Latest news with #MarkSpencer
South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- South Wales Argus
More than 1000 fake Labubu dolls confiscated by Newport Council
A crackdown on the grinning dolls took place last week where officers confiscated approximately 1,289 counterfeit dolls. A fake Labubu doll with a loose eye (Image: Newport Council) Genuine Labubu toys are made by Chinese company Pop Mart and have skyrocketed in popularity. Trading standards have warned that fakes, which are often much cheaper than the real thing, can be extremely unsafe and are a potential risk to small children. Over 1000 fake Labubu dolls confiscated by Newport Council (Image: Newport Council) Councillor Mark Spencer, Newport City Councils cabinet member for communities and sport, said: 'We want people to be really careful and to make sure they buy their Labubu dolls from a reputable supplier. If it seems too good to be true, then it is probably a fake. 'I would like to thank our officers for their part in taking potentially dangerous items off the streets. They can give advice to businesses and try to work with them before taking enforcement action. "However, businesses must make sure they are not stocking or selling fake Labubu dolls or we will take action.' The counterfeit items seized by trading standards are set to be destroyed.
Business News Wales
02-07-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Newport City Council Retains Gold Award for Armed Forces Support
Newport City Council has renewed its gold award status as part of the Ministry of Defence's employer recognition scheme (ERS). It was presented to council representatives at a reception held at the Senedd to celebrate Reserves' Day in UK Armed Forces Week. ERS encourages employers to support the UK defence forces and inspire other organisations to do the same. Councillor Mark Spencer, Cabinet member for communities and sport and champion for the armed forces and veterans, said he was very proud the council had retained its gold status. 'Newport City Council has a long-standing and established tradition of supporting our employees who have served their country and those who still do as reserves,' he said. 'To maintain our gold award, we had to show our commitment in several ways including signing the Armed Forces Covenant. We first did this in 2012 and then reaffirmed our support in 2016 and 2023 when we hosted National Armed Forces Day. 'We were also able to demonstrate that we have forces-friendly policies as part of our recruitment and selection processes and proactively support our reservists and Cadet Force volunteers. 'The council has always held our forces in high esteem, both veterans and those still serving. We regularly take part in, or help to organise, events to commemorate and thank them including the recent raising flag raising at the Civic Centre to mark Armed Forces Week and giving the Royal British Legion the Freedom of the City.'
South Wales Argus
01-07-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Newport council recognised for armed forces support
Newport City Council has renewed its gold award status through the Ministry of Defence's Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), which honours employers who actively support defence personnel and promote the value of the UK armed forces. The award was presented during a recent reception at the Senedd celebrating Reserves' Day, part of UK Armed Forces Week. Councillor Mark Spencer, cabinet member for communities and sport and the council's armed forces and veterans champion, said: "Newport City Council has a long-standing and established tradition of supporting our employees who have served their country and those who still do as reserves. "To maintain our gold award, we had to show our commitment in several ways including signing the Armed Forces Covenant. "We first did this in 2012 and then reaffirmed our support in 2016 and 2023 when we hosted National Armed Forces Day." The council was also recognised for its forces-friendly recruitment policies and proactive support for reservists and Cadet Force volunteers. Mr Spencer said the council regularly takes part in or helps organise events to honour service personnel, including the recent flag raising at the Civic Centre to mark Armed Forces Week. He said: "The council has always held our forces in high esteem, both veterans and those still serving."
South Wales Argus
19-06-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Newport: Shops closed after vapes and tobacco seized
Operation Frost, led by Newport City Council's trading standards team, resulted in the seizure of more than 10,000 illegal vapes, 250,000 cigarettes and nearly 75kg of hand-rolling tobacco in the last six months. A total of 27 closure orders have been granted by Newport magistrates, forcing shops to shut for a minimum of three months. Councillor Mark Spencer, cabinet member for trading standards at Newport City Council, said: "Our officers are doing sterling work by disrupting the sale by criminals of these illegal, and potentially dangerous products and by providing assistance to retailers following the introduction of the law banning disposable vapes." In May and June, GG Vape #2, 7b Westgate Buildings, 17 Church Street, City Vape at 58 Commercial Street, and Yum Yum at 60 Commercial Street were all closed by the courts. Mood Vape at 424 Chepstow Road and Chepstow Mini Market at 145 Chepstow Road were closed for the second time this year having previously been subject to closure orders in February. All the premises were found to be selling illegal tobacco or vapes. Newport has also acted as a collection point for illegal vapes seized by other trading standards teams in South Wales, with more than 16,000 disposed of in May. Since June 1, single-use vapes have been banned across the UK due to environmental concerns. Trading standards officers have visited more than 80 retailers in Newport to offer guidance on the new regulations.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Man Utd & Spurs disabled fans condemn final ticket allocation
Disabled fans of Manchester United and Tottenham have criticised the number of wheelchair tickets available for the Europa League final as "insulting" - with both clubs given 26 tickets each in a near 50,000-capacity Bilbao stadium. Manchester United Disabled Supporters' Association and Spurs Ability, the fan groups representing disabled supporters, have expressed anger at the size of the allocation, which includes an additional 15 'easy access' seats, from an allocation of 15,000 tickets per club. In response, competition organiser Uefa said it had provided 75 wheelchair positions - including neutral spaces - at the San Mames stadium, with free companion seat and guaranteed sightlines. Uefa said 15% of those tickets remained unsold and available for purchase as of Tuesday morning. Both fan groups disputed this claim to BBC Sport. The stadium, home to Spanish top-flight side Athletic Bilbao, has a capacity of more than 53,000 but this has been reduced to 49,600 for the final on Wednesday. The stadium is usually capable of hosting 208 wheelchair and 102 easy access seats. That falls slightly short of the recommended provision in Uefa's own guidelines for stadiums of its size. But the two supporters' groups and the disabled sports charity Level Playing Field have calculated that even within the San Mames' limitations, both clubs should still have 58 wheelchair spaces and a further 28 easy access tickets. Spurs Ability member Mark Spencer has spinal injuries but is not in a wheelchair. He has travelled to Bilbao by car without a ticket to watch the match in a fan park. He told BBC Sport: "To say I'm gutted is an understatement. I wasn't able to go to Madrid for the Champions League [final] in 2019 and I thought this might be my chance - but Uefa have just not given us the percentage of seating that they should be giving us under their own rules and regulations. "You feel that you're being prevented from watching football and supporting your team because of a disability so it's quite insulting and very disappointing." Manchester United Disabled Supporters' Association secretary Rick Clement said: "Uefa, ultimately, have a responsibility to football fans to support your team. That should include people with disabilities." Dr Rita Egan, another member of Spurs Ability, said the group has been "dismayed" by the allocation and accused Uefa of having "ignored" complaints by not replying to correspondence. Level Playing Field chair Tony Taylor said: "We have seen another failure from Uefa at a showpiece event. "Accountability has been lacking before and now we can see more disregard for disabled fans, which ignores the governing body's own guidance and under-utilises the facilities available, without adequate justification." In response, Uefa said it was "working hard to improve both standards and experiences" for disabled fans and that it took into account "the quality of sightlines", "historical demand" and the ratio between capacity and accessible seating. It stated that for the Women's Champions League final last year at the same stadium, 59 of the 60 allocated seats were sold, and for the men's Europa League final last season between Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen in Dublin, only 41 of the 93 allocated seats were sold. Uefa also told BBC Sport that it "investigated solutions" for more accessible seats and spoke to disability access officers at United and Spurs. European football's governing body added: "While both indicated they could sell more accessible tickets, they also expressed a preference for maintaining the current allocations rather than increasing numbers at the expense of seat quality." BBC Sport has approached both clubs for comment. Europa League build-up: Teams and fans arrive in Bilbao before Wednesday's final The £100m final Man Utd cannot afford to lose? Man Utd 'nowhere near good enough' but have Bilbao belief Postecoglou's second-season success - what and how has he won?
