Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert team has also warned people of phrases to avoid

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When we receive a letter saying a contract for a household bill is ending, many providers rely on us doing nothing – even if prices rise sharply. Whether or not the cost-of-living squeeze has hit your household hard, nobody welcomes higher bills, and for those struggling, every single penny genuinely matters.

One effective strategy to dodge price hikes and trim costs is negotiation – something Martin Lewis consistently champions as worthwhile.

The Money Saving Expert (MSE) founder created his platform specifically to assist people in navigating financial challenges – and in one of their comprehensive guides, the website’s financial experts have compiled a list of powerful phrases that can help dramatically reduce your broadband and line rental costs. These tactics can prove equally effective for other household bills as well.

Once you are through to the retentions department. You should always be polite and never rude as anger won’t get you anywhere. Companies value loyal customers and this is what MSE are calling your “powerhouse weapon”.

The experts explain that when approaching the end of your contract, or already beyond it, informing the company of your intention to switch providers should trigger the ‘why are you leaving’ discussion. According to MSE, the retentions department represents the “Holy Grail of haggling” as these staff members possess the authority to offer substantial discounts, reports Bristol Live.

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So what phrases do I need to use?

The money experts say that if you are not happy with the small discounts you are being offered, you can use phrases which could lead to further bill slashing – and maybe even added bonuses.

They recommend trying:

• ‘I’ve worked out my budget, and my absolute max is £[insert amount here] a month…’
• ‘[BT/Sky/Virgin Media] can do it for less…’
• ‘I need to think about it…’
• ‘I think my other half/housemate/horse will go bonkers if I agree to pay that…’
• ‘It’s still a lot of money…’
• ‘Is that the very best you can do?’

Never do this…

MSE warns against accepting the initial offer presented to you. The likelihood is that it won’t be their most competitive deal.

They also urge consumers not to buckle under pressure. They point out that sales staff may try to push you towards accepting by insisting the offer is only valid for a ‘limited time only’.

However, don’t cave in and agree to any price or package until you’re completely satisfied it suits your needs. You can read more about broadband haggling on the moneysavingexpert.com website here.

53 Lloyds, 31 Halifax and 11 Bank of Scotland sites will close

Lloyds Banking Group has revealed it will be closing 95 branches across the UK as part of a new round of announced closures. Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland are all part of the Lloyds Banking Group, and the closures will see a number of branches from each of these brands disappearing from the high street.

The group has revealed the branch closures will be taking place between May 2026 and March 2027, with 53 Lloyds, 31 Halifax and 11 Bank of Scotland sites shutting under the plans. Lloyds have not yet revealed how many staff members will be impacted by the closures, but all those who work at the branches will be offered a role at another branch or in another part of the business.

The move comes after Lloyds Banking Group announced in September that it would be shutting 49 of its branches. These sites are expected to all have closed by October.

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Once all of the group’s previously-announced closures are complete, Lloyds is expected to have 610 branches remaining.

But despite these closures, cash access network Link said 14 new locations will be receiving a banking hub in order to protect access to cash across the country. These banking hubs will be shared spaces that are operated by staff at different banks on different days, and will offer services including withdrawing and depositing cash as well as paying bills.

A spokeswoman for Lloyds said: “Customers want the freedom to bank in the way that works for them and we offer more choice and ways to manage money than ever before. From our leading apps and 24/7 messaging service to local banking options like our community bankers, PayPoint and access to all of our Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches, we’re giving our customers the flexibility to bank wherever and whenever they need us.”

Full list of Lloyds Banking Group closures

Lloyds Bank branch closures

• Aberdare, Wales – June 23
• Altrincham, Greater Manchester – June 9
• Birkenhead, Merseyside – June 8
• Birmingham Blackheath, West Midlands – June 10
• Birmingham Bordesley Green, West Midlands – June 16
• Birmingham Kingstanding, West Midlands – June 3
• Birmingham Maypole, West Midlands – June 4
• Bournemouth, Dorset – May 28
• Bristol Fishponds, Bristol – August 6
• Camberwell Green, Greater London – June 22
• Cardiff Victoria Park, Wales – June 3
• Cheapside, Grater London – June 1
• Clevedon, Somerset – March 15*
• Coalville, Leicestershire – June 23
• Crowborough, East Sussex – June 9
• Daventry, Northamptonshire – August 3
• Didcot, Oxfordshire – June 24*
• Ebbw Vale, Wales – March 15*
• Golders Green, Greater London – June 8
• Heswall, Merseyside – June 23*
• Hinckley, Leicestershire – June 10
• Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire – June 22
• Honiton, Devon – March 16*
• Horncastle, Lincolnshire – August 10
• Hull Ings Rd, East Yorkshire – June 15
• Kingswinford, West Midlands – June 22
• Lancaster, Lancashire – June 9
• Llangefni, Wales – June 16
• London Bridge, Greater London – June 3
• London Oxford Street 113-117, Greater London – May 27
• London Tottenham Court Rd, Greater London – May 27
• London Victoria, Greater London – May 27
• Longton, Staffordshire – March 17*
• Lymington, Hampshire – June 8
• Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire – June 15
• Newmarket, Suffolk – June 24*
• Norwich Aylsham Rd, Norfolk – June 2
• Redhill, Surrey – May 28
• Ringwood, Hampshire – June 23*
• Sevenoaks, Kent – June 18
• South Newington, Oxfordshire – June 10
• Southam, Warwickshire – June 9
• Staines, Surrey – June 1
• Streatham, Greater London – May 28
• Street, Somerset – March 15*
• Swansea Enterprise Park, Wales – July 2
• Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire – June 17
• Uttoxeter, Staffordshire – June 18
• Wareham, Dorset – June 16
• Wednesbury, West Midlands – March 16*
• West Byfleet, Surrey – June 1
• Wolverhampton Tettenhall, West Midlands – June 11
• Woodley, Berkshire – June 17

Halifax branch closures

• Armthorpe, South Yorkshire – March 17*
• Ashington, Northumberland – June 3
• Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester – June 1
• Beeston, Nottinghamshire – June 4
• Billingham, County Durham – June 4
• Bognor Regis, West Sussex – June 15
• Bramley, West Yorkshire – June 15
• Bridgend, Wales – June 11
• Cardiff Albany Road, Wales – June 11
• Chichester, West Sussex – June 1
• Chorley, Lancashire – June 24
• Croydon City, Greater London – June 25
• Cwmbran, Wales – June 2
• Didsbury, Greater Manchester – June 10
• Ellesmere Port, Cheshire – June 8
• Goole, East Yorkshire – June 17
• Greenford, Greater London – June 16
• Halesowen, West Midlands – June 17
• Hammersmith, Greater London – May 28
• Horsham, West Sussex – June 2
• Hunts Cross, Merseyside – June 8
• Islington Upper St, Greater London – May 27
• Mexborough, South Yorkshire – March 15*
• Shipley, West Yorkshire – June 9
• Skelmersdale, Lancashire – May 27*
• Southgate, Greater London – June 2
• Surrey Quays Shop Ctr, Greater London – June 2
• Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands – June 3
• Thornaby, North Yorkshire – June 17
• Torquay, Devon – July 9
• West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire – June 16

Bank of Scotland branch closures

• Benbecula – July 1
• Blairgowrie – June 18
• Bridge Of Don – June 10
• Broughty Ferry – June 15
• Garrowhill – June 4
• Haddington – June 11
• Kelso – June 18
• Lochgilphead – June 22
• Penicuik – June 4
• Rutherglen – June 11
• Stonehaven – June 18

The schools are set to start offering free breakfasts from the summer term with funding from the Hungry Minds programme to run clubs for three years.

Matt Brown, headteacher at Osbaldwick Primary Academy, which is one of those chosen for the expansion, said breakfasts would help children learn and thrive and support families during challenging times.

Cllr Bob Webb, York Council’s Labour children’s spokesperson, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) the move would take his administration’s pilot scheme to children across the city.

The schools chosen for the expansion are:

• Haxby Road Primary
• Hob Moor Primary
• Lakeside Primary
• New Earswick Primary
• Osbaldwick Primary
• Poppleton Road Primary
• St Lawrences Primary
• Stockon on Forest Primary
• Tang Hall Primary
• Woodthorpe Primary

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It comes as part of a scheme which began with funding lunches for children in Years Three to Six at Westfield Primary Community School in January 2024.

The council has committed £100,000-a-year to fund the meals at Westfield until at least the end of the current Labour administration’s term next year.

Free breakfasts have also been offered to children in Burton Green Primary School and Fishergate Primary School through Hungry Minds, which is financed through council grants and private donations.

The council estimated in July that more than 50,000 meals had been served through the programme and the latest expansion is expected to provide 170,000 breakfasts.

The programme was launched to help disadvantaged children with the cost of living crisis and it comes as the Government is planning a national expansion of free breakfast clubs.

Research from the University of York and University of Leeds and feedback from teachers has found children’s behaviour, attendance and concentration in lessons has improved.

But the programme has faced criticism including from the council’s Liberal Democrat opposition councillors who have questioned whether it is value for money and how future expansions will be financed.

It is estimated that rolling out free school meals to all 57 of York’s primary schools would cost around £3 million a year.

Liberal Democrats also claimed the move to free breakfast clubs is a departure from the lunches first funded at Westfield and said children outside the programme were being left out.

Labour Children’s Executive Member Cllr Webb told LDRS officials had chosen the schools where they believed the biggest difference could be made to struggling children and families.

York Council’s Labour Children’s Executive Member Cllr Bob Webb (back) with council Leader Cllr Claire Douglas (end, left) and school pupils (Image: City of York Council)

He added the move to breakfast clubs was based on the academic research done which showed they were better value for money.

The executive member said: “It gives children a soft start to the school day, instead of going straight into lessons they can chat to their friends and talk about what’s going on at home.

“The data so far shows this is showing real improvements in the children who are part of these pilots.

“In an ideal world we’d do this everywhere at the same time, but I don’t not want to do this just because we can’t do it everywhere.

“I want to thank school staff for putting time and effort into bringing this about, it’s a positive thing that will support a lot of young people in the city.”

The initiative highlights how far a vehicle can travel in just a second or two when concentration slips, with drivers unaware of the danger they pose to themselves and fellow road users.

A new Road Safety Scotland and Scottish Government campaign is urging drivers in Lanarkshire to keep their minds on the road, warning that even a moment’s distraction can lead to devastating consequences.

The initiative also highlights how far a vehicle can travel in just a second or two when concentration slips, with drivers unaware of the danger they pose to themselves and fellow road users.

It reveals that:

– At 60mph, in one second of inattention, such as reaching for a coffee, you will travel around 27 metres, roughly the length of a tennis court.

– At the same speed, with a two-second glance at a phone you will lose around 54 metres, equivalent to the length of four double-decker buses.

– At 30mph, looking away for four seconds to update a sat-nav also covers around 54 metres – greater than the length of an Olympic swimming pool.

– At 30mph, with three seconds of distraction caused by something outside the vehicle, you will miss around 40 metres – approximately the length of ten cars.

The warning follows research showing 80 per cent of road users, including drivers and pedestrians, admitted their mind had wandered while using the road.

READ MORE: Football fundraiser, and ‘Scotland’s version of Soccer Aid’, coming to Lanarkshire for its second game

A total of 42 per cent admitted they had zoned out on a journey and couldn’t quite remember how they got to their destination.

The consequences of lack of proper attention can be devastating, with over one in five distracted drivers reporting a collision with another vehicle (16 per cent) or a pedestrian (five per cent).

Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop urged all Lanarkshire road users to keep their minds on the road.

She said: “All road users, but especially drivers, have a responsibility to stay focused on the road and make sure they are aware of other road users at all times.

“This research shows how easy it is for both drivers and pedestrians to become distracted, and the consequences of these distractions have the potential to be devastating.

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“It’s important to ensure our attention always remains firmly on the road.”

The impact of everyday distractions on drivers and pedestrians was reflected in the research behind the campaign.

Of the road users who said they experienced distraction, over a third (38 per cent) said thinking about other activities, tasks and plans was a regular cause.

After weather, drivers cited not knowing their route well (36 per cent), being tired (32 per cent), being in a hurry (25 per cent), and being worried or stressed (23 per cent) as the things that affect them most while driving.

The campaign is encouraging drivers and pedestrians across Lanarkshire to reflect on their own journeys and the everyday distractions that can take their attention away from the road.

The Scotland-wide campaign will run across TV, radio, digital and outdoor channels; for more information, visit roadsafety.scot

READ MORE: North Lanarkshire Council investing in projects across all nine Community Board areas

*Don’t miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.

And did you know Lanarkshire Live had its own app? Download yours for free here.

Student Ela Guneri, 20, was using another person’s Blue Badge on her dashboard in a disabled person’s space in Castle car park, said a City of York Council spokesman.

She claimed to parking enforcement officers she had found it discarded in York and was displaying it in the hope the badge holder would see it and claim it.

Investigations revealed the badge, which had been reported as stolen to the issuing authority, Bedford Borough Council, and to Bedfordshire Police, had been mis-used on at least two other occasions.

Guneri of Queen’s Drive, Bedford, pleaded guilty by letter to wrongful use of a disabled Blue Badge in York.  She was ordered to pay a £80 fine, a statutory surcharge of £32 and costs of £744.70.

Sara Knaggs, 49, of Woodlea Avenue, Acomb, was abusive to a parking officer who asked her about the Blue Badge she was displaying when she parked on a single yellow line in a restricted parking zone in Stonebow, said the spokesman.

She claimed it was her badge, but when interviewed later, said it was a relative’s badge and that she had dropped the relative off in town before driving to and parking in Stonebow where she had gone into a shop.

Ms Knaggs failed to attend York Magistrates Court which found her guilty of the wrongful use of a Blue Badge, and ordered her to pay a fine of £440, a statutory surcharge of £176 and costs of £584.20.

Kim Jong Un has chosen his teen daughter, Kim Ju Ae, as North Korea’s future leader, a South Korean spy agency told lawmakers on Thursday.

If the North Korean dictator makes the announcement, it will mark the first time a female leader will rule the hermit kingdom.

Mr Kim is making the move to extend the family dynasty to a fourth generation, an assessment by the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS) revealed in a closed-door briefing to the country’s lawmakers.

North Korea is set to hold its biggest political conference later this month, where Mr Kim will outline his major policy goals for the next five years and tighten his grip on the country.

The NIS will monitor whether Mr Kim’s, believed to be 13-year-old daughter, will appear with him as he addresses thousands of delegates at the upcoming Workers’ Party Congress, said South Korean lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun after attending the briefing by the NIS.

“In the past, (NIS) described Kim Ju Ae as being in the midst of ‘successor training.’ What was notable today is that they used the term ‘successor-designate stage,’ a shift that’s quite significant,” Mr Lee said.

The speculation is not new for the experts monitoring the activities inside Pyongyang, as Kim Ju Ae is increasingly viewed as Mr Kim’s likely successor, with her high-profile trip to China in 2025 further cementing her prominent status.

The girl, likely in her early teens and bearing a close resemblance to her mother, accompanied her father on what was his first visit to a major gathering of world leaders and her first known trip abroad. North Korean state media footage captured her presence during the Beijing visit.

According to Mr Lee, the NIS is tracking the teenager’s growing presence at high-profile military events, her inclusion in the family visit to Kumsusan, and signs that Mr Kim was beginning to seek her input on certain policy matters.

The South Korean intelligence agency was initially sceptical that Kim Ju Ae could be chosen as a North Korean leader, owing to the country’s deeply conservative culture and male-dominated leadership seen to be at the helm of ruling the country.

However, in September last year when the North Korean leader was accompanied by his daughter, the NIS said in its assessment that the move was likely a part of an effort to build a “narrative” possibly paving the way for her succession.

North Korean state media outlets have never published her name, referring to her as Kim Jong Un’s “respected” or “most beloved” child. The belief that she is named Kim Ju Ae is based on an account by former NBA champion Dennis Rodman, in which he recalled holding Kim Jong Un’s baby daughter during a trip to Pyongyang in 2013.

Her exact age is unconfirmed but South Korean intelligence officials believe she was born in 2013.

Kim Ju Ae first appeared in public at a long-range missile test in November 2022 and was later seeing accompanying Mr Kim to an increasing number of events, including weapons tests, military parades and factory openings.

In a major turn, she appeared alongside her father in Beijing last September for Mr Kim’s first summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Speculation about her political future intensified last month when she joined her parents on a New Year’s Day visit to Pyongyang’s Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, a sacred family mausoleum displaying the embalmed bodies of her late grandfather and great-grandfather, the country’s first- and second-generation leaders. Some experts saw the visit as the clearest sign yet that she’s positioned to be the heir to her 42-year-old father.

North Korea, since its foundation in 1948, has been ruled by male members of the Kim family, beginning with the country’s founder Kim Il Sung and followed by his son, Kim Jong Il.

Kim Jong Un was just 26 when he was officially named heir during a 2010 party conference, two years after Kim Jong Il suffered a debilitating stroke. Following his father’s death in December 2011, he was abruptly thrust into the throne with relatively little preparation.

A food expert has shared the “best” method to cook bacon that doesn’t involve a frying pan.

There’s nothing quite like biting into a bacon butty for lunch, paired with a piping hot brew. But let’s be honest – scrubbing that greasy frying pan afterwards? Not so appealing.

Luckily, there’s a fuss-free trick to cooking bacon that sidesteps the splattery clean-up entirely. What’s more, this clever technique is hailed as the “best” method for serving up seriously flavoursome rashers.

Food journalist Ann Taylor Pittman, writing for The Kitchn, tried various cooking techniques to crown the “absolute winner”.

Her experiments ranged from cast-iron skillets and nonstick pans to water-based frying, oven baking with parchment, rack roasting, microwaving, air frying, and even sous vide.

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Declaring one approach as “perfection”, Mrs Pittman unveiled that oven-baking bacon atop parchment paper reigns supreme.

After giving the oven a 10-minute warm-up, “you simply line one or two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper, arrange the bacon on top, and bake at 400F [204C] until it is crisped to your liking”.

Mrs Pittman added: “When the bacon is done, you transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate or platter to drain.” Standard rashers can be ready in as little as 18 minutes, whilst thicker cuts might need up to 24 minutes.

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Baking bacon on parchment paper

Mrs Pittman highlighted that the bacon “sits in its own rendered fat as it bakes”, meaning those bits turn out “wonderfully crispy”.

What’s more, you won’t need to faff about flipping halfway through – the rashers are “cooked evenly” lying perfectly flat.

The taste of bacon

Mrs Pittman said: “I loved the texture and appearance of this bacon, and that it cooks hands-free with no babysitting. I also loved that this method works for a few slices or up to 20, and that, if you use the overhang trick, cleanup is just so incredibly easy.”

For “effortless” tidying, she suggests letting the parchment paper hang over “on all sides” of your baking tray before you start.

That way, once the bacon fat has cooled down, you can simply bin the lot with the parchment paper, leaving your baking sheet spotless.

And if you’re feeling thrifty, you could funnel those bacon drippings from the parchment into a jar for safekeeping. Bacon fat works brilliantly as a substitute for oil when frying eggs, for instance, or for sautéing vegetables.

River levels have now peaked in the city centre and are set to start falling in the early hours of Friday (February 13).

But the River Ouse is expected to sit at 3.24m – 1.3m above the top of its normal range – on the Viking Recorder on Thursday.

A flood warning was issued for riverside properties from Lendal Bridge to Millennium Bridge, including King’s Staith, on Thursday.

The Environment Agency said it is “closely monitoring the situation , closing floodgates and operating the Foss Barrier”. 

“Take care and avoid walking, cycling or driving through flood water,” an Environment Agency spokesperson said. “Act on your flood plan if you have one.”

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The flood warning comes as York braces for a drop in temperatures with snow forecast in the area on Friday.

A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place from 7pm on Thursday until midday on Friday.

The Met Office has forecast rain in York on Thursday afternoon with temperatures dropping to 2C overnight into Friday.

Snow showers have been forecast for Thursday morning until early afternoon.

Saturday is, however, looking clear with sunshine expected, although forecasters do expect temperatures to stay cold between 2C and 4C throughout the weekend.

Councillors said they ‘did not find credible’ the potential driver’s denial of the allegations

A man’s application for a taxi licence has been blocked because councillors were concerned about the the ‘risk to the travelling public’.

A meeting on Bolton council’s licensing committee considered a man’s application to drive a private hire vehicle. Recently published minutes of the meeting stated the committee had been made aware the applicant, who was not named, had been arrested on suspicion of serious, violent offences.

The report said: “The applicant was arrested in 2022 for a section 47 assault and non fatal strangulation following his wife’s complaint to the police. His wife subsequently wanted no action taken.

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“The committee found that on the balance of probabilities a serious incident did occur. The applicant denied the allegation which the committee did not find credible.”

The report said the committee was concerned at the risk to the travelling public and so found that there was reasonable cause to refuse to grant the application.

At the same meeting, held on January 6, a different taxi driver was handed an eight-week suspension after failing to report that he had been convicted of a mobile phone breach.

The published minutes read: “The driver had a conviction from December, 2024 for breach of requirements as to control of the vehicle mobile phones, which due to the six penalty points was treated as a major traffic offence under the council statement of fitness and suitability.

“Normally in such circumstances the licence would be revoked. The driver also breached the conditions of his licence by not reporting the above conviction on time and the committee also noted the driver’s previous attendance at this committee and a previous warning letter regarding breach of conditions.”

The licensing committee decided they had ‘reasonable cause to suspend the licence to drive a private hire vehicle for a period of eight weeks’. Neither of the individuals were named by the council in the published minutes.