The new funding will see jobcentre staff joining outreach teams on the streets to speak to people sleeping rough, helping them to claim their benefits, find new work, secure stable accommodation and direct them to additional support.

Staff will be able to spend more time working with charities and other organisations to help people who are homeless, including those rough sleeping.

The funding will also be used to bolster projects jobcentres are already working on with various organisations, such as the Salvation Army in Cardiff, Crisis in Edinburgh and Teardrops in St Helens, to support homeless claimants.

Jobcentre staff could also be stationed in charity run day centres to advise those who use those services, but have not yet visited a jobcentre.

Minister for Welfare Delivery Will Quince said:

We are determined to help anyone experiencing homelessness, and if this means getting staff out of the jobcentre to speak to people on the street directly then we will do that.

There’s a huge amount of support available to help people who are homeless, but they often don’t know about the support they can access. So we’re going out and taking the help to them, through outreach programmes and closer working with homelessness charities.

The work will build on the support already available from jobcentres for homeless people which includes:

• helping verify their ID to set up claims for benefits
• assisting with opening bank accounts
• pausing requirements to look for work while they find stable housing
• making regular payments to help pay for housing
• signposting to drug, alcohol and other support services

Minister for Homelessness, Luke Hall said:

As Minister for Homelessness, it’s my priority to ensure that we reduce all forms of homelessness and rough sleeping.

And while our interventions are working there is still more to do. Today’s announcement will mean homeless people get the support they need to get back on their feet and find new work.

The new funding, which will be delivered in 2020 to 2021, follows on from dedicated training given to hundreds of jobcentre managers last year on how best to support homeless claimants.

It builds on the government’s introduction of the Homelessness Reduction Act in 2018. This sees English local authorities, public services and charities working together to actively prevent homelessness for people at risk, irrespective of whether they are a family or single person, the reason why they have been put at risk or whether, or not, they have a local connection to the area.

The new funding will see jobcentre staff joining outreach teams on the streets to speak to people sleeping rough, helping them to claim their benefits, find new work, secure stable accommodation and direct them to additional support.

Staff will be able to spend more time working with charities and other organisations to help people who are homeless, including those rough sleeping.

The funding will also be used to bolster projects jobcentres are already working on with various organisations, such as the Salvation Army in Cardiff, Crisis in Edinburgh and Teardrops in St Helens, to support homeless claimants.

Jobcentre staff could also be stationed in charity run day centres to advise those who use those services, but have not yet visited a jobcentre.

Current jobcentre outreach activities include:

Cardiff

The local jobcentre has deployed an outreach worker to local homeless charities and a residential house run by the Salvation Army. They help resolve any issues with benefits, check on people who have missed appointments and teach staff about Universal Credit.

Cheshire

Chester Jobcentre has work coaches in Hamilton House, run by the charity Chester Aid to the Homeless. Work Coaches help people coming into the centre to access benefits and speak with them if there are any issues with their claim.

London

London has nine dedicated Homeless Advisers who provide outreach services in organisations across London. They help connect homeless organisations, refer homeless people to further support and assist with benefit claims.

Merseyside

St Helens Jobcentre has developed a ‘Housing Hub’ to help with all things housing and homelessness related in partnership with local charity, Teardrops.

Edinburgh

DWP staff join street outreach teams to build rapport with rough sleepers. Once rapport is established by the outreach worker, DWP staff will offer assistance with Universal Credit applications and on-going support.

DWP has a long established relationship with the charity Crisis. Their advisers deliver an outreach service on a weekly basis in the Edinburgh jobcentres, which includes advice and signposting. A third of referrals to Crisis are from DWP.

The latest homeless support funding was allocated to DWP as part of the 2019 Spending Round process. On December 23 2019, the Prime Minister announced £263 million of funding for local authorities to support people who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes.

The funding will empower councils across England to provide the best services for local needs, helping those experiencing homelessness in their area to improve their lives and get back on their feet. Councils can use the funding to employ specialists to provide practical advice to vulnerable people to help ensure they are meeting their rent payments, as well as helping them to find long-term stable accommodation.

Last year, the Department for Work and Pensions developed training for jobcentre Customer Service Managers with guidance from expert organisations, including Crisis, Homeless Link and Shelter. The training is aimed at ensuring people experiencing homelessness, and those at risk of becoming homeless, get access to all relevant services offered by the department.

As part of this, managers also act as a point of contact for partner homelessness organisations in their local area, focusing on building relationships with them and ensuring people are signposted appropriately to additional, expert support.

The government is committed to increasing the supply of social housing and has made £9 billion available through the Affordable Homes Programme to March 2022 to deliver approximately 250,000 new affordable homes of a wide range of tenures, including social rent.

This government introduced the Homelessness Reduction Act, the most ambitious legislative reform in decades, in 2018. This sees English local authorities, public services and charities working together to actively prevent homelessness for people at risk, irrespective of whether they are a family or single person, the reason why they have been put at risk or whether, or not, they have a local connection to the area.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 3267 5144

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A spokesperson said that due to significant public safety concerns it will not be possible to keep a section of Terry Avenue open, between Skeldergate Bridge and Dukes Wharf, while flood defence work takes place.

The Environment Agency submitted a planning application in March 2019 with its proposals to better protect Clementhorpe from flooding. It forms part of the £45 million given to York by the government after the devastating flooding of Boxing Day 2015.

But concerns were voiced about the proposed closure of Terry Avenue for up to 18 months and the impact on local residents so an alternative solution was sought.

Under the original plans, the road needed to be closed because the machinery required to install an eight metre deep wall of concrete piles under Terry Avenue to stop water ingress during flooding was too large to safely keep access open.

The Agency recently investigated the viability of using a method known as grout injection to stop the water ingress and this was found to be a suitable solution.

This means that the work is expected to take one year, rather than 18 months, and will not require large pile driver machinery so will be less intrusive to residents living nearby.

Environment Agency project director Ben Hughes said:

It is great news that a new less invasive solution, and one that takes six months less time, has been found. This will cause significantly less disruption to people than would otherwise have been the case.

Mr Hughes added that significant preparatory work is needed before the underground grouting can take place, meaning large scale excavation is required along the narrow river frontage. He said:

During our investigations in October a number of incidents arose where work had to stop and members of the public needed to be escorted through the active working area.

This caused significant delay to even these minor works and to ensure Terry Avenue was fully reopened on time we had to impose a 24 hour road closure for vehicles.

Unfortunately these issues are out of our control and we can only conclude that it is not viable to safely accommodate the public in these areas during the main works.

To allow for the legal public consultation period, the planning application is expected to be heard in March/April, with the aim of work starting in late spring/early summer.

For further information, go to https://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/yorkshire/yorkfas or contact the Environment Agency by emailing yorkfloodplan@environment-agency.gov.uk or speak to a member of staff directly at the hub on Wellington Row (YO1 6FZ), which is open 10am to 4pm on Mondays and Wednesday and 10am to 1pm on Thursday.

Further information:

Detail of work required While the proposed Clementhorpe flood alleviation scheme stretches from Skeldergate Bridge to Lovell Street (at the entrance to Rowntree Park), there are three key construction locations which will impact on access along Terry Avenue:

1. Terry Avenue grout injection

2. Clementhorpe floodgate

3. Waterfront House floodwall

Terry Avenue grout injection To provide a below ground barrier to prevent water moving under our new flood defences and flooding properties, it will be necessary to excavate a trench along Terry Avenue between Skeldergate Bridge and Dukes Wharf. This will allow for:

• Excavation to identify services, sewer connections and finalise the route of the below ground barrier.

• Injection of grout into the ground to form barrier.

• Construction of a clay liner to connect above and below ground work ensuring the flood defences are not compromised from future work within the highway.

Clementhorpe floodgate

We have proposed installing a bi-fold flood gate at the bottom of Clementhorpe. Installation will require significant above and below ground work including:

• Excavation to remove the existing Aqua Barrier foundations.

• Identification and protection of existing buried services.

• Installation of bi-fold floodgate foundation, including piles.

• Diversion of existing buried services, by service providers, through ‘purpose built’ conduits within the gate foundation.

• Backfill of excavation and required road and footpath reinstatement/ reconfiguration.

• Installation of bi-fold floodgate and associated storage cabinets.

Waterfront House floodwall

To install the new floodwall, significant above and below ground work is required including:

• Identification, protection and diversion (by service providers) of existing buried services within the footpath to make space for the floodwall foundation.

• Injection of grout into the ground to form barrier.

• Installation of floodwall foundation, including piles.

• Construction of a clay liner to connect above and below ground work ensuring the flood defences are not compromised from future work within the highway.

• Backfill of excavation and required road and footpath reinstatement/ reconfiguration.

• Construction of concrete floodwall.

• Installation of flood resistant glass panels to ground floor balconies/windows plus new brick façade.

What does this mean for access?

Due to the extent of above and below ground work, and the lessons learnt from recent ground investigations, we have concluded that access along Terry Avenue for all users cannot be maintained safely once construction starts. It is expected that access will be compromised for 12 months.

Pedestrians and cyclists

Proposed diversions for pedestrians and cyclists have been outlined in our current construction traffic management plan (CTMP) which is available on the City of York Council planning portal under application reference 19/00570/FUL. Pedestrian access to the existing houseboats on Terry Avenue will be maintained.

Vehicles

Alternative routes for vehicles seeking access to areas south of Skeldergate Bridge will be required, including:

• Houseboats.

• Dukes Wharf residents.

• The Roomzzz Aparthotel.

• The Caravan and Motorhome Club – Rowntree Park.

• Rowntree Park car park.

The current construction traffic management plan outlines alternative vehicle access from the south via Butcher Terrace and Terry Avenue. Residents of Dukes Wharf have confirmed that they will utilise the private road to the rear of the property.

Organisations developing cutting-edge technology focused on making rail journeys faster, cleaner and greener could receive a share of £9.4 million to bring their ideas to life.

The Department for Transport is working with Innovate UK to launch the 2020 First of a Kind (FOAK) competition to accelerate innovation in rail. Now in its fourth year, the competition will help transform rail travel for passengers and decarbonise the network.

To mark the launch, Future of Transport Minister George Freeman will be visiting former competition winner Riding Sunbeams today (13 January 2020), a project connecting solar directly to the railway. The pilot, based near Aldershot station in Hampshire, is supplying power to Network Rail’s infrastructure on its line to Alton and could pave the way for the world’s first ever solar-powered train.

This January Innovate UK will run events across the country to speak to innovators, inventors, designers and experts to find the latest technology that could transform our railways.

Last year saw 124 innovators apply for a share of £7.8 million. Twenty-four innovative projects received funding of between £250,000 and £350,000.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

For 2 centuries the UK has been at the cutting edge of rail technology. FOAK 2020 is part of the research and innovation melting pot that will keep us there as we enter another decade.

To build the railway of tomorrow we have to support the inventors and innovators of today. This competition is designed to find the next Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and help them create the technology that defines our railway in the future.

Past winners include 4Silence’s plan to develop a noise-reducing wall that works by diffracting sound waves from passing trains upwards. This makes it as effective as a barrier 3 times its height.

Another scheme supported by the competition was Amey VTOL’s development of a drone system that could carry out track inspections from the skies. This avoids the need for people to set foot on railway infrastructure.

The University of Birmingham’s Centre for Railway Research also received funds for its plans to undertake the first mainline testing of a hydrogen-fuelled train in the UK.

Future of Transport Minister George Freeman said:

We have committed to lead the world in transport decarbonisation and emissions reduction through our NetZero programme.

By investing in renewable technologies the UK benefits from both growth in the green economy and cleaner, greener transport.

Competitions like FOAK are the stimulus for innovations which have the potential to revolutionise modern railways: here and worldwide.

The country that invented the train, jet engine and the Harrier jump jet is now leading the green transport revolution.

Having already supported trains that run on sunlight and hydrogen, drones to survey our tracks and technology to tackle leaves on the line, the UK is fast becoming once again a hub of global innovation in transport.

Simon Edmonds, Chief Business Officer, Innovate UK, said:

The UK’s rail network is one of the nation’s vital economic assets. That is why we are all committed to improving it and building on its green credentials.

We are looking for pioneering projects from great British innovators to make the railway ever more reliable and sustainable.

Three briefing events will occur throughout the UK (London on 21 January 2020, Manchester on 23 January 2020, and Cardiff on 29 January 2020) for projects interested in entering, so potential applicants can find out more about the process of applying.

The competition is open to organisations of all sizes and sectors whose technologies could help to create a greener, more cost-effective and customer-friendly railway with greater capacity.

During her visit to Southeast Asia, the Minister will seek to strengthen our partnership with the region and will officially open the new UK’s Mission at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Jakarta.

Speaking ahead of her visit, FCO Minister Heather Wheeler said:

This visit is a fantastic opportunity to engage with our friends in the region on a number of important issues and opportunities including trade, human tracking, climate change and technology.

As part of the UK’s ambition to broaden our horizons and look beyond Europe to tackle global challenges such as climate change, we are committed to working with the rapidly growing economies of Southeast Asia who are such vital partners in that endeavour.

The Minister will meet with key members of both Governments including Indonesian Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Siregar and Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister To Anh Dung to promote 10 years of UK-Vietnam Strategic Partnership.

While in Jakarta, Minister Wheeler will visit the UK’s new Mission to ASEAN which aims to deepen our engagement with the 10 member states, building on existing collaboration and exploring new ways to engage with the organisation and its members.

UK-ASEAN trade was at a 10-year high of £35.2 billion in 2018, with £16.2 billion of UK exports to ASEAN with both sides looking forward to expanding this further once the UK has left the European Union at the end of the month.

In Hanoi, the Minister will discuss Vietnam’s role as Chair of ASEAN in 2020 as well as their election to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member for the next two years.

Further information