| 'I sleep with bed bugs for a living' There are fears an infestation of bed bugs could be about the arrive in the UK in huge numbers. The BBC's Richard Westcott meets bed bug experts David Cain and Sparks Johnstone. bbc.co.uk |
UK border control staff go on strike Passengers arriving at Britain's airports and seaports may face delays until Friday due to strike action by UK Border Agency (UKBA) staff. telegraph.co.uk |
Spending review: hundreds of jobs at the Treasury are at risk Government offices may be sub-let as George Osborne pledges to cut spending by a third in his departmentHundreds of jobs inside George Osborne's Treasury are at risk as a result of the pledges made by his department to cut spending by a third.It acknowledged that its headcount, which currently stands at 1,350, would have to fall to achieve the savings and it may also cut costs by sub-letting space in its offices overlooking St James's Park in central London.Early indications were that the Cabinet Office could make the move across Whitehall to any vacant Treasury space as the government attempted to make "more efficient use of the Treasury estate".The number of jobs facing the axe was unclear tonight and a Treasury spokesman said the scale of the cutbacks would be determined after a review had been completed. Justine Greening, economic secretary to the Treasury, said: "The government is acting decisively to reduce the structural deficit. As such it is right that the Treasury leads the way."To reduce costs, the Treasury will set up a new system to collect public data across each department. It will also halt any new funding for the infrastructure finance unit, which was set up in March 2009 as a way to get loans for private finance initiative (PFI) projects that were being deprived of backing because of the banking crisis.Vince Cable's Department for Business Innovation & Skills has agreed to make cuts of 25%, although this masks the extent of the cuts to higher education which is being hit by 40% by 2014-15. As a result, the higher education budget will fall from £7.1bn to £4.2bn,Bis was the first department to begin a voluntary redundancy programme soon after the coalition was formed and Cable said the decisions taken had been "hard but they are necessary"."I am not going to say that any of these cuts are going to be easy and many people are going to feel the consequences, but without action all of us, for years to come, would pay the price."Bis is cutting back on some activity, such as Train to Gain, a move welcomed by Mike Rowley, head of education at consultants KPMG. "One welcome announcement was the shift from 'Train to Gain' to the focus on adult apprenticeships which we believe will make a greater contribution to the skills we need for a competitive economy. The success of this depends upon the private sector being able to take on 75,000 new apprenticeships a year and in the current economic climate it remains to be seen whether this will happen," Rowley said.Cable, who has described Bis as the department for growth, regards a stable £4.6bn budget for scientific research as one of his victories, and a £250m a year budget for 75,000 adult apprenticeships.Some £228m will be saved in administration costs – which must fall by 40% – as a result of the abolition of regional development agencies.Spending review 2010Civil serviceVince CableBudget deficitEconomicsJill Treanorguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Man jailed for shooting ex-wife A millionaire is jailed for at least 12-and-a-half years for trying to kill his ex-wife in north London, fearing she would claim his fortune. bbc.co.uk |
No united front at the Royal Mail | Roy Mayall The thought of striking managers caused hilarity in the posties' smoking shed this morning. The thought of privatisation didn'tUnite, the trade union for Royal Mail managers, is balloting its members over the threat of compulsory redundancies. Up to 1,500 jobs are at risk.This was the subject of a great deal of hilarity in the smoking shed at work this morning.What would happen if Unite went on strike, I asked?"I'd laugh," said Dennis. "I'd come into work and I'd fuckin' laugh.""Let 'em," said Les. "I won't be going on strike for them, that's for sure. They came into work and broke our strike.""Yes," said Jerry, "they cheerfully took their bonuses and implemented all that shit. They can go whistle.""Compulsory redundancies?" said Dave. "It's because there's too many of 'em, that's why. They're right to be shifting managers out. Sometimes there's half a dozen of 'em in there, wandering about doing sweet FA."There's not a lot of sympathy for the managers.Meanwhile, the second reading of the postal services bill is going through the House of Commons this afternoon. This includes provision for the sale of up to 90% of the company to a private company. The other 10% is to be given away in share options to the workforce."It's a bribe," said Dave. "It's so we'll go along with privatisation."The bill provides for the transfer of the pensions deficit – currently estimated at around £8.4bn – to the government.Now this is odd as it's the pensions deficit that is usually cited as the cause of the Royal Mail's financial difficulties and therefore the reason it needs to be privatised. Once the deficit is transferred the company is in a relatively healthy state.This is despite the fact that the Royal Mail is being made to subsidise its rivals through a process known as "downstream access". What this means is that private companies are able to bid for the lucrative bulk mail contracts, such as for utilities and banks, and then demand that the Royal Mail deliver it for them.The bill also provides for the transfer of regulatory powers from Postcomm to Ofcom. Postcomm is the independent regulator that stops the Royal Mail lowering its prices and undercutting its rivals. Change the regulator, allow the Royal Mail to charge market prices for its products, and the company would soon beat its rivals into submission. There would be no need to privatise.Currently the Royal Mail is a regulated semi-monopoly. It has an almost complete monopoly in delivery, and is still the dominant company in all other areas of the trade. The only reason that rival companies even exist is because of regulation. Take this away, privatise it, and you will replace a publicly owned monopoly with a private one.The prospect of having to work for a company such as TNT, which has already embarked on a massive restructuring of its workforce, involving flexible contracts and franchises, was the subject of much worried speculation in the smoking shed."What happens with our contracts?" asked Beth."They'll make us all redundant and then we'll have to reapply for our jobs," said Les."They want a part-time workforce," said Dennis. "Full-time is a dirty word."In June, the government was talking about transforming the Royal Mail into a "John Lewis-style partnership" while keeping the Post Office in public hands. Now it's the Post Office that will become a partnership, while the Royal Mail is to be sold off completely.Everyone was wondering what had changed."They're trying to run the business down so they can sell it off cheap," said Les."It's all jiggery-pokery, ducking and diving, like the old barrow boys," said Dennis. "Sure they're suited and booted barrow boys, but they're still just barrow boys."Royal MailPostal serviceJob lossesTrade unionsPrivatisationRoy Mayallguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |