Latest news with #LGA
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
'Thousands of children' in Manchester will benefit from major free school meal change
'Thousands of children' in Manchester are set to benefit from a major change to free school meals from next year. The move, which extends the lifeline benefit to all kids in families who receive Universal Credit, could save parents up to £500 a year. More than half a million children across the country are expected to become eligible for free school meals as a result of the change. Welcoming the news, Manchester council leader Bev Craig said 'thousands of children' across the city will benefit. READ MORE: LIVE: Rail chaos after two people die on tracks with lines shut and emergency measures on major route - updates READ MORE: She was an NHS 'doctor' who earned over £1m helping hundreds of patients... she was lying the whole time Currently, all children in England can get free school meals until the end of Year 2. After that they only qualify if their family gets certain benefits. Kids in families that claim Universal Credit only qualify if their household earns less than £7,400-a-year after benefits. But from September 2026, all children in Universal Credit households will be able to get a free, nutritious hot meal. More than 500,000 kids are expected to benefit from the change which the government says will lift 100,000 children out of poverty. This will benefit thousands of children in Manchester — Bev Craig (@bevcraig) June 4, 2025 Some 2.1m pupils - almost one in four (24.6 per cent) - in England were eligible for free school meals in January 2024. The numbers have soared since the start of the Covid pandemic when 1.44m children were eligible, the Mirror reports. As of this January, nearly half of pupils in Manchester were eligible for the free school meals - around 44,465 in total, according to PA. This is the highest proportion in any local authority area across the country with Salford also ranking high on the list at 36.3 per cent. In Tameside, around 35.1 per cent of pupils currently receive free school meals, while in Oldham the rate is 34.3 per cent. Around 32.9 per cent of kids in Rochdale receive free school meals, while in Wigan 28.9 per cent of pupils are eligible. Bolton appears lower down on the list with 28.4 per cent of pupils currently being eligible while in Bury it's 24.8 per cent. In Stockport 21.6 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals while in Trafford, just 17.3 per cent of pupils are. Responding to the announcement, Oldham council leader Arooj Shah, who chairs the Children and Young People Board at the Local Government Association (LGA) said it would have a 'positive impact', but more needs to be done so eligible children are signed up. She said: 'No child should go hungry and expanding free school meals to all those in receipt of Universal Credit has been a longstanding ask of the LGA and councils. 'This move will certainly have a positive impact. Making it easier for more children to have a healthy, nutritious meal will make a real difference to their health, wellbeing and attainment. 'Council still face data sharing and resource challenges in ensuring as many eligible children as possible receive what they are entitled to. 'Introducing automatic enrolment, using existing government data to capture all those who are entitled to free school meals, would also streamline the process and ensure as many children as possible can benefit, at a time when many families are still under financial pressure.' Joseph Rowntree Foundation Chief Executive Paul Kissack said: "It's really positive to see the Government now taking concrete measures to reduce the unacceptable levels of child poverty in the UK. With 4.5 million children currently in poverty, expanding free school meals eligibility is a critical first step to relieve some pressure on family budgets ahead of the Child Poverty Strategy. "We look forward to seeing a coordinated strategy which builds on this, with ambitious measures to boost household income and ensure all children get the best start in life, unhindered by hunger or hardship."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Council ‘staffing crisis' threatens Rayner's housing target , builders warn
Council staff shortages are causing 'serious' delays and putting Angela Rayner's housebuilding target in jeopardy, builders have warned. The Home Builders Federation (HBF) said a 'staffing crisis' at local authorities had led to mounting delays that are holding up projects across the country. As part of the housebuilding process, developers and local authorities must negotiate agreements on funding for public infrastructure such as schools, roads or affordable homes. However, the time it takes to strike these deals has surged and agreements are now taking well over a year on average to finalise, according to the HBF. Builders have been waiting for an average of 515 days – nearly a year and a half – for these so-called Section 106 agreements to be finalised. That waiting time has increased by a fifth over the past two years. Researchers found 35pc of all Section 106 agreements took longer than a year to complete. In one case, a developer was left waiting for seven years. The Housing Secretary has pledged to build 1.5m homes by the end of the current parliament, although she has conceded in recent weeks that this was a 'stretching' target. The Government has proposed recruiting 300 extra planning officers to tackle the issue. However, the HBF said that this would be nowhere near enough extra staff to address backlogs and delays. The organisation has identified a national shortage of 2,200 planning officers across England and Wales. Neil Jefferson, the chief executive of the HBF, said ministers had taken 'welcomed steps' to address planning delays, but needed to take 'meaningful action' by increasing funding for councils. He said: 'Meeting the Government's ambitious housing targets will require ministers to remove the barriers that are currently causing housing supply to flatline. 'The Government needs to ensure that local authorities have the capacity to process planning applications within a reasonable timeframe such that construction can get under way. 'If ministers can speed up the planning process, alongside providing mortgage support for first-time home buyers, and funding for housing associations to purchase affordable homes, house builders can start to actually increase supply.' Council planning offices are under-staffed as local authorities come under intense financial pressure. Research by the Local Government Association (LGA) in March found that councils face a funding shortfall of more than £8bn by 2028-29 without enough additional income. A quarter of councils in England have warned that they will need emergency bailouts from the Government. An LGA spokesman said: 'There is a significant ongoing and historic challenge with resourcing planning teams and retaining staff with necessary specific skills across the country, with nearly two thirds of councils relying on agency staff to address capacity and skills gaps. 'Planning is a vital part of ensuring safe, well designed and appropriate house building takes place, and despite the challenges faced by local planning departments, nine in 10 planning applications are approved. 'Councils want to work with the Government to better help recruit and retain the planners and built environment professionals required to support an efficient locally-led planning system in order to build the homes we need.' The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been contacted for comment. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
These Are the Best Cities To Fly From To Save Money Going Almost Anywhere
Are you trying to find cheap flights to save money? Whether you are heading to the Caribbean or a domestic location, you'll find many different fares and flight options. Read Next: Explore More: Here are some of the best cities to fly from to save money going almost anywhere, according to a travel expert. So what are the best cities to fly from to save money? GOBankingRates spoke with Katy Nastro, a spokesperson for the Going app. 'The most airports that we often find deals to [are] LGA, FLL, EWR, MIA, JFK, LAX, SNA, ORD and BOS,' Nastro said. In other words, the airports are LaGuardia Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Newark Liberty International Airport, Miami International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, John Wayne Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport. 'There is no surprise here that these are all based in major metro areas that either have competition from other airports in the area and have a wide variety of both domestic and international carriers for travelers to choose from,' Nastro said. For example, at the John F. Kennedy airport, there are more than 70 different airlines. This means the likelihood of multiple carriers flying the same route is high. To gain your business, airlines may lower their fare price. Check Out: By default, most people search for flights from their closest airport. However, repositioning a flight can result in significant cost savings, especially during peak travel seasons, like spring break or over the holidays. Flight repositioning involves using multiple stops to get to the same destination. Nastro described the best way to reposition your flights, saying, 'Typically, we would suggest finding a quick budget flight to reposition yourself 1-2 hours away to another airport to then fly from there. Alternatively, I've even used miles to reposition myself to LA, for example, from NYC. Fares to Asia at the time I was traveling were 40% less expensive from LA. So, to take advantage of that savings, I booked a separate round-trip flight from New York City to LA to reposition myself at no additional cost (minus the taxes).' When looking for cheap flights, you could consider choosing a city that has high competition. This means there are dozens of airlines and route options for you to choose from. Similarly, consider repositioning your flights. You might be surprised to find that booking two flights can save you hundreds of dollars compared with one direct flight. More From GOBankingRates 9 Downsizing Tips for the Middle Class To Save on Monthly Expenses This article originally appeared on These Are the Best Cities To Fly From To Save Money Going Almost Anywhere
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
These Are the Best Cities To Fly From To Save Money Going Almost Anywhere
Are you trying to find cheap flights to save money? Whether you are heading to the Caribbean or a domestic location, you'll find many different fares and flight options. Read Next: Explore More: Here are some of the best cities to fly from to save money going almost anywhere, according to a travel expert. So what are the best cities to fly from to save money? GOBankingRates spoke with Katy Nastro, a spokesperson for the Going app. 'The most airports that we often find deals to [are] LGA, FLL, EWR, MIA, JFK, LAX, SNA, ORD and BOS,' Nastro said. In other words, the airports are LaGuardia Airport, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International, Newark Liberty International Airport, Miami International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, John Wayne Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport and Boston Logan International Airport. 'There is no surprise here that these are all based in major metro areas that either have competition from other airports in the area and have a wide variety of both domestic and international carriers for travelers to choose from,' Nastro said. For example, at the John F. Kennedy airport, there are more than 70 different airlines. This means the likelihood of multiple carriers flying the same route is high. To gain your business, airlines may lower their fare price. Check Out: By default, most people search for flights from their closest airport. However, repositioning a flight can result in significant cost savings, especially during peak travel seasons, like spring break or over the holidays. Flight repositioning involves using multiple stops to get to the same destination. Nastro described the best way to reposition your flights, saying, 'Typically, we would suggest finding a quick budget flight to reposition yourself 1-2 hours away to another airport to then fly from there. Alternatively, I've even used miles to reposition myself to LA, for example, from NYC. Fares to Asia at the time I was traveling were 40% less expensive from LA. So, to take advantage of that savings, I booked a separate round-trip flight from New York City to LA to reposition myself at no additional cost (minus the taxes).' When looking for cheap flights, you could consider choosing a city that has high competition. This means there are dozens of airlines and route options for you to choose from. Similarly, consider repositioning your flights. You might be surprised to find that booking two flights can save you hundreds of dollars compared with one direct flight. More From GOBankingRates How Far $750K Plus Social Security Goes in Retirement in Every US Region This article originally appeared on These Are the Best Cities To Fly From To Save Money Going Almost Anywhere
BBC News
5 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Shropshire Council warns of new waste tax it 'cannot afford'
A council has warned that a new carbon tax on incinerated waste would be "an additional financial burden" that it "cannot afford".All of Shropshire Council's non-recyclable waste is burned at the Battlefield Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) in Shrewsbury, which generates electricity in the government has said expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) to include incinerators from 2028 will cut emissions and improve nine-in-ten local authorities have said they will not be able to meet these additional costs within their existing waste and recycling budgets. Last year, BBC research found that burning household rubbish to make electricity was now the dirtiest way the UK generates power. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, predicts that the ETS could collectively cost councils up to £747m in 2028, rising to £1.1bn in Council owns the Battlefield ERF but it is operated by waste management firm site generates enough electricity to power 10,000 how much cost will be passed on to the council is unclear. But it is likely to be millions of pounds - money the council would struggle to LGA has argued that councils are not commercial operators and cannot refuse waste collections. 'Additional financial burden' Shropshire Council said the authority was assessing the cost of the proposed tax and would work with Violia to develop a strategy to reduce the impact on taxpayers."This is clearly an additional financial burden that Shropshire Council cannot afford," the authority said."The most sensible option would be to compensate councils as part of the finance settlement, though a more cost-effective option would be to not pass the costs on to local government in the first place."The expansion of the carbon tax, which currently applies to aviation and energy intensive industries, has been criticised by the County Councils organisation is calling on the government to focus instead on the industries creating fossil-based materials, such as plastic packaging, textiles, electrical items and furniture. 'Crazy behaviour by government' "Passing the cost on to councils when we're not in a position to control waste disposal to avoid incineration, or we're locked into extremely long contacts, is crazy behaviour by government," said Richard Clewer, a spokesperson for the County Councils Network and former Conservative leader of Wiltshire Council."The cost will literally push councils over the edge to bankruptcy."Almost all top-tier councils dealing with social care are facing very significant cost pressures . . . the government has got to be more thoughtful and joined up than this."The Battlefield ERF, which has been operational since 2015, burns about 100,000 tonnes of waste a year, including all of Shropshire Council's non-recyclables, plus waste from other areas, including Telford and waste has increased the tonnage of residual waste being burned at the Battlefield incinerator after a ban on scraps being put in green bins, rolled out from November when the £56 garden waste charge was all councils must provide a free weekly food waste collection by April next year. The leftover food will end up being turned into biogas rather than being government says it wants to manage waste in a way that works for communities and is fit for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said "expanding the UK Emissions Trading Scheme to include energy from waste facilities will cut emissions and drive investment in cleaner supply chains."We continue to engage with industry and local authorities on the detail of this scheme, including how costs will be managed to reflect emissions reductions and recycling efforts, and will provide further updates in due course." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
