Fine lines
Would Suella Braverman be more likely to stick to the speed limit had she chosen to go on a speed awareness course instead of being fined? A government-commissioned study in 2018 looked at the reoffending rate among 1.4 million drivers who had accepted the offer of a speed awareness course and compared it with that of drivers who opted to take three points and pay a fine instead. Within two years of taking the course, around a quarter of drivers had reoffended. However, the rate was lower than it was for motorists who had chosen to pay the fine. The relative reduction of reoffending was put at 12-23% after six months, 9-17% after one year, 9-11% after two years and 6-13% after three years.
Streets ahead
Where in England will you pay the highest and lowest council tax for a band D property?
Lowest
Westminster £478
Wandsworth £487
Hammersmith and Fulham £871
City of London £961
Highest
Gateshead £2,070
Nottingham £2,052
Bristol £1,996
Northumberland £1,985
Crop and change
How has agriculture in England changed in a century? Land measurements in hectares:
2000 2022
3.97m Land under crops 3.86m
3.5m Grassland 3.64m
6.16m Cattle 5.11m
19.1m Sheep 14.9m
5.44m Pigs 4.11m
130m Poultry 139m
333,000 Workers 301,000
Source: Defra
Seeds of doubt
Sales of vegan foods fell by £37.3 million in the year to September 2022, according to retail intelligence company Nielsen IQ. How is the campaign to persuade us to take up plant-based diets going? Percentage of UK population who say they are:
Vegan Vegetarian
July 2019 2 5
January 2020 2 5
July 2020 2 6
January 2021 2 5
July 2021 3 7
January 2022 2 5
July 2022 2 5
January 2023 3 5
Source: YouGov
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