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Wales Online
4 days ago
- Business
- Wales Online
Birmingham residents could suffer bin misery until Christmas
Birmingham residents could suffer bin misery until Christmas Unite says the cuts will leave many unable to pay their bills, rents and mortgages Rubbish has piled up in the city (Image: Darren Quinton/Birmingham Live ) Nearly 400 Birmingham bin workers facing brutal pay cuts have voted to continue industrial action, Unite, the UK's leading union, said today. The ballot, which resulted in 97 per cent of workers voting in favour of strike action on a 75 per cent turnout. It means strike action could last until December. Strikes began in January after the council told the bin workers they would face pay cuts of up to £8,000 – a quarter of their wages for some. Unite says the cuts will leave many unable to pay their bills, rents and mortgages. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here Bins have been piling up in the city (Image: Joseph Walshe / SWNS ) Bin workers in Birmingham have been striking since January and walked out indefinitely in March in a dispute over job and pay cuts. Piles of black bags in the streets and overflowing wheelie bins have led to an influx of rats in some parts of the city. Article continues below The city council made a renewed offer to the workers last week after mediated negotiations, but Unite said it was too little and too late. Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: 'After smearing these workers in public since January and telling them to accept a fair and reasonable offer that never existed, the council finally put a proposal in writing last week. 'True to form, the proposal came weeks late and was not in line with the ballpark offer discussed during Acas talks in May. "It had been watered down by the government commissioners and the leader of the council despite them never having been in the negotiations. 'It beggars belief that a Labour government and Labour council is treating these workers so disgracefully. "It is hardly surprising that so many working people are asking whose side Labour is on. 'The decision makers at Birmingham council need to get in the room and put forward an acceptable offer. "Unite will not allow these workers to be financially ruined – the strikes will continue for as long as it takes. "Unite calls on the decision makers to let common sense prevail in upcoming negotiations.' A council spokesperson said: 'This is a service that needs to be transformed to one that citizens of Birmingham deserve and the council remains committed to resolving this dispute. 'We have made a fair and reasonable offer that we have asked Unite to put to their members and we are awaiting their response.' The council denied that its leader or the commissioners had watered down any offer, and said Unite's ballot was not a response to its latest offer made through Acas. Article continues below
Wales Online
23-05-2025
- Wales Online
Main train line closure latest after level crossing crash with tractor in Herefordshire
Main train line closure latest after level crossing crash with tractor in Herefordshire A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of endangering safety on the railway following the incident in which two passengers suffered minor injuries The scene of the collision where a passenger train crashed into a tractor and trailer near to Nordan Farm, in Leominster, Herefordshire (Image: Joseph Walshe / SWNS ) The mainline between Hereford and Shrewsbury will remain closed on Friday, May 23, after a train travelling from Manchester to Cardiff hit a tractor-trailer on a level crossing. The Transport for Wales (TfW) train travelling near Leominster, Herefordshire, on Thursday was not derailed but two passengers suffered minor injuries, according to British Transport Police (BTP). BTP said on Thursday afternoon that a 32-year-old man from Bromyard, Herefordshire, had been arrested on suspicion of endangering safety on the railway. A joint statement from TfW and Network Rail on Thursday evening said work was underway to re-open the line and restore services "as quickly as possible". The statement said: "Replacement road transport remains in place between Hereford and Shrewsbury and tickets will also be valid for use with other operators via all reasonable alternative routes as well as with Stagecoach bus. "Customers should continue to check before they travel and we will look to provide a further update at midday tomorrow." BTP said officers were called to the level crossing north of Leominster at 10.40am on Thursday. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here West Midlands Ambulance Service said one man was airlifted to Hereford County Hospital and a woman was taken to the facility by road. Article continues below "Fifteen further patients who were passengers on the train were assessed, and all were discharged at the scene," an ambulance service spokeswoman said. "Nobody from the tractor required assessment." West Mercia Police and fire crews also attended the scene. BTP said inquiries into the lead-up to the incident were ongoing. A spokesperson for the Rail Accident Investigation Branch said: "The RAIB has sent a team of inspectors to Leominster in Herefordshire who are at the site of a collision between a passenger train and an agricultural trailer at a user-worked level crossing. "Our inspectors will gather evidence as part of the process of conducting a preliminary examination and a decision on whether an investigation will be launched will be taken in the coming days." Article continues below Councillor Dan Hurcomb, ward councillor for the area on Herefordshire Council, said: "I was very concerned to hear about the incident on the railway line today and I am grateful for the swift response of the emergency services. "Whilst I am relieved that no-one was seriously injured, the reality is this could have been much worse, and I hope there will be a full investigation now to establish the facts and ensure this type of accident cannot happen again."
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Man who built house on his driveway after getting permission for a garage is forced to tear it down
Man who built house on his driveway after getting permission for a garage is forced to tear it down Madam Pal Singh was given the go-ahead to build a single-storey garage at his semi detached home in 2019 - but a small two-storey house was constructed on the driveway instead Madam Pal Singh built a small home on his driveway (Image: Joseph Walshe / SWNS ) A man who built a house on his driveway after receiving planning permission for just a garage has been forced to demolish it, ending a peculiar six-year dispute which one neighbour described as a "long-running saga". Madam Pal Singh was granted permission in 2019 to build a single-storey garage at his semi-detached property on Vaughton Street in Highgate, Birmingham. However, planning officials were left scratching their heads when they found a small two-storey house built on the driveway in October 2022 instead. Despite claiming the differences from the approved plans were only 'minor' during an appeal, Mr Singh was instructed to tear down the unauthorised building. The family insisted the structure would remain as they were utilising the 8.7m by 4.7m building as a gym. Yet, recent photographs reveal that Mr Singh has now transformed the edifice into the initially sanctioned 5.3m by 4.6m garage. The house has now been knocked down and changed into a garage (Image: Anita Maric / SWNS ) Local residents have expressed their relief that the "bizarre saga" has concluded after enduring years of construction work on their road. A neighbour, preferring to remain anonymous, commented: "We're glad it's finally all over now, it has been going on for years.", reports the Mirror. Article continues below "I dread to think what it has cost the poor bloke. To build a house, knock it down and then build a garage instead, must have cost tens of thousands of pounds at least. But he's only got himself to blame, I don't know how he thought he was ever going to get away with it." One local resident commented, "The building work has been a bit of a pain but I'm just happy we don't have to look at that eyesore anymore. It's been a very bizarre, long-running saga." The small house was being used as a gym (Image: Joseph Walshe / SWNS ) However, another neighbour was sympathetic. They said: "I feel a bit sorry for him to be honest. Yes it wasn't what was entirely agreed, but it looked smart. And some of the houses around here are much more run down." Love dreamy Welsh homes? Sign up to our newsletter here . "You would have thought they could have come to a bit of compromise with him to save a lot of time and money." Planning permission had initially been granted for a garage, but the constructed building exceeded the approved size by several metres. Planning Inspector Thomas Shields said in his report: "The appellant's case is that the building already benefits from planning permission granted by the council in 2019." "He argues that although there are differences between the approved plans for the garage and the appeal building they are minor differences. The approved plans for the garage show a single storey detached garage with a footprint of 5.3m x 4.6m and a height of 3.6m." "It was also shown having a standard garage door to the front and no windows on any elevation. In comparison with the approved garage the appeal building has a footprint of approximately 8.7m x 4.7m and a height of 5.3m Consequently, it is substantially larger than the approved building. It is not a minor difference." Article continues below
