New Telford Station Quarter hotel to create 38 jobs

A six-storey, 142-bedroom hotel in the centre of Telford will create 38 local jobs, the local authority has said.Telford and Wrekin Council said the new Hampton by Hilton hotel will be part of its Station Quarter development and will open in 2027.The wider development already includes a digital skills teaching centre and there are plans for a new sixth-form centre and 189 homes.Construction of the hotel has already started.
The hotel will stand at the corner of Ironmaster's Way and Lawn Central.As well as the rooms, it will include a bar and a restaurant.It said it chose Hilton to operate the hotel because the company would "complement Telford's existing hotel and tourism offer".Council leader, Lee Carter, said he expected the hotel to attract visitors and increase footfall in the area, which is close to the town's shopping centre.
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Daily Mail​

33 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

The male Greta Thunberg who's masterminding furious protests against British tourists in Spain: Jaume Pujol, 16, is as naive and Left-wing as his Swedish inspiration and equally determined to wreak havoc

Sauntering through the tourist-thronged streets of Palma in his shorts this week, he looked like any other Majorcan teenager who had just finished his end of year exams and was looking forward to the summer break. Yet, as I discovered when we sat down for coffee, Jaume Pujol has more on his mind than beach barbecues and bathing in the Med with his classmates. At just 16, this callow but charismatic activist, who is inspired by climate change ingenue Greta Thunberg (describing her as his 'reference point') is among the prime instigators of the anti-tourism revolution sweeping through our favourite European holiday destinations. With his unvarnished sincerity, easy eloquence and Latino pop-star looks, he is fast becoming the nascent movement's poster-boy. Jaume's high-profile role became evident last Sunday, when 'de-touristification' demonstrations were staged in towns and cities stretching from the Balearic and Canary Islands to northern Spain, Portugal and Italy. They were co-ordinated and planned by an umbrella organisation called the Southern European Network Against Tourism, whose radical leader, Daniel Pardo, 49, is based in Barcelona, where the ugliest scenes erupted. Angry protesters there clashed with riot police protecting buildings from vandalism and alfresco restaurant diners from being squirted with giant water-pistols (their symbolic new weapon). Yesterday a new video emerged showing a Barcelona hotel worker, incensed by the disruption, bravely grabbing a pistol and firing back. Public outrage also reached boiling point in Palma, where Jaume, an organiser of the Majorcan group Menys Turisme, Mes Vida, was in the thick of things. Last Saturday, in a spectacular prequel to the rally, he provided a live YouTube commentary as comrades held up a sightseeing bus, plastered it with slogans and detonated yellow smoke-bombs beside it, terrifying the besieged passengers. Then on Sunday h,e took to the platform to read out the group's three-page 'manifesto', parts of which sounded more like a revolutionary Socialist charter than a blueprint for a gentler and less frenetic way of life. 'The tourism model, whether luxury or mass, chokes us year after year, grabs economic and residential resources, destroys the territory, exploits the working class, contributes to climate crisis, and shatters our communities,' declared Jaume, cheered by either 30,000 or 8,000 supporters, depending on whether his estimate, or that of the Majorcan authorities, is accurate. Spain's holiday industry was designed to make the controlling magnates richer and their workers poorer, he argued. It had reached the stage where young Majorcans could no longer afford to live on their own island because foreign buyers had sent property prices skyrocketing. Public services are overstretched, roads jammed, the Majorcan culture and language in danger of extinction. Emulating his Nordic mentor, 'The Boy Greta' also denounced 'Western and Zionist imperialism', and urged solidarity with Palestine. What that had to do with the evils of tourism is anyone's guess. When I asked Jaume how he would achieve his dream of diversifying Majorca's economy away from its reliance on tourism, he offered few plausible solutions. Though he wasn't so naive as to advocate the total eradication of a multi-billion industry that directly or indirectly provides a livelihood for 90 per cent of the island's one million residents, he seemed to envisage a return to the time Majorca was a sleepy, self-sufficient outcrop of farmers and leather makers. This is not to be too unkind. We were all young and idealistic once. Dramatic footage taken from outside a hotel shows an agitated worker as he confronted protesters who squirted him with water guns Jaume, who formed his strong social conscience when his trade unionist grandfather took him on marches, is in many ways an admirable champion of his cause, sincere in his desire to preserve his island's natural beauty, much of which remains intact, and improve the lives of its people. And he evidently possesses a matador's courage. Filing out of his high school in Palma, a few months ago, he was confronted by a chilling threat daubed in big red letters beside the entrance door. 'Te vamos a matar!' it read – Spanish for 'We are going to kill you!' Beside it, a sinister-looking peep-hole had been drawn, warning the intended victim that they were being watched. Having received similarly sobering messages via social media, Jaume knew it was aimed at him and now takes precautions when moving around, such as asking his parents (who live in a middle-class Palma neighbourhood) to meet him off the bus. He has informed the police, but doesn't wish to make a formal complaint because, he says, he distrusts 'institutions'. Many of Jaume's concerns are undeniably justified – to accept that, one only needed to see the scrum of tourists clamouring for entry into Palma's cathedral this week, and the day-long jams on its approach roads. Yet critics claim there is a disquieting political undercurrent to this volatile campaign. While the Southern European Network, the organisation behind the protests, denies any political leanings, its leader Daniel Pardo is staunchly Left-wing, as are many of the group's goals, and some believe the struggle is being driven by Socialist ideologues. This week, when we contacted Pardo at the 'object borrowing library' (a community enterprise where people can borrow anything from tools to furniture to bicycles for a small fee) which he runs in Barcelona, he vehemently denied the protests were Left-wing, saying they were supported by people of all political stripes and from many walks of life. Whatever the truth, as the 'tourism de-growth' movement's appealing new face, Jaume, who has just finished sitting the Spanish equivalent of GCSEs, appears to be in dangerous waters, claiming that those threatening to murder him are far-Right fanatics. By way of proof, he shows me screen grabs from his stalkers' social media profiles: a Nazi salute and the eagle insignia from the flag of General Francisco Franco, the fascist dictator who ruled Spain from the late 1930s to his death in 1975. (It was Franco who sparked Spain's tourism boom in the 1950s, building dozens of new resorts along its virgin coastline and opening the country to foreign visitors, a policy that restored its international reputation and saved it from bankruptcy). Whoever is behind the threats to Jaume, the latest one was more veiled. Hours after he took centre stage last weekend, he received a message saying: 'You are everywhere, and we see you. We won't do anything. But be careful.' He admits to being ruffled, but says such tactics will never make him withdraw from the fight. In fact, his disturbing message to Britons bound for Majorca this summer is that he and his cohorts – who operate in small cells with different duties – are now plotting further 'actions'. He refuses to say what these might entail or where they plan to strike, but insists holidaymakers have nothing to fear because they will be directed towards the Balearic Islands' government, whom they accuse of failing to tackle the spiralling nightmare of excessive tourism. This may be true, but his revelation will inevitably make some consider cancelling their holidays and going elsewhere. For as we saw last weekend, when feelings are running this high, matters can quickly get out of hand. Nonetheless, one doesn't have to agree with the protesters' methods to empathise with them, and revisiting Majorca – a long-time holiday haunt for my family – after a gap of several years, I could well understand their sentiments. Ever the adventurer, my mother began taking me and my sister on Spanish holidays in the early 1960s, a decade before cheap package tours introduced millions of lower and middle-class Britons such as us to the Costas. Among the first places we stayed was Peguera, then a quaint little village in a cove framed by pine-clad mountains, a short drive along the coast from Palma. Our hotel, the Bella Colina, was the first to open there, in 1953. Majorca back then was considered rather exclusive and everything about the holiday was very formal. Our favourite waiter, Bartolome, wore a crisp white livery and addressed the six-year-old me as Senor David. Anyone found misbehaving, or even taking their shirt off, in the surrounding streets risked being arrested by Franco's green-uniformed Civil Guards. Returning this week, it was sweet to find the dear old Bella Colina – now marketed as a 'vintage hotel' and displaying original artefacts such as a black-and-white TV and clunky phone – still thriving. Yet the rest of Peguera was utterly unrecognisable. Colonised largely by Germans, with a few Brits, French and Scandinavians, it now has its own Oktoberfest, and the main strip is full of tourist tat shops, gaudy bars, kebab houses and a sunglasses store called Bling Bling. Sixty years ago, we watched fishermen mending nets on the shore and black-shawled women knitting on their doorsteps. Today every vestige of local tradition seems to have disappeared. In his office near the Bella Colina, property agent Alex Hervas explained what had happened to Peguera. It was a story that could have applied to almost every Majorcan coastal town or village. During the 1970s, the first foreign settlers had snapped up new flats and villas along the seafront, he said, and when there was no room left there, complexes began sprouting up in the foothills of the nearby mountain, Pico Na Bruta. The most recent development there, with 36 luxury flats in six blocks, went on sale recently, with prices starting in the high hundreds of thousands. Belatedly waking up to the need to protect the mountain scenery, planners blocked further expansion. With property in Peguera now at a premium, prices had gone 'crazy', Mr Hervas said. 'We have Germans who come in and say they don't care about the cost. One guy was recently willing to pay €700,000 for a tiny, 50 square metre apartment near the sea. 'So, where's the limit? The limit is only the amount people will offer, and it now comes down to first come, first served. 'But then, many of these properties remain empty for most of the year because the owners live mostly in Germany. I know of a development in (nearby) Cala Fornells where there are only about 10 people living year-round in 100 apartments.' Many flats and houses are let to holidaymakers – often illegally as unlicensed Airbnbs, he says, voicing one of the activists' main complaints. True locals haven't a hope of buying a home and find it equally hard to rent, because rates are exorbitant and landlords prefer foreign tenants to Majorcans, who have a reputation for squatting when they default on payments. For many young people, the only option is to move away to the mainland or emigrate, he says, adding 'we are among the few Peguera survivors.' Does he, then, support the protest movement? 'No, this is nobody's fault but our own: we've put a price on our island that only foreign buyers can afford', he says, implying Majorcans must bear the consequences uncomplainingly. For all the fury we saw in last Sunday's demo, most other people I spoke to – taxi drivers, shopkeepers, even restaurant and hotel staff who typically earn just €18,000 a year – agreed with him. Much as they struggle to pay their bills, much as they would love to empty the buses, roads and beaches, and much as they resent their Fat Cat bosses' exorbitant wealth, they weren't ready to bite the hand that feeds them. Like it or not, I was told, tourism is Majorca's lifeblood and, after the barren years of the Covid pandemic, islanders are alive to the disaster that would befall them should the revolutionaries drive holidaymakers away: into the welcoming resorts of North Africa or Turkey, perhaps. Eduardo Gamero, president of the Majorcan tourism board, is determined that won't happen. While he recognises that the protesters have justifiable grievances, and that tourism must have 'limits', he advocates more measured steps to control it, such as capping the number of tourism beds, and allowing only three cruise liners to dock in Palma each day (on Thursday, the harbour was cluttered with these floating cities). Each year, 2.3 million Britons descend on Majorca. Yet they would be wise to prepare for the uncomfortable surprises Jaume Pujol and his fellow holiday-poopers have in store for them as they bronze themselves.

Times

an hour ago

• Times

What war in the Middle East means for your money

The conflict between Israel and Iran is the latest geopolitical shock set to hamper the outlook for the UK economy — and, ultimately, your bank balance. Since the attacks began on June 12, the price of oil has risen to a six-month high. Hopes for interest rate cuts have been dashed, fears of rising inflation have been amplified, and any respite from stock market turmoil appears to have been short-lived. • Read more money advice and tips on investing from our experts This week the prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said: 'I'm always concerned about the effect of international issues on people back at home. You saw with Ukraine the direct impact it had on energy bills. Equally, with this conflict, you can see the effect it's having on the economy, particularly on the price of energy.' From petrol prices to pension pots, here's what you need to know: Iran is the third-largest oil producer among the 12 members of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec), and there are worries about how a wider regional war could affect the transport of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for about 25 per cent of seaborne crude oil transportation, according to the consultancy Capital Economics. The price of a barrel of Brent crude hit a six-month high of about $78 after Israeli attacks on Iran began, up from about $65 at the start of this month. That is bound to have a knock-on effect on motorists, said David Oxley from Capital Economics: 'A rough rule of thumb is that a $10 rise in the oil price will add about 7p to the price at the pump.' It normally takes about two weeks for oil prices to feed into pump prices, Oxley said. Motorists have, however, had some recent respite from the cost of living crisis as petrol and diesel prices hit their lowest in almost four years. Petrol cost an average of 132p a litre last month, the lowest since July 2021, while diesel was at 138p, the lowest since September 2021, according to the motoring organisation the RAC. While prices are likely to rise, they are not expected to reach the high of March 2022, when Russia's invasion of Ukraine caused the oil price to reach $127 per barrel. The price in sterling peaked in July of that year at more than £100 with pump prices hitting 192p per litre for petrol and 199p per litre for diesel. More than a million homeowners whose fixed deals come to an end this year may have their hopes of further interest rate cuts dashed. The lowest two-year fix was 3.72 per cent last month, but rates are starting to tick up again, according to the property portal Rightmove. The lowest two-year deal is now 3.82 per cent from Lloyds Bank for those with a Club Lloyds account. The lowest five-year fixed rate has gone from 3.78 per cent to 3.88 per cent, also from Lloyds. Lenders had been cutting mortgage rates to compete for business, but changed tack after inflation went from 2.6 per cent for the year to March to 3.5 per cent in April. This makes cuts to the Bank of England base rate less likely — the Bank generally keeps the rate high when inflation is above its target of 2 per cent. The Consumer Prices Index inflation figure for the year to May, released this week, was 3.4 per cent. Uncertainty around President Trump's trade tariffs and conflict in the Middle East has also dampened hopes of further base rate cuts. The Bank held rates at 4.25 per cent this week, which, although a lot higher than the sub 2 per cent rates many mortgage holders will have fixed at three or five years ago, is down from the peak of 5.25 per cent in August last year. Fixed mortgage rates are based on swap rates (the rates at which banks lend to each other, which are in turn based on forecasts of where Bank rate is expected to be in the future), which have edged up over the past week or so, suggesting that mortgage rates could follow. Homeowners who want certainty can lock in a new deal up to six months before theirs ends yet still swap if a cheaper deal comes along. Rising oil prices could also cause other expenses to creep up, particularly if the Iran conflict continues or escalates. Lotanna Emediegwu, an economics lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University, said that prolonged conflict could drive up energy bills. The price cap that limits how much suppliers can charge customers on standard variable tariffs will work out at an average bill of £1,720 a year for gas and electricity from July 1 (down 7 per cent from today's cap). At the moment analysts expect the cap to go up 2 to 3 per cent in October, but this could change dramatically. He said: 'Until recently, fuel prices had been rising less than other things, so actually mitigating some inflationary pressures. The recent conflict is expected to reverse this trend. 'The financial repercussions extend beyond immediate energy costs into transportation and logistics. Transport expenses are particularly vulnerable to fluctuations in fuel prices. This affects everything from airline fares to shipping costs for products, ultimately hitting consumer prices.' Before June 12, when Israel launched strikes on Iran, inflation had been expected to rise to 3.5 per cent by the autumn — now it could go further. A sustained $10 per barrel rise in the oil price typically pushes up annual inflation by 0.1 to 0.2 percentage points, according to The Economist, meaning that it could be closer to 3.7 per cent by September. Emediegwu said a prolonged blockade of the Strait of Hormuz shipping route could add a further 0.5 to 1 percentage points, which could take it close to 5 per cent. So far the stock market has been fairly resilient to the conflict in the Middle East. The UK's FTSE 100 is down about 0.77 per cent since the turmoil started, while the US's S&P 500 is down about 1.06 per cent. If a sustained conflict leads to an increase in the price of oil, stock valuations may fall — this is because higher oil prices lead to higher inflation, which means interest rates are likely to stay higher for longer, which makes it more expensive for companies to borrow money to grow and often curbs investors' risk appetite. Losers are likely to include airline and travel stocks, as well as so-called growth stocks, which include technology and healthcare companies. Many investors will have exposure to the US 'Magnificent Seven' tech stocks of Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet, Tesla, Amazon, Meta and Nvidia. These companies are often valued on their future earnings potential, which means their stock price can be volatile if company results or wider economic conditions point towards a slowdown of earnings. The good news is that Iran and Israel are a very limited part of the global stock market, so direct exposure for most UK investors will be immaterial. However, Michael Field from the research firm Morningstar said that the risk is that wider markets get jittery about the potential for the conflict to escalate further. Investors should avoid making any kneejerk changes to their portfolio. Ultimately, while geopolitical tensions may create short-term turmoil, historically markets have been resilient in the long term. Jacob Falkencrone from the investment bank Saxo said: 'As an investor, your greatest tool is a disciplined approach — staying informed, remaining calm and focusing on your long-term investment goals rather than reacting impulsively to temporary shocks.'

The Sun

an hour ago

• The Sun

Incredible way to get designer clothes, perfumes and gadgets for less than a tenner

EVERYWHERE I look there are hundreds of suitcases in different colours, shapes and sizes. But I'm not in an airport arrivals lounge and there is no luggage carousel in sight. 5 5 5 Instead, I'm at a suitcase auction at Greasbys in Tooting, South London, where you can buy unclaimed luggage from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted for a fraction of the price. Luggage usually goes missing when you have a connecting flight with a different airline, as there is a higher chance your belongings could get lost. Six bags went missing for every 1,000 checked in last year, according to aviation data company Sita. If your bag never arrives and you don't tell the airport, it may be passed to an auction house to sell to the highest bidder. Here's how to bag a bargain of your own . . . HOW IT WORKS GREASBYS has been selling lost luggage for more than 50 years. It holds online-only auctions every other Wednesday. Bidders must email their sealed bids before the auction starts. The person who makes the highest offer wins the item. You can go to the actual auction house the day before to check the suitcases and bags — which is what I'm here to do. I'm surprised to discover you can't open the luggage to inspect the actual items. Every bag and suitcase comes with a label describing the contents. You are unlikely to find high-value items inside luggage. I spent £136 to see if the lost luggage trend was worth it - I thought I'd nab designer goodies but it was a total flop Designer clothes, gadgets, bags and shoes are taken out and sold individually. High-street clothes in good condition are also removed, bagged and sold as one lot. There are typically 20 items to a bag, which usually go for at least £10. Most cases sell for between £18 to £60. The airports are sent the profits from sales, after the auction house takes a cut. If you're worried about ending up with someone's dirty smalls, don't be alarmed. Christine Sachett, owner of Greasbys, says: 'The staff go through every suitcase. They also remove more personal items.' ANY BARGAINS? I FIND two children's Tommy Hilfiger coats, one in hot pink and another in navy blue. They retail at £75 each but sell for £10.80. And my eyes widen as I spy a pair of cream Prada Pegasus trainers worth £600 and sold for £40. A pink and ivory scarf from Mulberry is just my style — it sells for £31.50. There are 15 people browsing in Greasbys and many are regulars. 'Some people work and need to supplement their income, some people actually do it for a living,' Christine said. One regular buys suitcases and sells them on his market stall in Portobello Road. SECRET BIDDING TIPS MAKE sure the wheels and zips are intact when buying a suitcase. 'Check the name of the suitcase and research how much it would normally cost you,' Christine said. 'Some of the big holdalls on wheels are nearly £100 to buy, depending on the bag.' Buying suitcases can often be a mixed bag. 'Unless the owner was unlucky and lost their bag on their way out, or they get everything laundered while they are on holiday, you could be buying someone's dirty holiday clothes,' she said. Do not focus on the weight. 'If it is heavy it could mean it is full of cheap clothing,' she said. 'Lighter ones may have really nice clothing inside.' WATCH OUT FOR FEES FEES are added on top of the hammer price. A buyer's premium will be charged, which is 26 per cent of the cost. VAT, 20 per cent, is also added to the premium only. So a £50 item is £65.60. ARE THERE OTHERS? INDEPENDENT auction house Mulberry Bank in Glasgow holds two lost luggage sales a month. Bristol Commercial Valuers and Auctioneers also holds online lost luggage auctions. BEFORE YOU BID GREASBYS does not offer any guarantees or warranties. If there is something wrong with your item, Greasbys won't give you a refund, a replacement, or fix it for you. That means it's a risk buying items locked inside the luggage, as you can't see if they are in good nick. When buying at an auction, Gurpreet Chhokar from consumer site Which? warns you may not benefit from the same protections as with a retailer. She said: 'You might not be able to change your mind and get a refund. 'Check any terms and conditions relating to auction sales carefully.' You may also lose a powerful consumer protection, Section 75, when making payments to the auction house using a credit card, she added. Usually, it allows you to claim money back from your credit card provider if something goes wrong. I PAID £130, THIS IS WHAT WAS INSIDE... SENIOR Fabulous Digital Writer Abigail Wilson bought an unclaimed suitcase from Undelivrd, and here's what she found . . . I WAS intrigued to see if I'd bag exciting treasures. I ordered my case for £129.99 from Undelivrd, a warehouse that sells lost Royal Mail parcels, Amazon return pallets and forgotten baggage. The size and brand of case you get will be random. The contents are also a surprise. When the case arrived, it was wrapped in a bin bag. The case was an American Tourister, which is worth £129, but pretty battered. A mouldy smell hit me before I even unzipped it. Rather than pricey clothes or electricals, the contents left me gutted – smelly socks, worn boxers and dirty hoodies. I was excited when I spotted a White Company toiletry bag. But then I realised it's a freebie you get on long-haul BA flights. A pair of leather shoes from Asda, £25 if bought new, was the only decent thing I found. I totted up the cost of the contents and was surprised to see that, when bought new, the items would come to £223.98. If you include the cost of the case, it added up to just over £350. But it was nothing near what I had hoped for, so it really is a lucky dip when ordering lost luggage online. I GOT FREEBIES WORTH £62 IN 24 HOURS WHO doesn't love a freebie? There is no better feeling than getting your hands on a coffee, meal or drink without spending a penny. That's why I spent a day hoovering up bargains along my local high street, including coffee, spring rolls, and even a cocktail – and managed to get nearly £62 worth of goodies. Shops often offer customers freebies to promote new products, reward them for their loyalty or to attract new shoppers. Food and drink prices have soared in the past few years, making it more expensive to grab a treat. So I was eager to see how many freebies I could get my hands on in 24 hours. At 8.30am I popped into my local Greggs to grab my first freebie of the day – a black coffee, worth £1.90. I had downloaded the Greggs app the night before and all I needed to do was open the app and activate the reward. What a result! At 1pm the hunt began for a bargain lunch. I headed to Chopstix Noodle Bar, as I heard that you can get five free spring rolls worth £2.50 if you download the shop's app. I signed up, and in minutes, a coupon for the snack appeared in my account. They were just how I like them – crunchy on the outside and still warm from the oven. At 1.40pm I ventured over to visit a Mac Cosmetics near the office and asked for some testers. I got two 10ml samples of Hyper Real Serumizer, a bestseller, which costs £80 for a 50ml bottle. My samples are worth £12.80. At 6pm I met my friends at the pub. I used an app called Dusk, which helps you find free drinks at bars. The Pembroke in Earl's Court was giving away one free Hugo Spritz worth £10 to every customer, so I went and claimed mine. Cheers! lI also got: Blueberry muffin £3.75; taco £3.49; cappuccino £4.10; cosmetic samples £15.91; Nicotine pouches, £6.50; cat food 19p DROOPER MARKETS SUPERMARKETS suffered a 'dismal' month of May as shoppers cut back on booze and tobacco spending, figures reveal. The total volume of retail sales fell by 2.7 per cent — dropping at the fastest rate in more than a year — the Office for National Statistics says. 5 This compared with a 1.3 per cent rise in April. May's overall retail sales came in considerably below the 0.7 per cent decline that most economists had been expecting for the month. ONS senior statistician Hannah Finselbach said: 'Retail sales fell sharply in May with their largest monthly fall since the end of 2023. This was mainly due to a dismal month for food retailers, especially supermarkets, following strong sales in April. 'Feedback suggested reduced purchases for alcohol and tobacco, with customers choosing to make cutbacks.' She added that clothing and homeware stores were reporting reduced footfall in May. A drop in demand for DIY items last month followed the sunny weather in April that had boosted home improvement projects. Despite May's decline, retail sales volumes rose by 0.8 per cent across the three months to May, compared with the three months to February. Nicholas Found, head of commercial content at research consultancy Retail Economics, said: 'The cost of living remains the dominant concern for households.' PETROL PRICES RISING PETROL prices are on the rise again after fuel costs fell to their lowest levels since July 2021. The AA said average prices of unleaded hit 132.8p on Thursday, after they bottomed out at 132.3p last month. Diesel was 138.9p a litre on Thursday, after a low of 138.1p. Tensions in the Middle East have pushed up global oil prices. The AA's Luke Bosdet said: 'Oil prices look daunting but the impact's been limited.' SUPPLY PAIN THE supermarket watchdog has launched a new probe into Amazon. The Grocery Code Adjudicator will look at whether it breached rules on treatment of suppliers. It will focus on its delays to paying them, deductions to commercial negotiations, and how it manages supplier concerns. Leading ombudsman Mark White said: 'The alleged delays could expose Amazon suppliers to excessive risk and unexpected costs, potentially affecting their ability to invest and innovate.' TAX TWEAK MAJOR changes to council tax are coming with a Government shake-up. Millions of households could make the payments over 12 months instead of ten under plans to help households manage their finances better. A consultation launched yesterday also laid out plans to make town halls wait longer before demanding a bill is paid in full and cap liability orders. If just one payment is missed, a council currently can demand bills are paid for an entire year.