The most serious violent and sexual offenders will face longer behind bars under plans to better protect the public and restore confidence in the justice system, Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland QC MP has announced.

The move will abolish the current automatic half-way release for those serious offenders who currently receive standard fixed-term sentences, including those found guilty of rape, manslaughter and GBH. Instead they will be required to serve two-thirds of their sentence in prison and subject to strict licence conditions on release.

Since 2005 the majority of these criminals serve what is known as ‘standard determinate sentences’ and are released automatically at the half-way point, serving the second half of their sentence in the community. The government will change the release point to two-thirds to ensure the most serious offenders serve longer in prison – providing greater assurance to victims and the public that sentences will reflect the severity of their crime. Offenders will then be subject to close supervision on their return to the community.

Tougher community sentences will also be introduced with a national roll-out beginning next year of alcohol monitoring sobriety tags.  The tags perform around-the-clock monitoring of alcohol in an offender’s perspiration. If they drink – breaching their alcohol abstinence order – they can be returned to court for further sanctions. A pilot in London showed over 90% compliance with the order.

Today’s (1 October 2019) announcement follows an urgent review into sentencing ordered by the Prime Minister, to ensure the public are properly protected from the most serious violent and sexual criminals and build faith amongst victims that justice will be served.

It comes as an extra £2.5 billion investment has been announced to create 10,000 extra prison places, starting with the new Full Sutton prison. This is alongside government plans to recruit 20,000 new police officers over the next 3 years and invest a further £85 million to the Crown Prosecutions Service to cope with caseload demands.

Notes to editors

• There are range of sentences available to violent and sexual offenders which include:
  • A life sentence – offender spends minimum period or “tariff” in prison before being considered for release by the Parole Board. The offender may therefore never be released. If released, offenders spend the rest of their life on licence and can be recalled to custody.
  • Extended Determinate Sentence – offender becomes eligible to be considered for release by the Parole Board from the two-thirds point but can serve the full term in prison if not assessed to be safe to release earlier. The custodial term is followed by an extended period on licence for on-going public protection (of up to eight years for sex offenders and five years for violent offenders).   
  • Standard Determinate Sentence – the offender will be automatically released at the half way point in this sentence and be on licence in the community for the second half of the sentence.  Those serving short sentences will have additional supervision in the community for a minimum period of 12 months. 
• The vast majority of offenders who are sentenced for serious sexual and violent offences which carry a maximum life sentence receive a Standard Determinate Sentence.
• In 2018, there were over 4,000 Standard Determinate Sentences imposed for sexual /violent offences which carry a maximum penalty of life. There were around 250 Extended Determinate Sentences, and 400 life sentences for such offences.
• The changes will apply to the most serious violent or sexual offences which carry a maximum penalty of life. This could include crimes such as manslaughter, rape or GBH.

A new £25 million fund to tackle burglary, theft and other offences in crime hotspots has been announced by the Home Office today.

Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) across England and Wales will be able to bid for Safer Streets Fund investment for measures aimed at preventing acquisitive crime in disproportionately affected areas.

Initiatives could target vehicle theft, robbery or burglary, among other crimes, and could include interventions to improve home security, such as installing better locks and gating alleyways, and make streets better lit at night.

Each crime prevention plan will have the potential to make communities safer while freeing up the time of police and other agencies to focus on more complex crimes.

The fund has been designed to ensure local communities can participate in the development of these plans and will also include money for community projects that complement them.

It will also target areas disproportionately affected by these crimes. Analysis shows that robberies, burglaries and theft disproportionately take place within certain communities – in 2017-18, the top 5% of local areas recorded 23% of all acquisitive crimes.

PCCs must work with local authorities and other partners to develop these plans, which need to be based on evidence, demonstrate value for money and engage local communities.

As they are rolled out, each initiative will be assessed to help inform future government investments.

Funding will be available to areas from April 2020.

The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and the Local Government Association were among those consulted on the design of the fund.

The Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced a surge of activity to crack down on county lines drugs gangs.

The package of measures – underpinned by £20 million of Home Office investment – will intensify law enforcement efforts to disrupt the county lines model.

The new package of announcements includes:

Expanding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre

There will be additional investment into the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to increase its activity, providing strengthened capability and capacity at a regional and national level to disrupt county lines. This will include placing more officers and staff into the centre and providing additional strategic resource to regional organised crime units.

The National County Lines Co-ordination Centre brings together a multi-agency team of experts from the National Crime Agency (NCA), police officers and regional organised crime units to tackle the issue of county lines through sharing intelligence, working with partners across government and taking concerted action.

Since it opened a year ago, the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre has co-ordinated action which led to over 1,800 arrests and has safeguarded over 2,400 vulnerable people – including more than 1,000 children.

Increased disruption on rail networks

Rail networks remain a key method of transportation for county lines gangs. There will be British Transport Police teams that work exclusively on county lines, and will be based at a number of railway stations across England that are key hubs for county lines drug trafficking.

Investment in technology to disrupt county lines operations

Roads are also used to transport offenders, victims, drugs, cash and weapons. Enhanced data analysis using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) will enable police to proactively target vehicles suspected of being used in county lines activity.

Working with money service bureaus to tackle illicit finance

County lines is a cash-driven activity. The government will intensify operations to identify opportunities to take action against money service bureaus, enabling increased cash seizures and arrests for money laundering.

Increasing support services for county lines victims

County lines gangs operate their business through exploiting children and vulnerable people. The government will develop an expanded national specialist support service to help young people and their families exit their involvement in county lines.

This package will significantly bolster our response to county lines. Alongside these measures, in September the Chancellor announced a formal review to identify the powers, capabilities, governance and funding needed to develop our response to serious and organised crime ahead of a full spending review next year.

Background

As part of preparations for exiting the EU, Defra are issuing and collating guidance to ensure that businesses are aware of forthcoming changes and ready for Brexit. The guidance includes events, webinars and documents describing steps that agri-food business need to undertake to be ready.

Events and webinars

Brexit Business Readiness Events

The Government is arranging Brexit Business Readiness Events across the UK to help you prepare, starting Monday 16 September. Take part in a free event in your area to meet government advisers and to find out what actions your business needs to take to prepare.

The events will combine a keynote address, interactive support, advice stands and in-depth sessions led by subject matter experts. They will provide you with specific business-focused advice and help. Register to attend an event

Department for International Trade (DIT): “Get ready for Brexit” business-facing workshops

As part of ongoing support for businesses, the Department for International Trade are running a series of events to help exporters to get ready for Brexit on 31 October. These events will be particularly useful for businesses who are exporting to the EU.

You’ll leave the event with a personalised action plan to prepare your business for Brexit. DIT will talk about impact to supply chains, changes to regulations and contracts, where to find tariff information, and what you might need to speak to customers and employees about, among a range of other topics.

See dates, locations and sign up – limited registration place available.

HMRC: “Getting ready for Brexit” webinars

HMRC are running a number of webinars for UK businesses involved in the movement of goods between the EU and the UK. Find out what you need to know to keep importing and exporting by signing up for a webinar.

New and updated guidance

Preparing hauliers and commercial drivers for Brexit

This week, the Department for Transport launched a new campaign to help hauliers and commercial drivers get ready for Brexit and ensure they have what they need from traders to get through border customs smoothly.

Hauliers and commercial drivers should make sure they have the correct documentation to travel to, from or through the EU when the UK leaves the EU.

Read the handbook for more information (published 9 September).

EORI mythbuster

An Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number is a unique customs ID for businesses.

To help you get ready for Brexit, HMRC have published an EORI mythbuster (published 9 September) which dispels common misconceptions about EORI numbers. We also have resources to help you prepare for importing and exporting after Brexit.

Trade continuity agreement with six African nations

On Tuesday, 10 September, the UK agreed trade continuity with six African nations. This Economic Partnership Agreement with the Southern African Customs Union and Mozambique (SACU+M) will allow business to keep trading freely after Brexit.

Total trade in agri-food between the UK and SACU+M countries was £1.02 billion in 2018 (Note: 2018 data is subject to revision). The UK-SACU+M Economic Partnership Agreement will be subject to final checks before it is formally signed.

Read the full press release and find out which other trade agreements will be in place after Brexit (updated 12 September).

In addition, the details of the trade continuity agreement between the UK and South Korea have been published (updated 11 September).

UK employers sending workers to the EU, EEA or Switzerland

If your employee is working in the EU, EEA or Switzerland and has a UK-issued A1/E101 form, they will remain subject to UK legislation for the duration of the period shown on the form. However, if the date of their form goes beyond 31 October, please contact the relevant EU, EEA or Swiss authority to confirm whether your employee needs to start paying social security contributions in that country from that date, as well as National Insurance contributions in the UK.

Find out how to do this(published 4 April).

News and resources

Food and drink showcase dropbox with shareable resources

Click here or copy this link into a compatible browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari) to view the new Food and Drink sector showcase dropbox: https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/The-food-and-drink-sector-preparing-for-Brexit-3AcMHYJ8ofCGpw3EobAIm.

You are encouraged to download these assets for use on your own channels.

A new green standard for new build homes will bring an environmental revolution to home building – tackling climate change while keeping household bills low.

Unveiled by the Housing Secretary, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP, the Future Homes Standard will see polluting fossil fuel heating systems such as gas boilers banned from new homes by 2025 and replaced with the latest generation of clean technology – such as air source heat pumps and cutting-edge solar panels.

Ministers will also consult on a new blueprint to overhaul the planning system in order to create a simpler, fairer system that works for everyone – from home owners to small and medium businesses, local communities to housing developers.

The government has also announced plans for a new national design code that will ensure developers build beautiful, well designed homes that people are proud to live in.

In the coming months, every single local authority across the country will be expected to produce their own design guide which reflects their unique setting, character and history, while meeting the expected national standard.

Housing Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:

Building new homes isn’t just about bricks and mortar, I want to ensure everyone – including developers – do their bit to protect the environment and give the next generation beautiful, environmentally friendly homes that local communities can support.

That’s why I am requiring carbon emissions are cut by up to 80% from 2025 for all new homes and have published a National Design Guide, setting out simply what we expect from new development.

We are also reforming the planning system making it faster and more efficient for everyone, from households to large developers, alongside giving families greater freedom to extend their homes to meet their changing needs.

Future Homes Standard

The government has launched a consultation on stronger building regulations that will pave the way for the Future Homes Standard.

The 2020 changes aim to improve the environment by cutting carbon emissions in new homes by almost a third, while keeping bills low.

Using new technologies such as air source heat pumps and the latest generation of solar panels, developers will need to ensure they are doing their bit to tackle the threat of climate change.

Views are being sought on how changes to building regulations can drive down the carbon footprint of homes built after 2025 – including changes to the ventilation and efficiency requirements as well as the role of councils in getting the best energy standards from developers. The consultation will run until January 2020.

Homeowners could potentially save on their energy bills as developments in the fabric of buildings, such as wall insulation and heating, help drive down the cost of keeping homes warm.

Accelerated planning green paper

The government has also confirmed proposals to speed up the planning system, including the potential for more fees to be refunded if councils take too long to decide on specific planning applications.

The move will benefit all planning applicants, from housing developers to individual householders seeking to extend or modify their own home, as it ensures councils work at pace to decide proposals.

Local residents will no longer have to contend with a complicated and outdated planning system, but a more user-friendly approach designed to simply the process. Small developers will similarly benefit from the simplification of guidance, with the introduction of a new tiered planning system.

Application fees will also be reviewed to ensure council planning departments are properly resourced, providing more qualified planners to process applications for new homes and other proposals.

The accelerated planning green paper will be published in November 2019. Government has also set out its ambition to reduce planning conditions by a third, and will take forward proposals to allow homes to be built above existing properties as well as seeking views on demolishing old commercial buildings for new housing, revitalising high streets in the process.

Design quality

The first-ever government-backed National Model Design Code will be published in the New Year, and will set out a clear model for promoting a better design and style of homes across the country, shaped by what local people want.

The government has been clear that new builds must fit into existing communities, which means they are more likely to be welcomed by residents and provide places people will love to call home.

A new National Design Guide has also been published today, setting out a blueprint for how local authorities can achieve quality and great design, and recommends what developers need to deliver to help win the support of communities – ensuring new homes are built quicker and better.

The document also asks councils to prepare and implement their own design codes, in line with the national standard, which can reflect their unique setting and character.

Pocket parks

Reflecting on the benefits that parks and green spaces bring to local life, the government has confirmed further new funding for another round of the pocket parks programme, helping communities transform unloved, neglected or derelict urban areas into new green spaces.

Reimagined spaces will be used for everything from children’s play areas, to vegetable patches and community events, benefiting the mental and physical health of people who use them.

Funded projects will be led by community groups, in partnership with local authorities, to refurbish parks and encourage community activities.

This is part of the government’s ambition to ensure that communities have a real sense of identity and place, and that everyone has the opportunity to enjoy green spaces nearby.

Further information

Future Homes Standard

The Future Homes Standard will set minimum environmental standards for all new housing, including a commitment to removing traditional fossil fuel heating systems from 2025.

A further consultation on the Future Homes Standard will follow in the coming months, proposing changes to the energy efficiency standards for non-domestic buildings and for building work to existing homes and non-domestic buildings; and on preventing overheating in buildings.

Pocket parks

An additional £1.35 million has been made available for local communities.

It follows an initial £3.7 million fund was created for new pocket parks and to allow the refurbishment of existing parks. Winners were announced in March 2019 with over 150 communities right across the country receiving funding.