Over-running meeting webcasts cost Aberdeen City Council £12,000
Aberdeen City Council has a £26,691-a-year contract for webcasts - based on 120 live hours.However, between the 2023 financial year and the end of 2024/25 the live streams went 173 hours over that.This cost the council an additional £11,882 over that period, a cost of £68.68 per hour.Councillors have called 13 special or requisitioned meetings over the past year.The report suggests "this could be managed better".
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
8 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Welsh Rugby Union defends plans to halve number of professional men's teams
The Welsh Rugby Union has recognised the 'hurt and anger' caused by their proposal to reduce the number of professional men's sides in Wales from four to two, but insisted maintaining the status quo is not the 'right thing' to do. Welsh rugby's governing body has produced a radical plan to turn around the the game at both club and international level, outlining its ambitions in a 90-page consultation document entitled 'The Future of Elite Rugby in Wales'. Advertisement There will be a six-week consultation period before the WRU makes a final decision on the plans, and WRU chief executive Abi Tierney has urged people to 'improve on the proposals' and provide 'something fit for purpose for Welsh rugby'. The Welsh Rugby Union produced a radical plan to turn around the the game at both club and international level. Photo: David Davies/PA. The WRU's proposal to halve its number of four men's professional sides – Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets – to two will be the biggest talking point in a document which outlined four potential models for the game in Wales. It remains unclear whether the two future sides being proposed will be new entities or existing teams, but the two organisations will each have a men's and women's team. Tierney said: 'This is a momentous day for Welsh rugby. No decisions have been made, but we feel based on the analysis this is the strongest (option) yet. Advertisement 'I know how emotional rugby is in Wales and people will be hurting today, when they think what it could mean potentially for them and their their team. 'I recognise the hurt and anger people are going to be feeling. Change is hard and this is hard for fans. 'But fans' numbers drop has also not been a great experience for anybody, and we want to create an experience they can be proud of. 'What we were doing and keeping doing for fans was not the right thing. I would encourage everybody to imagine how exciting it could be and take that step into the future.' Advertisement The WRU proposal comes amid Ospreys plans to move into a redeveloped stadium at St Helen's in Swansea for the 2026-27 season and the Scarlets having recently unveiled new investors. Ospreys and Scarlets are two of the teams whose future is unclear. Photo: Nick Potts/PA. Dragons said this week elite professional rugby must continue in Gwent, while Cardiff are currently owned by the WRU having gone into administration in April. It is possible the WRU will face legal action from regions that could essentially be put out of business, with WRU chairman Richard Collier-Keywood saying 'two or three areas of potential legal challenge' exist. The WRU has also proposed the creation of a national campus at a site yet to be decided, which would be the home of the men's and women's professional teams, as well as Wales' national sides and the union's academy. Advertisement WRU chief executive Abi Tierney said she recognises 'the hurt and anger people are going to be feeling' Photo: David Davies/PA. Players were briefed on the WRU's plan on Tuesday and Dave Reddin, the new director of rugby and elite performance, is confident suggestions of possible player strike action will not materialise. Reddin said: 'The national campus would be a radical departure and doing something different, a defensive moat for Welsh rugby and creating a competitive advantage. 'We've got to look outside the box if we want to try and do things differently. 'Be brave enough to to lead sometimes and do things that no one else is doing. Do things things that people think are a bit nutty, too different or too uncomfortable.' Advertisement
Auto Express
10 minutes ago
- Auto Express
Nissan Qashqai deals and finance offers: today's top new, used and leasing prices
The Nissan Qashqai is often credited as the car that really sparked the SUV boom in the UK. The first generation model did such a good job of marrying the rugged looks and elevated driving position of an SUV with the composed road manners and low running costs of a conventional car that UK car buyers couldn't get enough of it. Advertisement - Article continues below The Qashqai has been at or near the top of the sales charts ever since and our road testers have consistently been impressed by its wide range of talents on the numerous times we've driven it over the years. It's a car that perhaps doesn't stand out in any one area but is good right across the board and has very few weak points. We can offer you Nissan Qashqais of all descriptions below. With our Buy A Car service, you can spec a brand new car and get bespoke finance offers from local dealers. You can browse new and pre-registered cars in stock for a fast delivery, check out the latest leasing deals from top UK brokers and choose from a vast range of high quality used Qashqai models. If you want to buy a Nissan Qashqai or just understand what kind of deals are currently on offer, you've come to the right place… Spec a car to get a PCP or HP finance offer on a Nissan Qashqai or check out the new cars that are currently in stock at UK dealers for a big discount on RRP and a fast delivery… You can lease a Nissan Qashqai right now for a small deposit and low monthly payments. Our network of top leasing providers has the best prices you'll find and here are the current top options… View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai View Qashqai Our Find a Car dealer network includes Nissan franchised showrooms around the UK as well as trusted independent dealers. There's a great range of cars to choose from and we can have them delivered direct to your home… And don't forget, we can also help you sell your old car, putting you in the best possible negotiating position when buying your new Nissan Qashqai. Just enter your registration number and dealers around the UK will bid on your car. We'll pass on their best offer and, if you accept it, payment will be made and the car will be collected from your home. It couldn't be easier. Car Deal of the Day: Bag a desirable plug-in hybrid BMW X3 M Sport for less than £380 a month Car Deal of the Day: Bag a desirable plug-in hybrid BMW X3 M Sport for less than £380 a month The new BMW X3 is fresh out of the blocks, but you can already lease a well-specced one for an eye-opening £378 a month. It's our Car Deal of the Day … New Suzuki Swift Allgrip 2025 review: why bother with an SUV? New Suzuki Swift Allgrip 2025 review: why bother with an SUV? The Swift Allgrip's all-wheel-drive system makes this a niche option in the supermini class, but one that some customers will definitely appreciate Three car garage: Skoda Superb Estate, BMW i3 and a Ford Mustang GT Convertible for £75k Three car garage: Skoda Superb Estate, BMW i3 and a Ford Mustang GT Convertible for £75k The 75-plate is coming but what if you spent £75k on used cars instead? This three-car garage covers all the bases
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Best Boots deals to expect for Black Friday 2025
The Boots Black Friday sale is one of the best opportunities to grab yourself a saving across beauty, healthcare, baby and tech. Whether you're preparing for cold and flu season (please, no) or refreshing your skincare line-up, the November sales event will bring discounts aplenty – and yes, all your favourite brands will be featured. Be it Dyson, Chanel, Medela or Philips, the retailer's wide-range of products has something to suit everyone. I'm not talking measly 10 per cent reductions or stingy sample sachets with purchase either – Boots' Black Friday offering is one of the best in the business and, in 2024, I saw promotions on everything from CeraVe to Garmin. Of course, Black Friday isn't the retailer's only sales event – the big Boots sale is a January staple. However, as someone who's worked the deals circuit for more than five years, I'd argue the discounts are even more lucrative come November with offers on everything from smartwatches to Dyson hair tools (at all-time low prices). Scroll on for all the details of this year's event, plus enticing reductions to shop now. When is Black Friday 2025? As usual, Black Friday – which started in the US – falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving. This year, that's Friday 28 November. The sales event will continue through the weekend until Cyber Monday, on Monday 1 December. While the main (and biggest) Boots deals will likely drop over this weekend, plenty of brands launch a handful of early Black Friday promotions in the weeks leading up to it. And, don't worry, I'm keeping my eyes peeled for the first signs of those pre-Black Friday Boots deals, so watch this space. What Boots deals can I expect for Black Friday 2025? Typically, Boots Black Friday deals span the full selection of brands on-site and, last year, I saw a mixture of high-end and affordable items. For the luxury make-up lovers, there were deals on Nars foundations and Bobbi Brown primers, meanwhile haircare fanatics were treated to Cloud Nine hair dryers and the Dyson airstrait straighteners. Grooming enthusiasts were in luck, too, with reductions across Braun and Philips electric shavers and trimmers, not to mention epilators and ipl devices for more long-term hair removal. In 2025, I'm expecting much of the same, along with a bunch of the new brands Boots has onboarded over the past year. Specifically, in the realms of Korean skincare. Having covered Black Friday since 2020, Lucy Smith has seen many a Boots sales event. She's familiar with its standout products, having reviewed each of the retailer's beauty boxes and advent calendars, and knows the brands that buyers flock to time and again. In 2025, she's watched as the retailer has introduced a number of trending products, including Tir Tir's Korean cushion foundation and Biodance's overnight collagen face mask. As someone who writes about skincare, make-up, haircare and fragrance daily, she pays close attention to the average prices of popular products and can spot good (and bad) reductions with ease. So, you can browse below with peace of mind that all of her selections are well-informed and, largely, tried and tested by team IndyBest. A cult product in the anti-ageing sphere, it's no surprise that beauty expert Pippa Bailey found that her skin felt 'firmer along the jawline and around the mouth' after using Estee Lauder's advanced night repair serum for just a few days. Describing it as 'absolutely' worth the hype, owing to its ability to increase the skin's production of collagen, what better time than now – while there's 20 per cent off – to grab this complexion hero. Another beauty icon, Chanel's coco mademoiselle perfume is adored by women of all ages, myself included. Reviewing as part of a wider round-up of the best women's perfumes, I described how the fragrance is 'a perfect all-day scent' and wowed at its longevity from morning through night. For the those who enjoy a sugary quality to their whiffs, I found that 'its subtle sweetness layers beautifully with vanilla scents'. Plus, who can deny the luxe glamour of the bottle? Shop now while there's 20 per cent off. A product that changed the wet-to-dry styling game, Dyson's airstrait device went viral on TikTok after its 2024 launch – and it's no surprise, with IndyBest's global e-Commerce editor Eva Waite-Taylor praising it for helping to achieve a salon-quality blow dry in her review. Sign me up, especially with a whopping £100 discount.
