Elizabeth Short

1 week ago | morningstaronline.co.uk | Elizabeth Short

CAMPAIGNERS intensified demands for limits on rent hikes after damning new research found that rents are soaring at triple the rate of inflation. New figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown that the average rent in Britain has increased by 7.7 per cent to £1,332 in the last 12 months to March. The increase is three times more than the current level of Consumer Price Index inflation, which measures how much the overall price of everyday goods and services has increased.

1 week ago | morningstaronline.co.uk | Elizabeth Short

AN ARREST warrant is urgently being sought for the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who has secretly been in Britain this week. An Israeli journalist saw Mr Sa’ar boarding a plane to Britain on Monday. The next day, he met Foreign Secretary David Lammy. Confirming the meeting to the Guardian, the Foreign Office said the visit was “private” and that the pair discussed Gaza and other Middle East issues.

1 week ago | morningstaronline.co.uk | Elizabeth Short

THE Unite union called out Birmingham City Council today over the ongoing bin strike negotiations, warning they would be much closer to a deal if the authority “put in writing what it is saying in public.”More than 350 refuse workers have been on strike since March 11 over plans to cut the vital role of waste recycling collection officer (WRCO). According to Unite, it will lead to 150 of its members having their pay slashed by up to £8,000 a year.

1 week ago | morningstaronline.co.uk | Elizabeth Short

THE Prison Officers’ Association (POA) called today for better safety measures following an attack on guards by Manchester Arena bomb plotter Hashem Abedi. Mr Abedi threw hot cooking oil over three prison guards at HMP Frankland on Saturday and used home-made weapons to stab them. He has since been transferred to Belmarsh high-security jail, it is understood. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said it will carry out a review, alongside a separate police inquiry.

1 week ago | morningstaronline.co.uk | Elizabeth Short

AS FRUSTRATION grows over failure to tackle pollution, new research revealed yesterday that over a quarter of adults in England have considered withholding water bill payments. A new report from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) has accused the water industry of falling short of the Environment Agency’s target to reduce pollution incidents by 40 per cent. Instead, they recorded a 30 per cent increase to 2,487 incidents, the highest in a decade.