Latest news with #Bracknell
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Bracknell driver jailed after going through park during pursuit
A man has been jailed after driving dangerously, and without a licence or insurance, whilst being pursued by shared by Thames Valley Police showed Conagh Whitelock, from Bracknell, driving recklessly around the town before careering through South Hill a hearing at Reading Magistrates' Court, the 25-year-old was sentenced to 43 weeks in prison for dangerous also received a 12-week custodial sentence for driving whilst disqualified, which will be served concurrently. He was disqualified from driving for two Valley Police's road policing team said: "We hope this time in custody gives him the opportunity to reflect on the risks he posed to innocent road users and people in the park."You drive like this, you will be caught — and you will face the consequences." You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X, or Instagram.
The Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Councillor ‘reported to cops for racial hatred' after asking if homeless vets will get same support as migrants in hotel
A COUNCILLOR who asked if homeless veterans could also be housed in migrant hotels was allegedly reported to cops for "stirring up hate". Cllr John Edwards claims he was "smeared" after he questioned Bracknell Forest Council's decision to house more than 300 Afghan migrants in four-star hotels in favour of hard-hit locals. 5 5 5 The independent councillor, who serves on Sandhurst Town Council, was reportedly put under investigation after he called for more clarity when hundreds of Afghans were placed in local hotels. He was allegedly reported by Labour councillor Cherise Welch, who accused him of "stirring up hate" after he suggested that key information was being withheld from Berkshire residents. But it has since been revealed that the Government secretly relocated thousands of Afghans to the UK following a major Ministry of Defence email blunder. Writing on his Facebook in April, Cllr Edwards called for the migrants to be treated with "respect and dignity", but admitted he was worried for the knock-on effect for desperate residents. He said: "Bracknell is resettling over 300 Afghans in a local hotel—and I don't believe residents are being told the full story. "I'm increasingly concerned that key information is either being withheld or presented in a way that makes it difficult to see how unfair this scheme is. "I want to make it clear that everyone arriving on this scheme must be treated with respect and dignity. But I also believe it's completely reasonable to ask what impact this scheme will have on our area. "If the money is there to house Afghans in a four-star hotel, why aren't any of the Labour, Lib Dem or Conservative councillors asking why this hasn't been provided for Bracknell's veterans or residents first? "As a Town Councillor, I felt compelled to look into this and speak up, because no other elected representative was." In response, Cllr Welch suggested the post was "complete nonsense", adding she had reported him to "the MOD, Council and local police". Others accused the concerned councillor of "spreading far-right propaganda" and targeting "specific ethnic groups". Speaking to the MailOnline, Cllr Edwards explained he had not been contacted by the police, but said his reputation had been harmed, despite his claims of a cover-up turning out to be true. He added: "The council has fuelled a narrative that I'm spreading hate and misinformation, despite my claims being true. "Another councillor has said publicly they have reported me to the police for stirring racial hatred. "It's stressful and potentially very harmful to my reputation. 'It's a way to smear and silence me, and it has a chilling effect which amounts to, 'disagree with the council and you will be call a racist'." He posted pictures of the interior and exterior facilities in the hotel, blurring out the background to conceal the location. But he was also accused of identifying the hotel by posting the images, which he strongly denies. Earlier this month, it emerged that almost 20,000 Afghans had been secretly relocated to the UK after a major Ministry of Defence error. The February 2022 leak was caused by a Special Forces soldier who accidentally shared a list of 18,714 people who had applied to flee to Britain in the wake of the 2021 Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. The list also included names of their individual UK sponsors including SAS and MI6 spies and at least one Royal Marine Major General. The clumsy click has potential to be the most expensive data breach in history. A total of 18,714 Afghans were included on the secret list, many of whom arrived via unmarked planes which landed at Stansted airport. Although Defence Secretary John Healey has said that the cost of relocating the Afghans and their families will total £400 million, the final cost could be even higher. The information was kept a secret for 18 months through a superinjunction used by the MoD – the first time one had been used by the Government against the press. Around 100,000 were put at risk of Taliban death squads when their names or loved ones were revealed in 2022 — with the blunder then 'covered up' by the gagging order. Almost 900 Afghans on the 'kill list' email leak are ready to sue — with lawyers saying thousands more are poised to join them. Legal sources claimed victims whose lives were endangered could be entitled 'to five-figure payouts'. Councillor Welch has been approached for comment.
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Councillor ‘reported to police' for asking questions about migrants in hotel
A councillor was 'reported to the police' for asking questions about migrants in a hotel. John Edwards, of Sandhurst Town Council, questioned in April why 300 Afghans had been housed at a hotel in Bracknell, Berkshire, when 'many of our own veterans remain homeless'. It has since emerged that they were brought to Britain after a list of names of Afghans who had applied to come to the UK was leaked. A borough councillor said they had reported Cllr Edwards to the police for 'stirring up hate' with 'far-Right propaganda' about the hotel. Cllr Edwards, who also queried if the arrivals would affect locals on council housing waiting lists, is now also under investigation by Bracknell Forest council, the local borough council, for his comments. 'Stirring racial hatred' 'The council has fuelled a narrative that I'm spreading hate and misinformation – despite my claims being true,' he told the Daily Mail. 'Another councillor has said publicly they have reported me to the police for 'stirring racial hatred'. This would be a serious criminal offence. 'It's stressful, it's potentially very harmful to my reputation. It's a way to smear and silence me, and it has a chilling effect which amounts to, 'disagree with the council and you will be call a racist'. 'This was never about how I scrutinised a policy, but which policy I scrutinised. They've never corrected their own misleading claims on the impact of the policy on residents, or defended my right to scrutinise a policy as a councillor. 'Instead, they've escalated baseless complaints because they are either too timid to uphold democracy and free speech – or they're wilfully enabling the suppression of those rights by weaponising the complaints process.' 'Case to answer' Sanjay Prashar, Bracknell Forest Council's monitoring officer, said in a letter to Cllr Edwards that he had a 'case to answer'. A spokesman for the authority confirmed to the newspaper that it was investigating him. 'As the matter raised is under investigation, it would not be appropriate for the council to comment further at this time,' the spokesman said. But Thames Valley Police said it had no record of Cllr Edwards being reported to the force, and he said he has not heard from its officers about the matter. 'Undeniably in the public interest' The independent councillor, who is being supported by the Free Speech Union (FSU), was also accused of endangering the migrants by posting blurred pictures of the hotel's interior, which critics said would allow it to be identified. 'I included images of the accommodation because it is undeniably in the public interest for residents to understand whether the level of publicly funded support is proportionate and fair,' he said. Samuel Armstrong, of the FSU, said: 'Far from inciting racial hatred, his Facebook posts are genuinely some of the most anodyne messages I have ever seen. 'We now know there was an official cover-up over this scheme, yet when this elected councillor did his job and asked some basic questions about whether local people were going to be pushed down the housing list, he was placed under formal investigation. It is chilling.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Town councillor who asked probing questions about 300 migrants in a hotel and whether local veterans could get the same level of support is 'reported to police' for 'stirring up racial hatred'
A town councillor who asked questions about 300 Afghans put up in a local hotel was 'reported to police for stirring up hate'. John Edwards has also been placed under 'investigation' by a 'monitoring officer' at Bracknell Forest Council in Berkshire. The elected councillor began asking questions in April, questioning whether the large number of new arrivals would affect local residents on the housing waiting list. But instead of getting answers, Councillor Edwards said he was accused of 'inciting' hate and spreading 'misinformation' against an ethnic group. The Free Speech Union has now taken up his case, calling it a 'chilling' example of democracy being suppressed. It has since been revealed there was a huge official cover-up with the Government obtaining a super-injunction to stop the public finding out it had a secret immigration scheme for thousands of Afghans. The Mail revealed that, while the public was being kept in the dark, ministers were being warned in private their scheme risked 'significant integration considerations' including with housing and local services such as education and healthcare. But when Councillor Edwards – an independent member of nearby Sandhurst Town Council - began asking Bracknell's borough council a series of questions, he was reported to police by a borough councillor. He wrote a post on Facebook on April 9 saying: 'First of all, I want to make clear that everyone arriving on this scheme must be treated with dignity and respect. This is in no way blaming them, and they should be made to feel welcome.' He went on to question the fairness of the scheme and whether it would have any impact on local residents waiting for housing or other services, pointing out that 'many of our own veterans remain homeless'. A Labour councillor on the Labour-controlled Bracknell Forest Council wrote on a Facebook community group it was 'far right propaganda' and added: 'This has all been reported to the MOD, council and local police'. Councillor Edwards - who never heard from the police - told the Mail: 'The council has fuelled a narrative that I'm spreading hate and misinformation — despite my claims being true. 'Another councillor has said publicly they have reported me to the police for 'stirring racial hatred'. This would be a serious criminal offence. It's stressful, it's potentially very harmful to my reputation. 'It's a way to smear and silence me, and it has a chilling effect which amounts to, 'disagree with the council and you will be call a racist'. 'This was never about how I scrutinised a policy, but which policy I scrutinised. They've never corrected their own misleading claims on the impact of the policy on residents, or defended my right to scrutinise a policy as a councillor. 'Instead, they've escalated baseless complaints because they are either too timid to uphold democracy and free speech — or they're wilfully enabling the suppression of those rights by weaponising the complaints process.' Samuel Armstrong, of the Free Speech Union, said: 'Far from inciting racial hatred, his Facebook posts are genuinely some of the most anodyne messages I have ever seen. 'We now know there was an official cover-up over this scheme, yet when this elected councillor did his job and asked some basic questions about whether local people were going to be pushed down the housing list, he was placed under formal investigation. It is chilling.' Bracknell's 'monitoring officer', Sanjay Prashar, said in a letter to Councillor Edwards: 'I do consider there to be a case to answer.' Bracknell Forest Council said: 'As the matter raised is under investigation, it would not be appropriate for the council to comment further at this time.' Mystery surrounds the police threat because Councillor Edwards never heard from Thames Valley Police, the force said it was not aware of any such report made, and the councillor claiming to have reported him has not yet responded to a request for comment. It has since been revealed that the Government deliberately concealed the true reason for the large influx from the public, spending two years hushing-up the fact it was responsible for the UK's worst ever data breach which led to Operation Rubific to evacuate thousands to Britain. Minsters agreed to spend £7billion, and plotted a strategy to 'control the narrative' by 'managing' what the public were told. Nobody was told the full truth when the Ministry of Defence settled 320 Afghans in a hotel in Bracknell, Berkshire, in the Spring. Yet the Daily Mail can reveal that, while the public was being kept in the dark, a secret Whitehall briefing paper was warning ministers that there were 'significant integration considerations' including with 'local services such as education and healthcare'. In public, the pile-on for Councillor Edwards continued when another councillor suggested he had 'incited hatred', while there were also complaints from people who opted to remain anonymous. One accused Councillor Edwards of 'spreading misinformation on social media which is insightful of hate towards specific ethnic groups.' Several of the complainants accused him of identifying the hotel where the Afghans are staying – which he strenuously rejects, saying he was never told the name and had never named it. In his Facebook post, he used photos from the hotel to show its interior, but he blurred them to disguise its identity. But some of the people complaining claim that it is still possible to work out which hotel it is. Councillor Edwards said: 'I included images of the accommodation because it is undeniably in the public interest for residents to understand whether the level of publicly funded support is proportionate and fair.'
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Panasonic TOUGHBOOK Research Highlights Urgency of Windows 11 Migration
Critical infrastructure organisations face increased security, compatibility, performance, cost, and compliance risks if they delay upgrading to Windows 11. Bracknell, UK. 23rd July 2025 – Panasonic TOUGHBOOK has released research revealing the challenges and concerns for organisations navigating Windows 10 end-of-life and migrating to the Windows 11 operating system*. With support for Windows 10 ceasing on 14th October 2025, Panasonic's research shows organisations that have not yet completed their migration are concerned about security risks, costs, and software compatibility issues arising from out-of-support software. Panasonic's whitepaper, 'Navigating the Shift: The Business Case for Upgrading to Windows 11' also explores the extent of hardware refreshes needed to support Windows 11, and reveals concerns about the impact of device downtime during upgrade cycles. Standing still presents significant security risks and cost implicationsOne of the biggest challenges surveyed organisations face is the security risk of inaction or delaying their Windows 11 migration. Ninety-eight percent of organisations surveyed say they are 'likely' to invest in Microsoft's Extended Security Update (ESU) if they have not completed migration to Windows 11 by October. More than half (58%) are not confident that they will be able to manage device security without either completing the migration or investing in ESU. They are concerned that if they don't migrate or purchase ESU, they will be exposed to higher ransomware and malware risk (94%), data breaches (93%), a lack of patches for new security threats (91%), compliance risks (89%) and the impact on business reputation (88%). Cost is another concerning factor for organisations delaying their Windows 11 migration beyond October 2025. Two-thirds predict that they'll face higher costs overall, with 55% expecting these will come in the form of higher cybersecurity expenses. With Microsoft advising that an enterprise with 1,000 devices will face an ESU bill for approximately £320,000 over the three years that ESU is available, the cost of delay is tangible and immediate In addition, 48% predict increased support costs and 46% believe business continuity risks will have cost implications. Increased maintenance costs (40%) and hardware costs (38%) are also factors. Software upgrade means hardware replacement and reduced productivitySurveyed organisations operate an average of 4,000 devices and estimate that 62% either have been, or will still need to be replaced or upgraded, to ensure compatibility with Windows 11. This rises to 76% of devices in organisations with more than 5,000 employees. Almost half (45%) of respondents see challenges around the loss of productivity due to downtime when devices are being upgraded. Consequently 75% are adopting a phased approach. One-quarter (25%) are delaying software upgrades to coincide with device replacement. Application and business software compatibility issues are another migration challenge, cited by 47%. Upgrades will be managed through a combination of remote upgrades (46%) and in-person upgrades (54%), with 64% expecting to draw heavily on device manufacturer support during the process. Benefits of migration outweigh risks of delayRespondents currently migrating to Windows 11 expect to unlock important benefits around security and protection (44%), performance and processing power (36%) and having a future-proofed device ecosystem (36%). They also seek to leverage AI features such as Microsoft Copilot or Bing AI (34%) as well as deploying Edge AI capabilities in the field (29%). Chris Turner, Head of Go-to-Market, Panasonic TOUGHBOOK Europe, comments: 'The window is closing for organisations to make a well-planned, measured and cost-effective transition to Windows 11 and start unlocking its benefits. The cost, security, and performance risks of delay are steadily increasing as the end-of-life deadline approaches, which is especially concerning in the critical sectors we surveyed including emergency services, field services and utilities, and defence organisations. 'Organisations that are still to undertake Windows 11 migration need support to ensure their deployment is not rushed and risky. Panasonic TOUGHBOOK offers customers full transition support to ensure a seamless migration experience, maintain productivity and take the uncertainty from the process. By acting now, businesses can avoid incurring both cost and risk beyond October 2025,' adds Turner. To download the Panasonic TOUGHBOOK whitepaper, 'Navigating the Shift: The Business Case for Upgrading to Windows 11', please click here: For more information on how Panasonic's Mobile-IT As-a-Service offering can help your organisation migrate to Windows 11, click here: *Research MethodologyPanasonic commissioned research from 200 decision makers from the UK and Germany (100 each) in March 2025. Respondents are involved with purchasing decisions and working for organisations with 1,000+ employees, in field services and utilities; defence; emergency services; automotive; supply chain and logistics; and manufacturing sectors. Panasonic Press ContactLisbeth LashmanaHead of European Marketing, Panasonic Panasonic Press ContactJim PopleC8 Consultingjim@ About the Panasonic GroupFounded in 1918, and today a global leader in developing innovative technologies and solutions for wide-ranging applications in the consumer electronics, housing, devices, B2B solutions and energy sectors worldwide, the Panasonic Group switched to an operating company system on April 1, 2022, with Panasonic Holdings Corporation serving as a holding company. The Group reported consolidated net sales of Euro 51.6 billion (8,458.2 billion yen) for the year ended March 31, 2025. To learn more about the Panasonic Group, please visit: About Panasonic Connect Europe GmbHPanasonic Connect Europe began operations on October 1st, 2021, creating a new Business-to-Business focused and agile organisation. With more than 400 employees and led by CEO Shusuke Aoki, the business aims to contribute to the success of its customers with innovative products and integrated systems and services – all designed to deliver its vision to Change Work, Advance Society and Connect to Tomorrow. Panasonic Connect Europe is headquartered in Wiesbaden and consist of the following business units: The Mobile Solutions Business Division helping mobile workers improve productivity with its range of Toughbook rugged notebooks, business tablets and handhelds. The Media Entertainment Business Division incorporating Visual System Solutions offering a range of high brightness and reliable projectors as well as high quality displays; and Broadcast & ProAV offering Smart Live Production solutions from an end-to-end portfolio consisting of PTZ and system cameras, camcorders, the Kairos IT/IP platform, switchers and robotic solutions that are widely used for live event capture, sports production, television, and xR studios. Business and Industry Solutions delivering tailored technology solutions focused on Retail, Logistics and Manufacturing. Designed to increase operational efficiency and enhance customer experience, helping businesses to perform at their best, every day. Panasonic Factory Solutions Europe selling a wide range of smart factory solutions including electronics manufacturing solutions, robot and welding systems and software solutions engineering. For more information please visit: Please visit Panasonic Connect Europe's LinkedIn page: in to access your portfolio
