
Dumfries town board boss steps down with immediate effect
The funding was announced in 2023 by the then prime minister Rishi Sunak to be put "in the hands of local people" to revitalise their high streets.Dumfries - along with Greenock, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Coatbridge, Clydebank and Elgin - was on the list.The support was subsequently confirmed by the new Labour government and Mr Nicoll had been leading efforts to invest the funds - to be delivered over a 10-year period.However, he said he was no longer in a position to lead the town board set up as part of the investment process.
'Extremely proud'
He said he was "incredibly proud" of what the board had achieved in terms of a regeneration strategy and "meaningful engagement" with others."We've begun building something truly unique and this is something that I am extremely proud of - a model unlike any other town board in the country," he said."One that is independent, community-led, and free from political interference."It's a model rooted firmly in the voice and will of the people of Dumfries."He highlighted Dumfries Shine - a community clean-up initiative - as one example that "meaningful, local-led change" was possible."My personal ethos has always been that you are either fully in or respectfully out," he added."With upcoming changes in my professional priorities, I do not want to reach a point where I'm missing meetings or limiting my contribution."The people of Dumfries deserve full commitment; nothing less."He said he would support his replacement and urged whoever it was to reflect the needs of local people not the agenda of any political organisation.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Reuters
a few seconds ago
- Reuters
UK watchdog probes Deloitte's audits of Glencore's 2013-2020 accounts
July 23 (Reuters) - Britain's accounting watchdog said on Wednesday that it is investigating Deloitte LLP's audits of commodities trader Glencore (GLEN.L), opens new tab and one of its divisions for the financial years ended December 2013 through December 2020. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is examining whether Deloitte properly assessed the risk of legal and regulatory breaches during its audits. Glencore and its unit, Glencore Energy UK Limited, have faced extensive investigations by government agencies in recent years over allegations of bribery and corruption. Glencore declined to comment, while Deloitte did not immediately respond to a request for comment.


BBC News
a few seconds ago
- BBC News
AI deepfake porn humiliated me, says Penny Mordaunt
Former Conservative cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt has spoken about how shaken she was to learn she was the victim of "deliberately humiliating and violent" deepfake porn when serving as an to BBC Newsnight, the former leader of the House of Commons said that her face had been used in AI-generated deepfake porn, adding it happened to "a number of parliamentarians".Deepfakes are images or videos that have been digitally altered using artificial intelligence (AI) to replace the face of one person with was being interviewed on the programme about advanced age checks that websites with pornographic material must implement before Friday. But speaking on the issue of deepfake porn, she said: "The people behind this... don't realise the consequences in the real world when they do something like that... It plays across into people taking actual real world actions against ourselves."Mordaunt became aware that her face had been used in deepfake porn after a Channel 4 documentary by Cathy Newman last year revealed that Mordaunt, Tory colleague Dame Priti Patel, Labour's Angela Rayner and several other senior female politicians were victims of the the time, Newman revealed she was also a victim. "It was violating... it was kind of me and not me," she said, explaining the video displayed her face but not her this year, the government unveiled plans to make the creation or distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offence, following a surge in their proliferation over recent years. "The worry for me is actually more with children," Mordaunt told Newsnight's Victoria Derbyshire."We wouldn't want people to see these things on the walk to school. If they did, they'd be in therapy. But we have seemed to be perfectly happy for them to see it online."Mordaunt also said she was "with the Australians" on their decision to ban social media platforms for added that the government needed "to have some courage" in tackling the issue with people like Elon Musk, the owner of X, formerly Twitter."[Musk] is taking the human race to Mars. I'm sure he can figure out age verification," she said. Mordaunt has held senior positions within previous Conservative governments, including briefly serving as the UK's first female defence secretary. She competed in the 2022 Conservative leadership election, before serving as the leader of the House of Commons and lord president of the gave her a prominent role in the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, during which she held a ceremonial sword for more than an hour. Mordaunt served as the MP for the Portsmouth North constituency for 14 years, before becoming one of several high-profile Conservative figures to lose her seat in last year's general election.


BBC News
a few seconds ago
- BBC News
Demolition of 'deteriorating' Scarborough seaside café approved
A "deteriorating" seaside café is to be knocked down after plans were approved by North Yorkshire Holidays intends to replace the three-storey Waterfront Bar at 39 Sandside, Scarborough, with a four-storey structure, including a café on the ground floor, with three holiday flats on the upper officers acknowledged the demolition would see the loss of a "traditional structure", but said alterations to the original building meant it no longer contributed "to the character and appearance of the conservation area".The application was approved subject to conditions, including limiting the hours of the café from 09:00 to 23:00, Monday to Friday. One resident lodged an objection to the scheme, citing concerns about "further erosion of the historic scale of this part of Scarborough".They said the plan would not "respect the domestic character of Quay Street", adding, "Scarborough is also being overprovided with holiday lets".According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service a letter of support for the plan was also submitted, stating the applicant had undertaken other work in the area which, if matched by the new development, would "enhance the area".A report noted that the offer of an additional holiday accommodation unit respected "the existing character of the area".Officers concluded: "The building is beginning to deteriorate and may have a harmful impact on the street scene in the near future if left unaltered." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.