Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Homes fit for heroes with extra £1.5 billion for forces housing through upcoming Strategic Defence Review [May 2025]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Defence on 31 May 2025.

Record additional funding for forces family housing to tackle state of accommodation, and builds on the Defence Consumer Charter to transform living conditions for service families.
- More than £1.5 billion extra for forces family housing means more than £7 billion to be spent on military accommodation in this Parliament, tackling the poor state of forces accommodation across the country.
- Record investment builds on the new Defence Consumer Charter to transform living conditions for military families after landmark deal to bring 36,347 homes back into public ownership.
- New funding will support urgent repairs and long-term renewal of military housing across the nations and regions of the UK.
Thousands of British military personnel and their families will have their lives improved through more than £1.5 billion of additional funding to improve accommodation for the UK Armed Forces.

The investment will be confirmed as part of the launch of the Government’s upcoming Strategic Defence Review (SDR), helping renew the nation’s contract with those who serve, supporting the government’s Plan for Change.

Through the upcoming SDR more than £1.5 billion of new investment into service family accommodation will unlock rapid work to tackle the poor state of forces housing – with investment increasing from this year – helping to support recruitment, retention and morale.

This will include urgent repairs and maintenance, from fixing unreliable boilers and leaky roofs to tackling damp and mould in service family accommodation, alongside development of new forces housing, as part of unlocking the wider potential for housing development on surplus MOD land.

The additional funding for accommodation means more than £7 billion will be spent across this Parliament on service family accommodation and new build single living accommodation to deliver a generational renewal of Armed Forces accommodation. This will be guided by the forthcoming Defence Housing Strategy – which is proceeding at pace and has already seen the announcement of a new Consumer Charter to strengthen housing standards for forces families.

The SDR will set a path for the next decade to transform defence and make the UK secure at home and strong abroad. It will end the hollowing out of our Armed Forces and make defence an engine for growth across the UK.

Defence Secretary, John Healey MP said:

Our Armed Forces personnel make extraordinary sacrifices to serve our country.

For too long, many military families have lived in sub-standard homes, but this government is taking decisive action to fix the dire state of military accommodation and ensure that our heroes and their loved ones live in the homes they deserve.

We are investing and acting fast, to fix forces housing and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve and deliver on our Plan for Change.

The delivery of the Government’s new Consumer Charter will see immediate investment in urgent renovation of 1,000 homes in most need of repair. The Charter will also see basic consumer rights rapidly introduced for forces families, including essential property information and higher move-in standards, more reliable repairs, a named housing officer for every family, and access to a robust complaints system – helping to deliver homes fit for our heroes.

The record investment follows the Government’s landmark deal to bring back 36,000 military homes into public ownership, as part of the Prime Minister’s pledge to deliver home fit for heroes.

The SDR will say that the Ministry of Defence should improve the overall standard of military accommodation, including prioritising sites that are in most urgent need of repair. The Terms of Reference for the Review committed to put ‘Defence personnel…at the heart of Defence’s plans.’

The announcement comes alongside another above-inflation pay rise for the Armed Forces, announced by the Government last week. This is the second inflation busting pay rise awarded by the Government since last July, with last year’s award representing the biggest pay rise for Armed Forces personnel in over 20 years.
May 31, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Yorkshire Water fined after pumping station sewage incident [May 2025]
The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 30 May 2025.

Yorkshire Water has been fined £350,000 after one of its sewage pumping stations polluted a York watercourse.

Following an investigation by the Environment Agency, the company appeared at York Magistrates’ Court on Friday 30 May for sentencing for two offences – one of illegally polluting Foss Dyke with sewage and another in relation to failing to maintain a pump at the pumping station.

It had previously pleaded guilty to the two offences in November 2024.

The court heard that Yorkshire Water was aware Fossbridge Sewage Pumping Station’s backup pump had not been working for five months.

It had failed to repair it, despite the issue having been noted repeatedly during regular maintenance checks. It should have been fixed within 24 hours.

Yorkshire Water ‘failed to take action’

Martin Christmas, Area Environment Manager for the Environment Agency in Yorkshire, said:

Water companies have a responsibility to ensure their assets are maintained and in working order to protect the environment.

Yorkshire Water failed to take action despite being aware of the risks posed by one of its pumps being out of action, which led to a sewage spill.

We expect full compliance and are committed to taking robust enforcement action where we see serious breaches.

Alongside increased inspections at sewage treatment works, additional enforcement tools and better reporting we’re determined to hold water companies to account.

Sewage pumping stations pump sewage through the system to sewage treatment works. It is illegal, unless authorised by an environmental permit, to discharge pollution into watercourses.

Under the environmental permit for Fossbridge Sewage Pumping Station, such a discharge is only allowed in an emergency, such as an electrical or mechanical failure or a blockage, which, if it occurs, must be remedied without delay.

Fossbridge pumping station has a main pump and a backup pump. There is an emergency overflow pipe which discharges sewage into the River Foss if the station fails, to avoid nearby homes connected to the system from being inundated.

Sensors enable Yorkshire Water to monitor the station’s performance including power, pump condition, levels and the operation of the emergency overflow.

Backup pump was blocked

On 5 October 2017, Yorkshire Water noted the inlet pipe feeding the backup pump was blocked and effluent couldn’t reach it, meaning the pump could not operate.

Although a job was raised to fix this blockage, and it was noted it needed repairs during several subsequent regular maintenance visits, it wasn’t carried out.

Comments from Yorkshire Water during interview said the repair of the backup pump was to be done by an external contractor but had ‘got lost in the ether’.

On 12 March, 2018, the sewage pumping station filled to the point where telemetry alarms sounded indicating a discharge of sewage into Foss Dyke. The alarms were noted at Yorkshire Water’s control centre and attributed to high rainfall.

High rainfall was not a valid reason as the sewage pumping station was only allowed to discharge in an emergency as set out in its environmental permit and not, as with some water company assets like combined sewer overflows, in ‘storm conditions’.

Yorkshire Water did not attend the pumping station, despite the data indicating a sewage spill.

Report of discharge of sewage

Two days later on 14 March, Yorkshire Water received a report from the public about a discharge of sewage from Fossbridge pumping station.

It was found the main pump was running but on ‘low amps’ – which indicates a potential air lock – and the backup pump was still not repaired. Yorkshire Water had no functioning pumps at the pumping station.

The company stopped the discharge and arranged for tankers to transport the sewage away from the pumping station while it was repaired. Reports suggest the pumping station had been discharging intermittently into the watercourse on 12 March, 2018.

Over the following days, two further discharges took place at the pumping station, one because only one tanker was being used to transport sewage from the pumping station and it had not been able to keep up with the flow, and another after the main pump blocked again.

Water samples showed high ammonia levels in the watercourse.

The backup pump was subsequently repaired following the incident.

Yorkshire Water was also ordered to pay costs of £14,028.65 and a victim surcharge of £170.

Background

Full charges
- Yorkshire Water Services Limited between 11 and 19 March 2018, caused a water discharge activity, namely the discharge of sewage into the Foss Dyke near York which was not authorised by an environmental permit.
Contrary to Regulation 38(1)(a) and Regulation 12(1)(b) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
- Yorkshire Water Services Limited between 1 October 2017 and 19 March 2018 at Fossbridge Sewage Pumping Station, York, failed to comply with condition 1.6.2 of Environmental Permit number 27/24/0440, in that the company failed to maintain the standby pump in working order.
Contrary to regulation 38(2) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
May 31, 2025

PRESS RELEASE : Government completes exit from NatWest [May 2025]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 30 May 2025.

Final share sale ends nearly 17 years of public ownership.

Millions of savers and businesses protected during the financial crisis
Taxpayers prioritised through value-for-money sales at market price since this government came to office

The government has sold its remaining shares in NatWest Group (formerly Royal Bank of Scotland, RBS) — ending public ownership that began when it stepped in to protect millions of savers and businesses during the financial crisis.

That intervention prevented the UK economy and financial system from going over the edge – protecting millions of savers, businesses and jobs.

Over 2008 and 2009, the government provided £45.5 billion to stabilise RBS (now NatWest), which at the time was one of the largest banks in the world- with over 40 million customers and operations in more than 50 countries.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

Nearly two decades ago, the then Government stepped in to protect millions of savers and businesses from the consequences of the collapse of RBS. That was the right decision then to secure the economy and NatWest’s return to private ownership turns the page on a significant chapter in this country’s history. We protected the economy in a time of crisis nearly seventeen years ago, now we are focused on securing Britain’s future in a new era of global change.

Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Emma Reynolds said:

Bringing NatWest fully back into private ownership marks a significant milestone for the UK banking sector following the financial crisis.

Since coming into government, we have halted the NatWest retail share sale, which could have cost taxpayers hundreds of millions. Instead, we put taxpayers first by only selling NatWest shares at market value— securing more money to invest in vital public services.

To date, £35 billion has been returned to the Exchequer through share sales, dividends and fees. While this is around £10.5 billion less than the original support, the alternative would have been a collapse with far greater economic costs and social consequences.

The Office for Budget Responsibility are clear on this point: the cost of doing nothing would almost certainly have been far greater than the difference between the capital injected and proceeds returned.

Allowing the bank to fail would have devastated people’s savings, mortgages and livelihoods — and shattered confidence in the UK’s financial system.

Since taking office in 2024, the government has prioritised securing value for taxpayers — scrapping plans for a retail sale that could have cost hundreds of millions of pounds due to the need to sell shares at a discounted price to attract retail buyers.

Instead, shares were sold only at market price and when it represented value for money — helping fund the Plan for Change to invest in the NHS, education and defence.

The government has now exited all banking sector interventions made during the financial crisis.

Notes to editors

Shares were sold through three accelerated bookbuilds in 2015 (£2.1bn), 2018 (£2.5bn), 2021 (£1.1bn), five directed buybacks of shares by NatWest in March 2021 (£1.1bn), March 2022 (£1.2bn), May 2023 (£1.3bn), May 2024 (£1.2bn), and November 2024 (£1bn), and a trading plan from 2021–2025
The final shares were sold through the trading plan on 30 May 2025. In total, the trading plan generated over £13.2bn in proceeds from sales of NatWest shares
Peak government stake in RBS was 84.4%
A retail sale, proposed under the previous government, was cancelled in 2024 due to the additional costs to taxpayers, estimated in the hundreds of millions
UK Government Investments (UKGI), who managed the shareholding on behalf of HMT, ensured all sales delivered value for money
Explainer of total amount received by government in relation to NatWest shareholding:

Type	Amount (£bn)	Comments
Sale proceeds	24.77	Total combined proceeds from sales of the shareholding between 2015 and 2025.
Dividends	4.91	Total combined dividends received since the bank recommenced dividend payments in 2018.
Dividend Access Share	1.51	Combined value of payments made to retire the DAS, which provided enhanced dividend rights to HMT following the provision of capital support to RBS. The DAS was retired in 2016.
Asset Protection Scheme fees	2.50	Fees paid by RBS in exchange for its participation in the APS, which protected against exceptional credit losses on certain portfolios of assets. RBS exited the APS in 2012.
Contingent Capital Facility fees	1.28	Fees paid in return for the provision of an £8bn CCF to RBS by HMT in 2009. The CCF was terminated in 2013.
Total	£34.98
*Numbers may not sum due to rounding

May 31, 2025

PRESS RELEASE : The onus is on Russia and Putin to show they are serious about peace – UK statement at the UN Security Council [May 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 May 2025.

Statement by Fergus Eckersley, UK Minister Counsellor, at the Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security.

We’ve listened very carefully to the Russian delegation, including their attacks on the UK.

Let me say one thing.

Let us all hope that Russia engages more seriously and with more sincerity in the peace talks than we’ve heard here today.

Russia has just blamed the UK and other European countries for somehow sabotaging peace.

They’re trying to complicate things and confuse us.

But the reality is quite simple. Let me restate a few simple facts.

1) Russia invaded Ukraine twice in fact, in recent years.

2) Russia violated the UN Charter.

3) Russia is right, as we speak, trying to annex Ukrainian land.

4) Russia appears, from its public statements, to be seeking the overthrow of the government in Kyiv and to impose limits on Ukraine’s independence.

5) Russia has rejected an unconditional ceasefire.

6) Russia continues to bomb cities across Ukraine, 900 drone and missile attacks in just three days last week.

There is plenty more we could talk about, including Russia’s use of sophisticated weaponry in urban areas, killing civilians, or its reckless seizure of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe.

We could talk about the enablers of Russia’s war, such as weapons flows from Iran and its military partnership with DPRK, in violation of Council resolutions, and weaponised dual-use goods from other third parties.

But in the end, we don’t really need to look beyond the most essential facts about Russia’s invasion to understand the situation and what needs to happen next.

Ukraine on the other hand:

1) Is defending its territory.

2) Is defending the principles of the UN Charter.

3) Has agreed to an unconditional ceasefire.

President Zelenskyy has even offered direct talks with President Putin, which President Putin has rejected.

So yes, the UK stands proudly with Ukraine as it seeks a just and lasting peace.

Supporting Ukraine to defend itself from Russian attacks is not the cause of this war; it is a necessary response to it.

The onus really is on Russia, and President Putin, to show they are serious about ending the war that they started. Let us hope they do that very soon.

May 31, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Richard Hughes nominated for reappointment as Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility [May 2025]
The press release issued by HM Treasury on 30 May 2025.

The Chancellor today (30 May) has nominated Richard Hughes as Chair of the OBR for a second and final 5-year term of office.

The OBR is the UK’s official independent economic and fiscal forecaster, responsible for examining and reporting on the sustainability of the public finances. The Budget Responsibility Committee (BRC), led by the Chair, has executive responsibility for the OBR and is responsible for judgements made in preparation of the OBR’s economic and fiscal forecasts.

Fiscal stability is at the heart of this government’s most important mission to grow the economy. This is why the first bill it passed included the fiscal lock, so that no administration can sideline the OBR.

The Treasury Committee approves all appointments to the BRC. Richard will appear before the committee for a pre-appointment hearing in due course.

Further information
- Richard Hughes has been the Chair of the OBR since 2020. He is the second permanent Chair.
- As set out in the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011, appointments to the OBR’s BRC require consent from the Treasury Committee.
- The Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act 2011 allows each term of a BRC member, including the Chair’s, to be up to 5 years in length and each member may serve a maximum of two terms.
About the OBR

The OBR was created in 2010 to provide independent analysis of the UK’s public finances. The OBR is led by the three members of the BRC who have executive responsibility for carrying out the core functions of the OBR, including any judgements made in the preparation of the economic and fiscal forecasts. The current members of the BRC are:
- Richard Hughes (Chair)
- Professor David Miles
- Tom Josephs
About the reappointment process

Reappointments are not automatic, and each case is considered on its own merits. The decision to nominate Richard Hughes for reappointment was made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in line with the requirements of the Governance Code for Public Appointments. Richard’s reappointment will be finalised subject to the Treasury Committee’s consent.
May 31, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Sir Loyd Grossman’s (CBE) term as The Royal Parks Chair extended for 9 months [May 2025]

The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 30 May 2025.

The Secretary of State has extended Sir Loyd’s third term for a further 9 months, from 01 June 2025 to 28 February 2026, while the process to appoint a new permanent Chair of The Royal Parks is run.

Sir Loyd Grossman CBE

Loyd is a broadcaster, entrepreneur and writer who has a long association with the arts and heritage sectors. He is Chair of The Royal Society of Arts and a Vice President of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Loyd’s past appointments include as a board member of English Heritage, the Museums and Galleries Commission and the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. He has been Chairman of the Churches Conservation Trust, Chair of the Heritage Alliance, Chairman of National Museums Liverpool and Vice Chair of the Royal Drawing School. He was awarded a Knighthood in the King’s New Year Honours List for services to heritage in 2024. He was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to heritage in 2015.

Remuneration and Governance Code

The Chair of The Royal Parks is not remunerated. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Sir Loyd Grossman has not declared any significant political activity.

May 31, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : James Bamberg is appointed to the ACNRA Board [May 2025]

The press release issued by the Department For Culture, Media and Sport on 30 May 2025.

The Secretary of State has appointed James Bamberg as a Board Member for the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives. This is a 4 year term from 10 March 2025 to 9 March 2029.

James Bamberg

James (Jim) Bamberg is an historian and author who was formerly the official historian of BP plc. He wrote two volumes of BP’s official history published by Cambridge University Press and a third unpublished volume. He was also responsible for BP’s archives, in which capacity he proposed and managed the relocation of the archives to the University of Warwick and their opening to public access. On leaving BP he joined Harvard Business School as the Alfred D. Chandler International Visiting Scholar in Business History. He afterwards worked as an independent consultant and formed his own historical consultancy company, Storica Ltd.

Jim holds a first class honours degree and a PhD in history from the University of Cambridge, as well as an honours degree in Fine Art from Goldsmiths, University of London. He has been a Visiting Fellow at the University of Reading; a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge; President of the Association of Business Historians; and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Board Members will be remunerated at a rate of £386 per day. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments.

The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. James has declared no significant political activity.

May 31, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Block Grant for Scottish Government hits £50 billion [May 2025]
The press release issued by the Scotland Office on 30 May 2025.

The block grant for the Scottish Government this year is £50 billion following Main Estimates 2025-26 published on Thursday.

The Scottish Government already had the largest real terms spending review settlement in the history of devolution of £47.7 billion. Following revisions at the Spring Statement and Main Estimates, the Treasury has now confirmed the latest settlement is £50 billion.

Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray said:

The UK Government delivered the largest spending review settlement in the history of the Scottish Parliament, now Scots rightly expect to see that record finding deliver better results like lower NHS waiting lists, better attainment in Schools, more police on the beat and more housing.

I was very concerned this week to see that attainment targets for Scottish schools have been reduced and housebuilding has fallen by 4,000, meanwhile police officer numbers are lower than when police Scotland was established and 800,000 Scots are on an NHS waiting list.

Where the UK government has responsibility for public services, we are seeing NHS waiting lists fall, more housing being built and more bobbies on the beat, all part of our Plan for Change. This historic funding deal for the Scottish Government should be delivering similar results.

Background:
- Main Estimates was published on Thursday, providing the Scottish Government with £572m in additional funding in 2025-26, including £454m through the Barnett formula.
- It also confirmed the Scottish Government’s £1.8bn RDEL depreciation funding in 2025-26, including student loans.
- This is on top of a record settlement of £47.7 billion for 2025-26 at Autumn Budget 2024.
- This additional funding brings SG’s overall 2025-26 block grant funding to £50 billion.
May 31, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Joint Statement of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) on the first report covering DPRK-Russia military cooperation [May 2025]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 30 May 2025.

Several countries gave a joint statement following the publication of the first report of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).

Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Republic of Korea, the UK and the USA gave a statement following the publication of the first report of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT):

We, the participating states of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), released today its first report. This multilateral mechanism was established in October 2024 to monitor and report on the implementation of United Nations sanctions measures on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The report is available on the official MSMT website.

The report, which focuses primarily on unlawful DPRK-Russia military cooperation including arms transfers and Russia’s training of DPRK troops, consolidates information provided by MSMT participating states on violations and evasions of sanction measures stipulated in relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs). The report also contains information provided by open source intelligence organizations.

This report is a product of our efforts to address the monitoring gap arising from the disbandment of the UN Security Council’s 1718 Committee Panel of Experts in April 2024 which was caused by Russia’s veto in March 2024. The report will assist with the full implementation of UN sanctions by the international community. The opportunity for dialogue to reestablish the Panel of Experts as a central element of the UN sanctions framework remains open, provided the Panel is restored to the full form it had prior to disbandment.

With the release of the first MSMT report, we underscore once again our shared determination to fully implement relevant UNSCRs. We urge the DPRK to engage in meaningful diplomacy, and call on all states to join global efforts to maintain international peace and security in the face of ongoing threats from the DPRK and those that facilitate its illicit activities in contravention of relevant UNSCRs.

We will continue our efforts to monitor the implementation of UNSCRs on the DPRK and raise awareness of ongoing attempts to violate and evade UN sanctions.

May 31, 2025
PRESS RELEASE : Historic Garden of England protected with new sparkling National Nature Reserve [May 2025]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 May 2025.

Eighth Kings Series National Nature Reserve to be announced.
- The North Kent Woods and Downs National Nature Reserve is home to around 1700 ancient and veteran trees, as well as a mosaic of natural habitats including wildflower meadows, rare arable plants and chalk grasslands.
- Around 400,000 people live within 5 miles of the new reserve, and will have new opportunities to connect with this unique landscape.
- First National Nature Reserve to include an organic and carbon-negative vineyard, bringing a boost for both nature recovery and the local economy.
Kent has reaffirmed its reputation as the ‘Garden of England’ with the announcement of a new National Nature Reserve (30 May) boasting flagship species including, Man and Lady orchids, the Maidstone mining bee, Hazel dormouse and skylarks.

The county is said to have been given its famous nickname by Henry VIII to acknowledge its beautiful green landscape and abundant supply of food and drink. While much has changed over the centuries, modern day visitors to the newly opened reserve will find that it is still worthy of this title. The site offers access to a rich mix of wildflower meadows, chalk grasslands and ancient woodlands which have maintained tree cover since the Tudor era.

Many people have enjoyed the picturesque North Kent countryside, including Charles Dickens, who praised the fresh greenery and bustling wildlife of Kent, and frequently returned to the area in his writings, drawing inspiration from this idyllic landscape. The natural beauty of the area has now been put back in the spotlight with this declaration.

Over 400,000 people live within five miles of the new North Kent Woods and Downs National Nature Reserve and 8 million people live just an hour’s drive away, making this opening an exciting opportunity for people to connect with internationally important nature.

The new National Nature Reserve covers 800 hectares, equivalent to over 1100 football pitches, and partners will be working to support conservation efforts beyond the boundary of the reserve, helping to create a joined-up approach to nature recovery for a further 1100 hectares in the surrounding area.

Tony Juniper, Chair of Natural England said:

Creating bigger, better and more joined up natural areas is one of the most vital and fundamental steps we must take in meeting our national targets for Nature’s recovery. This new reserve, with its hundreds of ancient trees set amid extensive chalk grasslands, lays the foundations for multiple partners to work together to improve Nature across a significant area of countryside. This reserve presents one further excellent example of the progress that can be made when people decide to work together across landscapes.

Millions of people visit our National Nature Reserves and having a new one accessible to so many people and with such fantastic Nature is truly a cause for celebration.

Nature Minister Mary Creagh said:

This new National Nature reserve will give people the opportunity to explore Kent’s magical landscapes from wildflower meadows to ancient woodlands.

Reserves like this one, and others in the King’s Coronation Series, will deliver on our promise to improve access to nature and protect nature-rich habitats, as well as boosting the local economy in line with our Plan for Change.

Alongside long-term management for the precious habitats found at the site, the declaration of the newest National Nature Reserve in the King’s Series also offers the prime example of how conservation and economic growth can go hand in hand.

The site is home to the Silverhand Estate, the largest single organic and carbon-negative vineyard in the UK. For organisations like Silverhand, a healthy natural environment is essential to business, which serves as a reminder that nature underpins all parts of our economy.

The creation of the reserve will offer a boost to tourism in the Garden of England, as National Nature Reserve status highlights the internationally important nature found in the area. More than 20 million people visit National Nature Reserves each year, helping to put the natural beauty and ecological importance of our landscapes in the spotlight and boost the visitor economy of the areas around them.

This new National Nature Reserve directly supports the government’s commitment to restore and protect our natural world by expanding nature-rich habitats where people can explore and wildlife can thrive.

This is the 8th reserve to be launched as part of the King’s Series of National Nature Reserves, which will leave a lasting public legacy for people and nature by creating or extending 25 National Nature Reserves by 2027.

With support from Natural England and Kent Downs National Landscape, the Reserve will be managed by a number of partners including the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Kent County Council, Plantlife, Silverhand Estate (Vineyard Farms Ltd), and the West Kent Downs Countryside Trust. Affiliated partners include Gravesham Borough Council, Birling Estate, Shorne Parish Council, Tarmac and Forestry England.
May 31, 2025