search
date/time
Cumbria Times
A Voice of the Free Press
frontpagebusinessartscarslifestylefamilytravelsportsscitechnaturefictionwhatson
No cookies. No tracking. No advertising.
IN BRIEF: 36 new cases of Monkeypox identified
IN BRIEF: Windfall tax is being suggested
IN BRIEF: Manchester City wins Premier League
TODAY IS: Brothers Day
FEATURED WRITERS
Andrew Palmer
Classical Music Album: John Ireland Orchestral Works - Sinfonia Of London
arts
Jeremy Williams-Chalmers
Album Review: Harry Styles: Harry's House
arts
Graham Read
Verstappen Wins In Spain After Leclerc Retirement
sports
Phil Hopkins
VIVA Cruise Bonus For May & June
travel
Weather for the next 24 hours:
(sunrise 3:53AM, sunset 8:22PM)
Tue, 01:00AM
overcast clouds
9.8°C
WNW 2mph
Tue, 04:00AM
overcast clouds
8.8°C
WNW 2mph
Tue, 07:00AM
overcast clouds
9.1°C
WNW 2mph
Tue, 10:00AM
light rain
12.1°C
WNW 2mph
Tue, 01:00PM
light rain
12.9°C
WNW 2mph
Tue, 04:00PM
light rain
13.2°C
WNW 2mph
Tue, 07:00PM
light rain
12.2°C
WNW 2mph
Tue, 10:00PM
light rain
8.7°C
WNW 2mph
LATEST
NHS Privatisation Paranoia Damages Nation’s Health, Finds New Report
There has been moral panic about a secret plan to privatise the NHS for over four decades, yet the UK still has an unusually state-centred healthcare system. The conspiracy theory — that there is a sinister plot to dismantle the NHS, sell off its parts to private companies and introduce a dystopian survival-of-the-fittest American-style healthcare system — is not restricted to the eccentric fringe, but very much mainstream. Every time a specific theory about privatisation fails to come true, it is repackaged, updated with new details and pushed into the future.
If you are going through hell, keep going.
Sir Winston Churchill
PM Call With President Zelenskyy: 23 May 2022
The Prime Minister spoke to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy yesterday evening.
3:54 PM 23rd May 2022
National Flu And COVID-19 Surveillance Reports Published
image / pixabay
Weekly national influenza and coronavirus (COVID-19) report, COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.
3:32 PM 20th May 2022
TUC Comment On Minimum Service Levels During Strike Action
Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay
Commenting on reports today (Sunday) that ministers may draw up laws requiring minimum numbers of staff to work during a strike, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Ministers have spectacularly failed to deal with the cost of living crisis. Now they are trying to distract from their failure by picking a fight with unions. “The right to strike is crucial in a free society.
12:23 PM 22nd May 2022
Record Number Of City Status Winners Announced To Celebrate Platinum Jubilee
Eight new cities named as part of 2022 Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
7:00 PM 21st May 2022
‘Gender Pensions Gap Day’ – When Women Pensioners Start Getting Paid
The gender pensions income gap in the UK means that retired women effectively go for four and a half months each year without getting a pension, making yesterday (Thursday) ‘gender pensions gap day’ – the day women pensioners start getting paid.
8:05 AM 20th May 2022
Greater Manchester Homeless Prevention Programme To Support A Further 1500 Young People After £4.85m Funding Boost
A pioneering project that aims to prevent thousands of young people from becoming homeless in Greater Manchester has been extended for a further three years. £4.85m has been allocated to the Young Person’s Homelessness Prevention programme by Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to work with 1500 eighteen to twenty-five-year-olds across ten local authority areas.
3:01 AM 20th May 2022
Health Secretary Announces 10-Year Plan For Dementia
Health and Social Care Secretary announces a new 10-year plan to tackle dementia and boost funding into research to better understand neurodegenerative diseases.
6:47 PM 18th May 2022
Despite Progress Made In Pandemic, Many Parents And Carers Still Lack Access To Flexible Working
A new report from work-life balance charity Working Families and professional coaching organisation Talking Talent has revealed inequalities around who can access flexible working.
3:00 AM 18th May 2022
Apocalyptic Food Price Warning: Beat Rising Costs With These 7 Supermarket Saving Tips
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
The governor of the Bank of England has described the possibility of food prices rising even further as a “major worry”. Andrew Bailey, who apologised for sounding “apocalyptic” with his comments, cited the war in Ukraine and food supply issues as some of the reasons for surging prices.
3:00 AM 18th May 2022
Lancashire County Council Praise Footballer For Decision To Come Out
Lancashire County Council has praised Jake Daniels on his decision to come out as the UK's only openly gay male professional footballer. The council's champion for young people, Cllr Scott Smith, has written to the 17-year-old Blackpool footballer to say his decision will have made a real difference not just to football fans, but to LGBT+ people across Lancashire, the UK and the world.
1:17 PM 17th May 2022
Average Rent In Cumbria Reaches £547pm - Taking Rental Growth To Highs Not Seen Since Global Financial Crisis
Average rent in Cumbria has grown 5.9% in the last year to £547pm. On average, UK tenants are staying in their rental properties for an extra five months compared to five years ago, with the average tenancy length up to 75 weeks, from 51 weeks at the start of 2017.
3:00 AM 17th May 2022
New Prescription Charge Freeze To Help Ease Cost Of Living
Cost of prescriptions will be frozen for the first time in over a decade
3:00 AM 16th May 2022
Damehood Conferred: May 2022
Deborah James
The Queen has been pleased to approve that the honour of Damehood be conferred upon Deborah James.
10:26 AM 13th May 2022
The Next Friday The 13th Is TODAY
Jan Harris
Deputy Group Editor
image by Denis Skley
If a month starts on a Sunday then there will be a Friday the 13th. A Friday falling on the 13th of the month happens at least once a year but can happen up to three times in one year. It is a recognised fact that some people just expect something bad to happen on Friday the 13th. Airline ticket prices are supposed to drop and some bosses skip or cancel meetings that are held on that day.
3:00 AM 13th May 2022
National Flu And COVID-19 Surveillance Reports Published - 12 May 2022
image / pixabay
Weekly national influenza and coronavirus (COVID-19) report, COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.
7:49 PM 12th May 2022
Household Finance Measures Hit Record Low For Third Month In A Row
Image: Stevepb on Pixabay
The UK’s cost of living crisis has knocked consumer confidence again, according to the latest analysis from YouGov and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). As with last month and the month before, a modest fall in the overall index (-1.0) can be explained by a rather more severe decline in household finance measures, which have hit yet another all-time low.
3:00 AM 12th May 2022
Stroke Is One Of The Biggest Killers In The UK, According To Stroke Association Study
More than half of people in the North don’t know that stroke is the fourth biggest killer in the UK, according to new research by the Stroke Association. The charity has released the survey findings as it calls for vital support to fund more research into the devastating condition.
3:00 AM 12th May 2022
Workers With More Than One Job Could Now Miss Out On State Pension Entitlement
Part time workers up and down the country could be stripped of their state pension entitlement under new plans laid out by the Department for Business Education and Skills (BEIS).
3:00 AM 11th May 2022
Loneliness Affects Mental Health Of Millions Yet Many Feel Ashamed To Talk About It
Photo by Kristina Tripkovic on Unsplash
New Mental Health Awareness Week survey of 6,000 UK adults. A quarter of UK adults (25%) have felt lonely some, or all of the time, over the previous month. A quarter of UK adults (25%) feel ashamed about being lonely. More than one third (35%) of UK adults say they would never admit to feeling lonely. One in two (44%) say feelings of loneliness have made them feel sad. One in four UK adults(25%) said feelings of loneliness made them feel worried or anxious. One in eight (12%) of UK adults have had suicidal thoughts and feelings because of feeling lonely.
3:00 AM 10th May 2022
International Voice Actor Jo Pickard Signs With Carey Dodd Associates
The face of Omaze UK, skilled presenter, and sought-after voiceover actor, Jo Pickard has signed with leading London agency, Carey Dodd Associates. Principle agent Samantha Dodd will be representing Jo for all acting talent opportunities as well as voice acting in the gaming industry.
5:00 AM 9th May 2022
Consumer Borrowing Surges As Cost Of Living Crisis Bites
Photo by Avery Evans on Unsplash
UK households borrowed money at the quickest annual pace since before the pandemic in March, with the Bank of England reporting that lending rose by £1.3bn in net terms, ​​bringing the annual growth rate for consumer credit borrowing up to 5.2%.
3:00 AM 9th May 2022
UK Punishes Putin With New Round Of Sanctions On £1.7bn Of Goods
The UK has announced a new package of sanctions on Russia and Belarus targeting £1.7bn worth of trade.
3:00 AM 9th May 2022
BME Unemployment Rate Over Twice As High As White Workers – With Gap Widening Through Pandemic
New analysis by the TUC recently published has revealed the unemployment rate for BME workers is more than double that of their white counterparts.
3:00 AM 9th May 2022
Hundreds More Mobile Generators To Provide Vital Power For Ukraine
UK government donates a further 287 mobile generators to Ukraine.
3:44 PM 7th May 2022
Opinion
It’s The Economy Stupid - But That’s Just The Start Of It
Sonia Price
Features Writer
Photo by Nico Smit on Unsplash
I failed O-level maths twice but even I know Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson and the very best economists on the planet are categorically not going to revive Britain from the sickness that has consumed it. You see the problem with Britain isn’t just that we’re in hock to too many 00000s to fit this article.
3:00 AM 7th May 2022
Sellafield Deafness, Hearing Loss And Tinnitus Network
This week is deaf awareness week and Sellafield Ltd has set up it's own network to help employees with issues relating to deafness.
8:12 PM 6th May 2022
National Flu And COVID-19 Surveillance Reports Published - 5 May 2022
image / pixabay
Weekly national influenza and coronavirus (COVID-19) report, COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.
2:12 PM 6th May 2022
U-Drive Searches For Charities And Those In Need In Lancashire To Support With 40 Days Of Free Vehicle Hire
U-Drive is celebrating its 40th anniversary by offering 40 days of free hire to support charities and those in need in the Lancashire. The vehicle rental company is on the search for charitable causes in the local community to support by offering the chance of free vehicle hire.
11:30 AM 6th May 2022
World’s Largest COVID Test Provider Invests Into British Immunity Device
Attomarker’s novel test assesses immunity in real time and can accurately pinpoint individuals who require a spring booster
3:00 AM 6th May 2022
PM Call With President Zelenskyy: 5 May 2022
Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as part of their regular dialogue.
7:14 PM 5th May 2022
Business Leaders Welcome Bank’s Determination To Tackle High Inflation Expectations
Image: Jordan Holiday on Pixabay
Commenting on the decision of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England to raise interest rates from 0.75% to 1%, Kitty Ussher, Chief Economist of the Institute of Directors, commented: “We welcome the Bank of England’s judgement that the need to tackle high expectations of inflation is of greater concern than the risk of curbing demand too fast in the short-term.
2:22 PM 5th May 2022
Government Announces Special Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Volunteering Award
20 national charitable organisations to be recognised by The Queen for their work empowering young people
2:06 PM 5th May 2022
Emergency Budget Needed Instead Of Rate Rise, Says TUC
image / pixabay
Commenting on the decision yesterday (4 May) by the Bank of England to raise the Bank Rate to 1%, TUC head of economics Kate Bell said: “This is the wrong time for a rate rise. The economy is already slowing down and the rise will further harm growth. And it won’t have much impact on supply side problems like rising energy costs.
1:57 PM 5th May 2022
UK Provides Further Humanitarian Aid Focused On Most Vulnerable In Ukraine
A package of UK support will help reach the most vulnerable people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced today.
10:28 AM 5th May 2022
Rail Cuts Will Compromise Safety With Loss Of 670,000 Maintenance Hours
Rail funding cuts will compromise passenger safety and could mean the loss of much needed train services, a new TUC report has warned this week. The report details the likely consequences of spending cuts planned by Network Rail and of government cuts to funding for train services.
3:00 AM 5th May 2022
850,000 Households Missing Out On Pension Credit
Tapper and Morgan issue call for support: ‘Pension Credit - it's for you!’ campaign. Prequel to formal feasibility study for Minister of Pensions published today. Private sector initiative to reach the 850,000 households currently missing out.
3:00 AM 4th May 2022
UK Donates Fleet Of Armoured Vehicles To Ukraine To Evacuate Civilians From Besieged Areas
The UK government is sending 13 protective armoured vehicles to Ukraine, to safely evacuate people from the shelled areas in east of the country.
4:55 PM 3rd May 2022
Magistrates To Help Tackle Backlog As Sentencing Powers Doubled
Magistrates will be able to issue jail sentences of up to one year for a single offence to help ease the backlog in the Crown Court.
3:00 AM 3rd May 2022
more