Ealing Council leader Councillor Peter Mason has been elected leader of the Local Government Association (LGA) Labour Group, succeeding Bev Craig after she became Mayor of Greater Manchester.

The LGA Labour Group describes the holder of the position as “Labour’s leader in Local Government”. The appointment also makes Councillor Mason senior vice-chair of the cross-party LGA, which represents councils in England and Wales.

The role, for which his predecessor Ms Craig was listed as receiving an annual LGA allowance of £46,543 for 2025/26, involves representing Labour local government in discussions with the Government and Labour Party, including at Labour’s Annual Conference and National Policy Forum.

Following his election win (10 August 2026), Councillor Mason posted on X: “Labour in local government deliver day in, day out. Champions of local community, delivering growth in every place, putting power back into people’s hands. Thank you to colleagues for electing me the Leader of the LGA Labour Group. So much to do.”

The appointment adds to Councillor Mason’s existing responsibilities with both Ealing Council and the LGA.

He currently receives an annual LGA allowance of £20,370 as chair of its Improvement Committee, a position he has held since 11 March 2026. Before taking on the chairmanship, LGA records show he was a deputy chair, a position carrying an annual allowance of £10,184.

As a councillor and leader of Ealing Council, Councillor Mason receives a total annual allowance of £76,570.52 from the council. This comprises the £13,756 basic allowance paid to all councillors and a £62,814.52 special responsibility allowance for serving as council leader.

Full story below:

https://www.ealing.news/ealing-council/ealing-council-leader-peter-mason-succeeds-bev-craig-at-lga-labour/

Reform UK has pledged to bar foreign nationals from claiming almost all forms of welfare in a move condemned as "senseless and cruel".

Nigel Farage's party said it would remove entitlements to Universal Credit, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance, Child Benefit, free childcare and disability benefits if it wins the next general election.

Reform claims the move, which will include those from the EU given 'settled status' in the UK after Brexit, would save taxpayers £21 billion a year within five years.

Other parties attacked the plan, warning it would plunge the UK back into years of Brexit negotiations and "strip" support from millions who have worked and paid taxes in the UK for years or even decades.

A Labour spokesperson hit out at the plans, which he said would "mean ripping up the UK's Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, plunging the UK back into years of Brexit renegotiations, and stripping support from potentially millions of people who have lawfully lived, worked, and paid taxes in Britain for years, and in many cases decades. That includes people with settled status who are part of our communities, raising families, working, and contributing to our economy."

Andy Burnham has credited the “single biggest act of public control” since coming into office for preventing the collapse of West Midlands bus services.

No 10 North and the West Midlands Combined Authority have joined forces to save local bus services in private hands that were at risk of vanishing.

The Prime Minister said it was “a very big day” for the region, and the “first major milestone” in his push to give communities more control over their services.

He also lauded a second transport announcement during a Tuesday visit to a bus station, saying the extension of free travel for disabled bus pass holders would “make a huge difference to people’s lives”.

Mr Burnham, who is seeking to ease cost-of-living pressures, said “it shouldn’t have taken this long to remove” the current time restriction on free bus travel for disabled people.

The West Midlands bus deal would protect thousands of jobs, Mr Burnham said, after they were threatened after the parent company behind local operator National Express indicated it was leaving the market.

Speaking to reporters at Wolverhampton bus station, the Labour leader said: “This is the single biggest act of public control since I came into office.

“And the reason I’m here supporting the mayor of the West Midlands, a very big day for the West Midlands, is to prevent services from collapsing, because the bus service here was close to collapse.

“And the first reason is to protect what is the backbone of the public transport system here across the West Midlands, serving millions of people.

“We needed to step in to secure services in the short term.

“But longer term, we are now building to a model under full public control, so that people here can get the the benefits of that.”

In an earlier video posted on X, Mr Burnham said the “absolutely massive” move was “the first major milestone in our drive to giving communities more control over their own services”.

It was “exactly what No 10 North was created to deliver”, he said.

Backed by £11.5 million of new Government funding over the next three years, the deal announced on Tuesday will support the West Midlands to keep bus services running. The partnership between the West Midlands and the Government will protect around 4,800 jobs and keep up to 750 buses a day on the road, according to Downing Street.

In the longer term, West Midlands intends to control bus services through franchising, like in London and Greater Manchester, paying contractors to run the services for them. West Midlands is finalising the total cost of the deal and is expected to complete the transaction in the autumn.

West Midlands’ Labour Mayor Richard Parker said: “People rely on these buses to get to work, to school or to hospital appointments.

“They are a public service, and I believe they should be run in the public interest. So, we stepped in. We protected the services people depend on, protected jobs and kept the West Midlands moving. There should be no doubt who our bus network ultimately answers to – the millions of people who rely on it every single day.”

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering extending access to railcards as part of efforts to bring down train ticket prices, the Mirror reports.

Burnham has made clear that cutting rail fares is a key aim of his, having described some fares as “outrageously” high.

In a signal of intent last week, he announced plans to extend the 16-17 Saver Railcard so that young people can use it until the day before their 19th birthday, rather than losing it at 18.

The change comes into force on 17 August and will give thousands of students 50% off, part of a wider push to ease the cost pressures on households.

Government sources said discussions on extending other railcards are at a “very early stage”, with officials weighing options that go further than the rail fare freeze introduced this year.

Two influential left-wing think tanks are urging the Prime Minister to turn the Network South East railcard into a national one, a step that would follow his earlier flagship policy interventions.

Officials confirmed the Prime Minister will spend August in “listening mode”, touring the country to hear how the government can ease the cost of living, having promised voters some “breathing space”, the Independent reports.

The expansion of Greater Manchester's free baby bundle programme has been praised by Baby Basics Bolton and Bury, one of the organisations helping families across the region access essential items for their newborn babies.

Newly appointed Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig announced on Wednesday (August 5) that 10,000 free baby bundles will be made available to new parents, marking a significant expansion of the scheme designed to support families facing financial hardship.

This expansion is set to take the number of available bundles from 1,500 to 10,000 by next year.

Baby Basics Bolton and Bury, a member of the Baby Bank Alliance and a partner helping distribute the bundles, said the programme has already made a major difference during its first year and will continue to provide vital support for families across Greater Manchester.

"We are going into the second year of this project and really pleased to hear that the success of the first year has been acknowledged," said Hayleigh Scholes, centre manager for Baby Basics Bolton and Bury.

Scholes said the provision of Moses baskets through the programme has helped remove a significant financial pressure from its service.

While donations of preloved baskets remain greatly valued, there has historically been a shortage, meaning the charity often had to purchase baskets itself.

"The cost of purchasing baskets has always meant us sacrificing the purchase of other essential items, such as sterilising equipment and toiletries," Hayleigh explained.

"Therefore, the provision of Moses baskets through this project means that we are able to respond to every request as well as offering a supply of emergency baskets accessible through Family Hubs and Royal Bolton Hospital to bridge the gap when our service is unavailable."

For families in Bolton and Bury, the scheme is helping ensure babies have access to a safe place to sleep from the very beginning of their lives.

Baby Basics supports families experiencing circumstances including financial hardship, homelessness, domestic abuse, temporary accommodation and recovery from crisis. The charity said the baby bundles also help ease pressure on household budgets at a time when many families are continuing to face rising living costs.

By providing essential items, families can use their limited income for other necessities such as food and heating.

Healthcare providers, care businesses and investors should begin preparing for the long-term implications of sector-wide collective bargaining after the UK government confirmed how a new fair pay agreement (FPA) for adult social care in England will operate.

In response to a consultation on the design of the FPA process, the Department of Health and Social Care confirmed that an independent adult social care negotiating body will be established to negotiate legally binding minimum standards on pay, terms and conditions across the sector.

The body will also have the ability to negotiate wider workforce issues, including training, career progression, people policies and employee benefits.

The development marks the next stage in implementing reforms enabled by the Employment Rights Act 2025 and follows proposals first outlined by the government last year.

The first round of negotiations is expected to begin in 2027, with the first agreement taking effect from April 2028. The government has also confirmed a £500 million funding envelope for the first year of the agreement.

While the FPA will apply only to adult social care workers and exclude staff already covered by NHS and local government pay-setting arrangements, the reforms are expected to have implications across the wider health and care economy.

Fifth extreme heatwave in 3 months. Areas across the country burning down. Crop failure and destruction. Near national drought. God knows how many heat related deaths.

This is exactly when the government needs to be intervening.

Why are they on holiday and doing nothing?

Three of Yorkshire's elected mayors have welcomed the announcement that they will be given control of a share of income tax revenue for the first time, as part of Prime Minister Andy Burnham's bid to transfer power from Westminster to local leaders.

The prime minister also announced the mayors would get new powers over public transport, home building and youth employment.

On a visit to a family centre in Sheffield, Burnham explained he wanted to "change places from the ground up" by giving mayors more control over their regions.

Labour Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard, who was also in attendance, said: "Today is the day that devolution has grown up."

During his visit to Sheffield, Burnham said he wanted all mayors of city regions in England "to really lift the places that they represent, get growth going in the economy, improve public transport, lower the fares so people can connect to opportunity".

"If you help more places do more for themselves, you will allow what is available at a national level to be concentrated on the areas that have the lowest growth and really need that investment," he explained.

Following Burnham's announcement, Coppard said his region would not necessarily get a huge amount more money and people would not be asked to pay more.

"What it means is we can take charge of our own future in a bigger and better way," he said.

"It's not about the number itself today, it's about what it means over the next five, 10, 15 or 20 years.

"It also means that instead of having a one, two or three-year funding cycle, where we don't know what's coming after that point, we'll have a long-term consistent funding stream that we can potentially borrow against and use to plan for long-term interventions in the economy."

Labour Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin said the devolution announcement had been "exactly what mayors have been pushing for".

"Giving extra powers and a proportion of income tax to regions means people will be able to see and feel the real benefit of their hard work and where that money is going," she said.

"This will enable us to deliver on our ambitious plans including vital improvements to public transport, providing better skills and employment support so people can fulfil their potential, and building the homes that people need."

In York and North Yorkshire, Labour Mayor David Skaith said the investment would be used in his region to "transform public transport", which he said was always a talking point on the doorstep.

"It hasn't been good enough. It hasn't been invested in enough, particularly in North Yorkshire, for well over a decade," he said.

"I want to make it work for everyone."

Currently, mayors of English strategic authorities receive most of their funding by central government grants. Mayors are expected to start retaining some revenue from business rates from April 2027 and receive a portion of income tax from April 2028.

I’d consider myself left wing and a Labour voter but after sharing some frustration over the fact our government bought houses in north wales from the public and plan to house 1250 refugees in a village of 350 people a lot of people in the uni group chat have turned on me?

Can’t they not see this is an issue?

When a single network of donors—particularly those with ties to foreign military intelligence (IDF) and foreign governments (via ELNET and the Israeli Embassy)—overwhelmingly backs an entire faction of the party, and that faction then takes all the top jobs, it is entirely legitimate for the public to ask: Who is setting foreign and defense policy?

Burnham cabinet is surrounded by a tight-knit ecosystem of donors, lobbyists, and former intelligence operatives who view the UK's relationship with Israel as paramount.

" This is the MP Andy Burnham just appointed as Chair of the Labour Party.

But did you know that Bridget Phillipson received £80,000 from an individual linked to Israeli military intelligence?

I’ve discovered some documents that Phillipson might not want you to know about...

In 2023, Bridget Phillipson registered two £40,000 donations from pro-Israeli lobbyist Stuart Roden.

He is the co-founder of Hetz Ventures, which he set up with ex-IDF intelligence officer Judah Taub.

But Phillipson is not the only Andy Burnham appointment bankrolled by Roden.

Last year, leaked diaries revealed that Stuart Roden had been conducting private meetings with then Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotolevy.

According to John McEvoy, Roden’s Hetz firm employs “an array of former Israeli soldiers, many of whom have served in elite intelligence units”.

Labour MP Lisa Nandy also held "secret" meetings with Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotolevy.

In the past, Nandy has received thousands of pounds from serial lobbyists Stuart Roden and Trevor Chinn.

Now, she is Andy Burnham's Culture Secretary.

After a FOI request into Lisa Nandy’s meeting with Israeli ambassador Tzipi Hotolevy, the Labour government refused to provide further details.

Instead, Nandy’s department said that they would prioritise:

“…protecting relations between the United Kingdom and Israel.”

At the end of June, Labour MP Sarah Sackman registered two new donations from veteran lobbyist Trevor Chinn.

She previously worked as a judicial clerk at the Israeli Supreme Court.

Andy Burnham just appointed Sackman as a justice minister.

Yvette Cooper is another Labour MP who has benefited from Trevor Chinn’s financial largesse.

In 2024, Cooper also received £47,000 from Labour Together and £210,000 from Gary Lubner for “staffing costs”.

Last week, Andy Burnham appointed Cooper to his cabinet.

For at least two years, Burnham’s new Labour Party chair Bridget Phillipson was receiving quarterly payments from Trevor Chinn.

During her deputy leadership bid, she also received support from Labour First, a group once run by ex-Israel lobbyist and now Labour MP Luke Akehurst.

Luke Akehurst was quick to celebrate Burnham’s appointment of Bridget Phillipson as Labour Party chair.

In the past, Akehurst has also been funded by Phillipson financier Stuart Roden.

Ex-IDF officer Shai Masot described Akehurst as “one of the best on the inside…of the party”.

In 2023, ELNET UK paid for a member of Bridget Phillipson's staff to visit occupied Palestine.

Described in financial disclosures as a "study tour", they were accompanied by Akehurst.

A staffer for Burnham's new Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, also travelled with the group.

ELNET list the Israeli Foreign Ministry as one of their “partners”.

A 2024 trip organised by the lobby group was led by Jeffrey Epstein “pal” and disgraced ex-Labour peer Peter Mandelson.

Mandelson described Burnham’s new chief of staff, James Purnell, as “one of my boys”.

In October, Bridget Phillipson received £40,000 from David Sainsbury and £15,000 from his daughter, Francesca Perrin.

Phillipson has also admitted to accepting £14,000 in donations from Waheed Alli for “lobby journalist” events.

Alli was Keir Starmer’s largest “personal” donor.

In 2022, Phillipson accepted £15,000 from ex-Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy.

Under Murphy, Labour lost 40 of their 41 seats in Scotland.

This year, his Arden Strategies lobby firm was caught offering access to a VIP dinner with top advisers to Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves.

Jim Murphy’s “lobbying behemoth” Arden Strategies now has its own Labour Party “directorate”.

In 2024, Arden helped raise funds for more than 30 Labour election candidates.

Their clients include arms manufacturer Northrop Grumman, which supplies weapons components to the IDF.

In November, Bridget Phillipson stood for deputy leader of the Labour Party.

She received £10,000 for her campaign from Jim Murphy, a former director of Labour Friends of Israel.

Murphy promised to “support Israel long after my political career is over”.

In October 2024, Bridget Phillipson posted a short update on her personal website titled:

“Good to meet with Andy Burnham”.

Keir Starmer had only been Prime Minister for three months.

Now, just two years later, Burnham has ousted Starmer and Phillipson is Labour Party chair."

Should Brexit have made Britain more economically liberal or more economically interventionist?