Category: Press Releases

PRESS RELEASE : Thousands more victims to avoid trauma of courtroom cross-examination under plans to boost barrister fees [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 31 January 2023.

Vulnerable victims in up to 4,600 cases involving crimes including sexual abuse and rape will be able to avoid giving their evidence in a full courtroom every year according to new estimates from the Ministry of Justice.
- New estimates predict potential tripling in use of video technology for vulnerable victims every year
- Victims in up to 4,600 cases of sexual violence could pre-record evidence ahead of main trial
- Barristers’ fees boosted to support expansion
The estimates are published alongside new legislation which will for the first-time mean barristers are paid specifically for this work as part of the Government’s £138m extra annual investment in criminal legal aid.

Since September, victims of crimes including rape and sexual assault have been able to pre-record their cross-examination ahead of trial in every Crown Court in England and Wales following a Government-funded rollout of new technology.

This helps victims avoid the stress of giving evidence under full glare of a live trial setting, which many find traumatic.

This latest forecast shows that up to three times as many victims and witnesses could now be supported in this way compared to in the last two years, helping more of them achieve justice and boosting rape convictions.

The increase in fees will see lawyers paid £804, including VAT, for carrying out this work and ensure they are further incentivised to undertake the pre-recorded parts of these trials, potentially boosting capacity further.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said:

We have overhauled the support victims of rape receive and this latest investment will mean more have their voices heard in court without retraumatising them.

Paying barristers specifically for this work will help make sure more victims have this option and is another part of our work to boost rape convictions.

Pre-recorded cross-examination technology is available to certain victims of sexual and modern slavery offences in all Crown Courts in England and Wales. It is also available to vulnerable victims, such as children and those whose quality of evidence is likely to be diminished because of a mental or physical condition.

Measures allow for evidence to be given as close to the time of the offence as possible while memories remain fresh, increasing the likelihood of vulnerable witnesses achieving justice.

It is designed to maintain a defendant’s right to a fair trial and any decision to pre-record evidence is made by a judge on a case-by-case basis.

This new fee for lawyers taking evidence in this way will apply to all new cases from tomorrow (1 February 2023). It will come on top of existing fees for attending court and ground rules hearings where a judge can consider any special measures for vulnerable victims and witnesses.

This £4 million investment is part of the Government’s £138m annual increase in criminal legal aid spending.
February 1, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : UK sanctions Myanmar aviation fuel businesses marking 2 years since coup [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 31 January 2023.

The UK announced sanctions to increase pressure on the Myanmar military junta, coinciding with the 2-year anniversary of the coup that ousted an elected government.
- UK announces further round of sanctions to ratchet up pressure on Myanmar military junta
- announced ahead of 2-year anniversary of 1 February coup
- sanctions target enablers of air force bombing campaign and repression of the civilian population
Companies supplying the Myanmar Air Force with the aviation fuel to carry out its relentless bombing campaign against innocent people have been targeted by the UK in the latest round of sanctions, announced to coincide with the second anniversary of the brutal coup that ousted Myanmar’s elected government.

Two companies and 2 individuals, all associated with what is known as the Asia Sun group, and integral to the aviation fuel industry in Myanmar, have been sanctioned. The group supplies fuel to the Myanmar Air Force enabling its barbaric air raiding campaign in an attempt to maintain power, killing thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands of Myanmar’s people in the process.

The first of February 2023 marks 2 years since the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically-elected government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and installed a military regime. Since then, they have used violence and atrocities to maintain power and supress any opposition voices.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

Our sanctions are meticulously targeted to deliver maximum impact, reducing the military’s access to finance, fuel, arms and equipment.

The junta must be held to account for their brutal crackdown on opposition voices, terrorising air raids and brazen human rights violations.

The UK has led a strong, coordinated international response to support the people of Myanmar, their democratic demands and right to fundamental freedoms.

The UK has worked with partners including Canada, the United States and the European Union since the coup to impose coordinated and targeted sanctions against the military regime, its business interests and those who facilitate and profit from its brutal campaign.

Since the coup, the UK has now sanctioned 18 individuals and 30 entities, targeting those responsible for the coup, the subsequent violence, and those facilitating it. These sanctions raise the cost for those aligned with and supporting the regime’s campaign of terror. The UK will continue to use economic statecraft to restrict the military’s access to finance and arms and increase the pressure on them to engage with calls for a return to democracy.

As part of its commitment to a free and open Indo Pacific, the UK has led the international community’s work to support a peaceful resolution in Myanmar and a return to democracy; and pushing for progress towards accountability and justice. It has also played a key role in calling on countries around the world to end the sale and transfer of arms and equipment which facilitate the military’s atrocities.

At the United Nations, the UK successfully passed a Security Council Resolution on the crisis, the first of its kind, to apply further pressure on the military junta to end its violence. It also strongly supports ASEAN’s Five Point Consensus, which demands the military immediately ceases its violence and engages in constructive dialogue with all parties.

Background

Those sanctioned today are:
- Asia Sun Trading Company Limited and Cargo Link Company Limited, both part of what is known as the Asia Sun group which dominates the aviation fuel sector in Myanmar and are involved in the transfer of aviation fuel to the Myanmar Air Force
- Zaw Min Tun: Director and sole shareholder of Asia Sun Trading
- Win Kyaw Kyaw Aung: former Director and shareholder of Asia Sun Trading
View all UK financial sanctions against Myanmar.

Myanmar is the region’s most desperate humanitarian crisis. Following the coup, over 17.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, including over 1.5 million displaced, of which more than half a million are children.

Humanitarian access is extremely challenging. The UK has led international efforts to channel resources to non-governmental organisations based in Myanmar which are on the frontline, especially in hard-to-reach areas.

Asset freeze

An asset freeze prevents any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated person. UK financial sanctions apply to all persons within the territory and territorial sea of the UK and to all UK persons, wherever they are in the world. It also prevents funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person.

Travel ban

A travel ban means that the designated person must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom, providing the individual is an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971.

View the full UK Sanctions List.
February 1, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Violent offences reduced in areas with multi-agency partnerships [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 31 January 2023.

An estimated 136,000 violent offences have been prevented in areas of England and Wales delivering government-funded programmes to reduce serious violence.

Eighteen areas of England and Wales most blighted by violent crime have been receiving targeted funding for the past three years, to increase police patrols in crime hotspots and provide more support to at-risk young people.

An independent evaluation published today of the government’s ‘hotspot’ policing programme and network of Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) has revealed promising signs the approach is working, with 136,000 violence without injury offences estimated to have been prevented in areas with the programmes.

There are also positive indications that homicides and hospital admissions for violent injuries are reducing in these locations as a result of this funding.

The results come as the new Serious Violence Duty comes into force today, which was brought in by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and places a legal duty on public bodies to work together to drive down serious violence.

Policing Minister Chris Philp said:

These are outstanding results. Early interventions, which support at-risk kids to make the right choices in life, are helping to keep our communities and streets safer.

Serious violence is a complex issue, which is why we are putting multi-agency working at the centre of our approach.

Violence Reduction Units, hotspot patrols and the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers will see every community become a safe and prosperous place to live.

Set up in 2019, VRUs are a pioneering multi-agency initiative that brings together local partners in policing, education, health, and local government, to identify vulnerable children and adults and steer them away from a life of crime and violence.

With prevention better than cure, VRUs and GRIP patrols not only reduce violent incidents but see wider benefits. In their third year of operation, for every £1 invested by the Home Office in this serious violence prevention work, there was a return of £4.10 in savings to society.

The Violence Intervention Project (VIP) navigator scheme by the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Violence Reduction Unit engages with young people in custody suites, at a time they are most likely to accept help. Support workers create a ‘teachable moment’ to offer support and access to services to steer them back on track.

One eighteen-year old, James (name has been changed), was helped by the VIP team after being caught in possession of a knife and drugs. Weekly mentoring, engagement with a substance misuse worker, and enrolment on a construction course and a gym has helped him stick to his bail conditions. He has not reoffended, has been more open about his mental health and now understands how decisions at this stage of his life can impact his future.

Grace Strong, Director of the Leicestershire Violence Reduction Network said:

The VIP team are seeing hundreds of young people a year and offering them tailored support to make positive changes in their life and reducing their risk of being involved in further serious violence.

These vulnerable young people are becoming supported and empowered, and it is extremely positive for everyone to see them achieve goals that they never thought to be possible.

West Yorkshire VRU runs a similar scheme, in conjunction with the local hospital, to reach those presenting in A&E due to a violent incident.

Dr Alice Downs, Paediatric Emergency Consultant & Department Safeguarding Lead for Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said:

When young people come into our hospitals as a result of violent crime we have a small window of opportunity to offer brief intervention using youth workers to empower the young person to make better life choices.

Working with the Violence Reduction Unit has enabled us to establish a team of Navigators who can explore the circumstances that have led to the young person’s hospital attendance, and address these to try and prevent similar incidents occurring.

Their attendance in our Emergency Department provides a valuable opportunity to intervene, improve lives, reduce morbidity and death from violent crime. This in turn should reduce the substantial impact on families and the cost to the NHS.

Building on the successes of VRUs, from today, multi-agency working is a legal obligation for public bodies across England and Wales, through the Serious Violence Duty. Police, health, fire and rescue services, local government and criminal justice partners will now be required to collaborate to find and address the causes of serious violence in their local area.

The duty will aim to continue driving down serious youth violence (as measured by under 25 hospital admissions for assault by a sharp object) across England and Wales, which has already fallen by 20% across England and Wales since March 2020.

February 1, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Vision for nature recovery launched [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 31 January 2023.

Tony Juniper marks the launch of the Environment Improvement Plan.

Thank you SoS for inviting me to speak at what is a defining moment for Nature recovery in this country. As your speech emphasised so clearly, Nature is not a nice to have but vital for our survival, and which is why this Environmental Improvement Plan published today is so important, and so welcome.

We now all know that we are facing into a series of environmental challenges that are very serious, pressing and which are connected to one another. At the global level the heating of our planet and the depletion of Nature are twin evils which drive each other on and place our economies and societies in peril. Their effects are very much felt in England where, in Nature terms, we’ve become one of the poorest countries on Earth.

Countries are beginning to recognise that if we are to secure our future we need to tackle these huge challenges, and do it in an integrated and joined up manner. After the UK government helped to forge global common cause at COP 15, the new Environmental Improvement Plan is a very visible demonstration of this country’s commitment to taking the urgent practical steps needed to reach the targets agreed in Montreal, and indeed those set out domestically while that summit was in progress and as required by the 2021 Environment Act.

The result we have before us today is an ambitious and integrated plan, setting out a package that is broad and geared towards hitting targets. What is required now is a concerted effort across government and society to translate its intent into action.

This can be done, so long as priority is attached to it and we remain focussed on joined-up delivery based on partnerships. Success will not only bring benefits for our depleted natural environment, but also for jobs, food and water security, public health and investment.

The economic benefits arising from Nature recovery are increasingly well understood. Pollination by bees and other insects are worth annually nearly £700 million, sustaining a farming industry worth over £120 billion. In England’s peatlands some 580 million tonnes of carbon are locked away in the ground and out of the atmosphere, at the same time filtering high-quality water into rivers that is worth up to £888 million annually.

A high-quality natural environment attracts visitors and business opportunities. The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site has brought millions of pounds into the local economy and supports up to 2000 jobs, while the England Coast Path generates spending of more than £18 per person per day and health savings of £62 per trip.

Nature recovery thus makes sense at many levels and must begin with halting its long-term decline by 2030. This will not be simple and will take significant new partnerships and integration of effort across the “Four Fs” of farming, forestry, flooding and freshwater.

Each of these elements has its own distinct pressures and goals, but with a holistic approach they can create a real momentum towards meeting the environmental targets and the basis for doing that is in the plan being launched today.

Action to deliver this five-year plan is already well under way and Natural England is proud to be at the forefront of that. In recent years we have been repurposed and revitalised and we are making great strides in working with a wide range of partners to bring Nature recovery to life.

One example is the way we’ve sought to expand the role of National Nature Reserves, designating new sites and joining up neighbouring ones to enable Nature restoration at significant scale.

Over the last three years we have increased the total area of NNRs by 13,000 hectares – equivalent to almost 15% of the total area declared in the previous 67 years since their inception in 1952. We will continue with this programme of expanding NNR coverage through five new significant designations per year during the course of the EIP.

NNRs are among the battery packs of core protected areas that will power the Nature Recovery Network that we and our partners are creating across the country. Containing the finest examples of wildlife, habitat and geology they will also help to power wider Nature Recovery Projects that are now springing into life.

A great example of this is the Somerset Wetlands, where we declared a super NNR last year, which incorporated six existing NNRs within new lands where Nature recovery can take place and which is also at the heart of a new Nature Recovery Project that is ten times the size and which was announced a week later.

We already have six of these large scale Nature Recovery Projects in place and a further 19 are in the pipeline, many of them, like Purple Horizons in the West Midlands, taking Nature recovery into the heart of towns and cities, where many people lack the health and wellbeing benefits that come with connection to the natural world. This and other projects like it will help give effect to the EIP goal of ensuring that every person is no more than 15 mins walk from green space.

On this theme, today also sees Natural England launch a new Green Infrastructure Framework that gives local authority planners and developers the tools and advice they need to ensure that thriving Nature is firmly embedded in their plans for their communities, giving people more opportunity to enjoy the wonders of the natural world.

Today marks a significant new opportunity to change Nature’s fortunes for the better in this country. The EIP charts an ambitious path, and if we can build the partnerships needed to succeed we could during the years ahead begin to see the transformation that we know we must make, marking the moment when we turn from charting Nature’s decline and instead chart its recovery.

January 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Dame Jane Francis appointed Royal Society Trustee of the Natural History Museum [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 31 January 2023.

The Secretary of State has appointed Dame Jane Francis to the Board of the Natural History Museum for 4 years.

Dame Jane Francis

Appointed for a four year term commencing 1st February 2023.

Jane Francis is Director of the British Antarctic Survey, a research centre of the UK Natural Environment Research Council. She is involved with international polar organisations, such as the Antarctic Treaty and European Polar Board, and on several advisory boards of national polar programmes.

Jane Francis is a geologist by training, with research interests in past climate change. She has undertaken research projects at the universities of Southampton, London, Leeds and Adelaide, using fossils to determine the change from greenhouse to icehouse climates in the polar regions over the past 100 million years. She has undertaken over 15 scientific expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctica in search of fossil forests and climates of the past.

Jane was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (DCMG) in recognition of services to UK polar science and diplomacy. She was also awarded the UK Polar Medal by H.M The Queen, the Royal Geographical Society’s Patron’s Medal and the 2022 Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation Award for Planetary Health. Jane is Chancellor of the University of Leeds and a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Trustees receive no remuneration, except for expenses reasonably incurred in performance of their duties. 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. Dame Jane Francis has not declared any significant political activity.

January 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Gail Boyle reappointed to the Treasure Valuation Committee [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on 31 January 2023.

The Secretary of State has reappointed Gail Boyle as a Member of the Treasure Valuation Committee from 30 March 2023 until 29 March 2026.

Gail Boyle

Gail Boyle is Senior Curator (Archaeology & World Cultures) for Bristol Culture. She has been a successful museum archaeologist for over 35 years and played leading roles in a wide variety of innovative, complex and collaborative exhibition, engagement and research projects. As well as being a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, Gail was awarded the Fellowship of the Museums Association (2018) in recognition of the significant contribution she has made to the museum sector. Gail also sits on several UK heritage and museum related bodies, including Historic England’s Future Archaeological Archives Programme and the Portable Antiquities Scheme Advisory Group.

As former Chair of the Society for Museum Archaeology (2012–2018) Gail instigated and co-authored 3 national surveys of ‘Museums Collecting Archaeology’ (2016-2018), and produced national guidance on the rationalisation of archaeological collections. She was also the chief architect of the Society for Museum Archaeology’s Archaeological Resources and Training project and was both a contributor to, and editor of, new Standards and Guidance in the Care of Archaeological Collections 2020.

Remuneration and Governance Code

Members of the Treasure Valuation Committee are not remunerated. This reappointment 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. Gail Boyle has not declared any significant political activity. She is an elected member and Chair of Pucklechurch Parish Council. She was last elected in May 2019 and has no political affiliation.

January 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : National police response to the Hillsborough Families Report [January 2023]
The press release issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council on 31 January 2023.

Widespread changes to policing were made public today as national police leaders release their response to the Hillsborough Families Report.
Leaders from the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council have apologised to the Hillsborough Families as part of the national police response to a report by the Rt Revd James Jones KBE on the lessons from the Hillsborough stadium disaster.

The report recommended action from public bodies and government to ensure the pain and suffering of the Hillsborough families could not be repeated. Following its publication in November 2017, the national police response can now be made public after the culmination of legal proceedings and other matters.

Today’s national policing response is a commitment to avoid the failures made during and after the Hillsborough Disaster; embed strong ethical values in the service; and ensure there is humanity and humility in the police response to public tragedy.

Reforms in response to the report include:
1. All police forces in England and Wales have signed up to a Charter for Families Bereaved Through Public Tragedy which sets out that police organisations must acknowledge when mistakes have been made and must not seek to defend the indefensible.
2. The College of Policing and NPCC have agreed the content of a new Code of Practice on police information and records management to prevent the problems faced after the Hillsborough disaster when records were lost or destroyed. This Code has been submitted to the Home Office for ministerial approval, following which it can be laid before Parliament in accordance with the Police Act 1996.
3. The College of Policing’s Code of Ethics – applicable to everyone working in policing – will be revised this year and candour will be a key theme.
  There will be a supporting Code of Practice, which chief officers must have regard to, which will state that ‘Chief officers have a responsibility to ensure openness and candour within their force’.
4. New national guidance for Family Liaison Officers has been issued, incorporating learning from the Hillsborough Families Report, the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the 2017 terrorist attacks.
5. The College of Policing released updated disaster victim identification Authorised Professional Practice in August 2018 in direct response to the report, including an explicit statement that the terms ‘belonging to’ or ‘property of the coroner’ should not be used in future disasters.
National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair, Martin Hewitt, said:

“As police officers, we come to work to keep the public safe and as a service, we failed to do this at Hillsborough. I am deeply sorry for the tragic loss of life, and for the pain and suffering that the families of the 97 victims experienced on that day and in the many years that have followed.

“Collectively, the changes made since the Hillsborough disaster and in response to Rt Reverend James Jones’s report aim to ensure the terrible police failures made on the day and in the aftermath can never happen again.

“Police chiefs today are committed to responding to major incidents with openness and with compassion for the families involved. All police forces in England and Wales are signed up to the Charter for Families Bereaved through Public Tragedy. In signing this, they committed to putting the interests of victims and families above any other interest and acting with candour at every turn.”

Chief Constable Andy Marsh, College of Policing CEO, said:

“Policing has profoundly failed those bereaved by the Hillsborough disaster over many years and we are sorry that the service got it so wrong. Police failures were the main cause of the tragedy and have continued to blight the lives of family members ever since.

“When leadership was most needed, the bereaved were often treated insensitively and the response lacked coordination and oversight.

“Today’s report explains long-term, and more recent, developments in how the police responds to mass fatality incidents. Hillsborough is a touchstone for long-lasting change in policing and there is a commitment from the leadership in policing to create a modern, dynamic police service which acts without fear or favour, and with integrity and empathy.

“The changes include all police forces in England and Wales signing up to a charter agreeing to acknowledge when mistakes have been made and not seek to defend the indefensible; a strengthened ethical policy which makes candour a key theme; and new guidance for specialist officers supporting families during a tragedy which learnt lessons from the Hillsborough Families Report, the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the 2017 terrorist attacks.

“I would like to sincerely thank the former Bishop of Liverpool, the Rt Revd James Jones, for his dedication and insight which continues to support the police service in undergoing essential reform.”

Mr Marsh added the Hillsborough Families Report is now included in training for new recruits entering policing through the College of Policing’s updated routes, as well as the importance of transparency and being candid when things go wrong.
January 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Communities mark 70th anniversary of East Coast Tidal Surge [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 31 January 2023.

Commemorative activities will mark the milestone anniversary of the tragic event which saw 307 lives lost in England and more than 2,500 across Europe.
Communities along the east coast of England are this week marking the 70th anniversary of the East Coast Tidal Surge which devastated parts of the country.

In January 1953, the coastline was hit by the worst flooding in living memory, with 307 people tragically killed, 24,500 homes damaged or destroyed and over 30,000 people evacuated.

A number of extreme weather events – high natural tides, a major coastal surge on the North Sea and very high winds – combined over an 8-hour period on 31 January and 1 February 1953.

The flood surged along the coast, from Yorkshire to Kent, as well as other parts of Northern Europe, resulting in 1,800 deaths in the Netherlands and 19 in Scotland.

Commemorative events will be taking place around the East Coast including in King’s Lynn – where 15 people died – with a memory wall erected at the town Minster. The Environment Agency’s flood defence barriers at Hull, Boston, Ipswich and Thames will also be lit up at dusk on 31 January.

EA FCRM Executive Director Caroline Douglass said:

As we remember those who tragically lost their lives 70 years ago, this anniversary should serve as a reminder of the devastation flooding can cause to communities.

We are far better prepared than we were back in 1953 with huge advances in forecasting, warning and defences – but extreme flooding could strike at any time and is only set to increase with a changing climate and rising sea levels.

Being prepared for coastal flooding could save your family, possessions, and livelihood. People should check if they are at risk on the Environment Agency website, sign up for free flood warnings and make sure your property is resilient to flooding.

Floods Minister Rebecca Pow said:

Newsreel footage from the time shows the true devastation across the East of England for people, their homes, and businesses.

The surge has left a lasting mark on communities even to this day and I hope we can all come together to remember and reflect upon this tragedy.

I know first-hand the trauma a flood can cause. Investment in recent years along with our new record funding will go a long way to reassure people that communities right across the country are better protected.

There have been many improvements in flood prevention since the East Coast Tidal Surge which mean that communities in England are much better protected now.

In 1953, there was no flood warning system. Now, over 1.6 million people are signed up to receive flood warnings, giving them vital time to prepare. Long-lead flood forecasts have also been introduced, including the use of tide, wave and weather data, allowing businesses and emergency responders to prepare well in advance.

The Environment Agency has since built key defences such as the state-of-the-art Thames Barrier which protects almost 1.5 million people from tidal flood risk, as well as improved sea defences in many areas across the country. Much of the investment in flood prevention has been focused upon areas where there was major loss of life in 1953.

Met Office Head of Situational Awareness, Will Lang, said:

Although the low-pressure storm system, the high tides and the resulting storm surge were forecast well in advance back in January 1953, many people along the east coast of the UK were just not prepared. Since that time much more effective warning systems have been developed.

Storm surges still happen but these days warnings are more effectively and widely communicated and people are much more aware of the risks.

Flood defences provide vital protection to many communities, but tidal surges still happen regularly along the coast and flooding events are happening more frequently due to climate change.

Wet weather at the start of this year alone has caused flooding and travel disruption in parts of the country. While this has sadly led to the flooding of around 130 properties, over 5,000 properties have been protected across the West Midlands, Yorkshire, in the South West and along the Thames.

Around 1.9 million homes are at risk of coastal flooding and parts of England’s coast are amongst the fastest eroding coastline in Europe. By 2100 once-a-century sea level events are set to become annual events.

The Environment Agency is urging people to take three simple steps:

check your flood risk online

sign up for flood warnings

know what to do if flooding hits

The EA is taking action to ensure that we are better protected against increasing extreme weather events. We have just completed a £2.6 billion programme with the government, better protecting 314,000 properties. Of this, £1.2 billion was invested to better protect around 200,000 homes from coastal erosion and sea flooding.

The Government is also investing £200m for the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation programme to support local places including coastal communities. It includes the £36 million Coastal transition accelerators programme which will support communities in areas at significant risk of coastal erosion to transition and adapt to a changing climate.
January 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Leadership of small boats operations returns to the Home Office [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Home Office on 31 January 2023.

The Small Boats Operational Command (SBOC) will bring together the government’s response to small boats with 730 additional staff.

A bolstered response to curb migrant crossings comes into force today (Tuesday 31 January), as leadership of tackling small boats in the Channel returns to the Home Office.

The newly created Small Boats Operational Command (SBOC), which is part of Border Force, brings together the government’s response to small boats under a single integrated structure, enhancing the work conducted alongside the military last year.

To support this, 730 additional staff will be recruited, with 100 of these located inside its UK headquarters, while the remainder will bolster operations.

New air and maritime capabilities including new drones, boats, land-based radar and cameras, will also be introduced under SBOC. This will aid our ability to track vessels on the water, identify pilots and help to bring those responsible to justice.

The SBOC, which will be led in the interim by director Duncan Capps, will strengthen existing capabilities to oversee operations with the French to disrupt crossings, save lives at sea and ensure the effective processing of arrivals in the UK.

Military leadership of the operational response to Channel crossings was always intended to be a temporary measure and scheduled to end in January 2023. SBOC will continue to work closely with the military during a handover period to respond to the challenge of Channel crossings.

The command, through additional staff and new technologies, along with close working with NCA and other European partners, will deliver a more coordinated response in the Channel.

A government spokesperson said:

Last year we saw an unsustainable and unacceptable number of people risking their lives to reach the UK illegally.

This simply cannot continue and that is why we are taking immediate steps to tackle the evil people-smuggling gangs behind these deadly crossings and get our immigration system under control.

The return of Channel primacy to the Home Office, bolstered by 730 extra staff and led by director Duncan Capps, is a significant landmark in our long-term plan to ensure the safety and sovereignty of our borders and our communities.

We are building on the progress already made through the new deal with France, and our determination will not waiver until we stop the abuse of the asylum system and bring the smugglers responsible to justice.

January 31, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Ambitious roadmap for a cleaner, greener country [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 31 January 2023.

Five-year delivery plan to restore nature and improve the environmental quality of the air, our waters and our land .

Plans to restore nature, improve environmental quality, and increase the prosperity of our country will be set out by the government today (Tuesday 31st January) as it publishes its Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.

Building on the vision set out five years ago in the 25 Year Environment Plan, with new powers and duties from the Environment Act, Agriculture Act and Fisheries Act, it provides a comprehensive delivery plan for the government’s approach to halting and then reversing the decline in nature.

This was the central target agreed in the new global deal for nature at the UN Nature Summit COP15 in December, which UK leadership helped deliver. The plan published today underpins that ambition domestically, with progress measured against stretching interim targets.

It will be unveiled by the Environment Secretary Dr Thérèse Coffey at a keynote speech this morning.

It covers how government will:
- Create and restore at least 500,000 hectares of new wildlife habitats, starting with 70 new wildlife projects including 25 new or expanded National Nature Reserves and 19 further Nature Recovery Projects
- Deliver a clean and plentiful supply of water for people and nature into the future, by tackling leaks, publishing a roadmap to boost household water efficiency, and enabling greater sources of supply
- Challenge councils to improve air quality more quickly and tackle key hotspots.
- Transform the management of 70% of our countryside by incentivising farmers to adopt nature-friendly practices.
- Boost green growth and create new jobs – from foresters and farmers to roles in green finance and research and development.
The public will also benefit from a new commitment to access green space or water within a 15-minute walk from their home, such as woodlands, wetlands, parks and rivers.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Protecting our natural environment is fundamental to the health, economy and prosperity of our country.

This plan provides the blueprint for how we will deliver our commitment to leave our environment in a better state than we found it, making sure we drive forward progress with renewed ambition and achieve our target of not just halting, but reversing the decline of nature.

Environment Secretary, Thérèse Coffey, said:

Our Environmental Improvement Plan sets out how we will continue to improve our environment here in the UK and around the world. Nature is vital for our survival, crucial to our food security, clean air, and clean water as well as health and well-being benefits.

We have already started the journey and we have seen improvements. We are transforming financial support for farmers and landowners to prioritise improving the environment, we are stepping up on tree planting, we have cleaner air, we have put a spotlight on water quality and rivers and are forcing industry to clean up its act.

Whether you live in a city or town, in the countryside or on the coast, join us in our national endeavour to improve the environment.

Other new commitments set out today include:

Nature:
- A multi-million pound Species Survival Fund to protect our rarest species – from hedgehogs to red squirrels.
- Through the support of government schemes 65 to 80% of landowners and farmers will adopt nature friendly farming practices on at least 10 to 15% of their land by 2030. They will also be supported to create or restore 30,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2037 and 45,000 miles of hedgerows a year by 2050.
Water:
- Setting out 10 actions we are taking on water efficiency in new developments and retrofits, including reviewing building regulations and other legislation to address leaky loos and confusing dual flush buttons and to enable new water efficient technologies
- Restoring 400 miles of river through the first round of Landscape Recovery projects and establishing 3,000 hectares of new woodlands along England’s rivers.
- Reforming the current regulatory framework to rationalise the number of regulatory plans and create a more efficient system which better enables joined up working to achieve catchment-level outcomes
Air:
- Challenging councils to improve air quality more quickly by assessing their performance and use of existing powers, while supporting them with clear guidance, funding, and tools.
- Reducing ammonia emissions through incentives in our new farming schemes, while considering expanding environmental permitting condition to dairy and intensive beef farms.
- Improving the way air quality information is communicated with the public.
Waste:
- Making it easier for people to do the right thing to minimise their waste, including a new set of interim targets for 2028 to reduce different types of waste, including plastic, glass, metal, paper, and food.
The plan sets out a clear framework to ensure progress can be clearly tracked.

The environmental principles policy statement will also be published today. It means that, from 1 November 2023, environmental protection and enhancement will be embedded into the design and development of new policy across Government.

Natural England Chair Tony Juniper said:

We are facing into a series of environmental challenges that are very serious, pressing and which are connected to one another. If we are to take effective action then we will need an ambitious and integrated plan that is geared up to meeting some very challenging targets. That plan and those targets are now live. The package is broad and most welcome and important. It will now require efforts across government and across society to translate its intent into action.

This can be done, so long as priority is attached to it and we remain focused on joined-up delivery. Success will not only bring benefits for our depleted natural environment, but also for jobs, food and water security, health and investment.

Chair of the Forestry Commission Sir William Worsley said:

We all need to work together to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, to address the steep decline in biodiversity, to better connect people with the natural world around them, and to create the green jobs of the future. Trees are at the very heart of this – the Forestry Commission has a key role to play in helping the Government achieve the targets laid out in this ambitious blueprint for a greener country and we look forward to doing so.

Nick Molho, Executive Director at the Aldersgate Group, said:

Rapidly restoring nature and reversing its decline is essential for economic prosperity, the wellbeing of society and the UK’s ability to adapt to climate change. It will require all parts of society and the economy to collaborate on environmental improvements as well as careful co-ordination between the UK’s climate and environmental targets.

Through the publication of today’s Environmental Improvement Plan, the Government has taken an important step forward, by bringing together in one place its vision for the environment and a delivery plan to drive progress. The Government must now build on the objectives and policy commitments contained in the delivery plan and proceed at pace with the specific policy measures that will drive private investment over the next 5 years in biodiversity, air and water quality, resource efficiency and other key environmental improvements. Providing clarity on the near- and long-term policy commitments is essential to unlock significant private sector investment and ensure businesses play their part in restoring nature.”

Finally, it is welcome to see the publication of the Environmental Principles Policy Statement. A comprehensive and rapid implementation of environmental principles across all government departments is essential to drive coherent policy making and ensure every opportunity is taken to drive environmental improvements and prevent harm at an early stage.

ENDS

Further information:
- The Environment Act designated the 25 Year Environment Plan as the first Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). It created a responsibility for the government to review and revise the plan, if needed, every 5 years to ensure continued progress against the ten 25 YEP goals. This EIP (EIP23) is that revised plan. It sets out for the first time how the 25YEP goals, Environment Act targets and other commitments we have made domestically and internationally will combine to drive specific improvements in the natural environment.
- The Environment Act was enacted in 2021. This required government to set a suite of legally-binding targets for environmental improvement in air quality, biodiversity, water, resource efficiency and waste reduction. The government has since extended this ambition even further, with additional targets for marine protected areas and woodland cover. The long-term targets were announced in December 2022. The Environment Act also required short-term interim targets, with a maximum of five years in length, to be included set in the Environmental Improvement Plan to drive progress towards the long term targets.
The Environmental Principles Policy Statement:
- In line with the Environment Act, the Secretary of State is publishing a policy statement on environmental principles, setting out how they are to be interpreted and proportionately applied. The five internationally recognised principles are: integration, prevention, rectification at source, polluter pays, and the precautionary principle.
The Significant Improvement Test:
- Today, we have also published the first Significant Improvement Test review report, as required by the Environment Act 2021.
January 31, 2023