All posts tagged: England

Bus services cut by more than 80% in parts of England and Wales since 2008, finds study | Transport

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Bus services have been cut by more than 80% in the past 15 years in some parts of England and Wales in a “silent war” on users, research has found. Outside London, bus services plummeted by more than 60% in 80 local authority areas, the study added. The University of Leeds, in conjunction with the charity Friends of the Earth, examined timetables across England and Wales since 2008. It found urban and rural services had decreased by 48% and 52% respectively – with some localities faring worse than others. The findings showed that in Hart, Fenland and Broxtowe there had been a decline of more than 80%. Other constituencies without consistent bus services were North East Hampshire, with an 82% drop in services, and Bridgwater in Somerset, with an 81% decrease. Staffordshire Moorland and Stoke-on-Trent North have experienced the same reduction in services at 78%. Mike Childs, the head of science, policy and research at Friends of the Earth, said: “There has been a silent war on bus users for over a decade. This is …

Senior doctors in England reach pay deal with government | Doctors

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Doctors’ leaders have struck a deal with ministers that could end the strikes by hospital consultants that have badly disrupted NHS care for months. Grassroots members of the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association (HCSA) in England still have to approve the government’s offer. But if medics accept it in referendums then both unions will call off the industrial action that has led to hundreds of thousands of operations and outpatient appointments being cancelled. Those votes will be held next month and the results will not be known until January, which means consultants will not strike during the start of the NHS’s usual winter crisis. Relieved NHS leaders welcomed the breakthrough as “a vital step” towards halting the walkouts by various staff groups that have been causing problems for NHS services for almost a year. The government said it represented “a fair and reasonable way forward” towards solving the dispute. Crucially, ministers have done a major U-turn in order to help reach agreement with the unions. They have dropped their …

UK hosts Global Investment Summit; Bank of England governor warns inflation fight will be ‘hard work’ – business live | Business

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UK announces £30bn boost at Global Investment Summit Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets, and the world economy. The UK government will today try to woo hundreds of business leaders as Rishi Sunak hosts a major business event at Hampton Court. More than 200 executives are set to attend the Global Investment Summit, including Goldman Sachs chief executive David Solomon, JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, Blackstone boss Stephen Schwarzman and Aviva’s Amanda Blanc. Prime minister Rishi Sunak and business & trade secretary Kemi Badenoch will be hosting, with Barclays, HSBC and Lloyds Bank sponsoring the event. With a dollop of hype, the government says the summit “marks a huge step forward for levelling up”. This claim is based on the fact that some of the “A-list CEOs and investors” attending have collectively pledged £29.5bn in new UK projects and capital. That spending, Downing Street says, will create over 12,000 jobs. It’s rather more than the £10bn which the UK lined up two years ago for the previous summit in 2021. …

Powerful Lords committee damns Bank of England over inflation forecasts | Bank of England

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The Bank of England’s reliance on “inadequate” forecasting models and a lack of intellectual diversity within its most senior ranks contributed to inflation sticking at among the highest levels in decades, a Lords report has found. In a report critical of Threadneedle Street, the powerful Lords economic affairs committee said the central bank had made “errors” in its handling of the inflation shock triggered after the Covid pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While saying that all major central banks had incorrectly expected the toughest inflationary period in four decades to be “transitory”, it warned that mistakes at the Bank had fuelled a “dramatic” fall in public confidence. Highlighting incorrect forecasts made in 2021 for inflation to cool, it said possible reasons included a “perceived lack of intellectual diversity” at the central bank. It also said a steady expansion in the Bank’s remit to include a wider range of priorities – including economic growth and responding to the climate crisis – had risked jeopardising its ability to meet its primary objectives of managing inflation and …

Ministers to appoint adviser to support disaster victims in England and Wales | England

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Ministers are to appoint a permanent independent adviser to provide support for victims of major disasters in England and Wales. The Independent Public Advocate (IPA) will be tasked with guiding survivors of major incidents such as the Manchester Arena bombing and the Grenfell Tower fire with help and assistance on how to access financial, physical and mental health services and ensuring they understand their rights. They will not be tasked with acting as a legal representative. The role was first floated in Theresa May’s 2017 Conservative manifesto in response to a report by Bishop James Jones, titled The Patronising Disposition of Unaccountable Power, which found failings in the way the bereaved families of the Hillsborough disaster were treated by those in authority. The former justice secretary Dominic Raab then confirmed plans to pass legislation for the role in March, with amendments being made to the victims and prisoners bill. IPAs will also be able to advise the government on whether a review or inquiry should take place after a major incident, and will have the …

School leaders in England feel lockdown ‘broke spell’ of bond with parents | Schools

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Lockdown “broke the spell” that bound parents and schools together, according to school leaders and experts who have endorsed the Ofsted chief’s view that many parents now disregard rules on behaviour and attendance they once took for granted. Delivering her last annual report as chief inspector of schools in England, Amanda Spielman said: “The social contract between parents and schools has been fractured by lockdowns and closures.” And she warned: “That social contract took years to build and consolidate and it will take time to restore.” Tom Bennett, the Department for Education’s adviser on behaviour policy, said the pandemic-era lockdowns “broke the spell” of children and parents building their lives and habits around going to school. “The unquestionable belief that school must be attended was exploded. It’s predictable and expected to see that for some families, those have been hard habits to rebuild. And inevitably it’s the families who already struggle, who have struggled the hardest to build them,” Bennett said. But some headteachers painted an even darker picture of hostile parents who have become …

Why NHS England is struggling – despite more staff and money

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Overall public satisfaction with the NHS in England is currently at a 40-year low of 29%, a recent survey by the King’s Fund thinktank has found. People are not happy with waiting times for GP and hospital appointments. Over half of those surveyed think the service is beset by staff shortages. A similar percentage think the government does not spend enough money on the NHS. This is despite the fact that in 2022-2023 the NHS received £152.6 billion in total budget – an increase (at 2022-2023 prices) of £28.4 billion compared to 2016-2017. The service has 32.4% more full-time staff too. Its workforce hit an all-time high of 1.275 million employees in February 2023 (up from from 963,000 in June 2013). And yet, the figures around productivity show that people’s dissatisfaction is not without cause. Over the two years between 2019 and 2020 and 2020 and 2021, productivity across the NHS decreased by 23%. This extraordinary drop followed 14 years of productivity gains. There are five primary reasons why the service is struggling to cope. …

Harry Maguire rails at ‘soft’ penalties and urges Premier League to lead way | England

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Harry Maguire has expressed despair at the number of “soft” and “ridiculous” penalties being awarded in top-level football and called on the Premier League to lead the way in raising the threshold. The England centre-half was on the right end of a questionable decision on Monday night when he was not penalised for a first-half barge on the North Macedonia forward, Eljif Elmas, inside the area. But England’s relief would turn to anger when the hosts in Skopje were awarded a hugely debatable penalty after Rico Lewis was pulled up for a foul on Bojan Miovski. Lewis, on his senior international debut, won a clearing header but, in the act of doing so, he put his hand in Miovski’s face – which was enough for the VAR to recommend the penalty. The England goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, saved the kick from Enis Bardhi but the North Macedonia captain converted the rebound. The Euro 2024 qualifier finished 1-1. Maguire described the penalty as a “terrible decision” and said that life was becoming close to impossible for defenders. …

Bank of England warns markets are underestimating inflation risks; UK borrowing leaves Hunt room for some tax cuts – business live | Business

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Andrew Bailey: Markets are underestimating risks of persistent inflation Harriett Baldwin MP then challenges the Bank of England about the various recent comments from policymakers. Q: One day, your chief economist [Huw Pill] says market expectations of cuts are not unreasonable, the next day you say it’s too early to talk about rate cuts. Yesterday, you said it was far too early. It’s a runnning commentary for markets. Andrew Bailey tells the Treasury Committee that the market is putting “too much weight” on the current data releases, including the fall in inflation in October. He says the committee is concerned about the potential persistence of inflation, in the remainder of the journey to 2% inflation. I think the market is underestimating that. MPC member Catherine Mann then weighs in, with an apparent rebuke to the fellow committee members (such as Bailey) who wouldn’t vote for a rate rise this month as she did. I think actions speak louder than words, especially when you deal with the markets. That is a key reason why I believe …

North Macedonia v England: Euro 2024 qualifying – live | Euro 2024 qualifying

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Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature 12 min: Grealish goes down for a bit having been charged off the ball by Manev. He’s not happy, but the referee’s not particularly interested in what looked like a garden-variety challenge. 10 min: Alexander-Arnold sits deep in the quarterback style, before flinging a long pass down the inside-right channel, nearly releasing Walker. Not quite. A relatively quiet start to the game, though England have gently assumed a semblance of control. 8 min: Bardhi attempts to release Miovski down the left with a spectacular volleyed pass. Just a bit too much weight on it, and Pickford is able to come to the edge of his box to claim. 6 min: Lewis now doing his defensive duties, ushering Dimoski off the pitch just as it looked like the North Macedonia winger was going to burst clear. A busy and impressive start for the new boy. 4 min: … the ball breaks back to Lewis, who hoicks over the bar spectacularly. What an …