Latest news with #reorganisation
BBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
New Forest District Council to spend £500k on restructure plans
A council has earmarked an additional £350,000 on planning for local government part of the restructuring of local government, New Forest District Council is backing a proposal that would see it form part of a new Mid-Hampshire unitary Conservative-run authority said a total of £500,000 was "required to support the council's work" as part of the councillors said it was a "pay day" for consultants. The restructuring of local government will see district and borough councils scrapped and the creation of new unitary options have been proposed for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with the New Forest District Council preferring to combine with Test Valley, East Hampshire, and Davis, Liberal Democrat ward councillor for Pennington, told a meeting of the council that funds should directly benefit residents."We are being sucked into having an argument when we could be focusing on our residents."Consultancies were having a pay day," he added,Jeremy Heron, portfolio holder for finance and corporate, defended the financial planning. "We are not squirreling money away, but we do carry out prudent and manageable reserves."The Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) reserve fund is not a huge reserve."A council spokesperson said: "The council's devolution and LGR reserve is intended for one-off expenditure that is required to support the council's work in this area."It includes specific commissions such as consultants and engagement work but also fixed-term resources."Of the funds already allocated, £32,534 has been spent so included £6,333 contributed to a joint effort with 12 other councils to develop a case for government. The funding part pays for work with consultancy firm KPMG. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Ubisoft unveils 'Creative Houses' model as first-quarter bookings miss expectations
July 22 (Reuters) - France's lead videogame maker Ubisoft ( opens new tab announced on Tuesday a sweeping reorganisation of its internal structure, shifting to autonomous "Creative Houses" tailored to specific gaming genres, as it reported first-quarter net bookings that fell short of expectations. The company said in a call that the leadership of each Creative House would be selected based on specific gaming genres, and could include those from creative or technical backgrounds, as part of the new approach. "These units will reflect our diverse types of gaming experiences and will allow for enhanced quality, focus, autonomy and accountability," CEO and co-founder Yves Guillemot said in a statement. The first such unit, jointly owned with China's Tencent ( opens new tab, will manage flagship franchises including Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, and Rainbow Six. Co-CEOs Christophe Derennes and Charlie Guillemot will lead brand development across multiple platforms. Ubisoft plans to roll out the full organisational changes by the end of the year. The company reported first-quarter net bookings of 281.6 million euros ($305.7 million), missing its target of around 310 million euros and marking a 2.9% decline from the same period of last year. It attributed the shortfall to a weaker-than-expected performance from the Rainbow Six Siege game and the delay of a partnership now expected in the second quarter. Despite the miss, Ubisoft reiterated its full-year guidance and forecast second-quarter net bookings of approximately 450 million euros. Upcoming releases include Anno 117: Pax Romana, a Prince of Persia remake, and mobile titles Rainbow Six Mobile and The Division Resurgence.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Local council reorganisation: alternative suggestion put forward
An alternative idea for how the county of Hampshire could be carved up for new unitary councils has been put 14 councils in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are to be scrapped and new authorities created under local government reorganisation of the 14 councils are consulting on plans for five new councils but the leaders of Hampshire county and East Hampshire have backed an alternative model which sees the mainland split into three and the Isle of Wight stays alone. Cllr Nick Adams-King, leader of Hampshire county, said it was the only way to make sure "the new councils were resilient and sustainable and don't go bust within a short amount of time". Under this plan, there is a South East council including Portsmouth, Fareham, Gosport and Isle of Wight stays alone - both of those are the same as the alternative difference is with the north and mid council which includes Basingstoke, Hart, Rushmoor and South East council merges Southampton with Eastleigh, the New Forest and Test can read about the other consultation here - people can respond to both. A consultation launched on Monday for people to have their say on this plan, which Hampshire say will save £50m. "I admit it is confusing and I'm sorry that is the case," said Mr Adams-King, "but it's really important for people to tell us what they value as Hampshire county council provide 85% of services in the county". He added the solution the councils come up with has to make sure the most vulnerable people are protected and looked after even though "change is coming". However there is opposition to the plans amongst other local authorities.A joint statement has been published by Eastleigh Borough Council, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, Fareham Borough Council, Hart District Council, Havant Borough Council, Isle of Wight Council, New Forest District Council, Portsmouth City Council, Rushmoor Borough Council, Southampton City Council, Test Valley Borough Council and Winchester City said: "Hampshire County Council has published its case for a future of only three, large-scale, councils across the county."Their proposal risks creating remote, oversized councils, cut off from the places and people they serve. Our communities deserve better."Cllr Martin, Leader of Fareham Borough Council, said: "I believe that localism is a crucial factor in any proposed change, helping to create a sense of home and belonging within the new council areas."So, while the proposed south-east cluster is reasonable, the same cannot be said for the north which ranges from Basingstoke to Rowlands Castle, or the south-west with areas as disparate as New Milton, Southampton and Andover." Hampshire's councils are being told by central government to happening alongside a devolution bid for a mayoral combined authority which is being supported by Hampshire county, Portsmouth city, Southampton city and Isle of Wight MCCA (Mayoral County Combined Authority) is set to come into operation in May government reorganisation will take another year. Each council needs to submit its plan for local government reorganisation by 26 September 2025. The government will then assess the options, put two or three out for public consultation and then make a final new councils would come into operation in May 2027. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Cambridgeshire MPs put forward alternative council proposal
Cambridgeshire MPs have put forward alternative proposals for local government re-organisation, which they say would protect "what makes Peterborough great".Original plans put forward by the county's eight councils suggested there should be two new unitary authorities covering the whole county, with different options being Labour MPs Andrew Pakes and Sam Carling said this was not in the best interests of Peterborough, and have made their own suggestion. They want a "Greater Peterborough" area, along with a "Greater Cambridge" and a "Mid Cambridgeshire" authority. The proposal will be considered by Peterborough City Council at a full council meeting on Wednesday. The changes are happening because the government announced it wants all local councils to become unitaries. Currently, Cambridgeshire operates under a two-tier system, with a county council in charge of things like social care, education and local highways. Smaller district councils then look after planning, bin collections and social housing. Peterborough already operates as a unitary authority, with a population of about 220,000. The government has previously indicated it wants each authority to oversee at least 500,000 residents in with a large amount of growth in the area, some people think there could be an argument for authorities to be slightly Carling, the MP for North West Cambridgeshire, said he believed the three-council model would be best for residents. "A Mid Cambridgeshire council would allow rural areas across East Cambridgeshire, Fenland and parts of Huntingdonshire to form an authority that can deliver effectively on residents' priorities, while a Greater Peterborough council encompassing the most high-growth areas of northern and western Cambridgeshire could better regulate and plan that growth."Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes said: "Putting Peterborough into a mega council would make it harder to attract investment and focus on the challenges we have as a city."He thinks a Greater Peterborough council "would allow a renewed focus on protecting what makes Peterborough great". He said it would also ensure there was "a local lens on areas in western Huntingdonshire", which would not be "lost or swallowed up into a super-council covering a huge geographical area". Follow Peterborough news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
What Greater Reading council could like if expansion goes ahead
An enlarged Reading council could expand into the suburbs and even incorporate a village if local government reorganisation plans are accepted. Liz Terry (Labour, Coley), the leader of Reading Borough Council, has suggested incorporating Calcot, Tilehurst Parish, Theale and Pangbourne into the council's jurisdiction. These areas are currently governed by West Berkshire Council. Moving them over to Reading council would create a 'Greater Reading' borough of more than 200,000 residents. The proposal is a counteroffer to the creation of 'Ridgeway Council', which would merge South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and West Berkshire Council. Ridgeway Council has been invented as Oxfordshire County Council could be abolished in 2028. In order for the Greater Reading proposal to go ahead, Reading Borough Council's policy committee would have to agree to call for a boundary review in a submission to Angela Rayner, the Labour secretary of state for local government. But what would a Greater Reading council look like? Geographically, not a great deal would change. Calcot and Tilehurst Parish are already in the Reading urban area, with the M4 separating Theale. Although Pangbourne is a settlement of its own, it is only divided from Purley by a few fields. Notably, the Greater Reading proposal would not include Earley, Woodley and Shinfield, all suburbs that are in Wokingham Borough Council's jurisdiction. Politically, Greater Reading would see more representation from opposition parties. Reading has been a Labour stronghold for more than a decade, with the council being controlled by Labour since 2012. The Conservatives have been on the retreat since the all-out election in 2022, with Labour taking seats from the Tories in Caversham Heights in 2022 and 2023 and Emmer Green in 2024. But if the five West Berkshire council wards that Reading Borough requested are incorporated into 'Greater Reading', the Conservatives would gain five seats and the Liberal Democrats would gain three. Assuming these wards are added as they are currently constituted, the Greater Reading council would have 57 councillors representing 22 wards. Labour would retain control with 33 councillors, requiring 29 councillors for a majority. Assuming voting habits in Tilehurst Parish remain, the Conservatives would pip the Green Party to be the leaders of the opposition. Meanwhile, Liberal Democrat representation would double to six. You can see the current representatives of the five wards Reading Borough Council is asking for below: Tilehurst & Purley (three-member ward) Cllr Paul Kander - Conservative Cllr Jane Langford - Conservative Cllr Janine Lewis - Liberal Democrats Tilehurst South & Holybrook (two-member ward) Cllr Biyi Oloko - Conservative Cllr Richard Somner - Conservative Our Summer Sale is LIVE! Get 6 months of trusted local news for just £6! Subscribe now 👇 — Reading Chronicle (@rdgchronicle) July 3, 2025 Tilehurst Birch Copse (two-member ward) Cllr Joanne Stewart - Conservative Cllr Clive Taylor - Labour Pangbourne (one-member ward) Cllr Matt Shakespeare - Liberal Democrats Theale (one-member ward) Councillor Alan Macro - Liberal Democrats
