Latest news with #AmandaHopgood
BBC News
30-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Durham County Council by-election date after Reform UK resignation
A by-election to decide the final vacant seat on Durham County Council is set to take place in July, following the resignation of a Reform UK Kilburn, who was elected to the Benfieldside ward in May's local elections, was forced to stand down after a week for failing to declare he worked for the local was elected with 1,007 votes, alongside Reform's Sandra Grindle, which saw the party gain seats from Labour and the by-election on 3 July will cost Durham County Council £22,800, a figure described as a "gross waste of taxpayers' money" by former council leader, Liberal Democrat Amanda Hopgood. National legislation means council employees are disqualified from standing as councillors simultaneously. Landslide victory Hopgood sent a petition to residents in Benfieldside calling for Reform UK to cover the cost of the election, according to the Local Democracy Reporting said: "Reform have made a huge issue of reducing council 'waste', but there can be few things more wasteful for the taxpayer than calling a by-election because they could not get their paperwork in order."Despite the setback, Reform UK said it hoped to retain its stronghold on the ward, which also covers Blackhill and Shotley Bridge. The party secured a landslide victory just weeks ago to control the council, with its 65 councillors officially inducted earlier this month.A Reform UK spokesman said: "We understand that Mr Kilburn did not declare his employment to the returning officer as expected and is now required to resign his seat."We look forward to contesting the upcoming by-election to give the people of Benfieldside a strong voice in Durham County Council."A full list of candidates for the July by-election will be released following the nomination deadline on Friday, 6 June. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram
The Guardian
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Lib Dems launch ‘Reform watch' to monitor party in local government
The Liberal Democrats have set up an internal 'Reform watch' system to monitor Nigel Farage's party in local government, with Ed Davey saying Labour and the Conservatives are too scared of the threat from Reform to hold it to account. The Lib Dem leader defended his party's performance in last week's local elections, saying council contests where they unexpectedly ended up behind Reform mainly happened because of a collapse in votes for other parties. As well as gaining more than 160 councillors and taking control of three new councils, the Lib Dems are the biggest party in three others, and in four areas came second to Reform – which will be the core of the monitoring project, intended to scrutinise Reform's mayors as well as councils. It is being spearheaded by Amanda Hopgood, the leader of the opposition group in the Reform-run County Durham, along with Antony Hook, who performs the same role in Kent, and Mike Ross, the leader of Hull city council, who came second to Reform's Luke Campbell to be mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire. A key part of the monitoring will be to see if and how Reform-run councils try to cut services, Davey said. Many families had been 'alarmed' by Farage's comments saying too many people were being diagnosed with special needs or mental illnesses, he said. Other areas would include culture war battles, such as Reform barring councils from flying the Ukraine flag as a show of solidarity, and trying to cut back on climate and net zero-related work. Davey said: 'When you look at what councils do on climate change, the vast bulk of the work is insulating people's homes. So is Nigel Farage essentially going to say to less well-off people: 'We're not insulating your home, you can pay higher energy bills, and that we're pleased about that because that can make climate change worse.' Is that the Reform position?' Davey aims to present his party as 'the antidote to Reform', an extension of its bullish stance on opposing Donald Trump, where Labour and the Conservatives are more cautious. He said: 'We're going to take the fight to them, whether it's exposing the fact that Farage is a huge cheerleader for Donald Trump and wants money from Elon Musk, all those sorts of things.' While the Lib Dems performed well in the local elections, they lost out to Reform in some key areas, for example the Hull and East Yorkshire mayoralty. Similarly, while they achieved their target of removing Warwickshire council from Tory control, this involved finishing a fairly distant second to Reform. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Davey said this did not mean they had underperformed. 'We were expecting to do very well in south Warwickshire, which we did. In North Yorkshire, we weren't expecting to do that well. It was Labour and Tories' failures that let Reform in. They didn't make any progress in our areas. Where we were really active, Reform were put in their place.' Another complication, he said, was the fragmentation from very close multiparty contests, which in one instance meant the Lib Dems won a council seat on less than 19% of the total vote. While Reform did not as yet seem to be parking any tanks on Lib Dem electoral lawns, this did not mean it would not happen, Davey said. 'We're not complacent. We don't think the fight against Reform is going to be necessarily easy,' he said. 'Are we worried about the rise of Reform. Of course we are. The question is, what's the best way to respond to that? And I don't think it's to copy them. I think it's to tackle them head on. From what I can see, we're the only party who seem to be up for that. The others seem to be a bit afraid of them.'
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Hitachi factory to build £300m train fleet
A rail operator's entire fleet is to be replaced with nine battery hybrid trains made in the north of England. The trains, made up of 45 rail cars, will be manufactured at Hitachi Rail's factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, for Grand Central. Labour Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander visited the factory to announce the order, which she said would deliver greener journeys for passengers and futureproof jobs in Newton Aycliffe. Durham County Council leader Liberal Democrat Amanda Hopgood said she was delighted by the news of the contract and providing quality local jobs was one of the council's key priorities. The order is a boon for the factory, where it was previously feared a lack of orders could lead to 700 jobs being put at risk. The new contract follows on from a £500m deal to build 14 new trains announced in December. "Just four months since the Prime Minister and I welcomed a significant deal for Hitachi and its workforce in Newton Aycliffe, this new £300m investment marks yet another step forward in securing the future of rail manufacturing in the North East," Alexander said. Councillors from across party lines have welcomed the deal in the run up to local elections in County Durham. Hopgood said the announcement showed "how working in partnership with colleagues in the combined authority can really deliver positive outcomes for future generations". The council's deputy leader Conservative Richard Bell was also pleased the contract had been signed, but said his party had been "lobbying the government for two years to plug the gap in Hitachi's order book". The Green Party and Reform Party have been contacted for comment. Many independent candidates are also standing for election across Durham County Council. Local elections 2025: Is there an election in my area? Grand Central runs trains from towns and cities across the north of England to London. The new trains will increase the fleet's seat numbers by 20%, the equivalent of 400,000 each year. The trains will be delivered in 2028 under a 10-year leasing arrangement. Hitachi will also be tasked with maintaining the trains over the period. The company's chief director of UK and Ireland Jim Brewin said the deal was the first battery train order to be built in the UK. "As we celebrate 200 years since the birth of the modern railway in the North East, it's symbolic that innovative battery trains are being developed in Newton Aycliffe," he said. "Battery trains' ability to deliver cheaper, greener, and more reliable journeys means we are unlocking a new advanced manufacturing opportunity for rail today." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. New government commits to saving train factory Hitachi reviews 'all options' over train orders gap Rail operator seeks to reassure London commuters Hitachi Rail Grand Central
BBC News
03-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Hitachi Rail secures £300m contract to build Grand Central fleet
A rail operator's entire fleet is to be replaced with nine battery hybrid trains made in the north of trains, made up of 45 rail cars, will be manufactured at Hitachi Rail's factory in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham, for Grand Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander visited the factory to announce the order, which she said would deliver greener journeys for passengers and futureproof jobs in Newton County Council leader Liberal Democrat Amanda Hopgood said she was delighted by the news of the contract and providing quality local jobs was one of the council's key priorities. The order is a boon for the factory, where it was previously feared a lack of orders could lead to 700 jobs being put at new contract follows on from a £500m deal to build 14 new trains announced in December."Just four months since the Prime Minister and I welcomed a significant deal for Hitachi and its workforce in Newton Aycliffe, this new £300m investment marks yet another step forward in securing the future of rail manufacturing in the North East," Alexander said. Councillors support deal Councillors from across party lines have welcomed the deal in the run up to local elections in County said the announcement showed "how working in partnership with colleagues in the combined authority can really deliver positive outcomes for future generations".The council's deputy leader Conservative Richard Bell was also pleased the contract had been signed, but said his party had been "lobbying the government for two years to plug the gap in Hitachi's order book".The Green Party and Reform Party have been contacted for independent candidates are also standing for election across Durham County Council. Grand Central runs trains from towns and cities across the north of England to new trains will increase the fleet's seat numbers by 20%, the equivalent of 400,000 each trains will be delivered in 2028 under a 10-year leasing arrangement. Hitachi will also be tasked with maintaining the trains over the company's chief director of UK and Ireland Jim Brewin said the deal was the first battery train order to be built in the UK."As we celebrate 200 years since the birth of the modern railway in the North East, it's symbolic that innovative battery trains are being developed in Newton Aycliffe," he said."Battery trains' ability to deliver cheaper, greener, and more reliable journeys means we are unlocking a new advanced manufacturing opportunity for rail today." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Bishop Auckland Kynren attraction plans to open new theme park
Plans are being drawn up to create a historical theme park with the aim of transporting guests back in time with its - The Storied Lands will be a new daytime attraction set within the wider Kynren attraction in Bishop Auckland, County will use live action shows to educate visitors about Britain's history and CEO Anna Warnecke said it was working with Durham County Council's planning team on phased submissions for the park. She said some of the plans had "already been approved and constructed" while others were under consideration or due to be submitted in the coming months."For the past decade, we have poured passion and expertise into delivering Kynren – An Epic Tale of England, and now we are bringing that same level of scale, innovation, and magic into this new daytime attraction," she said. "You won't just witness history – you'll live it, feel it, and be moved by it." The focus of The Storied Lands will not be rides but multiple live action shows with storytelling stunts and one of the park will feature five shows and immersive experiences, with themes including Neolithic Britain, Viking battles, and the gas-lit streets of Victorian England. The Legend of the Wear performance will use water stunts to retell the Lambton Worm myth. Councillor Amanda Hopgood said the council welcomed the development plans as a new attraction for the region."As Durham County establishes itself as one of the great UK visitor destinations, this extravaganza will sit at the heart of the county's offering," she said millions of pounds would be invested in the project, which it hopes to open next year. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram. Send your story ideas here.
