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Jeremy Hunt announces free childcare for kids over nine months old and energy bill support
NEWS JUST IN
Jeremy Hunt has said in his spring Budget that the current energy price guarantee will be extended as well as an expansion for free childcare coverage.
In the lunchtime announcement, the chancellor said the energy price guarantee will be extended for a further three months from April to June at its current level. In doing so, he cancelled the planned £500 hike in average energy bills which was due to come into force next month.
It will see bills for the average household staying at around £2,500, instead of going up to £3,000 as was previously announced.
A planned 12p rise in fuel duty – a tax charged on any petrol, diesel and other fuels used in vehicles or for heating – has also been suspended and the current relief of 5p per litre will be extended for another year
Action on prepayment meters will see an end to the so-called ‘prepayment premium’ from July, something that the Treasury expects will save more than four million households £45 a year on their energy bills.
Mr Hunt also announced further help for parents of preschool-age children with free childcare — which currently covers three and four-year-olds for up to 30 hours per week — to be expanded to include all children over nine months old – for families where all adults are working at least 16 hours.
The chancellor said: “The 30 hours offer will now start from the moment maternity or paternity leave ends. It’s a package worth on average £6,500 every year for a family with a two-year-old child using 35 hours of childcare every week and reduces their childcare costs by nearly 60%.
“As it is such a large reform, we will introduce it in stages to ensure there is enough supply in the market.
“Working parents of two-year-olds will be able to access 15 hours of free care from April 2024, helping around half a million parents. From September 2024, the 15 hours will be extended to all children from nine months up, meaning a total of nearly one million parents will be eligible.”
The move comes in a bid to get more parents back into the workplace and help boost economic growth. Efforts to encourage the over-50s, the long-term sick, disabled, and benefits claimants back into the workplace are also included in the plans.
A newly announced pilot will see the incentive payments of £600 for new childminders rise to £1,200 for those who join through an agency, while funding to nurseries providing free childcare will rise to £288m next year.
On top of that, the government will extend the minimum staff-to-child ratios, which currently stand at 1:4, to 1:5 for two-year-olds in England – however, this change will be ‘optional’.
The eligibility system — used to assess eligibility for sickness benefits, paying parents on Universal Credit childcare support upfront and increasing the amount they can claim by several hundred pounds — will now be axed. This means claimants can continue to receive the payments after they return to employment — a move hoping to encourage people back into work.
Number 10 / Flickr
The chancellor also unveiled a £63m fund to keep public leisure centres and pools going in the face of rising energy prices, as well as £10m assigned over two years to help the voluntary sector play a role in suicide prevention.
Draught beer in pubs will also be taxed less, and from August 1st duty on draught products in pubs will be 11p lower than supermarkets.
£30m was offered up to increase support and housing for veterans, and 12 new Investment Zones were confirmed – with the chancellor calling them ’12 potential Canary Wharfs’ – including one in Greater Manchester – if chosen, these areas will have access to £80m of support.
New Levelling Up Partnerships will have £400m available to areas including Blackburn, Oldham, Rochdale, Redcar and Cleveland, Mansfield, South Tyneside, and Bassetlaw.
News
Oasis announce huge reunion tour as Liam and Noel Gallagher ‘make peace’
The news we’ve all been waiting for!
After years of will-they-won’t-they speculation, Oasis are officially BACK together for a reunion tour.
The Gallagher brothers have put aside their differences in the name of music, making thousands of fans extremely happy in the process.
The band teased the news on their socials over the weekend, posting a video on Sunday morning with today’s date (Tuesday, August 27th) and the time 8am.
And now shows have been announced for multiple dates in the UK and Ireland, with tickets going live this Saturday, August 31st.
The legendary Mancunian rockers will take to the stage next summer, with gigs in Cardiff, London, Edinburgh, Dublin and, of course, Manchester.
15 years after splitting, the band confirmed they would be back for 14 shows, saying: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised”.
The gigs will be Oasis’s ‘only shows in Europe next year’, with tickets on sale this Saturday at 8am in Ireland and 9am in the UK.
The Oasis 2025 tour dates in full:
July
4th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
5th – Cardiff, Principality Stadium
11th – Manchester, Heaton Park
12th – Manchester, Heaton Park
19th – Manchester, Heaton Park
20th – Manchester, Heaton Park
25th – London, Wembley Stadium
26th – London, Wembley Stadium
August
2nd – London, Wembley Stadium
3rd – London, Wembley Stadium
8th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
9th – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium
16th – Dublin, Croke Park
17th – Dublin, Croke Park
You can grab your tickets HERE.
News
Stagecoach hiring over 100 new bus drivers for Bee Network with £31k salaries
Fancy a career change?
Stagecoach Manchester is hiring over 100 new bus drivers to work from its Oldham depot, following the second phase of the Bee Network launch in March.
You can apply for a range of roles, from positions with no experience required to fully qualified bus drivers.
Successful applicants will receive full training as part of the job, and trainees will get paid to train. Then after only 12 months’ service at Stagecoach, drivers can expect to earn up to £16 per hour, which equates to £31.6K per year, before overtime.
As well as that, drivers that already hold a PCV licence may be eligible to receive a £1,200 joining bonus.
Stagecoach
There’s also a host of other benefits available to all Stagecoach employees, like 28 days paid holiday, generous pension and free Stagecoach bus travel for successful applicants and a companion.
Rob Jones, Managing Director at Stagecoach Manchester said: “Expanding our offering in Oldham means we’ll be investing more in the economy and supporting our local community, as well as strengthening our workforce.
“Whether you’re looking for a career change or you’re a fully qualified, experienced bus driver, there’s a role for everyone here in Oldham.
“We’re looking for personable and dedicated drivers who are ready to help us build on the success of the Bee Network and connect the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester with the places and people that are important to them.”
Stagecoach
Phil Cornwall, bus driver at Stagecoach Manchester, said: “I’ve been a driver at Stagecoach for 25 years and I couldn’t recommend it more.
“From the perks to the people to the passengers, it really is a great place to work.”
To apply, head to the Stagecoach website HERE.
Two men have now been charged with murder, following the discovery of a human torso in Kersal Dale.
As well as that, more suspected human remains were also discovered this morning, Monday April 29th, in an alleyway close to the railway lines off Worsley Road, Eccles.
This follows earlier discoveries of human remains over the past three weeks, at Kersal Dale, Blackleach Reservoir and Colliery Wood, all in Salford.
Greater Manchester Police
Michal Jaroslaw Polchowski (25/04/1956) and Marcin Majerkiewicz (10/04/1982) both of Worsley Road, Eccles, have been charged with murder.
They are set to appear at Tameside Magistrates Court this afternoon.
While formal identification is still ongoing, the remains found at Kersal Dale are believed to be of a local man in his 60s. The remains found at the other three locations are still to be tested, but police are confident they belong to the same victim.
ACC Sarah Jackson said: “We have had large numbers of officers, staff and specialists working diligently on this investigation over the last three weeks. It has been very much a large, collective effort, with the victim and family at the heart of it from the outset.
“We have specially trained officers deployed to support the family as they come to terms with this tragic news. They are aware of this morning’s further discovery and will continue to be kept up to date with how we are progressing.
“Despite the charges brought today, our work is far from over.
“The scenes we already have established in Bury and Salford will remain in place for much of this week whilst our searches and enquiries continue. Local officers will continue to patrol the impacted areas to provide reassurance.
“We will continue following every line of enquiry to recover and reunite the victim with his family, bringing a dignified end to this terrible scenario.
“I’d like to thank the communities of Salford and beyond for their cooperation throughout this investigation. I know this incident has come as a shock, and the support we’ve had from those in the area is very much appreciated.”
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