Tory approach to housebuilding targeted not protectionist says Sunak

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Rishi Sunak has said Government housebuilding efforts are not about uncontrolled development, as he moved to reassure Tory backbenchers concerned over planning reform..

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Glastonbury profits more than double amid corporate criticism

Glastonbury Festival has reported profits more than doubled last year, as the event faces criticism for being too corporate. The festival brought in £5.9 million in pre-tax profit for the year to March 2024, up from £2.9 million the year before, according to accounts filed with Companies House. Glastonbury gave £5.2 million to organisations including Oxfam, Greenpeace and WaterAid during the period, continuing its policy of handing most of its profit to charitable causes. But it is still facing criticism by musician Neil Young for being “under corporate control” of the BBC. The Canadian singer-songwriter, 79, who headlined the festival in 2009, said he and his band were told to “do a lot of things” they were not interested in. He said: “We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be.” The BBC is the exclusive broadcast partner of Glastonbury and has worked closely with the festival since 1997. However, the festival also has partnerships with companies including the Co-op and telecoms giant Vodafone. Despite the musician’s criticism, Glastonbury’s profits remain relatively small in comparison with its overall revenue, which was £68.4 million, a 20% rise on the year before. In 2023, festival commissioned a report to gauge its economic impact locally and across the UK, which found it generated about £168 million for UK businesses. The event has also had to recover from not being able to go ahead during Covid-19, with the 2020 and 2021 editions of the festival not happening. Organisers have not yet revealed who will headline the festival in 2025, except that Sir Rod Stewart will be performing. Glastonbury is planning on taking a fallow year in 2026 to allow the farmland to recover, co-creator Michael Eavis said last year. Mr Eavis has passed the day-to-day running of the festival to his daughter Emily in recent years, but officially transferred his financial shares in the company to her in October 2024, the accounts show. The company spent £3.7 million on buying land in June 2024. The event welcomed about 210,000 people to Worthy Farm in Somerset last year, with headliners Dua Lipa, Coldplay and SZA. Glastonbury Festival has been approached for comment. Published: 02/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub

Man among pedestrians hit by car on Christmas Day dies in hospital

A man who was among four people hurt when a car hit pedestrians in London’s West End on Christmas Day has died. Aidan Chapman, 25, died in hospital on New Year’s Eve after sustaining life-threatening conditions. He was one of four pedestrian involved in the collision which saw a car drive on the wrong side of the road on Shaftesbury Avenue in the capital’s theatre district. Anthony Gilheaney, 30, of Harlow in Essex, has been charged with four counts of attempted murder, as well as causing serious injury by driving whilst disqualified and possessing a knife in a public place. He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday and was remanded in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on January 24. Police said Mr Chapman’s next of kin has been informed and that his death is being treated as homicide. His parents said in a statement: “The loss of our beautiful son is a parent’s worst nightmare, we are utterly devastated with the loss of Aidan, he enriched everyone’s lives. “He was a loving, kind, funny soul and the world is a darker place without him. We, his parents, have lost the best part of ourselves.” Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, added: “Our thoughts are with the victim’s friends and family at this difficult time. “My team are continuing to conduct inquiries to establish all the facts surrounding the circumstances, however it has been confirmed as an isolated incident which is not terror-related. “We would appeal to anyone who holds any CCTV or dash cam or mobile phone footage of the incident to come forward as well as anyone else who might have had contact with the suspect that evening.” Published: 02/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub

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Tory approach to housebuilding targeted not protectionist says Sunak

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