Latest news with #RichardLane
BBC News
05-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Durham County Council proposes capping council tax support
A local authority's plan to overhaul its Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS) could lead to its poorest residents being required to pay more towards their County Council plans to make changes to its Local Council Tax Reduction Scheme (CTRS), which currently allows low-earners to apply for a discount of up to 100% off their councillor Nicola Lyons said the current scheme was one of the "most generous in the country" and the council was considering capping discounts as part of cost-saving efforts. Debt charity StepChange said it could not comment on specific policies, but it did not believe "reducing support for the poorest is the answer" to council funding pressures. Richard Lane, the charity's chief client office, said: "StepChange has called for the government to increase funding for council tax support to ensure councils can continue to offer residents with the lowest incomes 100% reductions. "Ultimately, unaffordable council tax bills lead to counter-productive debt collection and enforcement that harms the worst off and leads to higher health and social costs linked to problem debt." Council tax options The council said it was considering holding a consultation on four possible options for the CTRS first would allow residents to apply for a discount of up to 100% off their bills, depending on their remaining options would require residents to pay a minimum of 10%, 20% or 25% of their full county council said it was required to save £45m by 2028-29 to balance its books and CTRS currently costs more than £60m a year. It estimated the proposed change would save between £3.8m and £10.35m each year. The current system also requires residents' bills to be recalculated every time a change is made to their Universal Credit (UC) council said last year the average UC claimant received 11 council tax bills, which cost the council £175,000 in printing and postage. Reform UK recently took control of the authority and promised to carry out a Elon Musk-style review into "wasteful spending".Lyons said the county has "one of the most generous council tax support schemes in the country"."The changes to CTRS we are looking to consult on, would ensure we can continue to provide this much-need support, while taking into account the increasing financial pressure local councils are under," she said. "None of the potential changes would impact on pension-age households."If the council's cabinet approves the consultation, it will be carried out between 16 July and 23 September. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Auto Car
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Car
WATCH: V12 super-battle as new Aston Martin Vanquish takes on Ferrari 12Cilindri – but which one will win?
These epic new Aston and Ferrari V12s have brought a famous old rivalry back to the boil. Our colleague Richard Lane took them to some heavenly roads in Scotland to find out which car is king of the V12 class today. If you want to compare Aston and Ferrari, there's no end of criteria. Yet the comparison that hits hardest and means the most remains Il Classico. We're talking grand tourers, especially the V12 ones. For us these extraordinary cars still define the companies. Does it matter which wins? In truth, not especially. I'll tell you now that, barring the odd quirk, both the 12Cilindri and the Vanquish offer an experience so absurdly gratifying, exciting and evocative that you would give a kidney to own either. Today's verdict is more of a gun-to-the-head affair – watch the film above to find it out…
BBC News
07-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Phil Brown: Kidderminster Harriers sack boss after play-off defeat
Kidderminster Harriers have sacked manager Phil Brown following the club's failure to win promotion back to the National League. Harriers were beaten in the semi-finals of the play-offs by Chester on Sunday, after defeat on the final day of the regular season at Southport cost them the title. They had been top of National League North on goal difference, from eventual champions Brackley Town, but their 2-1 loss cost them dear as they finished third. Harriers chairman Richard Lane said, external missing out on an immediate return to top-level non-league football was "bitterly disappointing" adding "now is the right time to make changes before embarking our future campaign". Former Hull City, Derby County and Southend boss Brown was brought in to try to save the club's National League status in January 2024 but could not prevent relegation to National North at the end of that season. Brown's assistant at Aggborough, Neil McDonald, has also left the club. Lane added that the search for a new manager "is already underway" and hopes to announce Brown's successor "soon".
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Premier League cult hero sacked by sixth tier Kidderminster Harriers after heartbreaking end to play-off campaign
PHIL BROWN has been sacked as Kidderminster Harriers boss. The National League North side confirmed the news in the wake of their playoff defeat to Chester on Monday. Kidderminster finished third in the sixth tier, three points behind title winners Brackley Town. They subsequently entered the playoffs, losing 2-1 to Chester at Aggborough. Brown's men had taken a 19th minute lead via Kyle Morrison. But goals by Dylan Mottley-Henry and Declan Weeks saw the visitors come away victorious. Brown's assistant Neil McDonald has also been relieved of his duties. Confirming the news, Kidderminster chairman Richard Lane said: "Whilst we came very close to achieving our goal, the outcome of the season ultimately proved bitterly disappointing. "We remain firmly focused on our primary objective for the club, which is returning to the National League, we feel now is the right time to make changes before embarking our future campaign. "I would personally like to thank both Phil and Neil for their efforts during their time with Kidderminster Harriers and we wish them nothing but the best for the future and their next challenge." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball.
ITV News
24-04-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Rising Bills & Pension Fears: How To Save Money
This month we've seen a number of household bills go up considerably for millions of us. From energy to council tax, how much they've risen varies, but in some cases it's the biggest increase in decades. So with our budgets already stretched by the cost of living, what will the impact be? And is there anything we can do to soften the blow? Price increases at the start of the financial year are normal.. But these rises are set to hit most of us especially hard. ' Households could be looking at £360 per year in additional costs. That's when you take into consideration the increase to the energy price cap, higher water bills, higher broadband, mobile phone, TV license and car tax.' - AMY KNIGHT - Personal Finance Expert, NerdWallet UK Nearly 9 in 10 councils in England have increased their council tax by the maximum permitted 4.99% from the first of April. Richard Lane is from the debt charity StepChange. They've worked extensively with people who haven't been able to afford to pay their bill and have concerns over the way they are treated. 'There are lots of vulnerable households who are being asked to pay amounts of money that they simply can't afford. We'd ask for a few things. One, the councils start engaging as early as possible when they see signs of financial distress amongst their residents. Secondly, we need to see council tax support payments being put in place more effectively, and that is central government funding being made available for councils to do that.' - RICHARD LANE - Chief Client Officer, StepChange Debt Charity The Local Government Association told us: 'Councils strive to recover unpaid tax as sympathetically as possible. Local welfare schemes run by councils, including council tax relief and the Household Support Fund, are also available alongside targeted government help. Anyone having trouble paying their council bills should get in touch with their local authority for financial help and advice as soon as possible.' In April, water bills went up on average 26% across the country. The biggest rise since privatisation of water companies more than 30 years ago. Jo Obsborn is from Waterwise - which helps people save money on their water bills. A washing machine typically uses around 50 litres of water per load. So cutting out unnecessary laundry is an easy win. You can also save a lot of water in the bathroom. ' If you've got a family of 4 and you leave the tap running when you brush your teeth, you can use a whole bath full of water a day. So it's a really quick, easy way to make sure you save water.' JO OSBORN - Head of Policy and Research, Waterwise With all of our essential bills on the rise, and the future of the money we've saved uncertain - it seems we all might have to work a bit harder to keep our budgets on track. Useful info
