Pledgemusic.com (company registration number 06712061) was wound up by the courts on 31 July 2019 following a petition brought by its own directors. The Official Receiver was appointed as liquidator.

The Official Receiver has issued a report to creditors and has indicated that it is unlikely that there will be any dividend payments from the liquidation to unsecured creditors. However the official receiver’s investigations concerning the operation of the company and the reasons for its failure are continuing, and should the position change, the Official Receiver will contact creditors directly.

Published 25 October 2019

The Government announced last week that Operation Brock – a series of measures that improve Kent’s resilience in the event of disruption to services across the English Channel – will be active from Monday 28 October, in preparation for the UK’s exit from the EU on 31 October.

A significant part of Operation Brock is keeping the M20 open in both directions by using a contraflow on the M20 London-bound carriageway between junctions 8 and 9 (from Maidstone to Ashford) and directing lorries heading for mainland Europe onto the coastbound carriageway, where they can be queued if necessary.

The M20 contraflow is planned to be in place by 6am on Monday 28 October, and in preparation Highways England will carry out roadworks on the M20 over this weekend as the contraflow is activated.

Highways England south east operations director Nicola Bell said:

Operation Brock is part of a set of measures put in place to allow the M20 and the rest of Kent to keep moving in the event of cross-channel disruption. We have worked extensively with our partners in Kent to ensure that the county is as prepared as possible for any disruption to cross-channel services. We thank road users in advance for their patience while we carry out this necessary work.

To enable the contra-flow to be activated, sections of the M20 will be closed this weekend. The M20 will be closed in both directions between junction 7 (for Maidstone) and junction 9 (Ashford) overnight tonight and tomorrow night from 8pm until 6am each night. Saturday night’s closure may be cancelled depending on how much work can be completed on Friday. On Sunday night, the coastbound carriageway only will be closed from 8pm between junctions 7 and 9, reopening at 6am on Monday, with the contraflow up and running.

Whenever the M20 is closed, signed diversions will be in place. Overnight closures may also be required on this section the following week if there is remaining work to complete.

From Monday, drivers will need to follow the different layout on the M20 from just north of Junction 8 (for Hollingbourne/Leeds) to Junction 9 (Ashford). Lorries heading for mainland Europe will be routed down the coastbound carriageway, with a 30mph speed limit in place. All other traffic will be directed onto the London-bound carriageway, with two lanes in each direction operating at 50mph.

Elsewhere along the M20, work continues to upgrade 6.5 miles near Maidstone to a smart motorway, and to create a new junction at Ashford, junction 10a. Work at junction 10a is being fast tracked to have key sections of the new junction open for traffic by 31 October. Resurfacing work between junction 12 and 13 of the M20 is also underway between Monday and Friday this week.

About Operation Brock

Operation Brock is an interim measure and was successfully deployed in March 2019, and crucially keeps the M20 open in both directions using a contraflow system. As with its March deployment, Operation Brock has stages that can be deployed sequentially, scaling up or down to meet demand. This is how Operation Brock will work:

• In recent years there have already been significant improvements to the holding capacity in the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel, as well as the A20 on approach to the port, where peaks of traffic arriving at the Port of Dover can be managed by traffic lights toward the end of the dual carriageway
• If this increased capacity looks set to be reached, Highways England and Kent Resilience Forum partners can activate a contraflow on the M20 between junctions 8 and 9. Lorries bound for mainland Europe will be queued on the coastbound carriageway, with cars using a clearly signed contraflow on the London-bound carriageway
• If the M20 becomes full, lorries heading for the Port of Dover will be directed to Manston Airfield, while the M20 is used to hold traffic for Eurotunnel. Traffic lights on the A256 will help to manage traffic arriving at the port from Manston, similar to the existing system on the A20
• If the M20 holding area becomes full after Manston airfield has been activated, the coastbound M26 could additionally be used to hold lorries heading for the Eurotunnel terminal
• Lorries would move through the queue in sequence and would be released from the front of the queue as soon as there is capacity in the port and tunnel terminals.
• Instructions for lorry drivers will be clearly signed, well managed and monitored at every step.
• The holding areas are all temporary and will be stood down as soon as they are no longer needed. They will be safe and secure with appropriate welfare facilities and access for emergency services throughout.
• The queuing system only applies to drivers of lorries heading to mainland Europe from Kent. All other drivers should check conditions before setting out and, if they are crossing the channel, check with their service operator for updates.

The deployment will help to demonstrate Kent’s preparedness for disruption and allow the contraflow to be in place for any traffic disruption in the coming weeks. Three lanes in each direction could be restored, with a 50mph limit, if Operation Brock is assessed as unlikely to be required in the following weeks.

For more information on Operation Brock and other contingency measures in Kent, visit:

How Operation Brock will affect your journey

Government advice for car drivers in Europe after Brexit

Government advice for bus and coach drivers in Europe after Brexit

Government advice for HGV drivers in Europe after Brexit

How Kent County Council has prepared for Brexit

Kent’s joint action plan for dealing for disruption

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.

Our officer found a diverse selection of litter and debris at at South Park on the River Skerne, south of Darlington.

Not only is litter damaging to the river but also to the fish that live and pass through the waters.

The items retrieved during the hour-long clear up included:

• 67 single use plastic bottles
• two oven trays
• a flip-flop
• a fridge door, and
• a rubber duck

Here in the North East, the Environment Agency is responsible for nine fish passes located from the River Wansbeck to the River Skerne.

A fish pass is designed to facilitate the upstream and downstream movement of fish and other aquatic fauna. Fish passes can be applied to watercourses, where natural or human placed obstructions such as dams, weirs, or culverts prevent or interfere with fish migration.

Paul Frear, Fisheries Technical Officer for the Environment Agency, said:

The North East is proud to have a number of beautiful rivers that provide a great natural resource for people, groups and wildlife.

It was disappointing to find the pieces of debris and litter as each piece is a potential obstruction for the fish that live in our rivers. We would urge people to use public litter bins provided or to take their rubbish away with them and dispatch the content at home.

Over the past two years other unusual items that have been found in rivers across the region include traffic cones, a deflated space hopper and a deck chair.

If you have any environmental issues to report please contact the Environment Agency’s incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The Secretary of State has today announced the reappointments of members to the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Rt Hon Julian Smith MP has reappointed three members to the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA).

In the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers, these reappointments were made possible by powers under the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018.

Carol Fitzsimons MBE (originally appointed on 5 December 2016), Kathleen O’Hare, and Leslie Caul OBE (both originally appointed on 26 October 2015) have been reappointed for a further term of four years.

The Secretary of State said: “My absolute priority is to get Stormont up and running. In the interim my responsibility is to ensure good governance and stable public services in the best interests of the people of Northern Ireland.

“I am therefore pleased to make these reappointments so that the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment can continue its important role advising government, monitoring standards and awarding qualifications.”

NOTES TO EDITORS

The NI Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is an Executive NDPB sponsored by the Department of Education. CCEA’s role is to keep under review and provide advice on the three areas of the curriculum, examinations and assessment. The Council’s membership comprises a Chairperson and 13 members.

The reappointments will commence on 26 October 2019 for a term of four years (unless terminated before that time). Members are not remunerated but can claim travel and subsistence allowances.

The re-appointments are as follows: Mrs Carol Fitzsimons MBE is currently Chief Executive Officer of Young Enterprise NI. She is an Associate Lecturer in the Open University within the Faculty of Business and Law and is also a Scout Leader. Mrs Fitzsimons brings to the Council experience of managing staff, operational delivery, developing strategic plans and financial and risk management. She is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. Mrs Fitzsimons has declared that she has not undertaken any political activity during the last five years and does not currently hold any other public appointments.

Mrs Kathleen O’Hare is the former Principal of Hazelwood Integrated College. She brings to the Council experience in governance including strategic planning and a knowledge and experience of education in both the post primary and Higher Education sectors. Mrs O’Hare is on the Board of Belfast Metropolitan College and is Chair of their Curriculum Quality and Engagement Committee. She is a Director of the Integrated Education Fund and does some consultancy work on Leadership with the British Council. She has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years.

Dr Leslie Caul OBE has held senior positions in Stranmillis University College and over a period of 30 years has written books and academic articles on education. He has held the position of Chair of the Irish Football Association (IFA) since 2007. He brings to the Council experience in governance and strategic leadership and a knowledge and experience of education within the Further Education/Higher Education sector. Dr Caul does not hold any other public appointments and he has not undertaken any political activity during the past five years.

The re-appointments to CCEA were made in accordance with the Code of Practice of the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland. Appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, the Commissioner requires the political activity of appointees to be published. (See relevant details under each candidate’s name).

Media enquiries in relation to CCEA to the Department of Education Press Office Tel: 028 9127 9207. Out of office hours, contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 99 715 440 and your call will be returned.

Ben Wallace travelled to NATO HQ to discuss emerging technologies and non-conventional warfighting with fellow defence ministers, and agreed plans to ensure that NATO forces are ready to respond at short notice.

Ministers also discussed the situation in north east Syria, as well as the ongoing missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At the final Defence Ministerial before the Leaders’ Meeting in December, the Defence Secretary hosted a discussion with his Ukrainian counterpart and the ‘Quint’ Group; the US, Canada, Lithuania and Poland. He held bilateral meetings with his German, French, Danish, Italian, Swedish, Turkish and Georgian counterparts.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

I am delighted to be attending my first NATO Defence Ministerial. We have discussed a range of important topics, from emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and hypersonic missiles, to the valuable work on security sector reform in Iraq.

Battlefield techniques are advancing rapidly, with our adversaries using increasingly varied methods to disrupt the international rules-based order. As an alliance we face complex security challenges, but NATO will continue to play a vital role in keeping the world safe and acting as a force for stability.

I look forward to the UK hosting NATO leaders in December, where we will celebrate NATO’s 70th anniversary and discuss how to further strengthen the alliance.

During the event, the Defence Secretary also presented NATO’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, with a poppy, on the day that the Royal British Legion launched their 2019 Poppy Appeal, marking the sacrifice and service of the armed forces community.

The UK continues to have the largest defence budget in Europe and the second largest in NATO. Thousands of our Armed Forces personnel work every day with NATO allies across the world.

The UK has nearly one thousand personnel in the alliance’s command structure and contributes across NATO’s operations, from Afghanistan and Iraq to the Enhanced Forward Presence in Estonia and Poland, and air policing in Iceland and the Baltics.

In December the NATO Leaders’ Meeting will be held in London, which will see the alliance come back to its first home in its 70th anniversary year.