Press release: Join Anglian flood and coastal committee

The Environment Agency is looking for members to join the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) which covers the River Great Ouse catchment, including large parts of the Fens, part of the Wash and North West Norfolk coast. Roles will start in July 2017 and January 2018.

RFCCs play an important role in deciding local priorities for flood and coastal work. They have a critical role supporting the Environment Agency and local authorities to work with communities and other partners to help bring in more funding.

More people are needed to help develop plans. They should have effective communication skills, be able to think strategically and bring enthusiasm, expertise and new ideas, using their particular skills and experience to advise and provide opinions during committee meetings.

A specific vacancy exists for a member with coastal expertise and focus. Someone able to network nationally and help develop innovative ideas with partners and communities. The RFCC has a varied and vulnerable coastline that extends from the west of King’s Lynn through to Hunstanton cliffs.

There are also 3 vacancies for general members and, in particular, applications will be welcome from people with knowledge and experience of incident management, community resilience, agri-business and industry, land drainage, water management or strategic/spatial planning.

New members will have a contact within the Environment Agency who they can work closely with to ensure they have a good understanding of the issues and discussions taking place at meetings and who will be happy to answer any queries.

RFCC members are all appointed as impartial individuals in their own right and not as representatives of any particular organisation. It is important that the committees represent the communities they serve. All public appointments are made on merit, following a fair, open and transparent process.

Members would be expected to attend 4 committee meetings per year and are able to claim expenses.

Anyone interested in helping to make a difference in their local area should get in touch to discuss further with Paul Burrows (Environment Agency Flood & Coastal Risk Manager) on paul.burrows@environment-agency.gov.uk or on 07824431597.

For an application pack please visit or contact Stephanie North on 02030 251938 or email AnglianRFCCs@environment-agency.gov.uk

Closing date for applications is 13 April 2017. Interviews taking place the week commencing 19 June 2017 at Environment Agency offices, Bromholme Lane, Brampton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 4NE.



Press release: Prisons and Courts Bill to improve access to justice and better protect the vulnerable

Plans to revolutionise the courts to make them more straightforward and efficient, and deliver swifter justice for victims, will be outlined by the Justice Minister Sir Oliver Heald QC today.

The Prisons and Courts Bill, which also contains a range of measures to help boost the reform of our prisons, will be debated by MPs in the House of Commons this week (week commencing 20 March 2017).

Measures in the ground-breaking Prisons and Courts Bill will mean that more cases can be progressed securely online and through video and telephone conferencing, eradicating the need for many administrative hearings to take place in the traditional courtroom setting and reducing the need for travel.

To ensure justice is also open and seen to be done, video booths will be installed in courts across England and Wales to allow members of the media and public to observe virtual hearings from court buildings anywhere in the country. Lists and results of cases that have taken place online, as well as those concluded in a physical courtroom, will also be available digitally.

Justice Minister Sir Oliver Heald QC said:

Britain has the best justice system in the world, but it should also be the most modern. Victims and the most vulnerable are at the centre of our changes, which will help deliver swifter and more certain justice for all.

We want courts that are efficient and fit-for-purpose, with facilities across the entire estate that are modern, user-friendly, and work in favour of our hard-working and dedicated judges and magistrates.

The Prisons and Courts Bill underpins this vision – building on the good progress we have already made in improving the experience of all users and cementing our reputation for global legal excellence so victims get the justice they deserve as quickly as possible.

The Prisons and Courts Bill proposes an extension to the use of video links and virtual hearings which allow victims to take part in cases without having to meet their alleged attacker face-to-face.

Under our virtual hearings measures a further 60,000 pre-trial hearings in the magistrates’ court and 17,000 contested bail hearings can also take place by video, along with 30,000 pre-trial hearings in the crown court. This will save around 34,000 hours of courtroom time. Proposals to introduce online convictions for some limited offences will also benefit the courts. Potentially around 8,000 offences – including 7,000 cases of people travelling without a train and tram ticket, and a further 1,300 cases of people fishing without a licence – could be handled online, taking away the need to be in a courtroom.

Bill measures will also mean around 420,000 summary and triable either way offences can be progressed without the need for administrative hearings to take place in a court. For example, offenders will be able to enter a plea online reducing the need to go to court until they need to attend trial or a hearing where they can be sentenced.

Discussions between the court and legal representatives about issues such as trial location will be able to take place via email or telephone or video conferencing, instead of being in a courtroom.

The government is also removing the requirement for indictable only offences to have a ‘first appearance’ in the magistrates’ court, instead sending those cases straight to the crown court.

The Prisons and Courts Bill underpins our investment of over £1 billion for a modern justice system. The government is investing over £850 million to modernise and digitise the courts, and preserve the full majesty of the physical courtroom for cases that require it, in addition to around £250 million to deliver a fully connected criminal courtroom. This will result in savings of £252 million a year for the taxpayer.

We will move from too many underused and badly maintained buildings to fewer, better buildings with modern facilities. More modern and robust technology will be put in place in courts, such as Wi-Fi, modern telephony and screens for sharing evidence, to make the lives of our excellent judiciary and legal professional users easier.

The Prisons and Courts Bill also provides courts with the power to put an end to domestic violence victims being cross-examined by their alleged attackers in the family courts, calling time on what the Justice Secretary has described as a “humiliating and appalling” practice.

Car insurance premiums will also be cut by around £40 a year, with new fixed tariffs capping whiplash compensation pay-outs and a ban on claims without medical evidence, helping to crack down on the compensation culture epidemic.

In addition, the legislation sets in law for the first time that a key purpose is to reform offenders as they are punished for the crimes they have committed.

Notes to editors

  1. The Bill was introduced on 23 February 2017. Follow its progress on the Parliament website.
  2. Recent announcements:
  3. Impact assessments


Form: Badgers: licence to interfere with setts

Updated: Amended guidance on how to apply for registration to use this licence. A new application form has replaced 2 previous forms.

You can only use this licence to exclude badgers or destroy setts between 1 July and 30 November. At others times you must apply for an individual licence for these purposes.

You must apply to become a registered user of this licence and notify Natural England when you use it.

As a registered user you can interfere with badger setts under this licence to carry out development work or stop badgers causing serious damage by:

  • monitoring setts using ‘soft-blocking’ techniques (temporary blocking with loose soil or vegetation) or inserting inspection equipment
  • evicting and excluding badgers from setts using one-way gates
  • destroying setts

This class licence replaces the need to apply for an individual licence each time you need to interfere with badger setts.

You can carry out works 5 working days after submitting a site notification, unless you hear from Natural England to say you can’t. You must submit:

  • a report form of your actions 14 working days after completing works
  • an annual report form to stay registered to use this licence

Natural England will make the licence, site notification form and report form available to you once you’ve registered to use this licence. The licence is free of charge.

Criteria to get registered

You can apply to be a registered user of this licence if you’ve:

  • held at least 4 licences to close badger setts within the last 5 years (‘eligible licences’)
  • successfully excluded badgers from 4 different sites, which include a main sett at 2 of the sites
  • proven experience from previous licences of using one-way gates to exclude badgers from setts
  • designed competent schemes in your method statements to show you can exclude badgers from setts without causing harm
  • met the deadlines for submitting licence return forms with full details of action you’ve taken under licence
  • had no enforcement action taken against you for any wildlife licences you’ve held
  • had no convictions of wildlife-related or animal welfare offences in the last 5 years
  • evidence that you’re a full member of a professional body (or an associate member for at least 3 years) such as the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) or Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) with authority to handle misconduct

You can still apply even if you:

  • don’t hold the required number of badger licences
  • aren’t a member of a professional body

You’ll need to provide alternative evidence which meets the criteria. If you’re not a member of a professional body you’ll need to show how an appropriate third party would investigate malpractice.

Disability consideration

Email Natural England at badgerclnotifications@naturalengland.org.uk if you have a disability that makes it difficult for you to meet these criteria. Natural England will consider your request on its merits.

Apply to register

You can apply to register using the application form on this page. There’s no charge to apply.

To be eligible to apply you must provide Natural England with the reference numbers of 4 eligible licences you’ve held in the last 5 years. Two of these must be for main setts.

For each licence you’ve held you must have completed a method statement and return form.

You must send your completed application form by email to Natural England badgerclnotifications@naturalengland.org.uk.

Natural England will review the information you’ve submitted. You’ll get an email within 30 working days to tell you if you’re registered to use this licence.

If your formal application failed

You can re-apply for registration to use the badger class licence CL35 if you failed to meet the criteria the first time round.

You can choose to apply for an individual licence to interfere with badger setts for development purposes or to prevent serious damage.



Policy paper: Wilton: reducing the risk of flooding

This document explains how the Environment Agency is investigating ways to offer flood protection to 30 properties in Wilton, Wiltshire, which are at risk of flooding from the River Wylye.



News story: UK troops arrive in Estonia for major NATO deployment

Soldiers from the 5th Battalion The Rifles Battlegroup (5 RIFLES), including members of an Armoured Engineer Squadron, Military Police Detachment, Artillery Group and Port Task Group, arrived at Amari airbase last night.

They were welcomed by Estonia’s Defence Minister Margus Tsahkna, having flown from RAF Brize Norton by Voyager aircraft.

The 120 soldiers are fundamental to setting up a UK headquarters in the country before the rest of the UK deployment arrives next month, increasing the total number of troops in Estonia to around 800.

Soldiers from the 5th Battalion The Rifles Battlegroup arrive at Amari airbase, Estonia.

The UK is taking a leading role in NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence, alongside several other contributing nations. The deployments are designed to assure NATO allies of the mutual commitment to collective European security.

Working alongside the UK forces this year will be French personnel, and from next year, Danish partners. All are there at the request of the Estonian Government. The Battlegroup will provide a proportionate, defensive, and combat capable force to defend our NATO ally and deter any form of hostile activity against the Alliance.

An AS90 and a Challenger 2 tank being loaded onto cargo ship in the port of Emden, Germany, before deployment to Estonia.

The UK-led Estonia Battlegroup is one of four NATO multinational deployments to the eastern part of the Alliance. Other nations are deploying to Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, the last of which will include 150 UK personnel, on a persistent, rotational basis.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

In the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, NATO is stepping up its commitment to collective defence. British troops will play a leading role in Estonia and support our US allies in Poland, as part of wider efforts to defend NATO.

Our rising defence budget means we can support those deployments in the long-term and strengthen our commitment to European security.

Commanding Officer of 5 Rifles Lieutenant Colonel Mark Wilson added:

The UK and Estonia have a long and proud history of serving together, including in Afghanistan, so it is an honour to lead 5 RIFLES on this deployment as part of NATO’s enhanced Forward Presence. My soldiers are looking forward to again be working, training and exercising alongside their Estonian counterparts.

This week, around 300 UK vehicles have also departed to Estonia, including Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, Challenger 2 tanks and AS90 self-propelled artillery pieces. These vehicles, loaded onto a Roll-On-Roll-Off ferry, are currently on their way and set to arrive towards the middle of next week. French armoured vehicles, including tanks, are also due to arrive in Estonia via train after being loaded yesterday.

Personnel from the 5th Battalion The Rifles depart from RAF Brize Norton for Estonia.