Latest news with #BromleyCouncil
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
West Wickham affordable housing scheme completes with 26 new homes
26 new affordable homes have been built as part of the West Wickham project aimed at creating more affordable housing. The scheme is included in Bromley Council's Bromley People Initiative. Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, Yvonne Bear, said: 'This is a fantastic example of what we are able to achieve by using underused land. "We look forward to bringing forward news of more new homes in the coming months.' The new homes located next to the newly renovated Chislehurst Library are called Richmal Court and Crompton Court. The building is named after the celebrated author Richmal Crompton (Image: Bromley Council) The building is named after the celebrated author Richmal Crompton, who had strong links to the borough. Cllr Bear said that the project 'not only brings forward much needed homes but will also generate financial savings as it reduces the need to use temporary accommodation, which is expensive.' Buxton Building Contractors Ltd have constructed the two blocks of accommodation which are designed to meet a range of needs for families. Brimelow McSweeney Architects was the lead designers of the accommodation ensuring that the building met the Council's requirement to complement the architectural character of West Wickham. The completion of the West Wickham project follows previous Bromley Homes for Bromley People Schemes in Anerly, Bromley and Chislehurst delivering 60 new homes. Bromley Council has announced further house building initiatives in Orpington, Bromley, Beckenham and St Paul's Cray.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The whopping total of fines in Bromley for unauthorised school absences
Bromley Council has made more than £41,000 from fining parents of children who were out of school without authorisation this year. The News Shopper submitted a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to Bromley Council to find out how much the local authority had made from unauthorised absence fines since the 2021-22 academic year. The FOI gave information as far as July 2025 and revealed that £41,160 was accumulated by the council since September 2024. In the 2021-22 academic year, which was the first full school year after pandemic restrictions eased, the council collected £16,500 in fines. This amount more than doubled the following year, with £33,300 raised in 2022-23. The total fine income increased again in 2023-24 to £36,960. The most recent academic year saw more than £41,160 collected in fines, surpassing the previous records. Looking at the figures by school term shows that the summer term usually brings in the most money from fines and has the highest number of fines issued. For example, in 2021-22, Bromley Council collected £11,640 in summer fines, which was more than two-thirds of the total that year, with 278 fines given out. This went up to £17,640 and 409 fines in 2022-23 and dropped slightly to £16,860 and 422 fines in 2023-24. This pattern probably happens because many families take children out of school for holidays during term time, especially in the summer when travel is often cheaper. But in the current 2024-25 year, the spring term has already brought in £22,620 in fines and 375 fines issued. This is more than any previous spring term and almost twice the summer term total of £10,560 and 251 fines so far this year. Overall, the total number of fines has grown a lot. There were 376 fines in 2021-22, then 773 in 2022-23, and 914 in 2023-24. So far this year, 821 fines have been issued, showing the council is taking attendance more seriously. School absence fines are typically issued when children have unauthorised absences from school, such as holidays during term time or unexplained absences. The money collected from school absence fines goes into Bromley Council's general fund, contributing to the local authority's overall budget. There is no specific requirement for how the funds are spent, so they may be used to support a range of council services, including education and attendance initiatives. Under current government rules, parents can be fined £80 per child if their child has 10 sessions (equivalent to five school days) of unauthorised absence within a 10-school-week period. This fine must be paid within 21 days to avoid increasing. If it is not paid within 28 days, the fine rises to £160. If a parent receives a second penalty notice for the same child within three years, the fine remains £160 with no early payment discount. Failure to pay penalty notices or continued unauthorised absences can lead to prosecution. This can result in a fine of up to £2,500 per parent per child, a community order, or a prison sentence of up to three months.
Scottish Sun
09-08-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Our street is overrun by army of foxes & rotting mounds of rubbish but it's NOT our fault – new rules will make it worse
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RESIDENTS living on a swanky London road have slammed the council for "lazy" binmen who they claim leave their street in a state. Those living on Albemarle Road in Beckenham, South London, claim their postcode is regularly littered with piles of rubbish which attract "an army of foxes". 10 Residents living on a swanky London road have slammed the council for 'lazy' binmen Credit: Gary Stone 10 They claim that carefully separated rubbish is mixed together into one big bin Credit: Gary Stone 10 They also say food waste is left to rot in the road attracting foxes Credit: Supplied 10 Sheila Bryan has complained to the local council on several occasions Credit: Gary Stone The residents have had enough and have hit out at the local council with a long list of their bin collection gripes. Their complaints range from carefully separated rubbish being mixed together by binmen, to food waste left to rot in the road and bins being left blocking driveways and car parks. Dozens of locals say they have phoned the council or reported their issues online - but are baffled to see it continue. But dspite workers coming to resolve issues relatively quickly, residents say they have to complain about one thing or another almost every week. They also say they are forced to deal with a raft of bin rules imposed by Bromley Council. And with tougher refuse measures to be rolled out across England next year, they fear matters will only get worse. If rubbish is mixed together, put in the wrong bin or in extreme cases, residents use the wrong bin bags, refuse workers will refuse to collect their rubbish. One resident, Sheila Bryan, who has lived in her flat on the street for 32 years, told The Sun: 'What happens is some of the residents put stuff in the wrong bins and we got told it's contaminated and they won't remove them. 'We have to deal with it if they don't take it. 'The paper one there's bits flying about, if people put food waste not in composted bags they won't take it. 'Very rarely do they put them back, they just leave them around, some of them do it quite happily. Monster '22-INCH' rat 'as big as a cat' is found in UK home - as locals warned more could be on the loose 'They leave them right in the middle [of the car park]. "Look at Birmingham, I don't know how they're coping.' Birmingham has seen months of bin strikes this year, with rubbish piling up on streets across the city as huge rats seen scurrying around the area. Residents in Beckenham now fear if they complain too much about the council's service their binmen will strike too, leaving them in the lurch. It means they are left with overflowing bins, covered in flies, in their car parks and driveways. One local said the mess had gotten so bad that it was attracting "an army of foxes" and described living on the road among the wild animals as "like something out of a horror film, like something out of I Am Legend." Sheila, meanwhile, has had to deal with "nasty flies" around her food bin after it was left with moulding waste in it, she has complained to the council on several occasions with the authority rushing to clear it up. She says that if she is the only one to complain the council only clear the bins from her block and ignore the block next door despite the two sharing the same communal bin area. She has had to coordinate her calls with a neighbour to have all of the uncollected bins dealt with rather than just hers. 10 Residents worry that if they complain too much about the council's service their binmen will strike Credit: Gary Stone 10 Daniel Davis coordinates with Sheila and calls the council at the same time as a show of force Credit: Gary Stone Daniel Davis, who has lived on the road for 35 years, coordinates with Sheila and calls the council at the same time as a show of force. He said: 'It used to be great and then I don't know what happened, I kept phoning up and phoning up. "No one ever cleans them that's the problem. They never put the bins back where they get them. 'Sometimes when they collect these bottle bins they leave them in the middle of the car park, they've only got to walk like five meters, what's the point? It's just laziness. 'They might go on strike. Like Birmingham." Daniel described the collections as "haphazard" but said it had gotten better in recent weeks after he and Sheila put in several phone calls. He theorised that "maybe someone has given them a b******ing." He claims the mess left behind by the binmen after a collection had gotten so bad that the local fox population now came out in the afternoon to scavenge on the leftovers. "The foxes drive us mad, every night you get about a dozen come out here, they're coming out early afternoon now." Daniel added: 'There's been a hell of a lot problems with the bins on this road. One other resident further down Albemarle Road said things were worse for him. The man, who asked not to be named, said: "Some of them [binmen] are great some of them are awful. 'They leave the bins out in the road, they're supposed to take them back." When asked if binmen had been mixing his carefully separated rubbish, he said: "Of course they have, the little bins the food bins the recycling, I've seen them throw stuff on the floor. If there's one thing wrong they won't take them. 'They just sling stuff in the road, we're paying them to do a job, they should do it. 'They take away stuff when they don't have to, they're emptying one bin into another.' Another resident who asked to remain anonymous claims she managed to catch one worker mixing her brown bin with her general waste. She added that she and her neighbours have had to pay in the past for rubbish to be collected after the binmen refused to take it. She slammed the council for allowing them to leave their mess behind. The resident told The Sun: "If there was a problem in the past there have been times when they've not taken the bins away. "Residents then have to pay for bins to be collected because binmen haven't taken away rubbish." Residents of the block of flats have to pay through the council for the rubbish to be removed if the binmen decide not to clear it, this is despite them spending their time separating out food waste, general waste, soft plastic and hard plastic. When The Sun visited Albemarle Road we saw bins of dozens of different shapes, sizes and colours all for different types of rubbish. Residents don't see a point in separating out their waste if council workers mix it up in the back of the lorry. One resident said: "The food waste and cardboard dumping has been happening a long time, and it's just getting out of control. "There's been all those stories about how everyone recycles their plastic but it all ends up in the same place anyway, it really does defeat the purpose of recycling. "I thought it was some random person, either a resident or someone that was fly tipping, there's been so much weird stuff that's been going on." 10 Local Dee Hetherington, 70, says she has seen binmen dump everything into one container Credit: Gary Stone 10 Her main gripe is that bins are left in the middle of the driveway Credit: Gary Stone One local, Dee Hetherington, 70, who is the director of her block of flats has had to call in assistance from neighbours more than once after large, heavy metal bins were left in her driveway. She is sure the rubbish all gets mixed up in the end and claims she has seen binmen dumping it all into a bigger container. Dee has to deal with the council regularly as the director of her building and finds herself reporting missed collections all the time. She said: "My main gripe is the big metal bins are left in the middle of the driveway. "I spoke to the waste people and they said it would take five days to move them which was nonsense. I just found that mad. 'They sometimes don't collect the bins but one of my gripes is the food waste. 'I just wish they'd put the bins back, I'm not a 'bin putter backer.' I think they empty into a bigger thing, I'm sure it gets mixed up. 'If they don't collect I say 'the bin has not been collected', sometimes they say what was in there wasn't collectable which is nonsense. "If they don't do it one week we can last till the next fortnight." The Sun has contacted Bromley Council for comment. It comes as the government aim to introduce a new bin collection strategy. It includes a new weekly separate collection for food waste from households, which will be implemented in 2026. The new strategy hopes to reduce the amount of waste produced and streamline with rates of recycling from different local authorities. Research showed that around 135,000 tonnes of domestic rubbish has been sent for incineration each year, two thirds of which could be recycled. It has also been found that a significant amount (32.75% total) of waste found in household bins is actually food waste. The new changes are due to come into effect on April 1 next year. 10 The street has been left with overflowing bins, covered in flies, in their car parks and driveways Credit: Gary Stone
Scottish Sun
06-08-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
All the councils giving away free supermarket food vouchers worth £100s this summer
We reveal all you need to know about the Household Support Fund below... HELPING HAND All the councils giving away free supermarket food vouchers worth £100s this summer Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THOUSANDS of households are eligible for free supermarket food vouchers worth hundreds of pounds this summer. The boost comes via the £742million Household Support Fund (HSF) which has been shared between councils in England. 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 Councils have until March 31, 2026, to allocate their share of the fund and can decide who is eligible for help, and what they get. That means what you're entitled to and whether you're eligible for support is dependant on where you live. In most cases, help is distributed to those who are financially vulnerable, on a low income or benefits. A number of councils are using their share of the fund to distribute food vouchers to hard-up households over the summer holidays - and some are worth hundreds of pounds. We've revealed some of the help on offer below. If your council is not included below, check with yours what support you might be able to get. Most have pages on their websites dedicated to the HSF where you'll find all details on who is eligible and what you can get. You can find what council area you come under via Bromley Council The London council is offering households £150 payments in the form of virtual energy cards, council tax credit or supermarket vouchers. You have to be over 16 and living in a Bromley postcode to apply. You also will be required to prove the following: Three key benefits that YOU could be missing out on, and one even gives you a free TV Licence You have rent, energy, council tax or other financial arrears You have an income (so will need to provide proof of income) You are unable to meet your arrears in the form of bank statements for the last three calendar months Priority is being given to first-time applicants to the HSF. Until August 31 the council will process applications from those who did not receive support from the HSF between April 2024 and March 2025. To find out more go to North Northamptonshire Council The council is distributing supermarket vouchers worth up to £320 to households in need. Single person households qualify for £150, two person households £260 and homes with three or more people in them £320. You must meet eligibility criteria to qualify though, including having a total income under a certain limit depending on the size of your household. For example, single adult households with no children must have a total income under £438. To find out more and to apply go to Wakefield Metropolitan District Counci Wakefield Metropolitan District Council is issuing supermarket vouchers worth £50 to families receiving council tax support. The vouchers were issued via letters on July 21 and should have taken up to seven days to arrive. Household Support Fund explained 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 £742million 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 current round is running between April 2025 and March 2026. Full instructions on how to redeem them are included on the letter. The vouchers can be used several times and don't have to be spent all at once. Find out more via Ealing Council Ealing Council sent emails and letters to households eligible for supermarket vouchers worth £90 last month. The vouchers were issued to families with children on benefits-related free school meals. They are worth £90 per child meaning you might have received £180 if you have two kids. The council's partner, Blackhawk, issued a 16-digit personalised code and instructions on how to redeem the vouchers on the Blackhawk website - For more details, go to 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. More details can be found via Derby City Council Derby City Council is distributing supermarket food vouchers to households in "financial crisis". Two rounds of funding are available with round one open between May and September. A maximum of one award per round is available per household. Households can apply for the vouchers until September 2025 or until any funding has been fully allocated. Single households can get £25 vouchers, £50 for a multiple adult household or £100 for a household with children under the age of 19. You can apply for the vouchers and find out more via Southampton City Council The council is continuing to fund supermarket vouchers for free school meal (FSM) eligible pupils in the school holiday. The vouchers are being distributed automatically and parents do not need to apply. The council has not revealed how much the vouchers are worth. More details can be found via 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
The Sun
06-08-2025
- Business
- The Sun
All the councils giving away free supermarket food vouchers worth £100s this summer
THOUSANDS of households are eligible for free supermarket food vouchers worth hundreds of pounds this summer. The boost comes via the £742million Household Support Fund (HSF) which has been shared between councils in England. 1 Councils have until March 31, 2026, to allocate their share of the fund and can decide who is eligible for help, and what they get. That means what you're entitled to and whether you're eligible for support is dependant on where you live. In most cases, help is distributed to those who are financially vulnerable, on a low income or benefits. A number of councils are using their share of the fund to distribute food vouchers to hard-up households over the summer holidays - and some are worth hundreds of pounds. We've revealed some of the help on offer below. If your council is not included below, check with yours what support you might be able to get. Most have pages on their websites dedicated to the HSF where you'll find all details on who is eligible and what you can get. You can find what council area you come under via Bromley Council The London council is offering households £150 payments in the form of virtual energy cards, council tax credit or supermarket vouchers. You have to be over 16 and living in a Bromley postcode to apply. You also will be required to prove the following: Three key benefits that YOU could be missing out on, and one even gives you a free TV Licence You have rent, energy, council tax or other financial arrears You have an income (so will need to provide proof of income) You are unable to meet your arrears in the form of bank statements for the last three calendar months Priority is being given to first-time applicants to the HSF. Until August 31 the council will process applications from those who did not receive support from the HSF between April 2024 and March 2025. To find out more go to North Northamptonshire Council The council is distributing supermarket vouchers worth up to £320 to households in need. Single person households qualify for £150, two person households £260 and homes with three or more people in them £320. You must meet eligibility criteria to qualify though, including having a total income under a certain limit depending on the size of your household. For example, single adult households with no children must have a total income under £438. To find out more and to apply go to Wakefield Metropolitan District Counci Wakefield Metropolitan District Council is issuing supermarket vouchers worth £50 to families receiving council tax support. The vouchers were issued via letters on July 21 and should have taken up to seven days to arrive. Household Support Fund explained 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 £742million 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 current round is running between April 2025 and March 2026. Full instructions on how to redeem them are included on the letter. The vouchers can be used several times and don't have to be spent all at once. Find out more via Ealing Council Ealing Council sent emails and letters to households eligible for supermarket vouchers worth £90 last month. The vouchers were issued to families with children on benefits-related free school meals. They are worth £90 per child meaning you might have received £180 if you have two kids. The council's partner, Blackhawk, issued a 16-digit personalised code and instructions on how to redeem the vouchers on the Blackhawk website - For more details, go to 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. More details can be found via Derby City Council Derby City Council is distributing supermarket food vouchers to households in "financial crisis". Two rounds of funding are available with round one open between May and September. A maximum of one award per round is available per household. Households can apply for the vouchers until September 2025 or until any funding has been fully allocated. Single households can get £25 vouchers, £50 for a multiple adult household or £100 for a household with children under the age of 19. You can apply for the vouchers and find out more via Southampton City Council The council is continuing to fund supermarket vouchers for free school meal (FSM) eligible pupils in the school holiday. The vouchers are being distributed automatically and parents do not need to apply. The council has not revealed how much the vouchers are worth. More details can be found via
