
New BANES bin times 'could cost businesses thousands'
Charlie Dalton-Ball of family-run jewellers S. P. Green & Co in Bath, had warned the committee: "On paper this might seem achievable, but in reality it is entirely unworkable. "Our business is staffed from 10:00 BST until 17:30 BST which means there is now no legal window for us to place out our waste while the business is staffed."He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he believed the decision was "undemocratic".
At a council meeting on 29 July, which was the first time the decision had been discussed in front of a scrutiny panel, Midsomer Norton North, Independent councillor Shaun Hughes said: "This, I don't feel, has had the right level of scrutiny."Mr Elliott said he had only been responsible for the portfolio covering this area of council policy since May."I am very happy to commit to you, as the portfolio holder now, that I will attempt to bring things to scrutiny if they look like scrutiny is required or will be helpful," he added.
In light of a "small response" to a previous consultation, Mr Elliot decided the change would instead be brought in as a pilot and run for 12 months. But Midsomer Norton North, Independent councillor Shaun Hughes said the council would "do a better job" through scrutiny of mitigating and problems before moving to a pilot.
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The way to get experience is by doing things for free,' she says. 'I don't even bother with entry-level jobs. I apply for internships, grad schemes – things which are really aimed at my level. 'If you do even get a rejection, that's nice.' Sofia says that she's been offered a volunteer role at a local radio station. The catch? She'd have to pay £10 a month to the station to do it. Last September, more than a year into her search, she applied for Jobseekers' Allowance. She says: 'I had the Jobseekers' Allowance, which is only for six months, and it didn't help me get a job.' The benefit pays as much as £72.90 a week for those aged up to 24, and up to £92.05 for those over 25. Those out of work, or on less than 16 hours a week, are eligible as long as they have paid Class 1 National Insurance in the past two to three years – and it can be claimed alongside Universal Credit. How much a claimant gets is dependent on their circumstances. In the meantime, Sofia has been tutoring for an hour a week online and working in retail to try to make ends meet. She is considering going back to university for a master's degree to help her get more experience. 'I was lucky enough that my parents were very much like, 'You go after what you want.' They could see I was putting in all this effort, using all of the resources that I have,' she says. 'You really just have to have the odds in your favour. No matter how special you think you are, it's not going to affect anything.' Nicholas Stephenson, a recent graduate and researcher at think tank Onward, says: 'This is increasingly a problem affecting graduates – regardless of university, degree or classification. 'I know Biomedicine, Physics, and PPE graduates from Russell group universities who are still searching for a job a year after graduation and can't even secure anything part-time, leaving them with no choice but to go on to Universal Credit.' Stephenson adds that where there are surpluses of young people, retailers and fast food outlets are inundated with job applications. He says: 'A single opening for a sales assistant my friend applied for received over 500 applications and held a group interview with nearly 50 candidates. 'It's so bad that even charities are ghosting people trying to gain some experience through volunteering.' 'I'm not desperate enough' Some have decided not to take benefits and to instead rely on their family, or whatever income they can scrounge together. Another 23-year-old graduate based in Hampshire, who did not want to be named, said: 'I haven't taken Jobseekers' Allowance, because I've had freelance work to tide me over. The way that my life is set up, I don't feel like I am someone who should be taking Jobseekers' Allowance at the same time, because I don't think I'm desperate enough.' Emily, another graduate avoiding claiming benefits, graduated from the University of Glasgow last year. 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