6:52 am, January 3, 2023
Rail strikes: Warning of disruption as passengers return to work after new year
Rail passengers will face fresh travel disruption from Tuesday as tens of thousands of workers take strike action in bitter disputes over pay, jobs and conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) at Network Rail and 14 train operators will stage two 48-hour walkouts from Tuesday and Friday, while drivers in the Aslef union will strike on Thursday.
Passengers, including those returning to work after the festive break, are being warned to expect ‘significant disruption’ as only a limited number of trains will run.
Government urged to act amid warnings of ‘intolerable’ NHS pressures
The government is being warned that pressure on the NHS shows little sign of relenting, as ministers come under increasing pressure to respond to the crisis.
Top medics described the current situation as ‘unbearable’ and ‘intolerable’, as both the prime minister and the health secretary faced calls to address to growing concerns about the state of emergency care in the NHS.
More than a dozen NHS trusts and ambulance services declared critical incidents over the festive period, with officials citing rising flu cases and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic among the factors hitting the health service. But amid concern that the pressure is likely to continue, the British Medical Association (BMA) said that the government’s ‘political choices’ were leading to patients ‘dying unnecessarily’.
Ken Block dies in snowmobile crash
Rally star Ken Block has been killed in a snowmobile accident.
The 55-year-old’s death was confirmed by his rally team Hooligan Racing Division, yesterday. He died after the snowmobile he was riding upended and landed on top of him, Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Utah, USA, said.
Block was a co-founder of DC Shoes and began his rallying career in 2005.
British pair among four killed in helicopter collision in Australia
Two UK citizens who died in a mid-air crash between two helicopters in Australia were a couple on holiday in the country, authorities said.
Queensland Police said the pair, a 57-year-old woman and 65-year-old man, were among four people killed in the incident, which occurred on the Gold Coast of Queensland state on Monday.
A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement: ‘We are supporting the family of two British nationals who died in Australia and are in contact with the local authorities.’
Retail footfall drops by more than a quarter in week after Christmas
Footfall across the UK’s retail destinations dropped by more than a quarter in the week after Christmas compared with the week before, figures show.
Retail expert Springboard said footfall last week was 27.7 per cent lower than the week before, and 19.7 per cent down on the same week in 2019. It was just 7.2 per cent higher than the same week in 2021 when the country was still experiencing the impact of coronavirus restrictions.
However, Springboard said a large part of the difference was due to last week beginning on Christmas Day (Sunday), when footfall is at its lowest, whereas the year before it began on Boxing Day. The end of 2022 saw a spike in footfall on Boxing Day when footfall was 38.8 per cent higher than in 2021.
Grocers set for almost £550m tax reduction from 2023
UK supermarkets and grocers will benefit from an almost £550m tax cut over the next three years, according to new analysis.
It comes after more than half a million retail properties in England and Wales were revalued as part of a shake-up to the business rates system of property taxes.
Analysis of official government data by commercial property advisory firm Altus Group found grocery firms will benefit from a roughly 10 per cent decline in their values as a result of the changes. New rateable values, which will form the basis of business rates bills from April 1 2023 until March 31 2026, will now be based on data from 2021 after criticism from companies, including Tesco, that previous values were out of date.
Low-income households set to receive new cost-of-living payments from spring
Millions of households on low incomes will receive fresh cost-of-living support from this spring, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which has announced further details on the payments schedule.
The next round of support for households was previously unveiled in the autumn statement, building on payments made to more than eight million people in 2022.
The new £900 cash support for over eight million eligible means-tested benefits claimants, including people on Universal Credit, Pension Credit and tax credits, starts in the spring and will go directly to bank accounts in three payments, the DWP said.
Jet2holidays and Kuoni come out on top in Which? holiday provider survey
Holiday firms Jet2holidays and Kuoni have come out joint first in a survey of beach and resort package providers, while eDreams languished at the bottom.
Consumer group Which? said the level of customer service offered by companies made the difference in where they ended up in its annual ratings.
Both Jet2holidays and Kuoni had a customer score of 84 per cent and were awarded Which? Recommended Provider (WRP) status, with the consumer group saying this marker gives customers peace of mind when booking. In comparison, online travel agency eDreams scored 64 per cent overall, getting just two stars from respondents on how well the description of the holidays offered match the reality.
Weather outlook
A band of rain will sweep across the country today affecting all areas, reports BBC Weather. The rain will get heavier in the west in the afternoon.
Tonight another band will push in leaving a wet and windy night for most.
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