Latest news with #Pendle
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Pendle caterers encouraged to join rewards scheme for healthy eating
Catering businesses in Pendle are being encouraged to sign up to a scheme that rewards caterers for offering healthy eating options. The Recipe 4 Health programme, led by Lancashire County Council, supports takeaways, cafés, and mobile caterers. To join the scheme, businesses must have a Food Hygiene Rating of three stars or above. Jamal Dermott, from Lancashire County Council, said: "The Recipe 4 Health scheme rewards food businesses which offer a range of healthier snacks and meals, including salads, food with lower salt and sugar, grilled dishes, smaller portions, and water as an option if people want to avoid sugary fizzy drinks. "We are urging as many Pendle catering businesses as possible to sign up to the scheme, which has many free benefits. "These include free promotion of your business; free support in making positive changes to your menus, policies, and practices; and the opportunity to earn £1,000 per week contracts during the school holidays." Pendle businesses which are Recipe 4 Health accredited can be considered as food providers for the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which provides activities and nutritious meals during school holidays. For more information and to sign up to the scheme, visit
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Labour MP accuses families impacted by Labour's tax raid on private schools of 'crying to the courts' after they lost High Court bid to stop VAT on school fees
A Labour MP has accused families impacted by the private school tax raid of 'crying to the courts' after they lost a bid to stop the VAT on fees. Families were dealt a devastating blow after they lost a High Court challenge to the taxes on fees. The judicial review claim, heard earlier this year, aimed to have the 20 per cent tax declared 'incompatible' with human rights law. However, in a decision handed down on Friday, judges rejected all claims, despite agreeing with some of the arguments. Jonathan Hinder, the MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, criticised the families, saying taking the case to High Court was 'crazy'. He said in a post on X: 'A tax commitment included in an election-winning manifesto, duly delivered. That's democracy. Campaign to reverse it if you like. Fine. 'But this habit of going crying to the courts all the time is silly. Obviously the right decision, but crazy that it got to the High Court.' The controversial tax, pledged in Labour's manifesto, came into force in January this year. The MP has accused families impacted by the private school tax raid of 'crying to the courts' after they lost a bid to stop the VAT on fees Three groups of families – most of whom are anonymous – joined private schools in bringing a legal challenge against the policy. Their lawyers argued the tax is a breach of children's right to an education under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The various families also said it was 'discriminatory' – either because their child has special educational needs (SEN), has a preference for a religious education, or because they need an all-girls environment. But Dame Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Newey and Mr Justice Chamberlain concluded the VAT policy was 'proportionate' in its aim to raise extra revenue for state schools. They added Parliament ultimately had the right make the decision. A spokesman for the lobby group Education not Taxation told The Telegraph: 'The court's ruling that the taxation of independent schooling is discriminatory and will have a disproportionate, prejudicial effect on children with SEN clearly demonstrates that any 'crying to the courts' was entirely justified. 'While it is disappointing that the court ruled the action is not illegal, it nevertheless makes a powerful statement: the policy is discriminatory.' Julie Robinson, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said that schools were 'right' to have escalated the challenge to the High Court. She said: 'Thousands of families have already been negatively affected by the policy, with more than 11,000 children leaving independent education since last year – far more than had been anticipated by the government.' At the opening of the court case in April, families of children with SEN from all over the country protested outside. They said they have been forced to choose the private sector due to the state provision for SEN being so poor – but cannot afford the extra cost of the VAT. Alicia Kearns, the shadow minister for home affairs, described Hinder's tweets as 'class warfare'. She said: 'Parents in my communities have been put through enormous stress and their children's education disrupted. 'They do not deserve the ridicule of Labour MPs indulging in class warfare and crowing about manifesto promises whilst glaringly silent on the extra money promised for state schools. 'I wouldn't be quite so glib if my ideological experiment had left our state schools worse off.' The ruling comes after a £43,000-a-year boarding school has been forced to make the 'heart-wrenching' decision to close after 125 years following Labour's tax raid on private education. Queen Margaret's School For Girls in York said they are 'unable to withstand mounting financial pressure'. The school also blamed 'increased national insurance and pension contributions, the removal of charitable-status business rates relief, and rising costs for the upkeep and operation of our estate'. The 125-year-old institution said that 'tireless efforts' in the past 18 months to 'respond to these challenges' included a possible merger or sale and the search for 'fresh investment'. However, the school said 'none of these routes resulted in a successful outcome' and coupled with declining entries, it has 'been left with no alternative' but to close. After 'strong student enquiry levels' in Autumn, the school said 'these declined sharply in early 2025 following the implementation of VAT' and is 'below the viable level required' to keep the school open.
Telegraph
6 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Labour MP accuses families hit by private school tax raid of ‘crying to the courts'
A Labour MP has accused families hit by the private school tax raid of 'crying to the courts'. Jonathan Hinder, the MP for Pendle and Clitheroe, criticised families who were hit by Labour's 20 per cent VAT levy on private school fees after they lost their challenge at the High Court on Friday. He said taking the case to the High Court was 'crazy', before adding in the post to X: 'A tax commitment included in an election-winning manifesto, duly delivered. That's democracy. Campaign to reverse it if you like. Fine. 'But this habit of going crying to the courts all the time is silly. Obviously the right decision, but crazy that it got to the High Court.' Three separate challenges were heard together in a judicial review between April 1 and 3, using more than a dozen families as case studies. In a single written judgment issued on Friday, the three judges presiding over the case said they 'dismiss the claims'. Dame Victoria Sharp, Lord Justice Newey and Mr Justice Chamberlain said the VAT policy was 'proportionate' in its aim to raise extra revenue for state schools. A spokesman for the lobby group Education not Taxation told The Telegraph that 'crying to the courts' was 'entirely justified'. He said: 'The court's ruling that the taxation of independent schooling is discriminatory and will have a disproportionate, prejudicial effect on children with special educational needs (SEN) clearly demonstrates that any 'crying to the courts' was entirely justified. 'Without the action taken by the claimants, the government's prejudicial behaviour would have gone unchecked, obscured by the false narratives and political spin used to justify this attack on educational choice. 'While it is disappointing that the court ruled the action is not illegal, it nevertheless makes a powerful statement: the policy is discriminatory.' Julie Robinson, the chief executive of the Independent Schools Council (ISC), said that schools were 'right' to have escalated the challenge to the High Court. The ISC was part of the legal challenge and represents more than 1,400 private schools. 'This is an unprecedented tax on education and it is right that its compatibility with human rights law was tested,' she said. 'Thousands of families have already been negatively affected by the policy, with more than 11,000 children leaving independent education since last year – far more than had been anticipated by the government. 'As the court noted, there was interference with human rights and this policy is likely to have an outsized impact on families of faith and children with SEND but without an EHCP.' In the wake of the VAT hike, private schools across the country have been forced to close. Queen Margaret's School for Girls in York said it had been forced to make the 'deeply distressing' decision to close following Labour's VAT raid. The £43,000-a-year boarding school said it was 'unable to withstand mounting financial pressures' after the introduction of the tax in January led to student enquiries 'declining sharply'. According to the school's website, the enrolment numbers for the coming academic year were below the level needed to keep the school open. The 'heart-wrenching' decision was taken after failing to secure fresh investment. The school also blamed 'increased national insurance and pension contributions, the removal of charitable-status business rates relief, and rising costs for the upkeep and operation of our estate'. Queen Margaret's alumni include the socialite Manners sisters – Lady Violet, Lady Alice, and Lady Eliza – daughters of the 11th Duke and Duchess of Rutland. The independent boarding and day school for girls aged 11 to 18 was due to celebrate its 125th anniversary next year. It will close at the end of their summer term on July 5. Alicia Kearns, the shadow minister for home affairs, described the tweets as 'class warfare'. She said: 'Parents in my communities have been put through enormous stress and their children's education disrupted. 'They do not deserve the ridicule of Labour MPs indulging in class warfare and crowing about manifesto promises whilst glaringly silent on the extra money promised for state schools. 'No sign of keeping that promise, quite the opposite as state schools struggle and Labour Ministers this week admit their funding is insufficient to cover staff pay rises next year, and the NEU calling it a 'crisis in funding'. 'I wouldn't be quite so glib if my ideological experiment had left our state schools worse off.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Leverage Reconfigures in Q1: DeFi Recovers, CeFi Quietly Expands, Treasury Debt Mounts
Leverage across the crypto economy is evolving, not evaporating. Total crypto-collateralized lending fell 4.9% quarter-over-quarter to $39.07 billion, the first decline since late 2023, Galaxy Research's Q1 2025 report shows. But while the headline figure contracted, underlying dynamics suggest leverage is shifting form, not fading. Lending in decentralized finance (DeFi) lending took a hit early in the quarter, sliding as much as 21%, before rebounding sharply in April and May. The turnaround was driven largely by Aave's integration of Pendle tokens, whose yield-bearing structure and high loan-to-value ratios (up to 90%) sparked a wave of fresh borrowing. By late May, DeFi borrowing had surged more than 30% off the lows, with Ethereum leading the recovery. Centralized finance (CeFi) lending climbed 9.24% to $13.51 billion, led by Tether, Ledn, and Two Prime. Still, Galaxy notes that a narrow set of public disclosures limits visibility into the true scope of centralized lending. Private desks, OTC platforms, and offshore credit providers likely push the actual total far higher. perhaps by 50% or more. Meanwhile, bitcoin BTC treasury companies are quietly becoming a new systemic leverage node. Firms like Strategy (MSTR) have issued billions in convertible debt to fund BTC purchases. As of May, total outstanding debt across treasury firms stood at $12.7 billion, much of it set to mature between 2027 and 2028. In derivatives, CME's rising open interest especially in ether ETH futures signals accelerating institutional participation. At the same time, upstart exchange Hyperliquid has carved out a growing share of the perpetual futures market, underscoring the continued strength of retail-driven leverage. The report points to an increasingly interconnected market structure, one where stress in a single venue or instrument could reverberate quickly across the ecosystem. Leverage, in crypto's current cycle, may be more fragmented than before — but it's no less potent. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
More than a dozen swimming baths extension bids received by council
More than a dozen tenders to build an extension to the Wavelengths swimming pool and leisure centre in Nelson have been received by Pendle Council. The project will be funded by the £25 million Nelson Town Deal, and 14 tenders of between £473,000 and £934,000 have been received and accepted by the council, according to a new report. Now, a decision needs to be made on which business – or businesses – will win the contract. Leading councillors on Pendle's executive looked at bids this week, and a decision on a contractor is due soon. Wavelengths is one of a number of council-owned leisure centres operated by the arms-length body Pendle Leisure Trust on behalf of the borough council. The future of leisure centres has been a topic of debate over recent years, with rising energy costs, building maintenance, and squeezed council budgets all having an impact. At one point, a consultant's review suggested closing one of the three main leisure centres, but that was later rejected after the Liberal Democrats and Independents took shared political control of the borough. Last summer, Pendle Council's executive backed a plan to invest in Wavelengths and was told extended facilities, including gym and fitness features, could boost the overall number of visits by more than 100,000. Increased customer use and payment would be needed to reach financial savings, which cannot be achieved through energy efficiencies alone, councillors were told. Furthermore, an expanded Wavelengths could assist the wider regeneration of Nelson town centre, which includes knocking down and redeveloping Pendle Rise shopping centre. Wavelengths could provide vital extra revenue to counterbalance the council's financial pressures elsewhere, councillors said. Last summer, Lib Dem Councillor David Whipp had said he wanted the Wavelengths spending decision delayed until September, when a review of all three leisure centres at Nelson, Colne, and Barnoldswick was due. But, most other councillors disagreed and said time was marching on with the Nelson Town Deal. Cllr Whipp also warned of a potential falling out between communities if one town was seen as getting more investment than another. However, other councillors said Colne was getting significant investment too with Levelling-Up funding for the Muni Theatre, other theatre spaces and Colne Market Hall. Pendle Council was also granted a £1.7 million public building de-carbonisation grant for West Craven Sports Centre in Barnoldswick and Wavelengths in Nelson, separately from the Town Deal. Existing gas-fired boilers, which supply heating and hot water,r will be replaced with air source heat pumps and windows will be upgraded. The council said it has provided an additional £900,000, bringing the total investment in the two leisure centres to £2.6 million.
