Latest news with #DanThomas
BBC News
a day ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Conservative leader disappointed in bypass pause
A decision to suspend work on a planned bypass has been met with disappointment by those who wanted to see it North West Relief Road was proposed by Shropshire Council's previous Conservative administration, but the authority is now run by the Liberal Democrats who believe the £215m scheme is unaffordable and want to scrap Thomas, the leader of the seven Conservative councillors to survive the elections in May, said it would have been a "vital infrastructure project".He said the Lib Dems should "go back to the government with the business case" for the road was crucial to tackling congestion in Shrewsbury and surrounding villages. Thomas described the project as a "once in a lifetime improvement to Shropshire". On Thursday, the council took the decision to pause work, so talks could take place with the government about scrapping the Kidd, leader of the authority, said the scheme was "simply unaffordable", and she also wanted to secure guarantees the council would not have to return the £39m from the government that has already been said his party had been confident in getting the funding needed because a "real business case" had been also said the Tories' dramatic defeat had not been because the relief road was unpopular."It wasn't just a referendum on the North West Relief Road," Thomas added. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
2 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Devon County Council to trial changes to filling in potholes
A council has agreed to trial changes to the way it fixes potholes in parts of County Council backed proposals to trial areas where all potholes would be filled, rather than just dealing with safety defects, as part of an approved £83m road maintenance Thomas, the county council's cabinet member for highways, said the state of the roads was not what the council wanted but it was unable to tackle all the issues as it was "grossly under resourced by central government".A Department for Transport spokesperson said: "We are determined to end the pothole plague, which is why Devon County Council is receiving over £83m this year to fix its roads." It said: "This is just the start - the government will also be investing a further £24bn to upgrade motorways and local roads across the country, delivering lasting infrastructure Britain can rely on."Thomas said the state of the roads was not being tackled as "quickly as we would like"."We have a repair backlog of around £390m, and to keep us in a steady state it costs around £102m a year," he said. The county council said exact details were still to be agreed but a pilot "repair blitz" would be used to establish budget implications of changing maintenance agreed to examine the costs of accelerating the remarking of white lines across the said about £56m of this year's highway maintenance capital budget would be invested in road maintenance and surface treatments, and the rest would be allocated to bridges and structures, streetlighting, traffic signals, public rights of way and other highways assets.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Julia Morris opens up about the breakdown of her 16-year marriage to Dan Thomas - four years after their split: 'You can't play the blame game'
Julia Morris has opened up about her split from ex-husband Dan Thomas, four years after they separated in 2021. The I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here host, 57, was married to the British comedian, 44, for 16 years, with the pair sharing daughters Ruby, 18, and Sophie, 16. Now, the TV personality says she is the 'happiest' she has ever been following her 'self-reflective' journey post-split, reported TV Week on Monday. 'I'm definitely the happiest I've ever been, but I didn't know I'd feel like that when I stepped into this journey four years ago,' she told the publication. 'I have an incredibly private life. I don't share my children online and we generally keep to ourselves. But, in terms of myself, I am honest.' From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. She added of the split: 'You have to sit in it; there's no fast track. You can't play the blame game. You have to be a little self-reflective and make personal changes.' In July last year, Julia hinted on The Kyle & Jackie O Shot her split from Dan was acrimonious, but refused to go into anymore detail about the divorce. 'Oh look there's always more to the story [behind the split],' she told hosts Kyle Sandilands and Jackie 'O' Henderson at the time. 'It's not like people just go, "You know what guys, lets just break up." 'I don't want to disrespect him [Dan] and his life and mostly I don't want to disrespect my children by really opening up Pandora's box.' She then addressed what she meant by Pandora's box - a term usually used to describe something which brings about 'misfortune'. '[I've had ] 75 years in [show] business,' she joked, adding: 'And anyone you bag you get bagged by the universe somewhere else.' Kyle then pressed Julia about the details behind the break-up. 'I know you joke and carry on but I feel there's bitterness there,' the KIIS FM radio star said. But Julia would not be drawn out and dismissed Kyle's question. 'It was three years ago,' she said. 'Quite fresh,' Kyle responded, before Julia retorted: 'No I don't think it's fresh at all.' It comes after Julia shocked fans in May 2022 by announcing her divorce, following their split in 2021. She later confirmed the couple were heading towards a split for some time. 'I'm famous for saying I feel like every year we're going to break up,' she told The Australian Women's Weekly in July 2023. 'But it definitely gets to that same point, which is that we are just not necessarily growing in the same direction.' She explained how she began to see her husband as a 'pest' as their relationship became more fractured. While Julia described her marriage breakdown as 'super sad', she was determined to set an example for their daughters to not settle for an unhappy relationship. 'I think that's where patience starts to wear down to, "I'm not living like this. How is this an example for my girls that this is an okay life to lead? No thanks,"' she said. Julia married British comedian Dan on New Year's Eve in 2005.
BBC News
17-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Listed bridge in Exeter reopens after 5 months' work
A 19th Century bridge in Exeter has reopened following major County Council (DCC) said the Grade II listed Iron Bridge had undergone work to prevent water damage to its had taken place since January to remove the old road surface and relay a waterproof layer, improve drainage, upgrade signs and lighting and add a wider footpath dedicated for cyclistsOne resident said the road closures had made navigating the area difficult for the elderly. Councillor Dan Thomas, Devon County Council cabinet member for highways, said people would be "pleased to have this important route" open said: "It's been essential that this refurbishment scheme has been carried out in order to preserve and protect this historic structure. "Despite additional work being needed on the parapet during the scheme, the project team has worked extremely efficiently and it's good news that the bridge has re-opened on time." Councillor Andy Ketchin said the work would secure the future of the said: "It is quite incredible to think that the Iron Bridge is approaching 200 years old. "To my mind it is part of Exeter's unique character and I'm very pleased to have this cracking bridge back in action."DCC said "some repair work" to the cast iron on the underside of the structure would continue "over the coming weeks" and potentially some overnight closures would be needed in the future for necessary remedial work.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We've hit rock bottom
The new leader of the Conservative group on Shropshire Council has said support for the party has "hit rock bottom" in the county. Dan Thomas, 33, has taken the reins of a Tory group that lost 30 seats at this month's election - and with it, control of the council. Both the Liberal Democrats, who will form the next administration, and Reform UK took seats from the Conservative group on 1 May. The party is now the third largest group on the council having held just seven seats. Shropshire's Conservative influence has been in freefall in recent years, with the party losing support in almost every vote since the last set of Shropshire Council elections in May 2021. The party unexpectedly lost the North Shropshire parliamentary seat to Lib Dem Helen Morgan in the 2021 by-election; four councillors in the 2023 set of Telford and Wrekin Council elections; and two further MPs, in Shrewsbury and Telford, in last year's general election. The nail in the coffin was losing control of Shropshire Council, in a large, rural county, which the Tories had led since it became a unitary authority in 2009. "In our worst nightmares we didn't think we'd be down this low, to just seven [councillors]," said Dan Thomas, a father-of-two from Much Wenlock, who was elected in 2021 along with 42 other Conservatives. "It's a real shame because there were so many respected, hardworking Conservative councillors who lost their seats. "I can't see it getting any worse," he added. Despite his party's dire performance in this month's local elections, Dan Thomas did incredibly well in Much Wenlock, receiving more than 50% of the vote. The new town mayor for 2025-26 said he was "relieved" to have kept his seat but described the loss of experienced politicians, from all parties, as "ugly". He blamed national politics and a lack of central government funding for the decline of Conservative support since 2021. "When things aren't going well it's the parties in power that pay the price and we saw that with the general election last year," Thomas said. "For us, [introducing a] garden waste charge didn't help, but that's something we had to do because that's £4m of revenue, which has made a massive difference to the council's finances. "We weren't good enough at explaining that to the electorate. "We were ultimately, and the Liberal Democrat group will be the same, asking people to pay more tax but essentially get less." Thomas has replaced Lezley Picton, who led Shropshire Council from 2021, as leader of the Conservative group. She announced earlier this year that she would not be standing for re-election. "We can certainly come back," said Thomas, who lives in Much Wenlock with his US wife Sara and two children, Eric and Penelope, aged three and 18 months. "We need to define what we are and win the battle on the economy. "Whether it's in Westminster or in Shropshire, we must be responsible in opposition to show that we're the grown ups." Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. Reform UK new group leader 'up for the challenge' Council looks for way out of relief road scheme Lib Dems win control of Shropshire Council Shropshire Council's new councillors
