Latest news with #LocalDemocracyService
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Families to benefit from £2m support plan
Families in Rotherham are set to benefit from a new £2m plan aimed at improving support for children and parents before problems reach crisis point. At a meeting on Monday, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council's cabinet approved the next phase of its Family Help Strategy, which is part of a national push to offer earlier, more joined-up help to struggling families. The money will be used to bring services like social care, education, health and the police closer together, to try and stop families from falling through the cracks. Work on the transformation will begin immediately, with updates expected in the autumn, the council said. The changes aim to make it easier for families to get the right help at the right time, whether that is support with parenting, mental health, school attendance or other challenges, the Local Democracy Service reports. The plan includes the creation of multi-agency teams made up of social workers, education staff, health professionals and others who will work together to offer tailored, practical support before problems escalate. Families will also be more involved in shaping their own support, with a stronger role for extended family networks and a focus on building resilience at home. During the meeting, Victoria Cusworth, cabinet member for children and young people, said: "The funding is targeted at service transformation activity [and] increasing direct delivery of family help. "This is about enabling families to access the right help at the right time, and from the right people, reducing the need for statutory intervention and giving children the best possible start in life." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North New hub aims to provide support for families Guides on parenting skills available for families Rotherham Council Local Democracy Reporting Service
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Yahoo
Animal ban for farmer who left cow dead in mud
A farmer whose premises had "the worst standards ever seen" by council officers has been banned from keeping animals for life. Malcolm Mosley severely neglected his 45 cows at Primrose Farm in Riddlesden, Keighley, and did not comply when ordered to improve conditions and seek veterinary assistance. Mosley, 62, had been told at an earlier hearing that he was likely to face prison after pleading guilty to nine charges relating to causing unnecessary suffering of an animal and failing to ensure animal welfare. At Bradford Crown Court on Friday, Mosley was instead given a 12-month community order that will require him to carry out 300 hours of unpaid work. The court previously heard Bradford Council sent officers to the farm on Ilkley Road in September 2022. During a number of visits over a six-month period, inspectors found a cow dead and submerged in mud inside the barn and one stuck in frozen mud around the hay feeder outside the entrance to the barn. Several of the bovines were in a poor state, with one found malnourished and with a broken leg, while another had an ingrowing horn that had pierced skin behind its eye. The animals also had no feed or bedding in their barns and water troughs in cowsheds were left empty, the Local Democracy Service reports. Clare Walsh, prosecuting on behalf of Bradford Council, said Mosley did little to improve conditions and, in some cases, opted to have animals shot instead of treated. When it became clear Mosley would be given a ban on keeping animals, he had all the cows on the farm euthanised. Kathryn Pitters, representing Mosley, said he had farmed since he was a child, and inherited Primrose Farm from his parents, for whom he had acted as a carer in recent years. The court heard Mosley, who had shown "a deep regret" over the offences, had recently suffered periods of ill health, including a heart attack. Ms Pitters added: "With the benefit of hindsight, he wasn't up to the job of managing a farm, and that unfortunately showed in the animals in his care. "He is someone who acted incompetently rather than being deliberately sadistic." The court heard the case had cost the taxpayer almost £10,000 to investigate and bring to court. The council asked the court to order Mosley to pay these costs but he was ordered to contribute £1,000. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Farmer pleads guilty to causing animal suffering
The Independent
28-04-2025
- The Independent
‘Nightmare' in pretty English village overrun by tourists with resident injured in parking bust-up over Range Rover
Tensions between tourists and residents of ' England's prettiest village ' have escalated, after a local claimed his foot was run over during a parking dispute over Easter weekend. The picturesque village of Bibury in the Cotswolds is home to just 700 people - but attracts up to 20,000 visitors on weekends. Described by artist William Morris described as the 'most beautiful village in England', up to 50 coaches of tourists descend daily on the destination, famed for its row of 17th-century cottages on Arlington Row. The Easter bank holiday saw tensions rise once more between tourists and residents, with one villager claiming to have had his foot run over by a Range Rover in a parking dispute. Resident Mark Honeyball told the Local Democracy Service that the situation in the village had become 'beyond a joke', while warning that emergency services struggled to move through the traffic. He said he had his foot run over by the vehicle as he tried to stop a tourist from parking illegally - something, he claims, locals have to do regularly. "I had to call the police on the day and they couldn't get to me as a Range Rover had very nicely run over my foot in a dispute over where they shouldn't be parking and did a quite bit of damage,' he said. 'It's not broken, just badly bruised.' He added: "He drove on the pavement. I had another one on Monday who I was asking to move off my drive and he just put his car into gear and drove along the pavement at me." Bibury Parish Council chairman Craig Chapman told The Independent that the village resembled a 'complete and utter nightmare' over the Easter weekend due to queues of visitors. He said at one point, cars had to back one mile up the road as a coach carrying tourists couldn't come around a corner on the village's small roads. 'It was at its worst on Easter weekend because the weather was good. It was a complete and utter nightmare,' he said. He was with Mr Honeyball when it was claimed he had his foot run over, trying to stop people from parking illegally on yellow lines. He said: 'We have to do something about it - we can't let it go on like this.' Numbers of tourists have increased in recent years thanks to social media influencers promoting the village as a lazy get-away from major cities such as London. It is particularly popular with Japanese tourists as the place Emperor Hirohito is believed to have stayed in the 1920s. Village leaders are working on a plan that could see coaches banned in an effort to reduce over-tourism. The first decision by the working group of representatives from Bibury Parish Council, police and Gloucestershire County Council is a change to the layout of coach parking bays to stop the vehicles parking or waiting in a nearby layby. The next stage is to consider restricting coaches from the village, with ideas such as reviewing weight restrictions, finding coach parking outside the village and looking at ways to ban coach stopping and parking.
Yahoo
13-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Politics fest to give 'sense of hope'
Two mayors of major northern English cities and the ex-leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn are among the big names expected to speak at a six-week politics event in Sheffield later this month. The Festival of Debate, described by its organisers as the UK's biggest non-partisan politics festival, is due to run between 22 April to 30 May and is this year celebrating its 10th anniversary. Among the issues being discussed would be climate change, health inequalities, poverty, sexism, racism and transgender issues, organisers said. Nat Burton, from the festival, said it was hoped that those taking part would come away with "a renewed sense of hope" and "the tools to make change". Ms Burton said: "We've got a really diverse programme this year, ranging from big names in economics, politics and culture, to brilliant grassroots activists working tirelessly to make Sheffield a fairer and more equal city." As part of the festival, the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram are expected to talk about their new book, Head North, on 19 May at the University of Sheffield Octagon Centre. According to the Local Democracy Service, the book discusses how the pair believe political and economic power can be spread throughout the UK in a push towards a fairer future. Meanwhile, on 17 May at The Leadmill, Jeremy Corbyn, now an independent MP, is expected to discuss the Monstrous Anger of the Guns, a book he has co-authored examining the global arms trade. An all-day session on 30 April involving senior Sheffield City Council officers and representatives from Sheffield Society of Architects, Friends of Sheffield Castle, Sheffield Civic Trust and Sheaf & Porter Rivers Trust will look at the Heart of the City project and what lessons could be applied to the transformation of the city's Castlegate area. Other speakers included in this year's line-up would be authors Kate Raworth, Jason Hickel, John Harris, Lanre Bakare and Shon Faye, as well as Sheffield writer Désirée Reynolds, organisers said. The festival would also feature panels, workshops and interactive sessions exploring alternative and emerging solutions to several big issues, with many of those events being free to attend. Ms Burton said: "We really hope people who attend this year's festival come away with a renewed sense of hope, as well as the tools to make change in their streets and in their neighbourhoods." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Festival of Debate
BBC News
13-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sheffield Politics festival aims for 'sense of hope'
Two mayors of major northern English cities and the ex-leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn are among the big names expected to speak at a six-week politics event in Sheffield later this Festival of Debate, described by its organisers as the UK's biggest non-partisan politics festival, is due to run between 22 April to 30 May and is this year celebrating its 10th the issues being discussed would be climate change, health inequalities, poverty, sexism, racism and transgender issues, organisers Burton, from the festival, said it was hoped that those taking part would come away with "a renewed sense of hope" and "the tools to make change". Ms Burton said: "We've got a really diverse programme this year, ranging from big names in economics, politics and culture, to brilliant grassroots activists working tirelessly to make Sheffield a fairer and more equal city." As part of the festival, the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotheram are expected to talk about their new book, Head North, on 19 May at the University of Sheffield Octagon Centre. According to the Local Democracy Service, the book discusses how the pair believe political and economic power can be spread throughout the UK in a push towards a fairer on 17 May at The Leadmill, Jeremy Corbyn, now an independent MP, is expected to discuss the Monstrous Anger of the Guns, a book he has co-authored examining the global arms all-day session on 30 April involving senior Sheffield City Council officers and representatives from Sheffield Society of Architects, Friends of Sheffield Castle, Sheffield Civic Trust and Sheaf & Porter Rivers Trust will look at the Heart of the City project and what lessons could be applied to the transformation of the city's Castlegate area. Other speakers included in this year's line-up would be authors Kate Raworth, Jason Hickel, John Harris, Lanre Bakare and Shon Faye, as well as Sheffield writer Désirée Reynolds, organisers festival would also feature panels, workshops and interactive sessions exploring alternative and emerging solutions to several big issues, with many of those events being free to Burton said: "We really hope people who attend this year's festival come away with a renewed sense of hope, as well as the tools to make change in their streets and in their neighbourhoods." Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
