In November, the GPA announced it was recruiting for more than 100 roles to support the delivery of its essential role as part of key Government initiatives – such as the Levelling Up agenda and Net Zero initiative. The GPA also manages more than 880,000 square metres of offices in all parts of the United Kingdom on behalf of Government departments.

Yvette Greener joins on a 12-month loan from HM Revenue and Customs. She specialises in operational delivery and business transformation, and has experience in several government departments. At HMRC, Yvette was the Programme Director of its Border Infrastructure Programme delivering Inland Border Facilities. Prior to this, she led HMRC’s strategic workforce planning and stakeholder engagement for the department’s move to 13 regional centres as Phase 1 of the Government Hubs Programme. At the GPA, Yvette will champion client satisfaction, acting for them and as the client’s voice within the GPA.

Clive Anderson has 30 years experience in the industry and has significant experience delivering for commercial clients, and latterly within the Department of Work and Pensions. Clive has led complex, large-scale infrastructure and property development programmes across the UK and overseas. He will continue to drive forward GPA’s delivery of the Government Hubs and Whitehall Campus Programmes, as well as leading its design standards to deliver a smaller, better and greener Public Estate.

Steven Boyd, CEO of the GPA, said: “As the delivery body for the Government’s office portfolio, we have a huge role in many crucial initiatives, and these appointments will be key to our success. Yvette’s strategic client expertise and exceptional transformation experience will really strengthen our senior team. Clive’s experience in overseeing and delivering complex industry-leading capital projects will be invaluable to us as the Government Hubs Programme gathers momentum. I am delighted to welcome them both. We will continue to seek out the best talent in both private and public sectors as we build our team.”

Yvette Greener said: “I am extremely pleased to be joining the Government Property Agency as its Client Director. This is such an important time as we continue to grow as an organisation. We represent the best covenant in the UK – Her Majesty’s Government – and we are providing industry-leading services and solutions for our clients and customers. I look forward to playing my role in creating ever greater places to work for the UK’s civil servants.”

Clive Anderson said: “I am delighted to take up the role of Director of Capital Projects. It draws upon all my skills and experience to deliver perhaps the most significant office development and transformation programme in the UK. It also offers the chance to undertake a career-defining role supporting growth across the UK through investment in a sustainable and value-for-money Government estate.”

The GPA is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office formed in 2018. It is responsible for delivering the Government’s property agenda across its office and warehouse portfolios, and also provides guidance on workplace services including design, technology, sustainability, and the customer experience.

In addition to the Government’s Hubs Programme, the GPA has a crucial role in Civil Service Reform and the Government’s Net Zero initiative. The GPA is pioneering best practice as it offers guidance and leads by example in delivering sustainability across the Government’s office portfolio.

Today (24 January 2022) the government will introduce the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill – a key part of Building Back Better after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Alongside the High Speed Rail (Crewe – Manchester) Bill and accompanying Environmental Statement, the government is also publishing:

The Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP) set out the government’s commitment to invest in rail infrastructure across the North and Midlands. Delivering the Western Leg of HS2 is a vital part of this commitment. This includes plans for the Crewe Hub and Crewe Northern Connection, allowing HS2 trains to call at Crewe and Manchester and enhancing connectivity to north-west England, Wales, and Scotland.

This next stage of HS2 from Crewe to Manchester will increase passenger capacity, improve connectivity, and reduce journey times. It is integral to delivering on the government’s commitment to level-up the country. HS2 will join up the North, Midlands, and London by effectively halving the journey times between the centres of the UK’s 3 largest cities. The scheme will contribute towards sustainable growth in towns, cities, and regions across the country, spreading prosperity and opportunity more widely. It will act as a catalyst for job creation, the development of new homes and ultimately, the regeneration of major cities and towns along the HS2 route.

HS2 will help provide a cleaner and greener form of transport, offering significantly lower carbon emissions per passenger kilometre than long distance car journeys or domestic air travel. HS2 has the potential to deliver world-class low-carbon transport to bring our biggest cities closer together, spread opportunity and support the UK’s transition to a ‘net zero’ economy.

The bill includes the powers necessary to construct and operate the HS2 route between Crewe and Manchester. It is accompanied by an Environmental Statement which describes the railway, alternatives considered, the environmental effects that are likely to arise from its construction and operation, and the measures proposed to avoid or reduce the negative effects. It has been informed by the consultation on the working draft Environmental Statement held in Autumn 2018 as well as through engagement with stakeholders. An Equalities Impact Assessment is also being published.

The government’s response to the Western Leg Design Refinement Consultation is an important part of introducing this bill. The October 2020 consultation set out 4 technical refinements to the Western Leg of Phase 2b:

• a new Crewe Northern Connection to support the vision for a Crewe Hub
• changes to the rolling stock depot at Crewe
• expansions to both Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport High Speed stations
• a new train depot at Annandale in Dumfries and Galloway

Having considered the feedback from all the respondents, the government has decided to confirm these 4 changes. 

The update on the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) sets out the clear, strategic case for the HS2 Crewe-Manchester scheme, together with up-to-date cost range for the programme of between £15 billion and £22 billion (2019 prices). This SOBC contains the first cost estimate that has been produced specifically for the scheme between Crewe and Manchester. As the project progresses in design maturity, the cost estimate will be further refined and will inform the Full Business Case, which will be presented to Parliament in due course.

Copies of the government’s response to the second Design Refinement Consultation will be made available in the libraries of both Houses and are also publicly accessible online through the GOV.UK website.

North West on track to benefit from faster and more reliable train journeys as bill for next phase of HS2 to be laid in Parliament news story, 24 January 2022.

Passengers across the North West are one step closer to faster, greener and more reliable train services as the government will today (24 January 2022) introduce the bill for the next phase of HS2.

Once approved, the High Speed Rail (Crewe to Manchester) Bill will allow HS2 to continue its journey from Crewe to Manchester, creating a new transport spine across the North West and boosting local economies through better connections, more capacity, improved reliability and slashed journey times.

This includes cutting travel from London to Manchester by around 55 minutes and Birmingham to Manchester by up to 45 minutes.

It is also set to bring 17,500 direct jobs to Northern communities supporting the construction of the Crewe to Manchester leg and thousands of further jobs in the supply chain expected to follow. This includes hundreds of highly skilled permanent jobs, including in rolling stock depots to be established north of Crewe, as well as in Dumfries and Galloway. 

The introduction of this bill marks the next chapter in a project that is already well underway by connecting 3 of England’s greatest cities – London, Birmingham and Manchester.

This next phase will give the North West the tools it needs to further generate economic growth and level up across the region, with new stations supporting one of the UK’s fastest-growing cities at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport.         

Part of the new high speed line will also be used for Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) services between Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool, helping cut the Manchester Piccadilly to Liverpool journey to 35 minutes and Leeds to Liverpool to around an hour and a quarter.

The construction of HS2 to Manchester will allow capacity to double, or more, on the routes between Manchester and London to Birmingham. 

When NPR is completed, similar capacity increases to Leeds and Liverpool will follow, with trains using the High Speed line and stations at Manchester.

The plans are all part of the £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan – the biggest ever public investment in Britain’s rail network – and the first of 3 new high speed lines being planned, to add more seats, shorten journey times, support local services and deliver a modern, fully connected transport network fit for Manchester and the North West.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: 

We are determined to improve transport connections and level up communities across the country and this bill marks a landmark moment as we bring HS2 to Manchester and lay the foundations for Northern Powerhouse Rail. 

Our £96 billion investment in rail in the North and Midlands and in connecting them to London will bring communities together, create thousands of jobs and make towns and cities in these key areas more attractive to business up to 10 years quicker than under any previous plans.

The Integrated Rail Plan is the blueprint for the government’s commitment to building better transport links, generating prosperity and opportunity across the North and Midlands, bringing benefits up to 10 years sooner than previously planned, all while delivering on levelling up the country. 

Published last year, the Integrated Rail Plan set out a list of projects that will deliver better infrastructure for the North, quicker.

HS2 Minister Andrew Stephenson said: 

We have time and time again proven our commitment to improving transport connections throughout the North and levelling up communities in the process. 

Today marks the next chapter in achieving this; fulfilling the promises in our £96 billion Integrated Rail Plan to shorten journey times, provide reliable and sustainable services, while supporting local services and delivering a modern, fully connected transport network fit for the future even sooner. 

The bill will also allow for a new high speed stations and junctions to be built at Manchester Piccadilly and Manchester Airport futureproofing services along the Western Leg and facilitating Northern Powerhouse Rail to be built at a later date – which could include lines from Manchester to Liverpool and Leeds. 

In addition to this, a new junction near Crewe will be developed not only improving future services on the route but giving Crewe the potential to be a Hub station in mid-Cheshire able to accommodate more trains. 

At the same time, HS2 Ltd also announced that it will aim to deliver a 10% net gain in biodiversity for replaceable habitats on the Crewe to Manchester route. This means going beyond existing mitigation and compensation schemes, delivering more biodiversity than existed before construction, and ensuring a bigger and better environmental legacy. 

This comes less than 2 weeks after the HS2 Minister announced that HS2 trains will run on zero carbon energy from day one aligning the country’s biggest infrastructure project with the government’s ambitions for a greener transport and construction future.

Clare Hayward MBE, DL, Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, said:

Ensuring all of Cheshire and Warrington is properly connected to the rest of the North West and the country as a whole, and delivering an integrated sustainable transport solution, is vital in ensuring our continued economic growth and delivering on our net zero ambitions.

High speed links to the airport, and Manchester and beyond are a key part of this, providing easy access to good employment opportunities as well as ensuring our vital industries, including net zero, are easily accessible and properly joined up to important infrastructure.

Crewe has a proud rail heritage and has long been seen as the gateway to the North and today’s announcement is an important step in it continuing to be so. I look forward to seeing the project progress and come to fruition, providing economic benefits to all our area and the people who live here.

Chris Fletcher, Marketing and Campaigns Director, Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, said:

Phase 2b of HS2 will be transformative for Greater Manchester and the wider North West. The benefits of delivering HS2 in full are many. It will promote economic growth, trigger business investment, unlock labour markets and enable regeneration of areas that desperately need ‘levelling up’.

The additional rail capacity HS2 will deliver could allow more rail freight and contribute to the attainment of net zero goals by reducing congestion on the roads. HS2, therefore, is not merely about reducing travel times. It is an essential part of ‘levelling up’ and Greater Manchester Chamber welcomes further progress on HS2.

The UK government has today (24 January 2022) laid regulations before Parliament that will extend the airport slots rules alleviation for the upcoming summer season, supporting the aviation industry as demand for international travel returns.

Airlines will need to use their slots 70% of the time in order to keep them, but will also benefit from added flexibility over when they are justified not to use them, for example, where a market is substantively closed.

If this alleviation wasn’t provided, the usage threshold would default back to 80:20 with no additional flexibility on justified non-use, increasing the risk of ghost flights. 

Following a period of consultation with the sector, the extension of alleviation from slots rules will further support its recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic as air travel returns to normal levels.

This aims to balance the need for continued support for the aviation sector’s finances, providing airlines with enough flexibility to adapt to changing restrictions and concerns around new variants, while ensuring slots get used where demand allows.

It also takes advantage of the UK’s new freedom to set its own slots rules after leaving the EU, to whose rules we were previously tied.

As part of this, the list of situations where airlines can claim justification for not using their slots is being widened further. As in the current winter season, this will cover situations where COVID-19 related restrictions at either end of a route result in severe reduction in demand. However, for the summer 2022 season, it will no longer be necessary for the airline to show that the measures were unforeseeable.

This means airlines won’t need to make the choice between running environmentally damaging ghost flights and losing their historic slot rights where markets remain closed as a result of COVID-19 restrictions, while also protecting long-term connectivity. For example, airlines would be able to apply for this measure if a country requires hotel quarantine or closes hotels or restaurants as a result of COVID-19.

In such circumstances, the regulations allow the airline to keep their historic rights to the slots even if passenger demand does not justify operating the flight. 

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

Leaving the EU has allowed us to take back control of our airport slots rules, giving us greater flexibility to balance the needs of our magnificent aviation industry as it faces up to the pandemic.

Today’s extension marks a step back towards normal rules, helping the sector to recover and grow as travel returns while protecting it against any future uncertainty.

Aviation Minister Robert Courts said: 

Since the onset of the pandemic we have provided relief from the slots usage rule to provide financial stability to the sector and prevent environmentally damaging ghost flights. 

As demand for flights returns, it’s right we gradually move back to the previous rules while making sure we continue to provide the sector with the support it needs.

This is the latest initiative introduced by the government to support the aviation sector. It follows the removal of the temporary, extra testing measures introduced for Omicron in November 2021, which has made travel easier and cheaper for fully vaccinated passengers and has provided a big boost for the travel industry as we enter the peak new year booking period. 

Airport slots are used to manage capacity at the busiest airports. A slot gives permission to use the full range of airport infrastructure (runway, terminal and gates, for instance) necessary to operate an air service at an airport on a specific date and time.

• Sharma to urge countries to deliver on the commitments made in the historic Glasgow Climate Pact
• The COP President will say it is in the self-interest of countries to work together on climate change
• Speech at Chatham House in London will outline priorities for the UK’s COP Presidency year

Countries need to work together to deliver on the promises made in Glasgow COP26 President, Alok Sharma, will say today (Monday 24th January).

In his first major speech since COP26, Sharma will reflect on the commitments secured at COP26 and the historic Glasgow Climate Pact signed by almost 200 countries at the summit last year.

He will set out his agenda to turn ambition into action for the rest of the UK’s Presidency this year, outlining that whilst the summit has concluded, the world must maintain the urgency and the energy to honour the promises made, as we approach COP27 in Sharm-El Sheikh in November.

Today’s speech will outline the UK’s priorities to deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact during its COP Presidency year:

1. Ensuring promises on emissions reductions are kept to keep 1.5 degrees alive. That every country honours the commitment in the Glasgow Climate Pact to strengthen their climate change targets to align with the Paris temperature goal as necessary in 2022, as well as for delivering on their net zero commitments and 2030 emissions reduction targets, particularly through policies to end coal power, halt deforestation and transition to clean vehicles

2. Delivering for climate vulnerable countries by ensuring commitments on adaptation and loss and damage are honoured. Working with donors to make progress towards doubling adaptation finance by 2025 and developing a clear proposal and funding for the Santiago Network by COP27

3. Get finance flowing. The UK through the COP Presidency will help ensure countries, international financial institutions and private financial institutions deliver on the commitments they have made to meet the $100bn goal. And we will aim to increase public-private partnerships to support climate action, building on the South African Just Energy Transition Partnership. We will support Parties to make progress on the post-2025 climate finance goal

4. Working together and continuing to be an inclusive Presidency. Pushing for further action across critical sectors and turning promises into clear delivery plans through established forums and international councils. The UK through the COP Presidency will work hand-in-hand with the COP27 President Egypt, COP28 President UAE, our international partners, business, youth and civil society, to deliver our priorities and keep climate at the top of the international agenda

COP President Alok Sharma is expected to say:

“At COP26 itself almost 200 countries came together and agreed the historic Glasgow Climate Pact. In doing so they demonstrated that climate can create a space for cooperation amidst a splintered global politics, that the world can work together to improve our common future, to address major global challenges and to seize opportunities.”

“The Glasgow Climate Pact was a product of international cooperation and a practical demonstration of Global Britain in action.

“There is no doubt that the commitments we secured at COP26 were historic. Yet at the moment they are just words on a page. And unless we honour the promises made, to turn the commitments in the Glasgow Climate Pact into action, they will wither on the vine. We will have mitigated no risks. Seized no opportunities. We will have fractured the trust built between nations. And 1.5 degrees will slip from our grasp.

“So my absolute focus for the UK Presidency year is delivery.”

Mr Sharma recently visited both COP27 President Egypt, and COP28 President UAE, to underline the importance of building strong partnerships with the next two hosts for the summit.

This week, he will meet the UNFCCC to discuss the implementation of the measures agreed with Glasgow. He will also address the Major Economies Forum and continue to ramp up pressure on the rich donor nations to support climate vulnerable countries.