Latest news with #SouthendOnSea
BBC News
13 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Southend council refunding £2.3m in overcharged care fees
A council has said it will pay about £2.3m in refunds after overcharging people for the cost of City Council said there was a technical error when new software was set up in 2018.A total of 586 people had been contacted already, including 335 people who still received this care, a spokesperson said."I sincerely apologise for this error," said Labour council leader Daniel Cowan. "I am pleased to report that council officers have moved quickly to assess its impact, and we are putting things right."The council said it discovered that disability premium, enhanced disability premium and the carer premium were not factored in when new software was set up in 2018 to calculate a person's minimum income Care Act 2014 dictates that local authorities can charge for care, so long as these fees do not reduce an individual's income below this meant some people who received Personal Independence Payments or Disability Living Allowance, and some people receiving Employment and Support Allowance instead of Income Support, were paid too much for care in their homes; while living with family members; supported living; shared lives; extra care and day care, the council spokesperson said people who had overpaid and who were not in arrears would be offered a refund or given the option of using the overpayment to cover future fees."We are confident that we now have the systems and processes in place to stop this happening again," said Cowan. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Own goal averted by last-ditch save
As a white man I almost got myself in trouble at work one day (White men are apparently terrified of doing the wrong thing at work. I have some advice, 26 May). 'I must admit I have zero interest in women's football,' I said after a young woman had raised the subject. Everyone looked at me for a second or two before I added: 'But in my defence, I feel the same way about the men's.' Everyone laughed and I didn't get fired. Chris Telford Lancaster • Schools have a duty to 'actively promote' the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and respect and tolerance of those of different faiths. It seems the UK government feels no compulsion to do so (Dismay as UK prepares to sign 'values-free' £1.6bn trade deal with Gulf states. 29 May) Mona Sood Southend-on-Sea Advertisement • Simon Elmes criticises the use of 'unwanted Americanisms' such as 'gotten' and 'faucet' (Letters, 29 May). In fact both of these words are from early modern English, and are used in Shakespeare's plays. A respectable English ancestry, I'd say. Neil Hanson Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire • Given that Labour's fall in the opinion polls is the largest for any newly elected UK government in 40 years (Report, 25 May), Keir Starmer is experiencing the swift decline of numbers as well as the decline of swift numbers (Letters, 29 May). Elli Woollard London • My wife and I get to see our grownup children occasionally when they come home to see the dog (Letters, 29 May). Gary McGregor Garvald, East Lothian • Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Own goal averted by last-ditch save
As a white man I almost got myself in trouble at work one day (White men are apparently terrified of doing the wrong thing at work. I have some advice, 26 May). 'I must admit I have zero interest in women's football,' I said after a young woman had raised the subject. Everyone looked at me for a second or two before I added: 'But in my defence, I feel the same way about the men's.' Everyone laughed and I didn't get TelfordLancaster Schools have a duty to 'actively promote' the British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty, and respect and tolerance of those of different faiths. It seems the UK government feels no compulsion to do so (Dismay as UK prepares to sign 'values-free' £1.6bn trade deal with Gulf states. 29 May)Mona SoodSouthend-on-Sea Simon Elmes criticises the use of 'unwanted Americanisms' such as 'gotten' and 'faucet' (Letters, 29 May). In fact both of these words are from early modern English, and are used in Shakespeare's plays. A respectable English ancestry, I'd HansonSlaithwaite, West Yorkshire Given that Labour's fall in the opinion polls is the largest for any newly elected UK government in 40 years (Report, 25 May), Keir Starmer is experiencing the swift decline of numbers as well as the decline of swift numbers (Letters, 29 May).Elli WoollardLondon My wife and I get to see our grownup children occasionally when they come home to see the dog (Letters, 29 May).Gary McGregorGarvald, East Lothian Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Striking poppy display to line city's famous pier
Thousands of knitted poppies are expected to turn a city's famous pier into a striking remembrance memorial. The display will run the entire 1.33-mile (2.14km) length of Southend Pier in Essex from 5-16 November. People have been invited to donate their creations by the end of September. Labour city councillor Matt Dent said it would be a "truly memorable" commemoration. The display would culminate with a "dramatic installation at the pier's selfie signpost", Southend-on-Sea City Council said. Crafters of all skills were encouraged to get involved, with Dent hoping it would instil "a sense of civic pride". He added: "As well as being a poignant tribute, I expect the display will give a welcome boost to tourism and visitor numbers on the pier during the quieter off-peak season." Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Much-loved biker event makes comeback Rundown playgrounds will be spruced up with £1m Seafront celebrates first City Day festival Southend-on-Sea City Council
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
MPs applying pressure for more play-off tickets
Labour politicians in Southend-on-Sea say they will "keep the pressure on" to persuade Wembley Stadium to release more tickets for the National League play-off final. The allocation for the Blues and opponents Oldham Athletic have been increased to 21,500 tickets each, not including packages that include coach travel. But two MPs and a council leader said they "continue to implore [Wembley] to allow more fans into the ground". The stadium says it is concerned about safety and has pointed out that no London Underground trains are stopping at Wembley Park station due to engineering work. An extra 2,722 promotion final tickets went on sale at 12:00 (BST) on Monday. Following a meeting with Wembley Stadium, the club said it had secured an additional 1,059 tickets along with 1,663 tickets that will be sold as part of coach packages. A spokesperson for the club said: "We remain committed to pushing all stakeholders to find a solution to the capacity issues." The two Southend MPs Bayo Alaba and David Burton-Sampson, together with Southend-on-Sea City Council leader Daniel Cowan, said they had been "working hard over the weekend trying to build support for our campaign to increase the ticket allocation". In a joint statement, they said: "We will continue to push for more, as we want to ensure the final allocation is meaningful and maximised." Southend United said it was told the capacity was increased for both clubs because extra train services had since been scheduled for Wembley Central and Wembley Stadium stations. The club said it was confident it could sell more than 35,000 tickets. "We are still pushing all stakeholders to think creatively and to find solutions that can safely increase the capacity further," a club spokesperson said. Former Southend, Nottingham Forest, Liverpool and England striker Stan Collymore posted on X, to say he had spoken to the Mayor of London's office about the issue. The mayor's office was hopeful that supporter capacity would be upped to at least 60,000 following the next safety meeting on Tuesday, he told his followers. A Wembley Stadium spokesperson said "the safety and security of fans" was of "paramount importance". The engineering work at Wembley Park could not be moved to another weekend, they explained. Transport for London said it had arranged for more Bakerloo line trains to serve Wembley Central. Chiltern Railways will be putting on extra services to Wembley Stadium. The final is due to kick off at 15:00 BST on Sunday. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. National League final ticket allocation increased MP talks to ministers over play-off tickets row Tube station closure to clash with Wembley final Transport for London Wembley Stadium Southend United
