Latest news with #PFCC
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cumbria PFCC pays tribute to war generation on VE Day
Cumbria's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) has joined with staff at Police headquarters in paying his respects on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Hundreds of people across the county have attended commemoration events on Thursday, May 8 to mark this anniversary. Staff at Police HQ in Penrith gathered outside to join in with the national two minutes silence to remember those who died during the Second World War. Cumbria's PFCC, David Allen said that we 'owe so much' to the war generation. 'Today marks the 80th anniversary of VE Day – the end of the Second World War in Europe,' said David. READ MORE: Carlisle man shares his memories of VE Day 80 years on | News and Star 'We owe so much to the sacrifice of the Second World War generation, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom. 'The unity and purpose that generation showed remains an enduring inspiration. 'We will forever remember them. We will forever honour them, and we will forever be in their debt.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Child care funding changes in final Ohio House budget draft
Children in child care. (Photo by Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent) The final draft of the Ohio House version of the state operating budget included some changes to their initial plans for child care, but no change to the eligibility for its Publicly Funded Child Care program. The omnibus budget amendment, released Tuesday and passed by the House on Wednesday, added $50 million in funding for each fiscal year to support the Child Care Choice Voucher Program, using federal funding from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant. The voucher program provides a subsidy for children whose income falls outside of the eligibility for the state's Publicly Funded Child Care. In Gov. Mike DeWine's executive budget, he wanted the PFCC eligibility raised to a maximum of 160% of the federal poverty line. The House, however, maintained the current level of 145% in both their initial draft and the omnibus draft passed on Wednesday. The Ohio Department of Children and Youth's director, Kara Wente, told the Senate Finance Committee the same day that the department estimates about 40,000 children live outside of the PFCC eligibility, making them eligible for the Child Care Choice Voucher Program, which has a current maximum eligibility of 200% of the federal poverty line. With the Senate beginning work to create a budget draft of its own, Wente went on to say the child care voucher program, which was established in April of last year, has already served 5,300 families and 8,000 children. The director said it's important for the state to support the program as child care continues to be an issue not only for parents who lack access, but also those who lack the ability to afford child care, especially at higher poverty levels. 'We know that families up to 200% (of the federal poverty line) are making less than $62,000 a year, and we know the average cost of child care in Ohio is about $11 an hour,' Wente told the committee. Ohio's eligibility level is 'the lowest in the country,' according to Wente, who continued to support the proposed expansion of publicly funded child care to 160% in the Senate committee. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Child care advocates have been pushing for improvements to Ohio's child care sector for years, with the Ohio Chamber of Commerce most recently holding a summit about the impacts of child care on the state's workforce. The state chamber, along with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and Ohio-based advocacy group Groundwork Ohio, released a full report at the summit, laying out detailed impacts on the state's economy, employment and education. 'Ohio's child care gaps drive parents out of the workforce, reduce tax revenue for the state and put undue strain on households,' the report stated. The February 2025 research found that 'insufficient child care availability' costs Ohio $5.48 billion every year in lost economic activity. That includes $1.52 billion lost in tax revenue due to 'child care issues' and $3.97 billion in 'child care-related employee turnover and absenteeism' costs. The root of the issue, the report found, is low reimbursement rates for child care providers, along with low pay for those workers, and disproportionate distribution of providers, especially in rural areas. 'Ohio generally lags behind the rest of the Midwest when it comes to implementing policies to improve child care accessibility,' researchers stated in the report. Maintaining the support for child care, particularly for children in families up to 200% of the federal poverty line is one of the top goals for Wente and the state's Department of Children and Youth. She also told the Senate the department wants to see the application process streamlined, and payments for providers streamlined as well. Federal compliance through the use of market rates for providers and capping co-pays for parents at 7% of their income are also top priorities for the department, according to the director. Along with the Child Care Choice Voucher Program, the House's version of the budget keeps the Early Childhood Education Grant Program proposed by the governor, 'to support and invest in Ohio's early learning and development programs,' according to budget documents. Those programs include licensed child care centers and preschools. The budget draft also included $3.2 million for a 'child care recruitment and mentorship program,' and Publicly Funded Child Care payments would be based on a child's enrollment rather than attendance, if the provisions stay in the final draft of the budget. Also still present in the House's budget proposal is a child care cost-sharing model that would split the costs of care three ways, between the state, employers and employees. The omnibus budget amendments capped eligibility for that program at 400% of the federal poverty level. Wente said the department, which absorbed several other departments when it was established, is focused on meeting goals like child care access, along with lowering infant mortality rates and improving kindergarten readiness, even as the 600-person department commits to cutting 36 positions. She wants to see the infant mortality rate in the state improve from the current ranking of 43rd in the country. Modeling the state's programs on local measures like Cradle Cincinnati, Wente said a strategy that focuses on moms, connecting moms to resources and holding the state accountable for the outcomes would go a long way to continued improvement. 'What we're seeing be common across all states (with lower infant mortality rates), no matter their makeup, is that they're actually engaging with the families that are most at risk,' Wente said. Ohio has great 'foundational programs,' she said, but families need more assurances that they will be able to overcome burdens like poverty or a lack of transportation to get to those resources. With changes in the department and proper budget support, Wente said they have plans to bring a rise in all outcomes for children, including in kindergarten readiness through accessible, affordable child care. 'We, today, know that based on Ohio data, that economically disadvantaged children are 2.4 times more likely to demonstrate on the kindergarten readiness assessment if they've had any involvement in preschool,' Wente said. The House's draft of the budget removes the kindergarten readiness assessment, along with its use on the state report card, and 'related data collection and reported requirements.' Wente was also asked about pediatric cancer funding in the state, which would see a $5 million reduction in funding as part of the House's budget draft. The executive budget called for $10 million, which the director said would be used 'to really work with our research institutions and our children's hospital to figure out the best way to add to children's cancer research.' 'Pediatric cancer research is one of the lowest-funded research components in the cancer space,' Wente said. 'It's predominantly focus on adults, so we wanted to take a targeted approach to make sure that there was focus on kids. That has been reduced to $5 million.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New safety measures on menu at service stations
Safety measures worth £250,000 have been installed at two service stations on the M1. Watford Gap and Northampton Services, both in Northamptonshire, now have advanced automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems, more CCTV cameras and better fencing. The work has been funded by the county's police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC). Roadchef, which owns the two sites, said the improvements would create "safer, more secure environments for drivers". Watford Gap Services opened in 1959 and became a meeting place for musicians in the 1960s, including The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix. The 50th anniversary of the site inspired a musical in 2009. Northampton Services, formerly known as Rothersthorpe, was originally due to be the UK's first service station, but did not open until 1979. A Crimestoppers campaign has been launched to publicise information via leaflets and display boards on how to secure vehicles and prevent them being targeted by criminals. The PFCC's office applied for the funding from the government's Safer Streets scheme. Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone said: "This will make the venues more secure and help to deter criminal behaviour. "This will then free up our police officers to spend more time being visible and accessible in their local communities." Darrell Wade, from Roadchef, said: "These upgrades are vital in creating safer, more secure environments for drivers." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. One of the UK's first service stations 'not going anywhere' Goodbye to the 'iconic' Watford Gap services UK's first service station 'never been so quiet' Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Roadchef
BBC News
15-03-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
New safety features worth £250k installed at M1 service stations
Safety measures worth £250,000 have been installed at two service stations on the Gap and Northampton Services, both in Northamptonshire, now have advanced automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) systems, more CCTV cameras and better work has been funded by the county's police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC).Roadchef, which owns the two sites, said the improvements would create "safer, more secure environments for drivers". Watford Gap Services opened in 1959 and became a meeting place for musicians in the 1960s, including The Beatles and Jimi 50th anniversary of the site inspired a musical in Services, formerly known as Rothersthorpe, was originally due to be the UK's first service station, but did not open until 1979. A Crimestoppers campaign has been launched to publicise information via leaflets and display boards on how to secure vehicles and prevent them being targeted by PFCC's office applied for the funding from the government's Safer Streets scheme. Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone said: "This will make the venues more secure and help to deter criminal behaviour."This will then free up our police officers to spend more time being visible and accessible in their local communities."Darrell Wade, from Roadchef, said: "These upgrades are vital in creating safer, more secure environments for drivers." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
11-02-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Staffordshire firefighter numbers may be cut due to funds
Staffordshire's fire chief has warned the number of firefighters and stations may need to be cut if government funding does not increase. Ben Adams, the county's Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC), said the "unpalatable" option would need to be considered despite a 5.85% rise in what residents pay for the service and £1m worth of savings planned over the next four Adams, who oversees the service's budget, said the tax rise and savings were due to a £1m reduction in government funding and increase in employer National Insurance Home Office has been approached for a comment. Presenting his budget plans to the police, fire and crime panel, Mr Adams said the fire service was not be looking to reduce operational staff to achieve its current savings target, but this could change if funding is further reduced in the government's spending review later this year."Regrettably, having got ourselves into a tremendous position financially compared to a number of other services, having delivered savings of around £1 million in the last two or three years, this settlement from government is poor," the Conservative PFCC extra £1.8m raised by increasing its part of the council tax was "largely going towards keeping the service where it is," Mr Adams added. Cannock councillor David Williams, a panel member, raised concerns about the impact of an increasing number of firefighter retirements and asked why there had not been a long-term plan to safeguard emergency Adams insisted there had been a long-term plan based on expected levels of funding, but that the settlement for 2025/26 had come as a fire service's ability to maintain firefighter numbers in the coming years would depend on the outcome of the spending review, he Adams is also planning to use £2.5m of reserves as part of his medium term budget panel voted to approve the fire precept increase. But acting chair Gill Heesom said members had concerns over staffing levels. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
