DAN HODGES: Keir Starmer's delusional if he thinks his morally bankrupt plan to let 16-year-olds vote will help him out. They'll NEVER vote for him
To be fair, nobody ever seriously pretended there was some great civic imperative behind the change. Angela Rayner made a half-decent fist of it when she claimed: 'For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline. We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy.'
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Cambridgeshire MPs put forward alternative council proposal
Cambridgeshire MPs have put forward alternative proposals for local government re-organisation, which they say would protect "what makes Peterborough great".Original plans put forward by the county's eight councils suggested there should be two new unitary authorities covering the whole county, with different options being Labour MPs Andrew Pakes and Sam Carling said this was not in the best interests of Peterborough, and have made their own suggestion. They want a "Greater Peterborough" area, along with a "Greater Cambridge" and a "Mid Cambridgeshire" authority. The proposal will be considered by Peterborough City Council at a full council meeting on Wednesday. The changes are happening because the government announced it wants all local councils to become unitaries. Currently, Cambridgeshire operates under a two-tier system, with a county council in charge of things like social care, education and local highways. Smaller district councils then look after planning, bin collections and social housing. Peterborough already operates as a unitary authority, with a population of about 220,000. The government has previously indicated it wants each authority to oversee at least 500,000 residents in with a large amount of growth in the area, some people think there could be an argument for authorities to be slightly Carling, the MP for North West Cambridgeshire, said he believed the three-council model would be best for residents. "A Mid Cambridgeshire council would allow rural areas across East Cambridgeshire, Fenland and parts of Huntingdonshire to form an authority that can deliver effectively on residents' priorities, while a Greater Peterborough council encompassing the most high-growth areas of northern and western Cambridgeshire could better regulate and plan that growth."Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: "Putting Peterborough into a mega council would make it harder to attract investment and focus on the challenges we have as a city."He thinks a Greater Peterborough council "would allow a renewed focus on protecting what makes Peterborough great". He said it would also ensure there was "a local lens on areas in western Huntingdonshire", which would not be "lost or swallowed up into a super-council covering a huge geographical area". Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
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Economic abuse: 'My husband stole milk tokens to buy beer'
Crashing a car deliberately, taking control of benefit payments and threatening to share explicit images unless money is handed over. These are all forms of economic abuse that are often Anna, not her real name, was sexually and physically abused, but she says the abuse that has lasted the longest is the economic abuse."He's ultimately still controlling everything. It doesn't matter what I do. I can never, ever get away from it," she ordeal started when her ex-partner stole from her while she was in hospital giving birth: "I couldn't prove it, but he had sold my belongings. Then he stole my baby's milk tokens to buy beer." 'National emergency' Despite leaving him more than 10 years ago, Anna is still finding loans and credit cards he took out in her name. Despite appealing to the banks, she has "tens of thousands" of pounds worth of debt taken out in her name. Her credit score has been destroyed and she is now on the brink of homelessness.A study by the charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) of nearly 3,000 women suggests more than four million women in the UK have experienced economic abuse from a partner or ex-partner in the past found those in London face the highest levels of such abuse, with about one in four affected. Black, Asian and other ethnic-minority women were more than twice as likely to experience this form of domestic abuse than white November, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer told the Commons he was committed to tackling what he described as a "national emergency" of economic abuse. 'Lights-on moment' Researchers found many who face this form of abuse do not recognise only realised she had been economically abused after listening to discussion on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour."I can't even say it was a light-bulb moment. It was a Wembley Stadium switch the lights-on moment."The SEA, which believes this awareness is crucial, said nearly two thirds of women who understood they had been subjected to economic abuse reached out to the organisation for many don't talk to anyone, even close friends and family, about their experiences. Forty-two percent of the women surveyed who had experienced economic abuse said they felt so isolated by their abusers that they remained Wilson Garwood, author of the SEA's study, said: "Perpetrators actively exploit systemic vulnerabilities that women may face, such as institutional discrimination, immigration status, or support needs, to cause harm."This can include the misuse of the benefits system, banking services and family courts to exert control long after the relationship has ended. The charity is calling on the government to set up an economic abuse taskforce, to bring together experts from across the financial services, legal and domestic abuse sectors, to tackle issues like joint mortgage abuse, coerced debt and credit is help available for victims of economic abuse who have been left with debts, through the Economic Abuse Evidence Form. Specialist money and debt advisers can then inform banks and other organisations that someone has experienced economic financial advice, the service helps provide a clear understanding of the situation to organisations without the person having to repeat their story multiple Office minister Jess Phillips said: "No woman should ever be trapped in an abusive relationship because of the suffering they will face if they try to leave, whether that is the threat of physical violence or the prospect of being plunged into poverty and homelessness."Tackling economic abuse - a true hidden crime - will be integral to achieving our ambition of halving violence against women and girls in a decade."
BBC News
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Local council reorganisation: alternative suggestion put forward
An alternative idea for how the county of Hampshire could be carved up for new unitary councils has been put 14 councils in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are to be scrapped and new authorities created under local government reorganisation of the 14 councils are consulting on plans for five new councils but the leaders of Hampshire county and East Hampshire have backed an alternative model which sees the mainland split into three and the Isle of Wight stays alone. Cllr Nick Adams-King, leader of Hampshire county, said it was the only way to make sure "the new councils were resilient and sustainable and don't go bust within a short amount of time". Under this plan, there is a South East council including Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport and Isle of Wight stays alone - both of those are the same as the alternative difference is with the north and mid council which includes Basingstoke, Hart, Rushmoor and South East council merges Southampton with Eastleigh, the New Forest and Test can read about the other consultation here - people can respond to both. A consultation launched on Monday for people to have their say on this plan, which Hampshire say will save £50m. "I admit it is confusing and I'm sorry that is the case," said Mr Adams-King, "but it's really important for people to tell us what they value as Hampshire county council provide 85% of services in the county". He added the solution the councils come up with has to make sure the most vulnerable people are protected and looked after even though "change is coming". However there is opposition to the plans amongst other local authorities.A joint statement has been published by Eastleigh Borough Council, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Fareham Borough Council, Hart District Council, Havant Borough Council, Isle of Wight Council, New Forest District Council, Portsmouth City Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, Southampton City Council, Test Valley Borough Council and Winchester City said: "Hampshire County Council has published its case for a future of only three, large-scale, councils across the county."Their proposal risks creating remote, oversized councils, cut off from the places and people they serve. Our communities deserve better."Cllr Martin, Leader of Fareham Borough Council, said: "I believe that localism is a crucial factor in any proposed change, helping to create a sense of home and belonging within the new council areas."So, while the proposed south-east cluster is reasonable, the same cannot be said for the north which ranges from Basingstoke to Rowlands Castle, or the south-west with areas as disparate as New Milton, Southampton and Andover." Hampshire's councils are being told by central government to happening alongside a devolution bid for a mayoral combined authority which is being supported by Hampshire county, Portsmouth city, Southampton city and Isle of Wight MCCA (Mayoral County Combined Authority) is set to come into operation in May government reorganisation will take another year. Each council needs to submit its plan for local government reorganisation by 26 September 2025. The government will then assess the options, put two or three out for public consultation and then make a final new councils would come into operation in May 2027. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
