Points to Ponder

[Ian]

We lock up more than anyone else in W Europe, but this site offers some interesting facts:

[SteveH]

The prospective new owner of Royal Mail has said he will not walk away from the requirement to deliver letters throughout the UK six days a week, as long as he is running the service.

"As long as I'm alive, I completely exclude this," Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky told the BBC.

Mr Kretinsky has had a £3.6bn offer for Royal Mail accepted by its board.

Shareholders are expected to approve the deal on 25 September, but the government also has a say over whether it goes ahead.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4ngjx9nn92o

[SteveH]

Car washes and parts of the beauty sector will be targeted by immigration officers as they step up enforcement action over the summer, the home secretary has announced.

Writing in the Sun on Sunday newspaper, external, Yvette Cooper said officials had been redeployed to staffing a "returns and enforcement programme" targeting businesses suspected of employing illegal workers.

Yvette Cooper said she was "shocked to discover" that 1,000 civil servants had been working on a plan to send migrants to Rwanda.

The Rwanda scheme, a flagship policy under the last Conservative government, was axed by Labour within days of Sir Keir Starmer winning the general election.

Ms Cooper wrote in the newspaper: “We have directed Immigration Enforcement to intensify their operations over the summer, with a focus on employers who are fuelling the trade of criminal gangs by exploiting and facilitating illegal working here in the UK – including in car washes and in the beauty sector.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c29d14lwnkro

[SteveH]

I have seen documentaries of this system working very successfully, it was also mentioned recently at the Royal Welsh, how young farmers need to diversify. 

Wales' farmers are best known for their lamb and beef, but could they be tempted by a side hustle in salad leaves, mushrooms or edible flowers?

University researchers are working together to try to set up a Welsh Centre of Excellence for vertical farming, which means growing crops indoors in a controlled environment.

They claim it could offer a "major diversification option" for Welsh farmers, while boosting the nation's food security.

Wales currently produces very little of the fruit and vegetables consumed by its people, and is reliant on imports from elsewhere in the UK or overseas.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1dmk87x5glo

[SteveH]

Leveling up grants, if used correctly an asset, but there seems to be a lot of poor use of this money, especially these days, when it could be put to better use.

Council's multi-million-pound plans will 'attract undesirables', councillor claims
The councillor said the proposals were 'wasting money'

 Rhyl councillor claims £19m of UK Government Levelling-Up Funds is being wasted - claiming new green spaces planned for the town centre "will attract drug users and undesirables". At a cabinet meeting this week, councillors agreed to accept £19,973,282 as part of the UK Government’s Levelling-Up fund for Rhyl.

This will include "active travel" by widening paths, improving lighting, and providing cycle parking as well as green infrastructure and green spaces. One of the new green spaces planned, yet to go out to public consultation, will replace the yet-to-be demolished former Williams Roberts Building/Games Exchange opposite the Odeon Bingo near the High Street.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/councils-multi-million-pound-plans-29660328

[SteveH]

A second home owner fears unintended consequences for Conwy’s residents if council tax premiums are hiked in the county. Having holidayed in the county for 16 years, Leicestershire retiree Sandra King bought a Llandudno property in 2009 and now fears it could be ripped from her grasp.

The 70-year-old worries her retirement dreams could be destroyed by plans to further increase council tax premiums in the county. Sandra claimed that, faced with this threat, some second homeowners may relocate to Conwy potentially adding to the country’s health and social care burden.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/couples-llandudno-dream-shattered-second-29702749?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[SteveH]

People in Wales "need to be worried" about the number of young people applying to higher education, according to university bosses.

The number of 18-year-olds from Wales applying to university is the lowest in the UK, according to data from Ucas.

Prof Paul Boyle, chairman of Universities Wales, said it was "the biggest gap we've known in modern history" and called for a Welsh government review.

The Welsh government said it was aware of the drop and said it was focused on understanding what it could do to increase participation.

"That's our next generation of doctors, of nurses, of teachers, of engineers - vital cohorts who will come through and help the economic growth that Wales needs,"

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg2ngl23m0o

[SteveH]

Wales has seen the joint biggest fall in its unemployment rate in the UK compared with a year ago, according to latest labour market figures.

But the rate of people in work is the lowest - and has fallen compared with the same period last year.

And the proportion of people of working age who were not working - for reasons such as sickness, caring for family or choosing not to - remained the highest of all UK nations and regions.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the number of vacancies continued to decline although it was above pre-Covid levels, while the medium picture was "somewhat subdued".

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c14zn5dg07go

[SteveH]

Have your say! Should compulsory insurance be introduced for cyclists?
The ongoing debate about whether cyclists should be registered and hold mandatory insurance, similar to motor vehicle drivers, continues to rage on. What's your view? Have your say and comment below

As traffic congestion worsens, our roads are becoming increasingly busy and potentially more hazardous. At present in the UK, there is no legal obligation for cyclists to have insurance to ride on the roads, nor is there a requirement for them or their bikes to be registered.

It's widely accepted that accidents caused by cyclists result in fewer serious injuries and fatalities than those caused by motor vehicles, a point often raised by those opposed to making registration and insurance mandatory for cyclists.

However, these statistics offer little solace to those seriously injured by a cyclist, or the families of those killed by a cyclist, who may find themselves unable to claim compensation if the cyclist involved lacks insurance or sufficient funds to cover a claim.

READ MORE: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/news-opinion/your-say-should-compulsory-insurance-29728029

[SteveH]

It is good to hear that this project will get started, more jobs etc, but this is a private development, so why two grants totaling ten million pounds of tax payers money, also a lot of these developments crash, taking the grant money with them, there needs to be changes...........

The £107m capital investment project, to be delivered by Jones Bros, will redevelop the derelict 53-acre site. The scheme includes restoration of the Grade 2* listed building, new homes, over 1,000m2 of commercial units, as well as green community spaces.

Plans for the former North Wales Hospital site in Denbigh have taken a significant step forward after a multi-million pound boost. The North Wales Economic Ambition Board has approved the Full Business Case to clear the way for nearly £7m in Growth Deal funding - which follows a planning agreement with Denbighshire County Council last month.

There is a further £3m allocated from UK Government’s Levelling-up fund. The hospital was once a site for hundreds of people with psychiatric illness but it closed in 1995.

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/former-asylum-redevelopment-plans-receive-29778290

[SteveH]

The number of 16-24 year-olds not in employment, education or training (Neet) across the UK reached 872,000 in the period April to June 2024, official estimates suggest.

As the government tries to tackle the "unacceptable" rising levels of worklessness, BBC News has spoken to two young people about the obstacles they are facing.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/articles/cz55mjj4rlgo

[Hugo]

I remember my father saying to me that no one in a seaside resort should be unemployed during the Summer months and it's quite true.   There is work out there if you are prepared to look for it.
When I was in school  I always had a Summer job until when I was in my last year at school and fancied a "gap year"    My father was not happy and I remember his words very well  " no son of mine will have idle hands"  and he took me to work on a building site until I went back to school.
He was right of course and I did  enjoy the experience.
So what is wrong now as the young people are a valuable asset to the UK and the government should be tapping in to that resource? 
I did look at the old saying about idle hands  and this came  up  "The term "idle hands are the devil's tools" means a bored person is more likely to find mischief. (This saying is also seen as "idle hands are the devil's workshop" or "idle hands are the devil's playground.") Examples of Use: The unemployed youngsters who hang around the park have robbed the corner shop again."
It may be a bit harsh but there may be some truth in it too

[Hugo]

Statistics are there for a purpose but they don't always make sense, well not to me anyway.
When you read that there are 2 million job vacancies in the UK and then following that statistic you read that there are about 2 million people unemployed in the UK
The Government should be asking the question why?        If the people are available for work why not allocate those unemployed people to the jobs available within travelling distance from their home.     Perhaps they are more  concerned about the Human Rights brigade

[SteveH]

Could building your own home be one answer in areas where local people say they are struggling with rising house prices?

That is the hope of residents like Mirain Llŷn Roberts, a native of Aberdaron in Gwynedd, whose family are still living with her parents.

There are calls for self-builds to be made easier to allow young people to stay in the places they grew up.

Permission has been granted for five self-build plots for affordable homes on the outskirts of the village, where the council has said it has "a huge housing crisis" - even though it was initially recommended for refusal by officials.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cevjz832dwno

[SteveH]

The number of second homes for sale in a Welsh county has trebled since council tax increased by 200%.

There were 135 Pembrokeshire second homes on the market in July, compared to 38 the previous year, latest figures indicate.

An estate agent said houses were going on to the market at the highest rate this century, and it was damaging the tourism industry.

cont https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyl52jz73vo