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Author Archives: HM Government

Press release: Smoother A66 journeys in £800,000 resurfacing project

Drivers are to benefit from smoother journeys along a 1½ mile section of the A66 between North Stainmore and Brough in Cumbria – thanks to an £800,000 Highways England resurfacing project.

The overnight work to resurface the westbound carriageway between Hardhills and Augill junctions, will start on Monday (23 October) and is scheduled to take about a month.

Highways England project manager Nichola Capstick said:

We’ll be partially reconstructing sections of the foundation of the road and then resurfacing both lanes of the westbound carriageway. Studs and road markings will also be renewed.

While most of the work will be done using single lane closures we will need to close the westbound carriageway overnight at weekends to do the reconstruction work safely. Clearly-signed diversions will be in place.

Drivers are being advised that full westbound carriageway closures will be in place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights between 8pm and 6am each night otherwise single lane closures will be used with a 40mph speed limit operating around the clock.

When the westbound carriageway is closed drivers will need to use the A1 and A69 to get to the M6.

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.

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HM Government

News story: CT Policing supports new awards

Counter Terrorism Policing is supporting the inaugural Counter Terrorism Awards, which will take place next Spring.

The competition is designed to recognise the efforts of both public and private sector organisations in helping tackle terrorism and keep the public safe.

There are a number of categories which will focus on innovation and collaborative working. NaCTSO is keen to encourage this work as part of its remit to promote and develop the best possible protective security arrangements for organisations operating in the UK and overseas.

Officers from National Counter Terrorism policing will be entering projects of their own and assisting with the judging of other categories.

The award ceremony, organised by Counter Terror Business Magazine, will take place in London on 6 March 2018, to coincide with the Security and Counter Terror Expo staged at London’s Olympia.

Anyone wanting more information should visit http://awards.counterterrorbusiness.com/.

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HM Government

News story: Public bodies band together on new mobile voice and data procurement

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) is harnessing the buying power of the public sector to reduce the cost to the public purse of purchasing mobile voice and data services.

Expressions of interest are now being taken from public sector organisations who want to take part in this latest bulk buying project.

The competition will be awarded in March 2018, with customer requirements being gathered between now and December.

The winning supplier will provide mobile voice and data services to the public sector at the most competitive price available – supporting the provision of efficient, effective public services that meet the needs of citizens.

The most recent exercises of its kind organised by CCS have saved customers, including local authorities and NHS trusts, on average 60% compared to their previous bills. The more organisations that take part, the greater the benefits will be.

Niall Quinn, Director of Technology Strategic Category said:

I’d encourage all public sector organisations who are looking to purchase mobile voice and data services to consider joining this aggregation. These projects have a great track record of utilising the buying power of the public sector to leverage the best deals from suppliers, ensuring that public bodies can deliver efficient public services.

Each participating customer will sign their own individual contract with the winning supplier.

How it works

The project is a National Further Competition completed under Lot 6 of CCS’s Network Services framework. The chosen supplier will be one of those currently appointed to this Lot.

It will put in place a mobile voice and data services contract offering a high level of flexibility by:

  • Establishing a zero line rental model for basic connections, avoiding customers incurring costs from unused lines
  • Structuring services as ‘bolt-ons’ which can be added to the basic connection, enabling packages to built to customer specifications
  • 30-day terms for ‘bolt-ons’ to enable customers to change their mix of services during the contract term

Find out more

If you are interested in getting involved please get in touch – simply tick the aggregation box and quote NFC81.

CCS’s last competition saved 17 customers over £2.7 million.

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HM Government