People living, working and travelling in West Sussex will have an opportunity to review updated plans for upgrading the A27 near Arundel, Highways England announced today (Friday 12 October).

The consultation will give local people a fresh look at all the viable options for upgrading the A27 using the latest available information.

An earlier consultation led to a preferred route, known as Option 5a, being announced in May. Since then, as part of Highways England’s work to develop the scheme for submission of a planning application, important new evidence is available which merits putting the plans to the public again. This new information includes a redesign of the western end of the scheme where it re-joins the existing A27, updated traffic modelling results and updated data on and enhancements of the alternative Options 1 and 3.

This further round of consultation will give people an opportunity to comment on all matters presented at the previous consultation in 2017 and the new information available. It will allow consultees to comment on all three route options previously consulted upon: Option 1, Option 3 and Option 5a.

Following the further consultation, Highways England will consider the responses, alongside all other relevant evidence in order to determine the next steps for the project, including examination of the information gained against the preferred route and the alternative options.

Highways England programme lead Alan Feist said:

It is clear that improving the A27 at Arundel is a priority for local people, and we at Highways England have been working hard to develop our proposals. Since the original consultation, our continued work has established important new information about each of the options and we have decided that we will run a further consultation next year to seek people’s views on the proposals in light of that new information.

The Arundel bypass scheme remains a much-needed scheme with strong popular support which would improve journeys along the whole of the Sussex coast. Drivers on the A27 suffer daily delays and the congestion there holds back the whole region and pushes traffic into small, less suitable roads through the South Downs National Park. Highways England remains committed to finding a solution to this problem, which has blighted Sussex and communities across the south coast for decades.

The preferred route announcement we made last year remains in place, and we are defending the legal challenges that have been brought against it.

During the original consultation, Option 5a was the most popular option, supported by 48% of people who responded through the questionnaire.

Anyone interested in the scheme can sign up to receive updates via the project page

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

This funding will be awarded through open competition by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The purpose of this funding is to support capital investment in buildings (including refurbishment) and equipment to strengthen the UK’s AMR research capability in order to:

• develop innovative approaches to tackling AMR
• establish a body of researchers with a wide range of skills and expertise relevant to AMR
• encourage external funding for AMR research

All NHS trusts, higher education institutions and not-for-profit UK research organisations (including the NHS and public sector agencies and research establishments) in the UK are eligible to apply.

Funding will be awarded for a 2-year period starting on 1 April 2019. All funding provided to successful applicants must be spent by 31 March 2021.

The closing date for applications is 1pm on 6 December 2018. More information is on NIHR’s website.

Resistance to all antimicrobials, and especially bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics, is increasing. It is now posing a serious threat to health both in the UK and globally, and risks undermining the major improvements in medicine that have been made in recent decades.

Improving knowledge and understanding of AMR is an important part of the UK’s AMR strategy. In response to the independent review on AMR, the government set out what it would do to measure progress on tackling AMR and committed additional investment.

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, said:

Without dedicated efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance, modern medicine as we know it could be lost.

Funding new and innovative approaches to tackle the problem is crucial, and this substantial capital funding will be a significant step towards strengthening UK-based AMR initiatives.

The strategy will build on work that has already been undertaken to ensure that diversity and inclusion is a major part of all of Defence’s work, including in its workforce policies, culture and behaviours.

It sets out what kind of organisation the MOD and the armed forces aims to be: inclusive, representative and a force for inclusion.

A focus on diversity and inclusion will enable Defence to:

• build stronger, more cohesive teams and improve decision making by harnessing the diversity of thought, skills and innovation that comes with a more inclusive workforce and enabling people to fulfil their potential;
• create a more engaged and motivated workforce, which should increase retention, wellbeing and performance;
• enable Defence to better access and recruit talented individuals from across the whole of society;
• generate greater levels of cultural understanding amongst our people, which will aid overseas operations and ensure Defence remains fully engaged with the British society it services and protects.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:

We want our Armed Forces to better reflect the society they serve, so we’re stepping up measures to increase diversity and inclusion across defence.

Diversity and inclusion is critical to our success and will give us the operational edge we need. We are committed to delivering a more inclusive culture and a more diverse workforce at all levels.

Published 12 October 2018

The government has committed £30 million for further rounds of the popular Countryside Productivity Small Grants scheme (CPSGS), which helps farmers buy the equipment they need to boost productivity and increase yields.

The first round of funding for small grants was launched in February and the government is on course to grant more than £15 million to farmers who applied to buy new kit.

This will include equipment specific to cattle, sheep and pig farmers, as well as precision farming and resource management equipment for arable farmers.

The next application window will open in early 2019, with over £30 million available for future funding rounds for farmers.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove made the announcement ahead of the Government’s Agri-Tech Investment roundtable in London on Thursday 11 October, hosted by DIT and attended by Defra, BEIS and DFID alongside investors including Bayer Crop Sciences, Elanco, Marine Harvest and Zoetis.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said:

The UK is a world-leader for talent in agriculture and technology, so there are real opportunities for our burgeoning agri-tech sector. Harnessing technology enables our hard working farmers to become even more productive and environmentally efficient.

We are already seeing the rewards of investing in agri-tech, with further funding of around £30m confirmed today for farmers to purchase hi-tech equipment. We know that by embracing technology – such as fruit ripeness spectrometers or calving detectors – farm businesses can become more efficient, productive and resilient.

Following industry feedback, new items have also been added to the list of equipment eligible for funding in the second round, including fruit ripeness spectrometers and nitrogen-measuring devices for calculating fertiliser application for crops.

Information about the scheme and the items eligible for the first round of funding are listed online. Further details will be published in early 2019 when the next round of funding opens for applications.

Under the terms of the NCS Charter, appointment of the Chair and members is made by HM The Queen on the advice of the Privy Council and on a recommendation from the Prime Minister.

Paul Cleal

Non-executive director and advisor to organisations including Kingston University where he is Vice-Chair. Paul acts as a board member and advisor to a diverse range of organisations, advising on strategy, leadership and change bringing experience of corporate finance, consulting, international development and human resources. His current portfolio includes non-executive positions at Kingston University (Vice-Chair of the Board), FA Premier League (equality standard assessment panel member), the Sainsbury’s Foundation (advisory board member) and the Centre for Social Investigation at Nuffield College Oxford (advisory board member).

Over the past 30 years, Paul has worked in local and central government and, for 16 years, was a partner at PwC, the global professional services firm. There, he held a range of leadership positions, including at main board level, in both the UK and Africa practices. He led the Government and Public Sector practice and grew successful business within PwC, for example the Africa Business Group, which he founded.

Paul is passionate about social mobility and diversity and works with a variety of educational institutions and acts as a mentor to many young people. He was previously a board member of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

Dame Julia Cleverdon

Dame Julia Cleverdon DCVO, CBE is a passionate and practical campaigner who has gained an international reputation for ‘connecting the unconnected’, inspiring individuals and organisations to work together for the common good in the most challenged communities.

Chief Executive of Business in the Community 1991-2007,Chair Teach First 2007-2014, she co-produced an independent review for the Prime Minister in 2013 which led to the founding of Step Up To Serve and the #iwill campaign, an all party cross-sector campaign with the patronage of HRH, The Prince of Wales which aims to make meaningful social action a part of life for young people across the UK. Julia leads on Education for the #iwill campaign as co-founder of Step Up To Serve.

She has served on the National Citizen Service CIC board from 2014, on the Careers and Enterprise Company, is Deputy Chair of the Fair Education Alliance , and Chair of the National Literacy Trust. She led the Prince’s Charities Place initiative from 2006 to 2014 in Burnley,Burslem,Redcar, Middlesbrough and Tottenham which was independently evaluated by Cass Business School. She was made an Honorary Professor of Cass Business School in recognition of her Community work and is now working in support of Blackpool.

Dame Sally Coates

In September 2014 Dame Sally joined United Learning as Director of Academies South and has recently been appointed as Director of Secondary Education covering both North and South. United Learning is one of the biggest Multi Academy Trusts managing more than 50 academies.

Dame Sally was Principal of Burlington Danes Academy an 11 – 18 Ark Academy in Hammersmith and; Fulham from 2008 – 2014. The school has 67% pupil premium and mostly serves the very deprived White City Estate. Burlington Danes was graded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted in November 2013.

She acted as Executive Principal at Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton until July 2012 and was Executive Principal of Ark Putney and West London Free School until July 2014. Dame Sally was previously Head of Sacred Heart School an Ofsted ‘Outstanding’ VA school in Camberwell, London Borough of Southwark. She has always worked in inner city schools in London and has been in teaching since 1976.

Dame Sally chaired The Review of the Teaching Standards in 2012 and also chaired the Teaching Skills Test Review in 2013.

Her book ‘Headstrong’ 11 lessons of school leadership was published in February 2015.

The Secretary of State for Justice, Michael Gove, asked Dame Sally to conduct an independent review into Prison Education in 2015. The Coates Review reported its findings in May 2016.

Sally was made a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2013 New Years Honours List.

Flick Drummond

Flick was the Member of Parliament for Portsmouth South. She now chairs the Southeast region of the Veterans Advisory and Pension Committee (VAPC), is a Board Member of the Salterns Academy Trust and a trustee of Citizens Advice Portsmouth. She is also the voluntary director of the Conservative Policy Forum.

During her time in Parliament, she was a member of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, Chair of the Women and Work All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) and Cyber Security APPG both of which she set up. Publications include No More Blame Game, the Future of Children’s Social Workers.

Before entering politics she worked as an insurance broker and as a lay school inspector for Ofsted and has since been a school governor as well as being involved in many charities.

She is Chair of the SE Region of the VAPC is a public appointment by the Armed Forces Minister. It is unpaid but expenses are claimed for travel and hotels.

Ian Livingstone

Ian Livingstone is one of the founding fathers of the UK games industry. He co-founded iconic games company Games Workshop in 1975 with Steve Jackson, launching Dungeons and Dragons in Europe, and Warhammer.

He co-authored The Warlock of Firetop Mountain with Steve Jackson in 1982, the first title in the Fighting Fantasy gamebook series which has sold 20 million copies worldwide. He has written 15 titles in the series, including international bestseller Deathtrap Dungeon.

In 1995 he co-led the merger that created Eidos plc where he served as Executive Chairman until 2002, and later as Creative Director. At Eidos he launched global video games franchises including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. From 2012-2017, he served as Chairman of Playdemic, developers of hit mobile game Golf Clash. He is currently a Director of Sumo Group plc.

He co-authored the Livingstone-Hope Next Gen review published by NESTA in 2011, recommending changes in ICT education policy to include computer science in the national curriculum. He was ranked the 16th most influential person in the UK’s digital economy in the Wired 100 list in 2012. He chaired the Next Gen Skills campaign, working with government to introduce the new Computing curriculum in schools in 2014. He co-authored Hacking The Curriculum in 2017, and is opening Livingstone Academies in association with Aspirations Academies Trust focussed on digital creativity.

John Maltby

John has a portfolio of Non-Executive roles. In addition to his role as a Non-Executive Director at National Citizen Service Trust he is Chair of Good Energy Group plc, an AIM listed renewable energy company that generates and supplies 100% renewable electricity and carbon-neutral gas to the UK market. John is also Chair of Pepper Money and is a Non-Executive Director of Bank of Ireland UK and Simplyhealth plc.

His previous appointments include Chair of BlueStep Bank AS, CEO of Williams and Glyn and Group Director of the Commercial Bank of Lloyds Banking Group, the division specialising in lending to small businesses. He was also Group Chief Executive of Kensington Group plc for 7 years. His early career was as a Management Consultant for Andersen Consulting and Price Waterhouse.

Tristram Mayhew

Tristram was sponsored through Edinburgh University by the British Army. He served as a tank and infantry commander in the Royal Dragoon Guards, retiring as a captain in 1997. He spent 3 years with Coca-Cola and GE before founding Go Ape in 2002.

Go Ape is a multi-award winning forest adventure business operating in 33 locations across Britain and at 16 across America, employing a team of c.1000.

Go Ape ‘s vision is to ‘create adventures and encourage everyone to live life more adventurously’.

Go Ape has won the ‘Small to Medium Sized Business of the Year ‘in the UK National Business Awards. Tristram has twice been finalist ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’, UK National Business Awards, and was the 2014 Cranfield School of Management alumni Entrepreneur of the Year. Go Ape is listed in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to work for.

Tristram’s business card title is Chief Gorilla. He sees himself as an adventurepreneur or on-tree-preneur rather than a businessman.

He is responsible for youth sailing at Bosham Sailing Club, is an alumna of London Business School and is a member of the Young Presidents Organisation.

Lord Iain McNicol

Lord McNicol of West Kilbride is a British Labour politician and trade unionist. From 2011 to 2018 he was General Secretary of the Labour Party, the most senior employee of the Labour Party. Previously he was National Political Officer of the GMB Union, and has a long history of organising in both the Labour Party and the trade union movement.

As the Labour Party’s General Secretary, Iain radically improved the financial position, revitalised campaigning techniques and restructured the organisation in both 2012 and 2016. Legally responsible for the Party’s operations, compliance and governance. He developed a strong reputation as a professional, modernising General Secretary.

Iain began his involvement in political organising as president of the Student Union at Dundee Institute of Technology in 1991. He then progressed through both Scottish Labour Students and then NOLS (The National Organisation of Labour Students). Iain is a blackbelt in karate and plays the bagpipes. Iain is married with 2 children who have both been on the NCS summer programme.

Ndidi Okezie

Ndidi is a reputable executive who believes in pursuing big, hairy, audacious goals, that will disrupt the status quo and ensure all children can actualise their God given potential. She is an inspirational public speaker, passionate about social justice, youth voice and quality access to education for all.

A proud former teacher and school leader for ten years, she has spent the last six years as the Executive Director of the UK’s largest graduate recruiter, Teach First; overseeing delivery operations, alumni impact, school leadership programmes, employability and collective impact.

In October 2018 she joined Pearson PLC “the world’s learning company” to lead on Digital and Customer Voice Strategy.

Ndidi is a Board Director of; The Mulberry Schools Trust, CentrePoint UK and an Ambassador for Teach For Nigeria.

Ashley Summerfield

Ashley Summerfield leads Egon Zehnder’s global Board Consulting Practice. He is a trusted advisor to scores of prestigious clients around the world and he specializes in building boards and CEO succession. Ashley has deep experience across a range of sectors including financial services, commercial property, marketing services, sustainable technologies, commodities, and private equity. Ashley prizes diversity and lateral thinking when leading searches for CEOs, CFOs, and board chairs. He also conducts external board effectiveness reviews. Family-owned businesses, not-for-profits, and public sector organizations have come to rely on his insight and advice.

Prior to joining Egon Zehnder, Ashley cofounded Central Europe Trust with Nigel Lawson, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, a corporate finance advisory business specializing in Central and Eastern Europe. His early career was with strategy consultants Booz Allen and Hamilton.

Ashley has an MA from Cambridge University and an MPPM from Yale University. In his spare time, he plays jazz double bass, dabbles in landscape painting, and volunteers as a biology teacher for TeachFirst/Teach for All.

These roles are not remunerated. The appointments have been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Paul, Dame Julia, Dame Sally, Ian, John, Tristram, Ndidi and Ashley have declared no such political activity. Flick declared that she was MP for Portsmouth South from 2015-2017 and stood in the 2017 General Election. She is voluntary director of the Conservative Policy Forum and has campaigned for the Conservative Party in local, national and by-elections. Lord McNicol declared that he is an appointed Lord, having previously served as General Secretary and National Treasurer for the Labour Party. He has also canvassed on behalf of the Labour Party and given speeches at Labour Party conferences for the last five years.