Surrey: Woking's Lightbox gallery receives new government funding
In total, Lightbox will receive £319,000 from the Museums Estate and Development Fund (Mend).Ms Brown said: "We are delighted to be awarded ACE Mend funding, which will allow us to carry out vital work on our landmark building that is approaching 20 years old and is now in need of urgent repair. "This funding is a real investment in the creativity and culture of Woking, enabling us to continue providing an inspiring and welcoming space for our communities and to make a difference to everyone's use and enjoyment of the Lightbox Gallery & Museum into the future. "
Under the new government plans, a new £85m fund will be created to support capital works to arts venues across the UK.Lightbox will benefit from part of the fifth round of Mend funding, worth £25m.In December 2024, Woking Borough Council announced proposals to stop subsidising the Lightbox in a bid to make £150,000 savings.
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Reuters
17 hours ago
- Reuters
Canadian boycott of US spirits hurts broader alcohol sales, trade group says
July 22 (Reuters) - Canadian provinces' boycott of U.S. spirits amid a trade dispute with the United States has caused a sharp drop in sales of American imports, as well as other imported and domestic spirits across the nation, a Canadian liquor trade group said on Tuesday. Sales of U.S. spirits in Canada dropped 66.3% between March 5, when provinces announced they would stop carrying the products in retail stores, and the end of April, according to an analysis by Spirits Canada. The group, which represents Canadian manufacturers and marketers of distilled spirits, said total spirits sales in Canada fell 12.8% during the same period. "The North American spirits sector is highly interconnected, and the immediate and continued removal of all U.S. spirits products from Canadian shelves is deeply problematic for spirits producers on both sides of the border," said Cal Bricker, president and CEO of Spirits Canada. Several Canadian provinces pulled U.S. spirits from liquor stores in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's imposition of a 25% tariff on certain imports. Most recently, Trump's threat to impose a 35% tariff on Canadian goods starting August 1 has raised concerns about an escalating trade war and spurred a "Buy Canadian" movement among consumers and businesses. In early March, Jack Daniel's maker Brown-Forman Corp (BFb.N), opens new tab called the removal of American bourbon and whiskey from Canadian liquor stores worse than Canada's retaliatory tariffs and described it as a disproportionate response to Trump's levies. According to Spirits Canada, sales of U.S. spirits in Ontario, Canada's largest market for spirits, plunged 80% after the products were removed from shelves. Two provinces, Alberta and Saskatchewan, have since resumed selling U.S. spirits, the group said. The decision to pull U.S. spirits has hurt American distillers, as well as Canadian revenues, consumers and hospitality businesses, Spirits Canada added. Currently, U.S. tariffs are suspended on imports from Canada that comply with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Spirits produced in Canada fall under this trade pact.
NBC News
3 days ago
- NBC News
Travelers to the U.S. must pay a new $250 ‘visa integrity fee' — what to know
Visitors to the United States will need to pay a 'visa integrity fee,' according to a provision of the Trump administration's recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act. The fee applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas to enter, and cannot be waived. However travelers may also be able to get the fees reimbursed, according to the provision. Details about the new requirement are scant, which has resulted in 'significant challenges and unanswered questions regarding implementation,' a spokesperson from the U.S. Travel Association told CNBC Travel. However, here is what is known thus far. How much is the fee? The fee will be at least $250 during the U.S. fiscal year 2025, which runs from Oct. 1, 2024, to Sept. 30, 2025. However, the secretary of Homeland Security is free to set the fee higher, according to the provision. Thereafter, the visa integrity fee will be adjusted for inflation. Who must pay the new fee? The 'visa integrity fee' applies to all visitors who need nonimmigrant visas, which includes tourists, business travelers and international students. When is the fee paid? The fee is paid when the visa is issued, according to the provision. Thus, visitors whose visa requests are denied will not be charged. Does the fee replace other visa fees? No, the provision states that the new fee is 'in addition to' other fees, including regular visa fees. 'For example, an H-1B worker already paying a $205 application fee may now expect to pay a total of $455 once this fee is in place,' Steven A. Brown, a partner at the Houston-based immigration law firm Reddy Neumann Brown PC, wrote in a post on his firm's website. Additionally, the fee must be paid on top of a 'Form I-94 fee,' which the One Big Beautiful Bill Act increased from $6 to $24. That fee must be paid by anyone who is required to submit a Form I-94 arrival and departure record, which applies to most travelers. How can travelers get reimbursed? To get their money back, visa holders must comply with the conditions of the visa, which includes 'not accept[ing] unauthorized employment,' and not overstay the visa validity date by more than five days, according to the provision. Reimbursements will be made after the travel visa expires, it says. What isn't known The fee has not yet been implemented, according to Brown. It is not clear when it will begin. 'I believe it would need a regulation, or at least a notice in the Federal Register, regarding implementation on collection,' said Brown. It is also unclear how travelers will pay the fee, the U.S. Travel Association told CNBC. 'The bill directs the DHS Secretary to charge the fee, but DHS does not own the visa application, issuance or renewal process — so where and when would DHS collect the fee?' the spokesperson said. In response to CNBC's enquires, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said: 'The visa integrity fee requires cross-agency coordination before implementation.' More questions surround how and when the reimbursement process kicks in. Since many visas are valid for several years, the U.S. Congressional Budget Office said it expects 'a small number of people would seek reimbursement.' Moreover, 'CBO expects that the Department of State would need several years to implement a process for providing reimbursements. On that basis, CBO estimates that enacting the provision would increase revenues and decrease the deficit by $28.9 billion over the 2025‑2034 period.' Brown said he is advising clients to treat the fee as nonrefundable. 'If you get it back, great. But it is usually difficult to get money back from the government,' he said. 'I would rather them view it as a 'bonus' if they get the refund.' The purpose of the fee 'President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill provides the necessary policies and resources to restore integrity in our nation's immigration system,' a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNBC. Data shows most visa holders comply with their visa terms. For the fiscal years between 2016 and 2022, between 1%-2% of nonimmigrant visitors overstayed their visas in the United States, according to the U.S. Congressional Research Service. However, an estimated 42% of the approximately 11 million unauthorized population living in the United States entered the country legally, but overstayed their period of admission, the data shows. Effect on incoming travelers Brown said the visa integrity fee will likely impact B visa holders — or leisure and business travelers — and international students more than other types of travelers. 'For B visa holders, they may not want to add an additional $250 per person to their trip costs,' he said. The new fee, plus the I-94 fee, come as the United States prepares to host several major events in 2026, including the 'America 250' celebration, in honor of the country's 250th anniversary, and parts of the FIFA World Cup. These hurdles are compounded by problems at Brand USA, the destination marketing organization that promotes inbound travel into the United States, which saw the One Big Beautiful Bill Act slash its funding from $100 million to $20 million. The cuts came after the U.S. Commerce Department fired nearly half of Brand USA's board members in April. In a statement, Fred Dixon, the organization's president and CEO, said it is 'disappointed' with the cuts yet hopeful that the funds will be restored for the fiscal year 2026. 'We remain focused on growing legitimate international inbound travel and the vital boost it provides to the U.S. economy,' he said. Ahead of the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman praised the bill's contributions to U.S. infrastructure, air traffic control and border security.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Schoolchildren call to be taught more financial education
'In three years at secondary school, we've only had one day of financial education,' says 14–year–old Eashan Brown. 'We had one day where we did a bit about budgeting, saving and spending. We were given like a set amount of money that we had to divide between rent and groceries and things like that. 'Apart from that one day, we haven't really had any other formal education about our personal finances.' Eashan is one of a number of children increasingly calling for more financial education in the curriculum. Some 84 per cent of school age children said they want to see financial education included on the Government's new national curriculum, according to research by GoHenry, shared exclusively with This is Money. Financial education became part of the curriculum in 2014, but only local government–maintained schools are legally required to follow this curriculum. Academies, free schools and private schools don't have to do so. The Government is currently reviewing the existing curriculum, with recommendations set to be published later this year. According to Louise Hill, founder of GoHenry, four in five schools don't have to follow the national curriculum. She told This is Money: 'Financial education is not rated or score, and it isn't inspected by Ofsted. 'The result of all of that is that over 60 per cent of kids leave school saying that they don't remember being taught anything about money.' In May, This is Money reported that 74 per cent of young people don't realise that financial education is on the curriculum, based on data from Boon Brokers. 'It was fun,' Eashan said of his school budgeting workshop, ' but it wasn't enough to actually learn.' Eashan, understandably, wants financial education to go further at his school. He added: 'I think it should just cover saving and spending and learning how to budget. I just think of saving and spending is really important for people at our age. 'People get an allowance of like £5 per week from their parents, but then it is instantly spent on sweets or fast food on the high street. 'They don't really understand the importance of saving for something bigger and something more enjoyable, and then they go begging to their parents.' Children at Eashan's school have even lost money trading cryptocurrency, he says. Financial education has its benefits for children in the short term, Eashan says, but also over the rest of their lives. He said: 'If you get to 22 and you're thinking of buying a one bedroom flat or you are going to start renting, that's great, but you're not equipped with the skills to be able to make and save that money, or to be able to budget properly for your essential needs and the things that you don't necessarily have to have.' These skills are essential to adult life, and children are aware of this. GoHenry's data reveals that 84 per cent said financial education is equally or more important than maths, English and science, with 90 per cent aware it will help in later life. Hill said: 'Our kid's–eye view of the national curriculum makes clear that children want to learn more about money in school… It certainly doesn't go into enough detail and, most importantly, it doesn't start early enough. 'Cambridge University did research several years ago that showed financial habits start to be formed from the age of seven. 'So if we're leaving it for secondary school, and some schools are delivering it and some schools aren't, and the provision is patchy, we're really leaving kids behind.' GoHenry is calling for the Government to make financial education compulsory from primary school. Almost a quarter, 22 per cent, of the 2,000 children surveyed said they think financial education should be a standalone subject. Currently, it is taught across subjects, often PSHE and Maths. Hill said: 'We recommend that financial education is inspected and scored by Ofsted and so that it is something that is monitored and the schools understand is important enough that it is being monitored. 'By separating it out from [subjects like] Maths and making it to standalone subject, you can certainly get a lot more hands on, give students a lot more real life examples and relate it directly to real life so that kids learn and engage with it.' In its current state, financial education in schools doesn't seem to be paying off. Some 72 per cent of children said they learned most of their money skills from their parents. Worryingly, 26 per cent said social media was their main source of financial knowledge. Parental support has been key for Eashan when learning about money. He said: 'Since I was really young, mum has involved in me in things like how we pay the mortgage, why we've got a mortgage, and having cars on finance versus buying them outright, or taxes and tax brackets.' Many children don't have this experience, and for many parents it can be difficult to pass this information on if they don't fully have a grasp of it themselves. Hill said: 'If parents can support their kids with learning about money, that's fantastic. When we talk to parents, and we do talk to an awful lot of parents, what comes back again and again is that they don't necessarily all feel confident enough to do that. 'If parents are not confident with money, it's asking a lot for them to be able to unlock that learning for their child. 'If we can get financial education made mandatory on the national curriculum, then we can be sure that an entire generation grows up with those money skills for life and that it can be delivered by people with the expertise to do that.'
