The UK Government has today shown its commitment to delivering growth across the UK by signing a 25 year lease at the Central Square development, Cardiff.

This announcement comes weeks after a new lease was signed in Edinburgh, further demonstrating the UK Government’s commitment to building a strong Civil Service outside London.

The deal is part of the Government Hubs Programme which will transform the way the Civil Service works by accommodating several government departments in one building, across the country. The programme will deliver over a billion pounds of savings to the taxpayer, free up land for housing and reduce government buildings from 800 to around 200 by 2022.

The UK Government has agreed to lease 265,000 sq ft in the brand new, Cardiff city-centre development, which will accommodate over 4,000 public servants from several different UK Government departments. HMRC will be the majority occupier and Central Square will become one of their regional centres. The office will be ready by 2020 for civil servants to occupy.

This major deal is the largest ever pre-let in Cardiff and represents a significant regeneration opportunity for the Welsh capital. In addition, by consolidating office space in Wales it will deliver millions of pounds of savings to the taxpayer.

By bringing several different departments to work alongside each other in one building, the Government Hubs Programme will encourage greater collaboration and productivity in the Civil Service. All hubs will allow Smart Working, which will enable civil servants to work more flexibly. This will help to attract and retain the best talent needed to deliver the best possible service to the public.

The Hub will also, importantly, enable the UK Government to have a strong and coherent presence in Wales.

Minister for Government Resilience and Efficiency, Caroline Nokes, said:

This Government is committed to delivering the best quality public services in every corner of the UK, and today’s announcement is an important step towards that.

This new lease is great news for Cardiff, and will deliver a range of benefits to people in Cardiff, from improved public space and transport to better access to the Principality Stadium from the station.

Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns, said:

The UK Government already has a significant footprint in Wales and I believe that basing several departments in a single office in the centre of Cardiff demonstrates the impact we can make through greater collaboration. This will not only lead to better integration between departments and create an obvious cost-saving for the taxpayer, but will also send a clear message that the UK Government is visible, accessible and helping to improve people’s lives in Wales.

Details of the improvement notice issued to Feedmark Ltd, Harleston, Norfolk published in August 2017.

These large scale tests will allow experts to better understand how different types of cladding panels behave with different types of insulation in a fire. The results of the first two tests have already been published.

This third test was of a wall cladding system consisting of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding with a fire retardant polyethylene filler (category 2 in screening tests) with PIR foam insulation.

The government’s expert panel advises that the results show that the combination of materials used in the test does not meet current Building Regulations guidance.

There are up to 13 buildings over 18 metres tall in England known to have a combination of ACM with a fire retardant polyethylene filler with PIR foam insulation. Cladding samples from each of these buildings had already failed earlier combustibility tests conducted by Building Research Establishment (BRE) and their owners were sent government advice detailing the immediate interim safety measures that needed to be completed.

These latest test results provide building owners with further evidence about fire risks. Government has now provided these building owners with additional detailed advice setting out the actions they need to take to ensure the safety of residents. Government is working closely with these building owners to ensure this advice is being followed.

To further build the evidence available for experts and building owners so they can make informed safety decisions, government has commissioned a seventh large scale test – testing ACM with fire retardant polyethylene filler (category 2 in screening tests) with phenolic foam insulation. Results of all remaining tests will be published when they are available.

The government announced the independent review of building regulations and fire safety on 28 July 2017. This forward looking review will examine the regulatory system around the design, construction and on-going management of buildings in relation to fire safety as well as related compliance and enforcement issues.

Recognising and rewarding support for witnesses at court.

This week, Expo 2020 Dubai has announced that three UK-based start-ups leading innovation in healthcare, water security and science education have each won an Expo Live grant from organisers of the 2020 World Expo, being held in Dubai.

Welcoming this news, the British ambassador to the UAE, Philip Parham, said:

I am proud of Babylon, Desolenator and ScienceScope for their great business partnerships with Expo2020 Dubai. They are impressive examples of British excellence in science and innovation, and of UK-UAE collaboration. I am confident that cutting edge British companies will continue to make major contributions to the fulfilment of the UAE’s ambitious vision. And I look forward to UK participation in the success of Dubai Expo 2020.

Babyl Rwanda is a branch of UK-based digital healthcare tech start-up Babylon that designed smartphone ‘chatbot’ technology to offer live consultations and medical prescriptions. Babyl developed its platform on feature phone version to allow all Rwandans, including those without smartphones or with limited access to the internet, predominantly in rural areas, to access “call-in” consultations service with doctors from anywhere.

Desolenator is a clean technology venture based in London. It uses only solar power to purify water from any source, including sea water; which is especially critical in regions where natural groundwater reserves have been polluted or poisoned or where seawater is the only water source available. The process used is a simple distillation, but Desolenator’s innovative technology accelerates the process and cuts the environmental impact, allowing its purifiers to produce up to 20 litres a day from a one square metre area, versus an average two litres a day using traditional solar stills.

ScienceScope Ltd is a startup based near Bath, Somerset, that specialises in science education. It provides schools with tools using the ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) so that students can explore the world around them to enhance learning in science, technology and geography. ScienceScope is already working with the Infocomm Development Agency of Singapore to bring IoT technology to five schools there to engage students in technology development and in understanding how technology can address the problems and challenges faced in the world.

Expo 2020 Dubai’s Expo Live programme has an allocation of USD 100 million, to back projects that offer creative solutions to pressing challenges that impact people’s lives, or help preserve the world – or both. Organisers are looking for such projects that would not reach their full potential without its support.

More details available here.