Latest news with #JamiePout
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Goodwin Academy in Deal facing staff walk-out over job cuts
Teachers and support staff will walk out at a Kent secondary school on Tuesday in a dispute over job losses, their union Academy in Deal informed some staff in May they would face compulsory redundancy, according to the National Education Union (NEU).The BBC understands the school is making five support staff roles redundant.A Goodwin Academy spokesperson said: "We are committed to continuing to provide the highest quality education for our students and the best working environment for our staff." As well as Tuesday's walk-out, NEU members at the school will strike on 12 June, 18 to 19 June, and 24 to 26 June. South Kent NEU joint secretary Jamie Pout said industrial action was "a last resort" but it was "very clear that these cuts to front line staffing will have significant negative impact on the education the children at Goodwin receive".The trust must "clearly show they understand it is unacceptable for children to suffer the consequences of inadequate school funding", he NEU said 60% of its 49 members at the school took part in May's ballot on industrial action, all of whom voted to union added it was negotiating with the academy trust but opposed compulsory redundancies and was concerned that not replacing staff who choose leave the school would increase workloads. Goodwin Academy, which currently has over 800 pupils, said it was "continuing to work closely" with affected staff to "provide them support throughout this process".A spokesperson added: "These are very difficult decisions and we value all our team, but it is no secret that schools across the country are facing exceptionally challenging financial conditions and the impact of falling birth rates."It is therefore vital we take proactive action now to remain financially sound, while not compromising on the excellent education and care our students receive."Goodwin Academy is run by the Thinking Schools Academy Trust, which manages 24 schools in total.
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Highly contagious disease could return to UK as it's just a 'matter of time'
The highly contagious disease was eradicated in Britain in 2007 - but it's poised to make a return if the UK Government doesn't act fast, health officials have warned Health officials are sounding the alarm over the possible return of a highly contagious virus to the UK, warning that unless swift action is taken, the country could face a major outbreak. Foot-and-mouth disease, which causes painful blisters in the mouths and hooves of livestock, was eradicated in Britain in 2007. While harmless to humans, it can contaminate animal products like meat and milk. Rare cases have been linked to people drinking raw milk from infected cows, though such instances are extremely uncommon. Now fresh outbreaks across Europe are raising serious concerns. The disease was first detected on a Hungarian cattle farm in early March and spread within two weeks to three farms in neighbouring Slovakia - the first reported cases in both countries in over 50 years. Germany has also reported infections, sparking border closures and mass culls. There are fears the virus could now slip through without suitable checks at UK borders. Jamie Pout, Dover District Council's environmental lead, warned that authorities at the Port of Dover are 'barely scratching the surface' when it comes to adequate checks. 'It's a matter of time' before foot-and-mouth or African swine fever crosses into Britain, he said. The economic toll of an outbreak could be devastating. Affected farmers face huge losses - from culling herds to reduced milk yields. The wider agricultural industry could also take a hit, with the potential loss of access to foreign markets for British meat, dairy, and livestock. In response, the UK has banned all commercial imports of livestock - including pigs, sheep, cattle and deer - from affected countries. Meat and dairy products are also restricted, and health certificates for animal-origin goods from those regions are no longer being issued. In April, the Government also enforced a ban on "bringing items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into Great Britain". It means Brits must avoid bringing dairy products from certain animals back to the country when returning from the EU, EFTA States, the Faroe Islands or Greenland. Labour MP Josh Newbury - a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) - highlighted poor conditions at UK ports last week, saying he witnessed health inspections happening under "rusty canopies, with nesting pigeons [in buildings] that had no walls". He added that these facilities had "no ability to wash down" and lacked PPE equipment, other than gloves. Last week, the Government lifted restrictions on livestock from Germany after the country was declared disease free. Following allegations from the border, the government said it will do "whatever it takes" to protect British farmers from disease, incuding increased seizures of illegal meat products and a £200million boost towards research and lab testing facilities to help protect against animal disease.
Daily Mail
19-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Officials warn it's 'a matter of time' before highly contagious virus spreads through the UK
Health officials have warned that a highly contagious virus will inevitably return to the UK if the government does not act quickly to stop it. Foot-and-mouth disease, an infectious virus that causes blisters to form inside the mouths and under the hooves of animals, was eradicated from the UK in 2007. The painful condition can cause lameness and problems feeding in animals. It is not transmissible to humans, but any products of animal origin—such as meat and dairy—could potentially be contaminated. Cases have been reported of people becoming infected with the condition after drinking raw milk from contaminated cows, although it is thought to be incredibly rare. The warning comes as outbreaks of the disease have been reported across Germany, Hungary and Slovakia, prompting border closures and the culling of thousands of animals. In the current outbreak, the virus was first detected on a Hungarian cattle farm in early March. Within two weeks, it had spread to three farms in neighbouring Slovakia - marking the first outbreak in both countries for more than 50 years. Now, a councillor responsible for environment at the Port of Dover has said the authority is 'barely scratching the surface' when it comes to suitable checks at the Kent port. Jamie Pout, of Dover District Council, added that it was 'a matter of time' until foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever arrived in the country. The UK suffered major outbreaks of the disease in 2001 and 2007, leading to millions of pigs, cattle and sheep being slaughtered across the country and costing both the public and private sector billions. The disease can have a devastating financial and emotional impact on affected farmers, who face production losses like reduced milk yields and culling their livestock. But it can also lead to wider economic impacts with the loss of access to foreign markets for animals, meat and milk for affected countries. All commercial imports of livestock—such as cattle, pigs, sheep and deer, as well as meat and dairy products from the affected countries —are currently banned from entering the UK. Health certificates, which approve import requirements for animals, fresh meat and animal products, are also no longer being issued to those susceptible to the disease. And in April, the British Government placed a ban on 'bringing items like sandwiches, cheese, cured meats, raw meats or milk into Great Britain'. Britons must refrain from bringing dairy products from certain animals back to the country if they are returning from the EU, EFTA States, the Faroe Islands or Greenland. But Labour MP Josh Newbury, who sits on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), said last week that he saw health inspections at the port being done under 'rusty canopies, with nesting pigeons [in buildings] that had no walls'. Facilities had 'no ability to wash down' and lacked personal protection equipment other than gloves, he added. The government lifted restrictions on livestock from Germany last week, declaring the country disease free. A case of foot-and-mouth disease was detected near Berlin in January—the first in Germany for over three decades—prompting swift bans and culling. But after review, the UK health authorities say they're now satisfied that Germany has contained the outbreak. In response to allegations from the border, the government has said it will do 'whatever it takes' to protect British farmers from disease. It added it had significantly increased seizures of illegal meat products, restricted animal products from EU countries with outbreaks and banned personal meat and dairy imports for EU travellers. It also said it was investing more than £200 million in the UK's main research and laboratory testing facilities at Weybridge to bolster protection against animal disease.
BBC News
16-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Foot-and-mouth outbreak 'when, not if' - Port of Dover boss
A councillor responsible for health at the Port of Dover has warned the return of foot-and-mouth disease to the UK is inevitable, unless government funding Pout, of Dover District Council, said the health authority was "barely scratching the surface" when it came to suitable checks at the Kent added it was "a matter of time" until foot-and-mouth disease or African swine fever arrived in the port has been approached for comment, while the government said it would do "whatever it takes" to protect British farmers from disease. The government added that it had significantly increased seizures of illegal meat products, restricted animal products from EU countries with outbreaks, and banned personal meat and dairy imports for EU said it was also investing more than £200m in a new National Biosecurity Centre. It comes after recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Germany, Hungary and disease is a highly infectious virus that causes blisters inside an animal's mouth and under their hooves, which can cause lameness and problems poses no risk to humans and there are currently no cases in the products of animal origin, like meat and dairy, could potentially be MP Josh Newbury, who sits on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA), said last week that he saw health inspections at the port being done under "rusty canopies, with nesting pigeons [in buildings] that had no walls".Facilities had "no ability to wash down" and lacked personal protection equipment other than gloves, he added. Roy Glover, a third-generation livestock farmer and butcher from Hartley Bottom Farm, near Dartford, called the UK's last foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001 "devastating" for local said it put "stress" on his family farm and business."It was terrible. I remember being unable to sleep worrying that our farm could be next," he said."You'd see other farms go down, and you'd spend your time thinking that it could be you next."Mr Glover urged the government to take foot-and-mouth disease seriously."More needs to be done. If foot-and-mouth disease comes through again, it could financially ruin our farm and butchers."
Yahoo
23-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Clean up of A2 ahead of anti-litter campaign
An initiative to clear rubbish on a busy road near Dover is set to begin on Monday ahead of a campaign to prevent litter being dropped. Some lane closures will be in place on the A2 as waste management company Veolia carry out clearance work over the next two weeks. The company cleared 23 tonnes of litter from the road between the Duke of York and Whitfield roundabouts in 2024 as part of a council initiative. Dover District Council said litter costs taxpayers to clean up, looks unsightly and can endanger motorists and wildlife. National Highways' head of customer journeys, Freda Rashdi, says across England the organisation has teams litter-picking "almost every day", which can involve lane closures. She said this would be unnecessary "if people didn't drop rubbish in the first place". A six-month awareness campaign aimed at discouraging littering by motorists will start in the summer. New bins and signage will be installed at laybys on the A2 between Whitfield Roundabout and the Port of Dover as part of the scheme. Ferries and nearby service stations will also display anti-littering posters, and messaging will be added to correspondence from ferry companies. Jamie Pout, the district council's cabinet member for environmental services, said: "We hope that this joint campaign will draw attention to the blight of discarded litter on our roads and encourage drivers to use the bins provided or take their litter home with them." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Criminal gangs ruining environment, says watchdog Wildlife charity asks visitors to leave no trace More than 200 litter fines a week issued in Kent National Highways Dover District Council
