#sub-postmasters

#sub-postmasters

I think technology is the main reason it's possible. I don't have to be in the office, in one central place of work - I can see lots of things digitally. But it requires hard work and sacrifice. My employers were pleased with what I was doing and didn't seem to notice that I was managing those two things at the same time.

Officers were first alerted to the discarded mail on the afternoon of Jan. 23, according to police. Upon finding the mail in a dumpster on Elm Street in North Troy, they determined that none of it was for that address. Police identified Morisseau as a person of interest and learned that she was a postal employee.

Unite members are coming to the end of the line as far Labour is concerned. Workers are scratching their heads asking whose side are Labour on, who do they really represent, because it certainly isn't workers. Workers and communities are paying the price. Labour needs to wake up and smell the coffee. The cut in affiliation fee shows the anger of Unite members.

Farmers were told the government wouldn't introduce inheritance tax on farms and I objected to them breaking this promise. Having the whip removed is not a pleasant experience and whilst I have no desire to make a habit of it, I will always do what I can to look after our people in Cumbria.

Royal Mail has urged small and medium-sized businesses to apply for its £1 million apprenticeship levy fund during National Apprenticeship Week (9-15 February), as it steps up efforts to help address skills shortages across the SME sector. Applications are open for the second round of the fund, which is available to businesses with up to 250 employees that sell products online.

The Committee is very concerned by consistent and growing reports, and now many direct representations, about significant failures in Royal Mail's letter delivery service. EP Group's takeover was approved on a legal undertaking that it would maintain the Universal Service Obligation that is the bedrock of the UK's postal service. But one year in, even first-class deliveries are way off track.

The Washington Post newsroom, whose journalists have continued to deliver essential reporting in an unrelenting news cycle (not to mention one reporter being subject to an FBI raid), is expecting deep layoffs to hit in early February. The layoffs would follow mass staff departures from the newspaper amid internal and external blowback to editorial decisions under billionaire owner Jeff Bezos.

Ministers have confirmed that all 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK will be retained, following a period of uncertainty and public concern over potential closures. The decision reverses an earlier proposal outlined in a government green paper last summer, which had suggested removing the 11,500-minimum branch requirement for the state-owned postal, banking, and retail service.

The Trump administration is scaling back plans for this year's field test of the 2030 census, raising concerns about the Census Bureau's ability to produce a reliable population tally for redistributing political representation and federal funding in the next decade. The 2026 test was designed to help the bureau improve the accuracy of the country's upcoming once-a-decade head count.

This population [of contractors] had been unusually large to enable the provision of information and documents to the public inquiry, handle thousands of remediation claims and the development of systems to move off Horizon,

Pubs and music venues in England will be given a 15% discount on their business rates bills and will not see increases for two years, the government announced. Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson said the support package was worth 1,650 for the average pub. It comes after a backlash against November's Budget, which left many facing major increases in their business rates bills. Earlier this month, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she was "particularly concerned" about the impact they faced and hinted there would be "additional support".

The Assembly further calls on the mayor to ensure that clear guidance is put in place so that transport workers who act in good faith to protect passengers are treated fairly and supported, not punished.

The number of refugee households who are homeless or at risk of homelessness has surged fivefold in the past four years. Government figures for England reveal a rise from 3,560 in 2021/22 to 19,310 in 2024/25. Charities blame the increase on a "direct result" of government policy, citing the 28-day period newly-recognised refugees get to leave Home Office accommodation - including hotels - as well as faster processing of asylum applications.

The reason for that is simple: the British state is big and getting bigger but as an agent of change it is not up to the job. This is true at both central and local levels. Over the years, the capacity of government to intervene has been pared back and professional expertise has been lost as council services have been outsourced.