Category: News Story

STORY

The Council of the European Union has approved a further payment of nearly €2.8 billion to Ukraine under the EU’s Ukraine Facility. The money will be released after the Council concluded that Ukraine had completed a series of required reform and investment steps linked to the seventh instalment of support.

The Council said Ukraine had completed eleven of the twenty steps required for the seventh payment, as well as several outstanding steps linked to earlier instalments. It also said Kyiv had completed some measures earlier than required under the Ukraine Plan, allowing it to receive compensation under a new methodology adopted by the Commission.

The Ukraine Facility provides more than €50 billion in stable financing for recovery, reconstruction and modernisation between 2024 and 2027. Payments are tied to reforms in areas including public financial management, the judiciary, anti-corruption work, financial markets, public assets, energy, transport, the green transition and digital transformation.

STORY

The European Commission has fined Temu €200 million after finding that the online marketplace failed to properly assess and reduce the risks of illegal products being sold to consumers in the European Union. The decision was made under the Digital Services Act, which gives Brussels direct supervisory powers over the largest online platforms operating in the bloc.

The Commission said evidence gathered during its investigation indicated that EU consumers were very likely to encounter illegal items on Temu. It said the company’s 2024 risk assessment relied too heavily on general information about the e-commerce sector, rather than specific evidence about its own platform, including public reports and product testing.

Officials said mystery shopping exercises found serious problems with some chargers and baby toys, including failed safety tests, chemical risks and suffocation hazards. Temu has been given until late August to produce an action plan, while Brussels is continuing wider scrutiny of the platform’s design, recommender systems and product promotion arrangements.

STORY

A £41 million council-led redevelopment of a former Debenhams store in Carmarthen has faced a setback after structural issues led to extra costs and delays.

The Atriwm project will convert the former St Catherine’s Walk department store into a leisure and public services hub, including a 24-hour gym, children’s play centre, electric go-karting, an obstacle course, indoor golf, a council customer service hub and a visitor information outlet. The scheme is funded by the UK and Welsh Governments, which are contributing £28.2 million, alongside £12.8 million from Carmarthenshire County Council.

The council said it was continuing to assess the issues and that a position update would be provided once the necessary information had been gathered. The development is expected to open in 2027, while traffic management on St Catherine’s Street is likely to remain in place until autumn.

STORY

Harborough District Council has launched Working Wonders, a scheme designed to connect local secondary schools directly with employers, businesses and entrepreneurs.

The council is seeking volunteers from a wide range of careers to join a database that schools can use for careers talks, mock interviews, mentoring, CV workshops and workplace visits. The authority said the aim was to give pupils real-world insight into employment and future opportunities.

Councillor Phil King, the council’s deputy leader and portfolio holder for finance, business and tourism, said the project showed the positive difference that could be made when employers and organisations worked together to support the next generation. The project was championed by the HDC Youth Council and launched at the Market Harborough Chamber of Commerce on 27 May.

STORY

Hounslow Council has appointed Councillor Ranjit Gill as Mayor of Hounslow for the 2026–27 civic year, with Councillor Sahibaa Hussain serving as Deputy Mayor.

Gill, who has lived in the borough for more than 40 years, was first elected for Chiswick Gunnersbury ward in 2018 and now represents Osterley and Spring Grove following the May 2026 local elections. The council said he had served on a range of committees and panels, including audit and governance, licensing, housing and environment scrutiny and the pension board.

The new mayor has chosen Age UK Hounslow’s dementia services as his charity for the year. The largely ceremonial role will involve representing the council at civic events, supporting community organisations and acting as an ambassador for the borough.

STORY

Oldham Council could face additional costs if councillors are unable to resolve a political stalemate over who should run the authority following the 2026 local elections.

Local democracy reporting has suggested that previous cases involving divided councils point to potential legal costs and commissioner fees if a deadlock cannot be broken. The situation in Oldham follows Labour losing eight seats, with Reform UK becoming the second largest group, two councillors behind Labour on 16 seats.

The dispute has placed the council’s governance arrangements under pressure at the start of the municipal year. The issue is likely to increase scrutiny of whether parties can reach a working agreement or whether the authority risks a more prolonged period of instability.

STORY

A third member of Bedford Borough Council’s executive cabinet has resigned in a week, with Councillor Sarah Gallagher saying she could no longer serve in an executive where she believed “unethical and corrupt behaviour” was being tolerated.

Gallagher, Conservative councillor for Shortstown and former portfolio holder for customer experience, leisure and culture, criticised the way informal cabinet meetings were being used. In her resignation letter to Mayor Tom Wootton, she claimed decisions were sometimes made and later changed without all cabinet members knowing.

The resignation follows the departures of Councillor Robert Rigby and Councillor Phillippa Martin-Moran-Bryant from the cabinet earlier this month. Gallagher said it had been a real honour to work for residents and highlighted improvements to leisure centres and the appointment of GLL as achievements during her time in the role.

STORY

North Yorkshire Council has brought in financial investigators to examine its loss-making housing company Brierley Homes, after councillors were told that the company had appointed Veritau to review decisions made over recent years.

The council’s executive committee heard that Brierley Homes had reported a £7.5 million loss for 2025/26, despite earlier forecasts suggesting a profit of around £700,000. The poor performance has been attributed to lower than expected income from sales, increased costs, delays in completing homes and higher overheads and interest costs.

Councillor Mark Crane, the executive member for open to business, told councillors that the authority was keeping a close eye on the company and said the appointment of a new managing director was a positive step. He added that Veritau would report back to the shareholder board and the executive with any recommendations or findings.

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The Government has opened a competition for an organisation, or group of organisations, to design and deliver a national Muslim War Memorial. The project will receive up to £970,000 and is intended to create a permanent tribute to the contribution made by hundreds of thousands of Muslim soldiers who served alongside Britain and its allies in the First and Second World Wars.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the memorial would recognise those who travelled from across the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian subcontinent to support the war effort. Although there are an estimated 70,000 war memorials across the UK, the Government said this would be the first prominent national tribute specifically dedicated to Muslim soldiers who fought and died for Britain.

Nesil Caliskan, the Minister for Faith and Communities, said the contribution of Muslim soldiers had been “in the shadows for too long” and that the memorial would help preserve their role in national memory. The successful applicant will also be expected to use the project to support education, public awareness and interfaith dialogue, with applications opening on 10 June and closing on 21 July 2026.

STORY

The Northern Ireland Affairs Committee has published a report on policing and security in Northern Ireland, warning that political and civic support for policing has not been consistent across all communities. The report says support for policing should not come at the expense of accountability or scrutiny, but remains central to recruitment, effective policing, peace and prosperity.

The Committee’s work covers PSNI funding, workforce pressures, the security situation and the relationship between policing and national security. It notes that national security matters remain reserved to the UK Government and Parliament, with formal arrangements for discussions between the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Justice Minister.

The report comes in the 25th anniversary year of the PSNI and argues that this should be used to reinvigorate support for policing and recruitment. Its conclusions point to the continuing sensitivity of policing in Northern Ireland, where security, community confidence and political leadership remain closely connected.