William and Kate's discreet visit to India that left locals shocked... and joy for the new Lady Goldsmith-to-be: RICHARD EDEN'S DIARY
After losing an appeal over the levels of taxpayer-funded security that he and his family are entitled to while in Britain, Prince Harry whined to the BBC last month: 'I can't see a world in which I would bring my wife and children back to the UK at this point.'
His brother and sister-in-law, the Prince and Princess of Wales, take a more robust approach to security threats. Someone involved in one of their visits overseas has revealed that the couple insisted on shedding their protection officers on a particularly sensitive engagement.
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BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Highland-wide holiday lets control zone proposed by councillors
A Highland-wide control zone to limit Airbnb-style lets has been suggested as a way of tackling a shortage of homes across the proposing the move said 7,011 short-term let licences had been granted across the Highlands, but only four lets are not banned in control areas, but operators need planning permission as well as a short-term lets councillors said the powers could be used where there was local demand for them. Highland Council officials said control area status for the whole of the Highlands would require research and, if it was introduced, could mean additional costs and workload for its planning department. The idea of Highland-wide status has been suggested by Inverness councillors Michael Gregson and Duncan a paper going to next week's meeting of the full council, they said the region needed more than 24,000 homes over the next 10 added: "The private long-term rental market has shrunk disastrously: estate agents are withdrawing from letting out properties because of the shortage of properties available. "Even taking into account the efforts of Highland Council and the Housing Associations, there is a shortage of affordable housing."The councillors said the local authority should first ask the Scottish government to revisit its original plan to have an overprovision policy within short-term lets said if that was not possible, then to seek approval for Highland control area their response, officials said there would be financial implications for the local authority around both suggestions from the also said there could be potential challenges to Highland-wide of Edinburgh Council had to amend its licensing scheme following a court ruling. The whole of the City of Edinburgh Council area was designated Scotland's first short-term let control area in September 2022.A law requiring operators to have a licence came into force across Scotland in October the following Council's first control zone was approved in December 2023 and covers Badenoch and who supported its introduction said it was needed because workers and local young people had difficulties finding affordable the Association of Scotland's Self-Caterers (ASSC) said at the time that targeting legitimate small businesses to address longstanding housing issues showed "a muddled sense of priorities".
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
'UK should not ignore Severn Estuary tidal lagoon recommendations'
The UK should not ignore the potential to generate 2% of its electricity from a tidal lagoon, the author of a commissioned report has Severn Estuary Commission recommended in March that a lagoon scheme would be the best way to harness tidal power from the River Severn and help the UK reach its net zero commission chair, Dr Andrew Garrard, has now said: "If we are going to double our energy generation in 25 years, and it has to be indigenous and it has to be low carbon, how can you possibly ignore a source of energy which is 2% of our needs in one go? It's a slam dunk."The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it is "open to considering well-developed proposals". The recommendations mark a change from previous reviews that have suggested larger barrage infrastructure should be built across the Severn, but that without formal government support, failed to attract funding. Lagoon v Barrage Tidal lagoons are typically loop shaped enclosures which collect water during high tide and release it through turbines to generate are seen as having a lower environmental impact compared with dam-like barrages, which work on the same principal, but span the full width of a river, estuary or to seven previous studies have recommended a barrage structure for the Severn Estuary, all of which have failed to advance due to environmental, political and financial Garrard hopes the commission's re-think on how to harness energy created by the Severn might have more success."A barrage would be very disruptive to both the Welsh and the English ports, so that's a major commercial consideration," he added."It also adds a huge environmental impact, the environment on the Severn is of global significance, so it desperately needs to be protected."We really need to build something now and stop having further studies and discussion." The Severn Estuary is one of the largest in Europe and is one of its most important wildlife habitats, according to the saltmarshes and mudflats are used by an average 74,000 birds each winter while its waters support more than 100 fish species and vast numbers of invertebrates. Following the publication of the report the RSPB welcomed the commission's rejection of a barrage, which it called "environmentally unacceptable".However it warned "tidal lagoons also present significant risks to nature that have not been overcome so far and must not be ignored".RSPB Cymru head of nature policy and casework Annie Smith added that while they supported a "rapid transition to renewable energy... this must be achieved in ways that do not further jeopardise our declining wildlife".Former Labour Welsh secretary Lord Peter Hain was also concerned about the proposals, calling them a very expensive "cop out" in March."Lagoons do harness tidal power but... they are very expensive and are a cop out which won't harness the ginormous but untapped natural power of the Severn Estuary," he told BBC Wales at the time. The River Severn has the second highest tidal range in the world, which reaches 15 metres during spring tides.A tidal lagoon would cost about £10bn, most of which would have to come from private investment, and could generate at least 2% of the UK's electricity needs each is estimated it would take up to a decade to become operational, but would last up to 120 years."Two per cent might sound like a small number, but it's actually a huge amount of energy," Dr Garrard added."So two of those lagoons would be the same as Hinkley Point C [a nuclear power station] just down the coast."A lagoon would have at least a 120-year life, [in comparison] a typical power station has 30, and offshore wind farm has 30, Hinkley probably has 60."The Severn Estuary Commission's report did not look in to specific scheme options or locations, but it is understood the banks of the estuary in Somerset would be a viable place. Ambition and funding The UK has so far failed to bring forward any large-scale tidal lagoons, but it is hoped a privately backed Swansea Bay project will be developed in the coming the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority is pushing ahead with a tidal barrage across the River of the Mersey Tidal Project began in earnest in 2015 and it could be operational by the end of the next Shaun Benzon, head of project development, said the barrage has been able to progress due to strong local political will."We've had an ambition as a combined authority which has been strongly supported by our Mayor, Steve Rotheram," he added."By having a key champion behind the project, and also having the ability to fund the development of the project to this phase through our devolved funding we've been able to act ahead of the others." The UK Marine Energy Council estimate the wave and tidal industries will be worth £50bn to the UK economy by a statement, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said it is on a "clean power mission" to "get off the rollercoaster of fossil fuel markets" while "protecting business and household finances with clean, homegrown energy that we control"."We are open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the power of our bays, estuaries and coastlines, which demonstrate value for money", the spokesperson added.
BBC News
29 minutes ago
- BBC News
Guernsey election: Deputy-elects feeling 'bruised' from campaign
Some incoming deputies have said that they feel "bruised" and "exhausted" following a campaign which saw online Jayne Ozanne said she was "quite used" to online trolling but found it had been more "personal" in Sasha Kazantseva-Miller says she faced untrue allegations early on in the election that came as a "real shock" to said: "I think it had a real effect on me because they were allegations that were completely unfounded and bordering [on] libel really." Deputy Kazantseva-Miller added: "It hits you hard because politics is personal and they were very personal allegations."It has an effect on you and it has an effect on your family as well, so it was a difficult time for me."My children saw me quite upset but I think I was quite lucky to have people supporting me, not just my friends and family but the wider network that rallied round me." Before being elected deputy for the first time, Jayne Ozanne also faced online criticism, which she labelled "horrible, untrue and unnecessary"."I just had to turn social media off because I just couldn't cope with it, but obviously we are in the middle [of a campaign] you've got to get back on the horse."I thank God that we've got this beautiful island so I've been out swimming and trying to take up those, what I call, life-changing views." Sarah Hansmann-Rouxel, who was elected in the general election, had some of her campaign posters vandalised."It was upsetting," she said."You put all the effort in of getting something put up but it's part of the process. I don't condone it but you've just got to get on with things."Ms Hansmann-Rouxel was first elected in 2016 and also ran in 2020 but was not returned."I think last time, running as an incumbent, I think there was a lot more negativity but also people were spending a lot more time on social media because it was post-lockdown," she said."This time round there hasn't been as much noise online, people generally don't act the same in public so the kind of vitriol that you experience isn't really happening this time around." 'No support' An international survey, done in 2024, showed that of 160 politicians asked about the state of mental wellbeing, 41% said theirs was was more than police officers and ambulance workers who were also Kazantseva-Miller said she would back more mental health support for deputies."As politicians we get no support, not only for our physical and mental well-being, but we don't have support as parliamentarians," she said."I do think that if we want our politicians to be the best they can be for our community, it is something we should actually be looking more carefully after them."
