Schroder said:
“We invest heavily in Australia, but our size requires an increasingly international focus. We are ramping up our investment capabilities in the UK as it is one of the world’s leading gateways to both talent and global markets, which are key for driving future returns for members.
“By 2035 we expect to manage approximately £250 billion of investments from our London hub, which will represent a significant portion of our global portfolio. We have great confidence in the fundamentals of the UK economy and the country’s commitment to global growth.
“This underpins our confidence in the investments we have already made in the UK such as the Canada Water urban regeneration project, London’s King’s Cross Estate, Peel Ports Group and Vantage Data Centers. We also see great potential for new investment opportunities in the energy transition, digital infrastructure, mixed-use estates, transport and logistics.”
Aware Super chief executive Deanne Stewart:
“Aware Super has strong confidence in the UK economy and markets and is pleased to announce a ground-breaking new commercial partnership that will invest up to an initial £1 billion, an exciting milestone that will coincide with the first anniversary of establishing our London Office.”
Meanwhile, UK firms obconnect and Raidiam have been making waves in the New Zealand banking sector, rolling out the British Confirmation of Payee (CoP) system to revolutionise banking in the country, in partnership with the NZ Banking Association.
No other companies are currently able to offer the same service, with the partnership combining specialist expertise of the two British companies to serve as a fulcrum for data sharing and facilitating fraud prevention across any territory.
The deal has allowed the companies to expand their UK operations to more than 250 people.
The win for the British companies come after mobile banking app Revolut broke into the New Zealand market last year. The firm is preparing to expand their operations in the country from 4 FTEs focused on New Zealand investments, to 10 over the next 12 months.
The British business wins coincide with the UK securing CPTPP ratification from Australia in the next step towards accession of the trading bloc – the first non-founding country to do so.
The boost in Australian investment also comes after a string of Australian announcements as part of the government’s International Investment Summit, which attracted more £63 billion of investment into the UK economy and created 38,000 jobs.
They included Australian firms Macquarie supporting investment of £1.3 billion into new green infrastructure and IFM investing more than £1.1 billion through Manchester Airports Group into London Stansted Airport to expand its existing terminal by around a third. The investment will secure new air routes to key business and leisure destinations, boost local supply chains and create 5,000 jobs.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is the first by a sitting Prime Minister to a Pacific Island. During the summit, the Prime Minister will make the case to build resilient economies across the Commonwealth to unlock growth and investment.
Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street
The Prime Minister met the President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The Prime Minister met the President of Guyana Mohamed Irfaan Ali at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
They reflected on the long-shared history between the two countries and their commitment to a growing economic and trade relationship.
The President updated on Guyana’s new Global Biodiversity Alliance, and they discussed the work the two countries have undertaken on the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership.
They agreed to continue to look for opportunities to deepen ties on trade, climate finance and biodiversity.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Prime Minister met Samoan Prime Minister Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa this morning, as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The Prime Minister met Prime Minister Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa this morning, as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Fiamē for hosting such a successful summit and for the generosity and kindness of the Samoan people.
The summit had offered a chance for leaders to reflect on the importance of the Commonwealth family and how the group could go further to support all members in the face of shared challenges, such as climate change, he added.
The leaders also discussed the importance of leveraging international finance to support Small Island Developing States, especially in the Pacific.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Prime Minister met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting this week.
The Prime Minister met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting this week.
The Prime Minister began by expressing commitment to visit Australia in the near future.
The leaders reflected on the future of the Commonwealth, including the opportunity to drive trade and growth, and build brighter futures for the next generation.
Turning to the impact of climate change in the region, and the importance of ensuring resilience among Commonwealth members, including in the Pacific, the Prime Minister said he was pleased that Australia had bid to host COP31.
The leaders discussed the opportunity of transitioning to clean energy and ensuring energy security throughout the transition.
The leaders also discussed global stability, including the situation in the Middle East and the importance of regional security in the Pacific.
The Prime Minister looked forward to speaking again soon.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The Prime Minister spoke to the crew of HMS Tamar this evening to thank them for their service and praise their role in securing Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui earlier this month.
The Prime Minister spoke to the crew of HMS Tamar this evening to thank them for their service and praise their role in securing Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui earlier this month.
The Prime Minister heard firsthand from members of the ship about their 650-mile high-speed transit from Fiji following the mayday call on October 5. They remained at the scene for almost two weeks providing recovery and pollution control efforts.
This week, the ship has been bolstering security to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, patrolling off the coast of the island while the summit is taking place.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the crew’s dedication and commitment so far away from home.
He asked the ship’s company to pass on his sincere thanks to their families for their sacrifice at home too.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
A further billion pounds of investment will be injected into the British economy as the Prime Minister continues his drive to attract foreign business back to the UK.
A further billion pounds of investment will be injected into the British economy as the Prime Minister continues his drive to attract foreign business back to the UK.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues drive on growth during historic first visit to the Pacific
This comes as Australian superannuation fund Aware Super forms a strategic partnership with a British property firm to invest up to £1 billion in UK property
Australian boost builds on the major success of International Investment Summit last week, which included a further £2.4 billion of investment from Down Under
The boost comes as UK firms break into the New Zealand banking sector, growing jobs in the UK, and expanding their global operations.
Australia’s biggest pension fund, AustralianSuper is also preparing to bolster its international investment team in London, in a major vote of confidence for the UK as a global asset management centre.
The Fund expects to manage £250 billion from its London office by 2035, an increase of more than 10 times over the next decade, from its current management of around £15 billion from its UK base.
The Prime Minister met the CEO of the Australian firm, Paul Schroder, on arrival in Samoa yesterday to discuss the move.
Meanwhile, Aware Super, one of Australia’s top performing and largest profit-for-member superannuation funds, has formed a strategic partnership with Delancey Real Estate to invest up to an initial £1 billion in UK property, further bolstering UK – Australia economic ties.
Its initial focus will be on Central London office sites in prime locations, upgrading and renovating properties to ensure they meet environmental standards and deliver on the partnership’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions in the property market.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
These investments are a major vote of confidence in the UK, and in this Government.
I am determined to ensure that UK is the best place in the world to invest and do business, so we improve the lives of hardworking people.
By attracting strong, sustained investment, we will also build the expertise we need to drive innovation, stay ahead of the global game, and support economies around the world with British backed projects.
AustralianSuper chief executive Paul Schroder said:
We invest heavily in Australia, but our size requires an increasingly international focus. We are ramping up our investment capabilities in the UK as it is one of the world’s leading gateways to both talent and global markets, which are key for driving future returns for members.
By 2035 we expect to manage approximately £250 billion of investments from our London hub, which will represent a significant portion of our global portfolio. We have great confidence in the fundamentals of the UK economy and the country’s commitment to global growth.
This underpins our confidence in the investments we have already made in the UK such as the Canada Water urban regeneration project, London’s King’s Cross Estate, Peel Ports Group and Vantage Data Centers. We also see great potential for new investment opportunities in the energy transition, digital infrastructure, mixed-use estates, transport and logistics.
Aware Super chief executive Deanne Stewart:
Aware Super has strong confidence in the UK economy and markets and is pleased to announce a ground-breaking new commercial partnership that will invest up to an initial £1 billion, an exciting milestone that will coincide with the first anniversary of establishing our London Office.
Meanwhile, UK firms obconnect and Raidiam have been making waves in the New Zealand banking sector, rolling out the British Confirmation of Payee (CoP) system to revolutionise banking in the country, in partnership with the NZ Banking Association.
No other companies are currently able to offer the same service, with the partnership combining specialist expertise of the two British companies to serve as a fulcrum for data sharing and facilitating fraud prevention across any territory.
The deal has allowed the companies to expand their UK operations to more than 250 people.
The win for the British companies come after mobile banking app Revolut broke into the New Zealand market last year. The firm is preparing to expand their operations in the country from 4 FTEs focused on New Zealand investments, to 10 over the next 12 months.
The British business wins coincide with the UK securing CPTPP ratification from Australia in the next step towards accession of the trading bloc – the first non-founding country to do so.
The boost in Australian investment also comes after a string of Australian announcements as part of the government’s International Investment Summit, which attracted more £63 billion of investment into the UK economy and created 38,000 jobs.
They included Australian firms Macquarie supporting investment of £1.3 billion into new green infrastructure and IFM investing more than £1.1 billion through Manchester Airports Group into London Stansted Airport to expand its existing terminal by around a third. The investment will secure new air routes to key business and leisure destinations, boost local supply chains and create 5,000 jobs.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is the first by a sitting Prime Minister to a Pacific Island. During the summit, the Prime Minister will make the case to build resilient economies across the Commonwealth to unlock growth and investment.
Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street
The Prime Minister met Samoan Prime Minister Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa this morning, as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The Prime Minister met Prime Minister Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa this morning, as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.
The Prime Minister thanked Prime Minister Fiamē for hosting such a successful summit and for the generosity and kindness of the Samoan people.
The summit had offered a chance for leaders to reflect on the importance of the Commonwealth family and how the group could go further to support all members in the face of shared challenges, such as climate change, he added.
The leaders also discussed the importance of leveraging international finance to support Small Island Developing States, especially in the Pacific.
Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street
The Prime Minister spoke to the crew of HMS Tamar this evening to thank them for their service and praise their role in securing Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui earlier this month.
The Prime Minister spoke to the crew of HMS Tamar this evening to thank them for their service and praise their role in securing Royal New Zealand Navy ship HMNZS Manawanui earlier this month.
The Prime Minister heard firsthand from members of the ship about their 650-mile high-speed transit from Fiji following the mayday call on October 5. They remained at the scene for almost two weeks providing recovery and pollution control efforts.
This week, the ship has been bolstering security to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, patrolling off the coast of the island while the summit is taking place.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the crew’s dedication and commitment so far away from home.
He asked the ship’s company to pass on his sincere thanks to their families for their sacrifice at home too.
Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street
The Prime Minister met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting this week.
The Prime Minister met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting this week.
The Prime Minister began by expressing commitment to visit Australia in the near future.
The leaders reflected on the future of the Commonwealth, including the opportunity to drive trade and growth, and build brighter futures for the next generation.
Turning to the impact of climate change in the region, and the importance of ensuring resilience among Commonwealth members, including in the Pacific, the Prime Minister said he was pleased that Australia had bid to host COP31.
The leaders discussed the opportunity of transitioning to clean energy and ensuring energy security throughout the transition.
The leaders also discussed global stability, including the situation in the Middle East and the importance of regional security in the Pacific.
The Prime Minister looked forward to speaking again soon.
The Government recently announced measures to ensure that the country achieves its ambition of becoming Smokefree by 2030, including the provision of a million free ‘Swap to Stop’ vaping kits which, combined with behavioural support, are designed to help them quit smoking.
The City of Wolverhampton Council has made these available at a range of community venues, including the city’s 8 Family Hubs and Central and Warstones libraries.
The service is being delivered by trained members of staff, who are offering free vape starter kits alongside support and weekly ‘check in’ sessions delivered from the convenience of local community venues to help people on their quitting journey over a period of 12 weeks.
Scores of would be quitters have already come forward to get help – and others are invited to sign up for free at Swap to Stop.
John Denley, Wolverhampton’s Director of Public Health, said: “Stopping smoking is the best thing you can do for your health and the health of those around you.
“Smoking is still the single largest preventable cause of death in England, accounting for around for 64,000 deaths annually. Almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital with a smoking related disease – but, when you stop smoking, there are almost immediate improvements to your health.
“And it’s not just your body which will benefit, your purse or wallet will too. On average smokers spend £38.59 a week on tobacco – and that means you could have around £2,000 more to spend a year by quitting, and even more if you are a really heavy smoker.
“Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking and is also one of the most effective tools for quitting, so we are delighted to deliver this Swap to Stop support in the community in Wolverhampton. If you want to quit, please sign up today.”
Meanwhile, support to quit is also available through Live Well Wolverhampton, a new healthy lifestyles service offering people information, advice, guidance, self help tools and lifestyle interventions to enable them to make and maintain positive lifestyle choices. Please visit Live Well Wolverhampton or call or text ‘QUIT’ to 07378 768046 and an advisor will contact you.
For more help and support to stop smoking, please visit Quit Smoking.
Island residents have one week left to take part in a major consultation on proposals to tackle the high number of surplus places in Isle of Wight primary schools.
Hundreds of people have already shared their views on Isle of Wight Council plans to address almost 1,900 empty classroom seats by attending one of six in-person public meetings or completing the consultation survey.
The council is seeking the widest possible range of views and is urging everyone to have their say before the deadline for comments on 1 November.
The authority would welcome any viable alternative proposals that would reduce the level of surplus places while improving the quality of education.
Amid a rapidly decreasing pupil population due to falling birth rates, the council must reduce school places and is consulting on the potential closure of Arreton CE, Brading CE, Cowes, Godshill, Oakfield CE and Wroxall primary schools, and a reduction in the Published Admissions Number (PAN) at The Bay CE School (from 60 to 45) and Greenmount (from 60 to 45).
Alongside this the council is proposing to expand provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) to meet a growing need across the Island.
Since the Island-wide consultation launched last month, a peer review by the Local Government Association (LGA) has described the council’s proposals as a pragmatic and necessary response to the ongoing educational financial challenges on the Island.
Following the consultation, a further report will be presented to Cabinet in December detailing the responses and making recommendations about the next steps.
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, Cabinet member for children’s services and education, said: “I can’t emphasise strongly enough how important it is for everyone — whether they are linked to the named schools or not — to join this Island-wide conversation to help shape the future of education on the Isle of Wight.
“This process is part of our wider draft Education Strategy which is about raising educational standards on the Island. We are at the bottom of the national tables for educational standards, we have to do something.
“If we are going to do the best for our young people we have to take drastic action to turn things around. This is about taking the long term view for the whole Island in order to achieve the best for our young people, their upbringing and their futures and build a more thriving Island as a result.
“While our plans would see a reduction in the number of school places to respond to the falling birth rate, they would enable our remaining schools to be in the best possible position to improve outcomes for our children and young people by giving our school system and those within it the security that is desperately needed.
“Indeed, the recent LGA Peer Review supports our decision to consider school closures as a way to address the issues facing the Island. It also commends our plans to expand SEND provision stating that this element of the plan is both timely and necessary.”
How can I comment?
There are several ways people can take part in the consultation:
If you are unable to access the consultation form, please e-mail your views to strategic.planning@iow.gov.uk or write to: Strategic Development, Floor 3, County Hall, Newport, IOW, PO30 1UD.
Paper copies of the survey are available to collect from County Hall, High Street, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1UD, local libraries or can be posted out.
Why is this happening?
Because schools are funded per pupil, the oversupply of places in primary schools has had a negative impact on the standard of education children receive on the Island, preventing them from having the best opportunity for the highest quality teaching and learning within well-equipped schools.
While almost 1,900 classroom seats go unfilled in mainstream schools, there is conversely a growing demand for SEND provision across the Island with hundreds of new specialist places desperately needed.
The number of births on the Island has now reached its lowest level since 1941. This is having a significant impact on the Island where, by 2027, just 876 children are expected to start reception — a considerable drop from 1,404 in 2018.
As of October 2023 there were 1,898 unfilled school places across the Island. By September 2027, this number is forecast to rise to 3,056.
For every empty seat, schools receive £4,500 less in funding affecting resources, opportunities and the quality of education children receive. The ongoing trend indicates that by March 2027, 22 primary schools may face budget deficits, potentially amounting to a total deficit of more than £7.4 million.
Surplus places mean schools struggle to maintain a broad and high-quality curriculum. Falling rolls also make planning and staffing decisions difficult, with schools potentially having to make year on year redundancies or having to restructure.
Aberdeen City Council has today launched the second and final phase of its Budget 2025/26 consultation.
The second phase provides additional proposed savings options and invites people to have their say on these, and comment on how changes might affect them if taken forward.
Councillor Alex McLellan, Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee, said: “The next phase of the consultation continues to offer the public an opportunity to express their views on proposed savings being put forward by council officers ahead of the Council setting the 2025/26 budget.
“It is important that people participate as this will give us a greater understanding of what services are important to individuals and their families, and the potential impact any change or removal of a service may have on them.”
Anyone who has access to the internet at home or on their mobile phone can access the consultation here.
For anyone who does not have internet access at home, digital assistance is available at local libraries including the Central Library, and at the Customer Service Centre, Marischal College during opening hours.
A series of virtual and in-person events have been arranged to help encourage public engagement. During these events, the public will have the opportunity to discuss any of the proposed options with council staff. There will also be targeted engagement with community groups and other stakeholders.
Monday 4 November – 5.30pm-7pm – virtual Microsoft Teams Advanced booking is required. To book, please click here
Monday 11 November – 11am-12.30pm – in-person
Town and County Hall, Town House (entry via Union Street)
Advanced booking is required. To book, please click here
Tuesday 12 November – 5.30pm-7pm – virtual Microsoft Teams Advanced booking is required. To book, please click here
Wednesday 6 November – 6pm-7.30pm – in-person Customer Service Centre, Marischal College, Broad Street Advance booking is required. To book, please click here
The Council will host a series of pop-up events to offer digital assistance to citizens who would like support to complete the consultation online. These sessions will be held within Aberdeen City Vaccination Centre located inside the Bon Accord Shopping Centre, George Street.
Advanced booking is NOT required to attend the below pop-up sessions.
Thursday 31 October – 2pm-4pm
Thursday 7 November – 2pm-4pm
Thursday 14 November – 2pm-4pm
For anyone who needs information provided in a different format, such as accessible PDF, large print, easy to read, audio recording or braille, or have any accessibility requirements, please email equality_and_diversity@aberdeencity.gov.uk
The consultation closes on Sunday, November 17 and the results will be presented to Full Council on Wednesday, December 11.
Source: United Kingdom – Prime Minister’s Office 10 Downing Street
A further billion pounds of investment will be injected into the British economy as the Prime Minister continues his drive to attract foreign business back to the UK.
A further billion pounds of investment will be injected into the British economy as the Prime Minister continues his drive to attract foreign business back to the UK.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer continues drive on growth during historic first visit to the Pacific
This comes as Australian superannuation fund Aware Super forms a strategic partnership with a British property firm to invest up to £1 billion in UK property
Australian boost builds on the major success of International Investment Summit last week, which included a further £2.4 billion of investment from Down Under
The boost comes as UK firms break into the New Zealand banking sector, growing jobs in the UK, and expanding their global operations.
Australia’s biggest pension fund, AustralianSuper is also preparing to bolster its international investment team in London, in a major vote of confidence for the UK as a global asset management centre.
The Fund expects to manage £250 billion from its London office by 2035, an increase of more than 10 times over the next decade, from its current management of around £15 billion from its UK base.
The Prime Minister met the CEO of the Australian firm, Paul Schroder, on arrival in Samoa yesterday to discuss the move.
Meanwhile, Aware Super, one of Australia’s top performing and largest profit-for-member superannuation funds, has formed a strategic partnership with Delancey Real Estate to invest up to an initial £1 billion in UK property, further bolstering UK – Australia economic ties.
Its initial focus will be on Central London office sites in prime locations, upgrading and renovating properties to ensure they meet environmental standards and deliver on the partnership’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions in the property market.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
These investments are a major vote of confidence in the UK, and in this Government.
I am determined to ensure that UK is the best place in the world to invest and do business, so we improve the lives of hardworking people.
By attracting strong, sustained investment, we will also build the expertise we need to drive innovation, stay ahead of the global game, and support economies around the world with British backed projects.
AustralianSuper chief executive Paul Schroder said:
We invest heavily in Australia, but our size requires an increasingly international focus. We are ramping up our investment capabilities in the UK as it is one of the world’s leading gateways to both talent and global markets, which are key for driving future returns for members.
By 2035 we expect to manage approximately £250 billion of investments from our London hub, which will represent a significant portion of our global portfolio. We have great confidence in the fundamentals of the UK economy and the country’s commitment to global growth.
This underpins our confidence in the investments we have already made in the UK such as the Canada Water urban regeneration project, London’s King’s Cross Estate, Peel Ports Group and Vantage Data Centers. We also see great potential for new investment opportunities in the energy transition, digital infrastructure, mixed-use estates, transport and logistics.
Aware Super chief executive Deanne Stewart:
Aware Super has strong confidence in the UK economy and markets and is pleased to announce a ground-breaking new commercial partnership that will invest up to an initial £1 billion, an exciting milestone that will coincide with the first anniversary of establishing our London Office.
Meanwhile, UK firms obconnect and Raidiam have been making waves in the New Zealand banking sector, rolling out the British Confirmation of Payee (CoP) system to revolutionise banking in the country, in partnership with the NZ Banking Association.
No other companies are currently able to offer the same service, with the partnership combining specialist expertise of the two British companies to serve as a fulcrum for data sharing and facilitating fraud prevention across any territory.
The deal has allowed the companies to expand their UK operations to more than 250 people.
The win for the British companies come after mobile banking app Revolut broke into the New Zealand market last year. The firm is preparing to expand their operations in the country from 4 FTEs focused on New Zealand investments, to 10 over the next 12 months.
The British business wins coincide with the UK securing CPTPP ratification from Australia in the next step towards accession of the trading bloc – the first non-founding country to do so.
The boost in Australian investment also comes after a string of Australian announcements as part of the government’s International Investment Summit, which attracted more £63 billion of investment into the UK economy and created 38,000 jobs.
They included Australian firms Macquarie supporting investment of £1.3 billion into new green infrastructure and IFM investing more than £1.1 billion through Manchester Airports Group into London Stansted Airport to expand its existing terminal by around a third. The investment will secure new air routes to key business and leisure destinations, boost local supply chains and create 5,000 jobs.
The Prime Minister’s visit to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is the first by a sitting Prime Minister to a Pacific Island. During the summit, the Prime Minister will make the case to build resilient economies across the Commonwealth to unlock growth and investment.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
John Tuckett, Immigration Services Commissioner, has been reappointed for a second 5 year term.
The Immigration Services Commissioner, John Tuckett, has been reappointed for a further five years.
The Commissioner oversees the immigration advice sector, protecting advice seekers through regulation, enforcement and promoting best practice. John Tuckett, who took up the post on 8 July 2019, will remain in the position until 7 July 2029.
Please see here a Home Office announcement on this public appointment.
UK Government urged to remove limit on funds raised for good causes.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has written to Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy to urge the UK Government to remove the cap on charity lottery sales.
Charity lotteries raise money for local, national and international good causes through their ticket sales. However, the current sales cap means that charities can raise no more than £50m for these causes per year.
Ms Somerville said:
“As the difficult economic climate has made it harder for charities to raise funds, while also increasing the need of the communities they serve, the cap on charity lottery sales is only serving to restrict the positive impact they could have in raising money for good causes.
“The UK Government should undertake a review of the cap and consider the huge difference that lifting it could bring to lives and communities across the country.”
People’s Postcode Lottery Managing Director, Clara Govier, said:
“The charity lottery sales limits are causing increasing difficulties for charity fundraising at a time when charities need these vital funds to respond to the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
“Charity lotteries exist to benefit society, yet have sales limits in place which do not apply to any other type of gambling product, and ultimately make raising funds for charity more difficult.
“Removing them would cost the Treasury nothing but benefit many charities. We welcome the Scottish Government’s call for these outdated sales limits to be removed, and urge the UK Government to take action.”
We want everyone to be able to safely enjoy Halloween and Bonfire Night in Westminster this year which is why we have re-launched our Autumn Nights campaign.
Halloween and Bonfire night, and the days running up to them, are traditionally some of the busiest nights of the year for our anti-social behaviour case officers, the Metropolitan Police, London Fire Brigade and other agencies.
This is why we have launched our Autumn Nights campaign to make sure everyone has the information they need to enjoy it safely.
We are working with our community safety partners, the Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade, to urge communities in Westminster to do their bit this Autumn.
To keep our city safe, we ask you to take extra care this autumn and take note of the following advice:
fireworks must not be stored or used in communal areas or in your home. This is a condition for all Westminster City Council tenants and may be a condition of other tenancy or lease agreements
fireworks must not be set off within 15 metres of a road
please remove any personal items from communal areas and balconies which could be used to start fires by others
if you are a Westminster City Council tenant, please do not have bonfires anywhere, either in your home or on the estate
it is illegal to let fireworks off in the street or a public place
selling fireworks to anyone under the age of 18 years is illegal. Anyone aged under 18 may not possess a firework in a public place
This Autumn Nights season, help us to keep your neighbourhood safe by reporting any incidents.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is inviting residents, businesses and organisations across the city and beyond to ‘save the date’ for the Stoke-on-Trent celebration weekend.
Stoke-on-Trent City Council is inviting residents, businesses and organisations across the city and beyond to ‘save the date’ for the Stoke-on-Trent celebration weekend. On Thursday 5 June 2025, the city will burst into celebration following 100 years of city status. The day will be set in the calendar as the very first Stoke-on-Trent Day.
When King George V declared Stoke-on-Trent a city on 5 June 1925, it was a move that made Stoke-on-Trent a global name. Honouring the rich history, vibrant culture and unique identity, for three days in June the city council is calling on everyone with links to the city, at home and away, to celebrate the city built on clay and coal.
Stoke-on-Trent Day will be a yearly celebration on 5 June that celebrates the history, culture, the built and natural environment and the communities that make the city. It’s also about looking forward. The city is incredibly proud of its heritage – but it’s not all in the past:
Stoke-on-Trent is now a World Craft City
Over 85 parks and green spaces, which are home to a variety of animals
A vibrant arts scene with nine Not-for-Profit organisations working in the city
Pottery manufacturers have a strong presence
Brilliant museums
There are lots of local artisans based in the city
Traditional markets, with a host of traders
Local festivals like the British Ceramics Biennial and Stoke on Clay celebrate local arts and ceramics
Active heritage restoration
Exciting food and drink scene, including Appetite, Feasted and Titanic
Promising opportunities for business development
Home to over 500,000 trees
Everyone with links to Stoke-on-Trent is invited to the party. Over the Celebration weekend – Saturday 7 June and Sunday 8 June – Stoke-on-Trent City Council will be hosting events for all to enjoy, express togetherness and show pride in their city.
For 2025, the Council is asking everyone to ‘save the date’ of Saturday 7 June and to get involved in a mass-participation carnival feel celebration – from resident associations, sports clubs, schools, colleges and the university to businesses, charities and youth groups and performing arts groups – you are all on the guest list!
Leader of the city council, councillor Jane Ashworth, said: “Whether you are born and bred in one of the six towns, moved away, or recently made Stoke-on-Trent your home, you are a ‘Stokie’ to us. We want everyone to celebrate this small city, with a big heart. “From street parties to cleaning up the city, I am calling on every resident to fly the flag of this great city.”
Lisa Capper MBE, CEO & Principal at Stoke on Trent College said: “Stoke on Trent College is thrilled to be part of the centenary celebrations for Stoke-on-Trent, leading up to next June. We are delighted to be supporting the campaign from Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which captures the togetherness which makes this city so special. As part of SOT100, we are looking forward to having our 100 Years of Skills in Hanley Park next May as well as other celebrations which will enable learners to join in the celebrations of the city’s heritage.”
Do you have an event planned for 2025? Or are you inspired to get your friends, family and neighbours together and get creative? We want to know!
Visit: www.sot100.org.uk to find out what’s happening and when, and how you can plan your own events.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3
A new insurance fraud charter was announced at the latest Joint Fraud Taskforce meeting.
Insurance companies have united to step up efforts to crack down on fraudsters seeking to manipulate the UK insurance market with bogus claims and duping innocent people into buying fake insurance policies.
In 2023 alone, 84,400 fraudulent claims worth £1.1 billion were detected by the ABI, a 16% increase in the number of detected claims compared to the previous year.
Crash for cash scams are becoming a significant issue. This sees fraudsters recklessly orchestrate accidents to put forward an insurance claim, putting innocent lives at risk. Fraudsters may also make claims for accidents that never happened.
The Insurance Fraud Bureau is currently investigating over 6,000 suspected fraudulent motor insurance claims, which could be linked to crash for cash scams. In total, this is estimated to be worth over £70 million in potential fraud.
The new voluntary charter is designed to identify loopholes in the insurance market, enhance collaboration and criminal justice outcomes, better understand the scale of the problem and improve victim support.
Pledges include:
the National Crime Agency’s National Assessment Centre carrying out a review into the role of professional enablers in the insurance sector – where someone provides false evidence to support a bogus insurance claim
identifying policies being exploited by “illegal insurance intermediaries” – someone pretending to be a broker or selling completely fake insurance to customers.
strengthening data security measures to stop insurance fraudsters using customer details to target people
reviewing the tactics and websites being used by fraudsters to promote bogus insurance offers – this includes looking at the vulnerable victims’ notifications process, which has proven successful in the banking sector, to better identify and support victims of insurance fraud
Lord David Hanson, Minister of State at the Home Office with Responsibility for Fraud said:
Fraud is an appalling crime, and we are determined to crackdown on these callous criminals.
Not only do honest customers face higher insurance premiums but these fraudsters do not care if people are harmed in the pursuit of profit.
This charter is an important step, and we will continue to work with industry and law enforcement to better protect the public from fraud.”
Hannah Gurga, ABI Director General, said:
Insurance fraud remains an ongoing threat that corrodes trust in society and undermines our economic prosperity.
Tackling insurance fraud is an industry priority, and requires a collaborative approach between private and public sector.
We’re delighted to have agreed the Insurance Sector Fraud Charter with the Home Office, boosting the industry’s resilience and ability to fight fraud.
We look forward to continuing to work with the Home Office and other industry signatories to implement the charter commitments.
Temporary Assistant Commissioner Nik Adams, from the City of London Police, said:
As the national lead force for fraud, we welcome the launch of this charter. Insurance fraud is not a victimless crime.
It increases the cost of premiums for honest customers, while fraudsters who sell fake car insurance or deliberately cause road traffic collisions to claim compensation put motorists at risk.
The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department, a partnership between law enforcement and industry, is at the forefront of tackling this crime.
This charter is another step forward in establishing a whole system approach to combatting fraud, as it is a commitment from organisations across the insurance sector to join law enforcement in tackling key threats, enhancing criminal justice outcomes and improving victim support.
The charter covers the vast majority of the insurance sector ranging from general insurance firms to underwriters and has the backing of the British Insurance Brokers’ Association, London & International Insurance Brokers’ Association, Lloyd’s of London, Lloyd’s Market Association and the International Underwriting Association, alongside ABI.
Nobody is immune from fraud. According to the latest ONS Crime Survey Statistics, fraud is most common crime in England and Wales and 1 in 16 adults experienced fraud in the twelve months to the end of June 2024.
This is the first Joint Fraud Taskforce meeting of 2024.
The taskforce meetings bring together government departments, law enforcement, regulators, private sector and victim groups to strengthen the response to fighting fraud and better protect the public.
Carving the Pumpkin by Franck Antoine Bail (1910).Bonhams
October heralds the beginning of pumpkin season. Over the course of the month, they will be used for a variety of non-culinary purposes. In Belgium, they are hollowed out for boat races, and in Ludwigsburg, Germany, thousands of multi-coloured pumpkins are used to make seasonal sculpture parks. At the end of the month, they will be carved up with a ghoulish grin to celebrate Halloween, a tradition that is becoming increasingly popular across the globe.
Despite being harvested until December, for many, Halloween will mark the end of pumpkin season with the decorations unceremoniously binned. Studies show that just over half of the pumpkins bought in the UK each year (18,000 tonnes of them) go to waste uneaten. Many people don’t even realise that pumpkins are edible.
But it hasn’t always been this way: pumpkin carving is actually a fairly recent tradition, practiced in the US since around the 1890s. Before becoming the symbol of Halloween, pumpkins had a very long history as a foodstuff.
Like tomatoes, maize and potatoes, the pumpkin is indigenous to the Americas, with the earliest evidence of pumpkin consumption dating as far back as 8,000BC in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Pumpkins have come a long way since then, as Indigenous American communities carefully adapted the wild pumpkin into successively bigger and better-tasting varieties. These weren’t all the bright orange we’re familiar with: white, green and yellow varieties were also common, mixed in with squashes (a genetically identical relation).
In pre-colonial America, there were a host of different ways to prepare the vegetable, as pumpkin historian Cindy Ott explains. She wrote that Indigenous communities ate pumpkins in soups, roasted them on embers, made them into sauces and baked them into a “bread”.
Pumpkins and squash were commonly grown and eaten with maize and beans; a combination sometimes called the “three sisters”.
The rise of the ‘pompion’
The pumpkin only came to Europe in the 1500s, following the invasion of the Americas. This new vegetable wasn’t as much of a surprise to Europeans as we might expect: gourds, cucumbers and melons are from the same family as pumpkins, Curcubitaceae, and the plants all look very similar, with trailing vines and large golden flowers.
Farmer with pumpkins by Ilya Ivanovich Mashkov (1930). WikiArt
In European languages, the new plant was given the name of these more familiar foods, so that in English and French it became the pompion (another name for melons), in Italian the zucca and in German the kürbis (both names for gourds).
All these overlapping names caused some confusion. In 1640, botanist John Parkinson wrote of “gourds or millions, or pompions, or whatsoever else you please to call them”.
The recipes that pumpkins are best known for in today’s Anglo-American cuisine come from this era of food history. “Pumpion” pies started to appear in English recipe books in the 1660s, but they weren’t much like today’s versions.
An early printed recipe was written by Hannah Woolley, an English writer who published books on household management, in 1672. It instructs the reader to fry egg-coated slices, mix these with raisins, sugar and fortified wine then place the mixture in a pie dish on top of apples. A little different maybe, but it doesn’t sound too bad.
The apple association stayed strong in England. Another method, recorded in 1735, was to scoop out the pulp, mix it with chopped apples and sugar, bake this in the hollowed pumpkin, then eat it spread on bread. The author was careful to note that this meal was “too strong for persons of weak stomachs, and only proper for country people who use much exercise” – so be careful if you try this at home.
The pie recipes followed a longer tradition of sweet-and-savoury pies which were popular in England at the time. This is also where we get the typical “pumpkin spice” from. These pies were made with artichokes, sweet and ordinary potatoes, and even earlier with parsnips, skirrets and eryngoes (once popular root vegetables). They were mixed with the go-to expensive spices of the day: cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, ginger and sugar. Maybe we should be calling it the “skirret spice latte”.
As Europeans steadily colonised America over the 17th century, they brought with them their familiar recipes, including spiced pies. Here, in the home of pumpkins, they had an abundance to make them from.
The steady rise of Halloween in the globalised age suggests our current waste issue will get worse before it gets better. Reviving the egg-apple-pumpkin pie might not be the solution, but there are plenty of other ways we can use these versatile vegetables. Remembering that pumpkins had millennia of history as a food before they were a decoration is one step on the way.
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Serin Quinn does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Mary, Queen of Scots spent almost 20 years in captivity. She was held in various locations across Britain from 1568 until her execution on February 8 1587. As I explain in my new book, Captive Queen: The Decrypted History of Mary, Queen of Scots, during this period she relied upon letters to maintain her support back in Scotland, encourage international allies to join her cause and foster allegiances in England.
Mary was aware that her letters were routinely read by her jailers and passed on to be scrutinised by Elizabeth I’s closest advisers, notably William Cecil. At times, she was forced to rely on clandestine techniques, including writing in invisible ink. She wrote that “although such artifices be very hazardous and vulgar, they will serve me in extreme necessity”.
Less technical means of conveying correspondence covertly also proved useful. Letters were regularly passed surreptitiously in clothing. They could be slipped under the sleeves of ladies’ gowns, sewn into doublets, or even packed into the heel of a shoe.
In 1572, Mary’s longest-serving custodian, the earl of Shrewsbury, George Talbot, reported that he had discovered that Mary was having letters left hidden under stones in the gardens. These would be collected later by servants and carried out of the property, to avoid unwanted attention.
Mary also used complex ciphers to disguise the contents of her correspondence, especially when she wished to discuss plots designed to set her free. Hundreds of her coded letters survive in different forms (as copies, translations, and originals), many of them from supporters who were directly involved in schemes including the Babington plot of 1586, which aimed to assassinate Elizabeth I and replace her with Mary.
The role of women in Mary’s coded correspondence is often overlooked. Yet she relied upon her female supporters to ensure that covert networks were maintained during her captivity.
The countess of Northumberland, Lady Anne Percy, was one of the noblewomen at the heart of a transcontinental network of Catholic exiles who went to great efforts to preserve clandestine channels of communication between themselves and Mary.
In August 1571, William Maitland of Lethington, Mary’s principal secretary in Scotland, wrote to her. He explained that he had shared a new cipher so that Lady Percy could write to Mary secretly. Several years later, Mary confirmed that she was still writing in code to Lady Percy and receiving such letters in return.
Similarly, Mary communicated with Scottish noblewomen using ciphers. Lady Livingston, Agnes Fleming, journeyed with Mary into England in late 1568 and remained by her side in captivity until 1572, when she returned to Scotland. We know that she communicated with Mary using coded letters because in 1573 Lethington warned her that she must stop using their usual cipher.
He explained that the letter bearer had been arrested and so their cipher was likely “known to their adversaries”. Lady Livingston remained a loyal supporter of Mary after she returned to Scotland. She was even briefly imprisoned in Dalkeith by the regent of Scotland, James Morton, for sharing news and intelligence via secret messages.
Lady Ferniehirst, Jean Scott, also composed coded correspondence to navigate the surveillance and scrutiny that the Scottish queen was subject to in England. Her husband, Sir Thomas Kerr of Ferniehirst, was exiled in 1573 following his attempts to hold Edinburgh Castle on Mary’s behalf. This meant that during the 1580s, Lady Ferniehirst was crucial to the survival of a network of Scottish nobles who continued to agitate for Mary’s restoration.
She regularly acted as an intermediary between Mary and James VI, allowing at least some of their communication to avoid English detection. Several of Lady Ferniehirst’s own coded letters to Mary survive, and many were intercepted and decoded by contemporary agents seeking evidence of Mary’s plotting.
In 1578, Mary requested that Lady Ferniehirst’s 13-year-old daughter be allowed to join her household in England. Aware of the clandestine correspondence between the two women, this request was denied by Elizabeth I. She suspected that Lady Ferniehirst’s daughter would ensure even more coded letters managed to make their way from Mary to her supporters.
The correspondence of Mary’s female supporters reveals early modern women’s skilful navigation of political crisis. Illuminating the examples of women like Lady Percy, Lady Livingston and Lady Ferniehirst challenges gendered assumptions that have led to women being underestimated or dismissed throughout history.
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Jade Scott previously received funding from Arts and Humanities Research Council UK (AHRC).
Asbestos may have been banned from use in the UK since 1999 but the hazardous material continues to pose a serious danger to the population.
Low levels of asbestos are naturally present in the air, water and soil, which usually doesn’t cause people to become ill. However, regular exposure to asbestos – in the workplace, for example – is a real health risk.
Asbestos exposure can have an insidious effect on health. It can take decades for symptoms to become noticeable but, once diagnosed, most patients die within two years.
According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, more than 5,000 people die from asbestos-related diseases each year, making asbestos the leading cause of work-related deaths in the UK.
Perilous but popular
Asbestos is a group of dangerous but naturally occurring fibrous minerals widely used for decades for their heat-resistant and insulating properties. The primary types of asbestos include the most commonly used chrysotile (white asbestos), amosite (brown asbestos) and crocidolite (blue asbestos).
These fibres are highly durable and resistant to heat, electricity, and chemical damage, which made asbestos a popular material in various industries, particularly in construction and manufacturing throughout the 20th century.
Worryingly, despite the known dangers of asbestos, it remains a common material in many UK school buildings. According to a 2019 Department for Education survey, more than 80% of state schools in England and around 60% of schools in Scotland and Wales still have asbestos “present on their estate”.
Asbestos is considered to be safe as long as it is undisturbed. However, if there are damaged or shedding fibres then the material becomes highly dangerous to those exposed to it.
An (un)healthy education
When asbestos fibres become airborne and are inhaled, they can cause significant damage to lung cells and other organs.
The main health issues linked to asbestos exposure include lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis, a chronic lung disease that leads to lung tissue scarring and severe breathing difficulties.
Mesothelioma is a rare but aggressivecancer affecting the lining of the lungs – and sometimes the abdomen or heart. Sadly, as my research has shown, it’s extremely difficult to treat patients with this condition.
HSE statistics show that 111 teachers died from mesothelioma between the years of 2011-20. In 2021, 23 teachers died from the cancer. A 2021 report by the Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC), a group that was set up to protect workers and students from the risk of asbestos, states estimates that “1,000 teachers and support staff and 9,000 former pupils died from mesothelioma between 1980 and 2017 due to asbestos exposure in schools”.
Deadly decay
State school buildings constructed between the 1950s and 1999 in the UK are likely to have been built using asbestos containing materials. Despite the guidance that asbestos is safe if not disturbed, there are concerns that the dilapidated state of many of the UK’s state school buildings is causing teachers and children to be at risk of asbestos exposure.
In October 2024, the CEO of the Mesothelioma UK charity, Liz Darlison told the MailOnline that:
The ongoing presence of asbestos in our deteriorating school buildings is like a bomb that is slowly exploding. It’s an unbelievable tragedy and a national disgrace that we are not doing more to protect people, especially children.
Crumbling school buildings could disturb asbestos fibres, causing them to be released and then inhaled by teachers and students. Asbestos fibres are invisible – they can’t be seen, smelled or felt in the air or on clothes so it’s impossible to know if you’ve been exposed to it – until it’s too late.
It seems, then, that only way to finally eradicate the health risks of asbestos is to remove it from public buildings. Strict enforcement of regulations, public education, safe removal programs and support for those who’ve been exposed to asbestos will be essential in ensuring that asbestos related health risks are finally eradicated.
Justin Stebbing does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Make sure you remember to put your clocks back this weekend. British Summer Time ends on Sunday 27 October. You don’t want to miss that extra hour in bed.
Reset clocks on Saturday night
Think about resetting any household clocks, watches and time-based equipment on Saturday night that don’t automatically change. You don’t want to spend Sunday wondering why you’re early and everyone else is late.
The equipment you may need to reset includes:
clocks (especially alarm clocks)
central heating and hot water timers
your mobile phone and computer (if they don’t automatically update)
Greenwich Mean Time
British Summer Time starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.
This means that:
in autumn the clocks go back – at 2.00 am British Summer Time moves to 1.00 am Greenwich Mean Time
in spring the clocks go forward – at 1.00 am Greenwich Mean Time moves to 2.00 am British Summer Time
Professor Anna Nekaris is to be honoured by the Primate Society of Great Britain
Dr Anna Nekaris, Professor in Ecology, Conservation and Environment at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), is to receive a prestigious honour later this year from the Primate Society of Great Britain.
Professor Nekaris, one of the world’s leading experts in lorises, will be awarded the Osman Hill Memorial Lecture Medal by the Primate Society of Great Britain at their winter meeting in Bristol on 12-13 December.
The medal is awarded annually to a distinguished primatologist who has shown excellence in research and has made a substantial, original, and lasting contribution to the discipline.
Professor Nekaris started her work on nocturnal primates in 1992 and in 2011 she established the Little Fireface Project – a conservation project based in Java, Indonesia, that supports loris conservation worldwide.
She is Vice Chair of the recently formed IUCN Special Section for African and Asian Prosimians, Co-editor-in-chief of Folia Primatologica, and Section Editor of Nature’s Discover Conservation. Earlier this year, Professor Nekaris was made Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services to conservation.
Professor Nekaris has published more than 300 scientific papers and 10 edited volumes, and her studies cover all species of slow, pygmy and slender lorises, including five she named or elevated from subspecies, and one genus that she named.
Her research includes behavioural ecology in zoos, rescue centres and in the wild, including a novel study on slow loris venom, museum studies, genetics, acoustics, taxonomy, conservation education, and community conservation, especially with agroforestry farmers.
Much of her conservation work has focused on lorises in the pet trade. Through her advocacy, lorises became protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and Professor Nekaris has worked with the Japanese government to change laws regarding microchipping of CITES I protected species. She hopes her research will convince people that lorises do not make good pets.
Professor Nekaris said:
“All species of loris are threatened with extinction and some are amongst the rarest primates on the planet. They are wild animals and my mission is to ensure that as many as possible remain in their natural habitats so we can learn more about these most unique primates.”
On news of her award from the Primate Society of Great Britain, she added:
“Being recognised by my fellow primatologists is a tremendous honour, and I’m absolutely thrilled to be following in the footsteps of some of the wonderful scientists who have previously been awarded the Osman Hill Memorial Lecture Medal.
“This award is also extra special to me because it is named after a scientist, William Charles Osman Hill, who made some of the first, significant contributions to our knowledge of lorises.”
Manchester is among twenty-six English public library services that have received funding to launch new projects this month to help their communities build stronger connections with nature.
The projects are part of Culture Nature England, a partnership between Libraries Connected and Natural England, the government’s adviser for the natural environment. Manchester Libraries have been awarded £10k to develop seed libraries at 8 locations, and to promote nature walks to three local nature reserves.
The seed libraries would provide up to 3 packets of free seeds to customers signing up to the scheme. People would be encouraged to allow their seeds to grow to maturity and flower, then collect and return resultant seeds to the seed library for others to access.
We would encourage complete beginners and old hands alike to come together to share their knowledge on seed sowing, plant nurturing, compost and soil care and harvesting.
The initial seeds to be offered would be from 6/7 easy to grow varieties – a mix of wildflowers, herbs and vegetables – chosen to be beneficial to insects and meet local biodiversity requirements.
The project will include workshops/events in the library, with guided nature walks from three of the libraries to local nature reserves at Boggart Hole Clough, Highfield Country Park and Wythenshawe Park, and better mapping of green infrastructure around each of the 8 libraries.
Libraries will work with partners including our parks team and local community groups to maximise the benefits of this project. Manchester have signed up to the CILIP Green Manifesto and are developing an increasing range of services to help Manchester reach its carbon emission targets including acting as venues for people to drop off old technology which will be refurbished, and supporting litter picking campaigns.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, said: “Libraries are vital community resources that improve the lives of residents and communities. It is great that we have been successful in gaining this funding to increase libraries’ role in connecting people with nature. Manchester is blessed with high quality green spaces and this funding will lead to more people feeling better connected to the natural environment.”
Following weeks of speculation, the Government will outline their actual spending plans for the first time next week in the Autumn budget statement. Councils across the country, including Derby City Council, will be watching with interest to see what, if any, action will be taken to address the severe financial challenges faced by local government sector.
In Derby, the Council’s current budget is its most challenging yet, with the Council reporting a predicted £9.6 million overspend on its revenue budget – which funds most of its services outside housing, education, and capital projects – at the end of the first quarter of 2024/25.
Demand and costs have continued to rise at a much higher rate than forecast, mainly for services affecting the city’s most vulnerable citizens such as social care and homelessness. This is not unique to Derby and is affecting councils across the country. The Council has been lobbying the Government for changes to the way it is funded, together with local government colleagues nationally.
Derby City Council’s Quarter 2 financial update will be presented to Cabinet in November, but over the medium term the Council faces the challenge of closing a significant budget gap which was estimated to be £13.9 million for 2025/26 before any of the new pressures on services emerged this year. The Council’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, which is also being considered by Council Cabinet in November, will provide further details on this position.
As a result, the Council is already in the process of planning a balanced budget for 2025/26, which is a legal requirement, ready to present it to Councillors in December before it goes out to consultation. Although the Council won’t know for certain how much money it will receive from the Government until around the same time, it is hoped the Autumn statement on 30 October will provide some additional financial support.
In simple terms, the Government currently funds Councils through one-year grant settlements, supplemented by additional grants which can only be used for specific purposes. Shortfalls therefore have to be met from Council Tax and Business Rates, and as Government funding has significantly declined the Council has become more reliant on these local taxes.
While the new Government has indicated that it will move towards multi-year settlements that make it easier to plan for the mid-term, it is not known when this will happen.
Councillor Kathy Kozlowski, Cabinet Member for Governance and Finance, said:
We have to be realistic. We are not expecting the Government to announce multi-year grant funding settlements next week. However there are some small changes they could announce which we’ve lobbied for, and would be ‘quick wins’ for local government. They would certainly make a difference to us in Derby.
A shortage of affordable accommodation means that homeless families are having to stay in temporary accommodation for longer. The amount of Housing Benefit we can claim back from the Government for this is capped, and if this cap was lifted we would be £4 million better off. A review of the right to buy legislation would allow Councils to maintain their levels of social housing.
Costs in the social care market are spiralling, and introducing caps on fees that Councils pay for care would help ease the pressure on social care.
A commitment to the much-awaited funding reforms for local government would also see a redistribution of funding to those areas that need it the most. Continuation of a lot of temporary funding, including funding that supports social care services and support to struggling families through the Household Support Fund, would mean that we could continue to support our most vulnerable residents.
We would welcome any additional funding that the new Government can provide, however we are aware that there is no easy solution to the financial challenges that lie ahead, especially when we have no control over rising costs and demand. Any new burdens on local government need to be adequately funded.
Let me be clear, we will have to make some very difficult decisions over the next few months if we are to fulfil our legal obligation of setting a balanced budget. Many councils have already had to make a Section 114 declaration or ask for additional Government support. This is not a route we want to take, as it would limit what we could do for Derby, but we accept that we may have to do less but in a safe and managed way.
It is usually councils that are left to pick up the pieces when people find themselves in crisis. Yet demand continues to rise and we don’t have the funds to meet it. However we are acutely aware that we are not the only public service lobbying for more help.
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments
The UK has successfully delivered more than 12,500 ration packs and 79 battlefield medical kits to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The RAF plane being unloaded in Beirut
More than 12,500 ration packs and 79 medical kits have been delivered to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in Beirut today by the RAF.
The LAF are part of the security and stability solution for Lebanon and the wider region, as the sole legitimate military force of the Lebanese state.
Delivery comes amid the UK’s continued calls for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
The UK has successfully delivered more than 12,500 ration packs and 79 battlefield medical kits to the Lebanese Armed Forces. This package of medical supplies and provisions, delivered by the RAF, is funded by the UK’s Integrated Security Fund and will help support the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF).
The Lebanese Armed Forces are essential to the future security and stability of Lebanon and the wider region as the only legitimate military force of the Lebanese state.
For more than a decade, the UK has given critical support to the LAF as a trusted partner, through training, mentoring and the provision of equipment. Since 2009, the UK has trained over 34,000 LAF personnel and dedicated over £106 million in funding The UK has also helped to construct nearly 80 Border Observation posts and Forward Operating Bases as part of efforts to support Lebanese border security.
The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary, and Defence Secretary continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and increase in humanitarian aid in both Lebanon and Gaza to allow space for a political solution. The FCDO advises all British nationals should leave Lebanon immediately and have arranged several charter flights from Lebanon in recent weeks to support this.
Defence Secretary, John Healey said:
Today’s delivery of supplies from the RAF is in direct response to a request from the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The UK has supported the LAF for more than a decade, as the sole legitimate force of the Lebanese state. Our support for the LAF can help build the foundations for a stable Lebanon, as part of our wider efforts towards de-escalation and peace in the region.
We continue to work closely with our partners and allies in calling for an immediate ceasefire.
Foreign Secretary David, Lammy said:
This package of UK support demonstrates our ongoing commitment to Lebanon’s only legitimate armed forces, forces essential for stability and security of the state and wider region.
We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire between Lebanese Hizballah and Israel and a political plan consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1701. That is the only way to restore security and stability for the people living on both sides of the border.
In October 2024, as a direct response to the mass displacement of people and growing number of civilian casualties, the UK boosted its humanitarian support for Lebanon with a further £10 million. The announcement follows the £5 million humanitarian package delivered through UNICEF to support access to clean water and sanitation, health, and nutrition supplies. The UK has also agreed to match public donations to the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal of up to £10 million.
The UK government is completely committed to peace in the Middle East and continues to call for de-escalation in the region after being the first nation in the G7 to do so. A ceasefire would pave the way for civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes.
