The district level licensing initiative has led to the creation or restoration of 40 ponds across the county since it launched in March this year.

Investing in habitat

The scheme works by taking payments from building developers and investing them in four times the number of pond habitats that would have been impacted by their construction projects.

In the past, landowners and housing developers in Essex had to apply for a licence before building on or around the newts’ pond habitat – on a site-by-site basis. Seasonal restrictions led to delays and uncertainty over the costs and scheduling of planned development.

One simple application

Now, licensing is applied at a district level. This ‘landscape-scale’ approach means that developers need only make a single application and payment to join their local, area-wide scheme.

The one-off payment covers the creation, restoration, maintenance and monitoring of ponds around the area for 25 years, in locations chosen to provide the best habitat and most benefit.

Building back greener

The initiative contributes to the government’s plans to fast-track building projects, ‘Build Back Greener’ and fuel the UK’s economic recovery. And it helps put an end to the costly delays and uncertainty faced by developers building in areas where great crested newts are present.

But newts aren’t the only ones to benefit. Across the country the rich, watery habitat supports two-thirds of Britain’s freshwater plant and animal species, as well as provides social and economic benefits for local communities, including jobs.

Largest scheme yet

Essex’s scheme is the largest district level licensing scheme to date, covering all 15 of the county’s planning authorities – an area of around 3,600 square kilometres.

The area has traditionally been a stronghold for the great crested newt, which are present in around 46% of the county’s ponds. But they’re under threat.

Despite being defended under UK and EU law, the iconic and rare amphibian has seen its preferred pond habitat decline by 50% over the last 60 years. And that’s contributed to the dramatic decline in the creature’s population. District level licensing aims to reverse that decline.

Essex was selected as a priority for the scheme due to the scale of development in the county.

Jeremy Potter, chairman of the Essex Planning Officers Association, said:

The new district licencing scheme provides a real partnership approach to provide great new habitat for great crested newts, crucially in the right locations, whilst also providing a simpler, quicker and more effective option for developers to fulfil their important obligations.

Neil Harvey, natural environment manager at Essex County Council’s Place Services, said:

We see this as more than just about securing and enhancing the conservation status of great crested newts across Essex. It also provides an opportunity to start working with a range of partners – corporate, public and private – with whom we can progress wider ambitions for the strategic recovery of biodiversity throughout the landscape.

Miranda Cooper, conservation and land manager at Essex and Suffolk Water, said:

We have welcomed being involved in this ambitious and collaborative project with Natural England. The recent restoration to one of the ponds at Abberton has greatly benefitted the wider ecology of our Abberton Reservoir site and truly compliments the vision of district level licensing to strategically support the stability and resilience of local great crested newt populations.

Aidan Lonergan, West Anglia area manager at Natural England, said:

This scheme is one example of how a fresh look at the relationship between wildlife and the growth agenda might achieve more harmony. It is one that illustrates our ambition to find ways to work with development – at a landscape-scale – in order to restore nature and not merely slow its rate of loss, as well as ensure new developments are built greener from the outset.

Essex is one of 77 local authorities with district level licensing schemes. Natural England is working to expand the initiative to 150 local authorities across the country, as part of a programme funded by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

More about great crested newts

• Great crested newts are a European Protected Species. Under the Habitats Directive, it is an offence to capture, kill, injure or disturb them or their habitat without a licence from Natural England. Although rare across Europe, they can be locally abundant in England.

More about district level licensing

• This new licensing approach to authorising development affected by great crested newts is part of a larger programme to reform protected species licensing by focusing conservation effort where it will create maximum benefit. It aims to leave the environment in a better state than before.
• Previously, licences were only granted on a site-by-site basis. This missed opportunities to manage populations of great crested newts on a landscape scale and resulted in habitat for newts being squeezed around development, sometimes in disconnected patches.
• Individual site-by-site licences are still available. Since 17 February 2020, there is now a charge for these licences. In areas where there is a district level licensing scheme, joining it will be the quickest option to enable development that affects great crested newts.
• Natural England is working in partnership with Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group for the Eastern Region, local authorities including Essex County Council, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Wildlife Trusts including that for Essex, Essex and Suffolk Water, and more.

New figures released by DVLA show that around 66% of all customers who change the address on their driving licence now do so online. With August traditionally being the peak house moving month in the UK, DVLA is today (27 August) reminding motorists how simple it is to keep their address up to date online, to avoid pitfalls including missed reminders.

As well as driving licences, around 1.5 million vehicle log books are also updated with a new address every year. Following the housing market opening up post-lockdown, DVLA launched the new online service for motorists to update the address on their vehicle log book (V5C) without needing to post documents to DVLA. Over 130,000 log books have so far been updated and sent to customers using this service, which speeds up the process to receive a new log book – reducing waiting times from 6 weeks to just 5 working days.

DVLA’s online service to update the address on a driving licence has been available for several years but has never been more popular, with DVLA processing around 2.2 million changes of address from customers who used this service last year alone. Now, with the addition of the new online service, customers can update the address on both their driving licence and log book in less than 5 minutes on GOV.UK.

DVLA Service Manager Anthony Bamford said:

Our online services will always be the quickest way to keep your address up to date with us, which helps make sure you don’t miss important correspondence once you’ve moved house.

Millions of drivers change the address on their driving licence this way, and you can now update your vehicle’s log book online too. It’s important to remember to update both when you move – and it’s quick and easy on GOV.UK.

Adrian Camp, Managing Director of Home Move Box, who deliver welcome boxes to home movers across the UK, said:

August has always been one of the most popular months to move home, and with lockdown giving people the time to reassess their living arrangements, now could be the time when they’re looking to make their next move.

This may seem daunting, with so much to organise, but updating the address on your log book and driving licence is quick and easy to do, and it could save you a lot of time and stress in the long run. It’s free to do this online at GOV.UK and takes just a few minutes.

Notes to Editors:

1) Vital correspondence about a vehicle – such as reminders to tax it, as well as any vehicle tax refunds due – is sent to the address of the registered keeper, which is why it’s so important for motorists inform DVLA if this changes. Keeping their driving licence up to date with their current address also means drivers can avoid correspondence that may contain their personal information falling into the wrong hands, which could leave them susceptible to identity theft and other fraud.

2) Motorists can be fined up to £1000 if they do not tell DVLA when their address changes.

3) In 2015, 1,411,524 transactions for ‘change of address on driving licence’ were processed using DVLA’s online service. In 2019, 2,198,842 transactions were processed using this service. For 2020, 1,074,163 transactions have been processed to 20 July on this service.

4) For the financial year 2019 to 2020, DVLA issued 5,221,127 automatic refunds. Where a vehicle changes keeper, DVLA will automatically refund the previous keeper any full months of vehicle tax remaining and will issue the payment to the address held by DVLA on the vehicle record.

5) Analysis of house removals data CompareMyMove.com shows that UK residents prefer to move house in August and during summer months; August is the most popular month to move house. Find more information about moving house.

6) Home Move Box helps to take the stress out of moving by delivering welcome boxes to over 200,000 home movers every year across the UK. Find more information on Home Move Box.

7) You can update the address on your driving licence or your vehicle’s logbook on GOV.UK.

When you have completed your online application to change the address for either your driving licence or logbook, a prompt will appear on screen with a link to the other service, to remind you that you need to update your address details for both. There is no cost to update your details using either service.

8) You do not need to tell DVLA if you move temporarily (for example you’re living away at university) if you can still be contacted at your permanent address.

9) You can still drive while you’re waiting for your new documents to be sent to you.

A parole hearing and the process leading up to it is one of the most important periods in a prisoner’s life. The decision will determine their freedom, and whether or not they can progress through the prison system.

For that reason, the Parole Board believes, and strongly advises, that every prisoner should have a legal representative to help them prepare, and represent them during the hearing itself. However, we are all too aware of the significant number of individuals who go through the parole process with no legal advice at all.

There a several reasons why we advise that legal representation is the best option for prisoners. Prison lawyers specialise in parole reviews. It can be a worrying, distressing and confusing time for offenders, making it difficult to prepare for alone. The parole review will affect how they serve the rest of their sentence and the process itself can be complicated and difficult to grasp. Legal firms are able to get vital information and documents needed for the review and can easily contact people involved in the case. They will also give advice on what to tell the Parole Board during the hearing and set out a full list of reasons why a prisoner may be suitable for release. Essentially, lawyers specialise in these areas and will help prisoners navigate through the process as well as offer expert advice on all matters relating to their parole review.

In 2013, law changes were brought in by the government which meant legal aid would no longer be available for certain prisoners going through a parole review. These changes were overturned following a legal challenge in 2018, meaning ALL prisoners were brought back into the scope of legal aid. Despite this, the Board still sees large numbers of prisoners go unrepresented through the parole process.

I believe it is therefore vital, in the interests of fairness, that the Board provides sufficient support and guidance to prisoners who chose to represent themselves. That is why we have published a new information booklet for prisoners representing themselves during their parole review.

As the Chief Executive of the Parole Board, my primary focus is to ensure that the Board is working efficiently and effectively and has the right strategy and priorities. When we make our decisions our sole focus is risk; and our number one priority is protecting the public and this is reflected in everything we do. It is also vital the Board ensures fairness to all, including the prisoner, during the parole process.

This new guide will give valuable advice on preparing for a parole review to ensure those offenders without professional legal assistance are in the best and most informed position possible to deal with the process. Whilst it is aimed at prisoners, it may also prove helpful to anyone supporting a prisoner.