Tony Burton CBE appointed as Interim Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund.
Tony Burton CBE is currently the Vice Chair of the National Lottery Community Fund. Tony works on a wide range of community and environmental projects, including providing support for community groups on neighbourhood planning and as Chair of CPRE London. He is currently the Vice Chair of HS2’s independent Design Panel and advises the National Infrastructure Commission on design and Tarmac on sustainability. He is a Trustee of The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and mySociety. He is also a director of London’s environmental record centre Greenspace Information for Greater London. Tony founded Civic Voice – the national charity for the civic movement – in 2010 and has over 30 years’ experience on the Executive Boards of national charities, including the National Trust, Campaign to Protect Rural England and Design Council. Tony is Chair of the Wandle Valley Forum and is Secretary of his local civic society in Mitcham. He was awarded the CBE in the Jubilee Honours for services to planning, local government and community.
This role is remunerated at £40,000. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government’s Governance Code requires that any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years is declared. This is defined as holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation or candidature for election. Mr Burton has not declared any activity.
Published 3 February 2020
Oil and gas: OPRED communications
Stakeholder Alert – UK ETS Authority publishes response to registry data publication consultation.
Changes to access – ETSWAP user password policy and security questions
Activity Level Changes – COVID-19 communication from the UK ETS Authority
Reminder of Well Intervention Application (WIA) annual 2023 chemical permits process and to update Production Operations (PRA) chemical permits to include 2023 chemical use and discharge data.
The following is a message from the UK ETS Authority on change to the PMRV launch plan.
UK ETS update and ETSWAP to PMRV migration August 2022
PPC Monitoring Guidance Letter to Industry added
Government Response to the Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS).
PPC Emissions monitoring plan – Letter to industry 29.07.2022
REMINDER for Information of Trained Oil Spill Response Personnel during 2020 – Issued 12/07/2022
Energy Security Bill Introduction – BEIS Secretary of State Letter to Stakeholders
Consultation published on behalf of the UK ETS Authority (made up of the UK Government and Devolved Administrations) relating to the publication of data on the UK ETS Registry and additional scheme date. Please find attached the consultation text outlining the UK ETS Authority’s proposals and accompanying questions. Please respond by 24 July. All responses should be sent to emissions.trading@beis.gov.uk.
UK ETS update – Migration from ETSWAP to the new permitting, monitoring, reporting and verification (PMRV) system for operators
Request for Information of Trained Oil Spill Response Personnel during 2021 Template return spreadsheet for infomration of Trained Oil Spill Response Personnel During 2021 request
Uploaded Withdrawal of OPRED incident notification telephone number – 01224 254058
Communications for OPRED Pollution Emergency Response uploaded
Reminder for EMS Annual Public Statement
Addition of IRS Enhancements April 2022
EMS Annual Public Statement 2022
Addition of notification advising The UK ETS Authority – made up of the UK Government, Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland who jointly run the scheme – has published a consultation on developing the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS).
Addition of communication confirming OPRED Website Issues now resolved
Addition of communication regarding OPRED Website Issues
Update to OPPC Guidance and Standard Industry Conditions as a result of clarification on reporting requirements for Miscellaneous discharge streams plus update to webpage
Addition of ‘Details on upcoming noisy activities in the Southern North Sea’ communication
Addition of ‘UK ETS general update from OPRED’ communication
Reminder – Cessation of Out of Hours Permitting Function.
Addition of ‘Reminder – Updating PON1s in legacy ePON1 system – Function to be withdrawn’ communication
Addition of ‘Announcement of OPRED Chief Executive and Executive Director’ communication and Tom Child and Wendy Kennedy’s biographies to accompany this communication
Addition of communication on ‘The Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Unloading and Storage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020’
Addition of Inspection of Local Aids to Navigation, Merchant Shipping Act, 1995, Section 198(1) communication
The EU and UK are cutting the availability of HFC’s by 79% between 2015 and 2030. OPRED would like to make Operators aware of the following ban which will be imposed from 1 January 2022.
Updating PON1s in legacy ePON1 system – Function to be withdrawn
Addition of Cessation of Out of Hours Permitting Function communication
Addition of Annual Chemical Permit Reminder
Cessation of out of hours permitting function
The notification provides details about the recent publication of Defra’s revised UK Plan for Shipments of Waste and the Government Response to the consultation on the UK Plan
OPEP Guidance Publication Comms.
Addition of OPRED response to PON1, OPPC, IRS Consultation – OGUK response document and Reminder of IRS go live date
IRS – General Guidance, Enhanced/Additional Features and Managing Distribution Lists Added.
Energy Portal – Integrated Reporting System (IRS) – Action Required, populating IRS Teams – Issued 25/08/2021
OPRED Communications – Energy Portal inactive OPRED applications note.
Addition of ‘Offshore Chemicals Regulations 2002 and the Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) Regulations 2005’ communication
Verifier site visits update post Covid 19 published on Communications page.
Defra Consultation on amending the Civil Procedure Rules to establish environmental review
Defra Consultation on Best Practice Guidance for developing compensatory measures in relation to Marine Protected Areas published.
BEIS Consultation on reforming the framework for better regulation published. Offshore EIA Regulations Communication – Consent for Projects published.
Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme Public Consultation. Register your interest to join a stakeholder event by 12 July.
Addition of PETS PPC SAT changes note
PON1, OPPC and Integrated Reporting Service Guidance Consultations published.
Addition of Reminder for Information of Trained Oil Spill Response Personnel during 2020
Reminder for EMS Annual Public Statements uploaded
UK ETS Authority publishes the free allocation table for 2021-2025 allocation period.
BEIS-OPRED NOTIFICATION TO STAKEHOLDERS – Scottish Government Consultation on a proposed UK Dolphin and Porpoise Conservation Strategy.
Addition of ‘Request for information of Trained Oil Spill Response Personnel during 2020’ and ‘Template return spreadsheet for information of Trained Oil Spill Response Personnel during 2020 request’
OPEP Variation function in CAP – Communication to Industry 20 April 2021
Addition of request for EMS Annual Public Statements
OPRED communications page has been updated to include communication on advice notes related to the protection of wild birds in UK offshore waters.
Addition of ‘Energy Portal – Integrated Reporting System (IRS) – Action Required’ communication
Addition of ‘Evaluation of Offshore Safety Directive Regulator (OSDR)’ communication
Addition of ‘Regulating Offshore oil and gas Installations during Coronavirus (Covid-19) Outbreak – Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning’s return to offshore inspection activity’ update
OPRED UK ETS Update
Oil and gas: OPRED communications page has been updated to include communication on the protection of wild birds in UK offshore waters.
Defra consultation on the ‘Updating of the UK Plan for Shipments of Waste’.
Mercury Regulations & TFSW Regulations – Notification to Offshore Operators
Addition of ‘Regulating Offshore oil and gas Installations during Coronavirus (Covid-19) Outbreak. UK and Scottish Government 04 January 2021 announcement of change to lockdown measures – update 07 January 2021’
Update on EU ETS transition to a UK ETS.
The Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration, Production, Unloading and Storage (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2020 – Transitional Provisions & PETS Changes
RBA Programme Update added
Notification to Stakeholder regarding The Offshore Oil and Gas (EIA) Regulations (2020)
Informal Consultation of the UK ETS Civil Penalties Guidance Document and OPRED Notification to the Oil and Gas Industry UKETS Civil Penalties Guidance
UK Energy Portal will be unavailable from 6pm on Friday 27th November until 9am on Monday 30th November for extended maintenance.
OSPAR Annual Reporting on the Phase-out of Hazardous Substances – Issued 23/11/2020
Potential Met Office telephone system outage – Saturday 21st November
PRA 2021 chemical data and Annual WIA permits
OPRED EU ETS Transition update Operator Requirements October 2020
Regulating Offshore oil and gas Installations during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) Outbreak – Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning’s return to offshore inspection activity
Addition of Reminder for Information of Trained Oil Spill Response Personnel during 2019
Offshore EIA Regulations 2020
Proposed Offshore Chemicals and the Offshore Petroleum Activities (Oil Pollution Prevention and Control) (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 Consultation
Addition of EIA Pre-consultation Engagement document
OPRED position published on offshore site visits by verifiers during the Coronavirus Outbreak 2020.
Addition of ‘Request for information of Trained Oil Spill Response Personnel during 2019’ and template return spreadsheet
Publication of Guidance for assessing the significance of noise disturbance against Conservation Objectives of harbour porpoise SACs
Future of UK carbon pricing consultation response
Addition of reminders for EMS Annual Statement and Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Returns
Covid19 Update
Addition of Request for Mercury Regulations Returns and corresponding reporting form
Addition of ‘EIA Regulations – Coronavirus Amendment’ notification
Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Return communication updated and return form added
Addition of ‘Request for Transfrontier Shipment of Waste Return’
Addition of Covid19 Position Update
Addition of Request for EMS Annual Public Statement
New communication added
New communication added
Addition of new communication
Addition of ‘The Impacts of Covid-19’ communications
New communication added
Addition of notification
New communication added
New communication added
Addition of Noise Guidance Consultation Notification
First published.
UK’s first district heating scheme using mine water energy now in development
The Seaham Garden Village development will consist of 750 affordable homes, 750 private homes, a school, shops, and medical and innovation centres.
The scheme is close to existing commercial buildings, a supermarket and the coastal village of Seaham, with a population of around 21,000.
The new development will be supplied with geothermal heat from the Coal Authority’s nearby Dawdon mine water treatment scheme, which treats water abstracted from an extensive network of flooded abandoned coal mines in the area.
Mine heat can be an energy source that is unaffected by external factors, meaning it has a stable price and is not subject to future variations or rises in energy prices.
It is a renewable energy source that also has the potential to have a zero carbon footprint.
The Coal Authority, a government body, is committed to creating a better future from the UK’s mining past, including managing many mine water treatment schemes across Britain. It estimates there could be enough energy in the UK’s flooded, abandoned mines to heat all of the homes on the coalfields.
With one quarter of UK homes and businesses sited on former coalfields, mine water energy could be seen as crucial to when it comes to solving the Britain’s energy crisis, with Seaham Garden Village potentially the first of many similar schemes.
Jeremy Crooks, Head of Innovation at the Coal Authority, said:
Heat from abandoned coal mines is an innovative and practical solution to one of the big challenges facing the economy – decarbonising our heating supplies
There would be wider benefits to this sustainable energy source too, as it would also attract new investment, create employment and deliver lower fuel bills to Seaham Garden Village and to other district heating schemes to be built on the coalfields.
The abandoned coal mines in the UK present an enormous opportunity to us as a source of geothermal energy.
Water in the mines is heated by geological processes, and remains stable year-round. This constantly renewing available, zero-carbon heat resource, can be transferred to a pipe network using a heat exchanger and distributed to nearby homes, and the Seaham Garden Village development will be the first working example of this network.
The scheme – the result of a collaboration between the Coal Authority, Tolent Construction and Durham County Council – is also unusual in that it does not use metal pipes, due to the lower temperatures involved.
The method of delivery is much cheaper than district heating schemes using higher temperatures, where metal piping is essential and has greater temperature losses, making networks such as Seaham Garden Village much more viable than most district heating schemes.
An artist’s impression of the Seaham Garden Village development
Notably, when mine water has recovered nearer to the surface it can be cheaper than public supply gas and is ideally suited to district heating, commercial space heating and horticultural use. Mr Crooks said:
The construction of Seaham Garden Village has huge implications for the future of energy in the UK, and could lead to the building of district heating schemes, heated commercial spaces and undercover horticultural facilities in coalfield areas.
This breakthrough is also important when we consider the impact of climate change, and the steps the UK is taking in order to reduce its carbon footprint as we move into an era of climate change awareness. Mr Crooks said:
Mine water energy has the potential to be an important, sustainable source of energy for the UK, whilst also providing many commercial benefits.
Mine water energy is very much a viable solution when looking to help resolve Britain’s future energy crisis.
It is conceivable that former coalfield communities will be revitalised in the process. Along with this new, cheaper energy source also come potential employment opportunities.
According to a recent report commissioned by Sheffield Hallam University, the employment rate on the coalfields is more than two percentage points behind the national average and five percentage points behind the rate in South East England.
This technology could make coalfield areas more attractive to investors and businesses, reviving some areas of the UK where it is most needed. Mr Crooks said:
The Coal Authority is using its extensive expertise in managing mines and working with a range of partners to make these ideas a reality.
There is an irony in that that Britain’s coal mines could form a part of an important green solution to resolving the country’s future energy crisis.
Government relaunches Fire Kills campaign
The Fire Kills campaign has returned to highlight the everyday accidents that can cause a fire in your home.
Launching today, the revamped campaign will highlight that candles, cigarettes, portable heaters and overloaded extension leads can lead to fires in any room of a home.
While the majority (90%) of homes now have at least 1 working smoke alarm, 23% of people say they never test them.
Minister for Crime, Policing and the Fire Service Kit Malthouse said:
It’s easy to make mistakes. Being alert to hazards after a long day at work, or with distractions at home is never easy.
This is why this campaign is so important – it reminds us of how we can prevent the unthinkable.
At the very least, if you do nothing else, please buy smoke alarms for your home so you and yours can sleep easy.
The campaign, developed with the help of the National Fire Chiefs Council also urges the public to test their smoke alarms at least once a month. The campaign is also partnering with other organisations, including Dementia UK and retailer B&Q, to help spread the message.
Home Office analysis has found you are around 8 times more likely to die in a fire if you do not have a working smoke alarm in your home. Existing research also indicates that some people are more at risk of fire than others, such as older people and people with disabilities.
Susan Drayton, Clinical Lead of the Admiral Nurse Dementia Helpline at Dementia UK:
We are pleased to be a part of this campaign which will help to raise awareness of fire risks to some of the most vulnerable people in society. In cases where people have been diagnosed with dementia, loss of memory could cause food to be left on the stove for too long, for example. Sensory and spatial awareness may change too leaving people with the dementia unaware of fire hazards, or not realising that a fire has started in the first place.
Whilst installing a smoke alarm can help to mitigate against these risks, people and families with dementia can also contact their local fire service who can provide a free home fire safety visit to identify any hazards.
The latest Home Office analysis of fires has also found that most accidental fires start with cooking appliances (48%), for example, by something flammable being left too close to the cooker, such as a tea towel.
We’re pleased to be part of the Home Office’s Fire Kills campaign for 2020. Alongside the Home Office, we want to encourage customers to ensure that essential measures such as working smoke alarms and regular alarm testing are put in place to keep their home safe.
It is recommended that smoke alarms are fitted on every floor of your home and tested at least once a month.
Neil Odin, Chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council National Prevention Committee, said:
NFCC has worked closely with the Home Office on the Fire Kills campaign. We believe every home should have at least 1 working smoke alarm on every level, which are regularly tested – no home should be unprotected.
It is essential people are aware of fire risks in their home and we encourage people to fit smoke alarms in the rooms they use most. They should also take preventative measures to keep themselves and their families safe. This includes being aware of household risks such as electrical items, candles and white goods, and make sure they plan an escape route which is practised with people living within the home.
Record breaking 10.4 million customers filed online
A record breaking 11.1 million taxpayers made their contribution to the UK’s public services by hitting the 31 January deadline.
The number filing online soared to more than 10.4 million for the first time ever.
About 11.7 million customers were required to file their 2018 to 2019 tax returns by 11.59pm on 31 January. More than 700,000 submitted their tax returns on deadline day, the peak hour for filing was between 4pm to 4:59pm when 56,969 filed.
Thousands of customers filed their tax returns at the last minute, with 26,562 completing their returns from 11pm to 11:59pm on Friday 31 January 2020.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:
It’s great to see that the majority of customers have submitted and paid their tax returns before 31 January.
While few people enjoy the process it’s good to get it out the way and know you have contributed towards our vital public services. I’d like to thank everyone who filed and paid on time, but anyone yet to file or pay should contact HMRC straight away because we are here to help.
Customers who have missed the deadline should contact HMRC. The department will treat those with genuine excuses leniently, as it focuses penalties on those who persistently fail to complete their tax returns and deliberate tax evaders. The excuse must be genuine and HMRC may ask for evidence.
Self Assessment 2020 facts summary:
11.7 million Self Assessment returns due
11,122,967 returns received by 31 January. This includes expected returns, unsolicited returns and late registrations
10,760,043 expected returns received by 31 January (91.82% of returns expected)
702,171 taxpayers filed their returns on 31 January, peak filing hour was 4pm to 4:59pm (56,969 returns received)
10,450,542 returns were filed online (93.95% of total filed)
HMRC has changed the methodology of presenting Self Assessment data that aligns with legislative changes (12 February 2019) which clarify treatment of voluntary (Unsolicited) Self Assessment Returns.
Comparisons to last year are presented using the new methodology.
Self Assessment 2019 summary:
11.56 million Self Assessment returns due
10,833,177 returns received by 31 January. This includes expected returns, unsolicited returns and late registrations
10,468,177 expected returns received by 31 January (90.52% of returns expected)
Tax is automatically deducted from the majority of UK taxpayers’ wages, pensions or savings. For people or businesses where tax is not automatically deducted, or when they may have earned additional untaxed income, they are required to complete a Self Assessment tax return each year.
Be aware of copycat websites and phishing scams – always type in the full online address http://www.gov.uk/hmrc to obtain the correct link to file your Self Assessment return online securely and free of charge.
HMRC uses your home address to determine whether you should be paying UK or Welsh/Scottish Rate of Income Tax, make sure yours is up to date by accessing your Personal Tax Account or https://www.gov.uk/tell-hmrc-change-of-details.
