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The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Southern Water boss should refuse ‘outrageous' pay rise
It is understood that he has only received half of this payment this year, taking his total pay to more than £1 million. Asked on Sunday about Mr Gosden's pay, Environment Secretary Steve Reed told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg it was 'outrageous' and implored Southern to 'think about how this looks to their customers'. He said: 'Trust between the customers and the water companies is at the lowest point probably ever, and by paying their senior executives rises of that kind, what message are they sending to their customers?' Environment Secretary Steve Reed said Southern Water's performance meant a large payout to its chief executive was not 'merited' (Jonathan Brady/PA) Asked whether Mr Gosden should turn down the pay rise, Mr Reed said: 'I think it would be right if he did.' He added: 'I don't think Southern Water has performed well enough for that kind of pay increase to be merited.' Southern Water was banned from paying bonuses last month over a so-called 'category 1' sewage spill in the New Forest, Hampshire, in August 2024. Under new rules, companies are banned from paying bonuses if they do not meet environmental, consumer or financial standards, or are convicted of a criminal offence. Southern Water has insisted the payment to Mr Gosden is not a bonus but part of a long-term incentive plan set up in 2023 and linked to a two-year effort to improve the company's performance. It is also paid directly by shareholders rather than out of consumers' bills. A Southern Water spokesperson said its chief executive's pay and benefits were decided by a remuneration committee 'following protocols and rules set out by Ofwat and in accordance with the law'. They added: 'Lawrence Gosden's 2025 package includes a relocation allowance, and long-term incentive plan paid by shareholders which marks improvements made during the delivery of our turnaround plan. Both of these payments represent common industry practice.' Mr Reed's criticism of Mr Gosden's pay package came before the publication of a landmark review of the water industry, which is expected to recommend sweeping reforms to how the sector is regulated, including the abolition of regulator Ofwat. The review follows widespread criticism of water companies for awarding executives large bonuses and paying significant dividends to shareholders while missing targets for investing in infrastructure and overseeing a rise in sewage pollution in England's rivers. Earlier this month, Southern Water itself was forced to ask its owner, Australian investment firm Macquarie, for an extra £2.1 billion to help boost its struggling finances. The company, which supplies 4.7 million people across the south and south-east of England, has amassed nearly £9 billion of debt – making it one of the most heavily indebted water firms in the UK behind Thames Water, previously also owned by Macquarie.
The Herald Scotland
13-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
BBC ‘needs to get a grip quicker' after controversies such as Bob Vylan set
The BBC also said it will no longer broadcast live performances deemed 'high risk' – as Bob Vylan had been assessed – and its director of music, Lorna Clarke, also reportedly stepped back from her day-to-day duties. Ofcom chief executive Melanie Dawes said on Sunday there could be a risk that the public will lose confidence in the BBC after the regulator previously said the broadcaster has questions to answer over its Glastonbury coverage. Dame Melanie told BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'I think it's very frustrating that the BBC has had some own goals in this area, with the Gaza documentary and then with the Glastonbury coverage, and it does start to erode public trust and confidence. 'I think I would say that, above all what frustrates me and others, is that when these things go wrong it can take a long time for the BBC to see that something's happened when everybody else was there within a matter of hours. 'So I would say to the BBC I think they need to get a grip quicker, get these reports and investigations concluded sooner, otherwise there is a real risk of a sort of loss of confidence in the BBC, which is a shame.' Melanie Dawes made the comments on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg (Jeff Overs/BBC/PA) The BBC has been approached for comment. Dame Melanie spoke ahead of a BBC review into the documentary Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone after it emerged its 13-year-old narrator was the son of a Hamas official. The corporation issued an apology after the Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury, saying: 'We deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behaviour appeared on the BBC and want to apologise to our viewers and listeners and in particular the Jewish community. 'We are also unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at, or on, the BBC. It said it was 'clear that errors were made' as it set out the timeline of the decisions made over it broadcast, adding: 'Bob Vylan were deemed high risk following a risk assessment process applied to all acts appearing at Glastonbury. 'Seven acts including Bob Vylan were included in this category and they were all deemed suitable for livestreaming with appropriate mitigations. 'Prior to Glastonbury, a decision was taken that compliance risks could be mitigated in real time on the livestream – through the use of language or content warnings – without the need for a delay. This was clearly not the case.' Bob Vylan came under fire for chants during their performance on the West Holts Stage (Yui Mok/PA) It added: 'Given the failings that have been acknowledged, we are taking actions to ensure proper accountability for those found to be responsible for those failings in the live broadcast. We will not comment further on those processes at this time. 'Any music performances deemed high risk will now not be broadcast live or streamed live.' The BBC has also promised to take action to 'ensure proper accountability' and issued an apology to viewers, especially the Jewish community. Avon and Somerset Police have also launched an investigation into comments made during the group's West Holts Stage performance. The group was already under a police investigation for comments made at a concert a month before Glastonbury. Video footage appears to show Bobby Vylan at Alexandra Palace telling crowds: 'Death to every single IDF soldier out there as an agent of terror for Israel. Death to the IDF.' The group issued a statement claiming they were being 'targeted for speaking up' after Avon and Somerset Police began its investigation. Formed in 2017, Bob Vylan are known for addressing political issues in their albums including racism, masculinity and class.
Elle
10-07-2025
- Business
- Elle
Why LearnVest Founder Alexa von Tobel Says Leaving Harvard Was ‘One of the Best Decisions of My Life'
In ELLE's series Office Hours, we ask people in powerful positions to take us through their first jobs, worst jobs, and everything in between. This month, we spoke with Alexa von Tobel. An entrepreneur from day one (read about her childhood hustles below), von Tobel dropped out of Harvard Business School in 2008 to put all her energy into LearnVest, an online financial planning platform she started to help Americans feel more in control of their money. Though she was once told—in front of thousands of people at a start-up conference—that LearnVest wouldn't work, von Tobel sold the business to Northwestern Mutual for $375 million in 2015. These days, von Tobel is the founder of the venture fund Inspired Capital. 'We like founders who are doing the near-impossible swing,' she explains. 'Then we sign up to be their partners for whatever it takes to make it happen.' She also just launched her podcast, Inspired With Alexa von Tobel, where she interviews those same kinds of enterprising pioneers. Here, she unpacks her early relationship to money, her process for making life-altering decisions, and why she believes ambitious ideas are the 'light in the darkness.' My first real job was working in my dad's office when I was a kid. He was a specialized developmental pediatrician who took care of children who had very unique challenges; they were autistic and, in addition to that, deaf or blind. Working there taught me two major things. One was how important it is to care for people who no one else is caring for. And the second was watching how my dad said, 'Every time you meet someone, pay attention to the whole being, how they show up, the smile on their face, how they walk. That's what I do every time I see a patient.' You wanted to see past just what they were saying and really get a sense of the whole equation. It taught me to try to observe people entirely. I'll tell you one where I got in trouble. I was the kid who, instead of setting up a lemonade stand, took art, like my mom's needlepointing, off the walls in our house and sold it. I was a gymnast, and I wanted to accumulate more leotards. I was like, 'This lemonade thing isn't going to make enough money to buy a leotard.' Entrepreneur from the start. I had a dad who really empowered me. I had a job as early as I legally could work, and my dad would print out my college account and my Roth IRA—as soon as you can start earning money, you can put it in a Roth IRA—and let me look at them. He was like, 'This is the money that you're saving to go to college, and this is the money that we're helping you save to retire.' The numbers weren't big, but I would see it grow. And then I really appreciated my education; I went to Harvard, and I was required to write the checks to school. That relationship was incredibly powerful. I lost my dad when I was 14, and I watched my mom have to manage the finances of a household for the first time. I remember feeling like, I want to empower every family in America to feel strong. It's not about having a lot of money; it's about feeling in control of your money. That was where the idea for LearnVest ultimately came from. I've always been an extremely positive person, where the glass is overflowing. I was like, I want to better understand what I believe is one of the biggest goals of life: to be purposeful, to be happy. And so I studied in the Happiness Lab. There, they would look at people in their nineties and [ask,] 'What do you regret?' The punch line is you barely remember the mistakes, the failures; your brain doesn't even clock them. The big regrets are the things that you knew you should've done and you didn't. I always joke that 9-year-old Alexa sits on my shoulder, and she's a tough cookie. She's like, 'If you're going to regret [not doing] that, you got to do it.' I'm not going to remember the risks I take, so I may as well go take more of them. To paint the picture: I was 24 years old. It was the fall of 2008. I'd started LearnVest in May 2007. I was in my first semester, and we quickly found ourselves at the bottom of the worst recession in 81 years. Every ounce of my being was like, This is when I go start this company. Every American is reeling with their finances, worried about how to make the right choices. But at that time, it was extremely uncool to drop out. Some of my best friends told me I was bonkers, but that 9-year-old Alexa kept me accountable. I had literal tears in my eyes and walked to the admissions office to take a leave of absence. And it was one of the best decisions of my life. I moved to New York. I was a sole founder. I had no capital committed. I had nothing. There was no golden parachute to catch me. I had to be comfortable not caring what anybody else thought. I was like, I'm following my instincts, and I need to go do this. I say to people pretty regularly that this isn't the dress rehearsal. This is life. We get one shot. And the most powerful thing you can do is follow your own path. Sometimes that means you're going to do things that other people don't think are great or cool or interesting, but that's okay. One of the hardest things to do is put the earmuffs on and not let other people's goals and inputs weigh on you. That doesn't mean ignore other people's feedback, but it's about making sure you're clear-headed on who you want to be and what you want to do. I believe that we all have a picture of the life we're running towards. You have to be honest. What's that picture in your head, and are you doing the most important things every day to chart towards it? That is when you'll be the most self-actualized. The inspiration for my new podcast I'm launching my new podcast with the singular lens of talking to the boldest entrepreneurs. One of my favorite things to do is talk to people doing exceptionally hard things and figure out their mindset. I'm in love with this idea of American ambition that changes the world—people who wake up every day to make things better for everyone around them. There's a lot of darkness in the world right now. And I think ideas are the light in the darkness. As a mom of three kids, as somebody who mentors a lot of people, I think bringing positivity—a can-do, solutions-oriented attitude—to every equation and every problem is a really great way to move through life. And everybody can turn that on. It's free. People are excited and attracted to positive energy. My best career advice My mom is a nurse practitioner, and she would say, 'Alexa, love what you do, and you'll never work a day in your life.' I called her in my early thirties, and I said, 'Mom, you got one thing wrong. If you love what you do, you'll literally work every day of your life. You'll take everything personally. There will be no boundaries, and it will be exactly the way it should be.' Loving what you do, I think, is the key to happiness—having that place in the world where you're doing the thing you feel like you were put on this earth to do. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Rhyl Journal
08-07-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Near-Dickensian poverty levels for some children in England, warns commissioner
Black mould in a bedroom and rats in a kitchen were among some of the examples given by young people for a new report said to reveal the 'real hardship' facing some families. While some feel a sense of shame over their situation, Dame Rachel de Souza said it is 'society at large and decision-makers that should be ashamed of the fact that children don't have enough money'. The latest official estimates, for the year to March 2024, suggest there were a record 4.45 million children living in poverty in the UK. The Government is expected to publish a child poverty strategy in autumn, and a multitude of campaign groups have said it must contain a commitment to do away with the two-child benefit limit. The limit, which came into effect under the Conservatives in April 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit (UC) to the first two children in most households. Organisations working in the sector argue that 109 children across the UK are pulled into poverty by the policy every day and that an estimated 350,000 children would be lifted out of poverty immediately if it was scrapped. But comments by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at the weekend have raised concerns the policy might not be done away with, amid financial pressures following the U-turn on welfare reforms. Ms Phillipson said spending decisions have been made 'harder' after the watering down of the welfare reforms. Pressed on whether the chances of the benefit cap going are now slimmer, Ms Phillipson told BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'The decisions that have been taken in the last week do make decisions, future decisions harder. 'But all of that said, we will look at this collectively in terms of all of the ways that we can lift children out of poverty.' Estimates for the cost of scrapping the policy vary, from around £2.6 billion to £3.5 billion by the end of this Parliament (2029/30). Dame Rachel – whose office was commissioned to carry out its report to feed into the Government's work in the area – said while there is 'no quick fix to ending child poverty', she feels it is 'very clear that any child poverty strategy must be built on the foundation of scrapping the two-child limit'. She added that a new approach is needed which 'stops sidelining children's voices', saying that 'only by listening to children, and acting in response, will we get close to solving those problems'. The commissioner said in recent years she has seen a change in children's comments, noting that issues traditionally seen as 'adult' concerns 'are now keenly felt by children, who see their parents' worries and the struggles they face: the hours they work, the homes they live in and the ability to put food on the table'. She added: 'Children shared harrowing accounts of hardship, with some in almost-Dickensian levels of poverty. 'They don't talk about 'poverty' as an abstract concept but about not having the things that most people would consider basic: a safe home that isn't mouldy or full or rats, with a bed big enough to stretch out in, 'luxury' food like bacon, a place to do homework, heating, privacy in the bathroom and being able to wash, having their friends over, and not having to travel hours to school.' While commending 'some positive steps by the Government to get more money into families' pockets', she urged 'bold, practical measures that break the link between a child's background and their opportunities'. The commissioner's report, based on the experiences of 128 children across the country between January and March this year, noted a range of concerns including lack of access to quality, healthy food and living in cramped and poor conditions. As well as calling for the two-child benefit limit to be scrapped, Dame Rachel urged a commitment to a so-called 'triple-lock' for uprating all child-related benefits, reforms to ensure families are not being housed in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than the legal six-week limit, free bus travel for all school-aged children in England and better safety measures in areas with children in low-income families including increased street lighting, and more neighbourhood watch-style initiatives. A Government spokesperson said: 'We are determined to bring down child poverty. We've just announced a new £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time. 'This comes alongside the expansion to free breakfast clubs, investing £39 billion in social and affordable housing, increasing the national minimum wage and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions. 'As part of our plan for change, the Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy later this year to ensure we deliver fully-funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country.'
South Wales Guardian
08-07-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Near-Dickensian poverty levels for some children in England, warns commissioner
Black mould in a bedroom and rats in a kitchen were among some of the examples given by young people for a new report said to reveal the 'real hardship' facing some families. While some feel a sense of shame over their situation, Dame Rachel de Souza said it is 'society at large and decision-makers that should be ashamed of the fact that children don't have enough money'. The latest official estimates, for the year to March 2024, suggest there were a record 4.45 million children living in poverty in the UK. The Government is expected to publish a child poverty strategy in autumn, and a multitude of campaign groups have said it must contain a commitment to do away with the two-child benefit limit. The limit, which came into effect under the Conservatives in April 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit (UC) to the first two children in most households. Organisations working in the sector argue that 109 children across the UK are pulled into poverty by the policy every day and that an estimated 350,000 children would be lifted out of poverty immediately if it was scrapped. But comments by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at the weekend have raised concerns the policy might not be done away with, amid financial pressures following the U-turn on welfare reforms. Ms Phillipson said spending decisions have been made 'harder' after the watering down of the welfare reforms. Pressed on whether the chances of the benefit cap going are now slimmer, Ms Phillipson told BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'The decisions that have been taken in the last week do make decisions, future decisions harder. 'But all of that said, we will look at this collectively in terms of all of the ways that we can lift children out of poverty.' Estimates for the cost of scrapping the policy vary, from around £2.6 billion to £3.5 billion by the end of this Parliament (2029/30). Dame Rachel – whose office was commissioned to carry out its report to feed into the Government's work in the area – said while there is 'no quick fix to ending child poverty', she feels it is 'very clear that any child poverty strategy must be built on the foundation of scrapping the two-child limit'. She added that a new approach is needed which 'stops sidelining children's voices', saying that 'only by listening to children, and acting in response, will we get close to solving those problems'. The commissioner said in recent years she has seen a change in children's comments, noting that issues traditionally seen as 'adult' concerns 'are now keenly felt by children, who see their parents' worries and the struggles they face: the hours they work, the homes they live in and the ability to put food on the table'. She added: 'Children shared harrowing accounts of hardship, with some in almost-Dickensian levels of poverty. 'They don't talk about 'poverty' as an abstract concept but about not having the things that most people would consider basic: a safe home that isn't mouldy or full or rats, with a bed big enough to stretch out in, 'luxury' food like bacon, a place to do homework, heating, privacy in the bathroom and being able to wash, having their friends over, and not having to travel hours to school.' While commending 'some positive steps by the Government to get more money into families' pockets', she urged 'bold, practical measures that break the link between a child's background and their opportunities'. The commissioner's report, based on the experiences of 128 children across the country between January and March this year, noted a range of concerns including lack of access to quality, healthy food and living in cramped and poor conditions. As well as calling for the two-child benefit limit to be scrapped, Dame Rachel urged a commitment to a so-called 'triple-lock' for uprating all child-related benefits, reforms to ensure families are not being housed in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than the legal six-week limit, free bus travel for all school-aged children in England and better safety measures in areas with children in low-income families including increased street lighting, and more neighbourhood watch-style initiatives. A Government spokesperson said: 'We are determined to bring down child poverty. We've just announced a new £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time. 'This comes alongside the expansion to free breakfast clubs, investing £39 billion in social and affordable housing, increasing the national minimum wage and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions. 'As part of our plan for change, the Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy later this year to ensure we deliver fully-funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country.'
