Latest news with #AlecShelbrooke
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
BBC's Walking With Dinosaurs in row over fossilised faeces
The BBC has been accused of misleading viewers over fossilised dinosaur faeces. A 2ft-long slab of ancient Tyrannosaurus Rex excrement is shown in the first episode of the broadcaster's new Walking With Dinosaurs programme. However, this fossil was found at the site six years ago and was not unearthed during a recent dig. The show does not acknowledge this and has been criticised for insinuating that it was a contemporary finding. The programme focuses primarily on a three-year-old Triceratops called Clover and tells the story of her trying to avoid a T-Rex with visual effects and CGI. But it also shows other fossils being unearthed at a site in Montana, and then later cuts to researchers analysing a slab of rock which is revealed to be T-Rex excrement. 'The team has tracked down a remarkable fossil with a chilling tale to tell,' the narrator says. 'It may look like a nondescript bit of rock but the shape and texture tell the experts this is a coprolite – fossilised faeces.' However, the specimen was first dug up in 2019 at the Hell Creek excavation site in Montana, and has been on display at an Arizona museum since 2020. It holds the world record for the largest coprolite by a carnivorous animal and is called Barnum after the person to first find the fossil. The fossil was not dug up at the site while the show was being filmed, leading to accusations of 'misleading' viewers. The BBC programme never said it was found during filming and does not show it being dug up, despite it being shown alongside modern footage. Alec Shelbrooke, the Tory MP for Wetherby and Easingwold, called the programme 'totally misleading' for how it integrated the Barnum specimen into the show. 'The BBC must always remember that education is at the core of its charter,' he told the Daily Mail. 'A public sector broadcaster must employ the highest standards when making documentaries, and not become distracted by a desire to entertain. 'We're seeing too many programmes like this which don't actually portray the facts. I would expect an organisation like the BBC to be absolutely crystal clear about what is being shown and not try to cheat viewers.' A BBC spokesman said: 'The programme does not say that this coprolite specimen was found at the dig site. 'As the commentary says: 'The team has tracked down a remarkable fossil with a chilling tale to tell'. 'The specimen comes from the collection of coprolite specialist George Frandsen. It was brought to the site to illustrate what T-Rex commonly ate, which was important information for the story. 'Palaeontologists sometimes bring fossils into the field when attempting to build a wider picture of the prehistoric landscape they are studying. 'The coprolite specimen was used during the course of filming in exactly this manner.' Steve Brusatte, consultant and palaeontologist on Walking With Dinosaurs, said: 'There isn't anything remotely fake about it. 'The fossil coprolite is genuine, and the voiceover makes it clear that the palaeontologists tracked down the fossil from elsewhere, so I don't see what the issue is. 'If they, say, reburied the coprolite and reenacted it being dug up, then that would be misleading, but that isn't what is shown on screen. 'Sometimes palaeontologists do bring fossils discovered previously to a dig site, to compare to the fossils they are finding, or to help train their team, and we've done this before on digs I've been on.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
North Yorkshire MPs to lobby government over new housing targets
A group of MPs and council bosses from North Yorkshire are lobbying the government to lower its house building target for the county, after it more than doubled. The new target of 4,144 new homes a year - up from 1,384 - would put unprecedented pressure on rural land in the county, the group has Alec Shelbrooke, Conservative MP for Wetherby and Easingwold, said there was "real concern house building will become a free-for-all".A government spokesperson responded: "We have inherited the worst housing crisis in living memory and all areas of the country, including North Yorkshire, must play their part to deliver 1.5 million homes as part of our Plan for Change." According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), senior councillors were worried the new target figure was unachievable, with the most homes previously built in the county being about 3,200 a year - and the average over the last five years being under 3, said: "Combined with the withdrawal of agreed timescales to merge our district local plans into one North Yorkshire local plan, halting the Selby local plan in its tracks, there is real concern among my constituents that house building will become a free-for-all and not a plan-led process."Together with my North Yorkshire MP colleagues, we have teamed up with the council's leadership to lobby government on this, asking for a review of their imposed housing targets."He added: "We're committed to delivering the right homes in the right places, but this can only happen through a plan-led programme that includes adequate infrastructure in the region." The new rules mean North Yorkshire Council is unable to demonstrate a five-year land supply for housing, which has sparked fears this might further tip the balance in favour of housing applications and schemes being approved when they otherwise might have been planners are worried developers may submit speculative applications in the hope they get approved due to the new target, with concerns this could lead to land banking by house builders, rather than plots being developed to ease the housing Mark Crane, North Yorkshire Council's executive member for open to business, said a housing and economic needs assessment had been carried out which showed the county needed between 2,500 and 3,000 new homes a year."We feel the target of 4,144 properties is too high and not one we can achieve," he said. "We are grateful to our MPs for making the case on our behalf."Crane added that it was unclear if there were even enough "joiners and bricklayers" to build the number of homes required to hit the government spokesperson said: "Our revised housing targets have been set in line with the needs of local areas, so more homes will be built in the right places."But crucially we will ensure these are delivered alongside the necessary infrastructure and not at the expense of the environment." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Irish Sun
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Inside Birmingham bin strike union's bid to disrupt UK as members were balloted on industrial action 2k times in 2 years
THE militant union behind the six-week Birmingham bin strike has balloted members on industrial action 2,040 times in just two years, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. Unite asked workers to vote on launching strikes or other work-wrecking measures more than ever before in 2022 and 2023, official accounts show. 6 Unite leader Sharon Graham at last year's Labour Party Conference in Liverpool Credit: Getty 6 Union pickets outside St Thomas' hospital in London in a strike over pay in 2023 Credit: PA 6 Birmingham bin strikes saw rubbish piled up in the streets Credit: getty And our statistics reveal the number of ballots held soared by nearly 300 per cent since hard-left leader They include 'farcical' votes where only one worker was even eligible to strike. Former Tory minister Sir Alec Shelbrooke said: 'The people this inconveniences most are the ones who need to use essential public services and, more often than not, they are working people.' Paperwork filed by the union last week revealed it had sought to bring chaos to hundreds of workplaces across the UK by triggering industrial action such as strikes, overtime bans or work-to-rule campaigns. The accounts reveal Unite asked staff to vote on action 1,066 times in 2023. It is the equivalent of more than four votes every working day in a 250-day business year. Raised eyebrows Workers voted to strike, or take action short of a strike, on 25 occasions, wrecking 557 days of work across a range of industries. It included 352 days of walkouts, including a high-profile strike in Warrington, Cheshire, which dragged on for three months. During the action, Unite said a nationally agreed pay rise for refuse workers was not enough and continued to tell members to shirk work. Most read in The Sun Walkouts took place in four stints between October and December 2023, leaving 'health hazard' A similar rubbish collection action in Selby, North Yorkshire, was also backed by Ms Graham, who still won't reveal Minister urges Unite to 'step up' to reach agreement in Birmingham While the figures for 2024 have yet to be released, in 2022, the first full year of her leadership, the union held 974 ballots and also voted for action 25 times. It resulted in 522 days being lost to industrial action. Over both years, the union held 108 votes where ten or fewer members were actually eligible to vote on whether action should be taken. And bizarrely, the figure includes 38 industrial action ballots where only one member was entitled to cast a vote. Of the votes where only one person could participate, six ended with moves for industrial action, while six voted against. Unite has been taken over by ideologues and there appears to be undue influence from the Socialist Party Labour insider In 26 cases, the single person entitled to vote chose not to — meaning none was cast. It compares with just 269 total votes held across the whole union in 2021, when It means there has been an 843 per cent surge in strike balloting in only four years. Ms Graham's repeated calls for strikes have also raised eyebrows from inside the Government, as the union still refuses to publish its financial returns. One senior Labour insider said: 'Unite has been taken over by ideologues and there appears to be undue influence from the Socialist Party. When are they actually going to say what the state of the union finances are? 6 Unite's leaders have been accused of prolonging the Birmingham bin strikes Credit: Alamy 6 A 2023 walkout by bus drivers working for Go North East resulted in a five-week dispute over pay Credit: ITV 6 DHL baggage handlers and ground staff at Gatwick Airport threatened to strike in 2023 until they were given a pay rise 'Thousands of members deserve to know. They are hiding the union's true financial state. What have they got to hide?' The scale of balloting among the union's 1.2million members has sparked fear that union chiefs are attempting to 'strong-arm' employees into as much strike action as possible. Tory MP Mr Shelbrooke added: 'The idea that Unite would back a one-person strike is farcical. These types of votes are verging on vexatious. "Strikes hit people who need the bus, who need their bins collected, who have to take time off work to look after their kids if their teachers are off. 'They lose pay while union leaders call for industrial action four times every working day. 'These figures show there is clearly a focus within Unite on trying to strike more and more, because otherwise their members wouldn't be being asked so much more often than a few years ago. This reflects very badly on the union's leadership.' The accounts for the last three years are only 'partial', meaning there is no mention of Ms Graham's pay deal or how much the union is now donating to the Labour Party. Unite and some others seem to be in the grip of people for whom disruption, disputes and revolution are their priority Source In 2020, Unite gave £2.8million to the Labour Party, including donations to hard-left leadership candidates Unite's leaders have already been accused of prolonging the Birmingham bin strikes by going over the heads of its regional leaders to negotiate directly with the city's council and Local Government Secretary A source told the BBC: 'Unions traditionally have been about the art of the deal on behalf of their members. 'Instead, Unite and some others seem to be in the grip of people for whom disruption, disputes and revolution are their priority.' Unite and Ms Graham have backed multiple lengthy strikes by workers in different industries. Campaigns that won her endorsement included a 2023 The leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, said at the time that workers' lives 'have been devastated' by the strike, which wreaked havoc on the busy network around Newcastle. Ms Graham said: 'Go North East workers should be congratulated on their victory for better pay.' 'Lives devastated' She also backed 600 DHL baggage handlers and ground staff at Gatwick Airport who threatened to strike in 2023 until they were given a 15 per cent pay rise. Unite has only filed partial accounts for each year since 2021 because of multiple probes into the union's handling of its Birmingham hotel and conference centre construction. The union spent £112million on the project — called Aloft — which has since been valued at only £29million. It has become the centre of a Serious Fraud Office investigation, with Unite itself identifying a 'missing' £14million sum which was left unaccounted for in the project's budget. In 2022, South Wales Police searched the union's London head office as part of a separate bribery, money-laundering and fraud investigation. A Unite spokesman said: 'Unite has over a million members across the UK and makes no apologies for defending and protecting the jobs, pay and conditions of workers. Read more on the Irish Sun "That is what a trade union does. Since Sharon Graham was elected general secretary, over 200,000 Unite members have been involved in thousands of successful disputes, which have put over half a billion pounds in our members' pockets.' Asked about the delay in filing accounts, he added Ms Graham had promised to do 'everything in her power to clean up Unite'. IT'S TIME TO TAKE BACK CONTROL By Lord Austin, Former Labour MP I WAS a member of Unite and its predecessors for over 30 years. I signed up on my first day at work in Birmingham and was proud to join an organisation whose members built British industry and made Birmingham the workplace of the world. Moderate union leaders played a constructive role standing up for working people and strengthening the economy. So it is shocking to see how many times Unite's trigger-happy leaders have asked workers to vote on strikes recently. And it was a disgrace to see piles of rubbish attracting rats on the city's streets. Council leaders have made a fair and reasonable offer, so fair play to Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner for standing up for residents and telling Unite to accept the deal. They need to stand firm or will see the hard-left call similar strikes at councils elsewhere. Unite's general secretary Sharon Graham has already said strikes could be rolled out across the country 'if other councils decide to make low-paid workers pay for bad decisions that they did not make'. But look at the things it is worrying about these days. Almost one in ten of the motions for its forthcoming policy conference is about Israel and Palestine. It looks like it is more bothered about the conflict in the Middle East than the chaos in the West Midlands. It's high time ordinary members took back control of the union and played a constructive role in getting our economy on track. And it's about time they got off the picket lines and back to work in Birmingham to clean up the city's streets, too.
Scottish Sun
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Inside Birmingham bin strike union's bid to disrupt UK as members were balloted on industrial action 2k times in 2 years
THE militant union behind the six-week Birmingham bin strike has balloted members on industrial action 2,040 times in just two years, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. Unite asked workers to vote on launching strikes or other work-wrecking measures more than ever before in 2022 and 2023, official accounts show. Advertisement 6 Unite leader Sharon Graham at last year's Labour Party Conference in Liverpool Credit: Getty 6 Union pickets outside St Thomas' hospital in London in a strike over pay in 2023 Credit: PA 6 Birmingham bin strikes saw rubbish piled up in the streets Credit: getty And our statistics reveal the number of ballots held soared by nearly 300 per cent since hard-left leader Sharon Graham took over in 2021. They include 'farcical' votes where only one worker was even eligible to strike. Former Tory minister Sir Alec Shelbrooke said: 'The people this inconveniences most are the ones who need to use essential public services and, more often than not, they are working people.' Paperwork filed by the union last week revealed it had sought to bring chaos to hundreds of workplaces across the UK by triggering industrial action such as strikes, overtime bans or work-to-rule campaigns. Advertisement The accounts reveal Unite asked staff to vote on action 1,066 times in 2023. It is the equivalent of more than four votes every working day in a 250-day business year. Raised eyebrows Workers voted to strike, or take action short of a strike, on 25 occasions, wrecking 557 days of work across a range of industries. It included 352 days of walkouts, including a high-profile strike in Warrington, Cheshire, which dragged on for three months. During the action, Unite said a nationally agreed pay rise for refuse workers was not enough and continued to tell members to shirk work. Advertisement Walkouts took place in four stints between October and December 2023, leaving 'health hazard' bins overflowing in the streets. A similar rubbish collection action in Selby, North Yorkshire, was also backed by Ms Graham, who still won't reveal her own salary nearly four years after taking the top job. Minister urges Unite to 'step up' to reach agreement in Birmingham While the figures for 2024 have yet to be released, in 2022, the first full year of her leadership, the union held 974 ballots and also voted for action 25 times. It resulted in 522 days being lost to industrial action. Advertisement Over both years, the union held 108 votes where ten or fewer members were actually eligible to vote on whether action should be taken. And bizarrely, the figure includes 38 industrial action ballots where only one member was entitled to cast a vote. Of the votes where only one person could participate, six ended with moves for industrial action, while six voted against. Unite has been taken over by ideologues and there appears to be undue influence from the Socialist Party Labour insider In 26 cases, the single person entitled to vote chose not to — meaning none was cast. Advertisement It compares with just 269 total votes held across the whole union in 2021, when Ms Graham took over from former chief Len McCluskey, and 113 votes in 2020. It means there has been an 843 per cent surge in strike balloting in only four years. Ms Graham's repeated calls for strikes have also raised eyebrows from inside the Government, as the union still refuses to publish its financial returns. One senior Labour insider said: 'Unite has been taken over by ideologues and there appears to be undue influence from the Socialist Party. When are they actually going to say what the state of the union finances are? 6 Unite's leaders have been accused of prolonging the Birmingham bin strikes Credit: Alamy Advertisement 6 A 2023 walkout by bus drivers working for Go North East resulted in a five-week dispute over pay Credit: ITV 6 DHL baggage handlers and ground staff at Gatwick Airport threatened to strike in 2023 until they were given a pay rise 'Thousands of members deserve to know. They are hiding the union's true financial state. What have they got to hide?' The scale of balloting among the union's 1.2million members has sparked fear that union chiefs are attempting to 'strong-arm' employees into as much strike action as possible. Advertisement Tory MP Mr Shelbrooke added: 'The idea that Unite would back a one-person strike is farcical. These types of votes are verging on vexatious. "Strikes hit people who need the bus, who need their bins collected, who have to take time off work to look after their kids if their teachers are off. 'They lose pay while union leaders call for industrial action four times every working day. 'These figures show there is clearly a focus within Unite on trying to strike more and more, because otherwise their members wouldn't be being asked so much more often than a few years ago. This reflects very badly on the union's leadership.' Advertisement The accounts for the last three years are only 'partial', meaning there is no mention of Ms Graham's pay deal or how much the union is now donating to the Labour Party. Unite and some others seem to be in the grip of people for whom disruption, disputes and revolution are their priority Source In 2020, Unite gave £2.8million to the Labour Party, including donations to hard-left leadership candidates Rebecca Long-Bailey and Richard Burgon, who were standing against Sir Keir Starmer. Unite's leaders have already been accused of prolonging the Birmingham bin strikes by going over the heads of its regional leaders to negotiate directly with the city's council and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner. A source told the BBC: 'Unions traditionally have been about the art of the deal on behalf of their members. Advertisement 'Instead, Unite and some others seem to be in the grip of people for whom disruption, disputes and revolution are their priority.' Unite and Ms Graham have backed multiple lengthy strikes by workers in different industries. Campaigns that won her endorsement included a 2023 walkout by bus drivers working for Go North East, who had a five-week dispute over pay. They eventually accepted an 11.2 per cent pay rise by just seven votes. The leader of Gateshead Council, Martin Gannon, said at the time that workers' lives 'have been devastated' by the strike, which wreaked havoc on the busy network around Newcastle. Advertisement Ms Graham said: 'Go North East workers should be congratulated on their victory for better pay.' 'Lives devastated' She also backed 600 DHL baggage handlers and ground staff at Gatwick Airport who threatened to strike in 2023 until they were given a 15 per cent pay rise. Unite has only filed partial accounts for each year since 2021 because of multiple probes into the union's handling of its Birmingham hotel and conference centre construction. The union spent £112million on the project — called Aloft — which has since been valued at only £29million. Advertisement It has become the centre of a Serious Fraud Office investigation, with Unite itself identifying a 'missing' £14million sum which was left unaccounted for in the project's budget. In 2022, South Wales Police searched the union's London head office as part of a separate bribery, money-laundering and fraud investigation. A Unite spokesman said: 'Unite has over a million members across the UK and makes no apologies for defending and protecting the jobs, pay and conditions of workers. "That is what a trade union does. Since Sharon Graham was elected general secretary, over 200,000 Unite members have been involved in thousands of successful disputes, which have put over half a billion pounds in our members' pockets.' Advertisement Asked about the delay in filing accounts, he added Ms Graham had promised to do 'everything in her power to clean up Unite'.
BBC News
19-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Aldwark Bridge toll increase could cause 'undue strain'
Users of a privately-owned toll bridge have argued that increased prices which could see school-run parents pay £80 a month would cause "too much strain".A public inquiry has begun in North Yorkshire over the owners of Grade II-listed Aldwark Bridge's proposal to raise fees from 40p to £ toll has not gone up for 20 years but the company which operates the crossing over the River Ure near Easingwold said it could eventually cost £1.40 to use the MP Alec Shelbrooke gave evidence to the inquiry and said the higher toll would put "undue strain" on regular users, but the owners said the revenue was necessary to maintain the structure and "provide certainty" over 10 years. Aldwark Toll Bridge LLP said the bridge was currently "not commercially viable".It added: "The bridge carries a public right of way and there is a statutory duty not to obstruct it. "On the other hand, all company directors have a duty not to let a company become insolvent and pursuant to the legislation are entitled to make a reasonable return."The last toll increase for the bridge was from 15p to 40p in 2005, the operator said in its submission. '£80 a month' The bridge, which spans the river between Youlton and Little Ouseburn, was closed last year for 10 months for a refurbishment costing around £700,000, during which time regular users had to take a 25-mile Yorkshire councillor for Huby and Tollerton, Malcolm Taylor, who attended the inquiry on Tuesday, said that while the community "value the bridge very much", the proposed increase was too steep. He said some constituents used the bridge up to four times a day for school drop-offs and pick-ups. "That's £80 a month. That's a considerable bill to add to the cost of getting your kids to school," he added. Aldwark Toll Bridge LLP was contacted for further comment. Nick Oswald, head of Great Ouseburn Primary School, has previously said he was worried the changes could result in parents pulling their children out of the school because they "can't afford to get them over 200m of bridge". The inquiry is set to run until Friday. Aldwark Bridge The bridge dates back to the 18th Century but was rebuilt following flood damage in is the only remaining privately-run toll bridge in owners had permission to raise the toll refused in 2020 by a government planning the 1960s it was owned by the Montagu Burton clothing manufacturer in Leeds. A tollkeeper still collects fees from a traditional cottage and booth. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
