Latest news with #UsualPlace
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
The Usual Place Podcast: What's next for PSP following its post-GE leadership shake-up?
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox What's next for PSP following its post-GE leadership shake-up? Synopsis: Join Natasha Ann Zachariah at The Usual Place as she unpacks the latest current affairs with guests. Two months after its dismal showing at the 2025 General Election, Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has shaken up its leadership team. On July 5, it announced that its founder and chairman Tan Cheng Bock, and vice-chair Hazel Poa had stepped down from their roles in the central executive committee (CEC), the party's highest decision-making body. Party treasurer S. Nallakaruppan also relinquished his position. All three will remain members of the party. Dr Tan has been designated party adviser. Ms Poa was a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) in the last term of Parliament, along with party chief Leong Mun Wai. At a press conference at the party's headquarters in Bukit Timah Shopping Centre on July 5, Mr Leong announced a renewal plan, and introduced three new members who were co-opted into the CEC. The first is Ms Stephanie Tan, a full-time homemaker and former lawyer, who was the PSP candidate for Pioneer SMC. The other two are Mr Sani Ismail, an in-house legal counsel who contested West Coast-Jurong West GRC, and Mr Lawrence Pek, a former secretary-general of the Singapore Manufacturing Federation, who contested Chua Chu Kang GRC. Ms Tan joins me in this podcast to talk about being part of PSP's refreshed leadership team, the insights she gleaned from walking the ground as a first-time candidate, and the challenges of a political party without a presence in Parliament. The Usual Place podcast is livestreamed at noon on YouTube on Thursdays. Subscribe to the YouTube channel to catch the podcast when it airs on July 10. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Asia Dr Mahathir at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma Singapore 'Give a positive review': Hidden AI prompt found in academic paper by NUS researchers Singapore Apex court upholds SMC's conviction of doctor who gave patients unapproved hormones Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Singapore Singaporean fugitive arrested in Thailand for suspected drug trafficking and handed over to CNB World Trump issues tariff notices to 7 minor trading partners, hits Brazil with 50% tariff Business SGX securities turnover up 23% in June, bringing financial year's gain to 28% Host: Natasha Ann Zachariah ( natashaz@ ) Read Natasha's articles: Follow Natasha on her IG account and DM her your thoughts on this topic: Follow Natasha on LinkedIn: Follow The Usual Place Podcast and get notified for new episode drops every Thursday: Channel: Apple Podcasts: Spotify: YouTube: Feedback to: podcast@ --- Follow more ST podcast channels: All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: ST Podcasts website: ST Podcasts YouTube: --- Get The Straits Times app, which has a dedicated podcast player section: The App Store: Google Play:
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Community café caught in financial 'perfect storm'
A charity which provides work and training for young people with disabilities and additional support needs said it has been caught in a "perfect storm" of financial pressures. The Inspired Community Enterprise Trust (ICET), which runs the Usual Place community café in Dumfries, has launched a consultation on redundancies. Chief executive Craig McEwen said rising costs and increased competition for funding had left them with no choice but to make the move. The café - in a former church which was once a dining room for the nearby Dumfries Academy - has been operating for close to a decade. The Usual Place was set up to give young people with additional support needs the opportunity to learn sector specific skills in hospitality and then move on into sustainable employment. Mr McEwen estimated it has helped about 2,200 youngsters since it opened and it currently employs 31 staff. But the trustees recently announced it would have to make the equivalent of six full-time posts redundant. "We are now in the perfect storm as we have called it," said Mr McEwen. "As government budgets are being squeezed, more and more people are going to grant and foundations for their funding - which we obviously relied on for the last 10 years to keep us going. "As the call on their funding increases, obviously our success rate has been decreasing." The Usual Place generates about £250,000 in income with its café and venue space but Mr McEwen said they received little statutory funding. He said increases in the Real Living Wage and changes to National Insurance contributions would add about £51,000 to staffing costs which was "unsustainable". Mr McEwen said that meant the trustees had made the "difficult decision" to restructure which would mean they would have to lose some "very good members of staff". "We're never going to make enough cups of tea and coffee to sustain ourselves," he said. "So somebody needs to help us or our young people will just have to go back to the adult resource centres - which is basically where some of them have come from. That's the outlook." More stories from South Scotland Listen to news from Dumfries and Galloway on BBC Sounds Mr McEwen said the work being done at the café had been delivering real benefits for the people involved - but also for the wider community. "What we are doing is we are taking youngsters who have been written off for all their lives and proving that - with a little bit of intense support - they can actually become contributors to their society," he said. "We are delivering UK, Scottish and local government policy on getting more disabled people into employment. "Politically, we have a lot of support," he added. "We just need somebody to put that hand in the pocket and give us some money." Local politicians have joined forces to support for the site. SNP MSP Emma Harper said she had been working alongside Conservative Oliver Mundell and Labour's Colin Smyth to lobby ministers to look at options to help support the organisation. The UK government said it supported charities through a "world-leading tax regime which provided £6bn in relief for the sector last year alone". A spokesperson added: "This comes on top of doubling the Employment Allowance to protect the smallest charities and creating a new Civil Society Covenant to usher in a new era of trust and partnership to tackle some of the country's biggest challenges." Charities facing tax hike have 'nowhere to cut'
BBC News
16-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Dumfries community café hit by 'perfect storm' of pressures
A charity which provides work and training for young people with disabilities and additional support needs said it has been caught in a "perfect storm" of financial Inspired Community Enterprise Trust (ICET), which runs the Usual Place community café in Dumfries, has launched a consultation on executive Craig McEwen said rising costs and increased competition for funding had left them with no choice but to make the café - in a former church which was once a dining room for the nearby Dumfries Academy - has been operating for close to a decade. The Usual Place was set up to give young people with additional support needs the opportunity to learn sector specific skills in hospitality and then move on into sustainable McEwen estimated it has helped about 2,200 youngsters since it opened and it currently employs 31 the trustees recently announced it would have to make the equivalent of six full-time posts redundant."We are now in the perfect storm as we have called it," said Mr McEwen."As government budgets are being squeezed, more and more people are going to grant and foundations for their funding - which we obviously relied on for the last 10 years to keep us going."As the call on their funding increases, obviously our success rate has been decreasing." The Usual Place generates about £250,000 in income with its café and venue space but Mr McEwen said they received little statutory said increases in the Real Living Wage and changes to National Insurance contributions would add about £51,000 to staffing costs which was "unsustainable".Mr McEwen said that meant the trustees had made the "difficult decision" to restructure which would mean they would have to lose some "very good members of staff"."We're never going to make enough cups of tea and coffee to sustain ourselves," he said."So somebody needs to help us or our young people will just have to go back to the adult resource centres - which is basically where some of them have come from. That's the outlook." Mr McEwen said the work being done at the café had been delivering real benefits for the people involved - but also for the wider community."What we are doing is we are taking youngsters who have been written off for all their lives and proving that - with a little bit of intense support - they can actually become contributors to their society," he said."We are delivering UK, Scottish and local government policy on getting more disabled people into employment."Politically, we have a lot of support," he added. "We just need somebody to put that hand in the pocket and give us some money." Local politicians have joined forces to support for the MSP Emma Harper said she had been working alongside Conservative Oliver Mundell and Labour's Colin Smyth to lobby ministers to look at options to help support the UK government said it supported charities through a "world-leading tax regime which provided £6bn in relief for the sector last year alone".A spokesperson added: "This comes on top of doubling the Employment Allowance to protect the smallest charities and creating a new Civil Society Covenant to usher in a new era of trust and partnership to tackle some of the country's biggest challenges."
