Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has visited Mexico to progress two significant post-Brexit deals, remove barriers to business, and grow both UK exports and investment. On a two-day visit to Mexico City she will hold talks with her cabinet counterparts, including Mexico’s Secretary of Economy Raquel Buenrostro, to discuss the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and a new bilateral UK-Mexico deal. The UK is nearing the final stages of talks to join the £9 trillion (GDP) Indo-Pacific trade bloc made up of some of the world’s biggest current and future economies. Joining…
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Thousands of families across England will be offered help and support with issues such as infant feeding, mental health and relationship building thanks to Family Hubs being rolled out in local communities. 75 areas will benefit from the £300 million investment up to 2025, with the new hubs offering support from conception through to age 19, or up to 25 for children with special education needs and disabilities. Strong, supportive families make for more stable communities and happier individuals. Investing in families and making sure they get the support they need from birth through to adulthood helps with children’s educational attainment, wellbeing…
Sahil Zafran is a young Music Artist from Birmingham, who through his melodious voice brings communities together. Sahil who from a young age has been reciting Nasheeds in praising the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and reciting Inspirational songs which have been written by his Father, which have been touching the hearts of his followers. Sahil has recited a lot of sad songs which are dedicated to those people who have lost their loved ones. These videos have been recorded in cemeteries, and in various different locations. Recently Sahil did a video in Turkey and the song called ‘Mere…
44 projects will receive funding as part of wider Government action to protect public health and the environment by improving air quality. Local authorities across England have been granted almost £11 million in the latest round of funding for projects that will improve air quality. The money, from the Government’s annual Air Quality Grant, helps councils develop and implement measures to benefit schools, businesses and communities and reduce the impact of air pollution on people’s health. This year’s grants total £10.7 million, with funding supporting programmes that will educate doctors, nurses and social care workers about air quality; electrify a…
As the world sees the devastation earthquakes caused in Turkey and Syria, claiming thousands of lives, Birmingham’s communities are being urged to support an international appeal to get aid to all. One of the best ways to help is by donating money via trusted charities and aid organisations – it can reach the areas and organisations that need it much quicker than lorries that have to travel thousands of miles to deliver donated goods. Birmingham City Council is recommending that any citizens or council staff who wish to support the aid effort make their donations through the following routes: The…
Exactly six months since the end of the games, Birmingham 2022 and Network Rail have revealed plans for the star of the spectacular opening ceremony to arrive at Britain’s busiest station outside London on a one-way ticket this summer. A photomontage of how the Bull could look when in place under Birmingham New Street’s atrium roof has also been released. Network Rail has worked closely with Birmingham 2022, Birmingham City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority to make New Street the beloved Bull’s permanent home right in the heart of the city centre. While the Raging Bull is having…
A publicly accessible rapid electric vehicle charger has been installed on the Bournville Village Trust (BVT) estate to support sustainable travel. The 50kW charger has been launched at the Shenley Green shops, Shenley Lane, through a partnership between Bournville Village Trust, Birmingham City Council and ESB Energy. The work is part of the Council’s wider strategy to increase the number of charging points across the City and BVT’s work to maintain distinctive, environmentally sustainable places. Arthur Tsang, Director of Communities at BVT, said: “The challenges facing our climate are well documented and residents have shared with us their concerns and…
A report to Cabinet Members notes the previously-confirmed opportunity to access underspend from Games time budgets still exists – and a Legacy Portfolio Team within Birmingham City Council is now required to continue to coordinate and drive forward the city’s ambitions, as set out in both the Corporate Strategy and the council’s own Games Legacy Plan. The Team will act as a central entity and coordinating body to take on responsibility for ensuring delivery to time and budgets. It will not be directly responsible for project delivery but will provide a structure for the oversight and assurance of any legacy projects delivered as…
Courses funded by government teaching skills like chainsaw maintenance, coppicing, woodland management, and marketing and selling timber are available from 4th February. The Forestry Training Fund is for people considering a change of career or those who are seeking to build and diversify their skills in forestry. The UK forestry and primary wood processing sectors support 32,000 jobs and contribute £2 billion to the economy every year, whilst secondary wood processing businesses support a further 60,000 jobs. The government has committed to increasing tree-planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares a year by the end of the Parliament to reach…
Business and Energy Secretary Grant Shapps has given energy bosses a deadline of Tuesday 7th February to report back to him on what remedial action – such as providing compensation – they plan to take should they have wrongfully installed prepayment meters in the homes of vulnerable customers. It comes in the wake of British Gas admitting fault as a result of the Times investigation which showed even those with small children or medical conditions have not been shown forbearance, with reports of debt collectors breaking into homes to install the equipment. But these findings by The Times newspaper follow…