NPCC led review: operational productivity of policing
News story
The Home Secretary has asked the National Police Chiefs’ Council to lead a review of productivity in policing.
Getty Images
Total funding for policing in 2022 to 2023 is nearly £17 billion – the highest for over a decade. By April 2023 we will have invested over £3.5 billion in supporting the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers through the Police Uplift Programme, of which 13,790 have been recruited so far.
It is therefore crucial that we deliver the best possible value for the public from this investment. This review will improve our understanding of effectiveness and productivity in policing, identifying the barriers and the most efficient operating models.
The review will also look at the scope for using new technology or streamlining processes and removing bureaucracy to drive efficiency and better outcomes.
The review will be led by Sir Stephen House, supported by an advisory board including Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire Service (HMICFRS), the chief executive of the College of Policing and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC). Terms of reference will published in due course, following agreement by the advisory board and Home Office. It is expected to report within 12 months and with interim findings in spring 2023.
National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair, Martin Hewitt, said:
We want to provide the best possible policing to the public. This review, commissioned by the Home Office and led by the NPCC, will make recommendations on how to improve effectiveness and productivity in policing, identifying the barriers and the most efficient operating models.
In the coming weeks, we will work with Sir Steve to draw together an advisory board of policing partners and external experts to shape the terms of reference and put a review team in place.
Published 8 August 2022
Pioneering pipework system helping local wildlife at M5 Oldbury
Press release
A pioneering drainage system thought to be the largest of its kind in the country has been installed by National Highways underneath the M5 at Oldbury.
National Highways has installed the new filter system which has cost £7m.
The new system will help improve the quality of rainwater entering the canal after it has fallen on the M5 carriageway.
The £7m system will help to capture debris and pollutants before the water is discharged into the water course.
National Highways Project Manager Colin Jackson said:
This new drainage system is a real boost to the local canal network that runs underneath the M5 Oldbury viaduct.
We know that the local habitat is a crucial part of the landscape at Oldbury and we’re confident this new system will play a significant role in helping biodiversity.
The drainage has a special filter installed inside the pipework which is designed to capture debris and pollutants before entering the water network which can then simply be removed by specialists at regular intervals.
The new system is made up of 10 filters and was installed underneath the road without impacting traffic using the M5 or local road network.
It took around eight months to put in place with teams using specialist equipment to dig down between the foundations under the M5 to install the new system.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the National Highways customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the National Highways press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.
Published 8 August 2022
Work to repair damaged flood defence in Sprotbrough starts
Press release
Works are expected to last approximately 8 weeks and will help reduce the risk of flooding to the local area once completed.
The damaged flood wall at Sprotbrough
The Environment Agency is starting a project to repair a flood wall in Sprotbrough, Doncaster, to protect homes and businesses from the devastating impacts of flooding.
A 60m wall, which stands along the banks of the River Don, opposite the Boat Inn, was damaged during the 2019 storms.
The Environment Agency is now rebuilding the defence and driving more robust materials deep into the ground along this length of the Don. The height of the wall will remain unchanged.
Planned utilities diversion have now been completed and construction to the floodwall is expected to start today (8 August). Work will last approximately 8 weeks. As construction machinery will use the canal-side area, the Trans Pennine Trail will be diverted onto the nearby access road. To ensure pedestrians and cyclists are safe, there will also be a lane closure and temporary traffic lights on Nursery Lane.
Gavin Usher, Area Operations Manager for the Environment Agency, said:
We are very pleased to have completed diversion works ahead of schedule and look forward to starting work on-site to help the residents and businesses of Sprotbrough. We are using a new steel piled defence which will be stronger and more robust than the previous concrete wall. This will be finished with brickwork to blend into the local landscape.
It has been a real challenge to get this project to site and we thank the community for their continued patience and understanding regarding the disruption that comes with delivering these critical works.
Published 8 August 2022
OIM accepts landmark first request to examine proposed law change
Press release
The OIM has taken its first decision to accept a government’s request to consider the potential impact of a proposed regulatory change, a ban on the sale of peat in England, on the UK Internal Market.
The UK government has consulted on banning the sale of peat in England. The proposed ban, designed to address environmental concerns surrounding the use of peat in horticulture, would not apply in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.
The UK government has requested that the Office for the Internal Market (OIM) – which sits within the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) – report on how the proposed ban may impact the effective operation of the Internal Market.
The OIM has considered this request in line with the criteria set out in the UK Internal Market Act and the principles stated in its operational guidance and has accepted the request. It will aim to provide its analysis by February 2023.
OIM Panel Chair, Murdoch MacLennan said:
This request is a significant development for the UK Internal Market and for the OIM. Since the OIM was launched less than a year ago, we have taken important steps to ensure we are ready to perform this new role and our decision to accept this request is another milestone.
We’ll now examine any potential economic impacts the proposed ban could have on the UK Internal Market and provide our report within 6 months.
The OIM was launched in September 2021 to provide, among other things, non-binding technical and economic advice to all 4 governments of the UK on the effect on the UK Internal Market of specific regulatory provisions that they introduce. The OIM operates independently of all 4 governments.
Since leaving the EU, significant powers have returned to the UK government and devolved administrations, increasing the possibility of regulatory differences between the nations. Under the UK Internal Market Act 2020 (‘the Act’), the OIM’s work assists governments in understanding how effectively companies are able to sell their products and services across the 4 nations of the UK and the impact of regulatory provisions on this for the governments’ consideration alongside their own wider policy issues.
This request to the OIM by the UK Government (i.e. the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), on its proposal to end the sale of peat in horticultural products, is made under section 34(1) of the Act, which provides that the OIM may at the request of a relevant national authority (or two or more acting jointly) give advice or provide a report on a proposed regulatory provision of the requesting relevant national authority. A ‘relevant national authority’ means the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers and a Northern Ireland Department.
The proposed regulation applies to England only. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are currently considering their approach.
For media queries, please contact the press office via press@cma.gov.uk or on 020 3738 6460.
Published 8 August 2022
Minister for Sport Nigel Huddleston speech for UK House Legacy Day, Commonwealth Games 2022
Thank you. I’m absolutely delighted to be here today, at UK House, to join you all, on Legacy Day, to reflect on, not just what has been a truly fantastic Games, but on the array of future opportunities it presents to the region and the rest of the country.
We’ve seen 10 incredible days of sport, cultural and business events, and it’s amazing to see the West Midlands front and centre on the world stage, something that will hopefully continue for a long time to come.
Firstly, I wanted to offer my thanks to everyone involved in staging this incredible event and in working so hard to ensure it leaves behind a lasting legacy. Putting on the Games and harnessing the myriad benefits it can bring to the region and the UK has been a true partnership.
It is only through collective effort that the Games has been the success that it has. My thanks to each and every one of you who has engaged in the event and the opportunities it has brought about. And a particular thanks to Andy for the vital role that he personally played in helping to secure this fantastic event.
And let me say that this collective effort has resulted in what truly has been a Games of amazing achievements.
The fastest Games ever delivered, four and a half years rather than the standard seven.
An ambition to be the most sustainable Games yet, and first to strive to be carbon neutral.
The most inclusive Games ever, with the largest ever integrated parasport programme and for the first time, more women’s medal events than men’s.
But, beyond the event itself, I also want to reflect on the vast array of legacy opportunities that have been created, and that will continue to be created long after the closing ceremony has concluded.
As a government, we’ve been resolutely focused on ensuring that Birmingham 2022 leaves a lasting legacy for the host city and region, and the whole of the UK.
£778 million of public money has been invested to deliver the Games itself. This core £778 million, as well as providing for an amazing legacy itself, has enabled a further £85 million of additional funding to be unlocked from a wide range of organisations.
The legacy of the Games ranges far and wide, with the ‘Games for Everyone’ vision embedded from the start.
The Games has supported communities to access its opportunities and benefits, with equality, diversity and inclusion embedded in everything that partners have done.
There has been significant new infrastructure with a new aquatics centre at Sandwell and the redevelopment of the Alexander Stadium that local communities will be able to benefit from, long after the Games is over. Plus the regeneration of Perry Barr has created 1,400 new homes.
In addition, the Legacy programme for the Games has delivered:
A £10 million Jobs and Skills Academy that’s made sure local residents have the skills they need to capitalise on the opportunities driven by the Games.
More than £35 million invested by Sport England in delivering a physical activity and wellbeing legacy, supporting those who are least active to engage with sport and physical activity.
A youth and schools engagement programme, ensuring that we’re engaging children and young people across the country in the story and excitement of the Games and the Commonwealth.
A 6 month free-to-access Cultural Programme across the West Midlands, supported by £12 million investment from Arts Council England, the Heritage Fund and Spirit of 2012, as well as other partners.
Ambitious sustainability commitments including, as I’ve already mentioned, an ambition to be the most sustainable Games yet and the ‘first ever carbon neutral Games’.
And on top of this, £350 million worth of procurement opportunities, the majority of which were secured right here by firms from the West Midlands.
And of course, the £24 million investment that we, along with the Combined Authority, have made into the Business and Tourism Programme.
Here, at UK House, over the last 11 days, we’ve seen the power of this investment, bringing together business leaders from across the world, showcasing the West Midlands, as a place to live, work, visit and do business.
This programme is a vital part of harnessing the positive profile generated by the Games to boost the global reputation of Birmingham, the West Midlands and the UK as a leading destination for tourism, trade and investment.
In partnership with the West Midlands Combined Authority, the West Midlands Growth Company, the Department for International Trade and Visit Britain, as well as sponsors in our audience today, we’ve seen it deliver some incredible in opportunities.
The opportunity to connect with Commonwealth nations and territories and other key global markets.
The opportunity to re-establish a resilient and sustainable tourism sector in the West Midlands and, more widely, to contribute to the recovery of UK tourism as we emerge from Covid-19.
And the opportunity to demonstrate to the world that the West Midlands and the UK are innovative, dynamic and investor-friendly.
But this is far from the end for the Business and Tourism programme, in fact it’s only just the beginning. Building on the profile and momentum of these fantastic past two weeks we’ve rightly set ourselves some lofty ambitions. By 2027 we’re aiming to:
Generate more than £700 million of investment, including more than £370 million in the West Midlands
Attract 39,000 new visitors, including 12,000 to the West Midlands
Create 1,000 new jobs, with up to 600 of these based in the West Midlands
The drive and commitment of the Mayor and colleagues at the Combined Authority, West Midlands Growth Company, the Department for International Trade and Visit Britain has been a crucial part of ensuring the success of the programme. My thanks to them for all that they have contributed over many months and years.
In many ways, the Business and Tourism Programme, as a partnership between national, regional and local government and with the private sector, represents devolution in action. Working together, as more than the sum of our parts, to achieve extraordinary things and level up our places.
And on behalf of the Government, I look forward to working with the West Midlands as we explore opportunities to build on the success of the Games.
The Games have been a fantastic experience and we’ve achieved so much.
But as I’ve always said, this is about much more than the event itself. It’s about capitalising on the momentum of the Games to unlock the enduring benefits it can bring for the West Midlands region and its communities, and the UK as a whole.
I look forward to seeing the fruits of our collective efforts materialise over many months and years to come. Thank you.
