Latest news with #BlakeStephenson
Ya Biladi
2 days ago
- Politics
- Ya Biladi
UK reaffirms human rights commitment in Western Sahara talks with Morocco
The British government has recently clarified its position on human rights in Western Sahara in response to a parliamentary inquiry. Conservative MP Blake Stephenson questioned the government about discussions with Morocco regarding the protection of Sahrawi rights. In his reply, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, Hamish Falconer, affirmed that «The UK remains committed to the promotion and protection of human rights globally, including in Morocco and Western Sahara. Officials, including up to Ambassador level regularly engage on these issues with the Moroccan Government and authorities accordingly». He further recalled that «in the UK-Morocco joint communiqué, both countries reaffirmed their commitment to cooperation on human rights, our support for the principle of respect for self-determination and the intention to hold a third session of the UK-Morocco Human Rights dialogue before the end of 2025». Falconer also welcomed «Morocco's stated commitment to further detail and willingness to engage in good faith with all relevant parties, to expand on details of what autonomy within the Moroccan State could entail for the region, with a view to restarting serious negotiations on terms acceptable to the parties». It is worth noting that just a few weeks earlier, in response to a written question from MP Ben Lake, Falconer had emphasized that «human rights are a core element of our ongoing dialogue with Morocco. During the second informal UK-Morocco human rights dialogue, held in Rabat on April 30, 2024, we discussed shared concerns including freedom of expression, women's empowerment, media freedom, and judicial reforms».
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Planning bill is sowing division, says Tory MP
The government's efforts to speed up housebuilding are sowing division in communities, a Conservative politician has said. Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson said Labour's Planning and Infrastructure Bill was a "government narrative of builders v blockers - I think that's putting the back up of communities". The bill was introduced in March to help fulfil a promise of building 1.5 million homes in England in the next five years. Rachel Hopkins, Labour MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, said local people would "have their say" over planned development. The two MPs spoke to the BBC Politics East programme from London Luton Airport, after the government gave the go-ahead for expanding the terminal earlier this year. It is a part of the region where the challenges of growth and a changing economy are big talking points. Car maker Stellantis closed the town's Vauxhall factory in March, but over towards Bedford, Universal plans to open a giant theme park and the construction of East West rail promises to pave the way for more housebuilding. Stephenson welcomed plans for the Universal theme park and the need for new homes, but added: "We do need to take communities along with us. "We need the right types of house in the right places." He continued: "If people know the infrastructure is there as their communities expand they are going to get on board. "The builders v blockers argument may well set the government back on its target to build 1.5 million homes." Hopkins responded: "We need to make sure there is a local contribution and people have their say but ultimately we need the homes and we need to build them and that will support our economic growth with investment in construction, good jobs [and] skills training. "And we need to get on with it." The airport falls inside Hopkins's constituency, and she said the aviation hub would help support a growing population: "Luton airport is a part of the growth of Bedfordshire as a destination. "Luton has brilliant transport links that are going to be further improved." East West Rail's director of external affairs, Natalie Wheble, said its plan for a train line between Cambridge and Oxford - going through Bedfordshire - would provide an "efficient and sustainable" transport link for people. Rob Brighouse, director of business investment company Luton Rising, said Luton was yet to "achieve its potential" due to its location in the centre of the "Oxford-Cambridge-London triangle". Angelina Aziz, the co-founder of an artificial intelligence company in Luton, said more investment was needed to support start-up companies and new high-tech firms in the area. "A lot of our best talent in Luton tends to move to London. We need more investment," she said. The airport plans have been controversial and opposed by the Stop Luton Airport Expansion group (SLAE). Peter White, of SLAE, has been sceptical about the number of jobs the airport says the expansion will create. He has previously told the BBC the "quality of life" of people who live near the airport will be damaged by the project. Lord John Hutton, chair of the board of London Luton Airport, said: "We've got a once in a generation opportunity to do something pretty amazing here and provide an economic lifeline for the town. "The airport sustains and supports about 27,000 in the local economy. After expansion that number will be approaching 40,000. "The whole focus is to get moving on this as quickly as we can to bring the economic and social benefits of expansion to Luton." BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 13 July at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC iPlayer. Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Plan to make it easier for councils to seize land for housing Planning reforms will end development chaos, says Rayner London Luton Airport
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Government planning bill sowing division, says Bedfordshire MP
The government's efforts to speed up housebuilding are sowing division in communities, a Conservative politician has Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson said Labour's Planning and Infrastructure Bill was a "government narrative of builders v blockers - I think that's putting the back up of communities".The bill was introduced in March to help fulfil a promise of building 1.5 million homes in England in the next five Hopkins, Labour MP for Luton South and South Bedfordshire, said local people would "have their say" over planned development. The two MPs spoke to the BBC Politics East programme from London Luton Airport, after the government gave the go-ahead for expanding the terminal earlier this is a part of the region where the challenges of growth and a changing economy are big talking maker Stellantis closed the town's Vauxhall factory in March, but over towards Bedford, Universal plans to open a giant theme park and the construction of East West rail promises to pave the way for more housebuilding. Stephenson welcomed plans for the Universal theme park and the need for new homes, but added: "We do need to take communities along with us. "We need the right types of house in the right places."He continued: "If people know the infrastructure is there as their communities expand they are going to get on board."The builders v blockers argument may well set the government back on its target to build 1.5 million homes."Hopkins responded: "We need to make sure there is a local contribution and people have their say but ultimately we need the homes and we need to build them and that will support our economic growth with investment in construction, good jobs [and] skills training."And we need to get on with it."The airport falls inside Hopkins's constituency, and she said the aviation hub would help support a growing population: "Luton airport is a part of the growth of Bedfordshire as a destination."Luton has brilliant transport links that are going to be further improved." East West Rail's director of external affairs, Natalie Wheble, said its plan for a train line between Cambridge and Oxford - going through Bedfordshire - would provide an "efficient and sustainable" transport link for Brighouse, director of business investment company Luton Rising, said Luton was yet to "achieve its potential" due to its location in the centre of the "Oxford-Cambridge-London triangle". Angelina Aziz, the co-founder of an artificial intelligence company in Luton, said more investment was needed to support start-up companies and new high-tech firms in the area."A lot of our best talent in Luton tends to move to London. We need more investment," she said. The airport plans have been controversial and opposed by the Stop Luton Airport Expansion group (SLAE).Peter White, of SLAE, has been sceptical about the number of jobs the airport says the expansion will has previously told the BBC the "quality of life" of people who live near the airport will be damaged by the John Hutton, chair of the board of London Luton Airport, said: "We've got a once in a generation opportunity to do something pretty amazing here and provide an economic lifeline for the town."The airport sustains and supports about 27,000 in the local economy. After expansion that number will be approaching 40,000."The whole focus is to get moving on this as quickly as we can to bring the economic and social benefits of expansion to Luton." BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 13 July at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Daily Record
08-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Millions of people on low income eligible for UK Government bonus of up to £1,200
The UK Government has confirmed more than half a million more people in work and on Universal Credit are eligible for a unique bonus of up to £1,200 to boost their savings pots and help build financial resilience for the future. Economic Secretary Emma Reynolds also said that due to a rule change in April, some 3 million people can now take advantage of the 'Help to Save' scheme. The extension to April 2027 means more people on a low income can benefit from the scheme, which has paid out millions of pounds in bonuses to more than 500,000 people since Help to Save was launched in 2018. Some 93 per cent of scheme users have paid in the maximum £50 every month to their Help to Save account. In Scotland, 36,050 people have paid in a total of £33,584,000 into their Help to Save accounts, since September 2018. An account can be set up in just a few minutes - you don't have to deposit any money straight away - and easily managed through or the HMRC app, making it accessible to people throughout the UK. Savers who deposit the maximum amount of £2,400 over four years will (£50 per month) receive a bonus totalling £1,200 into their bank accounts, with payments coming at the end of the second and final year. In a written response to Conservative MP Blake Stephenson, who asked about the 'potential merits of extending the eligibility criteria for the Help to Save scheme', Ms Reynolds said: 'The Help to Save scheme promotes financial resilience among working people on low incomes by encouraging a regular, long-term savings habit and building a financial buffer to help people to plan and prepare for the future. 'The scheme is only available to working individuals in receipt of certain benefits. This ensures it is targeted at its intended population. 'The government has recently extended the eligibility criteria for the Help to Save scheme. From April 2025 it is available to all Universal Credit claimants in work, not just those earning over a certain amount. These changes mean that around 550,000 more people will be able to take advantage of the scheme, bringing the eligible population to 3 million.' Help to Save in a nutshell The Help to Save scheme enables people to deposit between £1 and £50 each month earning an extra 50 pence for every £1 saved, with bonuses paid in the second and fourth years of the account being opened. Money can be withdrawn at any time, although this may affect the 50 per cent bonus payments. The bonus is determined by the highest amount held in the account. App users can view their account, check their balance and bonus details, and make a deposit via debit card, bank transfer or standing order. Even if you're not able to set aside money for savings at the moment, open an account anyway, while you are eligible to do so, because you don't have to put any money in. How payments work You can save between £1 and £50 each calendar month - you don't have to pay in every month. Payments can be made by debit card, standing order or bank transfer. You can pay in as many times as you like, but the most you can pay in each calendar month is £50. You can only withdraw money from your Help to Save account to your bank account. How bonuses work You get bonuses at the end of the second and fourth years - these are based on how much you have saved. Example: If you put £50 in each month for the first two years - a total of £1,200 - your first bonus payment would be for £600, even if you withdraw it all (but you would need to wait until the 24th month or the bonus payment would be less). Similarly, if you then add £50 for the next two years, you would receive another £600 payment. This means that in total, you could earn a free £1,200 and if you kept the money in or the whole four years, you would receive an impressive £3,600 when the account closes. What happens after four years? Your Help to Save account will close four years after you open it. You will not be able to reopen it or open another Help to Save account. You can close your account at any time. If you close your account early you will miss your next bonus and you will not be able to open another one. Eligibility You can open a Help to Save account if you're receiving Universal Credit and you (with your partner if it's a joint claim) had take-home pay of £1 or more in your last monthly assessment period. Your take-home pay is your pay after deductions (such as tax or National Insurance). If you get payments as a couple, you and your partner can apply for your own Help to Save accounts. You need to apply separately. You also need to be living in the UK. If you live overseas, you can apply for an account if you're either a: Crown servant or their spouse or civil partner member of the British armed forces or their spouse or civil partner If you stop claiming benefits You can keep using your Help to Save account. Will it affect my benefit payments? You can continue to receive Tax Credits or Universal Credit while saving with Help to Save. For more information and to set up your Help to Save account, visit the website here.
Telegraph
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
How Labour is destroying the British village
Duck pond, cricket pitch, a church and chocolate box cottages. The quintessential features of England's villages will, hopefully, endure for centuries. The endearing charm and blissful way of life, however, is edging closer to extinction. Labour's housebuilding drive threatens to 'bulldoze' Britain's villages to create mega-villages, loosening their sense of community and, perhaps, fracturing their soul. In her quest for 1.5 million new homes by 2029, Angela Rayner, the Housing Secretary, has cranked up the pressure on rural communities to build, while relaxing targets for major cities, including London. This could have a devastating effect on the unique nature of our villages. Blake Stephenson, Tory MP, recently told the Commons how villages in his Mid Bedfordshire constituency are at risk from the 'creeping spread of urban sprawl' that threatens to 'merge them into a conglomerate mass of development'. His fears come amid the Government's plan to strip back development protections in the green belt. Villages would no longer be designated as 'historic', which grants them extra safeguards, while a block on 'unrestricted sprawl' around rural settlements will also be removed. In fact, the Government's proposals stipulate the importance of preventing neighbouring towns from merging, but do not offer the same protection for villages. A bid to boost village protections was launched by opposition MPs last month, but the motion was voted down – paving the way for the identity and heritage of England's classic villages to be lost. 'Changing beyond recognition' Two weeks after Stephenson outlined his concerns for Bedfordshire in Parliament, we're standing in the village of Steppingley, a sleepy green belt settlement where you'd half expect to bump into Midsomer Murders' DCI Tom Barnaby. Dog walkers stop to chat with each other, the church bells chime on the hour and the pub will open at midday. The pub, church and village hall are clustered together, while an Indian restaurant lies on the periphery. The average house sold for £470,000 last year. Home to little more than 200 residents and comprised of just a few roads, it is usually far from the news agenda. But with the Government determined to build millions of homes, Steppingley is one of the potential 'conglomerate mass' victims Stephenson fears for. 'It's places like this which are in danger,' he says. 'England is changing beyond all recognition and most villages are getting a lot of housing.' In what was believed to be a record for public engagement, more than 5,000 objection letters were sent to Central Bedfordshire council over plans to build 170 homes on fields between the town of Flitwick and Steppingley. The proposals, which would have shrunk the gap between the town and village to less than half a mile, were refused by the council's planning committee last month. But there is little cause for celebration. 'It will go to the Planning Inspectorate and be overturned,' Stephenson concedes. 'That's another final decision which will be taken out of the hands of the local community. It feels like the strong arm of the Government is going to take over any form of control. 'Once one field becomes housing, it sets a precedent. One is developed, and then the next and the next again. Flitwick is getting closer to Steppingley.' Due to the Government's housebuilding narrative, villagers fear there is a 'sense of inevitability' that they will soon be swallowed up into one mega-village that has lost its identity. 'I feel like I could cry,' one declares. 'It feels wherever you go around here there is a threat of further development.' 'They've just built that monstrosity over there,' says 65-year-old Mark Gale, pointing to a care complex as he surveys the view across fields from Steppingley to Flitwick. 'Then there's a new ugly crematorium there, and they've just built a housing estate down the bottom there called Steppingley Gardens but it's nothing to do with Steppingley. 'I've been here 25 years and it's very nice living in a village, nice and peaceful. I don't want it to become like any other town. 'Without a doubt it would lose its identity. It's a tight-knit community and I don't think anyone here wants that to change.' 'Villages are losing their souls' It is that sense of village community which feels endangered in modern day Britain – one that is becoming critically endangered thanks to an ever-growing population and the continued struggle for rural businesses and services. The prospect of mass housebuilding in the village of Wolvey, Warwickshire, may spell the end for one of its local stores if a supermarket is built at one of three new estates proposed by Rugby Borough Council. 'We have worked hard to grow the shop at a time when many village stores are closing. Clearly we would not be able to compete with a multiple retailer outlet,' its manager Ian Nicholson posted on a village Facebook page. Opponents claim the green belt village will balloon in size by 80pc should it become victim to housebuilding 'desecration' of 710 new homes put forward by the council in its proposed Local Plan. Rugby Borough Council said it is 'following an evidence-based process of site selection... to bring forward a plan that can be sound and ensure development is properly planned'. A spokesman said: 'For years in Rugby borough, most new housing has been built in the town, and rural housing would provide more housing choice in areas that are popular places to live.' The concerns in Wolvey paint a picture for villages across the country. Councils are grappling with huge new housing targets imposed upon them by Westminster. Rural local authorities have been saddled with vast increases to their delivery numbers, while targets for major cities have retreated. Kevin Hollinrake, the shadow housing secretary, told Parliament that 'raising targets by up to 400pc in rural areas while simultaneously reducing them by over 11pc in London, 30pc in Birmingham and Newcastle, and over 50pc in Coventry is unfair and wrong-headed.' It is that added pressure on rural areas which will do little to safeguard the dwindling community feel. Village amenities are sparse and have been in a continual decline for decades. Only a third of the rural population now live within three miles of a bank, while closed shops are being taken 'away from public service provision' and transferred to private use, according to a recent Parliamentary research paper. In his latest season of Clarkson's Farm, new publican Jeremy Clarkson bemoans how 'villages are losing their soul'. 'You don't have a village doctor any more. He's in a health centre 30 miles away and you can't get an appointment. There's no village bobby on the beat. There's no village vicar, there's no village shop, there's no village school. 'If we end up at a point where there's no village pub then what is a village? It's just some houses. Pubs are the hub and it should always be that way.' While Clarkson has breathed new life into his pub in Asthall, others around the country are falling by the wayside. A recent victim is The Crown in the Bedfordshire village of Shillington, a former local for Stephenson. '[Chancellor] Rachel Reeves's Budget didn't help at all, with National Insurance increasing. The cost of doing business just goes through the roof. Just look behind us, the evidence is there.' In what would have been peak lunchtime hours a few weeks ago, the only noise now is the swinging pub sign squeaking in the wind. 'Footfall is a challenge for village pubs, you've now got to be a destination pub. They are the centres of community, so it's such a shame they're closing.' Six pubs closed every week in 2024, according to the British Beer and Pub Association. 'We've got a gun to our heads over housing delivery' In the Kent village of Littlebourne, three miles east of Canterbury, residents are fearful of the future. Housebuilder Gladman had a 115-home project rejected by the previous Tory administration at Canterbury City Council in 2021 amid concerns over the 'urbanisation of the countryside'. Fast-forward to today and the proposed scheme has almost trebled in size, swelling to 300 homes. The council, now led by Labour, conceded that the new homes would 'harm' the village aesthetic, yet an officer's recommendation of approval for the significantly larger scheme was sent to the planning committee in May. At the meeting, one Tory councillor complained that the committee had 'a gun to our head to allow more of these houses' as a result of the nationwide push to build. The council is in a 'state of presumption in favour of development' because of its failure to hit government housing targets in recent years. This means the authority has to look more favourably on housing applications they would otherwise refuse. A decision on the scheme was deferred until a later date as councillors await more mitigation details from the developers. Peter Farrow, of Littlebourne Parish Council, said: 'The village has had a lot of extra housing in recent years and this would be a huge increase. There isn't a reasonable excuse for bearing down on us. 'There is a lot of pressure coming from the people in Westminster who are really pushing. So I suspect this Labour council probably feels under more pressure than the previous council did.' And it's not just the pressure of housebuilding which is worrying England's villages. The ever-increasing spread of solar farms risks surrounding rural settlements. Residents in 23 villages between Long Stratton and Diss in Norfolk are believed to have been sent letters, telling them their land may be 'required' for what would be the country's biggest solar farm. As the plans are deemed a nationally significant infrastructure project the developer, Island Green Power, could have the power to compulsorily purchase land. Carpets of solar panels are poised to be installed across almost 500 square miles of Britain between now and 2035, as Labour ramps up its net zero plans. Figures released by the Government show that central England will be hit hardest by the solar blitz, with the greatest concentration stretching from Lincolnshire to South Wales. 'Labour is going toe-to-toe with communities' Pick almost any village in the country, and you'll likely hear tales of housebuilding woe and how it looks almost unrecognisable from years ago. Concerns over expansion aren't anything new. Yet Stephenson believes the rhetoric from the Government is putting tails up. Law changes proposed in the Planning and Infrastructure Billinclude the introduction of a national scheme of delegation. This will determine which planning applications should be decided by local officers, and which should go to a public committee. The changes are expected to lead to fewer applications being discussed in public to speed up the planning system and the housebuilding process. Meanwhile, ecology surveys to mitigate the impact on Britain's dwindling wildlife will no longer be mandatory. Earlier this year, Reeves told developers that they need not worry about 'bats and newts' in a bid to cut red tape. 'You don't solve issues by having a fight with village communities, but that's exactly what Labour is doing,' Stephenson says. 'They are going toe-to-toe with communities, telling them 'we don't care what you think, we're going to build anyway'. 'They've decided they have the power, they have the majority, they can fight who they want.' And our villages may be the ultimate casualties.
