Vauxhall plant closure 'could cost Luton area £300m a year'
The report by Sinead McNamara, service director for inclusive growth, to the borough council's executive said the closure would have "significant economic and social consequences, and will negatively impact both Luton's and the wider regional economy's future financial growth ambitions".It would affect the direct job losses but also "the supply chain", it said."Early estimates are that the closure of the Luton plant represents a GVA loss of over £300 million per annum, a huge economic shock to the local and regional economies."The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the report stated that "several positive meetings" had been held with the new owners, which said it would spend £400m regenerating the site into a "high-quality commercial and industrial park".
Hazel Simmons, Labour leader of the authority, said the group would be "specifically focusing on the economic renewal of the site, with extra skills and training to support affected workers back into employment". She said "opportunities" were also emerging with the approval of the expansion of the town's airport and Universal Studios planning to open a theme park close to Bedford. "We also have the new 25,000 capacity football stadium opening in our town centre, as well as a strong cultural events programme and live music offer to support the thriving visitor economy."These two developments alone will transform our town and reinforce the role Luton plays in the wider regional economy. "What we must address with the taskforce is the short-term and how we can maximise opportunities around what's happening at a later date," she added.Stellantis said it closed the Luton plant to move its electric van production to another site in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, where it was investing £50m."Our employees always remain our priority, and we continue to act responsibly towards our colleagues in Luton," a spokesperson previously said.
Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
29 minutes ago
- The Independent
Swinney has ‘no intention' of reshuffling Scottish cabinet before May election
John Swinney has made clear he has 'no intention' of reshuffling his cabinet team at Holyrood, despite a number of key figures in his government stepping down at next May's Scottish elections. More than 20 SNP MSPs are set to leave Holyrood when voters north of the border go to the poll next year. Mr Swinney's deputy First Minister Kate Forbes is among them, along with Finance Secretary Shona Robison, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop and Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon. However, Mr Swinney made clear he has no plans to reshape his top team in the light of the planned departures. Speaking at an event in Edinburgh organised by the think tank Enlighten, Mr Swinney said: 'I have no intention of reshuffling my team before the election.' While he spoke about his 'regret' about fellow MSPs leaving Holyrood, including 'close colleagues, friends and confidantes', he said he had reshuffled his cabinet team after government minister Mairi McAllan returned to work earlier this year following her maternity leave. She was given the newly created post of housing secretary, with Mr Swinney tasking her with tackling the housing 'emergency' in Scotland. Asked if the impending departure of senior members of his government would bring about a reshuffle ahead of May's Scottish elections, the SNP leader said he had 'decided, actively and purposefully' that he had people in his cabinet with 'experience and expertise in a number of roles that would help me to deliver to government's programme before the election'. And he argued that if he was to 'put in a whole host of new faces' then 'it would take a while to get things back up to the level of delivery' So he insisted: 'I have no plans to reshuffle the government.' His comments came as he spoke of his 'regret' over SNP MSPs leaving Holyrood, with the First Minister saying he 'very much' regretted Ms Forbes' decision to quit the Scottish Parliament. She announced earlier this month she would not be running for election next year, saying she did not want to 'miss any more of the precious early years of family life'. Meanwhile, former first ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf are also stepping down. Mr Swinney said: 'Some of my colleagues are stepping down because they have done a very long shift.' While he said he was the 'longest serving' parliamentarian at Holyrood, having been first voted in as an MP 28 years ago before being elected as an MSP in the first devolved elections, he noted a number of those quitting had also been first elected in 1999. However, he added some MSPs were leaving because of the 'tough' nature of politics. 'We have to acknowledge that for many, I think particularly younger women, the climate is horrendous,' Mr Swinney said. He continued: 'The social media endurance is hard to bear for some people, and it makes public service look frankly unattractive at times.' In these circumstances, he said, he tries to 'support my colleagues, understand and be an ally'. But the SNP leader added: 'Ultimately, I can not protect people from what is thrown at them, and some of the behaviours are appalling, so that affects a number of people as well.'
Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How employees are using AI to fudge receipts for business expenses - and how to spot them
AI is being used by office fraudsters to fiddle their expenses, a cybersecurity expert has warned. Many places of work will ask their employees to upload a photo of a receipt they need reimbursing for before their expense is approved. Scammers don't need sophisticated skills in technology or Photoshop anymore, because now it is as easy as asking a chatbot to create a receipt for a business transaction that never happened. Even with minor errors that AI models can sometimes make, these are likely to be missed by the managers approving claims as they often have so many to sift through. Jake Moore, the Global Cybersecurity Advisor for ESET, said the scam is scarily realistic and can fly past under the nose of financial teams. He told the Daily Mail: 'AI has enabled crime to be sped up and become accessible to many more people. 'Tools like Photoshop can be difficult and take a long time to learn. Now with AI, just by speaking in a natural language to it and giving it a prompt you can get what you want. 'If you ask it to make you one from scratch it can look fake, but if you start the prompt with a real receipt, it is impressively quick. It's shocking how it looks extremely realistic.' The cyber expert put a chatbot to the test and made a £38.20 Starbucks receipt that could trick almost anyone. And it can be done all in a matter of seconds. Mr Moore added: 'AI images can sometimes look generated, but in a situation where you're someone in a financial team going through these quickly and at masse, it could get through. 'It's a potential area that financial teams aren't thinking about and can go under the radar quite easily. 'People have said "why would you risk getting caught for an extra £35", but we are in a cost-of-living crisis, and this could be of interest to someone who wants to try and claim a bit of extra money. 'We have a shop theft issue in this country where we see people brazenly walking out with bags of shopping because there is something like a threshold of £200 where police won't get involved,' and little thefts are a small win for some people, he said. Mr Moore said the ease and sophistication of this kind of fraud can be difficult to mitigate against, 'especially when they look so authentic'. He advised businesses to start handing out company credit cards instead as he urged to increase awareness around manipulating AI for financial gain. 'If they're using their own card to claim reimbursements, it's likely to be a small amount as you will usually need a company card to make a big purchase, which can also be a good way to be able to monitor payments and mitigate against it. 'Financial teams should look out for blurry text, misaligned formatting and the VAT number. 'If it's a fake, when cross-checked [using a VAT number service] the shop at the top at the receipt won't be correct. 'We all need to raise our awareness.' It comes as experts have warned that online fraudsters could use AI to launch a wave of convincing scams. Cybersecurity company Norton warned that criminals are turning to AI tools such as ChatGPT to generate extremely convincing phishing emails and create 'lures' to rob victims. Chatbots also completely remove the language barrier for cybercriminal gangs around the world, warns Julia O'Toole, CEO of MyCena Security Solutions. She said: 'Phishing has come on significantly since email scams first hit inboxes, but a lack of proficiency in language and culture has still been a major barrier for scammers, who have struggled to make their emails realistic.' People often spot scam emails and texts because they are badly written but some chatbots can easily create messages that convincingly impersonate businesses and official bodies. Consumer group Which? previously asked ChatGPT to create an email telling the recipient someone had logged into their PayPal account. In seconds, it produced a professionally written email with the heading 'Important Security Notice – Unusual Activity Detected on Your PayPal Account'. It included steps on how to secure the account and links to reset a password and contact customer support.
The Sun
30 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tesco Clubcard shoppers urged to check accounts for £10 bonus
TESCO Clubcard users have been urged to check their accounts in order to receive a generous £10 bonus. The reward is being sent out to customers who used the trick over the next few months. Martin Lewis ' Money Saving Expert X account has encouraged shoppers to check their emails, following last month's special deal. A £10 bonus is being sent to the accounts of those who used the "turn £5 into £20" trick in July. The post reads: "If you used the 'turn £5 into £20" Tesco Clubcard trick last month, have you received your £10 worth of bonus points yet? "Some at MSE Towers have just got theirs, so go check!" The £10 bonus is being dished out in the form of 1,000 points to shoppers' Clubcards. The experts added: "Not got yours yet? Don't worry - Tesco told us that it'll add the 1,000 bonus points to accounts of those who used the trick by Sunday 19 October, so there is still plenty of time." However, happy customers have been quick to comment that the points have already hit their accounts. Unfortunately the deadline to get the deal was July 29 so those who missed it won't be able to bag the bonus. This generous offering marks Tesco's celebration of 30 years of rewards. The popular store announced last month that it would be offering its customers £10 worth of points by simply exchanging £5 of Clubcard Vouchers with one of Tesco's Days Out Reward Partners. Shoppers could choose from more than 100 exciting days out from Highland Safaris in Scotland to the Eden Project in Cornwall. Other big name attraction Reward Partners included Alton Towers Resort and the LEGOLAND Windsor resort. Tesco Group Membership and Loyalty Director Shama Wilson said: 'To celebrate 30 years of Clubcard rewards, we are offering an amazing £10 of points back when you spend on days out. "It means you can exchange your vouchers and get great savings while getting £10 of points in return to go towards your weekly shop or even another great day out later in the year.' Last month, The Sun reported that another popular supermarket launched a new subscription service aimed at online grocery shoppers. The service aims to give customers the chance to save money on delivery fees. The scheme, called the Waitrose Delivery Pass, is now available across the UK after a successful trial. It allows shoppers to pay a fixed amount upfront for deliveries, either monthly, six-monthly, or annually, through the Waitrose website or app. Without a pass, delivery slots cost between £2 and £4 each. But with the new scheme, a one-month pass will cost £8, a six-month pass is £45, and a 12-month pass comes in at £85. Waitrose says the annual plan could save customers up to £123 a year if they order once a week using a £4 slot. Morrisons is also offering shoppers the opportunity to make big savings in a huge change to its loyalty scheme. Customers can now earn More Points even when they're not shopping at the supermarket– thanks to a brand-new perk that launched in May. Morrisons More Card holders can collect points with over 300 popular brands including eBay, Just Eat, Expedia, Asos, Very, and loads more. Supermarket loyalty schemes - which has one? MOST UK supermarkets have loyalty schemes so customers can build up points and save money while they shop. Iceland: Unlike other stores, you don't collect points with the Iceland Bonus Card. Instead, you load it up with money and Iceland will give you £1 for every £20 you save. Lidl Plus: Lidl customers don't collect points when they shop, and are instead rewarded with personalised vouchers that gives them money off at the till. Morrisons: The My Morrisons: Make Good Things Happen replaces the More Card and rewards customers with personalised money off vouchers via the app. Sainsbury's: While Sainsbury's doesn't have a personal scheme, it does own the Nectar card which can also be used in Argos, eBay and other shops. You need 200 Nectar points to save up £1 to spend on your card. You need to spend at least £1 to get one Nectar point. Tesco: Tesco Clubcard has over 17million members in the UK alone. You use it each time you shop and build up points that can be turned into vouchers - 150 points gets you a £1.50 voucher. Here you need to spend £1 in Tesco to get one point.
