96% of people who responded to the non-statutory consultation backed the need for the improvements to this junction, which will be redesigned under the plans to create dedicated free flow lanes which will allow drivers travelling between the M3 and the A34 to avoid using the junction roundabout.

The roundabout itself will be rebuilt to allow for the additional lanes to run through it, increasing capacity and making it easier for traffic to interchange between the M3 and the A34. This will reduce queuing and make journey times more reliable.

Highways England Project Manager Simon Hewett said:

More than 110,000 vehicles use this busy junction each day to interchange with the A34 and routes into Winchester, often more than 6,000 each hour during peak times. Regular road users know that often becomes congested, with queues backing up onto the main carriageway.

The upgrade to M3 junction 9 will create new dedicated link roads to separate out local and long distance traffic. Through traffic will not have to stop at the roundabout, freeing it up for local traffic and commuters. We are improving access for pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians, with the upgrade including a new 4m side cycle path with a new footpath next to the cycleway to the River Itchen.

We are aware of people’s concerns about traffic merging between the A34 and A33; this was the most common point raised during the consultation period and we are reviewing a number of options to address this.

A public consultation on the upgrade was held from 9 January to 19 February. 854 responses were received during this consultation. Information events were held in the Winchester area for the public and stakeholders including local authorities, landowners and businesses, so people could look at the plans and speak to members of the project team.

96% of people who responded to the consultation questionnaire said they agree that improvements are needed at the junction. 98% of people were concerned about traffic congestion at the existing M3 junction 9, with 92% concerned both about road safety and reliability of journey time.

Today’s announcement paves the way for work on the upgrade to start in the 2021, subject to statutory processes. The upgraded junction is expected to be fully open to traffic in 2023.

A copy of the consultation report and announcement flyer can be found on the Highways England website where anyone interested in the scheme can also sign up to receive updates.

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.

It has been another productive year for the Crossrail project with a number of key milestones achieved and progress made across all areas. The programme is now 93% complete and is entering the critical testing and commissioning stage.

In May as part of the second stage of the Crossrail opening strategy, TfL Rail took over operation of the former Heathrow Connect service to Heathrow Airport as well as some local services between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington. This builds on the introduction of new Class 345 trains on the Liverpool Street to Shenfield route in June 2017. Fifteen of the new trains are now in regular service.

All core track work was completed last summer, which enabled the first Elizabeth line train to make its maiden voyage through the central tunnels in February this year. The new Abbey Wood station opened to existing rail passengers, and the construction and fit-out of the other new Elizabeth Line stations continues to progress with the installation of lifts and escalators and completion of architectural finishes. The Department for Transport and Transport for London (TfL) – the joint sponsors of the project – continue to work with Crossrail Limited to ensure operational readiness in advance of the opening of the Elizabeth Line.

As reported in the update to Parliament last year, cost pressures have increased across the project. Both the department and TfL remain committed to the successful delivery of this project and have agreed an overall funding envelope for delivery of the project of £15.4 billion. This will enable the completion of the project at a cost lower than planned under the last Labour government. The anticipated cost of the project was previously estimated at £15.9 billion in 2007 and increased to £17.8 billion in 2009, before the Coalition Government took steps to bring down the costs following the June 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review.

The additional funding is being provided to both Crossrail Limited and Network Rail. £300 million is being made available to Crossrail Limited, with the Department for Transport and TfL contributing £150 million each.

Around £290 million is being provided for completion of the programme of works on the national rail network, and is being funded by the Department for Transport and Network Rail. It remains the case that over 60% of the project’s funding has been provided by Londoners and London businesses.

Further details on Crossrail Limited’s funding and finances in the period to 29 May 2018 are set out in the table below.

This year, the Crossrail project’s health and safety indicators have remained industry leading, with a strong performance demonstrated throughout the year with all the key indicators exceeding the corporate objectives for the year 2017/18.

Network Rail have also delivered a significant programme of Crossrail related surface works, successfully connecting the existing rail network with the Elizabeth Line tunnels at Pudding Mill Lane, Plumstead and Westbourne Park. They have also completed the largest and most complex signalling upgrade ever undertaken by Network Rail on the approach into Paddington on one of the busiest stretches of railway in the country.

There have been planned changes in the leadership and governance of the project as we approach the final stages of delivery. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Andrew Wolstenholme for his work in progressing the programme and acting as a champion for Crossrail during his time as Chief Executive. He has been succeeded by Simon Wright as Chief Executive and Programme Director. Crossrail Limited’s Board has been restructured to keep the management of the programme efficient and cost effective while maintaining the people and structure necessary to deliver the railway through to full opening. As part of this, both the department and TfL have appointed new non-executive directors to the Crossrail board to provide increased scrutiny and assist in the transition of the project as it enters its final stages.

As with all projects of this nature, there have been a number of engineering and technical challenges that have already been surmounted in order to build the first new railway for a generation, and there will continue to be challenges right up until the final completion of the project.

The new railway will transform travel in, to, and across London, with the positive economic benefits being felt across the country. Its legacy will continue to support many thousands of jobs, over 1000 apprenticeships and a supply chain that is spread across the length and breadth of the UK.

During the passage of the Crossrail Bill through Parliament, a commitment was given that an annual statement would be published until the completion of the construction of Crossrail, setting out information about the project’s funding and finances.

The relevant information is as follows.

The numbers above are drawn from Crossrail Limited’s books of account and have been prepared on a consistent basis with the update provided last year. The figure for expenditure incurred includes monies already paid out in relevant period, including committed land and property expenditure where this has not yet been paid. It does not include future expenditure on construction contracts that have been awarded.

HS2 Ltd has appointed a new Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the company has announced today.

Richard Robinson joins HS2 Ltd as Chief Operating Officer from AECOM where he was Chief Executive of Civil Infrastructure in Europe, Middle East, India and Africa. Richard brings a wealth of experience to HS2 Ltd where he will support Chief Executive, Mark Thurston to deliver Europe’s largest infrastructure project.

Commenting on the appointment, HS2 Ltd Chief Executive, Mark Thurston, said:

I am delighted to welcome Richard to the team at HS2. He joins us at an exciting time and brings wide-ranging experience of complex infrastructure projects and extensive management skills.

Richard’s appointment will enhance our leadership team at this important time, as the project picks up pace and we begin to deliver lasting economic benefits across the UK.

At AECOM, Richard led the growth of the Civil Infrastructure business, first as Managing Director and then Chief Executive, leading 8000 people across four regions and a range of infrastructure projects. Prior to this, Richard was the Managing Director of AECOM’s Transportation Europe business. Before joining AECOM Richard held leadership roles at Heathrow Express, Tickex.com and Anglo American Plc.

New Chief Operating Officer at HS2 Ltd, Richard Robinson, added:

I am thrilled to be joining the team at HS2 Ltd. Working on Europe’s largest infrastructure programme is an exciting prospect and I look forward to playing my part in a project that will leave a significant legacy here in the UK.

Michael Bradley, CB, is also joining the company as Chief Financial Officer. Michael comes from Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), an arms-length body of the Ministry of Defence, where he is CFO and Director General Resources, and has been Acting CEO since December 2017.

Responsible for managing the financial affairs of a multi-billion government body, Michael has extensive experience in both the public and private sectors where he has been responsible for financial accounting and planning and internal auditing and assurance.

Commenting on Michael’s appointment, Mark added:

Michael is an excellent addition to the HS2 Ltd team and brings a wealth of experience with him to this important role.

HS2 is a hugely important project that will leave a significant economic legacy here in the UK and it is imperative that we have the best people in place to deliver our ambitions.

At HS2 Ltd, Michael will be leading the Finance team, Corporate Sponsorship, and the Programme Management Office.

Incoming Chief Financial Officer, Michael Bradley, said:

I am looking forward to joining the team at HS2 Ltd. This is a fantastic project, that will deliver significant benefits, and I am excited to be a part of it.

Following the announcement made by the Secretary of State for Communities Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP at the Local Government Association (LGA) Conference earlier this month regarding establishing a new BREXIT Ministerial Local Government Delivery Board – on Thursday 19 July the Delivery Board held its inaugural meeting.

The meeting, which was chaired by the Secretary of State for Communities, was productive and provided an opportunity for Government Ministers and local government sector representatives from the LGA, County Councils Network, District Councils Network and the Core and Key Cities Groups to share updates and views on latest developments.

The meeting heard from senior Home Office officials on the development of the EU Citizens Settlement Scheme, discussed the recently published Government White Paper and agreed to prepare a future work programme for the Board to provide oversight of EU Exit preparedness, including the future for EU funding and the opportunities to review EU law post EU Exit.

During a positive and constructive discussion council leaders placed on record their concerns relating to the timely replacement for EU funding, the potential to review EU laws post EU-Exit and stressed the need for joined-up engagement across Whitehall to ensure that the issues and opportunities facing communities up and down the country are properly captured and considered by Government.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

It is essential that local views are properly represented, captured and considered as Government develops policy and I thank colleagues for a very helpful meeting.

Cllr Kevin Bentley, Chairman of the LGA’s Brexit Task Force welcomed the meeting, saying:

This meeting was an excellent example of joined-up engagement across Whitehall considering the issues and opportunities facing communities up and down the country.

Over the summer, the Local Government Association and officials from MHCLG will work to develop a detailed work programme for the Board and prioritise those issues for discussion at the next meeting of the Board in early Autumn.

Information for former employees:

If you’ve been dismissed

If you’ve been dismissed, you might be entitled to redundancy pay, holiday pay and statutory notice pay from the Insolvency Service.

The amount the Insolvency Service can pay you will be subject to certain legal limits. Information about the legal limits is available on GOV.UK.

Other money you’re owed will be paid to you automatically through the company’s payroll. This includes salary, wages, or overtime you’re owed.

Who is eligible

You can to apply to the Insolvency Service for redundancy pay, holiday pay and statutory notice pay if:

• you worked for CAU under an employment contract
• you live in England, Scotland or Wales

Workers and self-employed contractors who provided services to the company are not eligible to apply. Instead, these individuals should contact the administrator to register as creditors: http://www.deloitte.com/uk/caugaucho

How to apply

The administrator will give details about how to apply and will also give you a case reference number (eg CN12345678).

Once you have this information you can apply online.

Paying your claim

Once you submit your online application, it takes us an average of 14 days to process your application and pay claims.

However, sometimes we need to get additional information from you or from the administrator. This can take a bit of time.

We’ll contact you directly if we need anything from you.

We always try to pay eligible claims within 6 weeks of receiving the application.

Getting help

If you have questions about your situation you should contact the HR department by:

• email: sofa.gomes@gauchorestaurants.com or suresh.banarse@gauchorestaurants.com
• telephone: 0207 432 9600

Alternatively, you can contact the administrator’s employment team at:

• email: sjalaf@deloitte.co.uk
• telephone: 0207 303 3399

If you need help completing your application, you can contact the Insolvency Service’s Redundancy Payments helpline on 0330 331 0020.

When calling, please have your case reference number (eg CN12345678) and National Insurance number to hand. If you do not have a case reference number, please contact the administrator.

If you need to email us after submitting your claim, please only use the email address you gave on your application form. Otherwise, we won’t be able to respond to you for security reasons.

Other support available to you

Factsheet: finding a new job, managing your finances and benefits available to you.

Information for creditors

You’ll need to register as a creditor in the administration if:

• you haven’t been paid for goods or services you’ve supplied to CAU
• you’ve paid CAU for goods or services that you haven’t received

Information about how to register as a creditor can be found at: http://www.deloitte.com/uk/caugaucho.

If you have any questions, you can also contact the Insolvency Enquiry Line:

• Contact form: Insolvency Service general enquiry
• Telephone: 0300 678 0015

The Insolvency Enquiry Line can give you general information about:

• insolvency
• redundancy
• what redundancy payments offices do
• where you can go to get the information or advice you need

They cannot give you:

• legal or financial advice
• information on specific insolvency cases
• information or advice on matters directly relating to other government departments