Barometer | 3 March 2016

You can’t do that there ’ere

Some of the things which have been banned under Public Spaces Protection Orders, according to a report by the Manifesto Club:
Kettering More than four people standing within vicinity of a motor vehicle.
Guildford Shouting.
Hillingdon Gathering in groups of more than two unless waiting for a bus.
Blackpool Engaging in card tricks.
Birmingham Wearing face coverings.
Shepway Sleeping in a public place.
Brent Offering casual work.

Shop talk

The British Retail Consortium has claimed that 900,000 jobs could be lost by 2025 thanks to the minimum wage and the shift to online sales. Who are the 2.9 million people who work in the retail business?
— One third are under 25.
— Half work part-time.
— 58% are female, 42% male.
— 66% work for the 75 largest retailers
— 18% are described as ‘managers’ or have ‘senior’ in their title.
Source: www.retailappointment.co.uk

Watching brief

The pressure group Big Brother Watch has revealed that spending by councils on CCTV cameras has fallen by 12.5 per cent in four years. Where are you most — and least — likely to be spotted on CCTV?

BOROUGHS WITH FEWEST
North Norfolk, Barrow-in-Furness, East Cambridgeshire, Allerdale, Ceredigion, East Hampshire, Richmondshire and East Northamptonshire don’t have a single public CCTV camera between them.

A hint of steel

Some MPs have demanded tariffs on Chinese steel in retaliation for what they called ‘dumping’. How much of the world’s steel do we produce?
 
BRITISH STEEL PRODUCTION

Source: UK Steel

Source: UK Steel