• Visitors to the area can use their mobile phones to find out more about the project.
• Look out for signs on benches and posts near the project site.
• Use the QR code or text number on the signs to ask questions

The project has launched a 12-month pilot with Hello Lamp Post, an innovative virtual platform used to engage people with their environment, to give residents and visitors to the LORP project site at Budleigh Salterton the opportunity to ask questions and find out more about the project using their mobile phone.

Hello Lamp Post allows people to have two-way “chats” with objects in their local environment. Residents and visitors will be able to find out why the LORP scheme is needed and what is happening around the site. They will also be able to give feedback on the project itself.

Signs have been attached to benches and posts along the footpath between Lime Kiln car park in Budleigh Salterton and South Farm Road, close to the LORP site.

Anyone with a mobile phone can scan the QR code or text the number on the sign to begin a conversation by text. Details are also available on the LORP website.

The first interactive locations are now live at the Lime Kiln car park, along the South West Coast Path, at the bird hide, on fingerposts, benches and viewing platform on the footpath and at the Kier Construction compound entrance in Granary Lane.

Mike Williams, project team member for the Environment Agency, the lead partner in the project, said:

Community engagement has always been a key part of the Lower Otter Restoration Project.

We’re always looking for new and better ways to talk to people, to find out what residents and visitors think of the work we’re doing and to let them know why we’re doing the work.

Hello Lamp Post lets people reach us when they’re walking by the project site.

The Environment Agency is working in partnership with landowner Clinton Devon Estates to deliver the £15m Lower Otter Restoration Project, which is due for completion next spring.

A similar project is taking place in Quiberville, Normandy – the Basse Saâne 2050 scheme. Together, the two schemes form the €26m Promoting Adaptation to Changing Coasts (PACCo) project, funded by the Interreg France-Channel-England programme.

On the occasion of the 27th Budapest Pride Festival, we, the undersigned embassies and cultural institutes, express our full support for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI+) community and their rights to equality and non-discrimination, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, and freedom from violence.

We note the important advocacy of LGBTQI+ grassroots human rights defenders, activists, journalists, media workers and civil society organizations which are working to ensure that all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics, receive equal treatment and the full protection of the law. Respect for the rule of law and universal human rights are the foundations upon which democratic states are built.

International human rights law is grounded on the broad premise that all individuals have the same rights and freedoms without discrimination. We reject and condemn all acts of violence, harassment, stigmatization and discrimination committed against individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or sex characteristics and support the fight against hate speech, violence, and discrimination targeting LGBTQI+ individuals and communities in all regions of the world.

Celebrating diversity is an important way to promote respect for human rights for all. Budapest Pride has the longest history of such events in the region, and we highlight its role in promoting equality of treatment and social acceptance for all LGBTQI+ persons, and contributing to the creation of a more open, just, inclusive and equal society.

Signed by the following embassies and cultural institutes:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, General Delegation of Flanders, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, Austrian Cultural Forum Budapest, British Council, Czech Centre, Estonian Institute, FinnAgora, Goethe-Institut, Institut Français, Instituto Camões, Instituto Cervantes, Italian Cultural Institute.

People in Worcestershire are set to benefit from more than £43 million of government funding for A38 upgrades to tackle congestion, improve local journeys, and support thousands of new jobs and homes.

The project will generate more than £93 million in economic benefits for local communities in the Midlands, with the improvements directly supporting 1,100 new jobs and the development of 5,500 new homes as the government continues to grow the economy, helping to address the cost of living.

The A38 currently experiences significant congestion during the weekday rush hour, with severe delays at junctions and unreliable journey times affecting local residents’ ability to travel and get to work.

Planned works will install new lanes at key junctions and widen the existing road, helping to improve traffic flow and reduce the threat of any unnecessary bottlenecks in the region. These upgrades will take place on a 7.5 mile stretch of the route, between the M5 Junction 4 to the north and the A38/B4094 to the south.

Transport Minister Baroness Vere said:

I know local residents in Worcestershire have been affected by congestion along this key route for too long.

That’s why we’re investing more than £43 million, providing a huge boost to the area’s economy and ensuring people can get around the region quicker and easier – whether that be for work, education or to see family and friends.

We’ll continue investing in important transport schemes across the country, just like this one, as we level up, support local economies, and provide people with the world-class infrastructure they deserve.

The improved traffic flow and lower congestion will also reduce journey times for local buses, making commutes shorter and more reliable. Real time passenger information will be installed at bus stops along the route which will provide passengers with live updates to help them plan their journey, in line with the government’s long term strategy for buses outside London.

Local residents will benefit from improved walking and cycling facilities. A new cycle and pedestrian corridor running parallel to the A38 will be built, while new crossings and overbridges will connect to the wider local cycle network. This will improve safety, provide more options for active travel and support the drive to net zero.

The total cost of the scheme is £49.8 million, with the Department for Transport committing to provide just over £43 million and Worcestershire County Council providing the remainder.

Worcestershire County Council’s Leader, Councillor Simon Geraghty, said:

We are delighted that the A38 project has taken a huge next step forward in the journey towards securing £43 million funding from the Department for Transport.

This significant investment will help improve everyday journeys around Bromsgrove, easing traffic for local people, as well as boosting the local economy.

The scheme comes as part of the government’s drive to level up transport, reduce emissions by boosting opportunities for cycling and walking, and create more opportunities for people right across the country.

It’s the latest in a series of government investments to boost local transport infrastructure, including £5.7 billion for future local transport projects across England.

The local council must now successfully complete the design of the project; identify a preferred contractor; and submit to the Department a Full Business Case for final funding approval. If that is approved works are expected to start in early 2023.

• UK announces new diplomatic presence in Western Australia to accelerate trade and investment with the region
• Comes after the UK doubled the number of British High Commissions across the Pacific Islands
• Visit will also underline the UK’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific in light of the brutal invasion of Ukraine

The UK will boost diplomatic and trade ties in the Indo-Pacific as the UK Minister of Asia and the Middle East, Amanda Milling, today embarks on a regional tour of Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu.

As part of the visit, Minister Milling is announcing plans to re-establish the diplomatic post of Consul General in Perth, Western Australia after nearly 20 years.

Western Australia is Australia’s largest state accounting for 16% of Australia’s GDP and hosts the highest percentage of British people of any state in the country, with 8.9% of the population born in the UK and 42% having British ancestry.

The new Consul General will be supported by the existing team of eight staff in Perth. Their roles cover trade, investment, consular and Scottish Development International.

The new post emphasizes the UK’s commitment to Australia and the deepening trade and investment ties between the two countries following the Free Trade Agreement.

During the past three years the UK has doubled the number of British High Commissions across the Pacific Island Countries to six – Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu – underlining the importance of the Indo-Pacific to our economy, security and ambition to build a network of liberty as set out in the UK’s Integrated Review.

Minister for Asia and the Middle East, Amanda Milling said:

We may be geographically far apart, but when it comes to our shared values, history, economic and security ties, the UK’s partnerships with Australia, New Zealand and Vanuatu could hardly be closer.

Testament to that closeness is the UK’s decision to strengthen our diplomatic footprint, re-establishing the diplomatic post of Consul General in Perth that I am delighted to announce today.

While in Australia, Minister Milling will visit Perth and Melbourne, holding meetings with representatives from the State and Federal Governments, business and industry leaders as well as representatives of the Indigenous community.

In Vanuatu, the Minister will meet President Nikenike Vurobaravu and Acting Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau, as well as formally opening the British High Commission in Port Vila.

Finally, in New Zealand, she will visit Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington, delivering a speech at the High Commission on the importance of UK’s relationship with New Zealand alongside meetings with a number of representatives from across Government, business and Māori.

She will also be accompanied on many of her engagements by the UK’s new High Commissioner to New Zealand and Governor of the Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands, Ms Iona Thomas OBE, who presented her credentials in Wellington last week (3 August 2022).

British High Commissioner to Australia, H.E. Vicki Treadell, said:

The new diplomatic post in Perth after an almost 20 year gap recognises the importance of Western Australia to the UK. This is underlined by the fantastic work already being delivered by our Head of Perth Office and the Consulate team there on our shared focus on economic security and the clean energy transition, as well as our support for the large number of Brits in WA.

The Minister’s visit follows an intensive period of engagement for the UK with its partners in the Pacific. In 2022, that includes visits to Australia by the UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, and Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC. COP26 President Alok Sharma also visited Australia, Fiji and New Zealand last month (July 2022).

Prime Minister Boris Johnson also met Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, at the NATO Summit in Madrid and hosted New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, in London last month.

The Minister arrives in Australia from Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh where she represented the UK at ASEAN, a meeting of influential countries in Southeast Asia. She signed-off a new UK-ASEAN agreement for deeper cooperation on trade and investment, defence and security – including maritime security and cyber – as well as climate change, girls’ education, digital and science and technology.

As part of the agreement, the UK will scale-up development and security links in Southeast Asia, opening a regional British International Investment office in Singapore later this year to invest up to £500m in the Indo-Pacific. The UK is also offering training for countries in the region on security issues and maritime law, including from the Royal Navy.

• The Consul General is expected to take up post in Perth in 2023.
• The UK is also accredited to the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu. The UK Ambassador in the Philippines is accredited to Palau.
• Further to the successful Carrier Strike Group deployment in 2021, the UK has a permanent presence in the Indo-Pacific with the deployment of two Offshore Patrol Vessels. They have already provided aid and assistance in the Pacific region, delivering humanitarian supplies in Tonga, following the volcanic eruption in January 2022, and delivering Covid booster vaccinations and dental care to the people of the Pitcairn Islands in February 2022.