Latest news with #BracknellForestCouncil
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.'
Scottish Sun
20-07-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Supermarket vouchers worth up to £180 landing on doormats NOW for summer – are you getting one?
Families with children on free school meals are eligible HELPING HAND Supermarket vouchers worth up to £180 landing on doormats NOW for summer – are you getting one? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THOUSANDS of households need to look out for supermarket vouchers landing on doormats worth up to £180. The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation figures for June confirmed food prices have soared in the last 12 months. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Cropped shot of a woman holding a basket while shopping at a grocery store Credit: Getty But there are ways to drive down the cost of your weekly shop, starting with help through the Household Support Fund (HSF). The £742million fund has been shared between councils in England who then decide how to allocate their share. Some are directing cash payments to residents in need while others are distributing supermarket vouchers to cover the summer holidays. We've rounded up what some local authorities are offering below. We won't have covered all the councils offering help, so if your local authority isn't included it's worth checking with it to see what you are eligible for. Most councils have pages on their websites dedicated to the Household Support Fund where you'll find details on who is eligible and what you're in line for. You can find what local council area you fall under by visiting That said, below are some of the councils offering qualifying households supermarket vouchers. Bracknell Forest Council Schools in Bracknell are automatically distributing supermarket vouchers to children registered for free school meals. These vouchers have been paid for through Bracknell Forest Council's allotment of the Household Support Fund. Families can get FREE washing machines, fridges and kids' beds or £200 payments this summer – and you can apply now The council has not confirmed how much the vouchers are worth. Wakefield Metropolitan District Counci Wakefield Metropolitan District Council is issuing supermarket vouchers worth £50 to families receiving council tax support. The vouchers are being issued via letters on July 21 and take up to seven days to arrive. Full instructions on how to redeem the vouchers will be included in the letters. Once the voucher has been redeemed, it doesn't have to be used all at once and can be used several times until it is spent. Nottingham City Council Nottingham City Council is distributing £75 supermarket vouchers to households each month until March 2026. There is a limit on the number of vouchers being shared each month meaning you have to act fast to claim one. Applications for this month's vouchers opened on July 7 so may all have been allocated for July. Nottingham City Council has said the dates applications for vouchers will open between August and next March will be confirmed "later in July". Ealing Council Ealing Council is giving supermarket vouchers worth £90 to families with children on benefits-related free school meals this month. The vouchers are worth £90 per child meaning you could get £180 if you have two kids. You don't need to apply for the vouchers as they are being sent automatically to emails or as letters. The council's partner, Blackhawk, is issuing a 16-digit personalised code and instructions on how to redeem the vouchers on the Blackhawk website - Devon County Council Devon County Council has issued supermarket vouchers worth more than £90 to 22,000 families with children on free school meals. The £90 is equivalent to £15 per week for the six week school holiday. The council has said the vouchers can be redeemed in major supermarkets but hasn't said which ones. Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth City Council is issuing £50 supermarket vouchers to children on benefits-related free school meals. You might also be eligible if your child is not on free school meals and you're on a low income, and can apply for the vouchers from the end of the school term. You can also forward your email address to the council and will be contacted when the application window opens. More details can be found via Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council Families on free school meals are eligible for supermarket food vouchers being distributed by schools in the area. You do not need to apply as they are being issued automatically. Food vouchers may also be available for children under five years if certain criteria is met. To receive a voucher, children must be living in Bournemouth, Christchurch, or Poole and meet one of the following criteria: currently claiming 2 year old early education funding at an early years setting in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole during the term currently claiming Early Years Pupil Premium funding for 3 and 4 year olds at an early years setting in Bournemouth, Christchurch or Poole during the term (this is different to the early education funding available to all 3 and 4 year olds) currently have an open case with a social worker or Early Help family support worker and are of pre-school age Food vouchers for this group of families have to be applied for, with more details on the BCP Council website. Household Support Fund explained Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains what you need to know about the Household Support Fund. Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains what you need to know about the Household Support Fund. If you're battling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items and services, the Household Support Fund can act as a vital lifeline. The financial support is a little-known way for struggling families to get extra help with the cost of living. Every council in England has been given a share of £421million cash by the government to distribute to local low income households. Each local authority chooses how to pass on the support. Some offer vouchers whereas others give direct cash payments. In many instances, the value of support is worth hundreds of pounds to individual families. Just as the support varies between councils, so does the criteria for qualifying. Many councils offer the help to households on selected benefits or they may base help on the level of household income. The key is to get in touch with your local authority to see exactly what support is on offer. The last round ran until the end of March 2025, but was extended. The most current round is running between April 2025 and March 2026. 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
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Bracknell Forest Council to roll out kerbside glass recycling
A council is expected to start providing kerbside glass recycling in the authorities across England are required to offer kerbside recycling collections for a wide range of products as part of the updated Simpler Recycling legislation, including glass and flexible plastics.A report published ahead of Bracknell Forest Council's next cabinet meeting says the introduction of a kerbside glass collection service "is a significant improvement for residents who have frequently requested this".Residents already recycle around 75% of glass used in the borough. The report says additional collections will be "costly" but due to government mandate, the council has "no choice" but to implement the bins have been recommended as "the most practical and safest way" to collect the houses, a 140 litre bin will be provided, while flats and communal areas will be provided with bins up to 360 will cost around £980,000 for the vehicles needed, as well as £800,000 for the containers, with three 26-tonne glass collection vehicles required and a 16-tonne vehicle for limited access report says 12 extra crew members will be needed for the delivery of the new bins across the borough will be a "logistical challenge", it will enable the council to communicate with residents over how it works, the report cabinet will make a decision on Tuesday. You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
