Council

Financing options to be investigated for first two subsea projects that would link Mainland with Yell and Unst Councillors on Shetland have backed plans to build up to four tunnels to link some of the largest and most populated islands, after years of isolation and decline.The council voted on Tuesday to investigate financing options for the first two subsea tunnels, which would link Shetland’s Mainland with the two large northerly islands of Yell and Unst. Continue reading...

Leader of local authority in Oxfordshire faces backlash over injunction ‘to maintain neutral, safe space for residents’While Londoners scurried from building to building seeking shade on another baking hot day this week, one man paused in the shadow of the Royal Courts of Justice.The leader of Oxfordshire county council, Tim Bearder, was not only satisfied in the shade of the court’s gothic towers. He had just won a landmark legal victory. Continue reading...

• The International Council on Clean Transportation released its May 2026 market monitor detailing new car and van registrations and manufacturer CO2 emission compliance. • Nordic countries dominated battery electric vehicle (BEV) adoption from January to May 2026, with Norway reaching a 98% share and Denmark reaching 80%. • Other significant growth was noted in France and Spain, which saw BEV shares rise to 28% and 9% respectively, marking increases of 10 and 2 percentage points.

• As the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum approaches, new polling indicates a significant shift in European sentiment toward the United Kingdom. • Majorities in every polled EU country, from Poland to Portugal, now express a desire for Britain to rejoin the European Union. • Many respondents suggest the European Commission should soften its "red lines" to improve bilateral relations, particularly regarding shared security concerns.

• Five projects based at Irish universities have been selected as recipients of the European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant. • Announced on June 23, the funding total is €838 million, distributed among more than 300 researchers globally as part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme. • These grants are designed to support senior researchers in pursuing ambitious, curiosity-driven projects that could lead to significant scientific breakthroughs.

• UN Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari warned the Security Council on Monday that recent deadly drone and missile attacks in Ukraine signal a "dangerous cycle of escalation" in the ongoing war. • Edem Wosornu, crisis response director at OCHA, emphasized that the decisions made by the Council are critical and will directly determine whether lives are saved or lost. • The briefings highlight the intensifying violence of Russia's full-scale invasion, which has now entered its fourth year.

Progressive Jewish group calls for more focus on the threat from the far right and the recognition of a diversity of views within the communityFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFar-right extremism and the conflation of Jewish identity with Israel are the main drivers of antisemitism in Australia, the Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) says.In its submission to the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion, the liberal Jewish group calls for more focus on the “often overlooked” threat from the far right, and recognition of the diversity of views within the Jewish community instead of the “tendency to treat Jews collectively as representatives of Israel”. Continue reading...

Labour and Tories claimed Green party leader breached London assembly ethics code over non-payment of taxZack Polanski has been cleared by an ethics inquiry looking into complaints that he did not pay council tax while living on a houseboat.A report by the Greater London authority’s monitoring officer found that the circumstances of the Green party leader’s living arrangements were beyond its scope and he had therefore not breached the code of conduct for London assembly members. Continue reading...

• Four new prime ministers are joining the European Council, including a new Hungarian leader who arrives at the Europa building this Thursday. • The new prime minister intends to maintain the 2015 border fence and opposes EU migrant relocation quotas, aligning his stance with leaders from Denmark and Poland. • He aims to revive and expand the Visegrád 4 group of Central European countries to strengthen regional cooperation.

Council says it has so far spent £15,000 removing flags put up under campaign linked to anti-immigration protestsOxfordshire county council is seeking an injunction against the Raise the Colours campaign group after England flags were tied to lamp-posts across the county.The campaign has been putting up flags across the country since August last year, and there is a particular proliferation of them in and around Oxford. Though the campaign has said it is motivated by pride and patriotism, the flag raising has been linked to anti-immigration protests. Continue reading...

National Audit Office says agency proposes closing operations in 11 countries as part of turnaround planThe British Council faces cutting its workforce further and closing operations in 11 countries as it struggles to repay a crippling £197m Covid-era government loan that threatens its survival, the public spending watchdog has said.The UK’s soft-power agency remains loss-making six years on from the pandemic and is not expected to make a profit until 2029-30, a report from the National Audit Office says. Continue reading...

• On 21 May 2026, the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) authorized the publication of its fourth report on climate-related financial disclosures. • The report details climate-related metrics, targets, and the governance and risk management strategies for Eurosystem assets and the ECB’s foreign reserves. • This action supports the ECB's broader mission to maintain price stability and preserve the purchasing power of the euro through transparent financial reporting.

• The Atlantic Council explores how the U.S. Congress can utilize Europe's regulatory approach to binary options as a template for shaping new prediction market rules. • Most EU and European Economic Area nations have banned retail binary options following a temporary determination by the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA). • Switzerland remains the only OECD nation in Europe that still allows retail binary options trading, though its financial authority warns against platforms promising quick profits.

Fatima Jabbe-Bio kept tenancy despite living for much of year in the presidential lodge in FreetownA social housing flat rented by Sierra Leone’s first lady has been seized by a London council.Southwark council confirmed it had repossessed the two-bedroom home in Walworth previously occupied by Fatima Jabbe-Bio, whose tenancy was reported by The Times last year. Continue reading...

• UN Secretary-General António Guterres addressed a Security Council open debate in New York, urging member states to utilize the UN Charter to settle Middle East disputes peacefully. • Guterres highlighted how restrictions on navigational rights in the Strait of Hormuz are destabilizing global energy prices and disrupting critical supply chains. • These disruptions are exacerbating global hunger by increasing fertilizer costs and fueling inflation and debt, particularly within fragile and developing nations.

• EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers and Schengen Associated Countries met in Luxembourg on June 4 to discuss migration and home affairs. • Commissioner Magnus Brunner presented the 5th Report on the state of Schengen, emphasizing the current status of the border-free area. • The Council highlighted a strategic action plan to combat drug trafficking, specifically targeting synthetic drugs and drug precursors.

Measures being considered to crack down on practice that has grown as a result of Britain’s housing crisisLondon councils could be banned from “dumping” homeless families hundreds of miles across England under measures being considered by ministers, the Guardian has learned.MPs said vulnerable people, including women fleeing abuse, were being “coerced” into choosing between rough sleeping or moving to cheap, sparsely furnished properties in some of the poorest parts of the country. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ukrainian president says ‘small mistake can break a big friendship’ in wide-ranging interview with GuardianVolodymyr Zelenskyy has said the decision by some Reform UK councils to take down the Ukrainian flag was the kind of “small mistake that can break a big friendship”, as he underlined the significance of strong bilateral relations.The Ukrainian president tempered his rare foray into UK domestic politics by stressing how much the two countries “need each other” in the battle against Russia, which he said posed a threat not only to Ukraine but to Britain too. Continue reading...

Choice between living on the streets or moving hundreds of miles away faced by homeless people.Having fled sex trafficking gangs in Belgium and Manchester, the woman from Albania thought she was finally safe when she arrived in west London with her two young children.A single mother, she had been granted asylum in the UK and was ready to start a new life in the capital. But first they needed a home. Continue reading...

• Home affairs ministers are convening for the Justice and Home Affairs Council to address critical internal security and border management issues. • The agenda focuses on the Schengen area, migration policies, and the legal status of displaced persons from Ukraine. • These discussions are vital for coordinating EU-wide security strategies and ensuring humanitarian support for Ukrainian refugees.

• The European Innovation Council (EIC) has released its Impact Report 2026, detailing the region's progress in the deep tech sector. • The report highlights Europe's increasing capacity to scale frontier technologies and influence their development on a global scale. • This development is significant as it positions Europe as a competitive global hub for high-tech innovation and industrial scaling.

Criticism comes from across political spectrum after decision regarded as blow to Friedrich Merz’s governmentGermany’s unprecedented failure to win one of the rotating seats on the UN security council has sparked an intense round of soul searching in Berlin, and raised questions about its claims to international leadership under Friedrich Merz.The council vote on Wednesday, which elected Austria and Portugal to a two-year term along with Trinidad and Tobago and Zimbabwe, marked a blow to Merz’s struggling government, which has sought to position itself as a leading European voice on the world stage. Continue reading...

• Germany and Austria are competing for a coveted seat on the UN Security Council for the 2027–2028 term. • Germany is leveraging its status as the EU's largest economy and its history of peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts to secure alliances. • Austria is positioning itself as a neutral mediator, emphasizing its expertise in nuclear disarmament, climate security, and hosting international talks.

Successor to Nicholas Serota from August picks out AI as one of the major challenges facing the sectorThe media executive Dawn Airey has been appointed chair of Arts Council England (Ace) and has immediately identified AI as a key challenge facing the sector.Airey, whose CV includes top jobs at ITV, Channel 5 and Sky, will replace Nicholas Serota, whose tenure coincided with one of the most challenging times for the arts in recent memory. Continue reading...

• During the second day of the Global Environment Facility's (GEF) 71st Council Meeting, global leaders emphasized the urgent need for a unified approach to environmental governance. • The discussions focused on preventing fragmentation as three separate Conferences of the Parties (COPs) converge, highlighting the intersection of climate action, biodiversity, and ocean health. • This coordination is critical for streamlining climate change finance and ensuring that aid reaches the most vulnerable, including Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.

Exclusive: 25 years after race riots in north of England, Arooj Shah says extremist groups and lies about grooming scandal are poisoning Oldham“Identity politics is tearing communities apart”, the former leader of Oldham council has warned, in the week marking the 25th anniversary of race riots across the north of England.Arooj Shah quit as leader of the Greater Manchester borough earlier in May, after the local elections left the council with no group in overall control. Continue reading...

Despite government pledges, more than 20 authorities will not allow gullies, citing safety, legal and parking concernsThe energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has said charger gullies to connect electric cars parked on streets will help cut costs for drivers, yet millions of UK households may be unable to use the simple technology because their local councils will still not allow charging cables to cross the pavement.Despite government promises to “slash red tape” and make it easier to put in gullies, more than 20 local authorities appear to be holding out against them. Continue reading...