Consultation outcome: Bathing waters: removing Instow from the list of designated bathing waters

Updated: Summary of responses added and decision made to remove Instow from the list of bathing waters.

We want to know what you think about removing Instow from the list of bathing waters designated under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/1675).

The bathing water was classified as poor in 2015 and 2016. It is unlikely that the water quality of this bathing water can be improved.

We welcome comments, based on evidence, about the technical feasibility of improving bathing water quality at the beach to meet at least the minimum standards.

This consultation will be of interest to the recreation sector, leisure and tourism industries, farmers, environmental campaigners and beach users.



Press release: New agency to provide joined-up education and skills funding

The Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency are to merge to become one body, the Secretary State for Education announced today (Tuesday 28 March).

The new, single funding agency – to be called the Education and Skills Funding Agency – will sit within the Department for Education and begin to operate from April 2017.

The new body will continue to carry out the roles of the Education Funding Agency and Skills Funding Agency and will therefore be responsible for effectively and efficiently overseeing:

  • the funding of education for pupils aged 5 to 16
  • education and training for those aged 16 to 19
  • apprenticeships and adult education
  • managing school building programmes

Its responsibilities cover these functions in England.

Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening said:

Creating the Education and Skills Funding Agency will mean we are able to provide a more joined-up approach to funding and regulation of schools, colleges and other providers, with improved accountability and better service.

We will be working closely with our staff, unions, stakeholders and the education sector to finalise and deliver our plans for the new agency.

Current chief executive of both agencies, Peter Lauener, has announced that he intends to retire following the merger and plans to recruit a successor are under way. Mr Lauener will carry on as chief executive of the Education and Skills Funding Agency until a permanent replacement has been recruited and is in place.



News story: Academy event programme to May 2017

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Press release: Change of Her Majesty’s Ambassador to South Sudan

2012 – 2016 Kampala, High Commissioner 2011 – 2012 Washington, HM Consul General and Counsellor Corporate Services USA (Temporary Duty) 2011 Jakarta, Deputy Head of Mission (Temporary Duty) 2008 – 2010 Ministry of Justice, Principal Private Secretary to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice 2006 – 2008 UK Permanent Representation to the European Union Brussels, Political Counsellor 2003 – 2006 Harare, Deputy Head of Mission 2000 – 2003 Stockholm, First Secretary Head of Political/Economic Section 1996 – 2000 UK Permanent Mission to the United Nations New York, First Secretary (Economic and Social) 1995 – 1996 FCO, Head of Russia, Ukraine and Moldova Section, Eastern Department 1994 – 1995 FCO, Head of Russia External/Commonwealth of Independent States Section, Eastern Department 1992 – 1994 FCO, Desk Officer for Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) implementation, CFSP Unit 1989 – 1992 Warsaw, Third (then Second) Secretary Chancery 1987 – 1989 FCO, Assistant Desk Officer, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, East Africa Department 1987 Joined FCO


Press release: February 2017 Price Paid Data

Land Registry Price Paid Data tracks land and property sales in England and Wales submitted to us for registration.

This month’s Price Paid Data includes details of over 84,200 residential and commercial land and property sales in England and Wales lodged for registration in February 2017.

Of the 84,234 sales lodged for registration:

  • 59,035 were freehold

  • 14,430 were newly built

  • 25,698 sales took place in February 2017

  • 436 were residential sales in February 2017 in England and Wales for £1 million and over

  • 259 were residential sales in February 2017 in London for £1 million and over

Number of sales lodged for registration by property type

Property type February 2017
Detached 18,594
Semi-detached 20,067
Terraced 21,164
Flat/maisonette 18,135
Other 6,274
Total 84,234

The most expensive residential sale in February 2017 was of a terraced property in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for £10,000,000. The cheapest residential sale in February 2017 was of a semi-detached property in Birmingham for £15,000.

The most expensive commercial sale in February 2017 was in Southampton for £58,154,115. The cheapest commercial sale in February 2017 was in Cambridge for £100.

Access the full dataset

Notes to editors

  1. Price Paid Data (PPD) is published at 11am on the 20th working day of each month. The dataset for March will be published on 3 May 2017.

  2. Price Paid Data is property price data for all residential and commercial property sales in England and Wales that are lodged with us for registration in that month, subject to exclusions.

  3. The following information is available for each property:
    • the full address
    • the price paid
    • the date of transfer
    • the property type
    • whether it is new build or not
    • whether it is freehold or leasehold

  4. Price Paid Data can be downloaded in txt, csv format and in a machine readable format as linked data. It is available for anyone to examine or re-use free of charge under the Open Government Licence (OGL).

  5. Price Paid Data includes Standard Price Paid Data (SPPD) for single residential property sales at full market value and Additional Price Paid Data (APPD) for transactions previously excluded from SPPD such as:
    • transfers to a non-private individual, for example a company, corporate body or business
    • transfers under a power of sale (repossessions)
    • buy-to-lets (where they can be identified by a mortgage). The information available for each property will indicate whether it is APPD or SPPD and the record’s status – addition/change/deletion (A/C/D)

  6. The Price Paid Data report builder allows users to build bespoke reports using the data. Reports can be based on location, estate type, price paid or property type over a defined period of time.

  7. As a government department established in 1862, executive agency and trading fund responsible to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Land Registry keeps and maintains the Land Register for England and Wales. The Land Register has been open to public inspection since 1990.

  8. With the largest transactional database of its kind detailing over 24 million titles, Land Registry underpins the economy by safeguarding ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property.

  9. For further information about Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.

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