Latest news with #localcouncil
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Proposal for 1,450-home development near Market Harborough
A document outlining details of a possible 1,450-home development in Market Harborough has been submitted to the district Land and William Davis Homes have asked the authority for its opinion on proposals to build on two parcels of land - one to the east of Harborough Road and the other to the south of Gallow Field sites are a combined 352 acres (142 hectares) in size and both are currently used for agricultural purposes, according to the document.A new school and other community provisions are also mentioned, but these details will not be confirmed until a later stage in the planning process. According to the document, the applicants control all of the relevant land, which is included within the council's Local Plan for future developments in the the Harborough Road site, there would be approximately 850 new homes, an all-through school or potentially primary and secondary schools and a "mixed-use local centre".The documents add that approximately 600 new homes would sit on the Gallow Field Road site, as well as public open space.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Six ways to get the most out of your Universal Credit claim – including £1,900 in boosted cash
HOUSEHOLDS on Universal Credit could be missing out on extra free cash to cover the cost of living. Those on the benefit qualify for extra support that can be worth hundreds of extra pounds. 1 From help via the Household Support Fund (HSF) to a one-off payment for new parents, here's all the help you can get. Household Support Fund - £1,000 The Household Support Fund is a giant pot of cash worth £742million that's been shared between councils in England. Local authorities then have to decide how to distribute their share of the fund, whether that be through direct payments, vouchers or more. Eligibility criteria varies from area to area too, however in lots of cases you'll receive help if you're on benefits like Universal Credit. For example, residents in Portsmouth on Universal Credit struggling to afford essentials can apply for payments worth up to £1,000. Households in Calderdale can also get two awards worth £85 each between now and March 31, 2026. Find out what help is on offer in your area by speaking to your local council. You can find your local council via Discounted transport and help with job applications - £150 Those on Universal Credit can get a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount card, cutting public transport costs by 50%. The card is free but you'll need to have been claiming Universal Credit for up to 12 months to apply. Three key benefits that YOU could be missing out on, and one even gives you a free TV Licence You can apply for one of the cards at your local JobCentre which you can find via There's also the Flexible Support Fund, which can cover costs like: Travel to interviews Job training (up to £150) Uniforms, work tools, and childcare One-off maternity payment - £500 New mums on Universal Credit can bag themselves £500 in free cash through the Sure Start Maternity Grant. The money is designed to help you cover the costs of having a child and paid to those in England and Wales. You usually qualify if you're pregnant with your first child or are expecting a multiple birth (such as twins) and have children already. Find out more about the grant here - Council tax support - £190 You might be able to get a council tax reduction if you're on benefits including Universal Credit. In some cases, your monthly bill might be slashed by 100%. Each council runs its own scheme so there's no set rule across England. You can find out more via and enter your postcode to find your local council. The average Band D council tax set by local authorities in England for 2025/26 is £2,280 a year. Divided by 12 months of the year, that means you could save £190 a month based on a 100% discount. Help to Start - £25 Help to Save is a special savings account for those on Universal Credit who earned £1 or more in their last assessment period. The Government gives you a tax-free 50% bonus on whatever you save. You can save between £1 and £50 into a Help to Save account each month and keep one open for up to four years. Bonuses are paid at the end of the second and fourth year and are worth up to £1,200 in total. Per month that's £25. Healthy Start - £36 The Healthy Start scheme provides prepaid cards to buy essentials like milk, fruit, and vegetables. It's for families expecting a baby or that already have children under four and on certain benefits like Universal Credit. You could get up to £442 a year, depending on your circumstances, equating to around £36 a month. Are you missing out on benefits? YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to Charity Turn2Us' benefits calculator works out what you could get. Entitledto's free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit. and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data. You can use Policy in Practice's calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs. Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for. .
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Two camper vans and a VW Beetle are submerged by the waves on Welsh beach within days of each other after owners 'ignored warnings of fast tide'
Two camper vans and a VW Beetle were sumberged by vicious waves on a Welsh beach after their owners 'ignored warnings of a fast tide'. The vehicles suffered the same fate within days of each other at scenic Black Rock Sands near Porthmadog - sending tens of thousands of pounds down the drain. A VW camper van was swamped on June 8 after being parked on the sand while another campervan also succumbed to the water on Friday 13. One day later, a white convertible beetle was also soaked - though it reappeared the next morning. Black Rock Sands is one of the few beaches in north Wales where cars are allowed to drive but its gentle shelf means the tide comes in fast. Waterlogged sand quickly traps vehicles leaving little chance of escape, without help. Local Kevin Gibson said he had seen many drivers often get caught out. He explained: 'The local council charges people £8.00 to park cars. 'It's one of the very few beaches which you can drive on. 'It's very popular. 'People don't take notice. 'When they drive on the beach they are warned not to drive past warning signs of soft sand and fast tide. 'Unfortunately we are seeing cars get caught out all too often as the warnings are ignored. 'I do feel sorry for the people, it is shame for them.' Kevin Wardlaw, who spotted the campervan, said: 'I can see how easy it could be for people to get caught out, but there are signs there.'
ABC News
5 days ago
- Health
- ABC News
Ninth bottle shop proposed for Swan Hill as councils lose veto power
Victorian councils want to retain their power of veto over new liquor outlets in country towns, amid fierce debate about the links between family violence and access to alcohol. In Swan Hill, a northern Victorian town ranked fifth in the state for family violence, mother and foster carer Bec Wolfe-Charles is among those objecting to a proposed new bottle shop. She wants more play spaces in her neighbourhood where she can spend time with her daughter, Eloise, rather than another liquor store in a town that already has eight. But she worries the decision to approve the bottle shop is being taken out of local hands. From July 1, Liquor Control Victoria will take responsibility for liquor licence decisions, stripping local councils of the right to refuse planning permits. Swan Hill's local government area has a population of 21,000. The I Can Smell A Dead Duck company has applied for planning permission to open a ninth liquor outlet in the town, a bottle shop in a former furniture store. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Community Safety said there was no cap on the number of liquor licences allowed in one town and that Swan Hill residents will still have the opportunity to object to the application when Liquor Control Victoria puts it on public notice. Swan Hill Rural City Council Mayor Stuart King said councils should have more, rather than less, control over new liquor store applications and is concerned that city-based bureaucrats will not properly understand what the town needs. The owners of I Can Smell A Dead Duck have been contacted for comment. Women's Health Loddon Mallee chief executive officer Kellie Dunn said communities like Swan Hill were right to push back. "If they are voicing that it is not right for them and that they feel that there is a saturation [of alcohol outlets], the government really needs to listen to them as part of the planning process," Ms Dunn said. An independent review into a Dan Murphy's store in Darwin in 2021 heard that the chain liquor store's operator, Endeavour Group, disputed the link between new bottle shops and more violence. But public health researchers say the link is clear. Data from the addiction treatment centre Turning Point showed that since 2018, paramedics had been called to about two alcohol-related incidents per week in Swan Hill, and alcohol was the most common drug found in intimate partner violence. "The more alcohol that is around a community, or the higher the availability, the more domestic violence and other harms occur in that community," strategic lead Rowan Ogeil said. Dr Ogeil said victim-survivors from socio-economic disadvantaged areas like Swan Hill were three-and-a-half times more likely to have an ambulance respond to interpersonal violence involving alcohol or drugs. In 2015, the Royal Commission into Family Violence recommended that liquor licensing rules consider the role of alcohol in family violence. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Community Justice and Safety said Liquor Control Victoria already considered social harms. If you need help immediately call emergency services on triple-0 A fortnight out from the change, the head of the Municipal Association of Victoria said there was no clarity on how "this major impact" would affect local government. "We will no longer be the people that determine whether the planning application is appropriate or not," MAV president Jennifer Anderson said. "A lot of councils may not be aware of the legislation. "But certainly, for those that are aware, like Swan Hill for example, it is a great concern because certain areas are known to have problems with alcohol, and so there may be areas where they have the knowledge to know this [application] is not appropriate." Cr Anderson said the MAV and its member councils had little knowledge of the new process under Liquor Control Victoria and the Department of Planning, other than that local councils could make a submission to Liquor Control Victoria if they wanted to. The Department of Planning has not provided a formal response to the ABC's queries. Additionally, liquor store applications that have a floor space of at least 750 square metres trigger a community impact assessment, the spokesperson said. The assessment measures the application against the area's social harms, such as the family violence rate, or the proximity to schools. At 628sqm, the proposed Swan Hill bottle shop does not need a formal harm assessment to be done. The harm assessment process was tested last year when the Victorian Liquor Commission backed Hepburn Shire Council's decision to deny an application by Endeavour Group to place a Dan Murphy's bottle shop near a school. Endeavour Group is contesting the decision at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Swan Hill independent bottle shop owner John Charleson said the assessment criteria did not work if a town comprises one main street because a 500-metre radius was applied. "So, the square metreage of a circle basically, a 500-metre radius in our town, really should be put into context and be taken in a long rectangular view."
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Inside Britain's most BITTER school-run row: How grandfather has been fighting 'selfish' parents and 'useless' council for 11 years... but finally the battle might be over
A grandfather locked in a never-ending parking war against school-run parents has lost a battle to turn his him into a 'migrant hotel'. Furious John Walsh claims to have spent £7k on an 11-year solo crusade against 'selfish' mums and dads using his street as a rat run. He has sent more than 200 letters to his 'useless' local council in Chatham, Kent begging them to install speed bumps, bollards, gates and signage to crack down on nuisance motorists who he says have ruined his life. But after a hard-fought campaign resulted in silence from council chiefs, Mr Walsh launched a bizarre quest to turn his home into a HMO in an effort to get revenge on the council and his neighbours. The pensioner believed potential anti-social behaviour and anxiety caused by future tenants at his tidy suburban home would give his 'wokerati' enemies the ultimate payback for their lack of support and ridicule. He told MailOnline: 'After ten years I'm f****** fed up with it. I've been mocked and ridiculed enough, I don't really care anymore. The parents don't give a s***, they're selfish b*******. 'I'm not a NIMBY, I'm a working class person who has worked hard all their life who thinks he deserves a bit of peace. Why should I put up with the world's traffic? 'I want the council to think: 'F*** it, let's put in a couple of humps to shut him up'. 'I'll be moving to Russia at this point, I've got a Russian wife. It's like England was 50 years ago, I'm not even kidding.' John's ordeal began in 2014 when he contacted Medway Council's highways department about the behaviour of motorists and condition of Lambourn Way, the road he has lived on for decades in the Lordswood area. He alleges that parents of children at St Benedicts Roman Catholic Primary School - which has around 210 pupils - were a 'constant nonsense', blocking drives, obscuring vision for motorists and parking on the pavement at drop-off and pick-up, causing major issues for residents. 'I had a stroke three years ago, my wife drove me to hospital and we were stuck on our drive for ten minutes because a car was parked across it', the 72-year-old claims. Other issues include what he claims was a substandard road surface full of potholes and the street being used as a rat-run with cars racing down at around '40mph' which he says creates 'deafening' noise and adds to the traffic. Sick to the back teeth and wanting to simply 'live in peace', John brought it upon himself to lobby the council. He requested changes be made to the area, including the installation of parking measures, such as road gates and bollards to prevent noise, disruption and access issues. But the grandfather-of-15, whose detached five bed home was recently valued at £478k, said he was met with a wall of silence. He remained resolute as he found himself confronting parents on the school run, filming their poor parking and even being told to 'f*** off' by people allegedly dancing on his drive. The issues culminated in 2022 when, along with 84 other signatures from neighbours, he submitted a petition urging officials to resurface the road, which stretches around 250 metres. He wound up at the council's regeneration, culture, and environment overview and scrutiny committee at the end of February last year but was quickly dismissed. The council argued their traffic survey, carried out over 220 hours during school holidays at a cost £10,000, proved no work was needed. They also dismissed John's concerns that Chatham residents would use Lambourn Way and adjoining Knole Road as a rat run to dodge traffic on North Dane Lane and Albemarle Road, which are both arterial routes. John branded the exercise as pointless and evidence Medway Council 'don't have the money or can't be bothered' to deal with the concerns of residents. He believes they are more interested in spending 'hundreds of thousands on DEI projects'. 'When a whole road of people, with very few exceptions, sign a petition that they want something done and all the council does is ignore it, you haven't got a democracy anymore have you?', John, a father of five, who restores old 1970s Honda CB motorcycles, said. 'We were strung along for months and months and months, it's just councillors doing what they want.' Last year, as tensions between John and Medway Council hit breaking point, he announced plans to turn his house into a House of Multiple Occupancy and start a 'migrant hotel'. He said the move was a 'leverage' threat to get the council to pay attention to him and his concerns, and perhaps play them at their own game. Some of his neighbours, however, take a different view on how the saga has unfolded. 'I read what he was writing and thought it was all really over the top - that's just my opinion', says Richard Thurston, 77, who has lived on the road for over 40 years. He added: 'The school was here before him. The parents start arriving at 3.20pm, 15 minutes and they're gone. I've been blocked in once or twice in 40 years.' Another neighbour branded John a 'well known whiner' and 'NIMBY', an acronym for the phrase 'not in my back yard', considered a derogatory term to ridicule local level anti-development campaigners. While one resident laughed at John's 'idle threat' of turning his home into a migrant hotel and said his behaviour was 'just attention seeking'. While acknowledging the school run parking is 'atrocious', they added: 'You move here, you know there's a school on the road. You check out where you live. If you don't like it, just move!' Another local added: 'From my perspective, I've lived here 20 years. There are problems with parents with parking. The issue is an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon. It's all over the top. It's common knowledge the school is there. If you live 'I have been blocked in a couple of times. I've made it known to the school. Yes it's annoying but it's down to the council to enforce it. It's a minor inconvenience. It's not a regular inconvenience. It's annoying but it's down to the council. I haven't supported any petitions.' Another resident, who also wished to remain anonymous in order to keep the peace on the street, added: 'When I bought the property I knew there was a school. We've been blocked in a couple of times.' But some do sympathise with John, including Mrs Freeman, who said: 'I am definitely in sympathy with him. People park right up to my drive, I have had great difficulty getting out. 'I used to have to leave at 2.30pm to avoid being blocked in. I have been hit side-on by oncoming traffic. It is a problem. However parents do not intentionally block people's driveways, I feel they have no alternative. I don't want speed bumps because they're a real pain. They damage cars.' 'It has inconvenienced me to leave much earlier. But they don't have much option.' Hitting back at the accusations from neighbours, John said: 'Quite a lot of people around are what you might loosely call professionals, lawyers and other useless wokerati people, who don't make anything and don't do anything, just work for other people, they can call me what they like.' Asked why he doesn't just sell up and move, something many residents who spoke to MailOnline suggested, he added: 'Why should I have to move because of an intransigent bloody Council.' But the prospect is not totally out of the question and he admits the eleven year ordeal left him and wife Irina considering something along the lines of an A Place in The Sun-style lock-up-and-leave villa in Spain or Italy to spend the winter in. His frustration has grown so much about the 'state of the country and where it's headed' that Irina's motherland of Russia is also on the cards. To claw back some control over his ordeal, John has spent £600 installing a cherry laurel hedge around his drive to cut noise and give some privacy. He said: 'It's to buy back my privacy. We have dog walkers who piss up the lamppost. You've got no privacy here. You've got everybody and their dog looking at you. 'Out of sight, out of mind.' A spokesman for Medway Council said: 'Medway Council takes the concerns of residents seriously, and makes every effort to respond to issues raised in petitions. In response to the petition led by Mr Walsh, the Council undertook a range of work, which included conducting numerous surveys to investigate traffic movements in the area. The surveys were carried out during school term time (June 2023), so school traffic was captured, and the outcome of this work was reported to the lead petitioner following conclusion. 'The matter was considered at the Regeneration, Culture and Environment (RCE) Overview and Scrutiny Committee in February 2024, following referral to that committee, and was discussed in full. This petition was therefore taken very seriously, duly considered, and followed democratic process. 'One element of the traffic study, conducted in response to the petition, investigated the impact of introducing a single point closure at Knole Road, which was part of the petition request. The study also considered the likely impact of displaced traffic, and the impact on vehicle speeds. 'Once completed, the study did not identify clear benefits in terms of network capacity or road safety of restricting the use of Knole Road.'
