Tag Archives: HM Government

Almost £500,000 will be awarded to community projects to tackle the blight of littering, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey announced today.

The money will support the development of new innovation and approaches for tackling litter, from behavioural research for better positioned bins and recycling points so more people throw their rubbish away, to digital technology. This includes apps and ‘smart-bins’ that can text alerts to rubbish collectors when they are full, stopping nasty litter from spilling out onto our high streets or leading people to litter nearby.

Cleaning up the country’s streets costs the tax payer almost £800 million a year when much of this is avoidable litter, and money that could be better spent in the community.

Despite this, a worrying 1 in 5 people have admitted to dropping litter in the past. As we head into the bank holiday weekend, with people out enjoying the warm weather, they are reminded to throw their rubbish in bins or take their rubbish home, rather than spoil our spaces with rubbish.

The Litter Innovation Fund will support local areas to crack down and reduce littering in our communities by enabling local authorities, community groups, charities, educational institutions, and small and medium enterprises to apply for funding towards innovative and creative solutions to the problem.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey, said:

Tackling the litter that blights streets across our country is an important part of our drive to be the first generation to leave our environment in a better state than we found it. I pay tribute to those who help clear up our pavements and verges.

The Litter Innovation Fund offers a great opportunity for the most creative solutions to littering to receive funding and for us all to learn new ways of how to stop littering happening. 10% of the fund is entirely dedicated to preventing marine litter, a growing problem with global consequences for our precious marine environment.

I encourage groups to get involved and showcase the wealth of options there are out there to tackle littering. Let’s help people make the right choices.

Communities Minister Marcus Jones, said:

The Litter Strategy detailed our plans on education and awareness, improving enforcement and better cleaning and infrastructure. I said in that strategy that I am passionate about our need to reduce litter in this country and I meant it.

Many areas are similarly keen to tackle litter locally by encouraging their communities to bin their rubbish properly rather than littering their streets and green spaces.

We are looking to support the most creative plans with a funding boost from the Litter Innovation Fund.

Welcoming the fund’s launch, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton, said:

Innovation is vital if we are to change the behaviour of the minority of people who still think it is OK to drop their rubbish on the ground for someone else to pick up.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Centre for Social Innovation was created to develop and test new approaches to behaviour change and we are delighted to see the Government has recognised the importance of innovation to tackle the blight of littering in our country.

All projects will be measured and evaluated to assess their effectiveness and the most successful could be rolled out more widely. This will ensure local authorities and communities make the best use of a host of innovative solutions in focussing their resources to tackle the scourge of litter.

In addition, some £45,000 of the fund will be exclusively dedicated to projects designed to address marine littering and help prevent the amount of plastic entering our oceans.

The fund builds on the Government’s wider Litter Strategy for England and the Government today has also published responses to the public consultation on penalties for environmental offences including littering.

Information for applicants to the Litter Innovation Fund can be found on WRAP’s website from 10am on Saturday 26 August.

For further information please contact Defra press office on out of hours on 0345 051 8486.

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One of our key suppliers is experiencing technical issues, which can prevent access to some of our online services.

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The consultation on the design competition for the UK’s Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is coming to a close. The project will create a national space for remembrance as well as challenging visitors to stand up against hatred and prejudice.

The online feedback portal, where anyone can see and give feedback on the designs, will close at 7pm Wednesday 30 August 2017.

The international design competition sought to harness the very best architectural talent to create an emotionally powerful and sensitively designed memorial. 92 design teams expressed an interest in the project, with a shortlist of ten invited to submit concept designs.

The opportunity for the public to feed in their view to the Jury was announced in January 2017 and a number of exhibitions have since taken place around the country. The Jury will meet to make its decision in September 2017.

Public feedback received as part of the consultation will be given to the independent Jury to consider before making its decision. The final decision for the schemes and winner will sit with the Jury.

The designs have most recently been displayed at the V&A where visitors were able to see and feedback on the designs as well as take part in a number of events involving Holocaust survivors.

The Jury is comprised of:

• Sir Peter Bazalgette (Chair)
• Rt Hon Sajid Javid MP, Communities and Local Government Secretary
• Rt Hon Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London
• Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis
• Samantha Cohen, Assistant Private Secretary to Her Majesty The Queen
• Charlotte Cohen, Holocaust Commission Youth Commissioner
• Alice Greenwald, President and CEO of 9/11 Memorial and Museum
• Ben Helfgott MBE, Holocaust survivor
• Natasha Kaplinsky OBE, Broadcaster
• Lord Daniel Finkelstein OBE, Journalist
• Dame Julia Peyton-Jones DBE, Former Director of Serpentine Gallery
• Sarah Weir OBE, CEO of Design Council
• Paul Williams OBE, Stanton Williams Architects.

The United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial International Design Competition is being run in accordance with EU procurement guidelines and the Public Contract Regulations 2015. This competition is being organised by Malcolm Reading Consultants and has been advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) on behalf of the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

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The latest quarterly Home Office migration statistics, which were published on Thursday (24 August) show that over 1,200 refugees arrived through the scheme in the second quarter of 2017, meaning over a third of the 20,000 refugees the UK government pledged to resettle by 2020 are already in the UK. Approximately half of those who have arrived under the scheme are children.

Today’s figures also show Syrian refugees have been housed by more than 200 local authorities across the United Kingdom. The government continues to work with councils and devolved administrations to ensure placements are available as more vulnerable people arrive.

Immigration Minister Brandon Lewis said:

I’m delighted with the significant progress we have made with the VPR scheme. Over 8,500 people have been resettled and more are arriving every month.

We will continue to work with local authorities and the UNHCR, whose hard work so far has made sure that the scheme is a success, to provide those who have been displaced by conflict with a safe environment and the opportunity to rebuild their lives.

In September 2015, the government pledged to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrians who have fled the conflict in Syria to neighbouring countries by 2020. Last month, the scheme was expanded to include refugees of all nationalities. Additionally 3,000 children and adults will be resettled from the Middle East and North Africa through our Vulnerable Children’s Resettlement Scheme.

Additionally, in July the government announced £1 million funding to help communities support refugees through the Community Sponsorship scheme. The scheme has been running for a year and 53 refugees have been welcomed by 10 community groups across the UK.

The government has also already pledged £10m in English language funding to help Syrian families improve their English language skills. This is vital to help those coming to the UK find work, gain independence and give back to the communities that have welcomed them.

These resettlement schemes are only one of the ways the government is supporting vulnerable children and adults who have fled danger and conflict. The UK government remains the second largest donor in humanitarian assistance and has pledged £2.46 billion in aid to Syria and the neighbouring countries.

The UK has also provided humanitarian support in response to the Mediterranean migration crisis of more than £100 million since October 2015. This includes providing winter clothing, hygiene kits and emergency medical care for those rescued at sea as well as protection for women and girls at risk of being trafficked.

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