Ed Miliband is elected new leader of the Labour Party



The new Labour leader, Ed Miliband addresses party members after his victory in Manchester.



Good news for Welsh Post Offices

A total of 41 Post Offices in Wales received a welcome funding boost today as the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government announced the latest round of grants from its Post Office Diversification Fund.

The Post Offices will share over £725,000 to expand the range of services they offer or upgrade their premises. Grants can be used to provide modern services which customers might not expect to see at the local post office, such as an automated cash machine or a cyber café, as well as more typical services such as a passport photo booth. The funding can also be used for upgrades to the premises and staff training to offer a greater range of business products.

Around 140 Post Offices throughout Wales have already benefited from the fund, creating 112 jobs. This latest funding round will help a further 41 Post Offices and create 18 full time jobs at Post Offices across the country.

Cardiff Bus short journey fares have risen by 186%

Some bus fares in Cardiff have almost trebled in just seven years. Since 2003, fares for short journeys have risen by up to 186%, according to Cardiff council’s evidence to a Competition Commission inquiry. Job Centre Plus told the council’s researchers that “the cost and the availability of transport affected the range of employment options open to young people."

Youngsters aged 16 to 19 mostly have lower incomes than older people, but have to pay the same adult fares.

A ‘Day to Go’ ticket, for a day’s unlimited travel on Cardiff Bus within the city, had cost £3 for several years.

Some multi-journey tickets were cheaper than in 2003 and many fares have increased significantly more than inflation. Shorter single-trip fares have been particularly affected, with one-zone and two-zone trips increasing by 58% and 186%, compared to 18% inflation over the period.

Council workers bring in their own heaters

An astronomical £500,000 electricity bill for Cardiff’s County Hall may be down to heating so poor that staff are forced to bring in their own heaters.

A council report, describing the building as “extremely inefficient”, said witnesses had suggested some staff are using portable electric heaters to keep warm, using a considerable amount of electricity.

The findings showed County Hall’s electricity bills had risen by around £150,000 in recent years to hit £500,000.

The criticism came in a report looking at how prepared the council is to begin taking part in the Carbon Reduction Commitment energy efficiency scheme, which could see the council facing financial penalties if it fails to cut energy use.

A spokeswoman for Cardiff Council claimed the sole reason for the increase in electricity cost was a rise in prices, as consumption had stayed stable.

Witnesses involved in putting together the report suggest the Lib Dem controlled Council has focused too much on large-scale projects rather than examining micro-level aspects such as the efficiency of buildings.

Raoul Bhambral, co-ordinator for Friends of the Earth Cardiff, has told the South Wales Echo that he was shocked the council was spending so much on electricity for just one building.

He said: “The council will definitely have to do everything it can to reduce emissions not only in its own buildings but across Cardiff as a whole.”

Green jobs forecast welcomed

Welsh Labour’s Environment Minister Jane Davidson has welcomed the publication of a report that links high recycling rates to the creation of new jobs.

The More Jobs, Less Waste report published yesterday by Friends of the Earth shows that over 50,000 jobs would be created UK-wide if the UK as a whole reached the 70 per cent recycling and composting target being adopted in Wales by 2025.

Wales’ ambitious targets are set out in the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government’s Towards Zero Waste strategy, which was launched in June this year. Wales has seen the largest increase in recycling rates in the past decade of any country in the UK, and is the first to publish detailed delivery documents outlining how the 70 per cent recycling rate will be achieved.

Figures have already shown that recycling 100,000 tonnes of waste can create up to 250 jobs as opposed to 20 to 40 in the case of incineration and approximately 10 land-filling. This is why earlier this month the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government announced £1 million funding towards a mixed plastics recycling facility run as a social enterprise, which will create new jobs as well as diverting waste from landfill and developing the market for recyclate in Wales.