Councils will get an extra £1.6billion in funding to help in areas including social care, keeping schools open and bin collections as authorities are hit by revenue losses from parking fees during coronavirus Situation could cause some councils to ‘take extreme cost-cutting and rationing’ Crisis has raised the pressure on services like support for those … Read more
Heavy-handed councils have been slammed for banning all mourners from services. The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) has hit out at local authorities in locations including Belfast, Leeds and Bradford that have stopped bereaved families from attending funerals. Instead several councils are now offering ‘direct cremations’, in which there is no ceremony and mourners … Read more
President Trump ignored advice by the National Security Council back in January to consider shutting down cities and keep Americans home from work, memos reveals. The NSC office responsible for tracking pandemics received intelligence reports in early January predicting the devastation coronavirus could cause to the US once it hit, according to The New York … Read more
Cutting back on mowing roadside grass patches will help wildflowers like oxeye daisies and harebells have ‘their best summer in years’. The UK has more than 310,000 miles of rural road verges which have become a refuge for wildflowers squeezed out of the countryside, says charity Plantlife. The plant conservation group says these flowers often … Read more
Prosecutions for Blue Badge offences rise 18% as it’s revealed that a third of councils in England DON’T punish those who use permits fraudulently Some 2.29 million motorists in England have a Blue Badge – 4% of all drivers Latest figures show there were 1,432 prosecutions for misuse of the permits Massive 99% of these … Read more
Bins were today seen overflowing as councils scaled back collections as up to a third of refuse workers went off sick due to coronavirus. Many local authorities have stopped collecting bins containing food and garden waste, instead telling residents to put everything in black bags. It came as bin men spoke of their fears they … Read more
A council is using drones equipped with loudspeakers to catch people ignoring coronavirus isolation advice. Neath Port Talbot Council has teamed up with South Wales Police to roll out the tactic across the local area. The gadgets are being deployed to tourist hotspots and locations in Wales that are likely to see mass gatherings. But … Read more
Councils are leaving bins to overflow after their services are dramatically cut back services because of staff shortages due to the coronavirus. Several local authorities have told residents that their rubbish cannot be collected as often, with some choosing to stop some recycling collections until May. Pictures revealed waste from communal rubbish bins spilling onto … Read more