Latest news with #DanHarrison
BBC News
25-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform council told to reconsider 'grey areas' in flag policy
Reform has been told to reconsider "grey areas" in a decision to scrap Leicestershire County Council's flag flying party discontinued a previously agreed schedule of flags due to be displayed outside County Hall in Glenfield in its first cabinet meeting on 12 June, which included those to mark LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Windrush Day and matter has now been referred back to the cabinet after the council's scrutiny commission said the council should specify which flags will be flown on the fourth pole in the matter will be discussed again by the council's cabinet within 10 working days. Under the rules previously approved by the cabinet, the Union flag and the county council's own flag would fly permanently on two of the three flagpoles outside County Hall, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said. The St George's flag would fly from the third pole, unless it was replaced with the Lord Lieutenant's flag when they were in the building.A fourth flagpole in County Hall's quadrangle could be used to mark events such as Armed Forces Day, Commonwealth Day and Armistice Day, the LDRS added. Decisions on flying all other flags would be delegated to council chief executive John Sinnott after discussion with council leader Dan Harrison, under the policy. In a meeting on Tuesday, chair of the scrutiny commission, Conservative councillor Deborah Taylor, said the agreed protocol gives "much too grey an area" and should specify which flags will be flown on the fourth pole in the quadrangle."It needs to be really, really clear, so there are no grey areas," Taylor added. Taylor said decisions in relation to requests to fly other flags should only be delegated to the leader and chief executive in "in exceptional circumstances". At the meeting, deputy leader of the Reform group, Joseph Boam, said the Union flag is the "most inclusive flag".Boam added: "We are inclusive, which is why we will fly the Union flag, which represents everyone in this county and country regardless of sexuality, gender or race. I feel it's that simple."The decision has come after 102 social workers at the council signed a letter to the new Reform UK cabinet stating they felt flying community flags was a "vitally-important" symbol from the council that it was "supportive of marginalised groups".The letter continued: "Removing these flags promotes exclusion and marginalisation – it implies people represented by those flags are not told the scrutiny commission he "had not had the chance" to meet with social workers to discuss the flag policy following the added: "I will make the effort to reach out after this."
The Sun
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
My world shattered when ‘kissing virus' left our son quadriplegic – every mum needs to know 4 rules to stop it spreading
YOU wouldn't think twice about kissing your kids, sharing food with them or perhaps putting their dummy in your mouth to clean it. But a mum is urging parents to be aware that this is in fact, NHS advice. Helen Harrison, 40, was excited to have her fourth child and first son, Alfie. But he was born disabled after she unknowingly caught a common virus that harms unborn babies, and yet, most parents or midwives have even heard of it. 7 7 7 Now six years old, severely disabled Alfie has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, limited vision and a learning disability. He cannot walk, stand or feed himself, and is still in nappies. Helen, of Wheathampstead, Hertfordshire, says: 'He can't do anything for himself, and probably never will.' Helen feels she was 'let down' by the NHS, having never been told about cytomegalovirus (CMV) while pregnant, passing it on to Alfie in the womb. Helen, married to Dan, 42, a construction firm boss, tells Sun Health: "I've never walked into a doctor's surgery and seen a poster about CMV saying, don't share your children 's food or cutlery, or kiss them on the mouth. "It's the summer months, you wouldn't hesitate to let your child have a lick of your ice cream. "It makes me really cross that you're not warned about CMV. I just feel a bit let down.' It's thought health chiefs don't want to unnecessarily scare parents about a virus that is so common, so easily spread but for most, has little consequences. "Most babies with congenital CMV do not have any symptoms," the NHS website says. But it adds it can 'sometimes' cause problems - ranging from a rash to seizures and problems with the liver. For some, like Alfie, the impact is life-limiting. Up to 4,000 babies are born with CMV every year, according to Dr Helen Payne, a leading CMV researcher at London 's Imperial College and St Mary's Hospital. Of those, an estimated 800 have long-term consequences, such as deafness or learning disabilities, while 200 suffer as severely as Alfie. The signs of common virus that could be deadly to babies - and how to spot them in your tot Dr Payne says: "It's upsetting that a condition that is so widespread and profoundly affects some infants is barely known by the public, especially when there are actions that can be done to prevent infection." CMV is a common bug that usually has no symptoms, but for some, may cause the sniffles, a rash or temperature. Professor Hermione Lyall, Britain's leading clinical expert in CMV, based at St Mary's Hospital, says: 'Generally speaking, most of us have it as we grow up and grow older, but it never really does us any harm. 'It only really causes a problem if you are a baby in the womb and you haven't yet developed an immune system, or if you're somebody who's immunosuppressed.' The bug can be passed between people in close contact through bodily fluids, including saliva, urine and faeces. It can therefore spread when sharing cutlery, straws or dummies and from mouth-to-mouth contact, such as kissing. Pregnant women who work closely with children or already have a young family are more at risk of getting CMV, the NHS says. Official advice to pregnant women or those around expectant mums is to follow four important rules (scroll down for more information). 1. Wash hands with soap after changing nappies or wiping kids' noses 2. Avoid sharing food & drink with children, including glasses, straws & cutlery 3. Never put children's dummies in your own mouth 4. Kiss your children on the forehead, not the mouth 'Burst into tears' Prof Lyall says midwives don't receive extensive training on CMV. "We got hold of the main textbook for midwives, and there was about six lines on CMV, and it's not really correct or relevant to the modern world at all,' she says. 'Most people know about avoiding cat litter in pregnancy because you don't want to get toxoplasmosis, or about avoiding soft cheese because you don't want to get listeria. 'But the chances of getting either of these infections are absolutely minuscule, less than 20 cases a year, whereas there are up to 4,000 children a year born in the UK with CMV.' A former primary school teacher, Helen had a 'textbook pregnancy' before Alfie came along. 'He was born in my trousers at the front door of the hospital,' Helen recalls. A crash team rushed to the site and noticed Alfie had a pinprick rash all over his body. Worried about the shock of the freezing December weather, they whisked him away to the Special Care Baby Unit. At first, the doctors and nurses didn't seem too concerned. 7 7 But the following morning, when Alfie's father Dan arrived, the couple was ushered into a side room. It's just that total shock. I think I had that naïve belief that it would never happen to me They were told that a brain scan had revealed multiple abnormalities and Alfie's liver and spleen were enlarged. The news was devastating for the young couple. 'We burst into tears,' says Helen, who says they were not treated with compassion. A paediatrician allegedly told Dan: 'You need to sort yourself out and man up. Your wife needs you.' Helen says: 'They started asking lots of questions - what was the pregnancy like? Did I have any food poisoning? 'Did I follow the guidelines of what you should and shouldn't eat? I felt they were blaming me.' With no clear answers, the hospital contacted the specialist infectious diseases team at St Mary's Hospital, London, who recommended Alfie was tested for CMV. His viral load was then discovered to be 'sky high'. He was immediately given medication, which reduced the infection, but could not undo the damage to his brain. Helen says: 'It's just that total shock. I think I had that naïve belief that it would never happen to me.' Dr Payne says that the most dangerous time for a foetus is the first three months of pregnancy. But treating the mum can prevent the virus being transmitted to the baby. 'He laughs, he smiles' She is among experts calling for screening of all pregnant women, as is the case in parts of France, Spain and Greece, as well as in Ontario, Minnesota and New York State. The UK's National Screening Committee has to consider whether a screening programme for any condition is worthwhile - in this case, including whether it will cause alarm to parents. A screening programme for CVM was rejected in 2017 and 2022. The NSC is due to consider testing both mothers and babies for CMV this summer, with an announcement expected in the autumn. Dr Lyall says: 'There's competition from all kinds of things, such as screening for cancer, genetic diseases or metabolic diseases. 'The thing that is very tough for us is the fact that there's an intervention that can prevent the virus from going across and causing damage to a baby, and we're not able to offer that to women because we don't diagnose that the infection is there. "It's only the more severe babies that get picked up, because we're not screening for it, and so it's just not out there that this is something that people need to worry about in pregnancy." The experts are also calling for CMV to be included in the heel prick test given to every newborn baby in the UK at five days, so that those affected can be identified quickly. The charity Action on CMV estimates that the cost of caring for UK children born with the virus is over £750 million every year. That includes direct costs to the NHS and social services, workdays lost by parents plus the expense of therapies and equipment. Helen cares for Alfie full time, but would like to return to work in the special needs sector. I visit the family in their comfortable, detached home, and Alfie seems like a happy little boy. Dressed in a dinosaur T-shirt and leggings, he lies on a play mat surrounded by sensory toys, contentedly gurgling. Though he cannot speak, Helen says he is very communicative. 'He laughs, he smiles,' she says. 'He'll scream and shout if he's not happy. He hasn't got words, but he's definitely got his own voice. "If he's upset, then it takes a while to sort of soothe him. And you wish, God, I just wish he could just tell me what is wrong." Alfie can't eat solid foods, so doctors suggested a feeding peg that would deliver liquid food straight into his stomach via a tube. Helen was against the idea, unless Alfie were to stop thriving. 'We've worked so hard to keep him orally fed,' she says. 'He really enjoys flavoursome foods. Just last night, we were around at my parents' and he was given a spoonful of lemon meringue pie filling, and then he's immediately opening his mouth for the next spoonful. It's just such a joy. 'And it is a social thing as well to eat, so we just don't want him to lose that.' Alfie attends a special needs school where he loves interacting with other children. He is also adored by his older sisters Evie, 12, Millie, 10, and Chloe, eight. "Sometimes Dan and I wonder what Alfie would be like if he hadn't been affected by CMV, would he be running around, terrorizing his sisters?' says Helen. He will always carry the virus, but it is now inactive. In 2019, Helen and Dan did the Tough Mudder 15km obstacle course challenge to raise £5,000 for the charity CMV Action, and since then have raised more. But their main aim is to raise awareness, so that other children and families do not have to face the same heartache. Helen says: "I still do feel quite guilty, because at the end of the day I caught the virus. So what if I hadn't? If I hadn't caught that virus, Alfie would be your average child and wouldn't have to live such a challenging life. 'I don't think that guilt will ever go, I just try and bury it.' 7 7 WHAT MUMS SHOULD BE WARNED ADVICE from the NHS to pregnant women, or those trying for a baby: Wash hands using soap and water, especially after changing nappies or wiping your children's snotty noses. Avoid sharing food, e.g. do not finish your children's food. Do not share cutlery, straws or drinking glasses with your children Never put your children's dummies in your own mouth. Kiss your children on the forehead - avoid kissing them on the mouth Regularly wash toys or other items that may have young children's saliva or pee on them If you are unwell with an unexplained fever or rash during early pregnancy, ask your midwife or doctor for a test for CMV infection
BBC News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Row over Reform council's new 'British values' flag rules
Reform's decision to scrap Leicestershire County Council's flag flying policy has been formally challenged by opposition party approved the move during its first cabinet meeting on 12 June, discontinuing a previously agreed schedule of flags to be displayed outside County Hall in Glenfield, including those to mark LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Windrush Day and Reform council leader Dan Harrison said the changes to the protocol were "to celebrate British values that unite us all".However, opposition leaders have called the decision in for further scrutiny, saying they did not believe it had been "thought through properly". Under the new rules, Harrison said the union jack flag and the county council's own flag would fly permanently on two of the three flagpoles outside County St George's flag would fly from the third pole, he said, unless it was replaced with the Lord Lieutenant's flag when they were in the building.A fourth flagpole in County Hall's quadrangle could be used to mark events such as Armed Forces Day, Commonwealth Day and Armistice on flying all other flags are to be delegated to council chief executive John Sinnott after discussion with Harrison. The decision prompted a joint letter from representatives of LGBTQ+, disabled and BAME staff who said they had not been properly consulted on the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said the decision will be subject to further debate on Tuesday.A call-in announcement, signed by Conservative Deborah Taylor, Liberal Democrat Michael Mullaney, Labour's Jewel Miah and Naomi Bottomley for the Green Party, said the decision was "not clear".According to the LDRS, it states: "It cannot be left to a weekly decision. Neither can the staff be left without any clear direction."This decision was weakened by the current positive position of our approved flag flying policy."Harrison previously told the LDRS that staff were "protected by law" and said they "could always" fly flags at home."I will meet with their groups and assure them that their health, their safety, the [working] environment will be safe," he added."Nobody would ever disrespect anybody because there's a law to protect them, and we as a county council will guide the way to protect these people."
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Reform council brings in 'British values' flag rules in Leicestershire
Leicestershire County Council's new Reform leadership has scrapped the authority's flag flying policy in its first cabinet move, approved at a meeting on Thursday, means a previously agreed schedule of flags to be displayed outside County Hall in Glenfield has been list included flags to mark events celebrating LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Gypsy Roma and Traveller History Month and Windrush Reform council leader Dan Harrison said the changes to flag-flying protocols were "to celebrate British values that unite us all". Some staff groups at the council, where Reform formed a minority administration following May's local elections, raised concerns about the described the eight-minute cabinet meeting, which had only the flag-flying policy on the agenda, as "historic".He said: "People will rightly ask why are we changing this protocol?"It's important to understand the importance of recognition of national identity, our heritage and culture and celebrate British values [which] is what unites us all."This new protocol allows us to do all this." Under new rules, Harrison said the Union flag and the county council's own flag would fly permanently on two of the three flagpoles outside County St George's flag would fly from the third pole, he said, unless it was replaced with the county Lord Lieutenant's flag when they were in the said a fourth flagpole in County Hall's quadrangle could be used to mark events such as Armed Forces Day, Commonwealth Day and Armistice on flying all other flags are be delegated to council chief executive John Sinnott after discussion with the leader. In a joint letter, representatives of LGBTQ+, disabled and BAME staff said they had not been properly consulted on the change."We feel that the lack of time between our understanding of this event, and the meeting taking place, has hampered our ability to communicate and promote the voices of those in our staff networks and beyond," they said they represented more than 400 council staff and asked the administration to consider the impact of changes on employee letter added: "We would recommend the cabinet members reflect on the purpose of flying flags as a local authority. "It is an example of the Public Sector Equality Duty, our legal requirement to foster good relations between people who share protected characteristics and those who don't."Opposition Conservative group leader Deborah Taylor called the meeting "very strange" and said "staffing groups support a number of staff here and should be listened to". She added: "Staff that are committed to the Leicestershire residents and Leicestershire County Council have not had their voice heard and I think that's terrible."Harrison said he would meet staff group representatives to discuss the new protocol.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Leicestershire County Council boss John Sinnott to retire
The chief executive of Leicestershire County Council has said he will retire from the role later this Sinnott has held the top position at the council since 1994 and is believed to be the country's longest-serving local authority chief Sinnott has said he will leave the position at the end of county council said he informed senior politicians of his intention to leave before this month's elections, in which Reform UK became the largest single party at County Hall. A spokesperson for the authority said Mr Sinnott had intended to leave the council at the end of it said he had agreed to stay on in the role for longer, at the request of new council leader Dan Harrison to help the Reform minority administration settle Sinnott's retirement will come ahead of a major shake-up of local government which could see the county council abolished in its current government proposals, a mayor, heading a combined authority, would be elected and given more powers over transport, planning and economic growth county's existing seven district and borough councils could be abolished and replaced with either one or two new authorities.
