Latest news with #publicservices
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Jefferson hopes to renew two levies
JEFFERSON — Village council voted to move forward with the renewal of two existing levies to help provide services to residents. The resolutions request the Ashtabula County Auditor certify the total current tax valuation and amount of revenue that would be generated for a 1.55-mill, five-year street light levy and a one-mill, five-year fire levy, to be placed on the November ballot. Council also approved a resolution to establish a K-9 fund to be used for all donations and revenues received for the upkeep and support of the dog. They also approved the hiring of Jeromey Cummins to a full-time detective/patrolman position. Jefferson Village Manager Steve Murphy said he was able to attend a local government conference early this month in Washington D.C. He said he was able to let state and federal officials know where the village is, and urge them to come visit. He said one of the topics of conversation was House Bill 335, which would eliminate property tax inside millage. Murphy said the proposal would cost the village $250,000-$300,000 a year.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Maintenance fund to give £9bn a year to fix schools, hospitals and prisons
At least £9 billion a year will go to tackling the 'soaring maintenance backlog' and fixing crumbling schools, hospitals and prisons over the next decade under the Government's infrastructure strategy, a minister has confirmed. Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said £6 billion a year would go to repairing hospitals, £3 billion to schools and colleges and £600 million to courts and prisons as part of Labour's plans for 'national renewal'. The maintenance fund is part of the minimum £725 billion committed to boost infrastructure in the 10-year plan, he told the Commons. The Government hopes this preventative action will break the cycle of emergency repairs in public infrastructure. It will go towards making court facilities better in a bid to reduce backlogs, and improving safety and security in prisons across England and Wales. Removing reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) will be among the measures taken to update health facilities. The Treasury minister told MPs: 'Done properly it will result in tangible improvements to the fabric of our country, our local roads and high streets renewed so communities are even better places to live. Our public transport more available and more reliable, making it easier for people to get around and access opportunities. 'Our schools and hospitals and GP surgeries fit for the future to deliver for generations to come, and a country that will be stronger and more resilient. 'Communities will see the difference as this Labour Government delivers on the promise of change and a decade of national renewal.' The strategy also includes £1 billion to fix roads, bridges and flyovers and £590 million to start work on the Lower Thames Crossing project. Some £16 billion of public investment will go towards building 500,000 new homes through a new publicly owned National Housing Bank. This is expected to unlock more than £53 billion of private investment. Around £7.9 billion over 10 years will be invested in maintaining and creating new flood defences with the aim of benefiting 840,000 properties. The strategy covers a decade but the spending review cycle every two years will provide a juncture to decide whether to go ahead with projects. A 'pipeline' of projects will be published online in mid-July and will be updated every six months. The chief secretary's shadow counterpart Richard Fuller urged him to set out which major projects are being abandoned and explain why. The pipeline is a digital dashboard that will give an overview of projects the Government is procuring on a map, Mr Jones said in response. 'It will show on a map of the country which projects we're procuring, when and where to give investors and businesses that long-term confidence about the jobs that are going to be available, so that they can invest in their own workforce,' he said. The strategy does not cover so-called megaprojects which cost more than £10 billion and take more than 10 years to deliver – currently the HS2 railway, Sizewell C nuclear plant and the Dreadnought submarine programme. Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: 'Infrastructure is crucial to unlocking growth across the country, but for too long investment has been squeezed. Crumbling public buildings are a sign of the decay that has seeped into our everyday lives because of a total failure to plan and invest. 'We're not just fixing buildings – we're enhancing public services, improving lives and creating the conditions for sustainable economic growth in communities throughout the UK. We're delivering on a decade of national renewal we promised Britain. 'This will deliver the decade of national renewal we promised Britain, and fulfil our Plan for Change goals to kickstart economic growth, and build an NHS fit for the future.'
The Sun
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Shocking £81 billion HS2 fiasco has become ultimate symbol of British state ineptitude
Derailed UK THE shocking waste of money and sheer ineptitude of those running HS2 has been beyond staggering. The Sun warned over a decade ago it would be a costly white elephant — and that was when it was predicted to cost £50billion for the whole network. By the time it's finished — assuming it ever is — it will have blown at least £81billion at today's prices, even though the line will now only go from London to Birmingham. What a miserable economic benefit for such a colossal price. HS2 is symptomatic of widespread uselessness in our public services. Instead of getting the job done, bosses spent £8million hiring 167 PR managers and diversity advisers. No one seemed to care that huge sums of public money simply disappeared down the drain. Instead, State failure is routinely rewarded. One HS2 board member is even now the head of the Government's new Office for Value for Money. Britain — once a builder of the world — is now a global laughing stock when it comes to major projects. At this rate you wouldn't trust anyone involved to put together a Hornby train set. Rishi Sunak announces the scrapping of HS2 at the Conservative Party conference 1 Licence to idle MINISTERS must ignore the whinging of left-wing Labour MPs and stop the current insanity of benefits being more worthwhile than work. The incentive to take handouts rather than a job is far too great. Somehow a welfare system that was supposed to be a safety net has become a lifestyle choice for many. Not only is this a huge burden to those who DO work and pay taxes. It has also written off millions of people entirely unnecessarily. Labour worries that taking benefits away will be seen as cruel. Far crueler to preside over a system which does nothing to help people to improve their lives. True reform JUST how far is Labour prepared to go to win genuine reform to European laws which make it almost impossible to deport dangerous foreign criminals? The Government wants to make it harder for offenders to fight deportation because of 'exceptional circumstances'. That might stop paedophiles claiming they would face 'hostility' back home or drug-dealers insisting their children would miss eating chicken nuggets. But abuse of the European Convention on Human Rights is now commonplace.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Orkney ditches plan to break from UK
Civic leaders in Orkney have abandoned plans to loosen ties with the UK after a report concluded that it would be too expensive. Officials on the islands, ten miles north of Scotland, spent two years exploring opportunities for greater autonomy, which included becoming a self-governing territory of Norway. However, Orkney Islands council has accepted that it must remain part of the UK after an investigation into 'alternative governance' concluded the proposals were too difficult and costly to pursue. Members have agreed instead to explore a single authority model to reform how public services are delivered. Orkney's bid to break away from the UK made headlines in 2023. It stemmed from frustration with the financial support it received from both the Westminster and Holyrood governments. James Stockan, the former council leader, was backed by his fellow councillors, who voted by 15 votes to six in favour of exploring 'alternative models of governance'. Mr Stockan, who stood down from the council in January last year, said at the time that Orkney did not get fair funding with its current relationship within the UK. He argued that funding from the Scottish Government was significantly less per head than Shetland and the Western Isles received to run the same services. Mr Stockan also pointed out that, despite Orkney contributing to the Scottish economy over four decades through North Sea oil, 'the dividend we get back isn't sufficient to keep us going'. He said he wanted to consider the model of Crown Dependencies such as the Channel Islands and overseas territories such as the Falkland Islands. He suggested Orkney could be like the Faroe Islands, which is a self-governing territory of Denmark, and floated the idea that Orkney could rejoin Norway. The islands were gifted to Scotland, along with Shetland, by King Christian I of Denmark and Norway in 1472 as security for a wedding dowry. The debt was never repaid and the islands remained part of Scotland. When the report Mr Stockan set in motion finally appeared before councillors, its conclusion that Orkney had no realistic prospect of changing its relationship with the UK was accepted without comment. Instead, the council is mapping out a new direction with the Scottish Government to reform how local services may be delivered in future through the single authority model, with preliminary talks already held. Heather Woodbridge, Orkney's current council leader, assured members during their meeting that this was just the start of a more detailed appraisal and implementing the model was not a foregone conclusion. The Scottish Government believes the single authority model could also work in Argyll and Bute and the Western Isles. It has indicated it will publish more details and a timeline for implementation by the end of this parliament next year.
The Independent
2 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Government urged to do more to show it values public services
A senior union leader has urged the Government to do more to show it values public services and the workers who deliver them. Christina McAnea, general secretary of Unison, told her union's annual conference in Liverpool that if the Government could change its mind on so many issues, it could change it on taxation. 'Tax wealth and profits, and raise the money needed to fix our country. That's the message I'll continue to take to Government,' she told delegates. 'I want Labour to do more to show it values our public services, and the people – our members – who deliver them. 'How do I think they should pay for this? 'Not by taking money away from those least able to afford it, but by taking it from those with the deepest pockets.' Ms McAnea said Unison's job was to hold Labour to account, to tell the party to do its job better. She added: 'Just as we did when they attacked benefits – we were one of the first unions to come out against the cut to the winter fuel allowance. 'They've changed their stance, we've not. 'Some commentators say Labour changing their policies is a sign of weakness. 'I disagree – I think it's a sign of maturity, and of growing into the role of Government after 14 years out in the cold – and it's a sign they're listening to us.'
