Lisa Mitchell, Вулиця Велика Васильківська, 67/7, Kyiv (2025)

15/10/2025

Lloyds warns car finance scandal could cost it £2bn
The FCA said payouts could be due on around 14 million unfair deals, averaging at about £700 each.

This could result in lenders paying out a total of £8.2bn in compensation.

The payouts are over commission arrangements between lenders and dealers, unfair contracts, and inaccurate information given to car buyers.

Lloyds said in a statement: "Based on the FCA proposals in their current form, the potential impact is at the adverse end of the range of previous expected outcomes."

It said it was setting aside an additional £800m for redress based on "the increased likelihood of a higher number of historical cases... being eligible for redress".

It said its "best estimate" of the total cost of redress was £1.95bn.

The proposed scheme would be free to access for consumers, although the interest they receive on redress will be much lower than that paid following the payment protection insurance (PPI) scandal.

That scandal cost Lloyds £22bn.

The FCA estimates that 44% of all motor finance agreements made since 2007 will be eligible for payouts.

But a ruling at the Supreme Court in August limited the breadth of these cases.

The FCA advises anyone who wants to make a complaint to get in touch with their lender or broker, and has this guidance on how to complain.

But the Finance and Leasing Association, the body that represents the lending industry, has said the FCA is "overcompensating".

Lloyds said on Monday that it did not think the FCA's calculations reflect the actual amount that customers lost out.

It believes customers could therefore get more than the full commission back under the FCA's proposed scheme.

Under the scheme, eligible car owners would be given the average of what it estimates they overpaid, and the commission paid, plus interest.

Another lender, Close Brothers, which is deeply exposed to motor finance compensation, said it was also likely to need to set aside more money for payouts.

In a statement on Thursday, it said its "initial assessment" following the FCA's proposals was that it would need to increase its current provision of £165m.

However, the company pointed out that uncertainty remained over the final compensation requirements, with the current proposals under consultation.

Consumer campaigners have urged lenders not to fight the FCA's compensation plans, in order to ensure drivers do not have to wait even longer for redress and to bring a swifter conclusion to the saga.

But Russ Mould, investment director for AJ Bell, said Lloyds "gives the impression it is not happy with the proposed compensation methodology, implying this is not a done and dusted situation".

13/10/2025

Aston Martin marks 70-year bond with Newport Pagnell
Car maker Aston Martin has won a place "in the hearts and minds" of the town where it was based for 70 years, its company historian has said.

The luxury brand marked the anniversary of opening a factory in Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, in 1955.

The company has manufactured some of its most iconic models at the site on Tickford Street and now restores, services and sells cars there.

Historian Steve Waddingham said the town had become "synonymous" with the firm.
Owners around the world knew of the town, he said.

"[It is] a bit like when people send a letter to the King and just put 'King, Buckingham Palace' and hope for the best.

"Letters still come to Newport Pagnell."

The company consolidated in the town in 1955, moving from sites in West London and Yorkshire.

Famous models including the DB5 and DB6 were manufactured at the factory.

Sunnyside, a brick building the size of two semi-detached homes, was the company's worldwide headquarters until 2007, when manufacturing and head office functions moved to a new base in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
The company, which recently warned of further financial losses, now employs about 100 people in Buckinghamshire restoring, servicing and selling cars.

On Saturday, about 150 Aston Martins from around the world were on show at an event to mark 70 years of operations in Newport Pagnell.
David Alderman, a restoration specialist who works on older models, has worked at the Newport Pagnell site since 1990.

He said he had seen "massive change" in his time at the factory but he was "still learning and finding new ways of doing things today".

Relatives in America know the brand well, he said, and he believed working there was a "privilege".

"There is not a massive turnover of people so I've got a lot of good friends here," he added.
Roger James, 60, visited the Newport Pagnell factory in 1999 to view a V8 coupe with his father, John, who later passed the Pentland green car on to him for his 50th birthday.

He said Aston Martin was "the underdog - and that is what everyone loves".

"I wish they still produced cars here," he said, "but they couldn't make enough cars.

"You know all those fantastic ideas that came out [of here]."

09/10/2025

Payouts of £700 per claim after car finance scandal
Millions of victims of car finance mis-selling could receive less compensation than previously estimated, under plans from the regulator.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said payouts could result from 14 million motor finance agreements between April 2007 and November 2024.

The regulator previously suggested motorists could receive less than £950 per deal, but it now says the average will be about £700 per agreement. Lenders could pay out £8.2bn in compensation.

The payouts are over commission arrangements between lenders and dealers, unfair contracts, and inaccurate information given to car buyers.

"It's time their customers get fair compensation," Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the FCA, said.

"We recognise that there will be a wide range of views on the scheme, its scope, timeframe and how compensation is calculated. On such a complex issue, not everyone will get everything they would like."

The scheme would be free to access for consumers, although the interest they receive on redress will be much lower than that paid following the payment protection insurance (PPI) scandal.

Mr Rathi told the BBC's Today programme that people do not need to use a claims management company or law firm to get access to the scheme, and said the FCA has acted to take down more than 700 adverts that had sprung up from those hoping to make money from people seeking compensation.

The FCA estimates that 44% of all motor finance agreements made since 2007 will be eligible for payouts.

However, a ruling at the Supreme Court in August limited the breadth of these cases.

The FCA advises anyone who wants to make a complaint to get in touch with their lender or broker, and has this guidance on how to complain.

But the director of the body that represents the lending industry said the FCA "is overcompensating".

"We are going to look very closely at what the FCA has published," Adrian Dally from the Finance and Leasing Association told the BBC's Today programme.

"At first glance it does look to us like the FCA is overcompensating here. We don't recognise losses on that scale," he said, adding that he thinks the number of people whom the FCA said lost out "seems implausibly high".

"We think it's significantly less," he said, though he admitted that "some customers did not necessarily get the best deal".

But Mr Rathi defended the FCA by saying it had found a "fair way forward" and reiterated that its conclusion came after legal rulings from both the Supreme and High Courts.

Unfair deals
The vast majority of new cars, and many second-hand ones, are bought with finance agreements.

About two million are sold this way each year, with customers paying an initial deposit, then a monthly fee with interest for the vehicle.

In 2021, the FCA banned deals in which the dealer received a commission from the lender, based on the interest rate charged to the customer. These were known as discretionary commission arrangements (DCAs) and were undisclosed, meaning drivers were at risk of overpaying for the loan.

Other car buyers had an unfair contract because the commission paid to the dealer was so high, accounting for at least 35% of the total cost of credit and 10% of the loan, and some were not given accurate information about getting the best finance deal because of an exclusive rights given to certain lenders.

The regulator has now proposed a scheme to compensate drivers who were subject to these arrangements. If it gets the go-ahead, once the scheme starts:

lenders will contact those who have already complained. If they don't hear back after one month, lenders will assume they should look at the case and pay compensation if appropriate
those who have already complained before the scheme gets up and running are likely to receive compensation faster
those who have not complained will be contacted by their lender within six months of the scheme starting. People will be asked if they want to opt in to the scheme to have their case reviewed. They will have six months to decide
those motor finance borrowers who do not receive a letter, for example because lenders no longer have their details and cannot trace them, will have a year from the scheme starting to make a claim
The regulator admitted that consumers can choose not to take part in the FCA's compensation scheme and instead go to court, where they may get more or less compensation, based on the facts of their case.

David Bott, senior partner from Bott and Co, which is representing some drivers in court, said: "The true measure of success will be whether it delivers meaningful compensation that reflects the real financial harm suffered by consumers.

"The average payout figure of £700 per agreement raises serious questions about whether the scale of redress will match the severity of wrongdoing."

06/10/2025

Food bank appeals for help due to soaring demand
The leader of a Boston food bank says the need for their service has remained "persistently high" and is appealing for help.

Father David Stevenson, the rector of St Botolph's Church, also known as Boston Stump, where the food bank is based, said the facility was "a lifeline for people".

The appeal comes at a time when extra costs associated with heating homes can lead to an increase in people needing help, he said.

Boston Food Bank is part of The Trussell Trust, which runs a network across the UK. The food bank said it had seen record levels of need in the past year.

"People are struggling to afford both food and heating", Fr Stevenson said.

"That's a very common experience in Boston, as in lots of other places."

The food bank said it sees peaks and troughs in numbers throughout the year, but added there had been an overall increase in people needing support in 2025.

"Last week, we reached our 3,000th person for this calendar year…. which included nearly 1,000 children living in poverty," Fr Stevenson said.

As part of the food bank's harvest appeal, it asked for donations of non perishable items and things that can be easily made into a meal such as dry pasta, bags of rice, and tinned meals.

Alina used the food bank last year following a referral from Centrepoint Outreach in Boston.

She was new to the area and received help from the facility until financial and living arrangements were put in place.

Alina now volunteers at the food bank once a week.

"I wouldn't want anyone to feel like I did and be anxious about not being able to eat," she said.

02/10/2025

'Increased demand' forces launch of food bank
A food bank has been set up to help deal with "continuing rising numbers" of people needing help.

The Society of St Vincent de Paul said people could register for the click-and-collect facility being set up at St Peter's Church during an event from 12:00 to 15:00 BST on Monday.

People who register to use the food bank can order items through an online service before collecting them every Friday between 12:00 and 13:00.

St Peter's rector, the Reverend Robert Harris, said the food bank would provide a vital service to the western side of Jersey, adding there had been a noticeable increase in the "number of requests for help and support".

"Whilst things look as if they're affluent on the surface, there is that hidden poverty where people may be struggling for all sorts of reasons - the cost of rent, someone may have lost their job," he said.

The charity said it helps more than 1,800 people in Jersey annually and described the facility in St Peter as an "initial step" to extending services on the island.

The society, which also operates a food bank and click-and-collect service from St Thomas' Church Hall every Wednesday and Saturday, said there had been "increased demand" for assistance since the Covid pandemic.

"This new service will provide a simple flexible way for those in need to access and order a selection of food, baby care items and hygiene products, thus extending its support to those in the western parishes of the Island," it added.

30/09/2025

Poor oral health hitting food bank users
Tackling the poor oral health of food bank users should be part of a council's anti-poverty strategy, a report has found.

Research found "horror stories" of people in Gateshead performing their own dentistry, with one food bank client having to refuse a bag of apples due to having no teeth.

According to Gateshead Council figures, as of 2024/25 alone, food banks have helped 7,891 people with emergency food parcels.

However, as well as food insecurity, there were concerns some of those needing help were also suffering from poor mental and physical health.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said Gateshead Council's health and wellbeing board was told research was ongoing about how best to help.

Lead researcher Dr Kate Haddow said: "This was about me going into the food bank and saying 'how can you guys, as experts, help me going forward and how can we work together to build on what the council wants to do?'.

"After many debates, we decided that the poor health of the food bank visitors was the priority.

"It was evident that people are in poor physical and mental health, and there is a real interest in the poor oral health of food bank clients."

The report on the council's current food bank collaboration also states official statistics do not show the full extent of food insecurity.

The report reads: "This only accounts for a part of the picture of food aid, with some food aid outlets not covered.

"Therefore, food insecurity is likely to be higher than evidence shows."

It is hoped the report will help form the council's anti-poverty strategy and help the work of a "food steering group" within the local authority.

26/09/2025

Mixed-sex hostels 'terrifying' for homeless women
Homeless women calling for more female-only services have said they avoid mixed-sex hostels because they can be "ruthless" and "terrifying".

One, who found herself in a mixed-sex hostel in Sunderland, said three men "were taken out in body bags" during the first week she stayed there.

The housing charity Shelter believes the number of female rough sleepers in north-east England has risen by 425% in five years, but that many women stay hidden from statistics because they avoid sleeping on the streets or using hostels.

Next week, councils on Tyneside will for the first time be included in the Women's Rough Sleeping Census, aimed at getting an accurate picture of the extent of the problem.

The first census, in 2022, was conducted solely in London, but last year a further 55 council areas were included and the results revealed more than 10 times as many women sleeping rough in England than government data had suggested.

Newcastle, Gateshead and South Tyneside councils have all signed up to this year's census which takes place from Monday for seven days.

Ahead of it, two homeless women shared their difficulties finding safe shelter in the North East.

Jay said a mixed-sex hostel she went to in Sunderland "was ruthless, full of alcoholics, drug users".

She said: "First week I was there, three lads were taken out in body bags.

"I was terrified. I was fighting to survive every single day."

According to Jay, the hostel, which has since closed down, did not carry out full background checks on residents.

"You could be in there with a nasty person. That's a risk women think of before they pick up that phone."

Listen to more about this story on BBC Sounds
She said domestic abuse victims have a particular need for female-only accommodation.

"I suffer PTSD and the thought of being around blokes who'd been in jail was scary."

Meanwhile Leanne spent months sofa-surfing because she was "too scared" to live in a mixed-sex hostel after a traumatic experience.

"People called us the bag lady because I used to carry all my bags everywhere."

Tracey Guy, from Shelter North East, said many homeless women were falling under the radar as they tried to avoid frightening or dangerous situations.

"They will sleep in cars, accident and emergency units, fast-food outlets," she said.

"Or they stay with perpetrators [of abuse] because, actually, an unsafe situation feels safer than sleeping in a doorway."

Jay now lives in a female-only house run by the charity Emmaus North East.

Chief executive Ruth Parker said most of the women they supported had suffered trauma, domestic abuse and sexual violence.

"Putting a person who has faced that on to the street, where they are vulnerable to those things again, we have to try and eradicate."

Emmaus plans to open a new women-only premises in 2026, but Mrs Parker said more were needed.

"Supported accommodation, specific to women, has to be high priority."

The BBC asked all local authorities in the North East about their current homeless provision.

Most have beds in mixed-sex hostels, but some councils have no female-only provision at all.

To better understand the scale of the problem, this year's Women's Rough Sleeping Census is being carried out between 22 and 28 September.

With Newcastle City Council joining it for the first time, Councillor Paula Maines, cabinet member for housing, said: "We can use the data to make sure that we have the services that women need, but also we can pressurise government to get more money in."

The findings of the census are due to be released in October.

Homeless charities said they hoped the results could reveal truer numbers and lead to more support for women like Jay and Leanne.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: "The Women's Census helps us understand the challenges women face when getting the right support.

"We're spending £1 billion on vital services so that women who are sleeping rough can get safe and appropriate help.

"This is a first step to get us back on track towards ending homelessness once and for all."

23/09/2025

France transfixed by murder trial without a body
A French murder trial that opened Monday has transfixed the public because of the mystery at its core: where is the victim's body?

Cédric Jubillar, a 38 year-old painter-decorator, is accused of killing his wife Delphine nearly five years ago in a fit of jealous rage.

He has always denied the charges and, other than circumstantial evidence, investigators have struggled to build a case. There is no body, no blood, no confession, and no witness.

With its unexplained central fact and its cast of characters from small-town southern France, the affair has become a social media sensation.

Self-declared investigators have set up countless chat groups where they swap theories and share testimony – much to the irritation of police and families.

"These groups are the equivalent of the bistro counter – but with more people," said psychoanalyst Patrick Avrane, author of a book on attitudes to crime.

"Everyone constructs the theory that suits him or her the best."

The Jubillar mystery began at the height of Covid lockdown when – in the early hours on 16 December 2020 – Cédric Jubillar contacted the gendarmes to report that his wife had gone missing.

Delphine, who was 33 at the time, was a night nurse in a clinic not far from their home in Cagnac-les-Mines in the south-western Occitania region. The couple had two children, aged six and 18 months.

Police came to understand that the Jubillars did not have a happy relationship.

Cédric Jubillar was a habitual cannabis user and barely held down a job. Delphine was in a relationship with a man she had met over the Internet. She and Cédric were talking about divorce.

Police and locals conducted extensive searches in the surrounding countryside – with potholers descending into some of the disused mineshafts with which the area is dotted.

Delphine's body was never found, but a case was gradually built against her husband and in mid-2021 he was placed under investigation and detained.

The prosecution at the trial in the town of Albi will tell the court that Cédric Jubillar had a clear motivation to kill his wife, because of their impending split.

Lawyers will raise other points: certain odd actions by Cédric on the night of the disappearance; signs of a fight, including a pair of broken glasses; a neighbour who heard a woman screaming.

Cédric Jubillar's own character will be brought under the spotlight, with witnesses expected who will speak of his threatening language to Delphine before she disappeared, and his apparent lack of concern after.

Two of his acquaintances – a former cellmate and a former girlfriend – will also repeat what they told police: that Cédric confessed to the murder and told them where her body was.

But after more digging no body has been found, and the defence is expected to raise doubts about the veracity of the pair's accounts.

Indeed the heart of Cédric Jubillar's case is that there is nothing – beyond the popular view that he is the ideal culprit – to prove that he did away with his wife. He himself has always protested his innocence.

The trial is expected to last four weeks, with 65 witnesses called and 11 experts. More than 16,000 pages of evidence have been compiled.

Explaining the case's grip on the public mind, writer Thibault de Montaigu said in Le Figaro newspaper it was like "a novel by Georges Simenon" – creator of the fictional detective Inspector Maigret.

In a long analysis of the case, he said that for all the circumstantial evidence against Cédric Jubillar, the central question was this: how a "red-eyed, fuzzy-brained guy who smoked ten joints a day could have carried out the perfect crime?

"Killing his wife without leaving the slightest trace; secretly transporting her body, burying her in an unfindable location, then coming back to tell the police – all while his two children slept quietly in their bedrooms.

"And this was a guy who greeted the cops in panda pyjamas and then played Game of Thrones on his phone the very morning of the disappearance.

"So: genius bluffer; lucky fool; or poor innocent?"

The court will decide.

18/09/2025

Workers across France strike over budget cut plans
Hundreds of thousands of workers are expected to take part in strike action across France on Thursday, after trade unions called for a day of protests against budget cuts.

The interior ministry said between 600,000 and 900,000 people could attend demonstrations nationwide, adding it would deploy 80,000 police officers.

The strikes come barely a week after Sébastien Lecornu, a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, was appointed prime minister following the toppling of François Bayrou's government.

Public transport was heavily disrupted on Thursday morning, with many metro lines in Paris reported shut, while protesters blocked roads and streets in major cities across France.

Students gathered in front of schools and universities in the capital and beyond, blocking entrances and chanting slogans. Around a third of teachers walked out.

Pharmacists are also adhering to strike action in droves, with 98% of pharmacies expected to stay closed.

Unions have called for more spending on public services, higher taxes on the wealthy and for the budget cuts outlined by the short-lived Bayrou government to be axed.

Sophie Binet, the leader of one of France's major trade union groups, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), said: "We need to be out in force, that's how we gather strength to keep fighting... to force the government and the employers to put an end to policies that only serve the richest."

Bruno Retailleau, the outgoing interior minister, said 58 people had been arrested across France by mid-morning.

"We will be uncompromising and relentless," Retailleau warned, adding that he had given police instructions to make arrests "as soon as there is the slightest slip-up".

Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of the radical left party France Unbowed (LFI), asked participants to the strike to be "disciplined".

"Any violent actions would only serve one person - Mr Retailleau," he said.

Ahead of the protests, Laurent Nunez, the Paris prosecutor, had expressed concerns that the demonstrations would be "derailed" by far-left groups and urged shops in the city centre to close for the day.

Thursday's strikes come after around 200,000 people took part in protests organised by the grassroots Bloquons Tout (Let's Block Everything) movement last week, which caused some disruption across France.

Bayrou's unpopular budget proposal - aimed at bringing down France's high public debt with €44bn (£38bn) worth of cuts - caused him to lose a confidence vote in the National Assembly last week when parties across the political spectrum united to topple him.

New Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who is yet to assemble a ministerial team, has not entirely renounced the cuts and has held talks with opposition parties in an attempt to reach a compromise on the budget.

Lecornu's position is perilous. Like his two predecessors, Bayrou and Michel Barnier, he faces a hung parliament divided into three blocs with deeply differing political leanings, making it difficult to craft a budget palatable to a majority of MPs.

But France is also staring down the barrel of spiralling public debt, equivalent to almost €50,000 per French citizen.

Barnier and Bayrou were also brought down as a result of their proposed budgets, which would have entailed substantial cuts - with politicians on the left instead calling for tax rises.

15/09/2025

France in fresh political crisis after MPs oust prime ministerFrance has been plunged into a new political crisis with the defeat of Prime Minister François Bayrou at a confidence vote in the National Assembly.

The defeat – by 364 votes to 194 – means that Bayrou will on Tuesday present his government's resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, who must now decide how to replace him. Macron's office said this would happen "in the coming days".

The options include naming a new prime minister from the centre-right; pivoting to the left and finding a name compatible with the Socialist Party; and dissolving parliament so new elections are held.

Macron's bitter enemies in the far-left France Unbowed party are calling for him personally to resign, but few commentators think it likely.

France is thus on its way to getting a fifth prime minister in less than two years - a dismal record that underscores the drift and disenchantment that have marked the president's second term.
Bayrou's fall came after he staked his government on an emergency confidence debate on the question of French debt.

He spent the summer warning of the "existential" threat to France if it did not start to tackle its €3.4 trillion (£2.9 trillion) liability.

In a budget for 2026 he proposed to scrap two national holidays and freeze welfare payments and pensions, with the aim of saving €44 billion.

But he was quickly disabused of any hope that his prophesies of financial doom would sway opponents.

Party after party made quite clear they saw Monday's vote as an opportunity to settle accounts with Bayrou - and through him Macron.

Lacking any majority in the National Assembly, Bayrou saw the left and hard-right uniting against him - and his fate was sealed.

Some commentators have described Bayrou's fall as an act of political su***de. There was no need for him to call the early confidence vote, and he could have spent the coming months trying to build support.

In his speech beforehand, Bayrou made clear that he had his eyes set more on history rather than politics, telling MPs that it was future generations who would suffer if France lost its financial independence.

"Submission to debt is the same as submission to arms," he said, warning that current debt levels meant "plunging young people into slavery".

"You may have the power to bring down the government. But you cannot efface reality," he said.

There was no sign that Bayrou's warnings have had any impact on parliament or on France as a whole. Deputies from the left and hard-right accused him of trying to mask his own and Macron's responsibility in bringing France to its current state.

In the country, there has also been little echo to Bayrou's analysis – with polls showing that few regard debt control as a national priority, as opposed to the cost of living, security and immigration.

A movement calling itself Bloquons Tout (Let's Block Everything ) has promised a wave of sit-ins, boycotts and protests against Macron's policies from this Wednesday. On 18 September several unions are also calling for demonstrations.

Most economic analysts agree that France faces a huge financial challenge in the years ahead, as the projected cost of servicing its debt rises from the €30bn spent in 2020 to more than €100bn in 2030.

The need for financial restraint comes as Macron promises extra funds for defence, and as opposition parties of left and hard-right demand the repeal of the latest pension reform that raised the retirement age to 64.

Bayrou took over from Michel Barnier last December after Barnier failed to get his budget through the Assembly.

Bayrou managed to pass a budget thanks to a non-aggression pact with the Socialists, but their relations plunged when a conference on the latest pension reform failed to take account of Socialist demands.

Some speculated that Macron would turn now to a left-wing prime minister, having failed with the conservative Barnier and the centrist Bayrou.

However the Socialist Party says it wants a total break from Macron's pro-business policies as well as a repeal of the pension reform - which would be tantamount to undoing the president's legacy.

It therefore seems likely Macron will look initially to another figure from within his own camp, with Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Labour Minister Catherine Vautrin and Finance Minister Éric Lombard all said to be in the running.

Lisa Mitchell

15/10/2025

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