Latest news with #GloucesterCityCouncil
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Airport boss says site will not be 'sold for housing'
The managing director of a £25m airport which is up for sale has dispelled concerns small operators are being "pushed away" and "the site will be sold for housing". A decision on the sale of Gloucestershire Airport, which is jointly owned by Cheltenham Borough and Gloucester City Council, is due in late June. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said there had been concerns over the years the site, once sold, could be carved up for housing. It added people working at the airport had expressed their concerns over rising costs and fears there was a concerted effort to get small operators off the airfield. Jason Ivey, managing director, rejected the claims and labelled them "mischief making". More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire He explained that landing fees had increased because the airport was running at a loss and could not afford such cheap rates. Mr Ivey, who has also been in talks with potential buyers for the site, also said there would be strong clauses which would prevent the site from being used for anything other than aviation. "The people running the airport are currently trying to get all the small operators off the airfield and run down the business most likely so they can sell off the land for housing development," an airport worker, who did not wish to be named, said. She said small flights schools had concerns and feared some of the aviation schools would no longer be able to operate there. "It's killing the small businesses. It's getting to the point where it's very ridiculous." Mr Ivey refuted those comments. "It's disappointing to see that," he said. "We don't want to run the operators off. Are we making changes which are not always palatable, yes, we are, but we absolutely aren't trying to force people out." Mr Ivey said the airport is being sold as a going concern and there will be requirements in the sales particulars which will prevent or massively deter anyone from operating anything there other than an airport. He said he believed there would be a clause in the sale which would mean if the new owner tried to do anything other than keep it as an operational airport there would be financial penalties. He added the airport had financially assessed all of the would-be bidders and had streamlined it down to two preferred bidders. Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Airport's £25m sale to wipe debt to two councils 'Vital' airport being sold to help site grow Runway to close for new business park Local Democracy Reporting Service
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Gloucestershire Airport site will not be 'sold for housing'
The managing director of a £25m airport which is up for sale has dispelled concerns small operators are being "pushed away" and "the site will be sold for housing".A decision on the sale of Gloucestershire Airport, which is jointly owned by Cheltenham Borough and Gloucester City Council, is due in late Local Democracy Reporting Service said there had been concerns over the years the site, once sold, could be carved up for housing. It added people working at the airport had expressed their concerns over rising costs and fears there was a concerted effort to get small operators off the Ivey, managing director, rejected the claims and labelled them "mischief making". He explained that landing fees had increased because the airport was running at a loss and could not afford such cheap Ivey, who has also been in talks with potential buyers for the site, also said there would be strong clauses which would prevent the site from being used for anything other than aviation."The people running the airport are currently trying to get all the small operators off the airfield and run down the business most likely so they can sell off the land for housing development," an airport worker, who did not wish to be named, said small flights schools had concerns and feared some of the aviation schools would no longer be able to operate there."It's killing the small businesses. It's getting to the point where it's very ridiculous." Mr Ivey refuted those comments. "It's disappointing to see that," he said."We don't want to run the operators off. Are we making changes which are not always palatable, yes, we are, but we absolutely aren't trying to force people out."Mr Ivey said the airport is being sold as a going concern and there will be requirements in the sales particulars which will prevent or massively deter anyone from operating anything there other than an said he believed there would be a clause in the sale which would mean if the new owner tried to do anything other than keep it as an operational airport there would be financial added the airport had financially assessed all of the would-be bidders and had streamlined it down to two preferred bidders.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Gloucester City Council boss says nobody safe from cyber attacks
The managing director of a council, who advises local authorities on cyber security, says no organisation is 100% safe from cyber attacks. Gloucester City Council's computer systems were crippled by hackers four years ago which cost about a million pounds to put right. Despite better protections and firewalls, there is a concern that the number of councils across the country make them a target because they are a government body, and there are many of McGinty, managing director of Gloucester City Council, said organisations have a "duty" to minimise and mitigate risk. He said: "I think we also have a duty to prepare for the possibility that the hackers do get through some chink in someone's armour and can attack us." When the Gloucester City Council was hit by hackers in December 2021, the group demanded ransom payment for decrypting all of the council's servers and threatened to release sensitive data onto the "dark web". Mr McGinty said: "Everything became slower or harder to achieve.""One of the impacts that really affected Gloucester residents was land searches for people moving house, and our land searches system was beyond control – it wouldn't work. "So people were struggling to get a mortgage because they couldn't do a land search on a property they were looking to buy, so the whole of Gloucester's house market froze up for a number of months." Mr McGinty told the BBC the gang targeting Gloucester City Council fell out with each other after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, so no further demands were now being better protected than ever before, the city council still get thousands of attempted attacks on its IT system every former head of the National Cyber Safety Centre (NCSC), Ciaran Martin, said his "biggest cyber-security worry" is the threat of simultaneous attacks on public services, like councils and hospitals, which has the potential to "wreck lives".According to the Information Commissioner's Office, there were 202 ransomware attacks on local councils in government said it was "taking action to protect local councils by providing funding to increase their cyber defences".Mr Martin fears the attack on the council, and other public services, could have "shown hostile nation states how to disrupt our society".
BBC News
16-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Gloucester air pollution measures dropped after 20 years
Anti-pollutions measures in a city centre have been lifted after 20 years following improvements in air quality. Three air quality management areas (AQMAs) covering Gloucester's Barton Street, Priory Road and Painswick Road have now been revoked thanks to a fall in harmful emissions. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which oversees air quality, says the measures should be removed once no longer Sebastian Field, cabinet member for the environment at Gloucester City Council, welcomed the "great news", but said the authority would "be keeping a close eye on air quality across the city". "Air pollution is a major issue which affects us all, but particularly the most vulnerable in society including children and the elderly," he Barton Street and Priory Road AQMAs were launched in 2005, while the Painswick Road scheme was put in place in 2007. Since the zones were launched the council has monitored and managed traffic-related pollution and noticed a recent fall in omissions. This is consistent with a fall across the UK, thought to be cased by older vehicles replaced with new 'cleaner' models and a sharp rise in people working from home. Poor air quality can have a severe impact on people's health, and is linked with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases as well as lung cancer. The removal of the AQMAs follows a recent consultation carried out by the city council into ways to improve further the city's air quality as well as its air quality action plan. The plan includes key proposals such as encouraging developers to include electric vehicle charging points in all new homes and expanding cycling infrastructure and one-way council said it is also looking at expanding the city's smoke control area to limit harmful emissions from chimney fires.
BBC News
10-04-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Popular Gloucestershire car boot sale to return with music events
A popular car boot sale could return within weeks after a deal was agreed with a new operator, a council has Gloucester Car Boot Sale was previously held on Wednesdays and Sundays before the previous operator's licence expired in November 2024. Council bosses announced they have granted a lease to a new operator, who they said plans to run music events, a drive-in cinema and outdoor fitness events at the site on Hempsted Meadows. Negotiations are under way to grant a temporary license to the new organiser so that the event could restart "within a few weeks." 'Extensive experience' Announcing the plans, a Gloucester City Council spokesperson said they were "delighted" the event was returning and that the new operator "will expand what is offered at the site."The new operator, who has extensive experience of running multiple car boot sites across the country, will be announced "in due course", they added. The council said they will be required to "submit annual business plans" setting out how they will manage the land and provide facilities for the public. They added they were aware of how "extremely popular" the boot sale was and that it was a "great way of recycling and reducing what goes to landfill".
