Post Office could hand ownership to employees amid review into its future
This includes the Post Office's ownership model, as the Government considers mutualisation, which could mean handing ownership of the company to thousands of its subpostmasters.
Furthermore, ministers announced plans to award a new subsidy package worth £118 million to fund a transformation plan and further investment that could improve its services.
Post Office minister Gareth Thomas said: 'Post Offices continue to be a central part of our high streets and communities across the country.
'However, after 15 years without a proper review, and in the aftermath of the Horizon scandal, it's clear we need a fresh vision for its future.
'This Green Paper marks the start of an honest conversation about what people want and need from their Post Office in the years ahead.'
Neil Brocklehurst, Post Office's chief executive, said: 'We now have a once-in-a-decade opportunity to have a national conversation about the future of our post offices and their role in supporting communities across the UK.
'This Government consultation is a vital part of shaping what the future of Post Office could, and should, look like.'
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Western Telegraph
20 minutes ago
- Western Telegraph
Veterans protest against possible repeal of Legacy Act
MPs including Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Mark Francois and Stuart Anderson joined former soldiers as the Act was debated inside the House of Commons on Monday. They marched to Parliament Square in Westminster, brandishing regiment flags and Union flags, and were flanked by a motorbike procession. The debate comes after more than 165,000 people signed a petition calling for the Government to keep the Legacy Act, which was put in place in 2023 by the former Conservative government to halt all but the most serious allegations involving Troubles-related cases from being investigated any further. The Labour Government announced it would repeal and replace the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 following criticism over immunity for soldiers by human rights groups. Veterans and MPs alike said they feared this would open up soldiers to being prosecuted for acts and create a 'two-tier' justice system, in which IRA soldiers are given immunity but British troops are open to prosecution. James Cartlidge, the shadow defence secretary, said he feared it would dissuade people from joining the Armed Forces because they could be 'persecuted' further down the line. He said: 'We all know we need more people in our Army, our Navy, our Air Force. 'Fundamentally, this is about us as a country, recognising that we live in a time of heightened threat…When that is happening, we will be strengthening our Armed Forces. The last thing we want to do is be going after them again for what they did decades ago. What message is that going to send to all the young people whom we want to join the Army in future?' Detail from the 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment cap badge (Niall Carson/PA) Sir Iain, the former leader of the Conservative Party who served in Northern Ireland, told the PA news agency that veterans were angry about the potential changes to the legislation. He said: 'They feel they served their country. They did what they could do. They did their best. It was difficult, I can promise you now, I patrolled the streets. 'We see the pursuit of Northern Ireland veterans whose cases were heard previously and settled. 'They are the ones being pursued yet again in the courts under the arrangements and this is wrong. 'You don't see any of the IRA being pursued. 'Right now this is a very one-sided arrangement with the British soldiers who didn't ask to go there.' Mr Francois, a shadow junior defence minister who backed the petition, added: 'What the Government is doing is wrong. 'They're not treating veterans who were there to uphold the law in Northern Ireland the same as they are treating alleged terrorists. 'There should be no moral equivalence between the veterans and the terrorists.' Aldwin Wight, 72, a former special forces commanding officer who lives in Cornwall, said: 'These are people we've served with. 'They're very close to us, and seeing them caught up in this sort of endless doom loop of legislation is not good. 'We're in a fairly dark situation at the moment in security terms and therefore there are going to be incidents and you've got to have people who are willing to step forward and take on the hard tasks. 'And you don't want to do that as it were, with your solicitor in your pocket. 'You want to do it with a clear operational view of what you're doing.' Denise Walker, 58, a veteran in the catering corps, came down from Glasgow to protest. She said: 'This has led to our servicemen fearing that we're going to be up for prosecution again. 'At the end of the day, this Government sent us over there to do a job on their behalf. 'We followed their orders to the letter.' David Holmes, a 64-year old veteran who runs the Rolling Thunder veteran motorbike group which protested, said: 'I spent years campaigning with this. 'We worked with the previous government. We found a good solution. 'People want closure, but actually to put 70 and 80-year-old soldiers in the dock for doing their job they were asked to do by the government on what is basically trumped up charges (is wrong). 'The only evidence is they were there at the time.' Northern Ireland Secretary, Hilary Benn, said: 'The Legacy Act has been rejected in Northern Ireland and found by our domestic courts to be unlawful, not least because it would have offered immunity to terrorists. Any incoming government would have had to repeal unlawful legislation and it is simply wrong for anyone to suggest otherwise. 'This Government's commitment to our Operation Banner veterans is unshakeable. Their professionalism and sacrifice saved countless lives in Northern Ireland and across the United Kingdom, and ultimately helped bring about peace. The Legacy Act did nothing to help our veterans – it offered only false and undeliverable promises. 'I and the Defence Secretary are engaging with our veterans community and with all interested parties over future legislation, and we will ensure that there are far better protections in place.'
Times
39 minutes ago
- Times
In tough times, it's more important than ever to get behind sport
Don't forget the trapeze artists, strongmen and clowns! Bread and circuses? In these straitened economic times, there is little focus on the provision of societal distractions from a government struggling to agree just who in the population should be eligible for state support. Sport, the modern circus, must be on its game or risk a lengthy hiatus in the hosting of its mega-events on British soil. The chancellor's recent spending review contained a real-terms cut in funding for culture, media and sport — hardly a surprise, given the enormous pressures bearing down on the public purse. Organisations across these sectors have seen inflation eat away relentlessly at the value of their state funding in recent years. The economies they have had to make are less newsworthy than the effect of inflation on essential services but no less painful. It is hard to make an argument that sport and the arts should be a high priority when money is tight. But having led various organisations in the sporting sphere, I can attest that without public support most would struggle and many fold, leaving holes in the patchwork quilt of culture that is emblematic of the variety and richness of life in Britain. It is easy to argue that leisure pursuits should be self-sustaining, that they deserve to fail if their beneficiaries can't find the resources to ensure they break even. This, though, is the path to elitism, and with it a narrow range of available choices for spectators and participants alike. If you doubt the pressure, reflect on the might of the Premier League. Its dominance of sport's commercial landscape hurts not only football at lower levels but, less noticed though perhaps more significantly, other sporting pursuits and enterprises. Whatever your view of the need for the independent football regulator (I happen not to be in favour), that MPs should feel the need for its creation is a striking indication of the stress felt across football, and by extension sport more widely. The British public proves the breadth of its sporting tastes whenever big events roll around in the calendar, especially when on its own doorstep. UK Sport has done sterling work with sports governing bodies in persuading successive governments of the social and economic merits of backing bids to host such competitions. In the next year or so, Britain will welcome the Women's Rugby World Cup, Commonwealth Games, European Athletics Championships and a string of other international events from boxing to table tennis, parafencing to figure skating. Many of these are projects that have been years in the making — the scramble to arrange next year's Commonwealth Games being an exception. The Labour government signed off backing for Glasgow 2026 within its first few weeks in office. This, though, was still a honeymoon period for the new administration, a time in which its leaders might have been thinking fondly of their future places on finish lines in VIP stands rather than the cost of the circus. Now, governing bodies and cities are looking ahead to hosting opportunities that will require government commitment, albeit for spending in future fiscal years. Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, and a consortium of UK Athletics, London Marathon and Great Run have their eyes on the 2029 World Athletics Championships and are lobbying for a £45 million Treasury contribution. Khan has also declared the capital's ambition to stage another Olympics and Paralympics. Blink or stall and the UK will miss opportunities such as these. Bid timetables are set and aspirant nations are circling, eager to burnish their image on the global stage. Although it may jar to think of floodlights and footlights right now, committing to the nation's culture would represent a vital investment in our collective wellbeing. Ed Warner sits on a number of boards and is the author of Sport Inc. He is writing in a personal capacity
Daily Mail
44 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Signs for EV chargers to be fitted on major UK roads
Motorists have been told to expect new signs popping up at the side of roads in the not-too-distant future. The Department for Transport has confirmed the signage will shortly begin to appear on A-roads in England to support drivers of one particular type of vehicle. Unique EV charging signage has been confirmed by the Transport Secretary to point owners of battery cars to the nearest public charging hubs dotted across the nation's major road network. There are more than 300 of these charging hubs in England, each with six or more 'rapid' 50kW-plus charging device, many of which also have 'ultra-rapid' chargers that can bolster a compatible EV's battery from 10 to 80 per cent in around half an hour. They are typically located on or near motorways or major roads where short charging times are at a premium and typically have at least a coffee shop attached. Funding for signage is part of an increase in Government spending announced by ministers over the weekend, which will see £63million rolled out to bolster EV charging, including a £25million scheme for local authorities to install cables that run beneath pavements to allow drivers living in flats and terraced houses to charge at home safely. Tomorrow, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander is expected to reveal the reintroduction of an EV purchase grant in an effort to accelerate waning demand. Officials hope the introduction of EV charging road signs along with the range of other measures will encourage more drivers to switch to electric motoring. Concerns over the ability to recharge EVs on long journeys have been blamed for some motorists being reluctant to move on from petrol or diesel cars. The DfT has yet to confirm what the new roadside furniture directing people to EV charging hubs will look like. Currently, there's little signage to show EV owners where hubs are located - or how much they'll be paying to charge at motorway service stations. In 2021, EG Group became the first chargepoint operator to introduce forecourt poles with per unit charging prices at its ultra-rapid chargers. By last year, 50 of its sites had pricing information displayed on filling station-style totem poles. Alexander said the Government's new measures will make it 'easier and cheaper' to own an EV. The £25million residential street charging scheme is a major factor in this, as the ability to safely run EV charging cables under the footpath - preventing a trip hazard for pedestrians - should attract more people to EV ownership because they will be able to access cheaper household electricity rates for recharging, rather than using more expensive public chargers. The latest AA Recharge Report for May shows that the typical EV owner who can charge at home using a domestic energy tariff pays just 6.1p per mile. In contrast, those forced to use even the slowest public devices are paying nearly double that (11.3p) while those using rapid devices can be paying as much as 19.6p per mile. The AA said that - based on average unleaded prices in May - a petrol car owner is forking out only 11.6 a mile. Based on the savings estimated by the DfT, drivers can save up to £1,500 annually by charging an EV at home, compared with running a petrol or diesel car. The Transport Secretary added: 'We know access to charging is a barrier for people thinking of making the switch, and we are tackling that head-on so that everyone – whether or not they have a driveway – can access the benefits of going electric.' AA president Edmund King welcomed the introduction of dedicated public EV charging signage, saying there are more chargers available than people realise but they are 'often hidden in plain sight'. He added: 'Increasing signs for the public network is vital to help the EV transition as it will create confidence for drivers both now and in the future.' Delvin Lane, chief executive of charging company InstaVolt, said the introduction of charging signage on major roads is a 'crucial step'. He added: 'For years, we have emphasised that the UK's public EV infrastructure, so critical to mass adoption, is already largely in place, and now this signage will finally showcase it to drivers in a visible, accessible way.' Tom Middleditch, head of electric mobility at Europcar Mobility Group UK, said that it's own research in 2024 found that 89 percent of EV drivers and 73 per cent of non-EV drivers wanted to see the roll out of EV charging signage on A roads and motorways. 'The DfT's announcement will help address the fact that more often than not the infrastructure is available – it's just that motorists don't see the signs for it,' he said. New EV grant on its way? A new EV grant - thought to be worth around £640million - could mean money off the price of some fully electric cars. It would see the return of purchase subsidies for the first time since 2022, when the former government prematurely terminated the Plug-in Car Grant - which had been available to EV buyers since 2011. Appearing on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg show, Heidi Alexander said: 'We know the high upfront purchase cost of EVs is something people are wary about. 'We've got to be honest and say there are a lot of people out there who think that EVs are just for the very wealthiest.
