Articles in Author: Ben Clark

Articles in Council services

    A pie chart showing the approximate councillor share across all English councils after the 2026 May elections.

    English Council Elections 2026 – A Different Perspective

    Ben Clark

    The election results for English council elections are still coming out, but we wanted to share with you a different perspective to the one you will see in the media.

    The media report ‘the English council election results’ and give you all the statistics for those elections. But there are 317 councils in England, and only 136 (43%) had elections today. And, of those councils which did have elections, most of them only elected a third or half of their councillor seats. So, the English council election results do not tell the whole picture. In fact, these election results tell a very partial picture, because more than half of councils did not even have an election and few elected their whole council.

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    Covid infection risk continues to fall. Risk level Moderately Low at 1 in 1597. Precautions still needed in High Risk indoor places.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 03 May 2026

    Ben Clark

    Covid infection levels in England have fallen again to a new low. The risk level remains Moderately Low, with 1 in every 1597 people in England infected.

    As regular readers will know, BuDS researchers use highly reliable data to calculate prevalence. We independently confirm our results using all other available data. As Covid-cautious people ourselves, we rely on these estimates just as much as we know our readers do.

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    Historically low Covid infection risk. Covid risk level Moderately Low at 1 in 1346. Spring Covid boosters recommended.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 26 April 2026

    Ben Clark

    Covid infection levels in England have continued to fall and remain at the lowest levels recorded since 2020. The risk level remains Moderately Low, with 1 in every 1346 people in England infected.

    This estimate is based on highly reliable data and is independently confirmed by all other available data, However, Covid has not vanished and people could still catch the virus in high-risk indoor places.

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    A young woman in a powered wheelchair sits in front of a grey wall with plants on top. She is smiling towards the camera, and is holding a mobile phone in her left hand

    Temporary Pause of the BuDDies Scheme

    Ben Clark

    We are sorry to have to inform our community that the BuDDies Scheme at BuDS is currently on hold. Due to ongoing challenges facing charity funding across England, we have had to make the difficult decision to temporarily pause the scheme while we seek further funding.

    We understand that this news may be disappointing, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused. Supporting your wellbeing remains extremely important to us, and we are committed to helping where we can during this pause.

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    Covid infection risk still at historic low. Covid risk level now Moderately Low at 1 in 1052. Spring Covid boosters still advised.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 19 April 2026

    Ben Clark

    Covid infection levels in England have fallen to the lowest levels recorded since the pandemic began. The risk level is now Moderately Low, with 1 in every 1052 people in England infected. The risk from respiratory viruses, including Covid, in the community remains at its lowest ever level.

    This estimate is based on highly reliable data, and the downward trend of infection levels is independently confirmed by all other available data. As a community of disabled and highly Covid-cautious people, BuDS is satisfied that Covid infection levels in England are indeed at unprecedented lows at present. However, Covid has not vanished and there is still a risk of catching the virus in high-risk indoor places.

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    Covid infection risk still lowest ever. Covid risk level remains Moderate at 1 in 735. Everyone recommended to get vaccinated.

    Covid-19 Risk Assessment: Week Ending 5 April 2026

    Ben Clark

    More Covid good news, as infection levels in England continue to fall. The risk level is still Moderate, with 1 in every 735 people in England infected.

    This week’s NOIDS data was collected over the first Easter holiday weekend, and may be revised next week. For this reason, we are only tentatively reporting a 1 in 735 incidence. However, even if this incidence is later slightly increased, it is certain that, overall, infection levels in England have remained at their lowest level since 2021.

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    Screenshot from the BBC News website showing the headline "Assisted dying bill will not now become law, say both sides" over a picture of both pro- and anti-assisted dying demonstrators.

    Assisted Suicide Bill In Westminster Falls

    Ben Clark

    More great news, as the Assisted Suicide Bill in the Westminster Parliament also falls, joining the Scottish Bill which was voted down last week.

    The multimillionaire lobbyists behind these Bills are spreading an untrue story that the Westminster Bill failed because it was ‘talked out’ by opponents in the House of Lords. This story is objectively untrue for the following reasons.

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    A blue and yellow infographic. On the left is a picture of a disabled woman in a power wheelchair. She is laughing into the camera. On the right is the headline "Timms Review", and the following text in white: "BuDS has stepped in to help make sure that the voice of ordinary disabled people is heard loud and clear by the Timms Review". Below the text is the blue and yellow BuDS logo.

    Responding To The Timms Review

    Ben Clark

    The Government have decided to review Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This page is designed to help disabled people understand this Review and contribute to it.

    Why Is This Review Happening?

    In the summer of 2025, the Government introduced legislation to cut PIP so that fewer disabled people would be able to claim it. However, many MPS said they would not support this plan and so the Government said that no cuts would be made to PIP until after PIP had been ‘fully reviewed’.

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