Latest news with #mayors
CBC
17-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Corner Brook MHA Gerry Byrne joins exodus of N.L. Liberals leaving politics
After 33 years in politics, veteran cabinet minister Gerry Byrne is the latest Liberal politician to bow out ahead of the provincial election. "I've never felt more on top of what I do, but maybe that's the time that you allow fresh faces to move in behind you to become the next Gerry Byrne," he told reporters on Thursday, adding that there may be a familiar name on the ballot some day. Byrne said the next Gerry Byrne in politics could be his son, also named Gerry Byrne. "My son is going to law school this fall, and you may see my son's name on a ballot one day. You will potentially see Gerry Byrne back on a ballot again, but it won't be this Gerry Byrne," he said. In the meantime, Byrne said he feels he is leaving politics at a good time. "If I had any concerns for my party and for my leader in the next provincial election, I would not be retired," he said. Bryne pointed to the party's potential incoming candidates. "We've got two mayors who just came forward. The mayor of Grand Falls-Windsor, the mayor of Marystown, came forward looking to seek the nod of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador," he said. Some of these candidates, Byrne said, would typically be associated with the Progressive Conservatives. "What does that tell you? I'll tell you what it tells me. This old guy who knows this business fairly well, even the PCs don't think they're gonna get in," he said. A provincial election has yet to be called, but must occur on or before Oct. 14. Three-decade political career Byrne's political career started on Parliament Hill. He was first elected to the House of Commons for the district of Humber—St. Barbe—Baie Verte in 1996. He was re-elected six consecutive times and served as the federal cabinet minister of state under Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Byrne left federal politics in 2015, trading the title of Member of Parliament for member of Newfoundland and Labrador's House of Assembly. Elected in the district of Corner Brook, Byrne has served as a provincial cabinet minister for the past decade. He is currently the Minister of Jobs, Immigration, and Growth. With several cabinet ministers leaving alongside him, Byrne said he is not leaving because of the Liberals' recent leadership change. "Premier John Hogan has my absolute support, and in fact, if I do have one regret, I would really like to serve under him," Byrne said. "He's going to be the best premier we've ever had."
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Angela Rayner 'backing local stealth taxes drive': Deputy PM and mayors push for powers to raise huge new revenues from struggling Brits
is reportedly helping regional mayors push for greater power to use taxes to fund their activities. The Deputy Prime Minister is said to be encouraging local elected political leaders to put pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to give them control over taxes collected locally. Ms Rayner recently said she wanted 'more push' towards fiscal devolution as part of the Government's pledge to transfer central decision making to local areas. The English Devolution White Paper published last year states that mayors could submit proposals for new powers, such as fiscal devolution, which the government is obliged to consider. Guidance recently published alongside the Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill earlier this month stipulates that new strategic authorities can pilot devolved powers to make it 'easier to deepen devolution over time'. The Times reported that one area being looked at is introducing widespread taxes on tourism, but a source told the paper that was 'the tip of the iceberg of what mayors want', with mayors looking at controlling income tax, stamp duty and business rates. The source added: 'There are far more fiscal levers to pull, and ministers understand this is the start and not the end.' Meanwhile councils are also straining at the bit to get more spending powers, with a new report claiming allowing them to administer and retain taxes generated locally would boost funding for services by more than £4 billion in many areas and 'supercharge' economic growth. The report argues that new fiscal arrangements which enable authorities to a proportion of revenue from income tax, stamp duty and the apprenticeship levy alongside a new tourist tax could prove transformational and support the delivery of the Government's priorities. The County Councils Network, which commissioned the report, stressed the proposals do not advocate tax rises and acknowledged that a process of redistributing tax revenue would need to be established to address regional variations in the amounts generated. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which had its first reading in the House of Commons last week, includes what is described as 'radical reset of local government' and protections for local businesses, as well as measures to enable strategic collaboration across wider areas on issues such as transport. As part of boosting the powers available to regional mayors, they will be responsible for developing local economic plans and gain control over licensing for e-bikes and planning decisions to 'set the direction of growth'. Mayors will also be able to impose 'development orders' to speed up developments, while new 'mayoral development corporations' are intended to streamline implementation and attract investment. The Government has also set out plans to scrap the first-past-the-post voting system for mayoral elections, reversing a change made by the previous Conservative government. The legislation reinstates the 'preferential' voting system, which enables voters to indicate multiple candidates in order of preference, with these choices weighted or used as contingency votes.
Times
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
The biggest problem with Macron's new smoking ban: the French
With modest fanfare, one of the world's most tobacco-addicted nations introduced one of the world's boldest smoking bans this month. In France it is now illegal to smoke on beaches, in parks, at bus stops, near schools and at the entrances to libraries and sports centres. President Macron's stated goal is to produce a tobacco-free generation by 2032 and he is doing everything he can to stamp out public smoking in any place where children might be present. There is, however, one factor that his government appears to have overlooked: the French. This is a country with a historic disregard for authority where a third of working-age adults still smoke, just under a quarter of them every day. Casual smoking is creeping up and more French women smoke now than 50 years ago. In western Europe, cigarettes have become an increasingly rare sight, but between the Channel and the Mediterranean smoking remains a fact of life. At least five French mayors went on record within days of the ban to say it was unenforceable. An afternoon at a packed beach in the south of France last week showed why. Smokers dotted the Plage des Catalans in Marseille, while greater numbers simply avoided the ban by smoking on its the fringes: from rocks, café terraces opposite the beach and a stretch of concrete beside the loos. Everyone was aware of the new rule, the first of its kind in Europe. No one, including the police, seemed to know exactly what it meant. A loudspeaker boomed out a clear instruction, in French and then English: 'For those of you who want to smoke, you have to go on the concrete side of the beach.' Confusion reigned. When retired brasserie owner Léa Abzar, 67, sat smoking on the concrete with her pet chihuahua, police arrived to tell her she had to go somewhere else. 'They told me that even up there you're not allowed,' she said, pointing to the promenade and street above the beach. 'Which means these days we're allowed to smoke at home, and that's it.' (The gendarmes seemed to be misinformed about this: there is nothing in the new law that bans smoking on pavements or highways.) 'It won't decrease anything at all,' she added, of the new restrictions on smoking. 'I can guarantee you. Even diseases don't make it decrease. I find it a shame that these people who lead us waste time making these kinds of laws when there are much more important things to deal with.' Naïm Bessah, a lifeguard, told me that in 20 minutes on patrol he had stopped 'three or four' people smoking on the actual beach. Smoking had already been banned on Marseille's beaches anyway, he said, though people 'didn't respect it'. He added: 'Since the new ban, if we see it, we stop people. But it's not our job.' His heart really didn't seem to be in it. Two minutes later I spotted him near the men's loos with his yellow lifeguard's T-shirt off, cigarette in hand. Under the new law fines for infractions rise from €135 (£117) to €750 for repeat offenders, but I saw no fines at all being imposed by police on the beach. The closest shave was when a policeman dashed off towards a woman on the sand fiddling with a suspicious-looking object: a suspected cannabis joint. The woman claimed it was a cigarette and that she wasn't going to smoke it there. The police moved on. Aurore Faust, 46, a carer from Marseille, stood with a cigarette just off the sand near steps to the road. She has been smoking for 20 years, is now on four or five a day and has no plans to quit. 'We will not stop, never,' she said — although she could see the merits of the beach ban because it will protect children. Campaigners say the restrictions need to go further. François Torpart, from the National Committee Against Smoking, said it had pushed for café terraces to be included, a move that surveys show a majority of French people would actually support. Torpart said in time the current 'first step' would make a difference. He cited the ban on smoking in restaurants and public transport in 2007, a year when Britain did the same. 'There were some of the same reservations, the same hesitations, such as how to enforce the regulations, [people saying] we cannot have the police intervene everywhere, etc,' he said. 'But the fact is that it worked well.' In France it proved less effective than in other countries, though. Britain is currently bringing in some of the strictest anti-smoking rules in the world, in the form of Sir Keir Starmer's Tobacco and Vapes Bill now going through the Lords. It will ban children born since January 1, 2009, from ever buying cigarettes. It also includes a ban on smoking outside schools, hospitals and playgrounds, similar to the French law, although beaches are not included. As it stands, however, France has all the same restrictions as Britain, but almost three times the number of smokers. France is now joining the ranks of the few countries to have nationwide bans on smoking in certain outdoor public spaces. Mexico is one (beaches and parks), Singapore another (parks, bus stops, playgrounds and other locations). Finland bans smoking in areas primarily used by minors, such as daycare facilities and schools. Many Australian states and Canadian provinces have bans at beaches (Bondi Beach is smoke-free). In Spain and Italy, western Europe's next most smoker-full countries, lots of local councils have banned smoking on beaches. Some French ones already had, too. Since the new ban came into force, it has been criticised by several local elected mayors, who in France have powers over policing. Dominique Cap, mayor of Plougastel-Daoulas, a peninsula community in Brittany, called the ban an 'absurd and very Parisian' decision. In Marseille too, it looked that way, at least for now. 'If people want to smoke, they smoke,' said Remi Cozzolino from behind the counter of his tobacconist-newsagent facing the sea in front of Plage des Catalans. Had the ban affected business? 'Not at all.'
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Government promises community control as ‘new dawn' Bill introduced
'Landmark' legislation will enable communities to 'take back control' of their regions and boost economic growth across the country, the Government has said. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which will receive its first reading in the House of Commons on Thursday, includes what is described as 'radical reset of local government' and protections for local businesses, as well as measures to enable strategic collaboration across wider areas on issues such as transport. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the Bill provides a 'new dawn of regional power' that will 'rebalance decade old divides'. Among a range of measures, the Bill would introduce a 'community right to buy' through which communities have the first option to purchase local assets such as pubs and shops that are placed on the market. Clauses in commercial leases which enforce 'upward only' rent reviews will be banned in a bid to keep small businesses afloat, helping to end the 'blight of vacant high streets' and anti-social behaviour. The Bill would also establish a new requirement for councils to put in place 'effective neighbourhood governance' aimed at giving local people a direct say in decisions about their areas. As part of boosting the powers available to regional mayors, they will be responsible for developing local economic plans and gain control over licensing for e-bikes and planning decisions to 'set the direction of growth'. Mayors will also be able to impose 'development orders' to speed up developments, while new 'mayoral development corporations' are intended to streamline implementation and attract investment. In a push to restore taxpayers' trust in council spending, the Government has also pledged to address long delays in the process of local authority financial audits. As previously announced, a Local Audit Office will be established to 'increase transparency, simplify and streamline the system'. Ms Rayner said: 'We were elected on a promise of change, not just for a few areas cherry-picked by a Whitehall spreadsheet, but for the entire country. 'It was never going to be easy to deliver the growth our country desperately needed with the inheritance we were dumped with. 'But that's why we are opting to devolve not dictate and delivering a Bill that will rebalance decade old divides and empower communities. 'We're ushering in a new dawn of regional power and bringing decision making to a local level so that no single street or household is left behind and every community thrives from our Plan for Change.' Local government minister Jim McMahon said power concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall has left councils 'frustrated and diminished'. He added: 'This failed approach has held back growth across our country for far too long. 'Local people see this in the job market, on the high street and in their own household security and prosperity. 'Devolution begins the work of fixing that, with this Bill delivering freedom to local leaders to make decisions for their local areas in partnership with local communities, unleashing more growth and more opportunities for people as part of our Plan for Change.'
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Government promises community control as ‘new dawn' Bill introduced
'Landmark' legislation will enable communities to 'take back control' of their regions and boost economic growth across the country, the Government has said. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill, which will receive its first reading in the House of Commons on Thursday, includes what is described as 'radical reset of local government' and protections for local businesses, as well as measures to enable strategic collaboration across wider areas on issues such as transport. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the Bill provides a 'new dawn of regional power' that will 'rebalance decade old divides'. Among a range of measures, the Bill would introduce a 'community right to buy' through which communities have the first option to purchase local assets such as pubs and shops that are placed on the market. Clauses in commercial leases which enforce 'upward only' rent reviews will be banned in a bid to keep small businesses afloat, helping to end the 'blight of vacant high streets' and anti-social behaviour. The Bill would also establish a new requirement for councils to put in place 'effective neighbourhood governance' aimed at giving local people a direct say in decisions about their areas. As part of boosting the powers available to regional mayors, they will be responsible for developing local economic plans and gain control over licensing for e-bikes and planning decisions to 'set the direction of growth'. Mayors will also be able to impose 'development orders' to speed up developments, while new 'mayoral development corporations' are intended to streamline implementation and attract investment. In a push to restore taxpayers' trust in council spending, the Government has also pledged to address long delays in the process of local authority financial audits. As previously announced, a Local Audit Office will be established to 'increase transparency, simplify and streamline the system'. Ms Rayner said: 'We were elected on a promise of change, not just for a few areas cherry-picked by a Whitehall spreadsheet, but for the entire country. 'It was never going to be easy to deliver the growth our country desperately needed with the inheritance we were dumped with. 'But that's why we are opting to devolve not dictate and delivering a Bill that will rebalance decade old divides and empower communities. 'We're ushering in a new dawn of regional power and bringing decision making to a local level so that no single street or household is left behind and every community thrives from our Plan for Change.' Local government minister Jim McMahon said power concentrated in Westminster and Whitehall has left councils 'frustrated and diminished'. He added: 'This failed approach has held back growth across our country for far too long. 'Local people see this in the job market, on the high street and in their own household security and prosperity. 'Devolution begins the work of fixing that, with this Bill delivering freedom to local leaders to make decisions for their local areas in partnership with local communities, unleashing more growth and more opportunities for people as part of our Plan for Change.'
