The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) will require banks to share limited information with the DWP, but a petition has been launched arguing the proposed measures set a ‘concerning precedent’ for Universal Credit and benefit claimants

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A new online petition is calling on the UK Government to rethink proposed Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) plans to ‘monitor’ the bank accounts of those receiving means-tested benefits. Under the Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM), banks could be asked to review accounts in receipt of certain DWP benefits and flag cases where accounts display particular ‘eligibility indicators’ related to benefit criteria.

The proposed system is part of the UK Government’s broader campaign to tackle fraud and error within the welfare system and will initially affect those claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Petition creator Fionnuala Donnelly says that the measures establish a worrying precedent by permitting financial details to be examined without proof of misconduct. It is crucial to note that the DWP does not have direct access to any claimants’ bank account or financial details.

The ‘Stop DWP powers to receive Universal Credit claimants bank account information’ petition also highlights concerns regarding privacy and data protection, questioning how personal data will be protected and whether the powers are reasonable.

The petition maintains that bank account details are typically regarded as private and contends that routine inspections should not take place without clear justification. Once the petition reaches 10,000 signatures, the UK Government will be obliged to provide a written response. Should it reach 100,000 signatures, the Petitions Committee would consider putting it forward for a full parliamentary debate, reports the Daily Record.

The DWP has previously stated that the new measures are intended to help detect incorrect payments arising from fraud, claimant error or official error, while also preventing claimants from accumulating large overpayments that would subsequently need to be repaid.

Under the new Code of Practice on Eligibility Verification Notices, banks could be required to flag accounts where savings surpass benefit thresholds. For Universal Credit, this could include accounts holding more than £16,000, which is the upper capital limit for the benefit.

The guidance further states that the DWP may request information relating to signs that a claimant has spent more time abroad than benefit rules ordinarily permit. Nevertheless, the DWP has confirmed that strict legal restrictions govern what banks are permitted to share.

The Code states financial institutions are prohibited from sharing transaction information, meaning the DWP cannot see what people are buying, where they shop or individual spending habits.

Banks are also banned from sharing “special category data”, including information relating to political opinions, religious beliefs, ethnicity or health information. The guidance states: “DWP is prohibited by law from sharing personal data with financial institutions under this power, and from requesting transaction information and special category data.”

The document also makes clear the DWP cannot ask banks to search for named benefit claimants. The code also repeatedly stresses strict limits apply to the information banks can provide.

DWP said financial institutions are prohibited by law from sharing transaction histories, spending information, financial statements, or special category data such as political opinions, religion or ethnicity.

Rather than sharing such data directly, financial institutions would apply eligibility criteria across their own systems, returning only restricted information where accounts match the indicators outlined in an Eligibility Verification Notice (EVN).

The information that may be passed on to the DWP includes account details, names and dates of birth linked to accounts, and details showing how an account met the eligibility indicator.

Such examples might include confirmation that savings exceeded a specified threshold, or evidence that an account had been regularly used outside the UK. The DWP emphasised that information returned by banks does not automatically indicate that an individual has acted improperly.

The Code states: “No decisions about benefit entitlement will be made automatically on this information alone.”

The DWP must instead assess the information alongside other evidence already held on a claim before determining whether further investigation is warranted. The guidance also confirms that a “Test and Learn” rollout phase will take place, initially involving a limited number of financial institutions before any wider expansion.

During this period, the DWP stated it will evaluate the effectiveness of the system, the accuracy of the data provided, and whether the safeguards in place are functioning as intended prior to a broader rollout.

The DWP estimates benefit fraud and error resulted in £9.6 billion of overpayments during the 2025/26 financial year.

Top Gun: Maverick actor James Handy was pronounced dead on Thursday, June 4

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Wendy Gledhill has broken her silence following the alleged fatal stabbing of her boyfriend, James Handy, by her son, Michael Gledhill.

The 81 year old actor was widely recognised for his roles in films including Arachnophobia, Jumanji, Unbreakable, Logan, and Top Gun: Maverick, in which he played Jimmy.

He was pronounced dead on Thursday, 4th June, after sustaining a stab wound to the chest. Michael, the son of James’s girlfriend Wendy, was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of the killing and remains in police custody, reports the Mirror US..

Wendy’s first public statement comes in the wake of the Jumanji actor’s final public appearance before he was fatally stabbed by her son.

Speaking to The California Post on 5th June, the 76 year old said, “I’m just trying to make it through one day at a time, a minute at a time,” before adding, “I loved James and my son.”

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She went on to say, “I can’t believe my son did it. I’m just trying to… ” before retreating back into her home in Tarzana, California. She had previously told TMZ that her son had previously been diagnosed with schizophrenia, but had stopped taking his prescribed medication prior to the alleged incident.

On Thursday, 4th June, Los Angeles police confirmed they had launched a murder investigation following a chilling 911 call. According to reports, the suspected killer rang the emergency services and stated, “I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin.” Officers arrived at the property to find the actor unconscious in the front garden, having apparently sustained a stab wound to the chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where the 81 year old was pronounced dead.

“The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Michael Gledhill, a resident of Tarzana,” investigators stated in a press release. “He was arrested and transported to Van Nuys Jail where he was booked for one count of murder.”

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Wendy also shared a heartfelt message for James’s nearest and dearest. “They know I loved him so much. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry this happened. I’m still in shock. I still can’t comprehend it,” she said.

James enjoyed a career spanning 45 years, amassing dozens of film and television credits, including well-loved titles such as Jumanji, The X-Files, Law and Order, and NCIS: Los Angeles, amongst many others.

Michael remains in custody on $2 million bail. Investigators have yet to disclose a motive for the senseless killing, nor have they confirmed whether Wendy’s claims that her son had been diagnosed with mental health issues prior to the stabbing are accurate.

​Coastal councillors have said that changes to food waste collection are vital to establishing an environment where humans and gulls can thrive alongside each other.

North Yorkshire Council is not set to start separate household food waste collections until 2043.

​It comes as plans for a £119,000 urban gull strategy – which includes investment in education campaigns, gull-proof rubbish bags, new and retrofitted litter bins – were backed by members of the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee.

​“While gulls, in particular Herring Gulls and Kittiwakes are a valued part of coastal biodiversity, their increasing presence in urban areas has led to significant issues including noise, fouling, aggressive behaviour (human/gull contact), and overall public health concerns,” the strategy states.

​Councillors welcomed the “outlawing of some of the barbarous practises that have been used in the past” and a “move into the 21st century”.

​Officers said the strategy was “very much a theoretical document” that would become a “proper action plan”.

​Tim Croot, an officer in the environmental protection team, told councillors that North Yorkshire Council had moved on from “quite draconian interventions such as removing eggs and shooting [gulls]”.

​He added that methods used by the now-defunct Scarborough Borough Council, which included netting and spikes “wasn’t terribly successful”.

​“The strategy from the very outset aimed to try and create some cohesion where we could have co-existence and acceptance of the birds,” he said at the meeting on Friday, June 5.

​“It is their coast as much as it is the humans’ coast, and we need to get to the point of having a strategy in which the actions take account of the needs of the birds as much as the needs of people.”

​The key ‘pillars’ of the new strategy are focused on waste and rubbish, cleaning and jet washing, targeted proofing, and monitoring and planning.

​Cllr Janet Jefferson welcomed the proposal, stating: “This is such a good way forward. I think education is one of the biggest things, because I see people feeding them publicly, and also just dumping their rubbish bags in the street.”

​Councillors said they were concerned that the introduction of weekly food waste collections is not set to start in North Yorkshire until 2043 – while other councils are already required to implement kerbside recycling services – because of an extension granted to NYC due to its existing waste management arrangement.

​Cllr Neil Swannick said: “If you could take the food waste out of the waste stream and stop it being mixed up with other materials, then potentially you could at least deal with a major part of the problem.

“If there was a culture of everyone putting food waste into a separate collection bin, then that removes food waste from the waste site.”

Scarborough Seagull. Courtesy Anttoni Numminen,Ldrs

​Cllr Derek Bastiman agreed that changes to food waste recycling “should form part of this strategy” and seconded Cllr Swannick’s amendment welcoming the gull strategy as well as “suggesting that further work is done to explore the possibility of bringing forward food waste reduction before 2043, including a potential pilot for the coastal area”.

​The costs associated with the strategy include £30,000 on seagull-proof rubbish sacks, £50,000 for jetting, which is based upon the £40,000 spent last year plus inflation and an increase in activity based upon customer feedback.

​The £19,000 for new and retrofitted litter bins relates to the cost of trialling a mix of both new bins and retrofitting additional measures to existing bins, the report states.

​​Meanwhile, £15,000 would go towards education and communication and £5,000 for signage.

​The amendment and recommendations were unanimously endorsed by the Scarborough and Whitby Area Committee.

​A final decision will be made by NYC’s executive committee in August.

​

Cheesy pasta may seem very simple to make, but it can often be really plain and boring — unless you add a cheap ingredient most people have in their kitchen cupboard.

Cheesy pasta is testament to the fact that the most straightforward meals are the most satisfying. It’s an ideal dish for those cosy evenings when something hearty is in order. While it’s widely regarded as a simple recipe, the sauce can turn out rather bland without the correct components.

Milk and butter can form a creamy foundation, yet they risk diluting the natural taste of the cheese, meaning you can barely detect it. This can leave cheesy pasta tasting somewhat flat, prompting experimentation with ways to enhance it.

After trialling smoked paprika, chilli flakes, garlic and even jalapeños, it turns out that a few drops of Worcestershire sauce can produce the finest cheesy sauce imaginable.

Cheese sauce is renowned for being indulgent, yet it can also taste slightly one-dimensional and uninspiring due to its high dairy content.

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Worcestershire sauce, however, helps redress this balance by introducing acidity, which cuts through the richness of the butter, milk and cheese, preventing the sauce from becoming overly heavy.

It simply sharpens the overall taste, rendering the sauce more savoury, well-rounded and considerably cheesier.

Worcestershire sauce contains fermented ingredients that contribute a touch of saltiness and a subtle heat, meaning your cheesy pasta will be considerably more flavoursome using just everyday kitchen staples.

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Cheesy pasta is such a wonderfully simple dish, and incorporating a dash of Worcestershire sauce has transformed it into a firm favourite comfort dinner that takes fewer than 10 minutes to prepare.

How to make better cheese pasta

Ingredients

• 200g of pasta
• One tablespoon of flour
• 25g of butter
• Two cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 300ml of milk (room temperature)
• 100g of cheddar cheese
• 100g of Emmental cheese
• One tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
• One tablespoon of Dijon mustard
• Black pepper
• Any other seasonings you wish to use (such as smoked paprika, chives, parsley, etc)

Notes:

Should you prefer to skip any cooking preparation, simply substitute the garlic and butter for garlic butter instead.

I’d also recommend removing the milk and butter from the fridge in advance, as cold dairy is more likely to clump up when heated. For a silkier sauce, ensure your ingredients are at room temperature.

Cheddar is the go-to cheese for a pasta dish owing to its robust flavour and excellent melting properties, though used alone it can become overpoweringly rich if too much is added.

It’s preferable to combine cheddar with a milder variety for a more balanced flavour profile. Emmental works particularly well, though mozzarella or Parmesan are equally suitable alternatives.

No additional salt has been incorporated into this recipe, given that the Worcestershire sauce already provides sufficient seasoning.

Method:

1. To start, place your pasta into a pan of salted boiling water and cook following the packet instructions. Remember to reserve a small mugful of pasta water prior to draining.
2. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and allow it to cook for approximately 60 seconds before it begins to colour.
3. Incorporate the flour and combine it thoroughly with the butter until you achieve a smooth paste, otherwise known as a roux.
4. Gradually introduce the milk in small amounts, stirring continuously until a sauce forms. Take great care here, as the most frequent error is adding excessive milk, resulting in a thin, watery consistency.
5. Lower the heat and incorporate the Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Should you wish to include any additional seasonings, introduce them at this point.
6. Take the pan off the heat and add the cheeses. Gradually add small amounts until they’ve completely melted and you’ve achieved a silky sauce.
7. Should your sauce appear overly thick, incorporate a touch of the reserved pasta water, but if it looks too runny, then add slightly more cheese.
8. Season the sauce generously with black pepper, but refrain from adding salt as the Worcestershire sauce is already rather salty.
9. Your cheese sauce should now be intensely cheesy and considerably more flavoursome than usual.

Drivers on the M62 could face disruption for another hour after a crash on the westbound carriageway between junctions 12 and 11.

Traffic England has described the incident as ‘severe’, with normal traffic conditions not expected until around 10.30pm-10.45pm tonight.

There’s also queues on the M62 westbound entry slip at junction 12, with delays of around 10 minutes.

Belfast Council took DAERA to court after it stopped funding for animal welfare enforcement

Belfast Council is telling Stormont it is “undermining” animal welfare by refusing to fund council services while introducing new laws in the city and around Northern Ireland.

Belfast Council has agreed to write to the Stormont Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs stating it is “concerned that introducing additional animal welfare responsibilities, without providing adequate resources, risks undermining both existing enforcement activity and the successful implementation of new legislation.”

The council is saying in a letter to Alliance MLA Andrew Muir, Minister for DAERA that “Animal welfare cannot be improved through regulation alone, and requires properly resourced services capable of investigating complaints, tackling illegal breeding and protecting vulnerable animals.”

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The animal welfare service within councils was fully funded, at around £1.25 million per year, by DAERA until August 2023, when the department said it was unable to continue to provide funding for councils in relation to non-farmed animal welfare services.

A judicial review was then lodged in the High Court by Belfast City Council and Fermanagh Omagh District Council on behalf of SOLACE (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives) against the Stormont department, to challenge its decision. The court found that there was a breach on the grounds of a “procedural legitimate expectation.”

The final court order required that before making any decision the department must give advance notice to the AERA Committee for its consideration and must notify councils once it has done so. The court order also said DAERA must reimburse the councils’ full legal costs in relation to the Judicial Review.

A Belfast Council report states: “Officers are now aware that a letter from the minister/permanent secretary was tabled at the AERA Committee on April 16 2026. The letter advised the committee that DAERA does not intend to provide funding to councils for animal welfare services in 2026/27 due to budget constraints.”

In February, Minister Muir said he would take forward legislation to require sellers and suppliers of puppies, and sellers of kittens, under six months of age, to register with their local council. The seller and supplier will be required to meet specific conditions of registration.

The council report states: “Whilst officers welcome any steps to improve animal welfare, it has been stressed to departmental officials that councils do not have the capacity to implement this legislation and therefore there needs to be appropriate assurance around the resources which will be provided to councils to deliver this additional function.

“The department has indicated that the registration scheme would be self-financing. Council officers have asked for evidence to demonstrate that would be the case. To date this additional, supporting financial information has not been provided by the department.”

Green Party Councillor Anthony Flynn spoke this week at the monthly meeting of the full Belfast City Council at City Hall about the outcome of the Judicial Review in relation to animal welfare services and new animal welfare legislation. He said: “I think it is deeply important that we actually recognise the excellent work carried out by animal welfare officers across Belfast and Northern Ireland.

“These officers deal with some of the most distressing cases of neglect, cruelty and illegal breeding, and the types of animal cruelty that exists in our community should horrify all of us.”

He added: “But what concerns me about the department’s response at the end of this case is the contradiction in its approach. On one hand the DAERA minister is talking about strengthening animal welfare legislation by introducing new registration requirements for puppy and kitten sales. This I wholeheartedly agree with, and I have fought for, for years.

“However, on the other hand the department is withdrawing funding from the very officers that are responsible for enforcing animal welfare on the ground. This follows a pattern of behaviour from Executive ministers, and particularly the DAERA minister.

“(It means) local councils, and local council officers, will have tonnes of extra responsibility, but without the resources necessary to actually deal with that responsibility. If Stormont is serious about improving animal welfare standards, it cannot continue to place additional responsibilities on councils without demonstrating those responsibilities will be properly resourced.

“We can’t continue to expect that our ratepayers in Belfast absorb those additional costs, while departments announce new schemes, without the funding to back them up. That is not good for the state of animal welfare in our city, and it is not good for our ratepayers.”

He said: “Good animal welfare standards are achieved through properly funded enforcement, through trained officers and effective regulation. Laws that cannot be enforced properly do not improve animal welfare standards in our city.”

He successfully proposed an amendment to the council’s letter to the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee at Stormont.

DUP Councillor Ruth Brooks at the meeting announced her “full agreement” with the Green Party on the matter. She said: “Issues that we really want to deal with in this city are being held back because of the amount of resources we as a council are having to put into animal welfare and our dog warden service”

She said: “We are as a council failing to get some of the basics right, because we are being asked to do so much, but if we are going to tackle these issues, we can’t be left as sole funders. There has to be funds that come from DAERA.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

This will be the third location in Northern Ireland

Fast-food chain Popeyes has submitted plans to open a location in Belfast City Centre.

Plans have been spotted on the planning portal for signage and a fascia which don the chicken shop’s logo and signature colours.

Popeyes currently have two locations across Northern Ireland. It opened its first location at Lesley Forestside in September 2024, then followed with The Junction in Antrim in July 2025.

The new chicken restaurant is set to open its doors in the former GAME store on Castle Place. There are no further details on when the location will open.

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Signage has also been spotted at Lesley Bloomfield, indicating that Popeyes is set to open in Bangor. A sign with the logo and ‘coming soon’ has appeared, and it is set to open in 2027, according to the shopping centre’s Facebook.

This follows shortly after Popeyes announced they were set to open its very first location in the Republic of Ireland. Their Blanchardstown location will open on June 6, 2026.

Popeyes Louisiana Chicken, founded in New Orleans in 1972, is known for serving up American Southern-style chicken dishes and sides. Customers can expect chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders, hot wings, wraps and more when they open the doors of their new location .

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Having launched in the UK in November 2021, Popeyes now has over 80 sites in the UK with plans to open more than 45 new restaurants in 2025. The chain employs approximately 3,000 people in the UK and expects to create another 2,500 new roles this year.

Popeyes is joining Wingstop as the second chicken chain to submit plans to open on the same street. Plans were spotted in March of this year for the famous wing joint to open up in the Costa on Castle Place.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

The man arrested following the discovery of the body of a missing 11-year-old is reportedly the father of one of her friends

The main suspect in the death of a missing 11-year-old girl is reportedly the father of one of her friends – who was previously accused of rape but remained free.

French investigators have been searching for missing Lyhanna for days.

She disappeared in the southwestern Gers region on May 29, and the searches ended with the discovery of her body in a disused grain silo.

Police notices said she had been wearing a black-and-white striped top, black shorts and yellow socks with branding from the Japanese manga series “One Piece”.

On Thursday authorities announced a child’s body dressed in “similar clothes” had been found.

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Police were led to the grain silo by a tip-off that the suspect in custody had previously worked there, Gers-region prosecutor Olivier Naboulet said on Friday evening.

DNA matching confirmed the body was Lyhanna’s but more autopsy work is needed to determine the cause of death, Naboulet said.

Speaking earlier Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron joined the outpouring of dismay, saying the case revealed cracks in the system and that he was “shocked”.

“Things didn’t happen as they should have done. That is clear. And so it is unacceptable,” Macron said. “We cannot look her family in the face and say everything went well.”

French media reported the 41-year-old man taken into custody was seen in front of Lyhanna’s school in the Gers town of Fleurance and, on surveillance cameras, later spotted driving with her in his car.

He told investigators that he dropped her off near the municipal swimming pool, media reports said.

Another Gers-region prosecutor, Clemence Meyer, said this week that young girls and their families had previously lodged multiple complaints about the suspect, including allegations of rape.

An allegation that the man raped a minor at his Gers-region home in 2020 was looked into, with medical evaluations and police interviews, but authorities closed the case in 2024 for lack of evidence, the prosecutor said.

The man was the subject of another, still ongoing police investigation for alleged rape when Lyhanna disappeared.

The child in that case alleges the suspect raped her repeatedly at his home in 2024 and 2025, the prosecutor said.

That case has bounced between jurisdictions.

She also said another allegation of raping a minor was lodged against the man this week.

The government has now launched an overarching investigation.

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said officials will look at the time it took for casework to be transferred between jurisdictions, why information is transmitted on paper, not electronically, why police seemingly didn’t follow orders and “why we didn’t intervene despite many months of complaints against the man”.

“It’s completely unacceptable,” Darmanin said, speaking Thursday. “We are all terrified by this malfunction.”

He said it reveals “our poor organisation and without doubt, the fact that at the Justice Ministry and elsewhere, we don’t take the words of children seriously”.

Lymph nodes play a key role in the immune system, helping the body fight infections and cancer. In breast cancer, the lymph nodes in the armpit are often the first place the disease spreads to and, at the moment, everyone with invasive breast cancer undergoes surgery to remove lymph nodes for examination.

A pioneering AI tool which colour-codes body parts during live operations has been deployed by surgeons for the first time in the UK.

Medics at St Mark’s, the National Bowel Hospital, utilised the system on Thursday during surgery on a patient in her 60s.

The tool, known as Eureka, works alongside robotic or laparoscopic procedures, projecting real-time, colour-coded highlights onto a screen.

This visual aid helps surgeons identify and protect or dissect specific tissues, such as nerves appearing green or connective tissue in turquoise, enhancing precision and safety.

Experts have praised the portable AI unit for boosting efficiency in the operating theatre. It was developed by Japanese surgeons who trained the AI using thousands of surgical video recordings.

The operation on Thursday was the first time it has been used in the UK.

It was also the first time that it has been used during surgery outside Japan.

The patient, who has not been named, received a bowel resection at the hospital, which is part of London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust.

Consultant surgeon Mr Kapil Sahnan described the tool as an “extra helping arm”.

He said that it helps “look at your live surgery and start telling you which are the hidden structures which perhaps you can’t see”.

He added: “And the hope and the idea being is, that if you can identify these, that the operation becomes safer, you have this kind of extra helping arm with artificial intelligence running at the same time as your surgery, preventing errors and making everything a lot more safe.

“And we were the first hospital in the world outside of Japan to use it.”

He went on: “Another way of thinking about it is, I remember that my mother used to use an A to Z when she had to plan routes. Now we all use Google Maps and Waze.

“And this is that version of kind of navigation that now has been applied to surgery.

“The difference has been that real time aspect, so you can see it at the same time as you’re operating.

“The idea being is you want to prevent any errors happening before they do, and one way to do that is use, not human intelligence but intelligence, which has been derived from thousands and thousands and thousands of operative videos where people have gone through and labelled things.

“So the computer can see things before the human eye can.”

He added: “You get these really beautiful images, they put colour overlays over the operative images. which can either be on constantly, or they can pulse.”

Mr Sahnan said work was under way to work out how “we can genuinely prove that this is going to be advantageous and, more importantly, how we can start rolling it out.

“We’re lucky to have it today, but it would be amazing if everybody had it in the next couple of years, it would make surgery for everybody a lot safer.”