Business
Tandridge District Council launches cost-of-living support fund
Low income households in a part of Surrey can now apply for new support funding.
Residents with low incomes in the Tandridge District Council catchment area can request a grant to help with living costs from 10:00 GMT on Monday.
Eligible households without children can apply for £125 while those with children can request £225.
The council said applications would be processed on a first come, first served basis and would close once all the money has been allocated.
Applicants must be aged 16 or over, live in the Tandridge district and be in financial difficulty and struggling to meet the cost of essential items, the council said.
Those who apply for other grants, such as Surrey County Council’s e-voucher household support fund, are still able to receive the funding from Tandridge.
Unlike the county council’s e-voucher scheme, Tandridge said it would deposit cash into people’s bank accounts to give them greater flexibility over how the money was used.
Tandridge is paying for its new scheme with £150,000 of its budget. The Surrey County Council fund is paid for by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The county council’s scheme, which runs each month, would previously pass the money to local councils to issue to residents.
Now, residents must apply to the county council directly. This funding scheme also opens on Monday.
The leader of the Tandridge District Council, Catherine Sayer, said: “Residents can apply to both Tandridge District Council’s winter support scheme and Surrey County Council’s essential e-voucher scheme, as they are run separately.
“Our support is provided as a cash deposit into a bank account rather than a supermarket e-voucher, giving residents more flexibility in how they use the money.
“The payment levels were set to allow us to support as many residents as possible within a total funding pot of £150,000.”
Through the county council’s scheme, a household without children can apply for a £200 supermarket voucher, while those with children are eligible for a £300 voucher.
Chas GeigerPolitics reporter
PAThe prime minister has drawn a series of sharp dividing lines with Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, in an attempt to begin reviving Labour’s and his own political fortunes in the new year.
Sir Keir Starmer told his political cabinet he wanted to make clear to voters that the choice was between his party “renewing the country” and Reform, who he accused of feeding on “grievance, decline and division”.
Labour and the PM’s own personal ratings have plummeted in opinion polls since the party’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election.
Reform has consistently led the polls, and is hoping to make further gains in May’s council elections in England, and parliamentary ones in Scotland and Wales.
Sir Keir told a meeting of his political cabinet – which took place without civil servants, while including deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell – the government should be “relentless” in focusing on the cost of living and delivering “change people can feel”.
He defined the choice as being between “a Labour government renewing the country or a Reform movement that feeds on grievance, decline and division”.
“They want a weaker state, they want to inject bile into our communities, they want to appease [Russian President Vladimir] Putin. This is the fight of our political lives and one that we must relish,” he said.
A Reform UK spokesman said the prime minister was continuing to show an “obsession” with the party because he knew how much of a threat it posed to his “failing government”.
“Two years ago Labour promised to get the cost of living under control. Since then they have failed on nearly every count as household bills have soared, taxes have skyrocketed, and economic growth has flatlined.
“They simply cannot be trusted,” the spokesman added.
Sir Keir also told ministers: “I do not underestimate the scale of the task. But I have no doubt about this team.
“Governments do not lose because polls go down. They lose when they lose belief or nerve. We will do neither.”
Ahead of a difficult set of elections for Labour in May, there has been plenty of speculation about the prime minister’s own future, with suggestions he will face a leadership challenge if the party fares badly in those polls.
Speaking earlier, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour had “no plan, no agenda” and was led by a “weak prime minister who doesn’t know if he is going to be in the job for much longer”.
She said the country needed a government that focused on economic security. “Right now, our economy is in freefall,” she added.
The political part of the meeting at Downing Street took place after an official cabinet meeting, with civil servants present, which lasted less than 10 minutes.
During the first meeting, Sir Keir told his senior ministers their main challenge for 2026 was to show “hard work, focus and determination” in helping to ease the financial burden on households.
His renewed emphasis on cost-of-living issues came as he prepared to join world leaders in Paris for a meeting of Ukraine’s allies.
Sir Keir’s latest reset has been overshadowed by President Trump’s capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the US president’s continued ambitions to take over Greenland.
At the end of 2025, Sir Keir told Parliament’s Liaison Committee he was frustrated at the slow pace of change.
“My experience as prime minister is of frustration that every time I go to pull a lever, there are a whole bunch of regulations, consultations and arm’s length bodies that mean the action from pulling the lever to delivery is longer than I think it ought to be, which is among the reasons I want to cut down on regulation generally and within government.”
At the cabinet meeting on Tuesday he said: “There’s a world of uncertainty and upheaval, but tackling the cost of living remains and must remain our focus.”
He added that voters would judge the government at the next election on whether they had delivered improvements to public services and the NHS.
Sir Keir argued the government’s policies were already paying off, with increases in the minimum wage, the Bank of England’s reductions in interest rates, and help with household energy bills.
Drivers over the age of 70 will have to have their vision checked every three years, under plans to reform driving laws in Britain.
The changes are part of the government’s new road safety strategy, which will be published on Wednesday.
Other proposed measures, which were first reported in August, include lowering the drink-driving limit in England to match the limit in Scotland, and giving penalty points for not wearing seatbelts.
Nearly one in four car drivers killed in 2024 were aged 70 or older, according to government figures.
Edmund King, president of the AA motoring organisation, said: “Eye tests are free for people over the age of 60 anyway and healthcare professionals advise them every two years given they can help with diagnosis of other underlying conditions.
“In fact, the AA advises everyone to have an eye test every two years.”
Drivers in the UK must be able to read a number plate from 20 metres away, according to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
But currently, drivers of any age are not required to prove their skills or health once they obtain their licence.
Drivers must tell the DVLA if they become unfit to drive, but this is a self-reporting system.
Lilian Greenwood, local transport minister, said: “We know driving can be very important for older people’s wellbeing and help them to live independently, but we must also make sure everyone is safe on our roads.
“As the country’s older population grows, our plans in the first road safety strategy in more than a decade will preserve personal freedoms where possible with action to save lives.”
Last year, an inquest into the deaths of four people killed by drivers with failing vision said enforcement of eyesight standards on the roads was “ineffective and unsafe”.
HM Senior Coroner for Lancashire Dr James Adeley pointed out that the UK was one of only three countries to rely on self-reporting of visual conditions affecting the ability to drive.
In the report, which was handed to Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, he said: “Self-reporting of visual conditions permits drivers to lie about their current driving status to those performing an ophthalmic assessment and avoid warnings not to drive.
“Drivers may also admit they drive but then ignore instructions not to drive and fail to notify the DVLA.”
Business
Mahindra XUV 7XO Launched At Rs 13.99 Lakh With Modern Features – Check Colours, Variants, And Whats New This Time
Mahindra has launched the new XUV 7XO in India at a starting price of Rs 13.66 lakh (ex-showroom). This introductory price is valid for the first 40,000 units. The XUV 7XO is essentially a facelifted version of the XUV700.
Pre-bookings for the SUV were closed before the launch. Mahindra has announced that fresh bookings will open on January 14, 2026. Deliveries for select variants will also begin on the same day, while other variants will be delivered in phases until April.
Exterior Design Updates
The XUV 7XO features noticeable design changes at the front. It includes revised LED headlamps with boomerang-shaped daytime running lights, a new front grille, and updated tail-lights with hexagonal detailing. The side profile is largely similar to the XUV700, except for the newly designed alloy wheels.
Interior and Key Features
The SUV gets a refreshed upholstery color scheme and a new triple-screen layout. This includes a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and a 12.3-inch passenger display.
One of the noticeable features on the XUV 7XO is India’s first Alexa and ChatGPT integration, offering smart hands-free chats for a smoother drive. It also comes with AdrenoX+ Connect built-in on all variants, delivering 93 smart connected features through one ecosystem.
(Also Read: Why Second-Hand Cars Are Luxury In Venezuela? A 1995 Car Prices At USD….)
Other features include a new two-spoke steering wheel, touch-based HVAC controls, panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, powered Boss Mode for the front passenger seat, wireless charging, and a 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system with Dolby Atmos. Mahindra has also updated the suspension setup, which the company says improves ride comfort.
Engine Options and Lineup
The XUV 7XO is offered with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine producing 203hp and a 2.2-litre diesel engine producing 185hp. Both engines are available with 6-speed manual and 6-speed automatic gearboxes. Higher diesel variants with automatic transmission also get an all-wheel-drive option.
The Mahindra XUV 7XO is offered in six variants: AX, AX3, AX5, AX7, AX7T, and AX7L.
Safety and Technology
Safety features of the XUV 7XO include seven airbags, a 540-degree camera system, electronic parking brake with auto-hold, ISOFIX mounts, and Level 2 ADAS with adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, and automatic emergency braking. Mahindra says the XUV 7XO is engineered to match the XUV700’s five-star Global NCAP safety performance under Bharat NCAP.
Rivals
The Mahindra XUV 7XO will compete with popular SUVs such as the Tata Safari, MG Hector Plus, and Hyundai Alcazar.
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