The Chancellor confirmed an update to plans for the Additional Rate tax on the morning of 3 October 2022.
From supporting British business to lowering the tax burden for the lowest paid, our Growth Plan sets out a new approach to build a more prosperous economy.
However, it is clear that the abolition of the 45p tax rate has become a distraction from our overriding mission to tackle the challenges facing our country.
As a result, I’m announcing we are not proceeding with the abolition of the 45p tax rate. We get it, and we have listened.
This will allow us to focus on delivering the major parts of our growth package.
First, our Energy Price Guarantee, which will support households and businesses with their energy bills.
Second, cutting taxes to put money back in the pockets of hard-working people and grow our economy.
Third, driving supply side reforms – including accelerating major infrastructure projects – to get Britain moving.
Published 3 October 2022
New Civil Service Commissioners appointed
News story
Elizabeth Walmsley, Stephen Cohen, Christopher Pilgrim and Atul Devani have been appointed as Commissioners as part of the Civil Service Commission.
Together they bring valuable skills and experience from both public and private sector backgrounds.
The Civil Service Commission is an independent statutory body that oversees appointments to the Civil Service, ensuring that they are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. Commissioners also promote and hear appeals brought under the Civil Service Code.
The new Civil Service Commissioners have been appointed after an open competition which took place in 2022.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Nadim Zahawi said:
I would like to congratulate the four new commissioners on their appointments. They bring a variety of expertise that will help ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit and on the basis of fair and open competition, helping safeguard an impartial Civil Service.
Baroness Gisela Stuart, the First Civil Service Commissioner, said:
I am delighted that Atul, Christopher, Elizabeth and Stephen will be joining our board of Civil Service Commissioners. Their extensive experience and expertise from leadership roles and boards in other sectors will enrich the Commission’s work both as an independent regulator of recruitment into the Civil Service and in hearing complaints under the Civil Service Code. I look forward to working with them as Commissioners, helping to ensure we have an effective Civil Service, appointed on merit, to develop and deliver government services across the country.
The new Commissioners announced today join the Commission from 3 October 2022 for a 5 year non-renewable term. Commissioners work part-time, typically between 4 and 8 days a month.
The Civil Service Commission was established as a statutory body in November 2010 under the provisions of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Commission is independent of Ministers and the Civil Service. It is responsible for upholding the requirement that recruitment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
Biographies of the new commissioners:
Atul Devani is serial entrepreneur who founded and sold several successful software technology ventures in finance, mobile, telecoms, telemedicine and pharmacy. He is currently a Non-Executive Director of a Venture Capital Trust and an investor in a number of private companies. Atul is a mentor of entrepreneurs at the Company of Information Technologists in the City of London, an independent member of Bangor University Council and also serves on the board of M-Sparc, a science park created by the University to help to inspire people and provide support for innovations.
Christopher Pilgrim was formerly Chief HR Officer and Board member of the energy supplier Npower. Chris began his career with British Steel before joining ExxonMobil and an Exxon Joint Venture with Shell filling a number of senior positions in the UK and internationally. This was followed by HR Director roles at Royal Numico and Uniq plc, before joining Npower in 2009. Chris has been a member of the Police and National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body and is now Chair of the Doctors and Dentist Pay Review Body, Board Member of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority, and a Governor of Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Stephen Cohen has over 40 years’ experience in asset management, in Asia, Europe and the USA. He has worked as a portfolio manager, in business development, operations and in IT. Stephen is a Council member at the Health & Care Professions Council, a Commissioner at the Gambling Commission and Chair of Audit for both the JPMorgan Japan Investment Trust plc and the Schroder UK Public Private Trust plc. Stephen brings a global business perspective, deep experience of finance, corporate strategy and corporate governance.
Liz currently divides her time between consultancy, voluntary and community work. During her career she has developed extensive commercial experience in science, engineering, new technology, finance and third sector. This included senior positions in ICI plc, 3i plc and Praesta Partners LLP and a range of non-executive and governance roles. She has worked globally and in the UK in public, private and voluntary sectors. Throughout her career she has actively promoted increased inclusion and equality of opportunity. She is currently a Trustee of the Woodsmith Foundation, whose activity covers the North York Moors National Park and its coastal towns. Other community activities include Rotary and her local Village Hall in rural North Yorkshire.
Published 3 October 2022
Submitting a planning appeal has changed in some local authority areas – find out where
News story
We have launched a ‘beta’ planning appeal submission process for more than 30 local planning authority (LPA) areas, marking a step forward in our new service roll-out.
We are designing a new planning appeals service to be easier, faster and more cost effective. The first part of these improvements focuses on the appeal submission form, and we have now introduced a new form for submitting full planning (s78) and householder appeals in some local authority areas of England. This builds on the smaller pilot we ran earlier this year.
In the coming months we will be adding additional LPAs and new features to the service.
The main difference will be a simpler, more intuitive appeal submission process, using standardised government formats, which are familiar across government services. Eligible users will be able to start their appeal on GOV.UK instead of the Appeals Casework Portal (ACP).
The submission form includes built in guidance as well as validation to ensure appeals are submitted with all the correct information.
Over the coming weeks we will make a change so that eligible appeals are redirected from the ACP to the correct start page on GOV.UK. We have also asked LPAs in the participating regions to update hyperlinks in their planning decision notices where permission is refused.
Which regions are included?
London
London Borough of Barnet
London Borough of Brent
London Borough of Bromley
London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Lambeth
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Midlands
North East
City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council
Darlington Borough Council
Durham County Council
East Riding of Yorkshire Council
Gateshead Council
Hartlepool Borough Council
Leeds City Council
Middlesbrough Council
Newcastle City Council
North Tyneside Council
Northumberland County Council
Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council
South Tyneside Council
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council
Sunderland City Council
Wakefield Council
North West
Cheshire East Council
Cheshire West and Chester Council
Kirklees Council
South East
South West
Bristol City Council
Cornwall Council
Wiltshire Council
What’s coming up next?
We will soon be releasing the final comments submission process for cases submitted via the new service. We continue to work on the design and development of other case types, such as appeals for listed building consent and enforcement. We are also improving the design of the LPA questionnaire and statement submission process.
Published 3 October 2022
Civil/crime news: online form service to submit a complaint
News story
We are introducing a new online form service to submit a complaint to the Legal Aid Agency (LAA).
A new online form service is available for users of legal aid to submit a complaint.
If you have a Client and Cost Management System (CCMS) account, you will still be able to submit a complaint by using our online system.
Why are you doing this now?
We want to ensure that if you are not satisfied with the service we provide, you are able to contact us about this.
Complaint response times
Our complaint response times have not changed and are outlined on our complaint procedure page. This explains how the complaints process works.
We have only changed how you submit your complaint to us, making it accessible for all.
What if I want to complain by post?
If you would like to submit your complaint by post, you can still do this. Details can be found on our complaint procedure page.
Have your say on future of Thames Estuary flood risk
Londoners and people in north Kent and south Essex are getting the chance to shape the response to increased flood threat as climate change threatens to create higher sea levels.
The Environment Agency and a number of other bodies are looking towards the end of the century to ensure homes, businesses and critical services from Teddington to Sheerness and Southend remain protected by updating the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan.
Dartford Creek Barrier’s steel gates lower when flooding is likely
Southend Pier reaching out into the Thames – the eight-week public consultation is after views on how to protect this part of south Essex
With more than 3,000 flood defences – including the iconic Thames Barrier – protecting 1.42 million people from flooding in the London area, there is still more to do.
The Environment Agency is updating the plan to increase resilience and still manage flood risk in the most cost-effective way. A review of the latest scientific evidence found that the strategy continued to set out a robust approach to future flood risk.
Baroness Brown DBE FREng FRS, chair of the Climate Change Committee’s adaptation committee and chair of the advisory group that reviewed the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan, said:
Significant sea-level rise is now inevitable, and even reaching global net zero – imperative to limit future warming – will not stop this rising tide.
The plan aims to protect communities from flooding while reshaping riversides and enhancing nature.
Only 12 per cent of more than 3,000 flood defences are the responsibility of the Environment Agency, so it is essential that the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan is a team effort, owned by everyone with an interest in our river.
Julie Foley, the Environment Agency’s director for flood strategy and national adaptation, said:
We’ve operated the Thames Barrier to protect London more than 200 times in the past 40 years.
But the climate is changing and causing sea levels to rise. Our evidence shows that could be by more than a metre by 2100.
While we expect the Thames Barrier to continue to protect London until 2070, we need to plan ahead now to keep London protected from storm surges. By 2040 we will make a decision on the preferred option for 2070 and beyond.
Following recent roadshows in Canvey Island and Dartford, three more public events will be held for people to see the updated plans and discuss them with specialists from the Environment Agency and other organisations involved in protecting London, south Essex and north Kent.
The Thames Estuary 2100: Shaping the future of the Thames Estuary:
Wednesday 5 October: 3pm – 6pm: The Forum at Greenwich, Trafalgar Road, Greenwich SE10 9EQ
Tuesday 25 October: Time TBC: Portsoken Community Centre, Little Somerset Street, London E1 8AA
The consultation is open until 20 November 2022.
Published in 2012, the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan was the first flood risk management strategy to adapt to different climate scenarios. A recent review of the plan showed it was still a robust approach.
The plan covers 2,400km of roads, almost 4,000 electricity substations, 140 mainline and Tube stations and London City Airport and London Heliport.
Experts in flood protection want local people to help update the existing strategy to reduce flood risk, to safeguard communities along the estuary.
The review also found that some tidal defences needed to be raised earlier than originally thought, some within the next 20 years. It’s crucial that we act now and work together – no organisation can deliver this ambitious strategy alone.
Paper copies of the consultation can be requested from thamesestuary2100@environment-agency.gov.uk and returned via email or sent to Thames Estuary 2100 Plan consultation, Environment Agency, 2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF. The questionnaire will close at 11.59pm on 20 November 2022.
