Economy

Reform UK's Ian Cooper is expected to become the next leader of Staffordshire County Council.

The Perrycrofts ward representative was chosen as head of the party's Staffordshire group following a meeting of Reform's newly-elected councillors.

It means he will likely be elected as the authority's leader when a vote takes place at the next full council meeting on 22 May.

Reform won 49 out of 62 seats on the county council during the local elections on 1 May, winning control from the Conservatives who had led the authority since 2009.

Mr Cooper said it was an "honour and a privilege" to be elected as Reform's group's leader.

"The people of Staffordshire have given us a clear mandate for serious change and we fully intend to deliver that," he added.

Councillor Martin Murray, who represents Cannock Chase, was elected as the group's deputy leader at the same meeting.

Reform UK won 41% of the votes in Staffordshire having had no councillors on the authority prior to the recent election.

The Conservatives went from 53 seats to 10, while Labour lost four of its five councillors.

The two remaining seats were won by the Green Party and the Stafford Borough Independents.

A "commercial solution" for British Steel is "within reach" according to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, as the government considers nationalising the Chinese-owned business.

Nandy told the BBC that British Steel – which employs 2,700 people – will "continue to be an important part of our economy for years to come" and an agreement over its future was "achievable and within sight".

The company is at risk of running out of raw materials within weeks, raising fears over whether its blast furnaces which make high grade steel can keep running.

It comes as the steel industry deals with a 25% tariffs on exports to the US, which came into force last month.

A new award has been created to celebrate the life of late Strictly Come Dancing star Robin Windsor.

The professional dancer, from Ipswich, died last year, aged 44. His cause of death has not been given.

The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) and mental health charity Sane – of which Windsor was an ambassador – said the Robin Windsor Award would be given to "an individual whose mental health has been transformed by dance" and who would "benefit from receiving extra mentorship and funding".

The winner will receive a prize of £500 and a dance lesson with a leading dance professional.

Alexander Campbell, Artistic Director of the RAD, said: "In memory of Robin Windsor, the RAD and Sane have launched an award that honours Robin's passion for dance and his dedication to mental health advocacy. 

"Robin believed deeply in the power of movement to heal, uplift and connect. This award seeks to recognise dancers who embody that same spirit."

Marjorie Wallace CBE, Chief Executive of SANE said: "Robin spoke bravely about his struggles, hoping to help others feel less alone. We at SANE are proud to honour his legacy through this new award, in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Dance."

Windsor started his dancing lessons at the Ipswich School of Dance, aged three.

During his time on Strictly, Windsor was partnered with Patsy Kensit, Anita Dobson and Lisa Riley, and won the 2011 Children In Need special with presenter Susanna Reid.

He was also partnered with Alison Hammond and Sara Cox on Strictly Christmas specials and is the only person to have performed on Broadway, the West End and Strictly Come Dancing in the same year.

British Steel is to "ramp up" production and create more than 180 jobs.

The company said the majority of the roles would be based at Scunthorpe, with the rest at the Teesside and Skinningrove plants.

Officials said there would be a "wide variety" of opportunities, including jobs in engineering, cleaning and workplace safety, as well as legal roles.

Plans to make 2,700 workers redundant were scrapped last month after the government took control of the company from its Chinese owner, Jingye.

Allan Bell, the company's interim chief executive, said the new roles would help to "build stronger futures" for British Steel and the UK economy.

"With the backing of the government, we are focused on cementing British Steel as one of the world's leading manufacturers of steel," he said.

"To help achieve this, and meet customer demand, we will be upping production across all our sites and recruiting more than 180 people to help drive us forward."

The BBC has been told 165 of the 182 jobs will be in Scunthorpe, with 17 at Teesside and Skinningrove.

An open day for prospective applicants will be held at the Scunthorpe Conference Centre, on Brigg Road, on 17 May between 10:00 and 16:00 BST.

Last month, the government passed an emergency law to take control of British Steel amid accusations that Jingye was planning to switch off two blast furnaces in Scunthorpe.

The closure of the furnaces would have left the UK without the capability to produce "virgin" steel, which is used in major construction projects such as new buildings and railways.

Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds latest episode of Look North here.

A date has been set for a referendum to decide if Plymouth should have a directly-elected mayor paid in the region of £75,000 a year.

Plymouth City Council has to hold a referendum after a campaign, led by Angus Forbes, former banker and husband of celebrity dancer Darcey Bussell, gathered more than 10,000 signatures in favour of the process.

Opponents said the campaign was based on false promises and hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on it would be a waste of money.

Campaigners for the referendum, due to be held on Thursday 17 July, claimed it was a chance to change how the city was run.

If Plymouth residents vote in favour of a directly-elected mayor, the first elections will be held in May 2026.

At a heated meeting at Plymouth City Council, members expressed their frustration with the process that the council said would cost about £410,000.

Several councillors spoke about other areas such as Bristol, Liverpool and Torbay which have had directly elected mayors but then abolished the posts.

The leader of the Labour-led council, Tudor Evans, said there was a great difference between a possible mayor for Plymouth and the directly-elected mayors in London and Greater Manchester who have greater powers.

Evans also pointed to the current reorganisation of local government taking place, in which the government has indicated it wants to scrap directly-elected mayors for single authorities such as Plymouth in favour of mayors for combined authorities.

The city council's chief executive, Tracey Lee, acknowledged the reorganisation as a potential risk and said talks were ongoing with the government.

Forbes claimed the cost of the referendum was "the best money a Plymouth taxpayer could ever spend to change to a successful system of direct democracy".

He said the current system had "failed to grow the economy".

Forbes said: "Our greatest opportunity is to have a place-based leader to galvanise us, to unify us with a vision for Plymouth, and to be an ambassador, to attract private capital and private citizens to come to Plymouth."

People living in Immingham are being asked about their views on the future of the town.

The town council is drawing up a new town plan which will outline future developments.

It said it was a chance for residents, businesses and other local organisations to tell planners "what they would like to see".

An online survey will run for four weeks and responses will be used to develop further feedback sessions, the council said.

Results of the research will be used to develop the Immingham Forward plan.

Karen Swinburn, chair of the town council and Lady Mayor of Immingham, said: "This is your chance to tell us what you like about Immingham and where you would like to see improvements.

"We want to know what you think as your views are vital to shaping the future of the town going forward.

"The survey will take just a few minutes to complete but may have an impact on the shape of Immingham to come."

Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds latest episode of Look North here.

A teacher from Australia was reunited with an opal gifted by his class to the children's author Roald Dahl more than 30 years ago.

Mark Taylor, 57, made a special trip to the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, to see the precious gem while on a visit to the UK.

The world-renowned author had kept it on the desk in his writing hut at his home, Gipsy House.

He was given it by the class at Mintabie Area School in central Australia after doing a telephone link-up when he visited the country as part of his book tour promoting the recently published Matilda in 1989.

The children had been reading his books and were fascinated by the author, Mr Taylor said.

"He had a way of saying the most extraordinary and hilarious things, while remaining perfectly calm and teaching us at the same time," he added.

Mintabie, which is now an abandoned mining town, is more than 1,000km from Adelaide and a long way from facilities that other children would take for granted.

Mr Taylor said his students' faces transformed when Dahl told them how lucky they were to live in a place where treasures were dug up from the ground.

He recalled that Dahl told the class: "There could be treasures all around you, waiting to be found, and you might never know it. In fact, you could be sitting or standing on an incredible treasure now."

Mr Taylor said the author had asked if the students had ever found opal stones, to which the class responded they had.

An opal stone was duly sent to Roald Dahl via his publisher, Penguin.

Steve Gardam, director of the Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre, said: "The opal stone has been on the writing desk of Roald Dahl since he received it in 1989 and has remained there ever since.

"In 2011, Dahl's writing hut was transferred to the Museum and is one of the key exhibits here in Great Missenden."

A child has been taken to hospital after getting into difficulty in a canal, police have said.

Devon and Cornwall Police said emergency services were called to Clapperbrook Lane East, in Exeter, at about 16:35 BST on Monday, following a "concern for welfare for a child in the canal".

The child was pulled from the water in a serious condition and has been taken to hospital, the force added.

It said a police cordon was put in place at the scene but has since been lifted.

Four men have been charged with murdering a woman who was shot to death in her own home two and a half years ago.

Jacqueline Rutter, 53, was shot in the chest on Meadowbrook Road, Moreton, Wirral, on 30 October 2022.

Simon Allen, 54, James Byrne, 23, Barrie Glynn, 46, and David Harrison, 58, are due to appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on Thursday charged with her murder.

They are also charged with possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life.

A fifth person – Anna McGinn, 25, of Birkenhead – has been charged with assisting an offender.

Merseyside Police warned the public that criminal proceedings against all five were now active so it was "extremely important" there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice proceedings.

Detectives urged anyone with information about the shooting to come forward.

The charges in full:

• Simon Allen, 54, of no fixed abode, is charged with murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life or enable another to do so
• James Byrne, 23, of no fixed abode, is charged with murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life or enable another to do so
• Barrie Glynn, 46, of Westway in Heswall, is charged with murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life or enable another to do so
• David Harrison, 58, of Old Meadow Road in Pensby, is charged with murder, possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life or enable another to do so
• Anna McGinn, 25, of Frankby Stiles, in Birkenhead is charged with two counts of assisting an offender

A west London council is calling for more government funding to support asylum seekers, as it struggles to accommodate more than double the national threshold.

Hillingdon has a much higher number than average partly because of the large number of hotels near Heathrow Airport.

Once asylum seekers are evicted from this accommodation by the Home Office, the responsibility for them passes to the local council.

The Home Office has said it "remains committed to working closely with local authorities to work towards a fair and equitable spread of accommodation".

The borough said it was proud of its work in providing sanctuary, but it needed more money for asylum seekers.

Councillors have estimated a funding shortfall of approximately £5m over the past financial year, leaving residents to foot the bill.

Steve Tuckwell, cabinet member for planning, housing and growth, showed BBC London a newly refurbished temporary accommodation block in the borough.

He said the numbers of people it needed to house was "a huge burden and comes at a cost to the Hillingdon tax payer".

Some asylum seekers are deemed ineligible for housing support after leaving hotel accommodation – and as a result the council said there had been "a significant increase" in rough sleeping.

The number of referrals to Street Link has grown, with "tented communities" that have sprung up at several locations, including under bridges.

Susanne Carter-Penrose, Hillingdon Council's head of housing needs, said: "Our rough sleeping numbers are increasing because they're impacted upon by the Home Office's evictions from hotels."

She added: "We can't help everybody…and [some] end up rough sleeping, unfortunately."

Not far from the newly-repurposed temporary accommodation block, BBC London met Joe Devine from Thames Reach, a London-based charity which helps those experiencing homelessness.

He and his colleagues were doing outreach work at a park in Hillingdon, where an encampment of asylum seekers were living in tents.

He said they come out to engage with people who are sleeping rough, and try to help them into temporary – or other appropriate – accommodation.

He added: "We can then work to address whatever support needs they might have."

London Councils, the body representing London's boroughs, said asylum accommodation pressures "are felt by boroughs across the capital and are especially acute in port authorities like Hillingdon".

The group said it welcomed the government's recent announcement of asylum grant funding for boroughs this financial year.

The payment will see each local authority accommodating asylum seekers on 30 March 2025 receive a £1,200 payment per asylum seeker in all accommodation types.

However, London Councils has said more funding is needed – especially considering high housing costs in the capital.

The group added it "hoped to work with the government" to develop a multi-year funding package for asylum and resettlement.

Any solution would have to "take account of London's rising homelessness pressures… in the context of extreme pressures facing London boroughs' finances".

It said it estimated a funding shortfall "of at least £500m this year, across all services".

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This government inherited a broken asylum system, with tens of thousands stuck in a backlog and claims not being processed, wasting millions in taxpayer money.

"We are immediately speeding up decisions and increasing returns so we can end the use of hotels and save the taxpayer £4bn by 2026."