Passport workers go on strike

28 July 2014 Last updated at 09:05

Thousands of passport workers have gone on strike in a dispute over staff numbers and pay.

The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) said the action was a "bid to end staffing shortages that have caused the ongoing backlog crisis".

Home Office figures suggest about 360,000 passport applications are currently being processed - but it is not clear how many are overdue.

The Home Office warned the PCS action could jeopardise people's holidays.

The 24-hour strike will continue until midnight.

BBC News correspondent Richard Lister said the Passport Office had "struggled to cope with an unprecedented number of applications" this year.

"With the summer holiday season now well under way the agency is still under enormous pressure to keep up with demand," he said.

In June the Home Office redeployed hundreds of staff to deal with a growing backlog of applications, amid reports of people waiting up to two months for passports that are meant to be processed within three weeks.

'Sticking plasters'

The government has said the number of full-time equivalent staff at the Passport Office fell from 3,700 at the end of 2010 to 3,164 two years later, but then rose to 3,333 by the end of 2013.

The Home Office estimates that around 170,000 passports are processed per week.

PCS said the office had "cut hundreds of staff since 2010" and only agreed to "seriously discuss jobs after recent media and political scrutiny".

It said there had been talks in recent weeks but senior Passport Office staff were "still failing to commit to work with the union to agree a long-term solution to understaffing, instead of the sticking plasters they are currently applying".

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "We are still a long way off getting a commitment from the agency that it will work with us to put the proper resources in place to ensure these backlogs do not reoccur year after year."

The union is also in dispute with the government over pay, claiming Passport Office workers can be paid up to £3,000 less than people doing "similar work" in other parts of the Home Office.

"The agency appears to have accepted the argument over pay but would still have to put a business case to the Treasury for funds," PCS said.

The "threat of more privatisation" is also part of the dispute, the union added.

The spokeswoman said service counters will remain open today.

Meanwhile, the Home Office said holding a strike at this stage was "irresponsible" and would inconvenience passport applicants and "jeopardise their holidays".

"We strongly urge PCS to reconsider this action which is not in the interests of staff or the general public they are dedicated to serving," a spokeswoman said.

Backlog 'falling'

"HM Passport Office staff know how important it is to hard-working people and their families to receive their passports in time for their summer holidays. They have shown this through their hard work and commitment during this exceptional period of high demand."

Appearing before a committee of MPs earlier this month, Passport Office chief executive Paul Pugh said 170,000 passports were being issued each week, and he expected that to rise to about 180,000 a week "over the summer".

Speaking on 8 July, he said the number of passports classed as "work in progress" had totalled 508,000 the previous week, but that the number was falling.

On Sunday the Home Office said the latest figure was 360,000, but it did not say how many had taken longer than the standard three weeks.

It said the backlog was falling, but the PCS strike could put holidays at risk for people who were waiting for passports.

It added that customer service counters would remain open at passport offices.

Are you waiting for a passport to be issued? Are you concerned about your passport application? Send us your comments. You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'passport strike'.

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RAC urges parking funds transparency

28 July 2014 Last updated at 00:05

Councils should show where they are spending revenues from parking charges, according to the RAC motoring group.

Four people in five surveyed by the motoring group said parking charges had increased in towns and cities.

But two thirds of 1,525 people surveyed thought there had been a reduction in available parking near the centre of their town or city, the research found.

The Local Government Association said the report did not reflect "the reality of parking in our communities".

But RAC technical director David Bizley said: "We need transparency. Councils should be compelled to report where the money raised from parking goes - giving drivers assurance that it is being ploughed back into road and transport improvements, rather than just plugging budget holes elsewhere."

Too small

Of the drivers surveyed, 41% "were suspicious about what parking fees are used for", he said.

The poll also found that 65% of motorists reported that even when they finally found a parking space, it was too small for today's breed of cars - many of which are wider than previous generations of vehicle because of the addition of side-impact protection features.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: "This report is not a true reflection of the reality of parking in our communities."

"Councils remain on the side of hard-pressed motorists by keeping a lid on parking charges which are only set to rise with inflation this year.

"On-street parking revenue is spent on paying for parking services. Any surplus is spent on essential transport projects, such as tackling the £12bn roads repair backlog and creating new parking spaces."

Many councils already published annual parking reports, he added.

Communities minister Penny Mordaunt said: "Excessive parking charges and unfair parking fines push up the cost of living and undermine local high streets and shopping parades."

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Government 'turns back' on victims

28 July 2014 Last updated at 05:47

Ministers are "turning their backs" on victims of domestic violence, Labour's Yvette Cooper will say later.

The shadow home secretary will point to "deeply worrying" data suggesting more frequent use of "community resolutions" to handle domestic violence cases.

Ms Cooper will repeat Labour's promise to ban the use of the resolutions - which can include apologies or compensation - for domestic violence.

The Home Office said using these for serious crimes was "not acceptable".

Data compiled by Labour from 15 police forces showed there were 3,305 uses of community resolutions for domestic violence in 2013 - up from 1,337 in 2009.

Community resolutions are used by police to resolve low-level or minor offences through "informal agreement between the parties involved", instead of through the court system.

They are aimed at first-time offenders and can be used where there has been an admission of guilt and after the victim's views have been taken into account.

Advice from the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) suggests the method is suitable for crimes such as criminal damage, minor theft and anti-social behaviour.

'Harder to escape'

In a speech in Birmingham to mark Labour's summer campaign, Ms Cooper will say community resolutions can be "very effective", but will say they should not "be used for violent offences, and especially not for domestic violence".

She will accuse the government, saying it "just doesn't take violence against women seriously".

"Domestic violence is an incredibly serious crime. Two women a week are killed by their partner or an ex and 750,000 children will grow up witnessing domestic violence.

"For the police to simply take a violent abuser home to apologise risks making domestic violence worse and makes it even harder for victims to escape a cycle of abuse," she will say.

"That is why Labour is committed to banning their use for domestic and sexual violence."

'Full weight of the law'

A Home Office spokeswoman said a review had already been conducted into the inappropriate use of community resolutions.

She also said every police force in England and Wales had been written to by Home Secretary Theresa May instructing them to produce a domestic violence action plan.

"It is not acceptable for the police to use out-of-court settlements for serious criminality and that is why the government is already reviewing how they are used," the spokeswoman said.

The Home Office is yet to respond to a consultation on the use of out-of-court disposals, which ended in January.

Sandra Horley, chief executive of national domestic violence charity Refuge, said the figures on community resolutions were "deeply disturbing".

"These types of remedies may be effective for some crimes - but domestic violence is not one of them," she said.

"When women make the extraordinarily brave step of reporting their partners to the police, they must feel confident that they have the full weight of the law behind them."

Hilary Fisher, of the charity Women's Aid, said: "Women tend not to call and ask for help until they've experienced violence for over five times, sometimes up to 30 times."

She said weak punishments would not deter these serial perpetrators who would think "if the police don't take it seriously why should I?"

Have you been a victim of domestic violence? Send us your comments. You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line 'Domestic violence.'

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Bidding starts for fracking licences

28 July 2014 Last updated at 08:36

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The BBC's David Shukman explains how fracking works

The bidding process for licences to extract shale gas - using the controversial process fracking - will begin later on Monday.

About half the UK is open to exploration, but tightened rules cover areas of outstanding beauty.

Companies granted a licence to begin test drilling will also need planning permission and environmental permits.

The coalition sees shale gas as a major potential energy source. Critics of fracking warn of environmental dangers.

In announcing the so-called 14th onshore licensing round, Business and Energy Minister Matthew Hancock said: "Unlocking shale gas in Britain has the potential to provide us with greater energy security, jobs and growth."

"We must act carefully, minimising risks, to explore how much of our large resource can be recovered to give the UK a new home-grown source of energy."

It is the first time in six years firms have had the opportunity to secure new licences.

Drill down

Robert Gatliff, Science Editor at the British Geological Survey told the BBC it would still be some time before full scale drilling would start.

"The first stage, you'd review all the data you've got. Then you'd want to drill one or two exploration holes and then take samples of the shale and see exactly what the content is and see which have got the most in and which bits are likely to fracture best to get the most oil out."

He said that although surveys suggest there is between 820 and 2000 trillion cubic feet of gas embedded under the UK, "there's no way we'd get all that out".

"If you look at what happens in the US, and that's where you've got to look because that's where they've drilled thousands of holes, they're not getting more than 5%."

"In Britain we're so crowded and we've got these beautiful areas, that reduces the amount we can get out as well."

Demonstrations

About half the UK is open for licensing, including parts of National Parks. But applications there will only be accepted in "exceptional circumstances and in the public interest", said the government. The same rules apply for the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites.

"Proposals for such development must recognise the importance of these sites," Communities Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon said.

The licences are likely to prove controversial, as there is a great deal of public opposition to fracking, which involves blasting water, chemicals and sand at high pressure into shale rock formations to release the gas held inside.

Angry demonstrations took place in the West Sussex town of Balcombe last summer as more than 1,000 people protested at a test site operated by energy company Cuadrilla.

Test drilling has also taken place in Lancashire.

Critics of fracking argue that it can lead to earth tremors, water contamination and disruption to rural communities. There are also concerns about methane leakage and diverting resources away from renewable energy.

The industry itself rejects these criticisms, arguing that, if regulated properly, fracking is a safe way to unlock huge resources of gas, which is a cleaner source of energy than coal.

Access rights

The government is keen to promote fracking in the UK, and has already announced a number of incentives to help kick-start the industry, including tax breaks, payments of £100,000 per site plus a 1% share of revenue to local communities.

It argues that shale gas could be an important bridge to help secure energy supplies until renewable energy capacity is increased.

Others argue that while it may be cleaner than coal, it is still a hydrocarbon that emits CO2 linked to global warming.

In the US, shale gas has seen energy costs tumble, but questions remain about whether the American shale revolution can be replicated in the UK and elsewhere.

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Rain, hail and lightning cause chaos

28 July 2014 Last updated at 09:28

Lightning strikes, hail, torrential rain and flash flooding have caused major travel problems across Sussex.

Flooding has caused problems on both the A270 Old Shoreham Road at Portslade and also on Church Road in Hove which is reported to be closed.

Buses have been suspended in Portslade, Southwick and Mile Oak.

Electrical supply problems caused by a lightning strike have also led to disruption on Southern railways, with services subject to delays.

Services between Brighton, Hove and Shoreham-by-Sea are affected, but replacement buses are currently unable to operate in the area due to the high volume of water on the roads.

The lightning hit an electricity sub-station, causing power to the coastal rail route to be cut, although the main line to London was running normally, according to a Network Rail spokeswoman.

Local residents said the storm started at 05.30 BST, leading to torrential rain.

Writing on Twitter Laurence Hill wrote: "Used to be roads. Now rivers of hail. Never seen anything like it."

Brighton and Hove Police posted: "Localised flooding in Hove and Portslade, some roads not passable. Please do not enter flood water on foot or in cars."

PC Andy Huggett, of Sussex Police, said: "Heavy rain after a long warm spell invariably leads to slippery roads and drivers need to immediately adjust to the new conditions.

"Along with the surface conditions, there are the added hazards of very heavy rain, flash flooding and poor visibility and it is essential that drivers make allowances."

He added that drivers who encounter flooding should "slow down and don't go into the water unless you are absolutely sure that it is not too deep for your vehicle and that includes 4x4s".

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Substance find prompts evacuation

26 July 2014 Last updated at 22:46

More than 200 residents have been evacuated from homes in south Derbyshire after the discovery of what police called a "potentially volatile substance" in a flat.

Derbyshire Constabulary said people living within 100m of Belvoir Crescent in Newhall had been moved to temporary accommodation.

Supt Paul Markham said the substance was discovered at a flat during a search of the premises.

A 55-year-old man has been arrested.

Mr Markham said: "We are not looking for anyone else in connection with this matter and we are hoping that people will not be inconvenienced for too long.

"The evacuation is purely a precaution to ensure everybody's safety and residents will be allowed back home as soon as possible."

Do you live in the area? Have you been evacuated? Send us your comments. You can email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line Newhall'.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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'Biggest weekend in Glasgow history'

27 July 2014 Last updated at 01:11

Glasgow is preparing for the second part of what is being described as the biggest spectator weekend in its history as it prepares to welcome the Commonwealth Games marathon.

Organisers say 350,000 tickets tickets for this weekend - not including free events like the marathon - were sold.

Glasgow 2014 chief executive David Grevemberg said: "It will be one of the busiest weekends in its history.

"Just tomorrow, we have well over 180,000 tickets out there."

About 280,000 people were expected in the city on Saturday as events took place at eight different venues, as well as the Barry Buddon Shooting Centre in Carnoustie.

Mr Grevemberg predicted that Sunday could be even busier on marathon day.

"It is going to be absolutely huge," he said. "In the streets and with all the Festival 2014 activity at Glasgow Green and Kelvingrove Park and marathon, it is going to be absolutely buzzing."

There were reports of delays on Saturday at the park and ride facility at Eurocentral, one of the sites being used by thousands of spectators, with people venting their anger on social media as they were waiting for special buses.

Mr Grevemberg, though, said that the overwhelming response from the public was positive but warned the public to be especially aware of travel disruption resulting from the marathon being run in the south side of the city.

"What we've said all along is plan, plan, plan," he said. "Listen to all the public broadcasting and all the messages about transportation and arrive at venues early to get through the security checks."

Mr Grevemberg stressed that the public should check the various information lines and websites for details of how routes will be changed to cater for the marathon.

"Between early morning and mid-afternoon, people really need to pay attention to the marathon route and where that may impact their travel," he said.

Day four highlights at the Games

• Marathon: Glasgow's marathon route involves two laps through Merchant City, George Square and Buchanan Street as well as Bellahouston and Pollok Park, crossing the River Clyde four times.
• Athletics, Hampden Park: It is day one of the athletics, with gold medals in the men's 5,000m, without injury absentee Mo Farah, and women's para-sport long jump to be won, while the 100m heats begin.
• Rugby Sevens, Ibrox Stadium: England, Scotland and Wales are in the quarter-finals, with the semi-finals and final to follow.
• Swimming: Finals will be held in men's 100m free, 50m back and 4x200m free relay, women's 200m back, 50m fly, 200m medley and para-sport 100m SB9 breaststroke.
• Cycling: Medals will be given after the finals of the men's keirin and scratch race, women's sprint, points race and para-sport 1,000m time trial B tandem.
• Lawn bowls, Kelvingrove: Gold will be decided in women's singles and fours.
• Table tennis: The women's team event will be concluded.
• Weightlifting: Women's 63kg and men's 77kg medals will be decided.
• Shooting, Carnoustie: Medals will be decided in men's and women's double trap events.

Are you taking part in the celebrations this weekend? Email us at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk adding 'Commonwealth Games celebrations' in the subject heading and including your contact details.

Send your pictures and videos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk or text them to 61124 (UK) or +44 7624 800 100 (International). If you have a large file you can upload here.

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Strip Russia of World Cup - Clegg

27 July 2014 Last updated at 02:08

Russia should lose the right to host the 2018 World Cup as part of tougher sanctions following the plane crash in eastern Ukraine, Nick Clegg has said.

The UK deputy prime minister told the Sunday Times it was "unthinkable" that Russia should host the football event.

Pro-Russian separatist rebels have been accused of shooting down the Malaysia Airlines jet. Russia has suggested it could have been the Ukraine military.

World football governing body Fifa has rejected calls to change the 2018 host.

Responding this week after some German politicians called for Russia to be boycotted, Fifa said the 2018 tournament could be a "force for good".

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was on its way from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it crashed in eastern Ukraine on 17 July, killing all 298 people on board.

Western nations have accused Russia of arming rebels who allegedly shot down the plane, which Moscow denies.

On Friday the EU extended its sanctions list targeting Russians linked to the separatist uprising, taking the number of individuals and entities subject to asset freezes and travel bans past 100.

World status

Mr Clegg said a package of measures was needed to put pressure on Russia, but the threat of withdrawing the World Cup would be "a very potent political and symbolic sanction".

"If there's one thing that Vladimir Putin cares about, as far as I can see, it's his sense of status," he said.

"Maybe reminding him that you can't retain the same status in the world if you ignore the rest of the world, maybe that will have some effect on his thinking."

Mr Clegg said world leaders would look "so weak and so insincere" if the World Cup was allowed to go ahead in Russia without a change of course from President Putin.

"Vladimir Putin himself has to understand that he can't have his cake and eat it," the Liberal Democrat leader said.

'Ugly aggression'

"He can't constantly... push the patience of the international community beyond breaking point, destabilise a neighbouring country, protect these armed separatists in the east of Ukraine and still have the privilege and honour of receiving all the accolades in 2018 for being the host nation of the World Cup."

He added: "You can't have this - the beautiful game marred by the ugly aggression of Russia on the Russian-Ukrainian border."

Mr Clegg also said Russia should not host a Grand Prix in October, but Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has said it will go ahead as planned.

Mr Clegg did not rule out the UK as a potential alternative host for 2018 - saying the country had the required stadiums, infrastructure and "enthusiasm".

But he said his call was not a "British land grab to snatch the World Cup from under Vladimir Putin's nose".

BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins said there was "no indication yet that the prime minister will echo Mr Clegg's call".

But the comments were "another example of increasingly strident diplomatic language, as Britain demands the Russian government use its influence to secure unfettered access for investigators to the wreckage of flight MH17", our correspondent said.

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Didcot power station towers blown up

27 July 2014 Last updated at 09:08

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Janine Machin: "40 years of history came to an end in a cloud of dust"

Three enormous cooling towers at the disused Didcot A Power Station in Oxfordshire have been demolished.

The blast, conducted with more than 180kg of explosives, flattened 36,000 tonnes of material in seconds and was streamed live online.

Hundreds of people gathered to watch the towers come down at 05:01 BST, despite warnings of a huge dust cloud.

The decision to carry out the demolition before sunrise was criticised by some residents.

The coal-fired power station ceased generating in March last year after dominating the skyline around the town since 1970.

Mark Coleman, managing director of demolition firm Coleman and Company, tweeted: #DidcotDemolition well done to all involved. A professional textbook job. Thank you to all the locals. I hope you enjoyed it #teamwork

Many people camped out all night or got up early to watch the towers come down online, while #DidcotDemolition quickly became a trending topic on Twitter.

Gilliam Miles said: "Up at 2am and watched it from Ladygrove with hundreds of others - emotional moment. Will miss them."

Tina Banham said: "They went down so quickly - we were watching a water vole whilst waiting in Appleford, heard the explosion and they seemed to be down in seconds. Could have missed it had explosion not been so loud."

Stuart Kerry added: "I saw them being built when I was young and now have seen them come down via the internet live here in the USA."

Last year's Great British Bake Off quarter-finalist, and Didcot resident, Christine Wallace had made her own edible tribute to the towers before she watched them crumble.

She told BBC Radio Oxford: "My heart was thumping, all our hearts were thumping, just waiting to see what was going to happen.

"But then, in a second, what was there in front of us was no more. It was very moving actually."

Spectators had been advised to stay away from the "difficult to access" site and watch the event online instead.

At the scene: Katharine Da Costa - BBC Oxford

Spectators had started arriving at 22:00 on Saturday and many had been up all night by the time the towers came down.

Renditions of The Final Countdown rang out from the crowd as the anticipation grew.

After dominating the skyline for more than 40 years - the towers were reduced to rubble in under 10 seconds.

There were cheers and applause as many captured the historic moment on mobile phones and cameras.

Some witnesses said it was worth the wait and they were sad to see them go - others however felt the whole thing was a bit of an anti-climax.

For those determined to witness the event, Earth Trust opened its car park at Wittenham Clumps, while First Great Western also offered free parking at its Foxhall Road car park.

Residents wanting the explosion to take place in the daylight "for everyone to see" had set up a Facebook page and petition, which received more than 3,000 signatures.

But Guy Esnouf, NPower's director of communications, said experts including the Health and Safety Executive, Thames Valley Police and Network Rail had advised an early time.

He said: "We had 180kg of high explosives. That is an awful lot and you clearly don't want people and explosives near together. Safety has to come first."

Following the explosion, a clean up operation has started to clear the area of dust, including the nearby railway line.

The demolition firm said roads and the railway were clear by 07:00.

Homes and gardens being covered in dust had caused concern among some local residents living in nearby Foxhall Manor Park.

But Kieran Conarty from Coleman and Company said there would be "a series of jet washes to clean footpaths, buildings, roofs".

"Behind that there will be a series of road sweepers and behind that will be a series of operatives literally picking up the pieces."

Didcot A : Form and aesthetics

• The 2000 MW coal-fired power station (now also gas-fired and biomass fuelled) was constructed between 1965 and 1974

• The towers stood at 375 ft (114m)

• Each tower was designed to cool 9 million gallons of water per hour

• The consultant architect was Frederick Gibberd, who also designed Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral

• Gibberd designed a scheme that would maintain the wide views across the Vale of the White Horse

• As the site was in a flat valley, Gibberd devised "earth hedges" to screen the coal yard from the main railway and security fence

Source: English Heritage

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Ed Miliband calls for public PMQs

27 July 2014 Last updated at 09:10

The public should have their own version of Prime Minister's Questions, Labour leader Ed Miliband has said.

He told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he was preparing a formal proposal calling for voters to be allowed to question the prime minister in the Palace of Westminster after PMQs on Wednesdays.

Mr Miliband said it would bridge the "mile-wide" gulf between what people want and what they get from PMQs.

Asked if the idea was a gimmick, Mr Miliband said: "No, it's serious."

It is not clear how the questions would be selected or whether other party leaders would agree to the idea.

Inches of glass

Speaking on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, Mr Miliband said he wanted to "let the public in to our politics" and promised he would not pack a potential audience with his own supporters.

"I think what we need is a public question time where regularly the prime minister submits himself or herself to questioning from members of the public in the Palace of Westminster on Wednesdays," he said.

"At the moment there are a few inches of glass that separates the public in the gallery from the House of Commons but there is a gulf a mile wide between the kind of politics people want and what Prime Minister's Questions offers.

He went on: "We'll see how often we do it. We definitely want to do it regularly and I want to make a formal proposal to the Speaker of the House of Commons."

Mr Miliband said he wanted to "find ways to change our political culture".

"It's not just about putting the photo opportunity first," he stressed.

Analysis

By Adam Fleming, political correspondent

Nick Clegg does it on the radio. David Cameron prefers it in a factory. And Ed Miliband will do it wherever. Politicians quite enjoy being grilled by ordinary voters. Yes there's a risk they might get egged or - worse - pelted with an embarrassing question, but it makes them look human and cuts out the cynical media man - ie me.

The Labour leader's proposal of a Prime Minister's Questions for the public in parliament - PPMQs anyone? - is pretty revolutionary. But I think the idea of punters on the green benches is too much for the hidebound world of Westminster. More likely is a Q&A in a committee room or in Westminster Hall, the lesser-known sister chamber of the Commons.

And who would get to do the asking? How would you get a seat? How would you ensure the audience was balanced and not packed with cronies? Mr Miliband's idea raises a lot of, well, questions.

Asked about his effort in a speech two days ago to confront a perceived image problem, Mr Miliband said: "I wanted to say to the public I'm not just going to compete on the terms you're used to.

"I'm competing on terms that are different and I actually think are more important to you and to your life."

He said Labour would put forward policies on issues such as rent and housing, the minimum wage and abuse of zero-hours contracts at the next election.

"I happen to think that's more important than if I look good eating a bacon sandwich," he said.

Obama meeting

Mr Miliband defended a recent short meeting with US President Barack Obama at the White House, which critics dismissed as a photo opportunity.

He said they had discussed important issues such as climate change and inequality.

"If we think about those questions, the solutions go through the United States.

"As someone who wants to be the prime minister... I think that to engage with the United States is a totally sensible thing."

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