Four new commissioners have been appointed to the government’s Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission, it has been confirmed today (13 February 2019).

Established at the start of this year, the Commission will advise the government by developing practical measures to ensure new housing developments meet the needs and expectations of communities, making them more likely to be welcomed rather than resisted.

The 4 new commissioners joining the Chair of the Commission Sir Roger Scruton are:

• Ms Gail Mayhew – a property consultant with experience in regeneration and place making; Ms Mayhew is currently advising Urban Catalyst in the regeneration of Purfleet in Thurrock; she is an advocate of community engagement in the planning process, assisting groups to change the design of major proposals to better reflect and fit in with their surroundings

• Ms Mary Parsons – currently the Chair and a trustee of the Town and Country Planning Association, Ms Parsons has over 25 years’ experience working in the development and construction sector and is a Group Director of Places for People; developments she is presently responsible for include a 10,000 home new community at Gilston in Hertfordshire, 2 new neighbourhoods on the Olympic Park and a new urban neighbourhood in Birmingham

• Mr Nicholas Boys Smith – the founding director of Create Streets, which was set up to promote high density, beautiful, street-based developments that involve the community; Mr Boys Smith has also led urban design projects and studies into the built environment, publishing a number of influential books on the role of design and architecture

• Mr Kim Wilkie – a renowned landscape architect and environmental planner, Mr Wilkie has sat on several bodies advising on design and beauty – including the Mayor of London’s Public Realm Advisory Group and the Royal Parks Advisory Board; he also holds an Honorary Fellowship at the Royal Institute of British Architects and is currently leading the redesign of the Natural History Museum’s historic grounds

Experienced parliamentarian Sir John Hayes MP will also support the Commission, adding valuable insight from his decades of service as an MP and former government minister

An additional 9 specialist advisors will also assist during the work.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

This Commission will play a crucial role in ensuring the homes communities need are built, accepted and loved by those who live in and near them.

I’m delighted Sir Roger is being joined by such a talented team of highly-respected professionals, along with a list of distinguished advisors who will bring a wealth of expertise and a range of viewpoints.

Meeting once a month, the Commission will report back in due course once it has taken evidence and formulated its recommendations on how the government can improve the quality of new homes.

Sir Roger Scruton and Commissioners will be attending and contributing to the government’s ‘Better Design for Better Places’ Conference, which is focused on promoting the building of better and more beautiful places for people to live. This conference, the second of its kind since the first was held last year, will take place this Thursday 14 February in Birmingham.

Find more information on the programme for the conference.

The Commission was announced in November 2018. It has 3 aims:

1. To promote better design and style of homes, villages, towns and high streets, to reflect what communities want, building on the knowledge and tradition of what they know works for their area.
2. To explore how new settlements can be developed with greater community consent.
3. To make the planning system work in support of better design and style, not against it.

A series of specialist advisers will also join the commission, supporting specific aspects of work. They are:

• Stephen Stone, Executive Chairman of Crest Nicholson
• Sunand Prasad, Senior Partner and co-founder of Penoyre & Prasad and past President of the RIBA
• Ben Bolgar, Senior Director of Prince’s Foundation
• Dame Fiona Reynolds DBE, Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge
• Adrian Penfold OBE, Advisor in Planning and Public Affairs
• Peter Studdert, Chair of Quality Review Panels for the LLDC and LB of Haringey
• Patrick James, Founding Director of The Landscape Agency
• Paul Monaghan, Director of AHMM and Design Council Trustee
• Yolande Barnes, Professor of Real Estate at UCL

Thank you Mr President and may I also thank all of our briefers. Mr President, the Russian Ambassador spoke at length and in colourful and imaginative language about many other actors as he introduced this topic but he said nothing about Russia’s role. The German Ambassador – an eyewitness to Minsk -showed us why with his accounts of the events of the time and Russia’s actions.

Mr President, the United Kingdom welcomes this opportunity to discuss the repeated violations of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity at the hands of Russia. Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine is not limited to the Donbas and Crimea – Russia seeks to undermine Ukraine at every opportunity; undermining the ceasefire; supplying the Russian-backed separatists with weapons and calling illegitimate elections- all in breach of the Minsk agreement. These actions have a tragic impact on the lives of Ukrainian civilians. As the French Ambassador said: in the five years since this conflict began, over 12,800 people have lost their lives. Almost 25,000 have been injured. And 3.5 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. Russia bears a heavy responsibility for the ongoing loss of life.

Despite the parties recommitment the ceasefire on 29 December, violations are increasing and that continues to be military activity in the disengagement zones. However, our understanding of the situation within non-government controlled territory is limited because the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission is unable to carry out its mandate. It is unable to do so because of Russia’s repeated refusal to support the Special Monitoring Mission. This threatens the ceasefire and ultimately the security of Ukraine and the wider region. A raft of incidents that Russia is yet to provide an explanation for, only reinforces this conclusion. For example, the downing of an SMM long range UAV near the Ukraine-Russia border, outside Ukraine government control last year. And just last week, SMM twice observed the Russian electronic jamming system ‘ZHITEL’ in the Donbas. I would ask the Russian Ambassador to ensure his country’s support for the Special Monitoring Mission and to allow them to observe. I ask what people have to hide?

Mr President, a further example of Russian attempts to destabilise Ukraine is the illegitimate elections in the non-government controlled territories of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic in the Donbas last November. This represents a clear breach of the Minsk agreements and unnecessarily increases tensions. Russia could use its considerable influence on the Russian backed separatists to encourage them to comply with them its commitments. Instead Russia fuels the conflict by supplying weapons and personnel to the armed formations.

Mr President, next month marks the fifth anniversary of the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia. And it’s worth reminding ourselves of the facts. In response to Russia’s plans for an illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea. The Security Council on the 15th March 2014 voted on a draft resolution that reaffirmed the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine and noted that Ukraine had not authorised the referendum and that it had no validity. Russia vetoed that resolution. Following the illegal and illegitimate referendum in Crimea on 16th March, on 27th March 2014, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 68262 supported by one hundred member states which affirmed the General Assembly’s commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognised borders and underscored the invalidity of the referendum.

Mr President, we not only object to the illegal annexation of Crimea because it is illegal. We also object to it due to the Russian government’s appalling treatment of many of those who live there. Human rights violations are prevalent. Ethnic and religious groups such as the Crimean Tatars are persecuted. Mr President, despite calls in General Assembly resolutions for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Crimea, Russia continues to refuse. We, the international community must stand united and call for Russia to release all political prisoners and allow urgent, unrestricted access for human rights monitoring organisations immediately. Again, what does the Russian Federation not want the world to see?

Mr President, less than three months ago, Russian authorities admitted to using force in the Black Sea to seize three Ukrainian naval vessels injuring three Ukrainian servicemen. These actions are not in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and they are a blatant attempt to destabilise Ukraine by harming economic activities of other ports of the Berdyansk and Mariupol -hampering Ukraine’s ability to manage its economy. Let me be clear, Mr President, Russia’s actions in Ukraine have no basis in international law. We cannot and will not ignore such actions. They represent a serious challenge to the international rules-based order. This is an order which benefits us all and keeps us safe. To protect it, the international community must continue to stand united and remain focused on Russia’s behaviour and its attempts to integrate Crimea into Russia – including through the construction of a bridge across the Kerch straits.

I would like to end by reiterating the United Kingdom’s full support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity – including within its internationally recognised borders and territorial waters. We look forward to discussing the situation in Ukraine further at the forthcoming General Assembly debate on 20th February. And I take note of the Russian Ambassador’s enthusiasm for Security Council meetings on Ukraine and look forward next time to hearing about what Russia is doing to meet its obligations and bring an end to the suffering of the people of Ukraine. Thank you, Mr President.

The Biometrics and Forensics Ethics Group (BFEG), a non-departmental public body, will now be asked to consider ethical issues relating to large and complex data sets. The BFEG will provide independent oversight of the Data Ethics Governance Framework, which was established to ensure balanced consideration of the use of data within the Home Office.

The move is aimed at strengthening the public’s assurance on the use of data within the department.

Chris Hughes OBE, Chair of the BFEG, said:

With ever increasing volumes of data and the implementation of new data protection legislation it’s more appropriate than ever to expand the BFEG remit to consider large and complex data sets.

The expansion will build on the committee’s existing work and will work to ensure that the use of an individual’s personal data is legitimate and proportionate, contributing to justified trust in the Home Office.

The BFEG will continue to consider the ethical aspects of:

• the application and operation of technologies which produce biometric and forensic data and identifiers;
• ethical issues relating to scientific services provided to the police service and other public bodies within the criminal justice system;
• applications for research involving access to biometric or forensic data; and
• matters relating to the management, operation and use of biometric or forensic data.

Published 12 February 2019

LLWR has funded a new £1,500 medical kit that will help save lives in rural parts of west Cumbria.

The company answered a call from Community First Responder Karen Eddy, a Building Manager on the LLWR Site, who asked for help to supply a new kit for the Bootle & District Group, including defibrillator, oxygen and pulse oximeter.

Typically, First Responders will be called out in cases of an immediate threat to life, such as a suspected heart attack, stroke or respiratory arrest, where they can be expected to arrive ahead of an ambulance, so they provide an invaluable lifeline, particularly in country areas.

Karen is also a member of the Gosforth & District Group, and her patch includes Drigg, Calderbridge, Ravenglass, Gosforth, Eskdale and Wasdale.

“We are absolutely over the moon with this donation,” she said. “Without it we would not have been able to get the kit. Although we work on a voluntary basis for North West Ambulance Service, we fund all our own equipment, through donations and fundraising.”

Karen can be called out a couple of times a week and is permitted by LLWR to leave work in the event of an emergency in the local community. She is permanently on call and was a little late into work one morning recently after being called out TWICE on the same night. But she loves the unpaid role.

“If you can help save a life, what more can you do?” she added. “It’s the ultimate.

“The Bootle & District Group will be at the Black Combe Country Fair in August to promote our case and give people a chance to try CPR and other life saving techniques.

“We rely on donations from our local community to keep our equipment up to date and our bleeps functioning so are always looking for opportunities to raise awareness.”

Karen is one of many at LLWR who volunteer to give their time in community roles, and the company supports their efforts with special leave when required.

Cath Giel, Head of Public Affairs, said: “It’s only fair that when those such as Karen show such incredible community spirit, we get behind them. Karen and her colleagues in the First Responders are doing a remarkable job.”

For further information on the role of Community First Responder go to www.nwas-responders.info

The dial-in will be held on 27 February 2019, 10:00am to 12:00pm

A dial-in session providing further detail on the problem space and a chance to ask questions in an open forum. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.

The 1-2-1s will be held on 28 February 2019, 9:00am to 12:00pm

A series of 20-minute one-to-one teleconference sessions; giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.

Please sign up using the Eventbrite links and contact accelerator@dstl.gov.uk with any questions.

Published 12 February 2019