Latest news with #BankHolidays
Telegraph
16-07-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
France is getting something right: let's scrap some Bank Holidays
If Rachel Reeves seriously wants to grow the British economy and tackle record levels of public debt, maybe she should be looking across the Channel for ideas. Francois Bayrou, the Prime Minister appointed by President Macron with the unenviable task of sorting out the French fiscal crisis, has proposed cancelling two Bank Holidays, in a bid to improve national productivity. To no-one's surprise, the idea has been met with indignation by both the populist Right and Left-wing opposition parties, who are generally united in their refusal to countenance any dilution of workers' rights or benefits. But surely M Bayrou has a point: are public holidays really necessary, when productivity is persistently low and public debt is at an all-time high? In fact the loss of two national holidays would still leave the French population with nine days of religious or secular commemoration. That would bring them in line with Scotland, which has nine Bank Holidays, one more than in England, which currently has eight. But perhaps it's time for the UK to reconsider all these national holidays. Our debt level is dangerously close to 100 per cent of GDP (in France it's 110 per cent) and we too have a serious productivity problem and every reason to worry about the sustainability of our public finances. Curtailing regular interruptions to the working week could be a useful boost to the economy; in any case, hasn't the original purpose of such holidays long since disappeared? As a Victorian invention, the Bank Holiday dates from an era when the working week included Saturdays and annual paid leave was minimal or non-existent. These mandatory days off have proliferated over the years as governments have courted popularity; when new ones are introduced no one has the courage to suggest an old one might be abolished. The Spring Bank Holiday at the end of May, once known as Whit Monday, was first introduced in the 1870s to mark the day after Pentecost, a key date in the Christian calendar, but has had no religious significance since it became detached from Whitsun in the 1970s. Nowadays it follows hard upon the May Day holiday, which has nothing to do with maypole dancing but was purely an invention of a weak Labour government flaunting its solidarity with the workers in 1978. This in turn is preceded by Easter Monday, so that when Easter falls late there can be three extended weekends in less than two months. Of course in a Christian country Christmas Day should be a day of celebration, and there's a case for Boxing Day and indeed Easter Monday, if only to give the clergy a breather, but it's questionable whether New Year's Day is anything other than an excuse for a hangover or a reason to stop work altogether for ten days starting on Christmas Eve. As for August Bank Holiday: why head for the beach or a local beauty spot when everyone else is doing the same? So Rachel, here's your chance to echo the Prime Minister's entente cordiale and support President Macron's beleaguered government in this bold new initiative by announcing that the UK will in fact be cutting out at least three of our superfluous Bank Holidays next year and thereafter. It will certainly play well with the OBR, and might even impress the bond markets. Why not give it a try?
Glasgow Times
08-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Pizza Hut is giving away free large pizzas on Wednesdays
From today, get a free large pizza every Wednesday when you spend £15 on the Pizza Hut app. Jana Ulaite, Chief Marketing Officer at Pizza Hut UK &I, says: "We're super excited to introduce Hut Wednesdays as the UK's new midweek ritual by giving away free pizza. "We invite you to live it large & bring good times to those midweek blues. Why wait for the weekend when you can live it large every Wednesday instead?' If you want to eat in, or it's not Wednesday, there's always the the Pizza Hut Buffet, which starts from £10.99 for adults and £7.99, running before 3pm during the week. You can also upgrade to the Buffet Bundle, where you'll get Buffet and Salad, plus a bottomless drink and Ice Cream Factory from £15.99 for adults and £9.99 for kids. On Weekends and Bank Holidays, you can grab an Unlimited Buffet from £15.99 for adults and from £7.99 for kids. Weekend Bundles cost £9.99 for kids and £19.99 for grown-ups. How to Claim Your Free Pizza To unlock the free pizza, place an order of £15 or more via the Pizza Hut app. Receive a free large pizza with your order (handcrafted or pan). Recommended reading: The offer is valid for delivery and collection orders placed through the app, but excludes dine-in and aggregator platforms . Pizza Hut operates more than 499 delivery and restaurant Huts in the UK and Northern Ireland. The offer is valid every Wednesday thereafter until 23:59 on 11/12/2025, but can't be used in conjunction with any other offers. Free large pizza excludes the following: Loaded Pizzas, Stuffed Crust Pizzas, Cheesy Bites Pizzas & Big New Yorker Pizzas. Additional charges apply for extra toppings.
South Wales Argus
07-07-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Pizza Hut is giving away free large pizzas on Wednesdays
From today, get a free large pizza every Wednesday when you spend £15 on the Pizza Hut app. Jana Ulaite, Chief Marketing Officer at Pizza Hut UK &I, says: "We're super excited to introduce Hut Wednesdays as the UK's new midweek ritual by giving away free pizza. "We invite you to live it large & bring good times to those midweek blues. Why wait for the weekend when you can live it large every Wednesday instead?' If you want to eat in, or it's not Wednesday, there's always the the Pizza Hut Buffet, which starts from £10.99 for adults and £7.99, running before 3pm during the week. You can also upgrade to the Buffet Bundle, where you'll get Buffet and Salad, plus a bottomless drink and Ice Cream Factory from £15.99 for adults and £9.99 for kids. On Weekends and Bank Holidays, you can grab an Unlimited Buffet from £15.99 for adults and from £7.99 for kids. Weekend Bundles cost £9.99 for kids and £19.99 for grown-ups. How to Claim Your Free Pizza To unlock the free pizza, place an order of £15 or more via the Pizza Hut app. Receive a free large pizza with your order (handcrafted or pan). Recommended reading: The offer is valid for delivery and collection orders placed through the app, but excludes dine-in and aggregator platforms . Pizza Hut operates more than 499 delivery and restaurant Huts in the UK and Northern Ireland. The offer is valid every Wednesday thereafter until 23:59 on 11/12/2025, but can't be used in conjunction with any other offers. Free large pizza excludes the following: Loaded Pizzas, Stuffed Crust Pizzas, Cheesy Bites Pizzas & Big New Yorker Pizzas. Additional charges apply for extra toppings.
North Wales Chronicle
07-07-2025
- Business
- North Wales Chronicle
Pizza Hut is giving away free large pizzas on Wednesdays
From today, get a free large pizza every Wednesday when you spend £15 on the Pizza Hut app. Jana Ulaite, Chief Marketing Officer at Pizza Hut UK &I, says: "We're super excited to introduce Hut Wednesdays as the UK's new midweek ritual by giving away free pizza. "We invite you to live it large & bring good times to those midweek blues. Why wait for the weekend when you can live it large every Wednesday instead?' If you want to eat in, or it's not Wednesday, there's always the the Pizza Hut Buffet, which starts from £10.99 for adults and £7.99, running before 3pm during the week. You can also upgrade to the Buffet Bundle, where you'll get Buffet and Salad, plus a bottomless drink and Ice Cream Factory from £15.99 for adults and £9.99 for kids. On Weekends and Bank Holidays, you can grab an Unlimited Buffet from £15.99 for adults and from £7.99 for kids. Weekend Bundles cost £9.99 for kids and £19.99 for grown-ups. To unlock the free pizza, place an order of £15 or more via the Pizza Hut app. Receive a free large pizza with your order (handcrafted or pan). Recommended reading: The offer is valid for delivery and collection orders placed through the app, but excludes dine-in and aggregator platforms . Pizza Hut operates more than 499 delivery and restaurant Huts in the UK and Northern Ireland. The offer is valid every Wednesday thereafter until 23:59 on 11/12/2025, but can't be used in conjunction with any other offers. Free large pizza excludes the following: Loaded Pizzas, Stuffed Crust Pizzas, Cheesy Bites Pizzas & Big New Yorker Pizzas. Additional charges apply for extra toppings.
South Wales Argus
24-06-2025
- Automotive
- South Wales Argus
Plan to reopen former petrol station in Newport rejected
City planners refused the application for 76 High Cross Road, Rogerstone, over concerns about safety and lack of evidence for demand. The site, inactive for years, was most recently used for car sales and MOT services. The proposal showed that the applicant, intended to revert its use back to a petrol station. The refusal came amid concerns about insufficient information regarding site access, vehicle and pedestrian movement, visibility, parking, servicing arrangements, and traffic generation. This raised highway safety concerns, as per Policy GP4. There was also a lack of evidence showing the proposed retail use would not harm the vitality or viability of nearby retail centres. Moreover, the applicant did not demonstrate a local need for the proposal. Public objections included worries about late or 24-hour opening leading to increased rubbish, and negative impacts on public health and atmosphere. One person, however, supported the idea, noting the benefit of reusing the site for its original purpose. The application sought to operate Monday to Saturday from 6am to 11pm, and on Sundays and Bank Holidays from 10am to 9pm. A highways officer recommended refusing the application due to insufficient detailed information. A landscape architect had no objections, provided a landscaping plan was included. The reuse of the site was seen as supporting urban regeneration goals under Policy SP18. The application was found to have no material impact on biodiversity, the character and appearance of the area, or on protected characteristics under equality law. A Green Infrastructure Statement was submitted, including plans for biodiversity enhancements like wildflower planters and bird and bat boxes, though the location of these was unclear. The proposed change to replace roller doors with glazing was deemed visually acceptable. The application referenced policies from the Newport LDP (2011–2026), Planning Policy Wales (Edition 12), and associated Technical Advice Notes.
