Tag Archives: GB

image_pdfimage_print

Press release: Shoreham flood scheme enters next phase

A major flood defence scheme that will significantly reduce flood risk to over 2,300 properties in Shoreham and East Lancing has taken a step towards completion this week, with piling works at 2 of the project’s 10 phases now finished.

The huge jack-up barge, that has been working to install one of the new tidal flood defence piled walls in the town centre since November, will leave the site next week having completed its phase of the work.

Of the planned 10 construction phases, 3 have been worked on since the project started in October 2016, and work so far has been progressing well. The scheme will significantly improve the current ageing flood defences, and when the whole project is complete, in 2018, it will reduce the tidal flood risk to thousands of homes and a significant number of commercial properties in the area. It will also protect important local infrastructure such as the road network, railway line and Shoreham Airport.

Russell Long, Flood Team Leader at the Environment Agency, said:

Work on the scheme is progressing well, and further phases of work are set to begin later in the year. We are aware of the impact that the development of these schemes can have on local communities, and we thank the residents of Shoreham for their understanding during the works.

The Adur Ferry Bridge will need to be closed for a few hours when the jack-up barge leaves Shoreham next week (week commencing 27 February), and shuttle buses will be provided during this time. Exact timings of this operation will depend on weather and site conditions, and we will do all we can to keep the community informed of our plans. I’d encourage residents to monitor @EnvAgencySE on Twitter, go to www.shorehamadurtidalwalls.co.uk, or visit the project’s visitor centre to find out more.

The Shoreham scheme’s dedicated project visitor centre is located at Beach Green Car Park, Shoreham-by-Sea, and is open between midday and 5pm on weekdays.

For further information, you can view the webpage Shoreham Adur Tidal Walls Scheme or you can call 03708 506506. You can also request information by email at shorehamwestbank@ea.gov.uk or by writing to

SSD Enquiries
Environment Agency
Guildbourne House
Chatsworth Road
Worthing
BN11 1LD

Notes:

The visitor centre may be closed during scheduled visits from schools and interest groups.

For all media enquiries please call 0800 141 2743.

read more

HM Government • • •

Press release: New business champions to support rights of disabled consumers

Eleven new sector champions, who will help to tackle the issues disabled people face as consumers, have been announced by the Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health today (21 February 2017).

The champions, who represent a range of different sectors and businesses, from gaming to retail, will use their influential status as leaders in their industries to promote the benefits of being inclusive to disabled people.

There are currently more than 11 million disabled people in the UK and the spending power of their households – ‘the purple pound’ – is almost £250 billion. But many businesses are missing out on this potential customer base by having everyday products and services which aren’t available to disabled people – who, as a result, are regularly excluded from experiences and opportunities that many others take for granted.

The sector champions will amplify the voices of disabled customers and employees within their own industries, increasing accountability and challenging inequality. They will also be able to highlight specific changes and improvements that will make a difference to the millions of people who often miss out.

The Minister for Disabled People, Work and Health, Penny Mordaunt, said:

As a public advocate for accessibility, these champions will help businesses realise the value of disabled consumers and the importance of catering to every customer’s needs.

These industries must become fully inclusive. Not being able to access the high street, products and services, transport or simply to access a loo jars with our national values: it must change.

The new sector champions will drive improvements to the accessibility and quality of services and facilities in their sector, helping to showcase best practice and show other businesses the merit of making disabled customers a priority.

The sector champions are:

  • Helen Drury, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Intu (retail)
  • Suzanne Bull MBE, CEO of Attitude is Everything (music)
  • Huw Edwards, Public Affairs Director at UKActive (leisure)
  • Chris Veitch, Co-founder of Access New Business (tourism)
  • Robin Sheppard, Chairman of Bespoke Hotels (hotels)
  • Dan Brooke, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Channel 4 (media)
  • Sam Phillips, CMO at Omnicom Media Group (advertising)
  • Michael Connolly, Regional Training and Standards Manager at OCS ltd (transport – airports)
  • Jane Cole, Managing Director at Blackpool Transport Services (transport – buses)
  • Trudie Hills, Disability Manager, Lloyds Bank (banking)
  • Dr Jo Twist OBE, CEO of UKIE (gaming)

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5123

Follow DWP on:

read more

HM Government • • •

News story: Civil news: tips to help you when submitting VHCC family work

You can prevent delays to Very High Cost Case family work by making sure you avoid a few common mistakes.

We have checked through correspondence received by the VHCC family team in recent weeks and believe the following tips could help you avoid unnecessary delays.

Avoid sending documents by both email and DX

This often causes confusion and additional work for the team, meaning that it takes longer for them to issue a response.

Unless otherwise requested choose just one way of sending documents i.e. email or DX.

Download and use the template to register a VHCC case

As you work through the registration template remember that the VHCC team requires the following:

  • certificate reference numbers
  • number of hearing days and advocate meetings to date
  • number of future hearing days/advocate meetings
  • date of final hearing (if known)
  • full breakdown of costs to date

If information is missing the VHCC team will need to ask for additional information, which will mean delays. A link to the page hosting the template is available below.

Use correct process for enquiries

Enquiries about cases managed within CCMS need to be dealt with in the CCMS environment. Non-CCMS cases enquiries can be dealt with by emailing: vhcc.queries@legalaid.gsi.gov.uk

Avoid emailing caseworkers directly as this can cause unnecessary delays.

Further information

Family high cost cases – scroll down to ‘when a case becomes high cost’ for link to ‘email template’ to help you register your VHCC case

read more

HM Government • • •

Green MEP launches post-Brexit agriculture reports and calls for ‘green tape’ as Leadsom attacks 'red tape’

21 February 2017

Green MEP Molly Scott Cato, a member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, has launched two reports on ideas for the future of farming post-Brexit. The launch comes on the day the National Union of Farmers begin their annual conference in Birmingham, where Defra Secretary, Andrea Leadsom, again attacked the EU for ‘tying farmers up in red tape’. She also called for a system based on simpler, more effective rules, where farmers will be ‘free to grow more, sell more and export more.’  

However, Ms Leadsom offered farmers no clear plan on farming post-Brexit and Dr Scott Cato says that questions to the government reveal they lack ideas on the future of farming after the UK leaves the EU.

The two reports – one by the Soil Association; the other by Simon Fairlie of the Land Workers’ Alliance – foresee a future where policies put soil health and biodiversity first, and where the way we use land helps tackle climate change. They say that to achieve this, farmers will need to receive at least as much money as they currently get through the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). Molly Scott Cato said:

“Like Ms Leadsom, I don’t want farmers tied up in red tape, but we do need to bind ourselves in some green tape.We need to ensure land management protects and improves our soils, encourages biodiversity, and helps tackle climate change. The reports I have launched today contain a wealth of ideas on how we can achieve this.

“They also call for direct payments based on land area to be scrapped; instead future payments would to be based on paying farmers for the public benefits they provide and for protecting the environment.

“With the government planning to remove us from the single market where around 65% of total UK agricultural exports are sold, platitudes about growing more, selling more and exporting more will ring hollow for most farmers.

“These reports show how to move UK agriculture away from a dependence on export markets and towards creating thriving rural communities by supporting family farms and relocalising food production. Brexit could be a unique opportunity to move towards an ecologically and economically sustainable farming system, but the government seems determined to move us in the wrong direction.”

Dr Tom MacMillan, Director of Innovation at the Soil Association, said:

“We’re hearing a fair bit of consensus from farming, nature and public interest groups on the big principles for agricultural policy after we leave the CAP – that the public expect high standards on animal welfare, for example, and that public money should pay for public benefits. What’s missing are practical and inspiring ideas that seize the chance to make a better fist of it, and face up to monumental challenges like climate change. So we’ve tried to set out a few game-changing ideas in our report”.

Tweet

Back to main news page

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

read more

Green Party • • •

Speech: David Davis: Estonia and the UK will remain close partners after Brexit

Britain and Estonia share much in common. From our belief that healthcare should be offered to all, regardless of background, to the importance we place on the defence of western values and democracy.

And it is in that spirit of shared values and friendship that I come to Tallinn today.

The message I bring with me is a simple one – Britain will always prioritise the important relationship between our two nations, now more than ever as we seek a strong partnership with the EU even after we leave its institutions.

Our deep relationship extends back decades, starting during the War of Independence in 1918 when the UK sent a Royal Navy flotilla to secure Estonia’s freedom.

The British servicemen who gave their lives in that conflict are commemorated in the Estonian Defence Forces military cemetery in Tallinn.

And that strong military partnership continues today. Not only are we fully signed up members of NATO, but we are also two of only 5 countries that meet the spending target of 2% of GDP on defence.

Our troops fought together under the NATO banner in Afghanistan, and are now working together to defeat Daesh in Iraq and Syria.

And you need look no further for an indication of the importance Britain places on our relationship than the fact that in April this year, we will be deploying 800 UK troops to Tapa.

That collaboration will be of no less importance when we leave the European Union, because in the face of growing concern about the threat to security across the continent we must bolster our efforts to defend the western world.

So our servicemen and women will continue to work proudly alongside yours in the years ahead, providing vital reassurance and deterrence along NATO’s eastern border.

But our relationship runs further than our important shared interests in defence.

Estonia is one of the top travel destinations in the world and last year around 115,000 tourists visited Estonia from the UK.

In that context, I understand that the 15,000 Estonians currently living in the UK want certainty about their rights once the UK leaves the EU. And while Estonians’ existing rights are not affected the British government wants to get a deal done to secure long term rights quickly that protects the rights of all EU citizens living in the UK, and British citizens living in the EU. Indeed we would have liked to have come to such an agreement already, and have been clear it will be an absolute priority once formal negotiations begin.

It’s in no one’s interest to see any new barriers to trade. The UK is Estonia’s 4th biggest export partner in services, and trade between our two nations is worth more than €1bn a year.

The UK is important for the Estonian start-up community. Many have their headquarters in London, including the Estonian-founded money transfer firm TransferWise.

So as the Prime Minister outlined last month, Britain is seeking a new, strong partnership with the European Union. A partnership that maintains the close relationship we have with member states and builds further on them.

That partnership is one that will be to our mutual benefit. We are absolutely clear that we want the EU to succeed economically, politically and socially – and we want to remain a good friend and neighbour.

I’m confident that if we approach negotiations over the UK’s exit and new partnership with the EU in a spirit of goodwill, we can deliver a positive outcome that works for all.

Estonia and the UK will remain close partners. And my message to you, as the first UK Cabinet minister to visit Estonia since the UK voted to leave the EU, is that our important relationship will not diminish after our exit. Indeed, it will grow stronger still.

read more

HM Government • • •