Tiger bus pass in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is extended
However, it was agreed the local fare cap - which prices single journeys for older riders at £2.50 - would end on 31 October to free up £1.4m to fund the extension.This meant tickets would increase to £3 from that date.
Tiger passes were introduced in May 2024 and their budget was due to run out in November.Bristow, a Conservative, said: "I inherited a scheme that was going to run out of money this autumn. "Now users have certainty until April next year, while we, as a board, get the detail right on a Tiger pass that's a permanent fixture of public transport in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough."The estimated cost of the Tiger pass extension was £2.28m.Labour representatives on the board suggested reallocating underspends from other budgets to save axing the fare cap.However, their proposal was not supported by other members and the motion was unanimously backed.The board agreed to develop ways of making the Tiger pass permanent over summer.During the meeting, members also decided to begin procurement of bus services on the number nine from Littleport to Cambridge and 31 from Ramsey to Peterborough.They would be funded by scrapping the South Cambridgeshire DRT, number 15 Haslingfield to Royston and number 8A March to Cottenham.
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The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer set to unleash billions of investment into UK as he signs India trade deal
Sir Keir Starmer is set to sign one of his landmark trade deal with India prime minister Narendra Modi which has already unleashed billions of investment in the UK. The signing of the trade deal with India after years of negotiation marks a triumph for Sir Keir who has also achieved a Brexit reset agreement with the EU and a deal with Donald Trump to tackle the US president's new tariffs. It comes as the India prime minister visits the UK on a trip aimed to build relations between the two countries. According to the government, the deal which was agreed in May, has already resulted in £6 billion in investment for the British economy. The prime minister and his Indian counterpart also agreed ahead of their meeting on Thursday to ramp up joint efforts to tackle illegal migration and organised crime. The UK-India trade deal is understood to be the largest of its kind for its economic impact on Britain. It will see tariffs on an array of British goods reduced from an average of 15 per cent to 3 per cent, with the aim of boosting the £11 billion of imports into the south Asian nation which is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Whisky tariffs will be slashed in half, according to the government, and will fall further over successive years, while other industries including soft drinks, cars and cosmetics are also expected to see cheaper duties. Before his meeting with Mr Modi to confirm the deal, Sir Keir said: "Our landmark trade deal with India is a major win for Britain. It will create thousands of British jobs across the UK, unlock new opportunities for businesses and drive growth in every corner of the country, delivering on our Plan for Change. "We're putting more money in the pockets of hardworking Brits and helping families with the cost of living, and we're determined to go further and faster to grow the economy and raise living standards across the UK." The deal is expected to result in 2,200 jobs across the country and £6 billion investment by British and Indian businesses. Meanwhile, 26 British companies have secured new business in India. Airbus & Rolls-Royce will soon begin delivering Airbus aircraft – with over half powered by Rolls-Royce engines – to major Indian airlines as part of around £5 billion worth of contracts recently agreed. These orders will help sustain hundreds of jobs across their respective sites in Filton, Broughton and Derby. A total of 18 firms have confirmed new investment including Zerowatt Energy, AI powered energy intelligence platform is setting up its Global HQ in Leicester. The firm will invest £10m and create 50 new jobs across Leicester, Manchester, Edinburgh and London over the next three years. Among the other businesses to benefit are Carbon Clean, a UK-based leader in carbon capture, with projected UK export contributions of £83 million over the next five years, has invested £7.6 million in a Global Innovation Centre in Mumbai. The deal will unlock 250 jobs across London, Glasgow and Huddersfield as well as 100 jobs in Mumbai. AI and data services company, DCube AI, is investing £5 million in the UK, unlocking 50 jobs across Manchester and London in the next three years to strength its technology offering to UK customers. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the investment will "reach all regions and nations of the UK so working people in every community can feel the benefits". He added: "The almost £6 billion in new investment and export wins announced today will deliver thousands of jobs and shows the strength of our partnership with India as we ensure the UK is the best place in the world to invest and do business." 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The Guardian
29 minutes ago
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Political signalling was crucial. Reynolds first met Goyal when Labour was in opposition, while he and David Lammy were visiting Delhi in February 2024. India and the UK were due to hold elections that year, with Modi widely expected to win a third term and Labour on course to end 14 years of Tory government. The trip was a particularly sensitive one for Labour, which was working to mend relations with India after a nadir in 2019 when Jeremy Corbyn was perceived to have sided with Pakistan over Kashmir. Lammy and Reynolds were having dinner with Indian investors and had not expected to meet Goyal, who like other ministers was occupied with the budget debate in parliament. But during dinner they got a message from Goyal inviting them to his home nearby for a nightcap. Over 11pm chai and kheer, Reynolds and Lammy made it clear that they would support the Conservative government if it finalised a trade deal with India – and would pick up the negotiations after the election if it didn't. A few months later, during the thick of the UK election campaign, Lammy addressed the India Global Forum and said a trade deal with the country was 'a floor, not a ceiling, of our ambitions'. He travelled to Delhi in late July, having promised Modi's government that he would visit in his first month as foreign secretary. 'There was an element of, these guys actually mean what they say,' a senior UK official recalled. 'In their manifesto, there's only one country that gets a mention – that's India. All these positive signals were received.' In November, Starmer and Modi met on the margins of the G20 summit in Brazil and reiterated their ambition for a deal. But, in the months that followed, there was a lull in negotiations which created some frustration on the Indian side, fuelling suspicions that it was not as much a priority for Labour as it had been for the Tories. 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Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
Britain and India to sign landmark free trade pact during Modi visit
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