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Edinburgh Reporter
24-07-2025
- Business
- Edinburgh Reporter
24 room HMO in Minto Street granted new licence
A 24-room HMO has been ordered to provision extended kitchen facilities for its homeless tenants in order to get its licence back. The House in Multiple Occupation licence for 2 Minto Street had lapsed, meaning the licence holder had to reapply. The re-application was heard at Monday's meeting of Edinburgh Council's Licensing Sub-Committee. According to council officer Andrew Mitchell, an inspection found that three bedrooms in the properties were found to be below the minimum width allowed by HMO regulations. In addition, officers said there was an underprovision of cooking facilities in the house, with all flats having microwaves and refrigerators while sharing one small kitchen space. The previous licence holder, Shahid Hafeez, said: 'I've had a licence on this particular property since 2003, and through my own stupidity it lapsed for two weeks. 'That's why it's a re-apply, and why it's being taken as a brand new licence. 'The three rooms in question, although they are a lot bigger than standard requirements are, the only reason they are in breach is 10 centimetres. 'The new guidelines state that a room should be 2.2 metres wide. These rooms are 2.11 metres wide, so it's very marginal. They're a lot bigger than the standard guidelines.' He said the rooms were all close to 10 square metres, while the minimum requirement is 6.5 square metres. Councillors also asked why plans submitted appeared to show all three rooms as being wider than 2.2 metres wide. He said that this was due to fixed wardrobes being installed in the rooms, which reduced the remaining width of the rooms below that line. Liberal Democrat councillor Neil Ross asked Mr Hafeez: 'The suggestion of officers of a potential way forward for the kitchen facilities is to use a storeroom in addition to the current catering facilities. 'I wanted to ask you what the store-room is currently used for.' Mr Hafeez replied: 'The storeroom is literally a laundry room, which is just off the main kitchen area. 'We have cutlery and plates, so if we were to use that as extra kitchen space, storage space, microwaves, it could be done. 'That was the question raised to me [by a council employee], albeit we've been running and providing temporary accommodation for all these years and it's never been raised before.' Cllr Ross said that he would like to see the utility space transformed into a kitchen space, and that there were too many people sharing the existing kitchen facility. He cited the high costs of takeaway as a concern for the homeless residents in the building. Liberal Democrat councillor Jack Caldwell asked whether converting the space would impede on the ability for the residents to do their washing. Mr Hafeez said the HMO would still be able to provide washing facilities for tenants, even if the space was converted. He continued that the space was a laundry room, but that washing machines were located in each room. Conservative councillor and convener of the Licensing Sub-Committee Joanna Mowat asked: 'What facilities does everyone have in their room?' Mr Hafeez replied: 'They have washing machines, fridges, microwaves, wardrobes, chest of drawers, inside cabinets, bed, mattress, hanging space, and storage space.' Cllr Mowat said: 'I think I'm probably more relaxed about the size of the rooms than I am about the kitchen facilities. I think more cooking space and worktop needs to be put in.' She then asked the Sub-Committee if it would be comfortable to require that Mr Hafeez add new worktop space, a double sink, an oven and a hob in the utility room, while approving the use of the rooms that did not meet the width standard. Labour councillor Margaret Graham said: 'I'm happy for [those] to be added as a condition, but I'm not happy with the three rooms. 'I will repeat again, [the standard] is there for a reason. People cannot feel the walls are moving into them. 'That's why 2.2 metres was met, that's the minimum standard that should be set. I feel like we have a duty to make sure that there is nobody in the city living in a room that is narrower than that.' The committee approved Cllr Mowat's proposals, while adding a requirement that the changes are enacted within three months. By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter Like this: Like Related
Belfast Telegraph
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Dungannon Swifts ace reveals why club aren't just playing for themselves on their Euro adventure
Andrew Mitchell has said Dungannon Swifts want to do the Irish League proud as they return to the European stage after 18 years. They fly out on Wednesday for their Conference League tie against FC Vaduz in Liechtenstein.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
St Ives rugby facility scheme appoints contractors
A plan to move a rugby union clubhouse and training pitch to allow a development of 120 new homes in St Ives has reached a "key milestone", a council says. Cornwall Council said it has confirmed local contractors Fox Construction and WR Sandow would deliver the first phase of the scheme. It added construction was set to begin towards the end of the summer, with a pitch potentially playable in autumn plans would see the relocation of the current clubhouse to provide a new modern facility, existing training facilities being moved north of their current site to provide a new sports pitch, better access and improved sightlines of the main pitch from the new clubhouse, backers said. 'Feel real' The project has received £2.9m from the government's Town Deal programme and £2m match-funding from Cornwall relocation would free up the land to provide affordable homes and extra care housing, the council said. It added outline planning permission for up to 50 dwellings and up to 70 extra care units had previously been scheme, led by Cornwall Council, has been developed in partnership with St Ives Rugby Club and the Rugby Football Union and it would meet the requirements and standards of Sport Council member Andrew Mitchell said: "I have supported both parts of this scheme, the rugby club development and proposed housing. "It does seem to have taken an age to get to this point, but breaking ground will make it feel real and I wish all involved great success". Ian Sanders from St Ives RFC said: "This development allows us to grow further on the pitch whilst continuing to support the local community off it for another 100 years."We also welcome the opportunity to play our part in assisting with the need for housing in our town."
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Somerset friends to take on international challenge to raise money for charity
Two Somerset friends are set to drive across nine countries in five days to raise money for a charity. Andrew Mitchell, from Minehead, and Sukee Sancee will take part in the Wacky Rally Barmy to Barcelona to raise money for the charity Unique (Rare Chromosome Disorder Support Group), starting in Lille on Thursday, June 26. Sukee is raising money for the charity after their grandson, Sebby, was diagnosed with a rare chromosome disorder. Four-year-old Sebby is pre-verbal, has limited vision, global development delay, small stature, and medical complications. He is also unable to walk. Within five days, the pair will travel between 1,500 and 1,800 miles through nine countries. The pair set out to raise £2,000 with the challenge, and donations are being welcomed at This will include travelling through the Swiss Alps and Monte Carlo, all the way to Barcelona, providing theirs car from the challenge can make the distance. Both Andrew and Sukee will also be taking on the challenge dressed as Laurel and Hardy. This challenge is all in an effort to support Unique, a charity that aims to support those who have little-known chromosome disorders. Sereena Nunn, who is Sukee's daughter and Sebby's mum, said: "Our Sebby is the happiest, most fun-loving, cheeky boy which has given Sukee the determination to support this charity and help support other families that might be new to a rare chromosome disorder or need a diagnosis to help them understand what they or their child is going through."
Telegraph
25-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Britain slashes global vaccine budget, putting millions of women and girls at risk
Britain has slashed its funding for the Gavi global vaccine partnership by 40 per cent in real terms, putting millions of women and girls at risk from cervical cancer and other diseases. The government will now contribute £1.25 billion to Gavi – which facilitates the vaccination of nearly half of the world's children – for the next five years, down from the £1.6 billion pledge given in 2020. It comes as Britain and other western powers have dramatically cut their aid budgets in recent months as they prepare to ramp up spending on defence. Speaking exclusively to The Telegraph, Baroness Chapman, the Minister of International Development said: 'We've had to make some really tough choices. But we've decided as a government that we want to invest in defence, because that's the world we are in. 'When we cut the aid budget, we knew we'd have to cut things that are globally good. Gavi would be something it would be great to put more money into in future and I hope we can, but for today this is a good pledge from the UK,' she said. Britain's funding cut represents a 40 per cent reduction in real terms after accounting for inflation. It will threaten funding for 23 million child vaccinations over the next five years, potentially causing an additional 350,000 deaths, according to estimates by the ONE campaign. Andrew Mitchell, former Conservative International Development Secretary, condemned the government's 'brutal' cut to Gavi, warning it will 'leave Britain less safe and more vulnerable to disease.' In another major blow, the US announced at Gavi's pledge summit in Brussels today that it would cut its support entirely for the organisation. It had given $1.13 billion in the organisation's last funding round. In an inflammatory video message delivered to the summit, US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior accused Gavi of neglecting vaccine safety, and criticised its decision making around Covid-19 immunisation recommendations and the use of the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTPw) vaccine in low-income countries. Global vaccine experts rejected the jibe, saying they had 'full confidence' in the DTPw vaccine. Gavi is relying on raising at least $9 billion to support its work between 2026-2030. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, is a public-private partnership that procures and distributes vaccines at significantly reduced prices to the world's poorest countries. It targets diseases such as HPV, malaria, yellow fever, COVID-19, Ebola, measles, and typhoid. It was founded by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000. It has immunised over a billion children worldwide and is estimated to have saved more than 18 million lives. The UK has historically been the organisation's largest sovereign donor. Baroness Chapman, appointed Minister for International Development earlier this year shortly after the UK government cut its aid budget from 0.5 to 0.3 per cent of gross national income – the lowest level in 25 years – said foreign assistance should not just be about 'doing good' but about helping countries to 'stand on [their] own two feet.' However, experts argue that Gavi is one of the best ways to achieve that goal. The International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFIm), Gavi's innovative funding mechanism which former Chancellor Gordon Brown helped design, is widely regarded as one of the most effective and sustainable aid projects in history. Every dollar invested in Gavi is estimated to generate a $54 return on investment – far outperforming traditional markets like the Dow Jones, which returned $2.26 per dollar over the past decade. Over the past 25 years, 19 countries, including Indonesia and India, have successfully transitioned out of Gavi support and are now donors themselves. The UK government has been a key champion of Gavi's accelerated rollout of the HPV vaccine to adolescent girls in developing countries, aiming to eradicate cervical cancer, which kills around 300,000 women annually. During Gavi's 2026–2030 strategic period, it plans to vaccinate an additional 120 million girls with the HPV vaccine. However, these plans may be scaled back due to the funding shortfall. 'The HPV vaccine is a real game changer in the fight against cervical cancer [...] But again, we have had to make a decision about putting more money into defense. Therefore there's less money to spend on overseas aid,' Baroness Chapman said. The organisation's work does not just benefit its recipients, say experts, but protects all countries from the risk of future pandemics. 'We've learned through Covid that if you have a pandemic, or if you have viruses emerging from other parts of the world, no matter how far away they might be, that none of us are safe, it is a global challenge and Gavi is huge part of that answer,' said Baroness Chapman. Gavi's CEO Sania Nishtar told The Telegraph: 'The UK relationship for GAVI is super important. The UK is where GAVI was born. We've had bipartisan support from both sides of the aisle in the last 25 years. We're very grateful for the pledge at this very difficult moment.'
