Industry

A county council has reimbursed a total of £26,475 to parents who used private educational psychologists due to a backlog.

Surrey County Council paid out to 27 families of children with special educational needs who had to go private between the 2023 summer term and May 2024.

This was due to a lack of qualified professionals able to create educational care plans, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council said it was now operating at over 90% "timeliness" and able to meet demand.

In one case, the local government and social care ombudsman upheld that the authority refused to reimburse a mother who used a private educational psychologist in support of her son's education health and care needs assessment.

The ombudsman also upheld the council delayed making payments for her son's tutor and that its communications were poor, and further complaints about delays at Surrey County Council in completing needs assessments due to the national shortage of educational psychologists.

The ombudsman's office said it had since been satisfied with the steps being taken to resolve the issue.

Between the 2023 summer term and May 2024 Surrey County Council said it temporarily agreed to reimburse private reports due to its backlog.

'Cover the cost'

Clare Curran, cabinet member for children, families and lifelong learning, said she was not able to comment on any individual children, but the council accepted the findings from the report and apologised to the family affected.

A spokesperson for the council added: "Where we used the private educational psychologist report as the sole advice during that time at the parent/carer's request we would cover the cost.

"However, if we did not use it as the sole advice then we would not reimburse."

Fisherman's Friends are set to stage their own festival next year – as their popularity now makes it impossible for them to perform in their home village in Cornwall.

The Cornish folk group has announced plans to host the first Fisherman's Friends Festival in May 2026.

The sea shanty band from Port Isaac, who have been performing together since 1995, can no longer perform in the village as "too many people turn up for it to be safe".

But, having previously played the main stage at Glastonbury and the Royal Albert Hall, they said a festival seemed "like a natural progression" for them.

A spokesman for the band said: "The guys are no longer able to perform on The Platt in Port Isaac because of health and safety – too many people turn up – and every show they headline in their home county sells out really fast.

"Creating their own festival seems like a good way to give people an authentic taste of the authentic FF vibe, while showcasing the Cornwall they love."

Fisherman's Friends went from singing in their local pub to having a top 10 UK album, a movie made about them and also a musical.

Band member Jon Cleave said it would be a "brand new festival down in the very heart of our wondrous county at Stithians, in what promises to be a Cornish occasion for all friends you've known for years and for all those you've yet to meet."

Jools Holland OBE and his 20 piece Rhythm & Blues Orchestra will perform as well as Mercury Prize winner Kate Rusby, Celtic band Skipinnish and others.

Attendees will be able to camp and enjoy local foods, drinks and crafts.

The festival will take place at the Stithians Showground on Friday 22 until Sunday 24 May 2026.

When the government axed the Sustainable Farming Incentive, many farmers said the loss of cash incentives to grow nature-friendly crops would leave them facing a hard choice.

That choice was between growing as much food as possible to make a profit, or looking after nature while losing money in the process.

But some farmers argue it is possible to do both.

Aidan Stanley raises beef cattle entirely on untouched grass pastures at Lilliput Farm near Bath, a practice which substantially reduces carbon emissions.

"This is working because of public demand," he said.

So what is he doing to make his farm more sustainable, and how does he make it pay?

A woman says she wants to wants to "start a conversation" about afro hair, including the challenge of finding a salon that caters for black and mixed heritage people.

Rayh Mohammed, from Hull, has opened a photographic exhibition at the city's Ferens Art Gallery, which she hopes will challenge stereotypes.

Ms Mohammed said for many people even finding a salon that caters for black hair can be problematic, leaving some with no option but to call on family and friends.

The free exhibition, Hair: Identity in the AfroWorld, runs until 17 August.

Ms Mohammed, 34, said she now regularly travels to salons in Bradford, in West Yorkshire, and Kettering in Northamptonshire.

Referring to Hull, she said: "There's still a very small amount of people (salons) that attend to the nuances of black hair.

"That's why the home salon is such a big thing for a lot of black people. I do your hair, you do my hair."

The Nigerian-born artist said she loves her afro hair.

"It's versatile, it's strong," she said.

"I love the fact that it defies gravity. It teaches us patience. It forces you to sometimes be self-sufficient."

Visitors to the exhibition can learn about braiding styles and hair care techniques passed down through generations.

Ms Mohammed said she hopes people, including children, will find the exhibition "validating".

Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Soundslatest episode of Look North here.

A man who called a woman more than 400 times in three days to intimidate her into dropping domestic abuse accusations against him has been jailed.

Adrian Duke, 37, of Russell Street, Peterborough, also hid in her house while she was visited by police and threatened her with violence if she read her statement in court.

Police said she withdrew the charges but later confided in officers.

Duke, who coerced the victim between September and December, pleaded guilty to intimidating a witness or juror and was jailed for one year and ten months at Cambridge Crown Court.

Det Con Isabelle Wilding, from Cambridgeshire Police, said: "The victim believed she had no option but to drop the charges, fearing violent consequences if she didn't.

"Everyone should feel able to contact the police without fearing the repercussions.

"This sentence not only means justice has been done, but will hopefully allow the victim to move on with her life."

Councillors have rejected calls to scrap changes to a new home-to-school transport funding policy.

North Yorkshire Council voted last year to only pay for transport to a child's nearest school, rather than using school catchment areas as had previously happened.

Opposition councillors and parents had called for the policy change to be reversed, resulting in fresh vote on the issue at a meeting earlier.

However, the motion was defeated by ten votes, with a council spokesperson later stating that pupils starting new schools in September would find out if they are eligible for free travel in the coming weeks.

Ahead of the meeting councillors were met by a group of about 100 people protesting against the policy outside County Hall in Northallerton, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council had said it hoped the policy – due to come into effect in September – would deliver savings of up to £4.2m a year.

But campaigners argued the new system may actually cost money to implement, and was damaging to pupils, schools and rural communities.

The council said home-to-school transport was one of its three largest areas of expenditure, alongside adult social care and waste management.

A spokesperson added that the decision to change the policy was aimed at protecting frontline services.

Deputy leader Gareth Dadd said the new policy was "fairer to all families, responsible and affordable".

"Unfortunately, a more generous offer is no longer an option," he said.

"I would like to stress that parents and carers in North Yorkshire still have a choice as to where to send their children.

"It is important for them to factor in travel costs if they choose a school that is not the nearest to their home."

However, one parent speaking after the meeting said she now faced having to pay about £800 a year for her daughter to attend the same school as her son.

Another parent, Charlotte Fowler, said: "Shame on all those councillors who have let down North Yorkshire's children today.

"They had a chance to put things right and they blew it. By choosing to keep a broken system in place the council has left children isolated, parents burdened, and schools uncertain about their future."

Families of children due to start secondary school in September will find out if their child is eligible for free school travel by 30 May and those due to start primary school will find out by 30 June, the council has confirmed.

A police investigation is under way after a man was stabbed in Nottingham city centre.

A man in his 30s was attacked in Market Street at about 11:50 BST on Monday, and was taken to hospital with injuries that were "not thought to be life-altering or life-threatening", according to Nottinghamshire Police.

Police put a cordon in place at about 12:00 and the road was closed, causing disruption to tram and bus services.

Ch Insp Neil Humphris said: "This was an appalling act of violence carried out in full view of members of the public."

"A team of detectives is now working to understand exactly what happened in the moments before, during and after this incident," Ch Insp Humphris added.

"To this end they want to hear from anyone who saw or heard any part of what happened.

"We understand the concern incidents of this nature can cause and people should expect to see an increased police presence while we investigate the circumstances."

Tram operator Nottingham Express Transit (NET) confirmed at 13:40 that it was running a full service once again.

Nottingham City Transport confirmed buses were back to normal routes following the closure, but advised passengers of possible delays.

Highly controversial plans to bring an electricity cable from an offshore wind farm onshore at a Devon beach have been approved.

White Cross offshore windfarm wants to put seven floating turbines about 30 miles (52km) off the north Devon coast and plans to bring a power cable onshore at Saunton Sands, then under Braunton Burrows and across the Taw Estuary to connect to a new electricity substation.

More than 1,800 people objected to the plans.

Councillors at the North Devon Council planning meeting held at Barnstaple Rugby Club were won over by the developers' argument that the project would create new jobs and bring renewable energy to the region.

Objectors cited concerns about the impact on tourism, on the environment and about high numbers of heavy goods vehicles.

About 100 members of the public came to the meeting with the vast majority against the plans.

Lucie Tamlyn, from Saunton Beach Villas, said there would be a huge impact on tourism.

She said: "We can't see how we would continue to attract guests during these works."

Helen Cooper, who has led a campaign to oppose the plans, said she was "bitterly disappointed but not surprised".

Leading figures from business and education spoke in favour of the application at the meeting held at Barnstaple Rugby Club.

Paul Coles, CEO of the South West Business Council, told councillors they should be excited about the opportunity and said: "Let's play a real part in delivering renewable energy in our region."

Bill Blythe, vice principal of Petroc College, described the project as "an investment in renewable energy and in the future of our students".

He said the scheme would bring "high quality jobs while preserving what makes our region special".

Al Rayner, the project director for White Cross, promised his company would "inject £153m into the local economy" and it was an "enormous" opportunity.

Developers and landowners could face "serious financial and legal consequences" for cutting down trees on sites being considered for new homes, a Surrey council has warned.

Environmental laws, which mean builders must compensate for the loss of any nature on housing developments, came into force last year.

Tandridge District Council (TDC) said there had been a number of recent incidents where trees were felled to clear areas for planning applications.

A spokesperson for the Home Builders Federation said it can be "necessary to remove trees to allow a development to take place."

The Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements mean that sites now have to be assessed before bulldozers can enter and developers have to commit to delivering a 10% net improvement in biodiversity that lasts over a 30-year period.

'Environmental vandalism'

The leader of TDC, Catherine Sayer, said: "We have had incidents where 300 year-old oak trees have been cut down because they are in the way of development.

"In one instance, the developer withdrew the planning application when they realised the cost of replacing the lost biodiversity would be tens of thousands of pounds."

Sayer said the council wanted to raise awareness that this "environmental vandalism has serious financial and legal consequences and [we] hope it acts as a deterrent".

Resident Terry Morgan, who lives near land where a tree was cut down ahead of a development taking place, told BBC Radio Surrey he was "angry."

"It's not a single tree, it is part of a long line of trees marking ancient boundaries, home to wildlife and so on," he said.

"To simply, for convenience, cut that tree down rather than make a planning application which is more appropriate to the site – that's the key thing I'm angry and annoyed about."

The developer has been approached for comment.

Sayer said she thought it was a "great shame" that ministers were looking at changing environmental rules to make it easier to build homes on smaller sites.

Last week, Housing Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said the changes would "simplify" the planning process.

She denied environmental protections were being compromised.

A spokesperson for the Homebuilders Federation said: "Clearly in some instances it is necessary to remove trees to allow a development to take place.

"In those cases developers are required to abide by all the relevant rules and regulations in place."

Separately, TDC said it was investigating the felling of woodland on land near Lingfield a few weeks ago as alleged criminal activity.

Tourism in Wiltshire has been given a boost after the county become an accredited member of a scheme aimed at growing the sector.

Wiltshire now has Local Visitor Economy Partnerships (LVEP) status, which gives it access to a range of resources to attract greater footfall.

At the moment, Wiltshire's tourism is worth around £1.5bn annually, with sites such as Stonehenge, Avebury Stone Circle, Stourhead, Salisbury Cathedral and the Westbury White Horse among its attractions.

It's new LVEP means it will be included marketing activity and public relations opportunities set up by British tourism authority VisitBritain, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.