Councils

• Activistas denuncian que las órdenes de protección de espacios públicos también se están utilizando para criminalizar una amplia gama de actividades cotidianas • Uno de cada cinco ayuntamientos locales ha prohibido decir palabrotas bajo nuevas órdenes «entrometidas», frente a uno de cada 20 ayuntamientos en 2022. • Un nuevo informe de la Campaign for Freedom in Everyday Life ha revelado que las órdenes de protección de espacios públicos (PSPOs) —destinadas originalmente a abordar comportamientos antisociales graves— están siendo utilizadas por los ayuntamientos de Inglaterra y Gales para criminalizar una amplia gama de actividades cotidianas, como permanecer en grupos, gritar y recoger piedras.

Datacentres ‘directly competing’ with possible residential builds near public transport, one council tells NSW inquiry, amid growing concernsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastDatacentre developments are crowding out opportunities for housing and job-rich industries across Sydney, a New South Wales inquiry has heard, with one local council reporting a rise in blackouts linked to the industry’s expansion.Several Sydney councils, all facing an influx of datacentre developments, have raised concerns about the health, environmental and amenity impacts on their local communities in submissions to the state’s datacentre inquiry. Continue reading...

As the war in Iran continues, ministers debate several options for extending support to households Middle East crisis – live updatesFamilies hardest hit by the looming energy crisis caused by the conflict in the Middle East could be given funds dispensed by local councils, under plans being considered by UK ministers keen to keep a lid on costs.As concerns increase about the impact of rising fuel and energy costs in response to a drawn-out war in Iran, a government official said several options for extending support were being debated inside Whitehall. Continue reading...