Latest news with #BirminghamCouncil
Scottish Sun
27-07-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Fury as bankrupt Birmingham council offering asylum seekers huge discounts on swimming, golf, trampolining & Villa games
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BANKRUPT Birmingham Council is offering small boat asylum seekers hefty discounts on leisure activities — including swimming, golf and trampolining. The Labour-run authority, which is locked in a bin strike now in its seventh month, is giving migrants up to 25 per cent off through its Passport To Leisure scheme. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Small boat asylum seekers are being offered hefty discounts on leisure activities Credit: Getty 2 Money is lopped off tickets to watch shows, such as Disney musical Mary Poppins at the Birmingham Hippodrome Credit: supplied Migrants, many of whom have crossed the Channel by boat before claiming asylum on reaching the UK, can also get a fifth off on the use of council swimming pools. Martial arts classes are subsidised for migrants under the initiative, as are courses on trampolining, golf, gymnastics and football. The price of a trip to a council wellbeing centre for fitness, yoga, squash and badminton sessions is also cheaper. The council even offers £1 tickets to Aston Villa matches for migrant children, as long as they are accompanied by a full paying adult. In a further slap in the face for taxpayers, asylum seekers get ten per cent off at most council leisure sites, meaning cheaper trips to the theatre, museum and city's botanical gardens. Under the scheme, £3 is lopped off tickets to watch shows, such as Disney musical Mary Poppins at the Birmingham Hippodrome. The Passport To Leisure card is available to over-60s, full-time students, carers, disabled people and recipients of certain benefits. Birmingham — England's largest local authority district by population — already has a 'Be Active' scheme for asylum seekers which offers free swimming and gym sessions. The council is £3.9billion in debt and declared itself effectively bankrupt in September 2023 with the issue of a Section 114 notice, limiting it to essential spending only. It is also under fire over its handling of a bin strike which has seen mountains of rubbish pile up on the city's streets. Migrant hotel protesters take to the streets again as demonstrations spread across the country in weekend stand-off Unite union members are in a dispute over pay and proposed changes to some roles. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'This is a bankrupt Labour council, in the middle of a bin strike, racking up billions in debt, hiking council tax by 21 per cent, and their priority is trampolining perks for illegal immigrants. 'It is a slap in the face for hard-pressed taxpayers who are being forced to subsidise freebies for illegal immigrants who claim asylum having crossed the channel.'
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Exact date next heatwave could hit Birmingham and what forecasters are predicting
The next date that Birmingham and the West Midlands could be hit by a heatwave has been revealed. Weather maps from WX Charts predict the arrival of heatwave-like weather across large parts of England from next Friday, July 11. Temperatures are set to reach the mid to high 20s across that day and remain in place over the next four days. READ MORE: Nine counties in England to escape 36C heatwave arriving from next week Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join In order to be classed as an official heatwave by the Met Office, the temperature must meet a certain threshold for three consecutive days. For the South West and the North of England, this is considered to be 25C, while for London and parts of the South East, this is considered 28C. While Birmingham council says the threshold for the West Midlands is 30C by day and 15C by night. According to Birmingham is set to see the mercury reach 30C and above over the three following days: Sunday, July 13: 31C in Birmingham and parts of West Midlands Monday, July 14: 31C in Birmingham and 34C in parts of West Midlands Tuesday, July 15: 30C in Birmingham and 31C in parts of West Midlands Meanwhile, the Met Office has forecast "warm or vary warm" temperatures heading towards the middle of July. In its long-range forecast from July 7 to 16, the Met Office said: "Likely a fairly cool and showery start to the new week. "Showers will tend to focus on northern and eastern areas of the UK, while parts of the south and west again become largely dry. "Through the rest of the week any rain will tend to focus on the north or northwest of the country, with the south becoming predominantly dry. "Temperatures are likely to remain close to, perhaps a little below average initially. "However toward the following weekend there are signs that temperatures will begin to trend up, becoming warm or very warm once again, especially across southern parts of the UK, but perhaps more widely as we head toward the middle of July."
Scottish Sun
01-07-2025
- Health
- Scottish Sun
Full list of Universal Credit freebies and discounts you can claim in July worth up to £10,000
We reveal how you can check if you're eligible for benefits below BENEFIT BOOST Full list of Universal Credit freebies and discounts you can claim in July worth up to £10,000 Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HOUSEHOLDS on Universal Credit can top up their incomes with freebies and discounts worth up to £10,000 in July. Around 7.5million people are on the government benefit but might not realise it comes with a host of added perks. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 If you're on Universal Credit you could get a host of additional perks Credit: Alamy From cost of living cash to cheap days out, savings accounts and water bill help, it could be worth £1,000s. Here's the full list of help you can get this month. Household Support Fund - £300 The Household Support Fund is a giant £742million pot of money that's been shared between councils in England. These councils are in the process of allocating their share of the fund, with most distributing it to those on benefits, like Universal Credit, or low incomes. Birmingham Council is issuing payments worth £200 to cover the cost of energy, grocery and water costs. Cheshire West, Doncaster and Calderdale Councils are also sharing out help worth up to £300 to residents in need. Contact your local council to see what help is on offer. You can find your council via Healthy Start Scheme - £442 a year New or expectant mums can get up to £442 annually to cover the cost of fruit, veg and other essentials through the NHS' Healthy Start scheme. The scheme is open to those on certain benefits, including Universal Credit. Those eligible for help receive a prepaid card loaded with funds every four weeks. You can get up to £8.50 per week - worth £442 a year. How does work affect Universal Credit? Find out more via Cheap days out – save £101 You can get major discounts on days out if you're on Universal Credit. Here are some of the deals on this month: London Transport Museum: Entry for just £1 – usually £21 Yorkshire museums: Free entry, saving up to £17 per adult ZSL London Zoo: Entry for £3 – a £31.50 saving Tower of London & Hampton Court: £1 entry instead of £33.60 In total you could save up to £101 on these days out. Help to Save - worth £1,200 over four years People on Universal Credit can sign up for a Help to Save account and get a £1,200 bonus. You can save up to £50 into one of the accounts each month and get a 50% bonus at the end of your second and fourth year. Add the maximum £50 in every month and over four years you'd get a £1,200 bonus. Find out more via Water bill help – worth £400 Households on Universal Credit can slash their water bill through the WaterSure scheme. It's available to low income families or those who use lots of water due to disability in England and Wales and caps your bills at a certain amount. Contact your water supplier to see if you're eligible. Some water companies offer customers free water-saving devices like shower timers and cistern bags to bring usage down too. Free prescriptions and healthcare – up to £119 Those on Universal Credit can sometimes get free NHS prescriptions, which are currently £9.90 per item. Based on one item a month, that's a £118.80 a year saving. You can also get other NHS-based freebies if you're on Universal Credit. These include: Free dental checks Free eye tests Travel reimbursement for medical appointments Free wigs or glasses Use the NHS online checker to see what you can get. Discounted broadband and mobile contracts – worth £370 You should be able to sign up to a social tariff if you're on Universal Credit. The discounted tariffs are for those on certain benefits and, usually but not always, can save you money on your bill. One lady previously told The Sun switching from a standard tariff to a social tariff saved her £300 a year. Ofcom has a list on its website of all the firms offering the tariffs, either for phone or broadband. You can also use The Sun's free checker tool. Council tax support – up to £2,280 Those on Universal Credit can sometimes get money off their council tax, or even have the bill wiped completely. The help on offer varies from location to location, but based on the average Band D, which is £2,280, you could save £1,000s. Head to to check your eligibility. Energy bill help – up to £2,000 Energy firms like British Gas offer hardship grants worth up to £2,000 to those struggling with their bills. EDF also offers customers support if they're struggling to keep up with energy bills. If you don't qualify for a grant through your supplier, charity Turn2Us has a tool you can use to find grants available based on your location. You can find it via - Pregnancy grant – worth £500 Mums expecting their first child can claim a one-off £500 Sure Start Maternity Grant. It's available to those on Universal Credit or other qualifying benefits. You must apply within 11 weeks of the due date or six months after the baby is born. Find out more via Support with travel and job applications – worth £150 Claimants can get a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount card, cutting public transport costs by 50% across the UK. The card lasts for three months and is free, you just need to be actively job hunting. There's also the Flexible Support Fund, which can cover costs like: Travel to interviews Job training (up to £150) Uniforms, work tools, and childcare Apply at your local JobCentre. Cheap gym memberships – worth £100s Some leisure centres offer Universal Credit claimants gym memberships from as little as £5 a month. Based on the price of the standard membership, it could save you £100s a year. Everyone Active and Better Leisure both offer discounted rates. Access is often off-peak and varies by location, so check with your nearest centre. Free childcare – worth up to £1,769 a month Working parents on Universal Credit can get up to 85% of childcare costs covered, either paid up front or in arrears. The maximum payout is £1,031.88 a month for one child, or £1,768.94 for two or more – that's over £21,000 a year if claimed in full. You can find out more via Are you missing out on benefits? YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to Charity Turn2Us' benefits calculator works out what you could get. Entitledto's free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit. and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto's data. You can use Policy in Practice's calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you'll have left over each month after paying for housing costs. Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
£200 cost of living payments set to start arriving in bank accounts
New cost of living payments are set to start arriving in bank accounts from today. Birmingham council's Hardship Grant Community Fund scheme has reopened for applications. The scheme hands out £200 payments, known as 'hardship grants', to households struggling with everyday living costs. READ MORE: Nationwide tells customers dates and code to check for arrival of £100 payments Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp, click the link to join It reopened on June 23 after new round of funding was received from the government's Household Support Fund (HSF). The HSF, delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is issued to local authorities across the country. Councils are able to draw up their own schemes using the funding, such as the hardship grants made available in Birmingham. Birmingham council said the scheme is expected to remain open through until the end of March 2026, when the latest round of HSF funding - round seven - comes to an end. In order to be eligible for the hardship grants, Birmingham council said residents must meet three pieces of criteria, which are: Applicants must be a Birmingham Resident Households must be able to demonstrate they're experiencing financial hardship, particularly with covering food and energy bills Applicants must not have received a hardship grant payment in the past 12 months Households wishing to apply for a hardship grant can do so by visiting this page here. The council said applicants can expect to be contacted by a member of its team within three to four weeks of making an application.
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Birmingham council first to recognise Sikh and Jewish identity
Birmingham City Council is to become the first in England to recognise Sikh and Jewish identities when collecting data from residents.A motion tabled by Birmingham Labour group to change the way the information is collected in the future was carried at a full council City Council questionnaires do not currently include the categories, despite the city having more than 30,000 Sikh residents and a 2,000-strong Jewish Labour group said the historic move would help the council understand its communities better and tackle discrimination. It added that while Sikhs and Jews had been legally recognised as ethnic groups for more than 40 years, data was not routinely collected by public group argued Jewish and Sikh people were "rendered invisible" to policymakers by the omission. The motion was brought by councillor Jamie Tennant and seconded by councillor Rinkal said it showed Birmingham was "leading the country as a diverse and welcoming city" and he would lobby colleagues in other authorities to follow herself as "a proud Sikh woman who lived in Birmingham the last 34 years", Shergill said the change marked an important step pointed out the NHS did not classify Sikh and Jewish communities either, despite them being disproportionately affected by particular diseases and during the pandemic. The motion was backed by Edgbaston MP Preet Gill, who previously raised the issue in Parliament."It is absurd that most public bodies don't include these groups in the equalities data they collect," she said. "I am delighted Birmingham City Council is taking action to put this right."It has also been supported by the Antisemitism Policy Trust, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Sikh Federation (UK) and local gurdwaras, Tennant told the chamber. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
