Day: November 23, 2017

    Jeremy Corbyn has lambasted the budget, saying it completely fails to deal with a national crisis of stagnation and falling wages, and telling Philip Hammond it epitomised the woes of a government no longer fit for office. In a 25-minute response to the budget the Labour leader largely avoided direct comment on the chancellor’s announcement and instead focused on wider themes about the effects of austerity on public services, and people’s struggles with flat wages and benefit cuts. The test of a budget is how it affects the reality of people’s lives all around this country, Corbyn began. And I believe as the days go ahead, and this budget unravels, the reality will be a lot of people will be no better off. And the misery that many are in will be continuing. With pay lower ...

    Scores of people have been rescued from flooding as heavy rain caused widespread disruption across north west England and North Wales, with large parts of Scotland also braced for snow. More than 70 people were evacuated from their flood-hit homes in north Lancashire early on Thursday. Lancashire Constabulary said emergency services, the Environment Agency and Lancaster City Council had received more than 500 flood-related calls and attended more than 100 incidents. People were urged not to call emergency services unless there was a threat to life as crews continued to respond to a backlog of incidents. The Met Office said around 1.7in (4.3cm) of rain had fallen in 24 hours in parts of Lancashire, while further north in Cumbria around half a month's rain, 3.5in (8.9cm), wa...

More than 60 visitors and employers attended the Somali Taskforce jobs and training fair hosted by the council's Somali Taskforce and WorkPath, the council's partnership employment programme. Mayor Biggs set up and commissioned the Somali Taskforce last year, to investigate the challenges facing Somali residents in Tower Hamlets. The taskforce found that residents of Somali origin are more likely to suffer from economic inequality due to factors such as language barriers. Recommendations, by the taskforce include creating new employment opportunities, an internship scheme and improved targeted provision for English for Speakers of other Languages (ESOL). The training and employment fair on November 13 was a major step towards improving the life experience of Somali residents in the borough...

A consultation on where in Tower Hamlets on-street charging points for electric vehicles should be installed has launched today (Monday). This forms part of the council's climate change and clean air strategy. The decision to install more electric charging points was approved by the council's cabinet in September.With increasing demand for electric vehicle charging, the extra charging points will help to deliver the council priority of encouraging people to use cleaner vehicles. It will also help to reduce emissions from road traffic and help deliver the Mayor of London's target for a zero emission transport network by 2050. While private cars make up the majority of electric vehicles in the borough the council also wants to prepare for 1 January 2018 when new Transport for London regulati...