Smoking in cars to be banned

MPs in the House of Commons have voted in favour of amendment to the Children and Families Bill, thereby recommending a ban on smoking in cars when there are children present in England. The vote does not force the government to bring such a change into law, but has passed with a substantial majority and the recommendation is seen to have substantial public support. Labour calls for ban on in-car smoking with children Smoking in cars ‘breaks toxic limit’ During voting last night, 376 MPs supported the amendment, with 107 in opposition – giving the proposed ban a substantial 269-vote majority.

Jaguar Land Rover sorts its finance

Tata has secured £175 million private funding for Jaguar Land Rover But it is now being reported that JLR has managed to secure £175 million in private funding, obviating the need to succumb to Government interference in its business. Which has got to be good news for the JLR workforce – at least for now. Jaguar and Land Rover are very much on the up.

Threat to rural road maintenance

TOTAL ROAD CLOSURES may be necessary as the extreme winter weather has left councils struggling to maintain routes, according to a local government chief. One council - Cornwall - said it was being "starved of resources" and was considering stopping maintenance of rural roads. But the Department for Transport said billions of pounds were being provided for local highways maintenance and it was the responsibility of authorities to cope with severe weather.