Since 2015 the company has invested more than £85 million towards the creation of 160 new and upgraded cycle ways across England, providing safe, attractive and accessible facilities for people to cycle for work, shopping and leisure.

In the latest initiative, Highways England is investing £630,000 into the A36 Southampton Road in Salisbury, between College Roundabout and Bourne Way Roundabout.

This stretch of the National Cycle Network serves an important and well used connection, but the current route is not continuous.

The 800-metre cycle way will reduce the need for detours, dismounting or cycling within the carriageway. This is phase two of the scheme, with previous work introducing a route from Petersfinger Park and Ride to Bourne Way Roundabout.

It will see footpath widening, reconfiguration, new signs and lining, and high friction surfacing at entrances. Work on the cycleway began yesterday (4 Jan) and is expected to be completed by the end of March, with works carried out overnight under signalling and pedestrians being asked to use the southern side footway.

Highways England Route Manager Neil Winter said:

We’re committed to significantly improving cycle efficiency and safety across our road network, and the new and improved cycle way will make it much easier and safer for cyclists and pedestrians.

At Highways England, our work goes beyond operating, maintaining and improving roads. We’re investing in the environment and communities surrounding our network, as well as the people travelling and working on it.

We aim to address social and environmental issues and add real value to society.

We’re delighted to be partnering with Wiltshire Council to realise this project – a glowing example of how this funding can make life better for communities living and working near our roads.

Cllr Bridget Wayman, Cabinet member for Highways at Wiltshire Council, said:

The council supports any measures that seek to encourage more people to use sustainable modes of travel and welcome the improvements proposed by Highways England.

Highways England manages four designated funds, allocated by the Government, to deliver benefits above and beyond building, maintaining and operating England’s strategic roads.

From protecting the environment and enhancing the landscape around roads, to improving safety, reducing congestion, and supporting communities, the aim is to make a positive difference to people’s lives.

Elsewhere in the South West, designated funding has already provided safer journeys for cyclists around M5 Junction 16 near Bristol and Cycle Route 45 around the A303 Solstice Park near Amesbury, while other ongoing schemes include:

• £17 million of funding invested to enable Cornwall Council to deliver four major cycle routes alongside the busy A30;
• £1.2 million towards a cycle path upgrade and £1m towards the design of several other cycle routes around the Avonmouth area of Bristol;
• £675,000 towards improved cycle and footpaths and upgraded crossings on both the A35 and Sea Road South around Bridport.

Cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders will see more benefits over the next five years, with £169 million set aside in Highways England’s new Users and Communities fund.

The company is using the fund to improve services for users and neighbours of England’s motorways and major A-roads, including increasing the options people have for sustainable travel.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

The Prime Minister has appointed Alok Sharma as full-time President of the UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this November, with Kwasi Kwarteng appointed as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

COP26 will be the largest summit the UK has ever hosted, bringing together representatives from nearly 200 countries, including world leaders, experts, and campaigners.

To meet the high ambitions for the summit in the year of COP26, Alok Sharma will solely focus on driving forward coordinated global action to tackle climate change. A successful summit in November will be critical if we want to meet the objectives set out by the Paris Agreement and reduce global emissions. The UK has set a high bar, with our recent commitment to reduce emissions by at least 68% by 2030, but we also need other countries to do their bit.

Alok Sharma has been a leading force behind the UK’s climate diplomacy, since assuming the role in February 2020. The Climate Ambition Summit co-hosted by the UK in December last year saw 75 world leaders set out new commitments to climate action.

The COP26 President will be based in the Cabinet Office, continuing as a full member of Cabinet, and will chair the Climate Action Implementation Committee to coordinate government action towards net zero by 2050 in the run up to COP26.

COP26 President Alok Sharma said:

The biggest challenge of our time is climate change and we need to work together to deliver a cleaner, greener world and build back better for present and future generations.

Through the UK’s Presidency of COP26 we have a unique opportunity, working with friends and partners around the world, to deliver on this goal.

Given the vital importance of tackling climate change I am delighted to have been asked by the Prime Minister to dedicate all my energies to this urgent task.

Kwasi Kwarteng has been appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

With a wealth of experience working in the department, with industry and across government in his previous role as Minister of State, Kwasi Kwarteng will lead and bring together work on business, science and innovation to unleash investment and growth in his new role as Secretary of State.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan will become Minister of State for Business, Energy and Clean Growth, taking forward climate and energy policy, including implementing plans in the Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.

She will also continue in her role as UK’s International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency, supporting countries vulnerable to climate change to adapt to its impacts and build resilience.

The UK continues to lead by example in cutting emissions by more than any other similar developed nation – and at the fastest rate. The Prime Minister’s Ten Point Plan sets out how we will go further and faster towards a greener future, including committing to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030, supporting renewable energy projects across the UK, investing in technology and transforming the energy efficiency of the UK’s homes and public buildings.

Businesses and hauliers trading between Great Britain and the EU have been urged to ensure they meet necessary requirements before travelling to the border, as the Government warns that expected traffic could increase next week.

Exporters must provide the right documentation to hauliers, including export declarations and the extra certificates needed for products like plant and animal products, and hauliers heading to Kent must get a negative Covid test and obtain a Kent Access Permit before heading to port, or risk facing a fine and being turned away.

Since the end of the transition period the flow of lorries heading through Kent to the GB-EU border has been low. Over the last week there has been an average of 1584 lorries per day attempting border crossings, which is only around 40% of historical norms. This time last year, we were seeing an average of 4067 lorries crossing the border each day.

Compliance has also been relatively high with around 700 lorries turned away from the border since the end of the transition period – the majority of which were based on the lack of a negative covid test. We’ve also seen strong compliance with the requirement to obtain a Kent Access Permit with 18,000 issued in total so far.

The combination of low border traffic, and good compliance, has kept disruption at the border to a minimum.

However, we are seeing the volume of HGV traffic steadily increase by around 20% each day. As a result from next week we are expecting that volumes will reach their business as usual levels for this time of year, which equates to c. 5000-6000 vehicles per day. This means border and trader readiness is critical. By the fourth week of January we expect to see around 40,000 trucks heading to France each week.

These increased flows have the potential to cause significant disruption if traders and hauliers have not taken the necessary steps to comply with the new rules.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove said:

I’d like to thank hauliers, traders and our key industry partners for the hard work they have been putting in to make sure that they are compliant with the new rules.

The preparations they have made have paid dividends and disruption has been minimal so far, but the real challenge and potential for significant disruption starts next week when we expect that the number of lorries heading to the border may return to normal levels.

We have always been clear there would be changes now that we are out of the customs union and single market, so full compliance with the new rules is vital to avoid disruption, and the best way to ensure readiness is to follow the guidance on gov.uk and use the ‘Check an HGV’ service.

We stand ready to help keep goods flowing smoothly as we adjust to our new relationship with the EU and ensure we take advantage of the opportunities it brings.

Exporters must provide the right documentation to hauliers – including export declarations and the extra certificates needed for things like plant and animal products – to avoid goods being held up at the border.

Hauliers heading to Kent must get a negative COVID test within 72 hours of crossing and obtain a Kent Access Permit before heading to port. They can get the permit and find out what documents traders should give them by using the Check a HGV is ready service on GOV.UK.

Failure to secure either a test or Kent Access Permit will mean the driver cannot cross the border and will be fined £300. Around 150 fines have already been handed out due to non-compliance with the Kent Access Permit requirement, and for attempting to queue jump at the border.

For full details on what you need to do to comply with the new procedures, please visit www.gov.uk/transition.

Richard joined DIO in 2004 and has led the archaeology team for a number of years. He and his team look after around 770 Scheduled Monuments, parts of 10 World Heritage Sites, and other historical sites owned by the MOD.

These range from the remains of Roman villas to First World War training trenches. It is important to the MOD to protect these sites and monuments so the work of Richard and his team is vital to allow military training and historic preservation to co-exist.

The MBE is also in recognition of Richard’s role as co-founder of the award-winning Operation Nightingale. In 2011, he worked with The Rifles to arrange for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans to take part in archaeological digs on the Defence estate. The project has only grown since then, with Richard and other archaeologists leading hundreds of participants in dozens of digs over the years.

Operation Nightingale gives participants the chance to spend time with people who understand their experiences while learning new skills, and its excavations have shed light on the history of several areas. For example, in 2013 the team excavated the remains of a Spitfire shot down in 1940 over Salisbury Plain. The pilot, Paul Baillon, was able to escape by parachute but was sadly killed in action mere weeks later. His daughter, Rosemary, attended the dig and Richard was able to talk her through the finds.

In 2019, Current Archaeology magazine named Richard their Archaeologist of the Year in recognition of his work on various excavations and for his role with Operation Nightingale.

Richard also spends some of his time educating people and promoting the importance of archaeology on the Defence estate through his work with the media, including as a contributor to Channel 4’s Time Team and the BBC’s Digging For Britain. He also advised Philip Pullman on archaeology for his popular series of novels, His Dark Materials.

Richard said:

I was flabbergasted when I heard the news; I genuinely thought that this might have been a practical joke by one of the veterans I had worked with over the last few years. It was a lovely surprise to hear at the end of what had been a trying year for everyone. I genuinely feel extraordinarily privileged to work in a discipline that still excites me, with people I admire, and in a landscape I adore. The award is a testament, I think, to the way that DIO looks to care for the historic estate with which we are entrusted. Additionally, the astonishing achievements of men and women I have seen on Op Nightingale are woven through all the work that I am most proud of and they are partners in this award.

Richard was nominated by his line manager, Richard Brooks, DIO’s Head of Technical Services. He said:

Richard has been DIO’s Senior Archaeologist for over ten years. He has contributed enormously to our understanding of the archaeology and heritage on the Defence estate and has worked extremely hard to protect it. He’s very well regarded in his field, having been named 2019’s Archaeologist of the Year, and has also done great work with the media explaining the importance of looking after Defence heritage. Perhaps most importantly, he is a huge part of Operation Nightingale which has genuinely changed the lives of many wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans for the better. Supported by others I nominated him for all of these reasons, and I’m thrilled to see him recognised for his work.

Dickie Bennett has known Richard for years, first as an Op Nightingale participant and more recently as Director of Breaking Ground Heritage. He said:

Richard is responsible for influencing the lives of so many veterans in such a positive way. It’s hard to lose your career or sense of being and have nothing to look forward too, but Richard found a way around that for many of us, showing us alternative routes in our lives that were just as fulfilling. I, amongst others, owe Richard a great deal of gratitude and I am proud to call him my mentor and friend.

Graham Dalton, DIO’s Chief Executive said:

I was delighted to hear of the award of MBE to Richard in the Queen’s New Year Honours list. Richard is an outstanding expert who ensures that DIO does all that it can to protect and to understand the archaeology of the Defence Estate. But he does much more too – bringing archaeology to life, and working with ex-service men and women so that they too can benefit from the insights that archaeology gives on how their predecessors lived and trained on today’s military land. A genuinely inspirational professional, and recipient of a well-deserved honour.

DIO is the part of the MOD which manages the military’s land and buildings.