News story: Crime news: attend a drop-in session about the Common Platform

Drop-in sessions provide opportunity to find out more about the Common Platform and what it means for your work.

Common Platform drop-in sessions are now available to learn more about digital working plans for the criminal justice system (CJS) and how it affects your work.

The ‘defence awareness days’ drop-in sessions are being run from September to October 2017 and give you the chance to find out:

  • what the Common Platform is
  • what it means for you as a defence practitioner
  • how it will evolve
  • how the Common Platform is being built
  • how to get involved and help shape the system

What is the Common Platform?

It is a new way of working for partners across CJS which allows practitioners to securely access case management information where and when they need to.

It means you can work at a variety of locations at times to suit your work pattern.

A new digital system will allow defendants, victims, witnesses and professional users to interact on-line. The idea is to deliver a unified way of working for HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and make everything available in one secure location.

This can then be accessed by defence practitioners as well as HMCTS, CPS, police and the judiciary.

How can I find out more?

Details of the locations, dates and times of events near you are available below:

CJS Common Platform programme defence awareness days – schedule of events

HMCTS email updates – sign up for regular HMCTS news alerts



News story: Hurricane Irma: government response and advice

Published:
6 September 2017

Updated:
7 September 2017


+ full page history


  1. Latest ministerial statements added

  2. First published.


News story: Some of our services are temporarily unavailable

The services affected are:

  • MapSearch
  • Online Owner Verification
  • INSPIRE View
  • Extract Polygon
  • Flood Risk Indicator

We cannot say when the services will be available again, but there will be further messages about this as soon as an update can be given.

We apologise for the inconvenience caused.

The services became available again after 12 noon.



Press release: Powick weir public drop-in event

The drop-in session will be held on Monday 18 September 2017, 2pm to 6:30pm at:

Callow End Village Hall
Upton Road
Callow End
Worcester
WR2 4TA

The Environment Agency is a partner in a major project – Unlocking the Severn – which aims to significantly increase populations of fish on the rivers Severn and Teme by removing barriers and enabling fish to migrate upstream to their historic breeding grounds. Through work at a number of key sites on both rivers, including Powick weir, the project will reopen 250km of river habitat for all fish species and secure the UK breeding population of the rare twaite shad.

As owners of Powick weir, the Environment Agency investigated options which would maintain and improve fish stocks in the River Teme. When assessing options to improve fish passage, each weir is considered carefully from environmental, navigational, operational and flood risk perspectives. The Environment Agency has fully considered the options available for fish passage and is confident that partial weir removal is the best solution for this location as it will achieve the best long term environmental benefit for the River Teme.

David Clarke, Project Executive from the Environment Agency said:

Weirs are physical barriers to fish migration and great progress has been made in enabling fish to access the upper reaches of rivers again in recent years.

Over the last year we have carried out detailed assessments, habitat and aerial surveys, and modelling work to plan the best solution for the Powick weir site – for improved fish passage and to assist the natural recovery of the river. The upcoming drop-in event is an opportunity to provide an update to interested parties on our plans, ahead of work starting in June 2018.

There will be information displays and representatives from the Environment Agency available at the session to answer questions and to discuss the scheme in greater detail.



News story: Near miss at Magdalen Road level crossing, Watlington

Near miss between passenger train and car at Magdalen Road level crossing, Watlington, Norfolk, 9 August 2017.

At around 08.51 hrs on 9 August 2017, a passenger train travelling at low speed when departing from platform 1 at Watlington station, passed over Magdalen Road level crossing with the barriers in the raised position and narrowly missed a moving car.

We have undertaken a preliminary examination into the circumstances surrounding this incident. Having assessed the evidence which has been gathered to date, we have decided to publish a safety digest.

The safety digest will shortly be made available on our website.