Other News In Brief

Pizza Death Arrest

A man has been arrested following the death of a man after a fight in a pizza takeaway in Scunthorpe. Salim Ullah, 40, of Frodingham Road, died in hospital after the fight with two men in the Pizza King shortly before 1am on Sunday. Humberside police have not said if the arrested man, aged 25, is one of four seen on CCTV at the time of the attack.

Scappage Scheme Retained

The sales-boosting old car car scrappage scheme is to be extended. The scheme, which started in May, gives consumers £2,000 off a new car if they trade in one at least 10 years old. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson will announce the move, which has been called for by the car industry, in his Labour Party conference speech. It was due to end in February 2010.

Poorest Lose Hope Of Housing

Six out of 10 people on lower incomes believe they have little or no chance of getting a social home - with the same number not understanding how they are allocated, according to new research. The National Housing Federation said the results showed there was a desperate need for a radical overhaul of the way social homes are allocated, with the organisation calling for the allocations system to be made fairer and more transparent. The Federation also said the system needs to be changed, so that it is easier for working people to benefit from social housing.

Scottish Construction Job Losses Grow

The confidence of the Scottish construction sector remains weak as a further 8,500 jobs have been lost from the industry in the first eight months of 2009. The new figures calculated by the Scottish Building Federation follow a similar survey conducted at the end of 2008 which showed an 8% reduction in the Scottish construction industry workforce last year, equivalent to 20,000 job losses. The results of the Federation's latest quarterly Scottish Construction Monitor have prompted its Chief Executive to raise industry fears that things might get worse for construction before they get better.

Nursery Care Crisis

State-run nurseries face budget cuts of up to a third because of a shake-up in early years funding, opponents of the changes fear. The government wants private, voluntary and independent nurseries to be funded at the same level as state-run pre-schools, which currently get more cash. Funds will be taken from state-run nurseries to boost budgets in independent ones, critics claim.

Gas Guarantee

E.ON, one of the UK's leading energy companies, is guaranteeing that customers who take a new product will have the cheapest gas bills this winter. Called WinterGas, users would save an average customer £77 a year compared to the average UK standard gas bill and guarantees customers will have the cheapest gas bills until 31 March 2010.

(BMcC/GK)