[IMG: 4 parallel white vertical lines on orange background ALDC logo] Saturday saw the third annual ALDC online Conference for Town and Parish Councillors, an event which has developed as an opportunity to reach out to the Cinderella tier of local government, although we're more likely to have the budget for a glass slipper than our principal authority colleagues do these days. Opened by Sarah Green MP, Town and Parish Councillors from across England, including some pretty heavy hitters at the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), came together to discuss some of the big issues that face the sector ...
DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL - WEEKLY ROAD REPORT REPORT FOR THE WEST END WARD - WEEK COMMENCING MONDAY 20 OCTOBER 2025 Tait's Lane (Hawkhill to No 6) - closed from Wednesday 15 October for 10 days for Scottish Water work. Nethergate (at South Tay Street) - overnight (9.00pm to 6.00am) temporary traffic lights from Monday 20 October for one week for BT work. West Marketgait (at Nethergate) - overnight (9.00pm to 6.00am) nearside northbound lane closure from Monday 20 October for one week for BT work. Blackness Road (near Glenagnes Road) - temporary traffic lights from Tuesday 21 October for one ...
The Independent reports on a warning by the Bank of England governor, Andrew Bailey, that Brexit will have a negative impact on the UK's economic growth "for the foreseeable future". The paper says that Bailey, who was speaking at the G30 40th annual International Banking Seminar on Saturday, said that the economy is, however, likely to adjust and find balance again in the longer term: The event in Washington, DC saw Mr Bailey highlight a decline in the UK's potential growth rate from 2.5 per cent to 1.5 per cent over the past 15 years. He linked this to lower ...
Lib Dems: Badenoch must reverse Lowe appointment to avoid "lurch to the extremes" Lib Dems: Govt must "break the link" with gas prices to reduce bills Lib Dems: Badenoch must reverse Lowe appointment to avoid "lurch to the extremes" Responding to the news that Rupert Lowe will joining the Public Accounts Committee in place of a Conservative, Max Wilkinson, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Home Affairs, commented: Huge numbers of decent British people – including many Conservative voters – will be rightly appalled to hear that Kemi Badenoch has decided to support somebody with Rupert Lowe's views. This decision proves yet ...
As I have just got back from a week away I will start blogging again properly tomorrow. In the meantime though, and with the Caerphilly by-election on Thursday supposedly on a knife edge, it is worth quoting at length from Will Hayward's latest newsletter. Will says that Reform are declining to properly answer questions about their Caerphilly candidate, Llyr Powell's links to the party's disgraced former leader in Wales, Nathan Gill: Mr Gill has admitted eight counts of taking Russian bribes while a member of the European Parliament. Mr Powell worked for Mr Gill though not at the time incidents ...
Since the broadcast of a BBC documentary, Inside the Cult of the Jesus Army, Kathleen Hallisey, a lawyer from Scott-Moncrieff and Associates, has taken on about 60 new clients who are pursuing claims. The BBC News report also reminds us of a worrying discovery: A lawyer representing 150 victims of the Jesus Army said plans to allow people accused of child abuse to receive a share of the cult's fortune were "shameful". A BBC investigation revealed 172 former loyal members of the disgraced Northamptonshire-based evangelical sect would receive much larger payouts than those awarded to victims under a redress scheme. ...
Reform has shed the following councillors from the May local elections: Donna Edmunds (Shropshire, suspended by Reform UK and then quit the party) Luke Shingler (Warwickshire, now an independent) Desmond Clarke (Nottinghamshire, resigned as councillor) Andrew Kilburn (Durham, resigned as a councillor) Wayne Titley (Staffordshire, resigned as a councillor) Mark Broadhurst (Doncaster, expelled by Reform) Adam Smith (West Northamptonshire, suspended by Reform and then expelled) John Bailey (Durham, resigned as a councillor) Daniel Taylor (Kent, suspended by Reform UK) Sam Booth (Doncaster, resigned as a councillor) Ed Hill (Devon, expelled by Reform) David Maclean (Isle of Wight, resigned as a ...
There is no constitutional or legal barrier preventing the creation of an identity card in the United Kingdom, whether digital or otherwise. If such a system were to be introduced, it would logically fall under the UK Data Act 2025, adopted on 19 June 2025, which establishes the legal framework for digital identity services in the country. This Act, known as the DUAA, is overseen by a newly formed body called the Information Commission — a name confusingly similar to the existing Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). The new Commission has regulatory powers comparable to those of Ofcom or the Competition ...
I don't usually like to comment heavily on so-called 'Culture War' issues; when referring to them I often just state the very normal viewpoint among Liberals that people should have a right to do as they would like so long as it doesn't harm others or their property, as well as the fact that no organisation has any right to dictate how a person should live. However, many of us have no doubt witnessed the so-called Raise the Colours movement, founded by Tommy Robinson and Andy Saxon - both known Neofascists - expressing the exact opposite in an attempt to ...
The defeat of Hong Kong's 2025 LGBT Bill marked a sobering moment for equality advocates across Asia. The bill would have granted limited rights, such as in medical and funeral matters, to same-sex couples who had already registered their unions overseas. Moreover, it was meant to comply with a 2023 court ruling. City legislators, however, voted it down 14 to 71. What made sentiments harsher was that the failed bill neither legalised same-sex marriage nor established civil partnerships. Same-sex couples would still have to resort to registering civil partnerships in nearby countries such as Taiwan and Thailand. They would continue ...
I was in my favourite coffee shop the other day, when I found I half-recognised a song they were playing. Eventually, despite the ambient noise, I worked out what it was: Somebody from Paul Simon's neglected solo album One Trick Pony. So I included a review of the album in my last The Joy of Six, and here's its title track, brilliant lyrics and all, as my Sunday music video.
Conference, when I first met Adam he introduced himself to me as a former pirate. Not the strangest introduction I've had from a Liberal Democrat, but it's up there. While living and working in London, Adam was a homework volunteer with The Hackney Pirates. They help disadvantaged kids, often from single parent families with their schoolwork in the evenings. He's worked as a Deliveroo driver, a RADA-trained actor, and a charity worker fighting to secure life changing treatments for cystic fibrosis patients. But he always found time to offer mentorship to those adrift from school or at risk of offending. ...
As I write this, Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky, is preparing to sit down in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump. The Ukrainian leader had high hopes for this meeting. Trump had broadly hinted that he was prepared to give Ukraine Tomahawk missiles. These weapons can be launched from air, land or sea and have a range of 1,500 miles and carry an enormous payload. That means that Ukraine could launch the missiles from anywhere inside Ukraine or on the Black Sea and easily hit targets in Moscow and beyond. Up to now the West has been reluctant to provide ...
With thanks to Ian Ally Moss and Dundonian History for All, a great photo of Mickey Coyle's in the Old Hawkhill back in the 1970s.
