
Emissions-based charges plan for Plymouth's motorists
Charges based on vehicle emissions could be introduced for motorists in Plymouth under council plans.Plymouth City Council said its latest climate strategy, known as the Net Zero Action Plan (NZAP), is set to be reviewed by the authority's Natural Infrastructure and Growth scrutiny panel on Wednesday.It said a number of new initiatives have been added to the plan including "exploring the feasibility, potential role and benefits of emissions-based vehicle charging tariffs".Following the scrutiny meeting, the latest version of NZAP - which covers a three-year period - is due to be voted on at a full council meeting on 17 March.
'Ambitious' plans
The council said other new NZAP initiatives included an externally-funded £400m network connecting major buildings with a central heating source.Council bosses have not given any details about how the emission-based charges would work or how much they would be.Councillor Tom Briars-Delve, cabinet member for the environment and climate change, said the latest version of the NZAP would hopefully help the city make "great strides" towards hitting its net zero ambitions.He added: "I do understand that for some people, parts of this plan may seem ambitious but ambitious is what we must be if we are to ensure the environmental sustainability of our city and planet."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Gloucester car boot sale reopening date announced
The date that traders can return to a car boot sale site has been announced, seven months on from its Hempsted Meadow Car Boot Sale will reopen on Sunday 20 July after it was announced last month that Capital Boot Sales had been appointed by Gloucester City Council to run city council closed the car boot over the winter to work on the site and because the lease was up for renewal. It said the lease was won by the new operator following "a rigorous marketing process".Car boot sales will be held at the site every Wednesday and Sunday, with Capital Boot Sales saying it plans to open a "new goods only" free-to-enter Saturday market in the future. 'Overwhelmed' Capital Boot Sales said it has been "overwhelmed by the number of supportive messages it has received from buyers and sellers who are looking forward to using the site".A spokesman for the company added: "We will have a tiered price entry system for buyers that will enable us to achieve greater footfall than previously seen."We have managed to keep the main buyers and sellers prices the same. However, we have introduced some optional extras such as early set up for sellers and early entrance for buyers."A spokesperson for the city council said it was "sure people will be absolutely delighted that the Boot Sale is back"."What's just as pleasing is its going to be in the hands of an experienced operator with big plans for the future," they added.


The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Amsterdam MEGA brothel takes huge leap towards becoming reality: 5-floor red light romp-factory to house 100 sex workers
AMSTERDAM may soon have a mega Dutch brothel that will span over five floors and house hundreds of sex workers. Incredible plans have been revealed for Erotisch Centrum - a multi-million dollar building with multiple bars and erotic entertainment venues - including a strip club. 7 7 7 Amsterdam City Council has long been planning to build a massive brothel to relocate prostitutes away from the city's current red light district. And from this week, residents will be able to respond to the plans that are being backed by the city's mayor herself. According to Femke Halsema, the space will ensure safer working conditions, reduce criminality and tackle human trafficking. Concept designs revealed in 2020 showed two towers in red and black with spiral ramps. It comes as part of Dutch attempts to clear their capital's reputation and improve its image as a historical city. The city eventually plans to shut down the centuries-old red light district, which is popular for its neon-lit windows where sex workers stand and try to attract customers. But many residents - and prostitutes - have already voiced their concerns about the plans. World's largest brothel in Cologne Germany fully booked for Euros In December 2023, Mayor Halsema proposed that the building should be built in Zuid - an affluential district in the south of the city. The plans for a building solely dedicated to sex work were supposed to provide safe working conditions. But it has attracted a wealth of criticism claiming that it does the exact opposite. Some sex workers have decried being pushed out of the historic centre of prostitution, De Wallen, saying that other areas are prone to stigma and they could be at risk when travelling to and from work. During a public discussion on the planning, former sex worker Mariska Majoor, said: "A prostitution window on the street is very different from one in a closed erotic centre. "The location is dark at night. There will be more stigma and more danger. "I'm worried they will be waited for on the paths by people with nefarious plans." While another sex worker added: "Sex workers have moved from doorways to windows…and now into a segregated centre pushed to the edge of town, out of sight, out of mind. "Keep your laws off our bodies and no erotic prisons." Over 40 people spoke out against the plans during the public discussion - with some even going as far as to compare the brothel to a 16th century "spinning house" that marked "fallen women". The European Medicines Agency, who moved to the Zuid district in 2019, have said that they are "extremely concerned" by the plans. A spokesman for the agency said: 'EMA is very concerned that this will create safety, security and nuisance issues. 'The change of the location of the red light district is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour. 'Locating the Erotic Centre in close proximity to EMA's building is likely to bring the same negative impacts to the adjacent area. 7 7 7 '(We will be taking this to the) highest appropriate political and diplomatic level to ensure a safe working environment. 'EMA's work is essential for the protection of public health in the EU, and this should not be jeopardised by fears of staff and EU experts coming to EMA's building.' So far, only seven people have spoken out in favour of the plans - among them, a male sex worker called Richard Jones. Jones believes that the mega brothel could create more space for sex workers from minority groups. He said that these sex workers are currently working in homes, either their own or their clients, and that this poses a big safety risk. Jones went on to argue that if they had access to a large space, tailor-made for sex work, these minorities would be much safer. He also added: 'People who say they don't want it in their neighbourhood don't realise it is already happening…with their husbands, their friends, with them themselves. "At the moment, your houses are our workplaces.' Inside the rise of AI brothels By Sarah Bull, Senior Reporter IT'S a city famous for its landmarks and culture. But beneath Berlin's vibrant exterior is a disturbing underworld of cyber adult entertainment. The German capital is the first place in the world to open an AI brothel, which allows people to book an hour with artificially advanced "sex dolls" ready to grant their every wish - however depraved that may be. And shockingly, there are also numerous people who use the AI "women" solely to abuse - without any fear of the consequences - and then share the disturbing images of their actions on social media. Writer Laura Bates experienced Cybrothel first hand when she visited for her new book The New Age of Sexism: How the AI Revolution is Reinventing Misogyny. And in an interview on the Should I Delete That? podcast, Laura explained she made a custom request - for her robot doll to have her clothes slashed and torn - just to "see if they did it". She said they were happy to, with "no questions asked". You can even order a doll "covered in blood", Laura said. "I genuinely think it's the most f***ed up thing I've ever heard in my life," podcast host Em Clarkson said. But Cybrothel co-owner Matthias Smetana insisted of the sessions available there: "If you are here, the only person who can judge you is yourself." 'We have a lot of people who have never been in touch with sex work, who are really down to try it but are looking for a safe space," he told "If you face performance anxiety, this doesn't go in Cybrothel as you are dealing with sex toys, not humans." And it's not just in a cyber brothel in Berlin that people are able to "enjoy" the perks of an AI sex robot - advancing technology means you can have one in your pocket too.


BBC News
5 days ago
- BBC News
New Hanley double red lines set to prevent illegal parking
Installation of a new red traffic route is set take place in Stoke-on-Trent next month to tackle illegal parking, the council red lines will be painted along Broad Street in Hanley, between Potteries Way and Victoria Square, from 9 June, with drivers who stop anywhere on the route face a £70 authority said parking officers had visited the site 1,333 times in the last year, to tackle "incessant parking issues".Double red lines mean stopping to park, load/unload or to board and alight from a vehicle (except for a licensed taxi or if you hold a Blue Badge) is prohibited, according to the Highway Code. The fine will be discounted to £35 if paid within 14 days, the city council authority said the work would take three days to complete and would include removing double yellow lines as well as installing new signage and cameras. 'There will be consequences' The lines are being painted in response to a public consultation in 2024 over the problems of parking in the said the aim of the scheme was also to help traffic flow, support the economy, improve air quality and address road safety Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, said drivers have been ignoring double yellow line restrictions."Our enforcement teams have been out to the location multiple times a day, but enough is enough," he said. "This red route will put some order back on our streets and make it clear that parking restrictions aren't optional."If you park where you shouldn't, there will be consequences."Work would be carried out between 09:00 BST and 15:30 each day, and the new rules will be enforced from 16 June. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.