
Britain must learn from France's e-scooter mistake
An e-scooter revolution is coming to Britain whether the country likes it or not. 'The revolution will hurt a little, but it's necessary,' declared the vice-president of one of Europe's leading e-scooter rental companies. Christina Moe Gjerde of Sweden's Voi Technology has said her ambition was to have 50,000 more e-bikes and scooters on the streets of Britain. 'You [Britain] are sitting on a gold mine,' said Moe Gjerde. 'Get it right and there's so much potential.'
Private e-scooters are illegal on English roads but rental companies have been operating rolling trial schemes for a number of years in many towns and cities. The government wants more e-scooters and e-bikes and is encouraging local authorities to initiate more pilots. This roll-out would be regulated with restrictions on parking and speed. Moe Gjerde acknowledged that these two issues are a 'problem' and reasons why e-scooters are so divisive.

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Scotsman
22 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Rachel Reeves spending review: When will the Chancellor announce the plans? What is a spending review?
The Spending Review will be delivered by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Rachel Reeves is set to deliver her Spending Review on Wednesday in what could be a defining moment for the UK Labour government. The Chancellor will unveil the government's day-to-day spending commitments up to 2028-29, as well as the investment spending plans to 2029-30. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves has announced a U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts. Picture: James Manning/PA Wire As such, the allocations will define not just the impact on Scots lives for the rest of this Parliament, but also shape Labour's chances of being re-elected, as well as their prospects in Holyrood. The Steamie newsletter brings unrivalled political analysis - subscribe here What is a spending review? Spending reviews occur every few years and is the process the government uses to set all departments' budgets for future years. This covers both the services the public uses every day, like the NHS, schools and transport, and also how the government will invest in areas such research, energy security and infrastructure to drive economic growth across the country. They account for 40 per cent of all public spending. The previous multi-year spending review took place in 2021 under Boris Johnson's Conservative administration. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What time will Rachel Reeves announce the Spending Review? The Chancellor will stand up in the House of Commons on Wednesday, June 11 after Prime Minister's Questions, at roughly 12.30pm. Once Ms Reeves has finished speaking, the review will be published on the UK government website, along with any accompanying documents. Forecasters will outline their response shortly after. What is likely to be included? Scottish pensioners now face being worse off than those in England and Wales after the UK government confirmed its U-turn over winter fuel payment cuts. A pensioner warms up a room in their house. Millions will again receive a winter fuel payment later this year following a U-turn announced by Rachel Reeves. | Getty Images The Chancellor announced on Monday an increase to the payment, worth up to £300 for each recipient. However, Scotland has already created a devolved benefit of £100 for all pensioner households, with only those on pension credit receiving up to £300. The devolved policy will potentially leave hundreds of thousands of Scots worse off than their English and Welsh counterparts. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The UK government has also confirmed it will commit to a multi-decade, multi-billion redevelopment of HMNB Clyde, An initial £250 million in funding has been allocated to the Faslane base - the home of Trident nuclear weapons - over three years. There is also an expectation the Chancellor will finally sign off on the Acorn project.


North Wales Live
36 minutes ago
- North Wales Live
New link road and 235 home estate development gets underway in North Wales town
A major homes development that also includes a new link road has got underway. Anwyl Homes has broken ground on a development of 235 new homes in Mold. The Ewloe-based family-run homebuilder is set to create an estate - named Dol Derwen - on the edge of the town. A new road will also be formed through the site linking Gwernaffield Road to Denbigh Road. Flintshire council gave it the go-ahead last year. Council officers and the planning committee backed the proposals despite some local opposition. Community leaders had voiced fears that the scheme could add to problems with traffic and flooding in the area. Graeme Gibb, sales director at Anwyl Homes Cheshire and North Wales said: 'This location offers an attractive setting within convenient distance of everything the thriving market town of Mold has to offer; including several supermarkets, independent shops, restaurants, cafes and highly regarded schools, including both English and Welsh language high schools. Join the North Wales Live WhatsApp community group where you can get the latest stories delivered straight to your phone 'We've already seen strong interest in our new homes in Mold. With work now underway we're expecting that interest to grow. The first homes will be released for sale towards the end of the summer.' The 28-acre site was allocated for housing in Flintshire County Council's adopted local plan. It will feature 94 affordable homes (40% of the total development) alongside 141 private sale homes. Across the development there will be a range of one, two, three and four-bedroom designs. As part of the planning agreement, Anwyl will contribute towards the local community, including more than £37,500 towards improvements at Ysgol Bryn Gwalia. There will be a play area and multi-use games area for residents and the wider community to enjoy. Graeme added: 'To encourage biodiversity on site we'll be creating habitats for local wildlife through new native planting, the retention of mature trees and hedgerows, and the installation of bird and bat boxes.'

Leader Live
43 minutes ago
- Leader Live
SNP opposition to new nuclear power stations ‘makes no sense', says Miliband
The Energy Secretary said Holyrood's position 'makes no sense', as Labour MP Gregor Poynton claimed the policy had cost workers and taxpayers north of the border 'billions of pounds of investment and thousands of high-skilled jobs'. SNP MP Kirsty Blackman described the UK Government's new £14.2 billion investment into Sizewell C in Suffolk as a 'splurge', when she pressed Mr Miliband on whether the Government will back the Acorn carbon capture and storage project. Mr Miliband said the Sizewell development along East Anglia's North Sea coastline will 'power the equivalent of around six million homes with clean homegrown energy for 60 years, and it will be a jobs and growth engine for Britain, supporting 10,000 jobs in the peak construction and creating 1,500 apprenticeships'. It is one of several nuclear projects which the Government has backed, which also include a prototype fusion plant at West Burton, Nottinghamshire, and a partnership between Rolls-Royce and Great British Energy – Nuclear to rollout small modular reactors. Mr Poynton, the MP for Livingston, told the Commons: 'Scotland was once a pioneer in nuclear energy and should be again, but due to the SNP Scottish Government's outdated, backward, quite frankly bizarre opposition to nuclear energy, turning away billions of pounds of investment and thousands of high-skilled jobs. 'So, does the Secretary of State agree with me this is yet another way the SNP Scottish Government has lost their way?' Mr Miliband replied that Mr Poynton was 'so right', and added: 'People in Scotland will be looking at these announcements and saying, 'well why isn't it us that are benefitting from this? Why are we not even in the race?'' The Scottish Government, led by SNP First Minister John Swinney, has a policy of opposing the building of new nuclear power stations. Lillian Jones, the Labour MP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, criticised the position as an 'ideological block on nuclear power, blocking billions in investment, blocking thousands of well-paid, secure Scottish jobs, and blocking growth'. In his response, Mr Miliband said: 'We can announce a golden age of nuclear with our investments but not in Scotland, because of the position of the SNP Government. 'It makes no sense.' Aberdeen North MP Ms Blackman had earlier said: 'This £14 billion splurge on English nuclear power plants comes on top of £22 billion for English carbon capture and storage, while there's nothing for Scotland's Acorn project. 'With Grangemouth (oil refinery) allowed to close, with a fiscal regime that is ruining north-east energy jobs, this latest announcement shows that Scotland isn't just an afterthought, it isn't a thought at all. 'If nearly £40 billion can be found for English energy projects, why is it that money is never found for Scotland's carbon capture project?' Mr Miliband replied: 'Well look, I think maybe there is an SNP change in position coming. If she wants to have a conversation about Scottish nuclear power stations, then absolutely. 'We're in favour of the Acorn project and we'll be saying more about this in the coming weeks. 'But let me just say to her – on nuclear power, they've really got to think again. We are backing nuclear with the biggest building programme in a generation. 🔧£14.2bn for Sizewell C👷10,000 jobs & 1,500 apprenticeships⚛️ Small Modular Reactor programme Clean, homegrown power will boost the UK's energy security, protect billpayers & drive economic growth. — Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (@energygovuk) June 10, 2025 'They are absolutely sticking their heads in the sand when it comes to this. This is about jobs, it's about investment, it's about clean energy, they should really rethink.' In an earlier statement, Mr Miliband said: 'The Government is taking decisive steps today to usher in a new golden age of nuclear for Britain.' He added: 'For too long, our country has not made the crucial energy – or indeed other infrastructure investments – we need. A short-sighted failure to invest for which the British people have paid the price in lower living standards, insecurity and declining public services. 'This week's announcements symbolise a decisive change in approach, to invest in the future – the right choice for energy security, the right choice for jobs, the right choice for climate and our children and grandchildren, the right choice for Britain, investment, not decline. 'This Government has made its choice.' The Energy Secretary's comments came as leaders of the GMB Scotland union urged the Scottish Government to rethink its opposition to new nuclear power stations north of the border. The nuclear industry already supports almost 3,700 jobs in Scotland, adding £400 million to the economy, the union said. Our calls for investment in new nuclear fell on deaf ears under the Tories. This Labour government listens. And acts.#GMB25 — GMB Union (@GMB_union) June 10, 2025 But it said more could be achieved if SNP ministers would back the construction of new power stations. Louise Gilmour, GMB Scotland secretary, said: 'New nuclear can help provide a baseload of safe, clean and secure energy while creating thousands of skilled, well-paid, unionised jobs in Scotland. 'The Holyrood Government's absolute refusal to seriously consider its potential is an abdication of responsibility and needs to change. 'It makes no sense if ministers want to achieve net-zero targets and it makes no sense if they want Scotland's economy to grow again.' But a Scottish Government spokesperson said that 'our position is now changing'. The Holyrood administration has been 'tremendously successful in attracting renewables investment in Scotland', the spokesperson said. 'That is because there has been a clear policy direction from the Scottish Government.'