A total of 151 fire safety actions were overdue as of March 31, 2026 including one classed as an urgent priority.

The urgent action has since been completed, while five short-term actions and 145 medium-term actions were being resolved, according to a report to Darlington’s Health and Housing Scrutiny Committee.

All 67 fire risk assessments due for blocks of flats during 2025-26 were completed within the required timescale, the council confirmed. 

Fire risk assessments cover 199 blocks of flats and operate on a three-year cycle.

Fire doors

The report also highlighted progress on a three-year programme to replace fire doors in communal areas.

A total of 842 doors require replacement, with 560 completed by the end of March 2026 – 66.5 per cent of the programme.

The council said the work was on track to be completed by 31 March 2027.

However, only 175 of 336 fire doors due for their annual inspection during 2025-26 had been checked – 52.1 per cent.

The report said staffing resources and problems accessing properties had affected performance. It added that compliance had since improved to 85 per cent, with the council expecting to achieve full compliance during 2026-27.

Awaab’s Law

The report also examined the council’s response to Awaab’s Law, which came into force on 27 October 2025.

Between October 2025 and March 2026, 2,714 emergency hazards were reported. Damp and mould accounted for 1.69 per cent of those cases, with most emergency hazards relating to heating and electrical problems.

By March 31, 86.79 per cent of emergency hazards had been resolved within 24 hours, while 81 cases were recorded as overdue. A further 856 significant hazards were reported, with 94.39% resolved within the required timescale.

The council said it had strengthened its processes and IT systems to ensure emergency hazards were identified, responded to and monitored appropriately.

Stock condition

The report said 4,138 council properties had undergone a stock condition survey within the previous five years, representing 77.8 per cent compliance.

There were 962 outstanding surveys that had been scheduled for completion during 2026-27.

The council said it had “well-established and robust processes” for monitoring health and safety compliance, with checks carried out quarterly and areas of non-compliance addressed as a priority.

​An extensive redevelopment of Scarborough Station’s public realm and drop-off areas – more than three years in the making – has been deferred by councillors who said they were “seriously concerned” by aspects of the scheme.

​The works, proposed by North Yorkshire Council, would have seen the Grade II-listed 19th-century station’s forecourt upgraded with new public seating, a taxi rank, drop-off areas, a pedestrian plaza and changes to accessible parking.

​However, councillors on the Scarborough and Whitby Area Planning Committee said the scheme represented a “substantial departure from the wider station gateway proposals previously presented” and that the revised scheme delivered “fewer benefits than originally envisaged”.

​At a meeting last week, committee members questioned whether the scheme would provide a “meaningful improvement to the existing station forecourt” and suggested that it remained “largely vehicle-dominated despite the environmental enhancements proposed”.

A major focus of the development has been to improve pedestrian accessibility and sustainable transport options around the station and to encourage investment in and around the station area.

​Speaking at the meeting, local resident John Crompton raised concerns about “pedestrian access from existing bus stops, particularly for passengers travelling from the south of Scarborough” and said that the bus stops should be closer to the station.

​He also queried how “the proposed pedestrian priority area provides a significant improvement for pedestrians given that taxis and blue badge vehicles would continue to have access to the forecourt area”.

Proposed 3 D View Of The Plaza As Part Of The Scarborough Station Gateway Plans. Align Property Services

Helen Jackson, head of regeneration at North Yorkshire Council, said the scheme would “deliver significant improvements to the station environment, enhance the experience of residents and visitors, and contribute to the wider regeneration of Scarborough”.

​She added that the scheme would create a “more attractive, accessible and coherent public space whilst retaining the key transport functions required by station users” and that the proposals complemented “recent and planned investment in the railway station and formed part of a wider ambition to improve the town centre and encourage inward investment”.

​Ms Jackson noted that the overall number of disabled parking spaces would remain unchanged and that taxi provision would be retained at the front of the station.

​However, councillors expressed “significant concern regarding the absence of any dedicated public drop-off provision at the front of the railway station and considered that this could create difficulties for passengers with luggage, pushchairs, mobility impairments and other accessibility needs”.

​Committee members also questioned where passengers, private hire vehicles and members of the public would be expected to drop off and collect rail users under the proposed arrangements.

​Additionally, concerns were raised that the proposals could lead to “unsafe pedestrian movements across Westborough and increase the potential for conflict between pedestrians, buses and other vehicles”.

​The planning committee voted unanimously to defer the plans and urged North Yorkshire Council to address the lack of drop-off facilities for the general public, as well as concerns about the safe interaction of pedestrians and vehicles on the station forecourt.

When a CNN reporter earlier this week asked Trump about Ossoff’s comments, the White House reacted angrily later on its official X account, saying the reporter, Kristen Holmes, had taken a “cheap shot” at a staff member.

“Someday, your children will come across your disgusting and inhumane question,” another post directed to Holmes read. “They will be sickened and embarrassed to have a parent be so callous and vindictive.”

Harp’s presence as a staffer is nearly constant in Trump’s second term.

Reporters at the White House frequently see her standing just feet away from Trump in the Oval Office or boarding Air Force One for many of his domestic and international trips.

“She’s always around,” one source close to the White House told the BBC. “Literally, always.”

Among White House insiders and members of the press, she is often referred to as the “human printer” because she is often spotted carrying a portable printer to provide Trump with hard copies of articles and social media posts, which he prefers.

In practice, this means that Harp has an outsized ability to control what information or updates Trump receives, according to another source familiar with White House operations.

Other anonymous sources have described her to US media outlets as a “gatekeeper” and “comfort blanket”.

Harp also serves as something of a social media scribe for Trump, posting to his Truth Social account on his behalf.

In one image that has been widely shared in the aftermath of Ossoff’s comments, Harp is shown typing a post – in the president’s own writing style – as he dictates to her while watching a speech of Kamala Harris in 2024.

Amid the recent focus on Harp, the White House has described her as a “trusted and valued” member of the team, although Trump has rarely spoken about her on camera.

Ossoff was one of many Trump critics who noted Harp was reportedly on the plane that the president boarded to leave Turkey after the US supposedly received information about a threat from Iran.

Reporter Haberman, who has also reported extensively on Trump’s presidencies, was asked during an appearance on the news network MSNOW why Trump took Harp with him on the secret plane: “Because she is sort of his binky, for lack of a better way of putting it, a comfort blanket.”

Haberman and Swan reported for the New York Times in 2024 that Harp had supposedly written in a letter to Trump: “You are all that matters to me.”

By SHANNON MCGUIGAN, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 22:50 BST, 19 August 2026 | Updated: 23:42 BST, 19 August 2026

The Woodhead Pass was closed near Greater Manchester today (Wednesday, August 19) after a serious crash.

The A628 Manchester Road was shut in both directions in Hollingworth, Tameside, for several hours after what National Highways described as a ‘serious head-on collision.’

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It was shut between Moorfield Street in Hollingworth and West Drive in neighbouring Tintwistle.

Diversions were put in place along local routes with motorists travelling between Manchester and Yorkshire advised to use other trans-Pennine routes.

Derbyshire Police spent several hours at the scene dealing with the aftermath and carrying out investigation work.

No further details about the collision have yet been released, with the force still to comment on the incident.

The road reopened shortly before 9pm.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to move back to the UK, BBC News understands.

As first reported by the Daily Telegraph, external and the Sun,, external Prince Harry and Meghan intend to relocate from the US later this month to a private, non-royal residence outside London.

The couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are enrolled to start at a British school in September.

King Charles was told of the move on Sunday. There are no current plans for either Prince Harry or Meghan to resume their roles as working Royals.

The Sussexes and their children visited the King at his Highgrove home in July this year, but it is understood the move was not discussed.

The BBC understands the King was unaware of the move before last weekend but he welcomes the opportunity to see more of the Sussex family in a private and personal capacity.

But there will be no expected change to the official status of Prince Harry and Meghan and they will remain as private individuals.

Prince William and Princess Catherine have also been informed of their plans.

The couple’s move from California comes after they left the UK and royal duties in early 2020.

Family relations had been strained since, with July’s visit to the King and Queen Camilla being a key development in their relationship.

The Palace described the meeting at the King’s private home in Gloucestershire as a “private family occasion”.

It was the first time the King had seen his grandchildren in person in more than four years.

Prince Harry and Meghan had not been in the UK together since 2022, when they attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

Security for the couple has long been a point of tension, with the July visit being reconsidered because the duke’s request for police protection was rejected.

Last year, Prince Harry lost a legal challenge over the levels of security he and his family are entitled to while in the UK.

The Duke had sought to overturn a decision that had downgraded his security after he stopped being a working royal and moved to the US with the Duchess.

Prince Harry had previously said that worries about safety have prevented him from coming to the UK and bring his wife and children.

Sussex Police say the three family members, named as Hassan El-Khawas, 55, his partner, Zeina Alayn, 37 and their 14-year-old daughter, Sara El-Khawas, had travelled down to Shoreham from their home in London.

In an update, the force said: “Yesterday afternoon (18 August), three people tragically lost their lives in the sea off Shoreham, and a fourth person remains in hospital in a critical condition having been recovered from the water.

“All four people have been formally identified and we can confirm they were all members of the same family.

“Hassan El-Khawas, 55, his partner, Zeina Alayn, 37 and their 14-year-old daughter, Sara El-Khawas were all confirmed deceased at the scene after being pulled from the water.

“A fourth person, a young girl who was also part of the family, remains in hospital in a critical condition.”

Sussex Police said they understand that the family, who lived in London, were visiting Shoreham when they entered the water.

“It is understood the family travelled down from their home in London to visit Shoreham, and entered the water from the beach at Shoreham Fort around 2pm on Tuesday afternoon, before getting into trouble,” the statement adds.

King Charles has seemingly been blindsided by the announcement that Prince Harry and Meghan are returning to the UK. 

The monarch is said to have only been informed on Sunday about the Sussexes’ return to British soil this month.  

Harry, 41 and Meghan, 45, are understood to be returning for an ‘extended period’ later this month, with Archie and Lilibet set to enrol at a British school. 

The family will move into a non-royal residence and will not be working royals.

It is understood that the monarch ‘welcomes’ the chance to see his youngest son and his family and personal capacity. 

However, the King is clear that there will be ‘no alteration’ to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex‘s role and status, as sources stressed there is ‘no half in-half out option’.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will remain private individuals and non-working members of the Royal Family in keeping with their ‘clearly expressed wishes and agreement over past years’.  

Despite clarity over their status, no questions have been addressed on whether the duo will return to the royal fold on a full-time basis should they be willing to give up their commercial endeavours.

Meanwhile, sources have insisted it is not within the couple’s ‘plan’ to return to the royal fold. 

The recent announcement comes just a month after the Duke saw his father in July following his High Court loss against Associated Newspapers. 

King Charles III meets members of the public after carrying out an inspection of the Balaklava Company, 5th Battalion on August 16, 2026

He is understood to have visited his father at his Highgrove House residence in Gloucestershire, following an Invictus one-year-to-go event in nearby Birmingham. 

Harry was joined by his wife and two children, in an occasion that would have been the first time Lilibet and Archie had seen the monarch since Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June 2022. 

And just mere weeks ago, sources close to Harry said he wanted to visit Britain ‘every few months’ over the next year after his reunion with King Charles last month.

Before opting for a more long-term return, the Duke of Sussex, 41, said his most recent visit with his father and to the UK left him feeling ‘buoyed’, ‘very happy’ and ‘really energised’.

Harry was set to return to Britain in September for around a week, for a series of engagements including Invictus Games, which will be held in Birmingham next summer, as well as WellChild, the charity supporting seriously ill children

A source previously told The Sunday Times: ‘He wants more of a foothold here, more trips back, less courtroom drama. And he always loves seeing his family.’

Meanwhile, just weeks ago it was believed the Duke wanted his father to stand alongside him at next Summer’s Invictus Games.

A source told the Mirror: ‘Next year is a big deal for Harry. He is determined the Birmingham Games will be the best ever. It would mean the world to him to have his father there.’

Harry and Meghan, who quit as senior royals in 2020 and moved to California, have also recently spoken about their wish to introduce their children to their British roots.

During a visit to Warwickshire, Harry said: ‘I love being here, this is the highlight of my month.

‘Actually probably the last few months. It’s very easy to sit in your grief, to sit in your stress but, guys, if you are feeling it, share it.’

As it stands, the Duke and Duchess no longer require accommodation for their patronages, with the whole family believed to be returning within the next two weeks.

Archie, seven, and Lilibet, five, are thought to have already enrolled at a British school – and the family are reportedly planning to stay for an ‘extended period’ until the children finish education.

It is not yet know, however, whether the move will be a permanent one. The location of Harry and Meghan’s new home has remained unknown for privacy reasons.

Harry and Meghan are set to retain their £11million home in Montecito, California, which they have lived in since moving across the pond in 2020. They also still own a residence in Portugal.

A Northern Ireland district authority is about to launch an app mooted since 2022 to tackle dog fouling incidents

A Co Down councillor has warned the “public won’t buy” into a new dog fouling pledge as a long awaited council app is about to go live to target increasing mess.

Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has confirmed 244 complaints made about dog poo in the last financial year, but only five fixed penalty notices.

A committee report now shows the local authority is about to launch an app mooted since 2022 to tackle dog fouling incidents in the district.

In chambers, Mournes DUP councillor Henry Reilly said:”On one aspect of the report, where it says we will improve the cleanliness of our district by continuing to promote recycling and address fly-tipping and dog fouling incidents.

“I have to say that on dog fouling it seems aspirational to me rather than practical.

“Because the amount of dog fouling in the district, especially in this really dry weather is totally unacceptable and the council doesn’t seem to be able to get a prosecution to try and deter these irresponsible dog owners.

“It is easy to say, but unless there is a real product emerging from it and an improvement in those services, the public won’t buy that.”

According to the council’s strategy, policy and resources committee paper, ‘dog fouling and littering’ reports increased almost 55% from from 212 to 328, with 35 fixed penalty notices.

However, the Local Democracy Reporting Service has now been given further clarity from the council to show despite only 84 of the reports being for littering, there were 30 fixed penalty notices.

Whereas dog fouling resulted in only 2% of reports leading to a fine despite an increase of 31 complaints of dog mess on the previous year’s total of 213.

A council spokesperson said: “Newry, Mourne and Down District Council recently launched a three-year education and enforcement action plan to address key issues of fly-tipping, littering and dog fouling aimed at protecting the environment for future generations.

“The plan sets out how the council will continue to record dog fouling incidents in order to identify hotspot locations across the district.

“This will be further achieved through the online public reporting tool available on the council website, which is currently live, and through the introduction of an online reporting app.

“The app is due to be procured and implementation initiated during 2026/27.”

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Tony Kounnis, CEO of Face Int, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s far too simplistic to say that people in London are for or against facial recognition. This research shows that it’s far more nuanced than that – people have specific and understandable concerns, particularly the accuracy of the technology, their own privacy, and the security of biometric data.