Month: June 2023

English councils are being hit by a “completely unsustainable” annual bill of more than £450 million to prop up the free bus pass scheme, according to new analysis. The Local Government Association (LGA), which calculated the figure, warned that the cost is putting services at risk. Councils in England are legally required to reimburse bus operators for journeys made by older and disabled people who use a pass entitling them […]

England were left “angry” and “bewildered” after Ollie Pope was pressed to take the field with a shoulder injury, but expect him to play his part in salvaging the second Ashes Test despite aggravating the problem. England are 221 runs behind with eight Australian wickets to take and will need every one of their batters for what is shaping up to be a huge fourth-innings chase at Lord’s. But Pope […]

The team behind the deep sea robot which eventually helped locate wreckage from the Titan submersible – following a fatal implosion which killed five people – had been hoping they were on a rescue mission, a company executive has said. British adventurer Hamish Harding and father and son Shahzada and Suleman Dawood were killed on board the deep-sea vessel, alongside OceanGate Expeditions’ chief executive Stockton Rush and French national Paul-Henri […]

That's according to the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak The Prime Minister has insisted people being brought into new roles in the NHS will be trained and regulated properly as he said the Tories can be trusted with the health service. The Government has published its plan for a massive shake-up in how the NHS recruits and retains staff, promising thousands more workers, some of whom will train on the job. […]

Public confidence in the justice system is at risk of being undermined by the courts and tribunals service amid delays to key reforms, MPs have warned in a scathing report. The agency has almost “burnt through” its entire budget to deliver a programme that is just over halfway complete, chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Dame Meg Hillier said. Many of the issues relate to the introduction of His […]

The much-anticipated NHS workforce plan has been described as a beacon of hope to staff working on the frontline. But others have said the document is the “latest attempt to fill a leaky bucket”. NHS Confederation said that the “comprehensive” document will “go a long way to addressing the NHS’s workforce challenges”. Others have also welcomed the plan but have said that the “details will be crucial”. Government and NHS […]

Ben Duckett fell an agonising two runs short of an Ashes century as England took the fight back to Australia in the second Test at Lord’s. England had been a shadow of themselves on day one but rallied impressively with bat and ball before being dragged into a costly a short-ball battle during a gripping final session. The hosts took five for 77 in the morning session to dismiss Australia […]