logo
Plymouth City Council to join scheme to improve services

Plymouth City Council to join scheme to improve services

BBC News3 days ago
Plymouth City Council has been selected by the government to pilot a new scheme aimed at improving public services.The Test, Learn, Grow initiative aims to make services more responsive and resilient by "trying new ideas and learning quickly", the government said.Part of the pilot includes electing "learning stewards" who will listen to feedback, share stories and adapt strategies.Councillor Mary Aspinall said the initiative was about "putting people first and moving away from tick box targets and towards listening, learning, and adapting".
The council said it viewed the scheme as a chance to "rethink how we support residents facing complex challenges and inequalities".Aspinall said: "We want to build services that work for the real world - messy, complicated, and full of human stories."This is about building trust, empowering communities, and making sure our services reflect the lives of the people who use them."
The council said Wellbeing and Family Hubs, charities and community groups would play a key role."The goal is to build a system that's more responsive, more resilient, and more rooted in the communities it serves," it said. "It's a shift from top-down decision-making to something more collaborative and human."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wetherspoons boss gives pub pricing update and slams ‘no-sense' tax pressures on boozers
Wetherspoons boss gives pub pricing update and slams ‘no-sense' tax pressures on boozers

The Sun

time7 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Wetherspoons boss gives pub pricing update and slams ‘no-sense' tax pressures on boozers

SIR Tim Martin will not increase Wetherspoons' food and drink prices in the coming months, The Sun can reveal. The Spoons boss said he would be able to make the pledge after revealing sales are now higher than before the pandemic, despite slamming the government's "no-sense" tax policies. 1 Wetherspoon increased prices on some drinks and meal deals by up to 30p back in January. However, Sir Tim told The Sun: "We intent to hold prices at least for the summer and autumn." The price promise came as Wetherspoons reported a 5.1% sales boost in 12 weeks to July 20, driven by strong demand for draught beers like Guinness. The chain's shares jumped 3.6% as it announced sales volumes have now exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Demand for New Zealand vino and Italian prosecco has also helped drive its recovery. However, Sir Tim continues to slam the Labour government's unfair tax rules, saying they favour supermarkets and called for equal VAT and business rates for pubs. He said: "The pandemic obviously had a big effect on the hospitality industry and it's taken some to recover. "But we're affected by a difficult regulatory and taxation regions." Sir Tim said that two major taxes need to be adjusted to help keep hospitalty "competitive and attractive for foreign capital". He said: "Pubs must have tax equality with supermarkets. "It makes no sense to give supermarkets favourable tax treatment - pubs pay 20% VAT on food sales and supermarkets pay nothing. "Plus, we're forced to pay 28p of business rates per print versus 2p for supermarkets selling the same product." Despite these hurdles, Wetherspoon is "pushing ahead and investing in the future," with plans to open 30 new pubs next year and invest in gardens and staff spaces as the chain continues to thrive. While the exact locations haven't been revealed yet, these new sites add to several openings announced earlier this year, including one on the former grounds of The London Dungeon. The Sun Wharf on Tooley Street, London Bridge is due to open on September 2. The posh London neighbourhood of Fulham has also welcomed a new Spoons located in the old West London tube station. Fans will be treated to three more openings this year, including a branch in Warwickshire which will open on July 29. Two more sites are also due to open in Paddington and Beaconsfield. Alongside expanding its estate, the chain has also been selling some of its smaller, older pubs. The chain runs 794 pubs in the UK and Ireland. The Wetherspoon boss confirmed he remains "very keen" on the idea of opening pubs overseas through the company's rapidly growing franchise business. The pub giant already operates a few franchised pubs on university campuses and seven pubs within Haven Holiday parks. Sir Tim added that he is "open to anything," including launching pubs in airports and campsites. How can I save money at Wetherspoons? FREE refills - Buy a £1.50 tea, coffee or hot chocolate and you can get free refills. The deal is available all day, every day. Check a map - Prices can vary from one location the next, even those close to each other. So if you're planning a pint at a Spoons, it's worth popping in nearby pubs to see if you're settling in at the cheapest. Choose your day - Each night the pub chain runs certain food theme nights. For instance, every Thursday night is curry club, where diners can get a main meal and a drink for a set price cheaper than usual. Pick-up vouchers - Students can often pick up voucher books in their local near universities, which offer discounts on food and drink, so keep your eyes peeled. Get appy - The Wetherspoons app allows you to order and pay for your drink and food from your table - but you don't need to be in the pub to use it. Taking full advantage of this, cheeky customers have used social media to ask their friends and family to order them drinks. The app is free to download on the App Store or Google Play. Check the date - Every year, Spoons holds its Tax Equality Day to highlight the benefits of a permanently reduced tax bill for the pub industry. It usually takes place in September, and last year it fell on Thursday, September 14. As well as its 12-day Real Ale Festival every Autumn, Wetherspoons also holds a Spring Festival.

Plan for 235 homes on edge of Henfield village gets green light
Plan for 235 homes on edge of Henfield village gets green light

BBC News

time7 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Plan for 235 homes on edge of Henfield village gets green light

Plans to build up to 235 homes in a West Sussex village have been approved. But there is a chance the decision could be overturned, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS). The application by Welbeck Strategic Land to develop 31.5 hectares of land in Henfield was given the green light by Horsham District Council on 22 July. However, concerns about a high-pressure gas pipeline near part of the development on London Road led the Health & Safety Executive to advise against approval. The council now has to wait for 21 days to see if its decision will be referred to the government to decide. The site was initially allocated for 205 homes, though this was later upped. Potential issues have been raised about the proposed access to the planning committee also voted to remove the building heights from the outline application, which will be discussed in future applications should everything go as planned. The application was approved by 13 votes to one.

Busy UK airport opens new £60million hub marking start of mega makeover – including bigger terminal & more restaurants
Busy UK airport opens new £60million hub marking start of mega makeover – including bigger terminal & more restaurants

The Sun

time7 minutes ago

  • The Sun

Busy UK airport opens new £60million hub marking start of mega makeover – including bigger terminal & more restaurants

BRISTOL Airport has just unveiled a shiny new £60million transport hub bursting with new restaurants and a bigger terminal. The swanky new facility marks the first phase of the airport's huge redevelopment project, aimed at boosting capacity from 10 million to 12 million travellers a year. 2 The brand-new transport interchange sits on top of a modern multi-storey car park and includes 16 bus and coach bays, up from just six before. That means more buses, smoother transfers and quicker journeys to and from the terminal. Inside, passengers can now make use of waiting lounges, toilets and rest zones, with the whole setup designed to make travelling through the airport a lot less stressful. Drivers can now park in one of over 2,000 new spaces and stroll straight to the terminal via a covered footbridge – perfect for avoiding the classic British weather and stressful suitcase dashes. The car park and interchange are part of what Bristol Airport calls a 'one-stop shop' for public transport, all rolled out to improve the experience for millions of passengers. Airport bosses say this is just phase one of a massive plan to transform Bristol into a more modern, efficient travel hub. Over the next 18 months, they'll be tackling road layouts, terminal space, and food and drink options – all while keeping the airport running. And yes, more restaurants, bigger lounges, and improved drop-off areas are all in the pipeline. There will be a new "drop and go" zone and there will also be better pedestrian links to the terminal. Dave Lees, chief executive of the Airport, said the new development was "really important as it represents a milestone in terms of improving the facilities for our customers". "Gone are the days of passengers having to walk up slopes here," he added, explaining that the number of bays for coaches and buses had been doubled, as well as the addition of new covered access routes, covered seating and toilet facilities. This signifies the airport's "level of ambition" as it "looks to the future", he added. The project has taken over two years to complete and is part of a wider £400million airport transformation project, which aims to improve transport links. North Somerset Council leader Mile Bell called the new development a "fantastic piece of infrastructure", but added that more needed to be done to improve access routes. "I think we all recognise that we've still got more to do to make the access routes easier and introduce mass transit, particularly from Bristol city centre so people can get here easier, faster and cheaper using public transport," he said. He also urged passengers to "give public transport a try" to ease the strain on illegal and thoughtless parking in the areas around the airport. Not everyone was thrilled by the expansion plans and they sparked strong opposition from environmental campaigners, who argued against more flights during a climate crisis. The Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN) worked with Extinction Rebellion and other concerned residents to protest the airport growth. They claimed that the increase in passengers every year would significantly increase carbon emissions. In 2020, North Somerset Council rejected the expansion plans after also expressing concerns about carbon emissions. Those against were also worried about the pressure the additional traffic would put on the local infrastructure and greenbelt intrusion. The rejection was overturned in 2022 but officials stressed that the expansion complied with national planning policy and deemed the climate impact acceptable. This comes after an unlikely football hero was spotted working at the airport in June this year. After Swansea boss Luke Williams was sacked in February 2025 he was placed on gardening leave. The ex-Swindon and Notts County chief decided to do something with his time and joined the team at Bristol Airport. Wearing a high-vis, the gig is helping disabled and limited-mobility passengers get around the terminals. Fans flocked to praise the footie star after a photo of him at the airport did the rounds. One wrote: "Cardiff City fan here with nothing but respect for this. Call me woke if you want. (*best believe I'll turn up in full bluebirds kit when I fly out next week)" Another wrote: "Clearly has a massive work ethic. Good luck to him!" 2

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store