NZ says no to foreign buy-ups
New Zealand is acting against foreign buy-ups of property. The country’s previous government was happy to allow rich foreigners to snap up land and property.
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Transport: Bus support slashed
English and Welsh local authorities have cut £182 million from supported bus services over the last decade, with more than 3,000 routes affected, according to new research from the group Campaign for Better Transport.
Thatcher: The unwanted statue
The quest to find a home for a statue of former prime minister Margaret Thatcher continues.
Fall in nursing applications
A further shortage of nurses in the NHS is looming, fuelled by an unfulfilled need to plan for and train staff. That’s due to high fees and the loss of the student bursary in England, not Brexit.
Child Poverty: Even worse than thought
The Resolution Foundation’s annual audit of living standards, published at the end of July, warns that child poverty in Britain has been rising twice as fast since 2011 (when “austerity” began).
Local government: The age of bankruptcy
The notion that local government could go bankrupt is a novel one, but one we’re going to have to get used to.
Carillion's £5m school bill
A school which cost £18.6 million to rebuild six years ago by Carillion needs to spend £5 million on repairs – including fixing some 300 holes in its roof.
Prisons out of control
21 August 2018
Birmingham Prison is back under government control, but the crisis in our prisons appears general and affects ones still in public control.
EU drifts into budget crisis
11 August 2018
The ailing bloc faces an overall £18 billion budget shortfall, most of it due to Brexit. But it still plans to spend more.
Carillion crash leaves school with £5 million bill
8 August 2018
A school which cost £18.6 million to rebuild six years ago needs to spend £5 million on repairs – including fixing some 300 holes in its roof.
Treat us like Morocco, says May
12 July 2018
So now we know. The Prime Minister wants from the EU an agreement based on the kind of agreement the EU has with…Morocco.
UCU leadership schemes for second referendum
3 July 2018
Despite a recent annual congress with no motion on a second Brexit referendum, academics’ union leader Sally Hunt has started a consultation on the question.
Brexit boost as JCB invests £50 million
2 July 2018
In a vote of confidence in Brexit, construction equipment maker JCB is to invest more than £50 million in a new factory in Staffordshire.
EU tries aviation blackmail
The EU has banned the European Aviation Safety Agency from talking with the UK Civil Aviation Authority about fallback arrangements in the event of no deal on Brexit, jeopardising travel across Europe.
Services: Dunbarton strike
Pickets were out in force in East Dunbartonshire at the end of June after Unison members went on strike over cuts to terms and conditions including reductions to holidays.
Construction crisis looms
An ageing workforce and an industry dependent on EU labour add up to an imminent crisis for construction.
West Midlands renaissance
The West Midlands is undergoing a rebirth, with more jobs created than in any other region, a trade surplus with China, and businesses like HSBC UK relocating to the region.
Ballot on Total rigs
Unite is balloting workers at three of Total’s North Sea oil rigs for industrial action following the company’s refusal to reduce the number of unpaid working days.
Child health: teachers helping out
The hygiene levels of a growing number of primary schoolchildren are so bad that teachers are having to provide basic items of personal hygiene to large numbers of them, says a charity.
'Right to buy' - but no money
The demand for housing continues to rise, with continuing uncontrolled migration into Britain playing a significant part.
Universal credit: Losing out
The Charity Gingerbread has warned that single parents, particularly those who are working, are losing out under Universal Credit.
Europe's workers in call for repeal of EU treaties
24 June 2018
A conference in Paris that brought together workers from across Europe has called for the repeal of all EU treaties and directives.
Unison accepts NHS pay agreement
Members of Unison, the largest union in the NHS, have voted overwhelmingly to accept the latest pay agreement.
EU flounders over R&D and Brexit
9 June 2018
In research and development (as in so many other things) the European Union desperately needs to cooperate with Britain. It’s time we realised its weakness.
Myth and manoeuvring over the Irish border
8 June 2018
The whole issue, “backstop” or none, is being used as a backdoor way of delaying and perhaps denying Brexit.
Fears hyped over US steel tariffs
8 June 2018
Remain-backing MP Stephen Kinnock is trying to use new US steel tarrifs to damage Brexit – but the real danger to Britain’s steel comes from Brussels.
Scandal of EU fishing discards ban
7 June 2018
The EU is enforcing a discard ban during the proposed Brexit transition period that could bankrupt most of the UK fishing fleet.
RMT in Westminster rally over guards
26 April 2018
A national protest against Driver Only Operation outside Parliament on 25 April drew rail workers and union banners from many towns and regions across the country.
Year-long campaign for engineering
The government has declared 2018 to be the year of engineering, a year-long campaign to tackle the engineering skills gap and widen the pool of young people who join the profession.
Apprenticeships: Poor match
In an unusually blunt speech the head of Ofsted, Amanda Spielman, highlighted the key issues her inspectors had found in their pilot inspections of apprenticeship providers since the new apprenticeship levy scheme began.