The motion, proposed by Reform councillor Derek Wunderley at Wednesday night’s meeting, centred on what he described as putting Bolton residents first when decisions are made about housing and local services.

Speaking during the debate, Cllr Wunderley said: “This motion is about one simple principle.

“Bolton residents must come first, not second, not somewhere on the list of competing priorities.

“First, because this council exists to serve the people of Bolton, the people who live here, the people who work here, the people who pay their taxes here.”

He said councillors regularly hear concerns from residents about housing waiting lists, a shortage of affordable homes, families living in temporary accommodation and increasing pressure on schools, GP surgeries and other services.

“People have every right to ask whether there are enough homes, people have every right to ask whether the services can cope and people have every right to ask what the impact is on their community,” he added.

The motion passed by just two votes at the full council meeting. (Image: Phil Taylor)

The Bolton Council debate touched on the impact of national government decisions on Bolton, including housing and migration policies, and whether local authorities have enough influence over decisions which affect their communities.

However, councillors also heard that Bolton has received millions of pounds through Greater Manchester schemes to bring empty homes back into use

The chamber heard that through its membership of the Greater Manchester Combine Authority, Bolton had received millions to bring back empty homes into use, the majority of which went to Bolton residents.

Cllr Sean Fielding said:: “However, the motion also refers to Bolton Council’s participation in discretionary refugee resettlement schemes, the inference being that this is a significant in contributing to housing strategies locally. Bolton Council has indeed participated in the Afghan Resettlement Scheme as part of receiving money from the Local Authority Housing Fund. The scheme provides homes for Afghan nationals who supported British troops during the occupation of Afghanistan and who would more than likely be persecuted. The Local Authority Housing Fund was awarded to Bolton Council by the government and has been used to bring empty homes back into use. The funding has refurbished more than 50 Be-One homes that would otherwise have been sold off. .”

And of those only a small fraction have been used for resettlement.

Cllr Andy Morgan argued the debate should not focus on “race, immigration or nationality” but on “local democracy, local accountability and ensuring that the people of Bolton, and the councillors they elect, retain a meaningful say over decisions affecting their communities”.

Supporting the motion, Cllr Morgan said there was “nothing unreasonable” about asking what capacity Bolton has to accommodate further demand on housing and services, adding that residents “deserve a meaningful voice” in decisions that affect their communities.

He said:”We all recognise the pressures Bolton faces. We need more genuinely affordable homes. Families are waiting for housing, pressures on temporary accommodation are increasing, and health services, schools, social care and other public services are facing significant demands.

“There is nothing unreasonable about asking what capacity we have as a borough. Nor is there anything unreasonable about asking the government to recognise that capacity when making decisions that ultimately have consequences here in Bolton.

“That principle of local decision-making is precisely why I believe this motion has relevance.

“At the same time as we talk about giving local communities a voice, government planning reforms and changes to the National Planning Policy Framework are reducing the ability of local planning committees to make decisions.

“As a member of the planning committee, I see first-hand how important local knowledge is when applications are considered.

“Councillors know their wards and residents know their communities. They know where traffic problems exist, where schools and GP surgeries are already under pressure, where drainage and infrastructure difficulties occur, and where well-planned development could genuinely improve an area.

“That does not mean we simply oppose development. Far from it. Bolton needs more homes, investment, regeneration and economic growth. I support appropriate development in the right places.

“However, local democracy cannot be treated as an inconvenience when it conflicts with national policy.

“Whether we are discussing housing, planning, infrastructure or pressure on public services, there is one common thread: local decisions should include a meaningful local voice.

“I support the principles contained in this motion: that we properly understand Bolton’s capacity, protect public services, consider local need, and ensure decisions affecting the borough are transparent and evidence-based.”

The motion was ultimately approved by the council, with a vote of 27 for, 25 against, and one abstention.

New surge teams are being deployed on the beaches of France, according to the government

Andy Burnham has trumpeted a seven-year low in small boats bringing illegal migrants across the English Channel and promised ‘relentless’ action to tackle the problem as he hosts President Macron of France.

The prime minister spoke as his government said new French ‘surge teams’ were being deployed to tackle launches from the beaches of France and prevent ‘mega dinghies’ from coming across the Channel as part of up to £662m Britain is paying to tackle the problem.

In the coming weeks a team of 45 officers is being deployed to western beaches in France to tackle launches from further along the coast, nearly tripling French resource in the area, according to the government.

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Some 102 small boats brought migrants over the English Channel between June and August this year, a lower number than any year since 2019, when 57 vessels made the journey.

The summer months are usually a popular time for making the Channel crossing, as weather is usually calmer than the rest of the year.

At his first Prime Minister’s Questions, Mr Burnham said: “The loaning of the (Bayeux) tapestry is a great example of French-British co-operation, the same co-operation that has helped us reduce summer small boat crossings to a seven-year low.”

He said earlier in a statement: “The progress we have seen this summer shows what can be achieved when the UK and France work together.

“But I am clear that we cannot be complacent. Smuggling gangs are constantly adapting their tactics, and the UK and France need to respond quickly and stay one step ahead of the criminals facilitating the dangerous crossings.

“The small boats crisis is a shared European challenge, and no country can solve it alone. Working with France and our international partners, we will restore order and control to our borders and prevent smugglers exploiting vulnerable migrants.”

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Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “We are boosting officer numbers to record highs to crack down on small boat launches and the gangs behind them. This work is bearing fruit. Over 48,000 crossing attempts have been prevented, small boat crossing numbers are down and removals of those here illegally are at record levels.

“But we are not complacent and we must be relentless. We will continue efforts on all fronts to tackle these illegal and dangerous crossings.”

They called it the ‘moron premium’. It was September 23, 2022, and Liz Truss‘s nascent government had announced £45billion of tax cuts – funded entirely by borrowing, rather than corresponding cuts to public spending.

The markets went haywire. The notorious ‘bond vigilantes’ who trade global government debt were appalled at her fiscal irresponsibility. They dumped British bonds, known as gilts, en masse.

In response, the interest rate or ‘yield’ on those ten-year bonds exploded: from 3.03 per cent to 4.42 per cent. This made it agonisingly more expensive for Truss and her equally inept chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng to borrow.

The Treasury’s bill to service public debt, along with the government’s cost of doing business at all, soared.

This was the moron premium in action. Truss, of course, resigned soon after her infamous ‘mini budget‘, her 49-day tenure making her the shortest-serving prime minister in British history – famously outlasted by an iceberg lettuce.

That was only four years ago. It’s hardly ancient history. But Andy Burnham appears to have ignored those lessons completely.

Less than a year ago, our new Prime Minister airily opined: ‘We have got to get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond market.’

The only way of achieving this, of course, is for a government to live within its means and not borrow more than they can afford from those markets, but that is not the Labour way.

On Tuesday, Burnham gave a speech to Parliament that sent further tremors through the City and sparked a new ‘moron premium’.

Outlining his dream of going back to the future, to a bright socialist utopia in which Margaret Thatcher’s pioneering reforms would be reversed, the welfare system would continue to balloon without ‘crude cuts’ and ‘relentless’ efforts would be made to renationalise utilities such as water and energy – all sent bond yields soaring once again.

Yesterday, the yield on the crucial ten-year bond climbed to 5.29 per cent, the highest since the onset of the Great Financial Crisis in July 2008, and in excess of the rates seen under Truss, which Labour has claimed amounted to ‘crashing the economy‘.

The yield on 30-year gilts, meanwhile, reached a peak of 5.92 per cent: a rate not seen since 1998, when Burnham was occupying himself as an ‘administrator for the Football Task Force’.

This new Labour moron premium only seems set to get worse.

What is particularly infuriating is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Yes, rising bond yields currently afflict all major economies. But Britain’s are by far the highest among the G7 richest nations: far ahead of the runner-up, America, at 4.79 per cent and leaving France trailing in comparison on 4.22 per cent.

The shock of the Iran war has undoubtedly made life more expensive for the world’s governments. But that is no reason to compound the problem with policies that could have been designed to make it worse.

The dogmatic Burnham manifestly fails to understand the simple fact that, far from being responsible for the nation’s economic woes today, Thatcherism ushered in an era of prosperity, imperfect though that was.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey during a visit to Sheffield earlier this year

Smaller-state Thatcherism slammed the door on precisely the sort of red-blooded socialism that wrecked the economy in the 1970s, forcing the then Chancellor Denis Healey to go cap in hand to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bailout.

Burnham was then in short trousers, but I saw it as a young economics reporter at the time – it was a national humiliation that remains seared on my memory.

And though he loves to castigate it, Brexit, too, has freed Britain from the statist bureaucracy of Brussels.

Although undoubtedly we can and should be doing more to harness its advantages, leaving the EU has helped to unleash a boom in the export of home-grown financial and professional services to the rest of the world.

We rarely hear any of this from doom-laden Labour politicians, obsessed with what they incessantly call the ‘cost of living crisis‘. But Britain’s income from exported services has soared by 21 per cent since the pandemic to £545 billion last year.

Burnham could be capitalising on all this but, instead, he’s wedded to the foolish, well-tested delusion that growth and prosperity can be delivered in a country where an addiction to benefits, untrammelled trade union power and an unreformed NHS suck the lifeblood out of enterprise.

The PM’s endless cascade of easy, feel-good gestures, from a £2 cap on bus fares to an assault on vaping and betting shops on our derelict high streets, is simply cover for his failure to tackle more important issues.

Foremost among these: our nation sits on a £3trillion debt mountain and faces an interest-rate bill of £135billion this financial year – vastly more than the defence budget (£62 billion) and close to our spend on education (£122 billion). I should hardly need to say it, but such borrowing costs are utterly unsustainable and can only end in political and economic disaster.

Events in the bond markets may seem remote, but they filter down into all our lives. Higher bond yields mean more expensive mortgages, fewer houses being built, more expensive borrowing for businesses and individuals, fewer jobs, reduced output and slashed investment.

Most seriously of all, the Labour moron premium is eating away at Chancellor John Healey’s precious ‘headroom’: the spare capacity he has in next month’s Budget to cope with unexpected contingencies, following Rachel Reeves’s growth-crushing £75billion stream of tax rises.

City experts suggest that the Burnham Bond Crisis has already wiped out as much as £14billion of that headroom, leaving precious little scope for hitting the crucial Nato target of spending 3 per cent of our GDP on defence.

Early indications are that instead of tackling Britain’s bloated welfare bill and the exploding cost of state pensions – and generous public sector pensions in particular – Healey will target wealth, housing and banking for new taxation at his first budget.

How dispiriting. In July, the Office for Budget Responsibility noted that even a simple and entirely reasonable change, such as indexing welfare-payment increases to inflation rather than average earnings, could produce billions in savings.

IMF officials warn privately that Britain is moving towards ‘peak’ taxation, the point at which raising taxes becomes counterproductive because citizens and businesses will simply avoid paying: if necessary, by fleeing overseas.

Burnham may boast a refreshingly cheerful demeanour after his lugubrious and robotic predecessor. But his refusal to acknowledge the oncoming fiscal cyclone means that Britain looks as vulnerable now as at any time since the 1976 sterling crisis.

I suspect this will be the second Chancellor named Healey I will witness plunging Britain into a terrible financial crisis.

Failing to tackle the ‘moron premium’ is no longer an option. History shows that in any fiscal crisis, governments are overwhelmed by the power of markets and swept from office.

Unless Burnham and Healey wake up to the danger, mark my words: they will be removed from power as speedily as they arrived.

By DAILY MAIL COMMENT

Published: 00:59 BST, 3 September 2026 | Updated: 02:12 BST, 3 September 2026

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two people were killed and the suspect is dead after a shooting in a downtown Minneapolis apartment building Wednesday afternoon, according to police.

Three Minneapolis police officers were also injured, including two of them from gunshot wounds, police Sgt. Garrett Parten said at a press conference on Wednesday evening. All three officers are in stable condition, according to Hennepin County Medical Center.

A 911 call about shots fired at the building came in just after 4:30 p.m. and within three minutes officers entered the high-rise and found victims, Parten said.

They then heard more gunshots and followed them to a higher floor, where they found “a haze that significantly limited their visibility,” he said. Parten did not provide additional details about the haze.

One officer was shot in the leg and taken to the hospital, along with the two other injured officers, he said. One of the officers was in surgery, he said.

“This is a tremendously tragic event and our thoughts and prayers are with the families, the loved ones of those who lost their lives, those who were injured and with the injured officers and their families,” Parten said.

One of the victims was fatally shot at the scene, and one died after arriving at the hospital, he said.

Parten said it was not immediately clear how the shooter died.

Hennepin County Medical Center said it received seven patients but didn’t share additional information about the conditions of those wounded.

Julius Bailey was sitting outside of his apartment building when he heard gun shots and saw a man he recognized as a resident of the building holding a pistol. Bailey said he heard a woman screaming and immediately started running away. He said he counted eight shots.

Bailey said that he recognized the man holding the gun because he was someone who was known for showing off his weapon. Bailey said he has tried to avoid the man since moving into the building in June.

“I could tell he was trouble,” he said.

Chris Miller, who also lives in the apartment building, said he heard a rapid succession of gunshots and quickly ran outside for safety. He said he believed he knew who carried out the shooting and that he encountered someone in the hallway with a handgun earlier this week and reported that person to management.

Video posted to social media showed police aiming rifles upward at an apartment tower near the Minneapolis Convention Center. Officials warned residents to avoid the densely populated Loring Park neighborhood nearby.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a post on social media that state officials are on the ground helping local law enforcement respond to the shooting.

“Grateful to law enforcement actively working to ensure the safety of our neighbors in Downtown Minneapolis this afternoon,” Walz said. “Minnesota is praying for our first responders.”

The FBI is responding to the shooting and “will offer any and all resources necessary to assist local authorities,” Director Kash Patel said in a post on the social platform X.

___

Associated Press journalists Hallie Golden in Seattle, Safiyah Riddle in Los Angeles and Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed to this report.

Eyewitnesses described seeing the pursuit in Cardenden with the red Volkswagen being chased by multiple police cars.

A car has smashed into a garden following a dramatic police chase through several towns in Fife.

The Volkswagen Golf was pursued by officers after it allegedly failed to stop in the Templehall area of Kirkcaldy at around 11.20am on Wednesday. The chase continued for around four miles towards Cardenden before the car crashed into a garden on Woodend Park.

Footage from the scene showed the vehicle smashed into a fence and hedge, with broken garden furniture strewn across the grass. Tyre marks could also be seen cutting across the lawn where the car came to a stop.

Eyewitnesses described seeing the pursuit in Cardenden with the red Volkswagen being chased by at least three police cars. Police Scotland confirmed there were no injuries in the crash. Officers say that enquiries established that the car had been stolen and they have arrested a 22-year-old man in connection.

A spokesperson said: “At around 11.20am on Wednesday, September 2, a Volkswagen Golf failed to stop for police in the Templehall area of Kirkcaldy. A pursuit took place until the car crashed into a garden on Woodend Park, Cardenden. There were no injuries.

“Enquiries established that the car had been stolen, and the 22-year-old male driver was arrested and charged in connection with a number of offences. He is expected to appear at court on Thursday, September 3.”

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The Death of Robin Hood follows a severely wounded Robin Hood as he finds himself in the care of a mysterious woman

The Death of Robin Hood, the highly anticipated new take on the legendary outlaw filmed in Northern Ireland, landed in cinemas on Wednesday,

Directed by Michael Sarnoski, the film stars Hugh Jackman as an older, battle-worn Robin Hood confronting the consequences of a life marked by violence.

Production was based at Belfast Harbour Studios, with filming taking place across Northern Ireland and supported by Northern Ireland Screen. The production completed its Belfast shoot in March 2025.

The film also stars Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgard, Noah Jupe and Murray Bartlett

A darker and more introspective reimagining of the familiar legend, The Death of Robin Hood follows a severely wounded Robin Hood as he finds himself in the care of a mysterious woman who may offer him a chance at redemption.

Here are the NI filming locations used in The Death of Robin Hood according to Northern Ireland Screen:

Belfast Harbour Studios

Belfast Harbour Studios, an 8-acre site located within the 340-acre Giants Park, are the newest purpose-built studios in Belfast.

The new studios incorporate high-performance acoustic fabric, high-level walkways and rigging gantries with power, lighting and internal environment options to suit the full spectrum of film production uses.

Silent Valley, Co Down

Ringed by mountains, ‘The Valley’, is located within the Mourne Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, houses beautiful parkland, lakes and a pond. It attracts around 50,000 visitors per year most of whom come to enjoy the peace and solitude of this mountain area with its unique landscapes and varied wildlife.

The Silent Valley Reservoir was built to gather water from the Mourne Mountains and is still today the main water supply source for most of County Down and a large part of Belfast.

Glenarm Estate, Co Antrim

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This 17th century castle on the Causeway Coastal Route is set on a hilltop with glorious views of the ocean. The ancestral seat of the McDonnell family, Earls of Antrim, since it was built in 1636.

Glenarm Castle is one of few country estates that remains privately owned but open to the public. It is steeped in a wealth of history, culture and heritage and attracts over 100,000 visitors annually from all over the world.

In November 2023, Glenarm Castle Walled Garden won the Historic Houses 2023 Garden of the Year Award, sponsored by Christie’s. This was the first time a garden from Northern Ireland was shortlisted and subsequently crowned winner of this prestigious national UK award.

Myra, Strangford, Co Down

Myra Castle is a historic 19th-century estate in County Down, Northern Ireland, located on the shores of Strangford Lough near Downpatrick.

It is another location that was used to create the world of the HBO hit Game of Thrones. It was used to portray Ashford in the first series of the spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and the exterior of the Dreadfort in the original series.

Murlough Bay & Fairhead, Co Antrim

Murlough Bay is a bay on the Antrim coast between Fair Head and Torr Head near Ballycastle.

Known for its remote location, the area overlooks Rathlin Island and has views across the Irish Sea to the Mull of Kintyre, Islay, Jura and other Scottish islands making it a very scenic location to imagine the ‘isle of Berk’.

White Park Bay, Co Antrim

The spectacular sandy beach forms a white arc between two headlands on the North Antrim Coast. Its secluded location means that even on a busy day there is plenty of room for quiet relaxation.

The beach is also backed by ancient sand dunes that provide a range of rich habitats for bird and animal life.

Tollymore Forest Park, Co Down

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Located at Bryansford, near Newcastle, at the foot of the Mourne mountains, it was listed as the first state forest park in Northern Ireland in 1955.

It has proven immensely popular with large film and TV productions, featuring in Game of Thrones, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, Dublin Murders, Philomena, and many more.

Shane’s Castle, Co Antrim

Shane’s Castle on the shore of Lough Neagh is the family seat of the O’Neills of Clanaboy. The Demesne is one of the most beautiful and well-maintained on the island of Ireland.

Although the Castle has been in ruins since a fire in 1816, the remaining structure, including a unique Camellia House, is a striking feature on the landscape.

The Death of Robin Hood is in UK and Irish cinemas now

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“We should challenge this type of behaviour, but we should never give up on the young people behind this activity.”

An interface community in Belfast is working alongside police to take practical steps to reduce disorder at a flashpoint.

The Broadway roundabout area has been a regular site for interface anti-social behaviour, and police alongside community groups are urging young people to be aware that their actions can have long-lasting consequences.

The PSNI have released a video created with St Peter’s Immaculata Youth Club in West Belfast and Greater Village Regeneration Trust in South Belfast, to highlight the cross-community approach being taken to tackle anti-social behaviour in the area.

Practical steps taken to prevent disorder in the Broadway area include cameras placed at the interface, alongside police patrols, and partnership activity with local groups.

West Belfast Superintendent Mark Conway said: “Police have dealt with interface anti-social behaviour at Broadway for a considerable period of time. This has caused distress to residents in the area and for those involved and apprehended by police, resulted in criminal convictions and detrimental impacts on future plans.

“Anti-social behaviour is sometimes described as low-level crime. For the people living in communities, there is nothing low-level about its impact. It can leave people frightened, damage communities and place enormous pressure on police resources.

“This is why we have relaunched our video aimed at reaching young people in these communities to remind them of the consequences of their actions.