Great Pottery Throwdown judge hopeful for pottery industry
He said he did not know much about the situation at Royal Stafford, which was based in Burslem.But he said the loss of another big pottery business "was not really a surprise", given rising energy prices."You just have more hoops to go through," he said. "You just wonder when it's going to end."The collapse of the company has resulted in 83 people losing their jobs and Mr Brymer Jones said: "They're not only their jobs, but we're losing, as a nation, their accumulated skill set."He said Stoke-on-Trent had been "neglected for so long" and the ceramics industry had been "decimated in the 1990s and early 2000s".But he saw hope the Labour government would do something to help and said: "We all have to move on and the 21st Century is what it is, but we can adapt.""We just need that direct, joined-up thinking from the government."Tristram Hunt, the former MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central, said he was also hopeful.He told the BBC: "There are still good businesses and a lot of excitement in the design community around ceramics, and we have to thank Keith Brymer Jones and others for assisting with that."But he added: "The raw economics of ceramics production in an era of such high energy costs is obviously punishing."He said ceramics were the "lifeblood" of Stoke-on-Trent and also called for government help.
Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
3 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil UC claims up since election
Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney Conservative executive member Gareth Potter and Edward Dawson, chairman at the Heads of the Valleys Conservative Federation, have both slammed the Labour government as 2,095 households in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney and 1,852 households in Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare have signed onto Universal Credit since Labour took office. They claim the rise in households claiming Universal Credit is due to Labour's record tax burden and "strangling" of businesses with regulations. Gareth Potter, Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney Conservative Executive member, has slammed the Labour Government over the increase in Universal Credit claims (Image: Gareth Potter) The Chair of the Heads of the Valleys Conservative Federation, Edward Dawson, said: "After Labour attacked businesses with higher taxes and more regulation, it was a sad inevitability that it would result in fewer opportunities here in Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare, and more people signing onto Universal Credit. "Only the Conservatives understand that it is the makers who create jobs and growth, not the Government. "But with more tax rises coming this Autumn to pay for Labour's failures, it is people and businesses in Blaenau Gwent, Rhymney, Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare who will be left paying the price." The Conservatives claim that since Labour entered office, unemployment has jumped to 4.7 per cent, its highest level in four years. Real wage growth has fallen to just 1.1 per cent, and the number of people on payroll has plummeted by over 164,000 jobs since the Autumn Budget, which they claim means more families struggling to pay the bills and more people signing on for benefits, including 2,095 in Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney and 1,852 in Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare. The politicians claim that these statistics show that "Labour isn't working" for people in Wales, and that the country is at "breaking point." The politicians claim more than 2,000 people have turned to Universal Credit since the general election (Image: NQ) They say that 1.1 million more people are claiming Universal Credit since Labour entered office in July 2024. This information comes from Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) official statistics, which show that in July 2025, there were 8.0 million people claiming Universal Credit, up from 6.9 million people in July 2024. However, a DWP spokesperson said: "As more people have moved from legacy benefits onto the modernised Universal Credit system since July 2024, it is to be expected that the number of people claiming the benefit will increase." The spokesperson also said: "However, the figures are yet more evidence of the broken welfare system we inherited that is denying people in South Wales and across the country the support they need to get into work and get on at work. "That's why we are rebalancing the rate of Universal Credit to increase work incentives, while also investing £3.8bn over this parliament to genuinely help sick or disabled people into jobs, while ensuring there is always a safety net for the most vulnerable." The DWP's background information states that the final roll-out of ESA customers being invited to claim Universal Credit started in July 2024, and since then, across the country, 494,690 have claimed Universal Credit, as of June 2025. The background information also states that there are numerous reasons people will be in the "No Work Requirement," including having caring responsibilities, and this makes up 46 per cent of Universal Credit claimants. In terms of unemployment, the Conservatives say that unemployment remains unchanged at 4.7 per cent after rising for the tenth month in a row. The unemployment rate for 16 and over was 4.7 per cent in April to June 2025 – up from the 4.2 per cent left by the last Conservative Government. The unemployment rate has risen or remained static every month since June to August 2024, and has now reached its highest level in four years, since June 2021, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The number of people on payroll has fallen yet again, by over 8,000 in July alone, according to the ONS. In July 2025, there were 8,353 fewer people on payroll than the previous month. Since the tax hiking budget in October 2024, there are 164,000 fewer people on payroll. Real wage growth has slowed to just 1.1 per cent. In the three months to June 2025, real wages using CPI inflation was just 1.1 per cent – down from the 2.8 per cent in the prior three months to March 2025 and below the 2.5 per cent the Conservatives left in the three months to June 2024. The Conservatives claim that the "mismanagement of the economy" by the Labour government is "hitting businesses and working people." They say that monthly real gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have fallen by 0.1 per cent in May 2025, and that the tax burden is increasing to an "historic high," and inflation is almost double the Bank of England's 2 per cent target. They also say that the Institute of Director's (IOD) Economic Confidence Index found that business confidence has hit its lowest ever since the index's introduction, surpassing the lows seen at any point during the pandemic. The IOD's Economic Confidence Index hit -72 in July 2025, falling from -53 in June, to hit its lowest ever level since the index started in 2016.
Daily Mirror
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
£7,600 a year pension divide women face in retirement - and how to boost your pot
A report has exposed the shocking gap between the average man and woman has to live in retirement A pensions divide means the average woman has £7,600 a year less to live on in retirement, a report has found. A combination of a gender pay gap in work and the fact that women are more likely to take time out to do unpaid caring roles means they have typically built just half as much in a workplace or private pension as men. Trade union body the TUC has marked the ongoing disparity with Gender Pensions Gap Day - the point in the year at which women would stop receiving any form of pension if it was paid out at the same rate as men. Research by the Prospect union found the retirement income gap between men and women stands at 36.5% - or more than double the average pay different between the sexes when in work. It comes after Labour last month revived the Pension Commission, which will bring together unions, employers and independent experts to look into the causes of the gap, among other issues. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: 'Everyone deserves dignity and security in retirement. But right now, too many retired women have been left without enough to get by. 'We must make sure that these inequalities are addressed for future generations. That's why reviving the Pensions Commission is a vital step forward. 'We now have a chance to make sure everyone, including women, receive the decent retirement income that all workers need.' Sue Ferns, Prospect's senior deputy general secretary, said: 'The gender pension gap is very slowly moving in the right direction but without a more concerted effort millions of women will continue to suffer from unequal earnings in retirement for much of the rest of this century.' The research by Prospect took into accounts retirees' incomes from any occupational pension they have - whether defined benefit or defined contribution - plus another private pension they might have, in addition to the state pension. It does not include any other income they may receive, including other state benefits. It found the average male pensioner gets £402.32 a week, or £20,920.64 a year, compared with a typical female pensioner on £255.52 per week, or £13,287.09 a year. How to boost your pension income Find and reclaim lost pensions If you've moved jobs - especially early on - there is a chance you've lost track of a pension you were paying into. That's especially true if you didn't update your contact details. More than £30billion worth of retirement pots are thought to have gone astray this way. You can use the government's free pension tracing service to try to find them. Check if your employer will pay more into your pension If you have an employer, check if they offer contribution matching. This means they'll also pay more into your pension if you do, up to a certain limit – like 10% of your pay. Check if you can boost your state pension The amount of state pension you get depends on how many years of national insurance contributions or credits you have when you reach your state pension age. You usually earn these automatically if you are employed or receiving certain benefits. You normally need at least 10 qualifying years to get any money and 35 years to get the full amount. If you might not qualify for the full amount, there are ways to increase your state pension – including claiming free credits or paying to fill gaps in your record. Consider switching providers for lower pension fees It could be worth switching or combining your pensions into one with lower fees to save money. You can normally do this if you have a defined contribution pension, but not if you have a defined benefit pension, as you don't pay fees on this type of scheme.
The National
17 minutes ago
- The National
Labour Party membership falls by almost 200,000 in 5 years
Figures published on Thursday showed the party had shed another 37,215 members over the course of 2024, around 10% of its total membership at the start of the year. The losses bring Labour's membership to 333,235 at the end of last year, well down on its recent peak of 532,046 at the end of 2019. The party remains the largest in the UK, despite a surge in membership for Reform UK. READ MORE: SNP may never repay £60k owed to Peter Murrell, party accounts state Nigel Farage's party did not include a membership figure in its own accounts, published by the Electoral Commission on Thursday, but a ticker on Reform's website claimed it had 234,460 members. The LibDems suffered a slight fall in membership from 86,599 to 83,174 despite recording its best electoral results, while the Greens gained around 5000 new members. The Conservative Party does not routinely publish its membership figures in its annual accounts, but did record an increase in income from membership fees of around £500,000. Some 131,680 people were eligible to vote in the Tory leadership election last year, 40,000 fewer than in the 2022 contest. In Scotland, the SNP recorded 56,011 members, compared with 64,525 in 2024 – which the party said means it remains the largest north of the Border. Thursday's accounts also showed Labour and the Tories reporting deficits for the year after the most expensive General Election in British history. Labour recorded a loss of £3.8 million after spending £94.5m over the course of the year, while the Conservatives spent £52m and lost £1.9m. The SNP, meanwhile, recorded a deficit of £455,254 after spending £4.5m. Smaller parties fared better. The LibDems and Reform UK recorded surpluses of £1.1m and £1.5m respectively, and the Greens enjoyed a £232,457 surplus. While most of the details were published by the Electoral Commission on Thursday, Labour's figures were published on the party's own website after it was late submitting its accounts to the watchdog. It is understood that unforeseen administrative delays were responsible for the late submission, while a party spokesman said they expected the Electoral Commission to publish the document 'imminently'. The Electoral Commission said Labour's 'failure to meet the submission deadline' would be 'considered in line with our enforcement policy'. Labour general secretary Hollie Ridley and treasurer Mike Payne said last year's loss reflected 'the need to respond at pace to shifting circumstances in the general election campaign'. READ MORE: Israel begins first stages of planned assault on Gaza City It follows a loss of £851,000 in 2023 and comes despite incomes from donations more than doubling to £39.4m. Meanwhile, the Conservatives' loss came as its income fell by more than £9m, including a reduction in income from donations. Tory chairman Nigel Huddleston and treasurer Catherine Latham said the party would now make 'substantial investments in digital media infrastructure and staff and volunteer training' as it moved to create a 'more dynamic and nimbler organisation'. The Liberal Democrats reported £12.6m in income for 2024, while Reform UK reported £10.8m and the Greens £5.2m.
