Category: Press Releases

  • PRESS RELEASE : Efforts to tackle serious violence and homicide stepped up [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Efforts to tackle serious violence and homicide stepped up [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 16 December 2022.

    The Serious Violence Duty will come into effect in January 2023, placing a new legal requirement on a range of public sector organisations to share information locally to reduce incidents of violence, like knife and gun crime, and prevent loss of life.

    Guidance published today (16 December 2022) will support police, health, fire and rescue services, local government and criminal justice partners in meeting their responsibilities under the duty, outlining how they must collaborate to find and address the causes of serious violence in their communities.

    The Home Secretary will be able to step in where public bodies are not delivering on their duty to work together and, where necessary, can issue directions compelling them to do more.

    Early intervention and prevention lies at the heart of this ‘whole-system’ response.

    Home Secretary Suella Braverman said:

    Any life lost to violence will always be one too many. While knife crime is falling and gun crime in this country remains low, we simply cannot get complacent.

    We know that the drivers behind such violence are complex and preventing further tragedy is the shared responsibility upon all in public service – not just the police. This new duty will see schools, hospitals and councils work together to intervene before devastation happens.

    With strategies to cut violence prioritised in every local area and the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers, we will keep our young people and our streets safe.

    In tackling serious violence, duty holders should focus on public space youth violence, including knife and gun crime, and activities where threats of violence are commonplace, such as county lines. The duty has been introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act (2022), which was amended to also make clear that serious violence can include domestic abuse and sexual offences.

    Each area will set their own definition of serious violence, based on what affects their communities. Police and Crime Commissioners will bring together relevant agencies, from law enforcement to local authorities, education, health and the voluntary sector, to create a strategy targeting their area’s specific needs.

    The guidance has been published following a public consultation and engagement with public sector bodies, Violence Reduction Units and the voluntary sector in summer 2022.

    To prevent more murders from being committed, a number of innovative projects have also been awarded a share of £1.8m of government funding over the next 2 years, including 5 nation-wide initiatives. This includes:

    • The National Police Chiefs’ Council investing in new technology such as data mining, artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify and manage likely perpetrators of domestic abuse and knife crime. They will also create a knife crime co-ordinator role, to work directly with the Home Office and forces across the country, building a national picture on knife carrying and policing best practice in this area.
    • The National Crime Agency driving behavioural science research on how to stop young people being drawn to homicide.
    • The College of Policing analysing ‘near-misses’, including attempted murder. This will improve understanding of trends around homicide, by increasing the number of cases available for study. They will also replicate a project by Kent Police, where domestic abuse data is shared between accident and emergency departments and police to better identify and help those at risk of lethal violence.

    The government has made £130m available this financial year (2022/2023) to tackle serious violence, including murder and knife crime, building on similar levels of investment in previous years.

    The evidence shows that this whole system approach to tackling serious violence is working. Through police, government and community efforts to tackle the crime that hits our communities the hardest, since 2019:

    • 90,000 dangerous weapons have been taken off our streets.
    • Over 49,000 violent offences prevented and 260,000 vulnerable young people have been supported through ‘hotspot policing’ tactics and Violence Reduction Units.

    Also in early 2023, four police forces across the country will trial new powers to stop and search those convicted for knife crime or offensive weapon offences. Police, local authorities and public health bodies in three regions will also work together to review homicides involving offensive weapons, identifying where lessons can be learnt from these deaths. Pending successful pilots, both approaches would then be rolled out nation-wide.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New legally binding environment targets set out [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : New legally binding environment targets set out [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 16 December 2022.

    Targets to protect our environment, clean up our air and rivers and boost nature have been published.

    Legally binding targets to protect our environment, clean up our air and rivers and boost nature have been published today (Friday 16 December) following extensive consultation as part of the government’s commitment to leave the environment in a better state for future generations.

    Together they will drive forward action to tackle climate change, restore our natural capital and protect our much-loved landscapes and green spaces.

    The Government will publish its Environmental Improvement Plan in January 2023 setting out in more detail how we will achieve these targets, including interim targets.

    Publication of the targets today follows three years of detailed consideration of the scientific and economic evidence, which was published in March 2022, to inform draft targets. A comprehensive consultation on these was run earlier this year which saw over 180,000 responses from a range of individuals, businesses and other organisations.

    Sitting at the heart of the government’s Environment Act, the targets require us to:

    • Halt the decline in species populations by 2030, and then increase populations by at least 10% to exceed current levels by 2042
    • Restore precious water bodies to their natural state by cracking down on harmful pollution from sewers and abandoned mines and improving water usage in households
    • Deliver our net zero ambitions and boost nature recovery by increasing tree and woodland cover to 16.5% of total land area in England by 2050
    • Halve the waste per person that is sent to residual treatment by 2042
    • Cut exposure to the most harmful air pollutant to human health – PM2.5
    • Restore 70% of designated features in our Marine Protected Areas to a favourable condition by 2042, with the rest in a recovering condition.

    Our world-leading target to halt the decline in species abundance will be followed by a target to reverse that decline, alongside a further target to reduce the risk of species extinction. This will be supported by our target to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, which will also help the UK to meet its international commitment to protect 30% of its land and ocean by 2030.

    Targets to cut harmful pollution reaching our rivers will help achieve our ambition for more water bodies to be in their natural state, with an 80% cut in total phosphorus pollution from wastewater treatments by 2038 helping to safeguard our waterways.

    Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey, speaking at the UN Convention in Montreal today, said:

    We are committed to leaving our natural world in a better state for future generations, and today we are laying the foundations that will help deliver on this commitment.

    These targets are ambitious and will be challenging to achieve – but they will drive our efforts to restore our natural environment, protect our much-loved landscapes and green spaces and marine environment, as well as help tackle climate change.

    Marian Spain, chief executive of Natural England, said:

    The message is clear: without the ambitious targets to tackle climate change and reverse the long-term decline in Nature, we will be unable to sustain the ecosystems on which we rely for our health and our prosperity.

    We therefore welcome today’s publication of the statutory targets needed to put Nature recovery at the heart of the government’s priorities. With the first targets only eight years away, we are already working with the government and with businesses, land managers and environmental charities through the Nature Recovery Network Partnership to ensure that we are on track to turn around England’s loss of nature and deliver the ambitions set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan.

    The UK is an international leader on the environment and nature. We have created or restored plant and wildlife habitats the size of Dorset, we are investing more than £750 million in the environment through our Nature for Climate Fund, and we have established a network of marine protected areas across 130,000 square miles of English waters. But we want and need to do more, as these targets demonstrate.

    Under the UK’s Climate COP Presidency, 145 countries – representing over 90% of the world’s forests – signed a pledge to halt deforestation and land degradation by 2030.

    The announcement comes as environment ministers participate in the high level segment of  COP15 in Montreal  to agree an ambitious Global Biodiversity Framework. Countries like the UK are seeking to build support for the adoption of a robust framework including the target to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030. Yesterday the UK announced its participation in the Donor Joint Statement which commits billions of new finance annually from international donors to close the nature finance gap.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Adrian Ramsay makes key demands on UK government during visit to Suffolk nature reserve [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Adrian Ramsay makes key demands on UK government during visit to Suffolk nature reserve [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Green Party on 9 December 2022.

    Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has made a series of key demands of Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey during a visit to a nature reserve in her Suffolk constituency today [Friday] which sits in the shadow of the planned Sizewell C nuclear power plant.

    Ramsay visited the important RSPB Minsmere site while politicians from around the world attended the UN COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal. He called on the Environment Secretary to show international leadership on the issue, starting with fully reversing the government’s attacks on nature.

    Ramsay has called on the government to:

    • Publish a clear pathway to meet its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030

    • To scrap plans to weaken protections for nature in the Retained EU Law (revocation and reform) Bill

    • Stop dragging its feet on introducing the promised nature-friendly farming payments scheme

    Ramsay, who is standing as a parliamentary candidate for the Greens in Suffolk at the next general election, said:

    “The government’s attacks on nature have rightly been very strongly challenged by the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust and others. The UK is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Protecting and restoring nature is deeply important to people in Thérèse Coffey’s constituency and around the country. During the biodiversity COP, the Environment Secretary must rethink the government’s approach and show international leadership on this crucial issue.

    “Minsmere is a great example of rich and varied landscapes, managed carefully by the RSPB to ensure that the huge variety of wildlife survives and thrives. Yet this site, within the environment secretary’s constituency, is under threat from the Sizewell C nuclear power plant [2], which was given the go ahead by the government last week. Meanwhile the government’s weak and harmful policies are failing to prevent and reverse further declines in wildlife and nature at sites across the country.

    “That’s why the Green Party is calling for the government to immediately stop dragging its feet on introducing the promised nature-friendly farming payments scheme, publish a clear pathway to meet its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030 and scrap plans to weaken protections for nature in the Retained EU Law (revocation and reform) Bill.”

    Earlier in the week the Green Party also called on the government to introduce a Rights of Nature Act to extend legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales, and establish an independent Commission for Nature to oversee the Act’s enforcement [3].

    Notes

    1

    https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/minsmere/

    2

    https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/casework/cases/sizewell-c/

    3

    https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2022/12/07/greens-call-to-extend-legal-protections-for-wildlife/

  • PRESS RELEASE : Cumbria coal mine decision shows “government is the pits” on tackling the climate crisis [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Cumbria coal mine decision shows “government is the pits” on tackling the climate crisis [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Green Party on 7 December 2022.

    Commenting on Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove’s go ahead for the Cumbria coal mine, Green Party of England and Wales co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

    “It’s a disgrace that this decision has been cynically delayed until just after we have ceased to hold the COP Presidency. This government really is the pits.

    “England and Wales have huge natural advantages and the economic strength to harness renewable wind, wave and solar power. The government should be leading the world toward renewable forms of energy not encouraging it to move backwards.

    “The government’s environmental credentials are in tatters. Around the world, countries are striving to tackle the climate crisis by closing coal mines, yet here the government is opening one.

    “This latest decision follows the green light for new North Sea oil and gas licences.

    “Global leadership must begin at home and we need to see a clear commitment from this government to keep fossil fuels in the ground. This means no new fossil fuel mining and a clear pathway to move rapidly away from oil, coal and gas in favour of renewables and a nationwide programme of home insulation to cut both emissions and energy bills.

    “The mine will not be ‘carbon neutral’ as previously claimed and its coking coal is not essential to the future of steel production. At most, only 13 per cent of the coal from this mine is destined for the UK market [1]. The rest will be exported.

    “Steel production is currently one of our most carbon intensive industries. That has to change and the companies themselves know it. Low carbon production technology exists and should be encouraged by government, not held back by creating new sources of dirty fuels.

    “There is no doubt West Cumbria needs jobs but over-promising in order to open a new coal mine is not the answer. There needs to be investment in the green technologies that will create the sustainable jobs of the future.”

    Jill Perry, Green Party councillor on the Shadow Authority of Cumberland Council and long-term campaigner against the coal mine, said:

    “This is really bad news for local people, because what we really need are green jobs that benefit everyone in the community, not dirty jobs in an old industry where the profits are sucked out and hidden in tax havens.

    “If we invest in retrofit of insulation and renewable technologies in our leaky housing stock, a lot of which isn’t even on the gas network, it will provide more jobs, cheaper heating bills and keep the money circulating in the local area.

    “The steel industry doesn’t need this coking coal plant and neither do we.”

    Notes

    1 – https://theecologist.org/2022/dec/01/cumbrian-coal-mine-decision-imminent

  • PRESS RELEASE : UK transport falling behind – we need legislation to “get Britain moving”, say Greens [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : UK transport falling behind – we need legislation to “get Britain moving”, say Greens [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Green Party on 7 December 2022.

    The Green Party has accused the government of leaving transport “in a mess” by refusing to tackle key issues after the Transport Secretary says there is no time for new legislation in this parliament.

    The statement was made at the Transport Select Committee where he also suggested that the government could cancel plans for Great British Railways.

    Councillor Matt Edwards, the Green Party transport spokesperson said.

    “It’s frankly astonishing that the British government is looking at the state of our railways and thinking that there is no problem to solve here.

    “Privatisation on our railways has been a disaster and the creation of Great British Railways was meant to better coordinate all aspects of services including the planning of engineering works on the network.

    “Years of underinvestment and lack of direction have meant that the railways, particularly in the North of England, are past breaking point. The government can’t keep looking for ‘alternative views’ when the common sense approach doesn’t fit with their extreme market-led ideology.”

    Greens also say that legislation is needed to finally address the legal situation with other pressing issues including pavement parking. Parking on the pavement is only illegal in London, but a new ban has been promised for years and would cover the whole of England.

    Councillor Edwards said,

    “I know the impact the delay on legislation around pavement parking is having, particularly on disabled people and parents with prams and pushchairs. The law is complicated and in many cases people are left with neither local authorities nor the police willing to tackle problems.

    “The job of government is to govern. We need new legislation to fix all the loopholes in our laws and get Britain moving. But the government seems determined to avoid taking any responsibility for anything.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : Greens call to extend legal protections for wildlife [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Greens call to extend legal protections for wildlife [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Green Party on 7 December 2022.

    • Call for legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales comes as COP15 biodiversity summit meets in Montreal

    • Regeneration of nature should be at the heart of all policy making 

    Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay has called on the government to introduce a Rights of Nature Act [1] as scientists, government officials and activists gather for the UN COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal today [Wednesday, 7 December].

    The Act would extend legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales, and establish an independent Commission for Nature to oversee the Act’s enforcement.

    Ramsay has also accused the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, of arriving “empty handed” at the UN COP15 biodiversity summit in Montreal. He said a Rights of Nature Act is exactly what is needed to demonstrate the UK is genuinely committed to halting and reversing species decline.

    Adrian Ramsay said:

    “This government stands accused by a wide variety of environmental and conservation groups of an attack on nature [2]. Ministers deny this, but the government is pushing through new laws that will weaken protections for nature and dragging its feet on introducing the promised nature-friendly farming payment scheme.

    “Despite the UK being one of the most nature depleted countries in the world, Thérèse Coffey is attending the UN biodiversity summit empty handed.

    “There is little confidence in the government meeting its target to halt the decline in species by 2030 [4], and the government appears to have made no progress on its commitment to restore 30% of land for nature by 2030.

    “Instead, the pace that we are losing nature continues to accelerate and there is no sign of a reversal in this trend. We face an ecological emergency which poses real threats to human society – to food and water supplies, to clean air, to our ability to adapt to a warming world.

    “This is why the Green Party wants to see a Rights of Nature Act [5]. This would provide legal protections for wildlife and habitats in England and Wales, and be enforced by an independent Commission for Nature. It would also ensure that the regeneration of nature is at the heart of all policy considerations.

    “Such an Act would also seek to increase accessibility to nature for all, as this is an important way to improve physical and mental health and general wellbeing.

    “If the UK government wants to demonstrate a genuine commitment to halting and reversing species decline, and avoid arriving at future biodiversity summits empty handed, it will show leadership by introducing a Rights of Nature Act.”

     Notes

    1. https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/minsmere/

    2. https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/2021/10/23/green-party-backs-a-rights-of-nature-act-to-give-nature-legal-rights/

    3. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/rspb-england-government-national-trust-wildlife-trusts-b2174501.html

    4. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/28/tories-embarrassingly-poor-nature-targets-2030-labour-says

    5.https://theecologist.org/2021/nov/01/rights-nature

  • PRESS RELEASE : Time to rebuild housing strategy in wake of axing house building targets, say Greens [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Time to rebuild housing strategy in wake of axing house building targets, say Greens [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Green Party on 6 December 2022.

    The Green Party has welcomed a decision by ministers to axe arbitrary house building targets [1] and have called for future housing development to be led by affordability, quality and environmental standards.

    Green Party spokesperson on Housing and communities, Ellie Chowns, who is also a Cabinet Member on Herefordshire Council, said:

    “Councils of all political colours have pushed back against unrealistic top-down housing targets, which have taken decision-making away from local authorities and ignored the views of local people. And where targets have been missed, it has allowed developers to get away with lower quality housing that is less sustainable and less affordable.

    “It’s time to rebuild a housing strategy that takes powers away from central government and the giant house builders funnelling money into Tory Party coffers and give councils the power to set their own housing targets to meet the needs of local populations. We need the focus of future development to be on building genuinely affordable housing that is good for local people while helping to tackle the cost of living crisis and the climate emergency.

    “We certainly do need thousands more new homes but the priority should be on homes for social rent, built to the highest environmental standards so they dramatically cut energy bills and carbon emissions. We also need to prioritise building on brownfield sites and preserve our precious green spaces which are good for public health and for nature.

    “All new housing must also be served by high quality walking and cycling routes and much improved public transport services.”

    Notes

    1. Sunak to scrap housebuilding targets after pressure from Tory MPs | Planning policy | The Guardian

  • PRESS RELEASE : Greens urge government to act on fuel poverty crisis today [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Greens urge government to act on fuel poverty crisis today [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Green Party on 2 December 2022.

    Green Party spokespeople have brought together a cross-government set of demands to ease the growing burden of fuel poverty and tackle the climate crisis.

    To mark Fuel Poverty Awareness day today and Fuel Poverty Action day tomorrow, Green Party spokespeople have written to key Ministers to tell them that only joined-up government action can deliver the measures needed.

    On housing, spokesperson Ellie Chowns called for a fully-funded, nationwide, long-term retrofit programme to insulate all housing to the maximum possible level, an immediate end to the building of hard-to-heat homes, higher building standards, and a winter ban on no-fault evictions.

    For people with disabilities, spokesperson Mags Lewis called for targeted fuel subsidies for those whose home energy use is higher than average as a result of their disability, guaranteed support in the event of blackouts for disabled people reliant on equipment like ventilators, and a priority home insulation programme to bring down bills.

    On health, spokesperson and GP Dr Pallavi Devulapalli called for increased subsidies targeted at those made most vulnerable by cold homes with poor ventilation, recognition of the mental and physical toll of poorly insulated, cold  homes, and free hot school dinners for all children to ensure none go hungry this winter.

    Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

    “The work of our spokespeople shows clearly how the impact of fuel poverty is felt across the population and why it requires political leadership and joined-up action to deliver the policies to combat it.

    “New figures produced today by the National Energy Action for Fuel Poverty Awareness Day [1] show the growing scale of the problem, which is destined to worsen through the winter without concerted government action.

    “We believe that a national home insulation programme will deliver warm, affordable and healthy homes for people while reducing energy use and helping to tackle the climate crisis.”

    NOTES:

    [1] https://www.nea.org.uk/news/8-4-million-uk-households-will-be-in-fuel-poverty-from-april-says-national-energy-action/

  • PRESS RELEASE : Green Party calls for insulation grants to help small businesses survive cost of living crisis [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Green Party calls for insulation grants to help small businesses survive cost of living crisis [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Green Party on 2 December 2022.

    The Green Party of England and Wales is calling on government to offer a Small Business Saturday reprieve to firms facing soaring costs through insulation grants and a package of support measures.

    Co-leader Adrian Ramsay said:

    “We know from visiting independent businesses and social enterprises up and down the country that they want to green their operations, improve employee welfare and make it easier for people to shop locally.

    “But they need government to get behind them and offer the right package of incentives.

    “Businesses tell our councillors that they want government insulation grants, reform of business rates to incentivise greener business practices, differential VAT rates to favour small businesses, and an immediate suspension of Covid-loan repayments.

    “Small and independent businesses and enterprises are the lifeblood of local communities. Small businesses can help revitalise our high streets.

    “Yet, many are struggling with the cost of living and high energy bills. Running costs are set to increase again in March when the government’s short-term support will end.

    “The Green Party has long been the party of small business. We want to see them thrive.”

    This Small Business Saturday the Green Party are calling for:

    1. Grants to insulate small businesses to cut energy bills and emissions. Government should provide businesses with grants to insulate their premises to reduce their running costs, energy use, and emissions for good.

    2. Higher business rate exemption for small businesses that green their operations. Businesses should be incentivised to green their operations by not having to pay higher business rates as a result of taking sustainable measures such as installing solar panels.

    3. Support for small businesses to improve employee wellbeing. Government must support businesses to improve the wellbeing of their employees. Measures should include exempting all childcare providers in England from business rates.

    4. Reform of VAT to support small businesses and suspension of Covid repayments. The government must reform ourVAT system so that it differentially supports smaller shops and businesses compared to larger and online businesses. Likewise, there should be an immediate suspension of Covid loan repayments to provide much needed relief for businesses.

    5. Creation of Virtual High Streets. Councils should work with small and independent businesses so residents can use an online portal to buy from participating local shops and have items delivered on the same or next day.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Green councillors call on Michael Gove to properly fund local services [December 2022]

    PRESS RELEASE : Green councillors call on Michael Gove to properly fund local services [December 2022]

    The press release issued by the Green Party on 2 December 2022.

    Green councillors in ruling administrations in England and Wales have written to Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, calling on him “to ensure proper funding of local services and… sound policy that works for people, not profit.”

    The Green cabinet members and committee chairs who have signed the letter have called for a three-year funding settlement, an increase in all council budgets in line with inflation, an increase in investment for retrofitting homes and in services for the most vulnerable, particularly adult and child social care.

    In the letter, the councillors say: “It makes no financial sense to cut local government funding to the point where they can no longer deliver even basic services.”

    They urge Mr Gove to “join local government in working to protect the most vulnerable and build resilient, joyful communities, so we can serve our communities in the way they deserve and give them hope for the future.”

    Co-leader of the Green Party, Carla Denyer, who is a councillor in Bristol, said:

    “Councils are at breaking point. Several, including Tory controlled Councils, are on the verge of bankruptcy. Michael Gove must listen, not just to the strong chorus from Councils run by opposition parties, but also to Tory councillors.

    “The Conservative head of the Local Government Association has said: ‘the numbers just do not add up,’ and added: ‘We desperately need to protect budgets and services from the impact of inflation, without which there will be real service cuts to some of the most vulnerable in our communities.’ [1].

    “As councillors, we work hard to build communities that are fairer, greener and healthier. We work to support local businesses, deliver vital services and protect and improve local environments.

    “In order to do so effectively, councils need a guarantee from Michael Gove that we will receive an increase in all council budgets in line with inflation and a three-year funding settlement.

    “We need that funding certainty so we can increase investment in adult and child social care. We need it to fund the insulation of our homes to make them warmer and cheaper for residents to run.

    “If Michael Gove is really committed to levelling up, to decent housing and building strong communities, he must listen to councils and act.”

    NOTES:

    [1] https://www.local.gov.uk/events/past-event-presentations/lga-annual-conference-2022/lga-chairman-cllr-james-jamieson-welc