Sellafield Ltd’s social impact programme has been refreshed and relaunched as SIx – social impact, multiplied.

Its first investment will be Transforming West Cumbria, a £2.2 million fund to help West Cumbria’s most vulnerable communities.

SIx is a new approach to social impact which prioritises projects co-created with the community and stakeholders.

It recognises that more can be achieved in partnership and that impact can be multiplied through collaboration.

Social Impact, Multiplied

Transforming West Cumbria will take on West Cumbria’s most entrenched social and economic problems. Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) are funding the initiative, which will be delivered by Cumbria Community Foundation (CCF).

It aims to put local people in charge of their own futures by empowering neighbourhoods to create transformational change.

The programme will focus on family wellbeing, financial education, community activism, and inspiring young people.

Among the initiatives are:

• a £1.3 million fund for community and voluntary groups
• £660,000 to support families
• £175,000 to fund financial education
• schemes to nurture young entrepreneurs
• and a drive to make community activism the norm for young people

It has been developed to address issues identified in CCF’s West Cumbria: Opportunities and Challenges report.

Gary McKeating, Sellafield Ltd’s head of community and development, said:

I believe Transforming West Cumbria can create profound and long-lasting change in our community.

It will laser focus on the causes of inequality and confront the issues holding back our most vulnerable.

Research tells us people from poorer backgrounds are not lacking in ambition. What’s missing is the knowledge, skills, and characteristics required to achieve those ambitions.

Transforming West Cumbria is a package of tailored support to address this.

It’s not about telling people what’s best for them. It’s about giving communities the tools to be independent, self-reliant, and successful in the long-term.

Andrew van der Lem, head of government relations for the NDA, said:

Creating a positive legacy for our communities is one of the NDA’s guiding principles.

That means ensuring as many people as possible benefit from the opportunities on our sites.

Alongside this, we’re helping our communities to build diverse and sustainable economies which can thrive long after our decommissioning programmes have ended.

Transforming West Cumbria will help achieve those aims by using an evidence-based approach that prioritises measurable outcomes in the areas of greatest need.

Andy Beeforth, chief executive officer of Cumbria Community Foundation, said:

We have a long-standing relationship with Sellafield Ltd and we are proud to be a partner on this programme.

Community and voluntary organisations play a crucial role in helping us understand the needs of our local people and Transforming West Cumbria will enable this understanding to be used to tackle some key challenges in our area.

The programme will significantly invest in community projects that build the capabilities and financial sustainability of critical organisations, inspire and encourage new and existing social entrepreneurs and help children, young people and families to thrive by building resilience and self-efficacy.

We are looking to fund more innovative and diverse projects that offer unique alternatives and innovative solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of local people and reduce inequalities.

By working together and focusing our efforts, we will help create thriving communities and a better future for West Cumbria.

Mike Starkie, Elected Mayor of Copeland, said:

Social inclusion has been and continues to be my key focus as Copeland’s elected mayor.

I’ll be working closely with partners in West Cumbria to ensure we support and enable the most disadvantaged in our community.

Projects within the Transforming West Cumbria programme include:

Planning permission has today been granted for work to begin on the latest government hub in Croydon, with civil servants from the Home Office expected to move in by late 2024.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) has secured a 25 year lease for the site at Two Ruskin Square – a move which will save the taxpayer more than £8m a year.

The new hub will provide flexible workspace, allowing the lessons from working from home over the recent months to be incorporated.

About the hub

The new hub in Croydon will be the area’s second, creating a government campus with excellent transportation links.

It will form part of the nine-acre Ruskin Square scheme and is located adjacent to East Croydon station. It sits alongside One Ruskin Square, the HMRC regional centre which opened in 2017, and currently houses around 2,000 HMRC staff, with more expected to move in by 2021.

The development of 329,500 sqft will be arranged over 10 floors and include ground level retail units. The ground works are anticipated to start on site before the end of this year, with the build of the main superstructure beginning in April 2021.

The Government Hubs Programme has so far seen the development of 16 office hubs announced in areas including Glasgow, Belfast, Newcastle, Leeds, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff, Birmingham, Peterborough and Bristol to support around 60,000 civil servants.

Welcoming news of the planning permission, Steven Boyd, Chief Executive of Government Property Agency, said:

“The Government Property Agency is at the heart of creating great places to work for civil servants and the news today reflects the great progress we are making.

“The Government Hubs Programme is creating strong regional centres where civil servants can build their careers in modern state-of-the-art shared workspaces, enabling efficient, collaborative and flexible working, driving engagement and improving staff productivity and wellbeing. This will also reduce government operating costs as we dispose of unnecessary office space and streamline our estate.

“We will continue to work with government departments, local authorities, investors and developers across the UK to take forward this ambitious programme.”

• Government launches consultation on the 2025 Border Strategy, which will set out our vision for world’s most effective border by 2025
• The consultation seeks views on how new digital systems can improve trader and traveller experience and make the UK more secure
• The full Border 2025 strategy will be set out before the end of the year

Today the government has launched a consultation on the 2025 UK Border Strategy.

This consultation seeks the views and expertise of a range of organisations to help develop the 2025 UK Border Strategy, and ensure that government and industry are able to work together to design the world’s most effective and innovative border by 2025.

On December 31 2020 the UK transition period with the EU will end, and the UK will operate a full, external border as a sovereign nation. The UK now has a unique opportunity to design the world’s most effective border, helping businesses take advantage of new trading relationships around the world and keeping citizens safer.

Using the ideas gathered through the consultation the government will publish a 2025 UK Border Strategy by the end of the year setting out a clear vision and roadmap that the government and border industry, working together, can deliver.

The government’s ambition is for a transformed border by 2025 that will deliver benefits including:

• reducing administrative costs and burdens for traders to improve the end-to-end experience for those moving goods across the border
• improving the experience of travellers, for example by using digital identification systems
• improving how we protect the UK from those who may pose a risk to us, for example by deterring and disrupting organised crime and terrorism, identifying and preventing biosecurity threats, and preventing abuse of the migration system

Government will work with industry to build a more user-centric border, moving processes away from the border where appropriate and using digital systems to enable the swift clearance of goods and people.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove said:

On January 1 2021, we will have full control over our border for the first time in decades, and the freedom to design how it operates in order to deliver the greatest benefit for the UK.

We are launching this consultation to draw upon the expertise of the UK border industry as we develop our strategy to build the world’s most effective and efficient border over the next five years.

By taking advantage of our new independence, we will be able to get a proper grip on exactly who and what comes in and out of the country and give our dedicated Border Force personnel new tools to catch criminals, whilst improving the flow of goods to make the UK border the most effective in the world by 2025.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:

Our ambition to build the world’s most effective and efficient border will ensure the UK takes full advantage of our new status as an independent trading nation.

We will harness new technology to create a digital border, supporting businesses to import and export with ease and at low cost, and supporting our aims to bring the brightest and best talent from around the world to the UK.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

The British people have voted to take back control of our border and introduce a new points-based immigration system. Looking forward to 2025, our new border strategy will play an important role in realising that aim, ensuring we are able to attract the best global talent and have full control of our border.

We will transform the way in which people come to the UK, making it an even better place to live, work, study and visit. Whilst at the same time improving security, reducing illegal migration, and illicit commodity flows through investment in the border and better use of data.

The consultation is open for 6 weeks and closes on 28 August.

UK industry will receive around £350 million to cut down carbon emissions under new plans to step up efforts to tackle climate change, PM Boris Johnson announced today (22 July).

The multimillion pound investment package will build on the Prime Minister’s work throughout his first year in office to drive forward progress on the UK’s target to reach net zero by 2050, by helping businesses to decarbonise across the heavy industry, construction, space and transport sectors and to secure the UK’s place at the forefront of green innovation.

The investment comes ahead of the PM launching the first meeting of the Jet Zero Council later today, which will bring together government, representatives from the environmental sector and the aviation and aerospace industry to tackle aviation emissions in line with the government’s ambition to achieve the first ever zero emission long haul passenger plane.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:

We’ve made great strides towards our net zero target over the last year, but it’s more important than ever that we keep up the pace of change to fuel a green, sustainable recovery as we rebuild from the pandemic.

The UK now has a huge opportunity to cement its place at the vanguard of green innovation, setting an example worldwide while growing the economy and creating new jobs.

That’s why we’re backing cutting edge research to cut costs and carbon across our great British industries, and even paving the way for the first ever zero emission long haul passenger flight – so that our green ambitions remain sky high as we build back better for both our people and our planet.

Business and Energy Secretary, Alok Sharma, said:

Climate change is among the greatest challenges of our age. To tackle it we need to unleash innovation in businesses across the country.

This funding will reduce emissions, create green collar jobs and fuel a strong, clean economic recovery – all essential to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges we face today, and tackling it will require action from everybody. This is why we’re bringing together Government, businesses and investors in a ground breaking new partnership.

The Jet Zero Council is a huge step forward in making change – as we push forward with innovative technologies such as sustainable fuels and eventually fully electric planes, we will achieve guilt-free flying and boost sustainability for years to come.

The projects set to receive funding will work on developing new technologies that could help companies switch to more energy-efficient means of production, use data more effectively to tackle the impacts of climate change, and help support the creation of new green jobs by driving innovation and growth in UK industries.

The package includes:

• £139 million to cut emissions in heavy industry by supporting the transition from natural gas to clean hydrogen power, and scaling up carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology which can stop over 90% of emissions being released from industrial plants into the air by storing carbon permanently underground

• £149 million to drive the use of innovative materials in heavy industry; the 13 initial projects will include proposals to reuse waste ash in the glass and ceramics industry, and the development of recyclable steel

• £26 million to support advanced new building techniques in order to reduce build costs and carbon emissions in the construction industry

• A £10 million boost for state of the art construction tech which will go towards 19 projects focused on improving productivity and building quality, for example, re-usable roofs and walls and “digital clones” of buildings that analyse data in real time

• Launching a New National Space Innovation Programme backed by £15 million initial funding from the UK Space Agency, which will see the first £10million go towards projects that will monitor climate change across the globe, which could protect local areas from the impacts of extreme weather by identifying changes in the environment

• Opening up bids for a further £10million for R&D in the automotive sector, to help companies take cutting edge ideas from prototype to market, including more efficient electric motors or more powerful batteries

Chaired by the Transport and Business Secretaries, today’s first ever Jet Zero council meeting will discuss how to decarbonise the aviation sector while supporting its growth and strengthening the UK’s position as a world leader in the sector.

The members will look at how to work across their sectors to achieve these goals, including through brand new aircraft and engine technologies. These could include using new synthetic and sustainable aviation fuels as a clean substitute for fossil jet fuel, and eventually the development of electric planes.

One year on from taking office, today’s announcements form part of the PM’s wider efforts to ensure the UK meets its legally binding target to reach net zero emissions by 2050, whilst also driving forward a green recovery from the pandemic.

So far this year, this includes committing to consult on ending the sale of new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars by 2035 or earlier; launching the Transport Decarbonisation Plan to cut emissions across the sector; providing over £1 billion at Budget to support the rollout of ultra-low emission vehicles in the UK via support for a super-fast charging network for electric vehicles; and committing up to £100 million of new funding for research to develop a brand new clean technology, Direct Air Capture.

Over the past decade, the UK has cut carbon emissions by more than any similar developed country. In 2019, UK emissions were 42% lower than in 1990, while our economy over the same period grew by 72%.

The arrival of the Commonwealth Games will be matched with a major upgrade to Birmingham’s University station, Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris announced today (22 July 2020), as he unveiled £12 million of government investment to help ease congestion, boost the economy and make existing journeys more reliable for thousands of passengers.

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is leading a consortium including the University of Birmingham, Birmingham City Council, Network Rail, West Midlands Trains and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP to fund the project to redevelop and expand the station and provide additional passenger capacity in time for the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

The £56 million project will deliver a larger, modern station and enhanced facilities including more lifts, a ticket office, shop and public toilets, helping to give competitors and sports fans an experience to remember.

Opened in 1978, University Station in Birmingham was designed to serve 500,000 passengers per year but now, over 40 years later, this has increased to almost 4 million people – with demand expected to rise further in the coming years.

Rail Minister Chris Heaton-Harris said:

Birmingham has the privilege of welcoming our Commonwealth friends from around the world in 2022 and so we are delivering a station that will be a worthy gateway to the Games for athletes and fans alike.

And, long after the games have gone, passengers will arrive into a modern station that provides better connections and makes journeys easier and more reliable.

This station development demonstrates our ambition to build great infrastructure for the future that will transform travel for those who use it and is just part of our wider agenda to level up all parts of the UK.

Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said:

This funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) means we have taken another major step towards building a new University station ready for the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Over the last decade or so we have seen huge growth in both the university campus and the hospital site, making University one of the busiest railway stations on our network. Because of this, it is clear that the station is becoming increasingly not fit for purpose and the latest funding announced by the DfT today will help us take another step towards delivering a new University Station.

Councillor Ian Ward, WMCA portfolio lead for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council, said:

This new station will not only provide a magnificent gateway to Birmingham for those visitors coming for the Commonwealth Games, but for the many more who pass through here day in, day out.

Getting more people onto trains across the region is one of the key elements of our work to reduce traffic congestion and reliance on the car, as we improve our air quality and progress towards a zero-carbon economy.

The contracts for the detailed design and build of the scheme will be awarded later this summer, with works starting in the autumn. The station will be ready to welcome the Commonwealth Games’ athletes and spectators and be fully open later in 2022.

Today’s announcement comes as development work gets underway with Network Rail to roll out digital signalling on further routes including sections of the West Coast Main Line, Midland Main Line and Anglia, from 2026, leading to safer, more reliable and more resilient railways.

The government announced last month that £12 million is being invested in fitting out 33 new trains for the Midland Main Line with digital signalling equipment.

A number of stations in the Midlands are also benefiting from millions of pounds of funding to improve accessibility for those with disabilities, such as through new step-free routes. Stations to benefit include Retford, Ludlow, Smethwick Rolfe Street, Wellington, Narborough, Lichfield Trent Valley and Wolverhampton.

All projects in the programme are expected to complete by 2024 at the latest.