logo
Newbury MP calls for new A34 slip road safety signs

Newbury MP calls for new A34 slip road safety signs

BBC News17-07-2025
An MP is calling for new safety signs to be put on the slip roads leading from two villages on to one of the South's busiest A roads. Lee Dillon said such signs would make the roads near East Ilsley and Beedon easier to navigate while more expensive, long-term solutions were drawn up.While pleased that some stretches of the A34 have recently been resurfaced, the Liberal Democrat MP for Newbury said he is hoping to get a bill through Parliament to make the roads safer.National Highways, which is responsible for the road, said it takes safety very seriously.
It said it expected work to make improvements on the A34 southbound, East Ilsley, which started last month, will finish on Monday.Two sections of safety barrier on the southbound verge area are also being upgraded, and a new section will be installed in the gap to join the existing sections together.
The Newbury MP made his comments as part of a wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio Berkshire breakfast presenter Phil Mercer. He said one of the hot topics he was dealing with locally is the trialing of a longer no-go zone for vehicles wanting to drive through the town centre at night.West Berkshire Council has banned cars from going through the town centre between 10:00 and 23:00. Previously the roads were only closed until 18:00.While this is only a trial, Dillon said he thinks making the town centre car free for longer will make Newbury a more attractive place at night.Though he said it was ultimately for local people to decide whether the trial should become permanent or not.
Dillon also talked of his frustration that the hospital where he was born world in 1983 will not be rebuilt until 2037 at the very earliest.The hospital, on Craven Road in Reading, was set to be replaced under the last government's new hospitals programme.However, this has been delayed as the current government says the previous plan was not affordable.
A year on from being voted in, Lee Dillon, like all MPs, has a lot on his plate. An avid football fan and Friday night player himself, he says the game gives him an escape from the pressures of the job.While he says it's important that MPs of all parties work together wherever possible to improve the country's fortunes there's at least one politician and fellow football fan he might struggle to find common ground with. For while the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is a renowned Arsenal supporter, Newbury's Dillon is a life-long Manchester United fan.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Hundreds of thousands of people backlash against internet safety rules
Hundreds of thousands of people backlash against internet safety rules

Sky News

time5 hours ago

  • Sky News

Hundreds of thousands of people backlash against internet safety rules

Hundreds of thousands of people are protesting the UK's new online safety rules, with accusations of censorship being levelled at the government. Five days since Ofcom's new internet regulations began being enforced, nearly 400,000 people have signed a petition asking for them to be repealed. In response to the petition, the government said it had "no plans to repeal the Online Safety Act". Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage likened the new rules to "state suppression of genuine free speech" and said his party would reverse the regulations. In response, technology secretary Peter Kyle accused Mr Farage of being "on the side" of predators like Jimmy Savile, to which Mr Farage demanded an apology, calling Mr Kyle's comments "absolutely disgusting". 6:45 Others, like adult content creators, have accused the government of censoring social media feeds. Adult content star Jak White told Sky News he believes the way the rules have been enforced amounts to "censorship [rather] than protecting children". "We create [non-explicit] content but the engagement has also dropped down on that, I guess, because of the keywords," he said. "Even emojis are pretty much getting filtered out because of the new Online [Safety] Act." "What it's turned into now is pretty much censorship." These new rules are wide-reaching and as they were being implemented, Mr Kyle said they represented important progress. "For the first time since the creation of the internet, parents and children will notice a difference in their online experience and that is something that we should celebrate," he told Sky News last week. 3:53 In the days since, there has not seemed to be much celebrating, but many campaigners argue that something had to be done. A quarter of children's suicides in the UK are linked to content they have seen online, according to one 2019 study that was published in medical journal Psychological Medicine. When Sky News spoke to teenagers at a Warrington youth club, they were clear that they wanted more protection. Freya, 15, said she thought it was a "good idea" to have more restrictions because "there are some things that are so accessible on social media that really shouldn't be easy to find". Robyn, 15, said she is often shown violent videos that she does not want to see. "Getting restrictions on that would be way better because then it would be more, 'Oh yeah, I did not see that, oh my day is way better'," she said. 3:12 In the days since the new rules came into place, there's been a focus on the age verification systems now required for platforms hosting harmful content, but there are other changes too. Social media companies have to alter their algorithms to make sure things like violence, suicide or self-harm material are not shown to young people, and children must be given more control over their accounts, including around blocking and reporting on social media. But some people say these rules are being applied too broadly and mean that even adults are struggling to access legal content. "The problem is that good intentions don't necessarily make good law," said Matthew Feeney, advocacy manager at Big Brother Watch. "I don't doubt the intentions of those who are supporting this act. "The fact is that it's unclear that this will actually make children safer because they can just drive themselves to VPNs or to parts of the dark web to access this content anyway. "In addition, adults are going to find themselves in a position of having to upload biometric data or identification in order to access completely legal speech. "I think that's a significant cost to incur in a liberal democracy." People do appear to be turning to VPNs to bypass the new rules. In the days after age verification came into force, VPNs made up five of the top 10 apps on Apple's App Store and Google searches for the tool rocketed. In response to VPNs being used to bypass age verifications, a government spokesperson told Sky News: "Platforms have a clear responsibility to prevent children from bypassing safety protections. "This includes blocking content that promotes VPNs or other workarounds specifically aimed at young users.

Trump opens golf course in Scotland after ‘stopping a war'
Trump opens golf course in Scotland after ‘stopping a war'

Times

time6 hours ago

  • Times

Trump opens golf course in Scotland after ‘stopping a war'

With red, white and blue fireworks, a self-proclaimed mission to 'put out fires all over the world' and a nod to his family dynasty, President Trump opened his 'masterpiece' golf course. After a five-day trip to Scotland dominated by golf buggy diplomacy and the announcement of an EU trade deal, he proceeded onto his new 'Mona Lisa' course at Menie in Aberdeenshire behind a bagpiper and band. The US president was watched by members of his family and VIPs, including John Swinney, the first minister of Scotland; Danny Alexander, the former Liberal Democrat politician; Robbie Fowler, the former footballer; Gianfranco Zola, now a football manager, and the Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko. On the final day of his visit, Trump said: 'We'll play it very quickly and then we'll go back to DC and put out fires all over the world. We did one yesterday, as you know. We stopped a war. We've stopped about five wars, so that's much more important than playing golf, as much as I like it.' Standing on the green with sons, Eric and Donald Jr, and Donald Jr's children, Spencer and Chloe, the president acknowledged that he had not always seen eye to eye with the locals, who had staged a protest beyond the security cordons on Monday, but insisted that they 'love' him now. He said: 'We started with a beautiful piece of land, but we made it much more beautiful. And the area has welcomed us. If you remember, at the beginning, it wasn't quite a welcome, but it wasn't bad. But with time, they've liked us more and more. Now they love us and we love them.' Before the ceremony, which was delayed while the president practised his swing in the driving range, loudspeakers blared out Hot Stuff and Greased Lightning along with tracks from the Beach Boys and Jerry Lee Lewis. A US flag flew beside a Scottish flag as White House staff wore 'Trump Scotland' branded clothing. Trump told his guests that the 'unbelievable development' was only possible when 'Sean Connery said 'let the bloody bloke build his golf course''. Showing that he has inherited his father's tendency towards hyperbole, Eric Trump said he had taken on his father's passion project when he 'went off to do larger things and save the free world'. He said: 'We had an unlimited budget and we exceeded it. This was his Mona Lisa. My father's always said some people really appreciate the painting on the wall. And he never did, right? 'For him, creating this, these beautiful sculpting dunes, sculpting the land. That was always his painting. 'So I hope today we honour the greatest man I know. Our best friend, a person who has led this company for 30 years and now leads the most powerful nation in the world and is doing a hell of a job.' The keen golfer took the new course for a spin EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS Earlier, the president held a 15-minute meeting with Swinney. It is understood that they discussed Gaza and oil and gas taxation in the North Sea before posing for a picture. Swinney said it had followed a 'pleasant dinner' on Monday evening when the talk 'around the table' had focused on the Open Championship, which Trump hopes will return to his course at Turnberry. On Monday, Sir Keir Starmer travelled from Turnberry to Menie with Trump on board Marine One, the president's helicopter, for what the US president said was a special 'preview' for the prime minister. A Hollywood-style promotional video for the new course showed Trump wearing a 'Trump International' blue bobble hat as he examines the plans for the links, which boasts 'the world's largest natural bunker'. He is seen saying: 'So let's see, 18 is going to be incredible. Why aren't we moving this green? I want to see the ocean. This is incredible'. Upon arrival, guests travelled past Trump MacLeod House, renamed in 2008 after Trump's Scottish-born mother Mary Anne MacLeod, 'to reflect its status as the Scottish residence of Donald J Trump'. A huge US flag flies from a flagpole outside the building designed by the architect John Smith in 1835. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the president drove off the first tee, followed by his son, Eric, and Paul McGinley, the professional golfer. The president strolled to the first tee at the new course BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GETTY IMAGES As a final hurrah, fireworks were set off, emitting red, white and blue smoke streams. When a journalist shouted out to ask what Trump would say to Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, Trump replied that as US president he was simply 'trying to get the world straightened out'. There was clearly no time for more questions as the music immediately cranked up. The president had golf to play. Swinney said that while the cost of the five-day visit had been 'significant' for Scotland, it had been worth it for the 'opportunity'.

Lords accused of trying to block Labour's zero-hours contract ban for ‘bad bosses'
Lords accused of trying to block Labour's zero-hours contract ban for ‘bad bosses'

The Independent

time8 hours ago

  • The Independent

Lords accused of trying to block Labour's zero-hours contract ban for ‘bad bosses'

Peers in the House of Lords have been accused of trying to block key protections for millions of workers as they push through major changes to Labour's Employment Rights Bill. The Lords last week voted in favour of several amendments brought forward by Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers which row back on reforms to zero-hours contracts, day-one protections and more. It comes as a blow to the government – which pledged in its 2024 manifesto to end 'exploitative' zero-hours contracts – and sets up a showdown between the Lords and Commons. General secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Paul Nowak said: 'the sight of Hereditary Peers voting to block stronger workers ' rights belongs in another century. It's plain wrong.' 'They are doing the bidding of bad bosses,' he added, and encouraged the government to 'stand firm.' Under the Lords' amendments, the requirement for employers to offer zero-hours workers a contract would be changed to instead require the worker to ask for the arrangement. Protections against unfair dismissal from day one of employment were also amended, instead bringing the time up to six months. Legislation currently ensures the protections after two years of employment. There were also several amendments to trade union laws voted in, including a requirement for members to actively opt into trade union political funds, rather than opt out. This came alongside another amendment to ensure the 50 per cent turnout threshold for industrial action is not repealed in the bill. The amendments were put forward by Tory peers Lord Hunt, shadow business minister, and Lord Sharpe, alongside Liberal Democrat Lord Goddard. Ministers will address the amendments when MPs return to Commons from summer recess at the start of September. The two houses will then continue to vote on the changes in a process known as parliamentary 'ping-pong' before a finalised version of the bill is agreed upon. Responding to criticism, Lord Hunt said: 'All the evidence shows that workers value and support that flexibility and the diverse job opportunities it continues to create. The world of business – which creates the wealth we need – has repeatedly made it very plain that the Government's proposals go too far and jeopardise that vital flexibility. 'In too many respects the Government's Bill aims to give new powers to the trade unions as organisations, not to the workers themselves, but the Lords amendments would create a better balance. They will protect and create more jobs and serve the working people of Britain well.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store