The additional funding of £2.5 million will go to a network of 68 grant funded organisations located throughout the UK which help people to apply to the EUSS who have vulnerabilities such as language barriers and IT support.

Since 2019, the Home Office has made over £27 million in grant funding available to such organisations. The extended funding will ensure practical support remains available for a wide range of vulnerable groups, including disabled people, children, those with severe mental health conditions, victims of human trafficking or domestic abuse, and the homeless, elderly or isolated.

The network has already helped more than 415,000 vulnerable and hard to reach individuals with applications to the scheme and this additional funding will be in place until at least 30 September 2022. There is still scope to make a late application to the EUSS if you have reasonable grounds for missing the 30 June 2021 deadline.

In a visit to St Paul’s Advice Centre in Bristol today, one of the organisations providing face to face support, the Minister for Safe and Legal Migration Kevin Foster said:

Support for vulnerable applicants has always been a key aspect of the EU Settlement Scheme, and I’m delighted to confirm additional funding for grant funded organisations supporting people to get the status they deserve. The additional money will mean these organisations are well-placed to continue their excellent work providing help and support to vulnerable EU citizens and their families to apply for the scheme.

The EU Settlement Scheme has been an overwhelming success with more than 6.4 million applications and more than 5.7 million grants of status as of 28 February 2022. I would urge anyone who is yet to apply and needs help to do so to seek out the range of support available and make an application to secure their rights without delay.

This funding is in addition to the wide range of support available to those applying to the EUSS. This includes assisted digital locations across the UK which can support people who may not have the appropriate skills or access to apply online.

The grant funded network supported by the Home Office includes charities, local authorities and community groups based across the UK.

Steve Woodcock, Executive Director, St Paul’s Advice Centre Bristol said:

St Paul’s Advice Centre are pleased to receive continued funding to maintain our EU Settlement Scheme services. This will enable us to continue to help vulnerable households in our community to access the advice and support they need to secure their future in the UK.

Tom Finney, EUSS Team Manager, Newport Mind said:

Home Office’s decision to award this crucial funding is very welcome.

As a result of this grant, Newport Mind can continue to provide European Union citizens living and working in Wales with vital assistance and support. With these new funds, we aim to continue to develop our service to meet the changing needs of our most vulnerable clients.

Gill Pipkin, CEO, CAB Cornwall said:

This funding will enable us to dedicate support to the most vulnerable in our migrant communities who struggle to apply for or access the settled status scheme. We will be able to work with those individuals and families who need to apply for settled status for themselves or dependent family members but lack the ability to access the system or the language to understand the requirements.

Cadet Corporal Isabella Jones and Cadet Corporal Ciara Venables both of Clwyd and Gwynedd Army Cadet Force; Cadet Sergeant Maddie Bunn and Cadet Sergeant Bethan Shutt both of St Brigid’s School Combined Cadet Force and Cadet Flight Sergeant Kristian Harrison of No 2 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets have been appointed as Lord-Lieutenant cadets for Clwyd for 2022.

The Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Clwyd Mr Lloyd FitzHugh OBE JP appointed the five cadets on behalf of the Lord-Lieutenant of Clwyd Henry Fetherstonhaugh Esq OBE FRAgS at an awards ceremony at Hightown Barracks, Wrexham.

The role which lasts for one year includes attendance with the Lord-Lieutenant at a number of official engagements such as Remembrance events, Royal visits and parades.

Around 100 people attended the event on 24 March, to mark the new appointments which will see the cadets represent their peers and respective organisations at local and national level occasions.

The five will follow in the footsteps of Cadet Company Sergeant Major Ethan Thompson of Clwyd and Gwynedd ACF; Cadet Warrant Officer Oliver Heard-Edwards of No 2 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets and Cadet Warrant Officer Harriet Gaskin of St Brigid’s School Combined Cadet Force, who were all awarded the Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificate and Badge for being the 2021 representatives.

At the ceremony which recognised high achievers from the reserves and cadet communities, three adults were recognised for their outstanding service and devotion to duty and awarded the Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificate of Merit.

They were Staff Sergeant Instructor Owen Peters of Clwyd & Gwynedd ACF; Warrant Officer Anthony Rutter of No 2 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets and Rev (Retd) Martin M’Caw of No 2 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets.

There are nearly 5,000 cadets in Wales who gain skills and qualifications through working with local communities, charities and taking part in a variety of practical activities. The cadet syllabus is delivered by 1,500 volunteering adult Instructors and civilian assistants, who give up their spare time on weeknights and weekends.

The virtual awards event was organised by the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association (RFCA) for Wales – an organisation that has supported the Armed Forces for over 100 years.

• The window to keep 1.5C in reach is closing fast
• Global growth in emissions slowed in last decade but further urgent action vital
• UK COP Presidency calls on countries to deliver on the historic Glasgow Climate Pact agreed at COP26

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report published today (Monday 4 April) shows growth in global emissions has slowed over the past decade, but much more needs to be done, including halving global emissions by 2030, to keep the goal of 1.5C in reach and avoid the worst impacts of global warming.

The IPCC’s independent report highlights the need for urgent action in decarbonising energy, industry, transport and making homes more energy efficient, to achieve the Paris Agreement’s central goal of keeping a global temperature rise this century to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5C.

The report also shows reasons for optimism with a trend showing a slowing growth of global emissions. It also details how economic growth can be achieved alongside ambitious emissions reductions and the falling costs of renewables. Since 2010, solar energy costs and lithium-ion battery costs have decreased by around 85%, and wind energy by around 55%.

The UK is calling on countries to deliver on the Glasgow Climate Pact, in which 197 countries agreed to revisit and strengthen their 2030 emissions reduction commitments (Nationally Determined Contributions) as necessary this year to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal and thereby limit the worst impacts of climate change.

Governments from around the world have spent a fortnight at a UK-hosted session examining climate scientists’ evidence for this report. The IPCC has concluded that to limit warming to 1.5C, global emissions must peak before 2025, and then be halved by early 2030s – in part by ending the world’s reliance on fossil fuels, including reducing use of unabated coal by three quarters by 2030.

COP26 President Alok Sharma, said:

This report makes clear that the window to keep 1.5 degrees alive is closing alarmingly fast. The warning lights are yet again flashing bright red on the climate dashboard and it is high time for governments to sit up and act before it is too late.

That is why it is absolutely vital that as agreed in the Glasgow Climate Pact all countries, especially the G20 nations which are responsible for 80 per cent of global emissions, revisit and strengthen their 2030 emission reduction targets this year as necessary to align with the Paris temperature goal if we are to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change.

But this report also gives hope that the rate of growth in emissions is slowing and that thanks to the falling cost of renewables and technological innovation it is possible to transition to a cleaner future.

We know that a net zero economy presents huge opportunities for growth and the creation of good green jobs and so countries and companies need to accelerate that transition.

The UK has already committed to reducing carbon emissions by 68% by 2030 and by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels, before reaching net zero by 2050 as set out in the UK’s comprehensive Net-Zero Strategy. It is calling on the global community to honour the commitment to provide at least $100bn a year to support developing countries take ambitious climate action.

UK Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change, Greg Hands, said:

Today’s report is a reminder to the world of the grave threat of climate change.

There is still a window of opportunity to act to reduce the effects.

The UK is going further and faster to generate more cheap and clean renewable power. This will reduce our exposure to expensive global gas prices.

We call on the global community to seize the moment and join us in stepping up a green transition.

The IPCC’s last report, published in February, warned that some of the impacts of global warming are “irreversible”, with more than 40% of the world’s population now highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events like floods and heatwaves.

Today’s report also highlights the economic opportunities from the transition to a net zero economy, with the falling costs of renewable energy, and comes six months after the UK published a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy. This sets out how it will secure 440,000 well-paid jobs and unlock £90 billion in investment by 2030, by helping British businesses and consumers transition to clean energy and green technology. It included £1 billion investment in electric vehicles, £3.9 billion for insulating our homes, along with support for commercialising sustainable aviation fuel and help heavy industry move to hydrogen power.

This month the UK is starting to spend its £200 million pledged to support developing countries cut emissions through the new extension of the Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (PACT) programme.

The UK will also soon publish a new International Climate Finance (ICF) Strategy, laying out its delivery plan for £11.6 billion of investment to help countries across the globe respond to the climate emergency. The funding represents a doubling of support for communities worst affected by global warming.

• The IPCC provides the most authoritative, cutting-edge, scientific assessment of climate change. Independent of politics, the IPCC provides Governments around the world with a totally impartial scientific evidence base for climate policy and UN climate negotiations.
• Its scale of global scientific collaboration is unique, bringing together hundreds of world-leading authors from across the world. This Working Group report on mitigation has been developed with 278 scientists from 65 countries, all who have volunteered their time and expertise to produce this report.
• This latest report is the product of 7 years’ work with thousands of contributions from scientists, individuals and countries, through an extensive review and consultation process.

The government-owned company has joined Keep Britain Tidy’s ‘Big Bag Challenge’ and pledged to pick at least 8,000 bags of litter for this year’s Great British Spring Clean.

And a targeted litter pick on Friday 1 April saw maintenance teams clear rubbish from the M56 at Junction 12 near Runcorn where they received a helping hand from Keep Britain Tidy campaigners and Mike Amesbury, MP for Weaver Vale.

National Highways has collected 60,000 bags during the previous six Great British Spring Clean campaigns and is taking part for a seventh year.

Paul Elliott, National Highways’ maintenance service manager for the North West, said:

Millions of people travel on National Highways roads like the M56 every day and despite efforts like this to clear it, our network quickly becomes littered from vehicles and unsecure loads.

Litter is a serious social problem with devastating consequences for wildlife and the environment. Clearing litter from the side of roads also exposes maintenance crews to significant risk.

Our priority is to keep our roads safe and well maintained, and litter is a huge issue that we are tackling daily. We urge people to save litter for the bin, rather than throwing it on the side of the road.

Keep Britain Tidy estimates it costs around £1 billion every year to clean up litter. Litter also poses a serious safety risk on roads as verges and barriers form corridors where litter and debris build up at an alarming rate, creating a hazardous environment for road users, wildlife and the maintenance crews who clean it up.

While the Great British Spring Clean runs for a matter of weeks, National Highways picks litter throughout the year and carries out regular inspections to make sure England’s motorways and major A-roads are in good condition.

Mike Amesbury, MP for Weaver Vale, said:

It was good to be out with the team from National Highways, but it’s a shame they have to be there because of an irresponsible minority of drivers. Not only is the litter unsightly but it’s deadly to mammals and wildlife.

Workers are having to pick up 60 bags of rubbish every single day. And it’s quite hairy having to do that exercise on motorway verges and slip roads, as well as costing money to the taxpayer that would be better spent elsewhere.

The key ask is for people to do the responsible thing and take their rubbish home for recycling or discard it in a litter bin at a service station.

Lucy Fell, account director for Amey, said:

We deliver a range of maintenance work on behalf of National Highways to help keep people moving. It’s shocking to see the amount of litter on the sides of our roads.

To litter pick the side verges, we need to install lane closures to ensure safety for our operatives and the travelling public. By taking part in the Great British Spring Clean, we’re encouraging everyone to save their rubbish for their bin, reducing the need for our operatives to litter pick and time better spent improving the road network.

National Highways also wants to hear from you if you spot something wrong on their roads. This could be anything from a broken sign or barrier, to litter, overgrown vegetation or potholes.

Reporting a maintenance issue to National Highways can be done online or by calling 0300 123 5000.

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.