Newspaper roundup: 12 September

London Underground would be likely to break up the contracts currently held by Metronet if its plans to take control of the beleagured maintenance firm are successful, according to the Independent. Tim O’Toole, London Underground’s managing director told a London Transport Committe hearing that he would restructure Metronet’s contracts.

Meanwhile the Financial Times reported that Metronet has approached several possible private buyers for the failed maintenance company, despite London Underground’s belief that it is ‘unsaleable’.

Rogue employers convicted of exploiting migrant workers will face a a ban from recruiting any more staff from abroad, according to the Guardian. The news came as Home Secretary Jacqui Smith told the TUC that the immigration service would start advising migrant workers about their employment rights.

The Independent reported a warning from Bill Bryson, president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), that parts of the South Downs are threatened with development following a boundary change to the South Downs National Park.

The Conservatives will promise to act to stop rural villages becoming the preserve of the middle class by offering incentives for landowners to provide land for development, according to the Guardian. The incentives will be on the guarantee that the any development is only offered to local people and families. The proposal, called Localhold, will be included in the Conservatives’ quality of life report, to be published tomorrow.