Councillors heard the significant demand was driven by the cost of living crisis and the challenging private rent sector

Demand for temporary accommodation and homelessness services across Bridgend have continued to rise “significantly” despite a number of measures taken to reduce costs by the council.

The discussions were held at a council cabinet meeting where members heard how the number of households in temporary accommodation across the borough had consistently gone up since 2019.

The figures were presented to council bosses as part of an update on the service where they also gave approval for officers to enter into further agreements with private accommodation providers to enable the “continuation of short-term arrangements”.

Data given at the meeting showed the number of households in temporary accommodation in Bridgend in 2019 was 83 though by January 2026 this had climbed to 296. Make sure you never miss Wales’ biggest updates by getting our daily newsletter.

It also showed consistent increases in the number of individuals in temporary accommodation with single-person households shown to make up 75% of all those temporary accommodation.

Additionally the report noted a major rise in the number of applicants on the Bridgend Common Housing Register since the 2019-20 financial year which it said was driven by the cost-of-living crisis and a challenging private rented sector.

The report said: “The demand for homelessness and temporary accommodation services has been compounded by a wider increase in demand for social housing.

“The total number of applicants on the Bridgend Common Housing Register at the end of each year has increased substantially. In 2019-20 there were 816 households on the Common Housing Register.

“At the end of January 2026 there were around 3,500 households on the Common Housing Register.

“A combination of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and a challenging private rented sector are key drivers behind this demand.”

Speaking at the meeting council leader John Spanswick praised the work of officers and said despite the rise in demand for services they had driven down the cost of delivering them by around 21% or £1m.

This came after the council purchased three of their own properties to be used as temporary accommodation along with a capital programme to “increase affordable housing options”.

Cllr Neelo Farr said the three properties purchased for HMOs were reducing their costs “tremendously” with funding now in place to buy three more over the next 12 months.

The report also noted that upscaling this positive work was still considered medium-to-long-term with agreements needed with accommodation providers such as guesthouses, holiday lets, and other properties to address the immediate pressures seen.

Cabinet members in attendance approved plans to temporarily suspend contract procedure rules for agreements to be made directly with providers for up to 12 months or three years where there is value for money.

Cllr Farr said: “This approach ensures that vulnerable people continue to have safe suitable accommodation while longer-term solutions such as increasing affordable housing and supported accommodation are developed to reduce reliance on temporary accommodations.”

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth said Friday that the Strait of Hormuz, where shipping traffic has essentially been stopped since the start of the war on Iran, is actually “open” and that military leaders “don’t need to worry about it.”

“The only thing prohibiting transit in the straits right now is Iran shooting at shipping. It is open for transit should Iran not do that,” the former Fox News weekend host told reporters at a Pentagon briefing.

Hegseth, in a particularly angry appearance, also attacked press accounts suggesting that Iran’s attacks on shipping were not anticipated by President Donald Trump and his top aides when he unilaterally took the United States into war against that country two weeks ago.

“As the world is seeing, they are exercising sheer desperation in the Straits of Hormuz, something we’re dealing with. We have been dealing with it and don’t need to worry about it,” he said, and then attacked CNN by name. “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

The narrow passage between the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf normally sees about 20% of the world’s crude oil supply pass through. That flow has dropped to a trickle, with the exception of Iran’s own oil.

Convicted sex offender and former TV personality Stephen Bear, 36, is set to become a dad, as his 19-year-old wife, Miami, is pregnant.

Bear rose to fame on reality shows such as Shipwrecked (2011), Ex on the Beach (2015), and Celebrity Big Brother, winning the 2016 series.

In January 2021, he was arrested for uploading private CCTV footage of himself having sex with his ex-girlfriend, Georgia Harrison, on his OnlyFans account.

That May, Bear was charged with voyeurism, disclosing private, sexual photographs and films with intent to cause distress, and harassment without violence.

He pleaded not guilty, but in December 2022, he was convicted. The following March, he began serving his 21-month prison sentence but was released early in January 2024.

Following his release, Bear relocated to Brazil, telling social media at the time: ‘The police can’t catch me now.’

While it’s unknown how he met his now-wife, they wed last year when she was 18.

Now, the couple have revealed that she is three months pregnant, whooping and cheering in an Instagram video after announcing: ‘Guys, we have a baby!’

‘We can confirm the baby is three months old,’ said Bear. ‘The doctor said it’s fit and healthy.

‘I’ve been wanting to tell you lot for a few weeks, but it had to be three months old before we announced the news.’

Bear added that he is ‘over the moon’, explaining that they are not going to find out the unborn baby’s sex, but because he is English and ‘really good at football’, while his wife is Brazilian, ‘[they’ve] decided that [their] baby is gonna play for the Brazilian national team’.

Miami then excitedly held up a baby’s yellow sleepsuit emblazoned with the team’s logo and with ‘Bear’ across the back.

‘We’re super excited,’ he shouted.

‘Guys, there’s a new Bear on the way! Woo! Come on!’

The video then cuts to footage of Miami having a scan while the baby’s heartbeat is played aloud.

Bear frequently shares posts online from his new life in Brazil with Miami, while she also posts vlogs, sketches, and dancing clips.

Upon his move to South America, Bear filmed himself from the beach, swigging a beer and saying: ‘I’m just chilling out; licence is finished, police is finished. I can be completely left alone, ready to enjoy my life now. All my conditions are just lifted.

‘Now I can post on social media; that was the main condition. Watch this space.’

He also debuted Miami on his page, telling the camera as he panned to her: ‘This is my 18-year-old Latina girlfriend. Say hello, baby.

‘We just chilling. I got eight music videos I got to shoot while I’m in Brazil. Thinking of looking at some property while I’m over here.’

‘As they say in Brazil, te amo, ciao. That means I love you, goodbye,’ he concluded, blowing a kiss.

He and Miami now live together in an apartment.

Bear, who served just 10 months of his jail sentence, earns a living by continuing to share explicit videos on OnlyFans, for which he charges $20 (£15) each.

Meanwhile, former Towie star Harrison, 31, who dated Bear between 2018 and 2019, waived her right to anonymity during his criminal and civil cases.

She has continued speaking publicly about revenge porn to raise awareness and highlight its prevalence, as well as demanding increased support for victims.

Harrison also donated part of the £207,900 that Bear was ordered to pay her in compensation damages to multiple charities that supported her after the incident, which, while it involved consensual sex between her and Bear at his home in Loughton, she had no idea that it was being filmed and didn’t consent to footage being shared.

Speaking previously at the Proceeds of Crime hearing, she recalled: ‘I had to live in fear that this was going to come out and my family were going to know about it.

‘It was just like the worst feeling you can ever possibly imagine. I felt violated, I felt embarrassed – I hated myself for a really long time.’

Harrison’s other work since has included fronting the documentary Revenge Porn: Georgia vs Bear (2023) and the two-part series Georgia Harrison: Porn, Power, Profit (2025).

Last year, she was appointed an MBE for her services to the prevention of violence against women and girls and for her campaigning around cybercrime. She also welcomed her first child

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When severe floods struck Valencia in late 2024, the damage quickly spread beyond the affected neighbourhoods. Infrastructure was disrupted, insurance claims surged and supply chains were hit across the region. Within days, the financial implications were clear. Events like these illustrate how sudden climate shocks can rapidly enter financial markets.

For many people, this matters more than they might think. Pension funds, insurance portfolios and long-term savings are heavily invested in companies, infrastructure and energy systems exposed to climate risk. As extreme weather events become more frequent and environmental pressures intensify, the way financial markets react to climate risks increasingly affects the economic security of savers.

Yet not all climate risks provoke the same reaction from investors. Sudden events such as floods, storms or even climate-related lawsuits (such as the landmark case brought by green groups against oil giant Shell in the Netherlands) can quickly influence market expectations.

Slower environmental changes – things like rising sea levels, prolonged drought or gradual ecosystem degradation – rarely produce the same immediate financial response. But their long-term economic consequences may ultimately be just as significant.

Understanding why financial markets react unevenly to different types of climate risk leads to an emerging area of research known as neurofinance. This field combines insights from neuroscience and finance to explain how investors evaluate uncertain future outcomes.

Although markets are often described as systems driven by data, models and algorithms, they ultimately reflect the judgements of people – investors, analysts and portfolio managers. Their decisions depend on how risks are perceived and evaluated. Neurofinance research suggests that these decisions are influenced by how the brain processes time, uncertainty, attention and risk.

More distant, but no less risky

One study showed that people often react more strongly to immediate and emotionally vivid threats than to slower or more abstract risks. This can be true even when the long-term consequences of those slower risks are just as serious.

This pattern is not limited to financial decisions. People may respond quickly to an acute danger such as a fire alarm or a storm, while slower but potentially serious risks can attract less urgent responses. In other words, risks that are visible, concrete and near-term tend to command more attention than those that unfold gradually over long periods.

This does not mean that long-term risks are ignored, but it may mean that their influence on decisions emerges more slowly.

This difference in attention is often described using the concept of “salience” – how strongly a particular signal stands out at the point where a decision is made. Risks that are vivid, identifiable and easy to explain are more likely to enter discussions about valuation and investment strategy. More distant or complex risks may receive less attention, even when their potential economic impact is large.

Climate change provides a clear illustration of this dynamic. After all, different types of risk vary significantly in how salient they appear. Some risks emerge suddenly. New laws or regulations, carbon-pricing policies or litigation can quickly alter the outlook for companies and industries.

Because these developments resemble familiar economic shocks, they often attract investors’ attention immediately. Other risks – rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns and long-term environmental degradation – typically unfold over decades. Their effects may be significant but are often harder to link to a single moment or event. As a result, they can appear more abstract in day-to-day investment discussions.

The key difference may lie less in the objective scale of these risks than in how easily they capture people’s attention. Sudden events generate clear signals that investors can process quickly.

This helps to explain why markets sometimes appear highly reactive to climate-related headlines while adjusting more slowly to deeper environmental trends.

For long-term investments such as pension funds, this uneven response presents an important challenge. Pension portfolios are designed to manage risks over decades. Yet financial markets often react most strongly to events that occur suddenly. As a result, portfolios may adjust quickly to regulatory changes or litigation and more gradually to environmental pressures that build over time.

Research also suggests that investors’ views about climate risk do not always translate directly into investment decisions. Surveys indicate that many investors recognise the financial importance of climate change, yet portfolio allocations vary widely. Economists often describe this as the difference between stated views and revealed behaviour in financial decision-making.

Institutional structures within financial markets may reinforce these patterns. Investment managers are frequently assessed on quarterly performance and benchmark comparisons. These incentives naturally draw attention to risks that influence markets in the near term. Slower-moving risks may receive less focus in day-to-day portfolio decisions.

None of this implies that markets are ignoring climate change or behaving irrationally. Financial markets reflect the decisions of millions of individuals and institutions operating under uncertainty and time pressures. But insights from neurofinance suggest that the way risks capture people’s attention influences how quickly they affect decision-making.

Understanding how attention and perception shape financial decisions may help to explain why markets sometimes react dramatically to climate headlines while adjusting more slowly to long-term environmental change. This is a pattern that matters for investors, policymakers and pension-holders alike.

Aston Villa 2015-16 – Position: 20. Points 17

Talking of FA Cup finals, it was gilet out, shirt and tie in as Tim Sherwood led Aston Villa to Wembley in 2015, his tactics “bamboozling” Liverpool en route before a heavy final defeat by Arsenal.

Sherwood also steered Villa away from the drop but, shorn of influential stars Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph in the summer, was sacked after six successive defeats left them bottom in October.

Kevin Macdonald, briefly, Remi Garde and Eric Black all had a stab at getting a tune from the young prospects Villa reinvested in but, with ownership issues rumbling, the club – one of only seven Premier League ever-presents at the time – dropped out of the top flight for the first time since 1988.

Middlesbrough 1996-97 – Position: 19th. Points 39

Silver hair shimmering in the Teesside sunshine, the sight of Fabrizio Ravanelli celebrating a debut hat-trick against Liverpool – months after scoring in Juventus’ Champions League triumph – had Middlesbrough fans dreaming.

Throw in Brazilian trio Juninho, Emerson and Branco, with Bryan Robson in the dugout, and the Riverside faithful felt they could win the lot.

They almost did an FA and League Cup double, losing both finals, but those dazzling runs could not be replicated in the league.

Ravanelli, reportedly the highest-paid man in the league, scored at almost the same rate he bemoaned the club’s professionalism in the Italian press, suggesting Juventus coaches were having to fax him fitness plans.

Emerson went missing, his wife not very complimentary about Teesside.

But what effectively sent Middlesbrough down was the decision to not play against Blackburn because of an illness and injury crisis – the FA docked Boro three points, they finished two from survival.

PARIS (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Friday that the U.S. 30-day waiver on Russian oil sanctions amid the Iran war is “not the right decision” and won’t help bring a stop to Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of Ukraine.

“This easing alone by the United States could provide Russia with about $10 billion for the war,” Zelenskyy said. “This certainly does not help peace.”

“I believe that lifting sanctions will, in any case, lead to a strengthening of Russia’s position. It spends the money from energy sales on weapons, and all of this is then used against us,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to Paris.

“Therefore, ultimately lifting sanctions only so that more drones will later be flying at you is, in my opinion, not the right decision,” he said.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced Thursday a 30-day waiver on Russian oil sanctions. The step aims to free up Russian cargoes stranded at sea and ease supply shortages caused by the Iran war.

Analysts say that spiraling oil prices due to Persian Gulf production blockages are benefiting the Russian economy. Moscow relies heavily on oil revenue to finance its invasion, and sanctions were a growing handicap.

U.S.-mediated talks between Moscow and Kyiv that seek to stop Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II are on hold due to the Iran war, though they could resume next week, according to Zelenskyy.

Macron noted that broad sanctions on Russia still stand despite the temporary U.S. waiver.

U.S. waivers announced in recent days are “limited” and “taken on an exceptional basis,” Macron said. “It does not broadly or permanently roll back the sanctions that they themselves decided to apply,” he added.

German leader says US sanctions waiver for Russian oil is ‘wrong’

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz adopted a more critical stance. He said Friday that a meeting earlier this week of heads of state and government from the Group of Seven industrialized democracies discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump the issue of Russian oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

“Six members of the G7 expressed a very clear view that this (waiving of Russia sanctions) is not the right signal to send,” Merz said during a visit to Norway. “We learned this morning that the U.S. government has apparently decided otherwise. Once again, we believe this is the wrong decision.”

Merz added: “There is currently a price problem, but not a supply problem. And in that regard, I would like to know what additional motives led the U.S. government to make this decision.”

Ukraine offers its drone expertise

Ukraine has become one of the world’s leading producers of drone interceptors, and Kyiv is offering its expertise to the United States and its Gulf partners for the war in the Middle East, hoping to receive in return the high-end weaponry it can’t manufacture at home.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has received requests from six countries for drone combat assistance. It has already sent expert teams to three countries, he said, without naming them.

Separate requests, which he didn’t detail, have also come from the United States and Jordan, he said.

Zelenskyy noted that providing interceptors was not enough to help fight drone attacks. The Ukrainian military has expertise in deploying the systems, he said.

“There must be proper, systematic work with radars and with the entire air defense system,” Zelenskyy said. “Ukraine is ready to share this experience for the sake of the security of those partners who are helping us.”

Ukraine is awaiting White House approval for an agreement on producing battle-tested drones, Zelenskyy said on Thursday.

___

Novikov contributed from Kyiv, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Kostya Manenkov in Tallinn, Estonia contributed to this report.

___

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Two jockeys have received a suspension after an investigation was conducted at the Cheltenham Festival

Two jockeys have been handed a suspension by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) after an investigation into a race at the Cheltenham Festival. Apolon De Charnie, priced at 50/1, won the JCB Triumph Hurdle on the final day of the festival on Friday, ahead of Maestro Conti in second and Minella Study in third.

Patrick Mullins, rider of the winning horse, secured the win for trainer and father, Willie Mullins. Jockey Harry Skelton finished second on Maestro Conti for his brother and the trainer of the horse, Dan Shelton.

However, the BHA conducted an investigation into the race and have handed a suspension to both Patrick Mullins and for careless riding.

“An enquiry was held to consider interference approaching the final fence involving Maestro Conti (FR), placed second, ridden by Harry Skelton, and Selma De Vary (FR), placed fourth, ridden by P Townend,” the statement from the BHA read.

“Skelton was suspended for three days for careless riding for allowing his mount to drift right-handed when insufficiently clear resulting Selma De Vary (FR) being tightened against the rail with Townend having to switch his mount.

“An enquiry was held to consider interference in the final half furlong involving the winner, Apolon De Charnie (RE), ridden by Mr P W Mullins, and Minella Study, placed third, ridden by Ryan Mania.

“Mullins was suspended for two days for careless riding for allowing his mount to move right-handed under a left-hand drive for a number of strides without correction, taking Minella Study off its intended line.”

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story.

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All three Horwich and Blackrod First Independents contenders won in the elections held over the night of Thursday March 12 for three wards at Horwich Town Councill.

Cllr Tracy Rotheram will now take her seat for the Bridge ward with Cllr Andrea Finney elected for the Church ward and Cllr Gordon Stone elected for the Claypool ward.

Horwich and Blackrod First Independents leader Cllr David Grant said: “I’m pleased to see the three excellent candidates elected to the town council.

“Despite national trends HBFI still got shares of the vote between 44 and 49 per cent which shows a clear indication that local politics trumps national politics at local elections.

(Left to right) Cllrs Tracy Rotheram, Gordon Stone and Andrea Finney all emerged as winners (Image: HBFI)

“We look forward to welcoming our new councillors to the town council.

“Hopefully this will create an air of stability, and we can get on with our community agenda.”

The by-elections were called after three elected members, Cllr Ryan Bamforth, Cllr Jillian Walton and Cllr Samantha Williamson all left the town council.

All had previously been members of HBFI before leaving the party along with Cllr Charlotte Moncado-Sears, who continues to sit on the town council as an independent.

Cllr Bamforth and Cllr Williamson continue to sit on Bolton Council as independents as part of the Communities First group along with Cllr Moncado-Sears.

The ensuing triple by-election means HBFI continues as the largest party on the town council.

Cllr Rotheram won in the Bridge ward with 185 votes ahead of Reform UK on 115 votes, the Green Party with 76 votes and Labour with 36.

In the Church ward Cllr Finney, a Horwich resident who has previously represented Westhoughton North and Chew Moor at Bolton Council as a Conservative, won 287 votes.

She came ahead of Reform UK with 163 votes, Labour with 98 votes and the Greens with 87.

Cllr Gordon Stone won in the Claypool ward with 257 votes, putting him ahead of Reform UK with 132, the Greens with 80 and Labour with 55.

The Conservative and Liberal Democrats did not stand in any of the three wards.

A photograph showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein has been released by the Department of Justice as part of the Epstein files

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A new photograph showing Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Peter Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein together has been released by the Department of Justice. The image is thought to have been captured sometime between 1999 and 2000, several years before Epstein was imprisoned in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

The picture is reportedly the first confirmed photograph showing all three men together. Published as part of the newly-released Epstein files, it shows them seated around a wooden table on an outdoor deck, drinking from mugs decorated with the US flag during what appears to be a gathering in Martha’s Vineyard.

Whilst the photo has no timestamp, it closely resembles another image from Epstein’s “birthday book,” made public last year, which also showed Mandelson—again wearing a bathrobe—alongside Epstein, suggesting it may have been taken around the same period.

Within the book, the former UK ambassador to the US is said to have written a note to Epstein calling him his “best pal.”

The publication of these documents has added new detail to the connections both Mandelson and Andrew had with the convicted sex offender. However, Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing, reports the Express.

The newly published documents provide further insight into the links both Mandelson and Prince Andrew maintained with the disgraced financier. The Epstein files provide further insight into the former Duke of York’s interactions with Epstein, including allegations that Andrew’s team sought his assistance in responding to sexual assault accusations made by Virginia Giuffre, despite Andrew claiming he had severed ties with Epstein over four years prior.

Emails spanning from 2010 to 2018 seem to indicate that Andrew was considering a potential business collaboration with Epstein during his tenure as the UK’s trade envoy.

The recently disclosed documents shed light on the extent of Mandelson’s communication with Epstein, including emails sent on the eve of Epstein’s 2008 arrest where Mandelson urged him to “fight for early release” and reassured him that “your friends stay with you and love you.”

In 2009, whilst Epstein was serving his 18-month sentence, Mandelson stayed at his New York flat, and subsequent emails appear to show Mandelson’s husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, expressing gratitude to Epstein for a £10,000 contribution towards an osteopathy course.

Further messages from 2009 and 2010 suggest that Mandelson, who was then serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown’s government, discussed sensitive government issues with Epstein, including advance notice of a €500 billion Eurozone bailout. Following the release of these files, Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 23 and later released on bail.

Through his solicitors, he has stated that he is eager to clear his name.

Being named or pictured in the Epstein files is not an indication of wrongdoing.