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Fury as Sadiq Khan banks surprise £14MILLION driven by hated Ulez fines in ‘war on motorists'

Fury as Sadiq Khan banks surprise £14MILLION driven by hated Ulez fines in ‘war on motorists'

The Sun3 days ago
SADIQ Khan is on course to bank a surprise £14million boost driven by Ulez fines last year — fuelling fresh claims of town halls waging a war on drivers.
The London mayor 's windfall came mainly from motorists failing to pay the £12.50 daily low emission charge, according to a draft report.
The fines haul helped double Transport for London 's expected budget surplus — albeit much of it is proving difficult to collect.
The AA's Luke Bosdet said: 'Why is it generating millions more in income than forecast instead of wiping out older and polluting vehicles in London?
'Town Halls across the country are following suit, waging a coordinated war on motorists through stealth taxes.'
Shadow Transport Secretary Gareth Bacon said: ' Ulez was never about air pollution, it was always about money and the millions the mayor has raked in proves it.'
TfL said the surplus, from April 1 to May 24, also included other funds, including from advertising.
It added: 'The Ulez is not about making money.
"It has led to cleaner air across London.'
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Hilary Weston, businesswoman who helped build Penneys and Brown Thomas dies aged 83
Hilary Weston, businesswoman who helped build Penneys and Brown Thomas dies aged 83

BreakingNews.ie

time12 minutes ago

  • BreakingNews.ie

Hilary Weston, businesswoman who helped build Penneys and Brown Thomas dies aged 83

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Villagers whose country idyll was 'destroyed' by traveller site overnight furious after family submits retrospective permission to make site permanent and some are even considering moving
Villagers whose country idyll was 'destroyed' by traveller site overnight furious after family submits retrospective permission to make site permanent and some are even considering moving

Daily Mail​

time12 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Villagers whose country idyll was 'destroyed' by traveller site overnight furious after family submits retrospective permission to make site permanent and some are even considering moving

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A retrospective application has been submitted seeking full planning permission for a change of use of land associated with Tan House Farm. The documents state the change of use is for a gypsy and traveller residential site, with four pitches and associated landscaping, and the installation of a farm gate to a footpath on the corner of Tan House Lane and Farmers Lane. Applicant John Varey said the pitches can accommodate a mix of 16 caravans and mobile homes, occupied by Romani gypsies. The report added: 'All of the proposed occupants grew up in nomadic families and have continued to follow that way of life. The families travel in caravans for work and to attend fairs. 'The site is in the greenbelt, however, the land represents 'grey belt', and on that basis, the development is not necessarily inappropriate within the green belt.' 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Senior judges reveal regret at handing out ‘unfair' indefinite jail terms and call for scandal to be ‘put right'
Senior judges reveal regret at handing out ‘unfair' indefinite jail terms and call for scandal to be ‘put right'

The Independent

time41 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Senior judges reveal regret at handing out ‘unfair' indefinite jail terms and call for scandal to be ‘put right'

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Victims of the scandal, whose tragic cases have been highlighted by The Independent, include Leroy Douglas, who has served almost 20 years for stealing a mobile phone; Thomas White, 42, who set himself alight in his cell and has served 13 years for stealing a phone; and Abdullahi Suleman, 41, who is still inside 19 years after he was jailed for a laptop robbery. Sir John, 76, who served as recorder of Birmingham before he was appointed to the High Court, told The Independent that if he met an IPP prisoner he had jailed who was years over tariff, he would apologise. 'I should say I'm really sorry this has happened, it's extremely unfair,' he said. 'I didn't want to be party to unfairness. I would feel very bad about it, I would apologise to them.' He said that when the sentence was introduced in 2005 by New Labour in a bid to be tough on crime, it appeared there was a 'certain degree of sense' to plans to ensure offenders completed rehabilitation courses before they were approved for release by the Parole Board. But judges had no idea those prisoners would find themselves trapped in prison indefinitely, often without access to the courses they needed to be released. He added: 'I think the essence of the job of a judge is to be fair. And we really do all try to do that. So when we conduct criminal trials, we attempt to be fair. In passing sentences, we attempt to be fair. 'If we have been party to something which has been accepted by everybody as unfair and we have been part of it… it's a bit of an affront to the job.' He and Simon Tonking, the former recorder of Stafford, have lobbied prisons minister Lord James Timpson to help those still trapped under the jail term. 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The proposed reforms also include providing a package of mental health support for released IPP prisoners and tightening up the criteria for recalling them. Currently, many find themselves hauled back to prison indefinitely for minor breaches of strict licence conditions, despite committing no further offences. Paul Glenn, who last year retired from his role as the most senior judge in Stoke-on-Trent, also backed the charity's proposals. He told The Independent: 'Nobody envisaged that 10 years after they should have been released, they would still be in custody. The injustice there is pretty obvious. 'It's undoubtedly right that we should be sentencing people for what they have done, rather than what they might do in the future.' Prisons minister Lord Timpson said: 'It is absolutely right that the IPP sentence was abolished. 'As the IPP annual report shows, we have significantly improved support for these offenders, with greater access to rehabilitation and mental health support. 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