Latest news with #DavidEllis
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Anger over frequent closure of vandalised toilets
Residents say it is "disgusting" that the last remaining toilets in a town in Nottinghamshire are often closed. The block at King George V Recreation Ground recently became the only toilet provision in Arnold after the closure of the Wood Street toilets because of "lewd behaviour". Tara Blencowe, 51, uses the park and said there was a recent situation where an elderly man needed to be helped because the toilets were locked. Councillor David Ellis, portfolio holder for public protection on Gedling Borough Council, said the facility was frequently vandalised to an "unusable and unsafe" condition which necessitates its closure for repairs. Ms Blencowe, who brings her grandson to the park, said: "It's totally put me off coming because there's no toilet facilities or baby changing facilities that I can access." She visited the park on Monday and said she had to walk half-a-mile (800m) to use a supermarket toilet instead, which she said would be problematic in emergency situations. "People will be put off visiting unless [the council] say 'yes we are going to open these toilets' and stick to their word," she said. Denise, 53, brings her great nieces to the park after school. She says being forced to pay to use the toilet at nearby coffee shops makes her visits "expensive". "I think [the closures are] a bit heavy-handed because it's caused by a minority," she added. "I know they have had problems here but I think it's unfair to the rest of the people." Her eight-year-old great-niece Kairah says it makes her feel "upset" when the toilet is closed. "Last time we went there [when it was open] it was filled with drink bottles and it didn't flush," she said. Ellis acknowledged that people "aren't getting their money's worth" because of the frequent closures. He said the toilet and sink had been designed to resist damage, however, vandals were instead blocking them with paper and starting fires inside the toilet bowl. Regarding its status as the last public toilet in the town, he said the council would fight to keep it open despite the rise in maintenance costs. "The council does as best as it can to try and keep them clean, tidy, and open, but sometimes it's an uphill battle," he said. "We know young people want to get out and do things, but vandalising a public toilet causes lots of inconvenience to everybody." Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. 'Lewd behaviour' sees toilet block closed Gedling Borough Council
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Anger over frequent closure of vandalised toilets
Residents say it is "disgusting" that the last remaining toilets in a town in Nottinghamshire are often closed. The block at King George V Recreation Ground recently became the only toilet provision in Arnold after the closure of the Wood Street toilets because of "lewd behaviour". Tara Blencowe, 51, uses the park and said there was a recent situation where an elderly man needed to be helped because the toilets were locked. Councillor David Ellis, portfolio holder for public protection on Gedling Borough Council, said the facility was frequently vandalised to an "unusable and unsafe" condition which necessitates its closure for repairs. Ms Blencowe, who brings her grandson to the park, said: "It's totally put me off coming because there's no toilet facilities or baby changing facilities that I can access." She visited the park on Monday and said she had to walk half-a-mile (800m) to use a supermarket toilet instead, which she said would be problematic in emergency situations. "People will be put off visiting unless [the council] say 'yes we are going to open these toilets' and stick to their word," she said. Denise, 53, brings her great nieces to the park after school. She says being forced to pay to use the toilet at nearby coffee shops makes her visits "expensive". "I think [the closures are] a bit heavy-handed because it's caused by a minority," she added. "I know they have had problems here but I think it's unfair to the rest of the people." Her eight-year-old great-niece Kairah says it makes her feel "upset" when the toilet is closed. "Last time we went there [when it was open] it was filled with drink bottles and it didn't flush," she said. Ellis acknowledged that people "aren't getting their money's worth" because of the frequent closures. He said the toilet and sink had been designed to resist damage, however, vandals were instead blocking them with paper and starting fires inside the toilet bowl. Regarding its status as the last public toilet in the town, he said the council would fight to keep it open despite the rise in maintenance costs. "The council does as best as it can to try and keep them clean, tidy, and open, but sometimes it's an uphill battle," he said. "We know young people want to get out and do things, but vandalising a public toilet causes lots of inconvenience to everybody." Follow BBC Nottingham on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. 'Lewd behaviour' sees toilet block closed Gedling Borough Council
Evening Standard
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Too Many Critics: charity restaurant event returns to raise vital funds for Action Against Hunger
This year, Too Many Critics will take place at Roe in Canary Wharf, with the Standard's restaurant critic David Ellis returning for a third time, joining a line-up including Tom Parker Bowles (Mail on Sunday), Hannah Twiggs (Independent) and Kate Krader (Bloomberg). Alongside them will be Leonie Cooper (Time Out), CODE and The Good Food Guide publisher Adam Hyman and Molly Codyre (Foodism).
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
As a recession looms, GOP lawmakers need to prepare NC. They're not.
Before he presented the Wake County budget on May 5, County Manager David Ellis weighed various national and state economic indicators, plus one he picked up at his barber shop. 'I listen to folks there,' he said. 'One was a car salesman who lost his job because they weren't selling any cars.' That salesman's misfortune fits with what Ellis and others see coming for the economy and the nation, a serious slowdown and a possible recession. Ellis had planned to draw a budget based on 3% growth in sales tax revenue. He dialed that back to zero. He wanted to propose a 5% raise for top employees. He capped that at 3.5%. 'During COVID, we had to adjust on a daily basis and that's something we're going to have to continue to do,' he said. Around the state and the nation, public officials are girding for a downturn that could become a crisis. Trump's tariff hikes are likely to slow the economy and extending his 2017 tax cuts for the wealthy could require major reductions in federal aid for food stamps, Medicaid and a host of other programs. But North Carolina legislative leaders are not among those preparing for the worst, despite the state being especially vulnerable. Years of tax cuts have hollowed state agency budgets. The vacancy rate among state employees is more than 20 percent. If a recession hits, the state will have little room to cut expenses, even as it copes with lower tax revenue and less federal funding. Unemployment benefits, capped at a paltry $350 a week, won't be enough to sustain workers who are laid off or buffer local economies. Alexandra Sirota, director of the nonprofit N.C. Budget & Tax Center, said she can't account for all of state history, but compared to recent decades, 'We are certainly the most under-prepared we've been for a recession.' Despite the darkening economic forecast, the state Senate's proposed budget calls for accelerating tax cuts that would largely benefit wealthy individuals and large corporations and more spending on private school vouchers. 'The Senate plan is completely unacceptable,' Sirota said. ' It is not a serious proposal for the moment our state is in.' The state House's budget proposal is expected to be released soon. Gov. Josh Stein's proposed budget, which will have little sway in the GOP-controlled legislature, rightly calls for a freeze on tax cuts and voucher spending and an increase in unemployment benefits to a $470 weekly maximum, but the governor should be sounding a louder alarm about the trouble that looms. The Urban Institute's latest tracking of state tax collections found that for median state tax revenues have declined compared to last year — and that's before Trump's tariffs have taken their effect. 'Recent federal policy actions and subsequent economic developments are poised to impact state tax revenues significantly,' the Institute's report said. Between a tariff-related economic slowdown and federal cuts to make way for an extension of the 2017 tax cuts that will cost $4.5 trillion over the next decade, states are likely to face overwhelming revenue losses with huge consequences. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities ranked North Carolina 20th nationally in terms of federal funds as a percentage of state expenditures – 38 percent, or $34.5 billion in fiscal year 2024. If Congress cuts a significant share of that funding, all states will be in trouble. If North Carolina goes ahead with tax cuts, it will only compound the problem. The response, inevitably, will be to further reduce or eliminate critical services. A more humane response would be for the legislature to freeze scheduled tax cuts and impose an income tax of up to the state cap of 7 percent on very wealthy earners. That would claw back some of the savings they will get from an extension of the federal tax cuts. The NC Budget & Tax Center estimates that the state's top 1% of earners will save $1.8 billion in 2026 under the extension. Tax hikes, of course, are not happening under this General Assembly. Republican lawmakers have cut taxes repeatedly at the expense of schools and services since 2013. But now that the jig is up, the state has no slack and those who brought us to this vulnerable point seem to have no plan for the trouble ahead. Associate opinion editor Ned Barnett can be reached at 919-404-7583, or nbarnett@
The Guardian
02-04-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Thousands of Ford Kuga hybrid drivers ‘left in limbo' after fire risk warnings
Thousands of drivers have reportedly been left in limbo after warnings that their car could catch fire due to a battery defect. Ford issued an urgent recall of its Kuga plug-in hybrid car in early March, warning drivers not to charge the battery because of a risk it might short-circuit while on the road. The problem could cause a loss of power or a fire, according to the recall notice. Four weeks later, the manufacturer has yet to announce a timescale for repairs and owners report that it is failing to respond to their requests for an update. David Ellis is one of an estimated 26,000 owners to have received the red-hatched letter from Ford warning of potential injury if the battery is plugged in. It instructs occupants to exit their vehicle immediately if the 'stop safely now' warning is triggered while on the road and advises that it will be in touch when engineers have developed a software fix. However, it says that affected vehicles are still safe to drive. 'The advice to exit the car quickly is alarming,' Ellis said. 'My husband uses a hoist and a wheelchair so we can't exit anywhere quickly. I therefore can't drive him in the car until it is made safe.' Ellis bought his car eight months ago in order to reduce fuel costs and emissions. He says the monthly running costs have nearly doubled since he stopped charging the battery. 'Aside from the safety issue, it calls into question Ford's green credentials and customer service,' he said. 'They have advised they are not proactively offering customers any form of recompense for increased fuel use or damage to the battery from lack of charging for up to four months.' Ford did not respond to requests for a comment. The recall affects the current-generation Kuga which has been on sale since 2019. There are more than 26,000 on the road across Europe. The manufacturer has suspended deliveries of new models until the software glitch has been addressed. It estimates that a remedy will be available to dealers by July, but given the number of affected vehicles, drivers face a wait of many more weeks for a repair slot. This is the second time the Ford Kuga has been recalled because of a potential fire hazard. In 2020 the manufacturer had to replace the battery units of more than 27,000 cars after seven caught fire while charging. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Drivers could be held liable if an unresolved recall issue causes a crash. According to the Association of British Insurers, failure to inform a car insurance provider of a recall notice could invalidate their cover if they need to make a claim. Owners unwilling to wait indefinitely for a repair could demand a courtesy car or a refund, according to the consumer rights expert Martyn James. The Consumer Rights Act entitles consumers to a repair, replacement or refund if a purchase is not as described, fit for purpose or of satisfactory quality. 'I would demand a timescale for a repair and if that turns out to be longer than is reasonable I'd ask to return the car,' James said. 'If Ford refuses, that's when you can start a small claims case.' Owners can also complain to The Motor Ombudsman which said that Ford had only just informed it of the recall. A spokesperson said: 'We are in discussion with Ford as to their response to consumers who are affected by this issue, and clarification regarding when the work is to be undertaken on customer vehicles.'
