Tag: 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Offenders to be ordered to attend sentencing [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on 30 August 2023.

Cowardly criminals who try to evade the final moment of justice will be ordered into the dock to attend their sentencing – and will face longer behind bars if they refuse to appear.
- new power for judges to order offenders to attend sentencing hearings
- offenders who refuse could be forced into the dock by prison staff or receive an extra 2 years in prison
- announcement comes on the back of a number of vile criminals refusing to face their victims in court
The reforms announced today (Wednesday 30 August) will create a new power for judges to order an offender to attend their hearings and make it clear – in law – that force can be used to make sure this happens.

The power of custody officers to use reasonable force to make criminals appear in the dock or via video link will also be enshrined in law, meaning every effort will be made for victims and their families to see justice delivered.

If a criminal continues to resist attending their sentencing despite a judge’s order, they will face an extra 2 years behind bars. This new penalty will apply in cases where the maximum sentence is life imprisonment, including serious sexual or violent crimes like murder, rape, and grievous bodily harm with intent.

The change will mean victims can look offenders in the eye and tell them of the devastating consequences of their crime as they read out their impact statement, rather than addressing an empty dock.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

It is unacceptable that some of the country’s most horrendous criminals have refused to face their victims in court. They cannot and should not be allowed to take the coward’s way out.

That’s why we are giving judges the power to order vile offenders to attend their sentencing hearings, with those who refuse facing being forced into the dock or spending longer behind bars.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Alex Chalk KC, said:

Every time a cowardly criminal hides from justice by refusing to appear in the dock for their sentencing it is another insult to their victims and their families.

Our reforms will give judges the power to order offenders to come to court to hear the impact of their crimes directly from victims, so that they begin their sentences with society’s condemnation ringing in their ears.

The change in the law follows the tireless campaigning of Farah Naz and Cheryl Korbel, alongside others like Ayse Hussein and Jebina Islam all of whom were denied the opportunity to see their loved ones’ killers face justice.

In August last year, Thomas Cashman shot dead 9-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, the daughter of Cheryl Korbel, in her own home and callously chose not to hear the impact her death had on her family at his sentencing.

In June the same year, Jordan McSweeney sexually assaulted and murdered Zara Aleena but decided he could not bear to listen to the details of his crime being repeated in court.

Judges will have the discretion to use these new powers as they see fit to ensure justice is done. This could include not ordering offenders to attend in cases where it is expected that they will cause significant disruption which would distress victims and their families.

Legislation to introduce these changes will be set out in due course.
August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Over £3.5 million funding from Government to reduce the impact of offshore windfarms on UK Air Defence [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero on 30 August 2023.

Two projects have been awarded funding to develop windfarm mitigating prototypes and new funding announced to help the government accurately model the effectiveness of the different solutions.
- The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and DASA has awarded £3.2 million in funding to minimise the impact of offshore windfarms on UK Air Defence.
- The funding will be used to help develop prototype demonstrations of windfarm mitigating technologies such as new materials and sensor technology.
- A further competition has also launched today, with up to £500,000 in funding available for innovators with expertise in modelling and testing the effectiveness of different mitigation technologies.
Another significant boost to the UK’s renewable energy expansion has been delivered today, with fresh multi-million-pound Government funding and the launch of a new competition driving the move to minimise the impact of offshore windfarms on UK Air Defence surveillance.

Funding worth £3.2 million has been awarded by the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), in partnership with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), to two projects aiming to demonstrate technologies which can mitigate offshore windfarms’ impacts and their interference on defence radar.

Alongside this a new £500,000 competition has been launched which will help companies find solutions to accurately model and test the effectiveness of these technologies.

This will help ensure the UK remains on course to reach its ambition of 50GW in offshore wind by 2030, whilst supporting and co-existing with our air defence capabilities.

The Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence: Phase 3 Programme is funded by the government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) and is undertaken in partnership with the Royal Air Force (RAF), the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), and DASA.

Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said:

“Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine has shown us how important it is to power more of Britain from Britain.”

“Our offshore wind capability plays a huge role in delivering our energy security, with world’s four largest offshore windfarms in UK waters.”

“But with the war raging on, we need to make sure our energy security and our national security remain fully compatible.”

“This funding will ensure our offshore wind works alongside our latest air defence technologies – boosting our defences through our military, and by delivering home-grown energy for our homes and businesses.”

The first winner of the funding today is LiveLink Aerospace, a Hampshire-based aerospace company, who have been awarded up to £1.3 million in funding.

Their project will address the challenge of radar clutter caused by the rotating blades of wind turbines, which can degrade the performance of air defence radars and surveillance systems.

The firm’s work comprises of developing a series of small low-cost and robust passive air defence sensors, which do not emit any signals themselves, and therefore do not interfere with the radar returns from wind turbines.

The second winner is Trelleborg, an engineering firm based in Nottinghamshire, which has been awarded up to £1.8 million in grant funding to deliver a project on the use of advanced materials in wind turbines to tackle radar interference. Trelleborg will use its existing expertise in manufacturing and engineering of stealth materials to deliver next-generation wind blades which will cause less interference with radars.

Key dates and funding

Also announced today, is up to £500,000 in funding now available for Stream 2 of Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence: Phase 3.This phase seeks to provide funding for innovators with expertise in modelling and testing the effectiveness of different mitigation technologies, with the end goal of producing the best technology through the right combination of radar, materials and mapping software.

The deadline to submit a proposal is midday 24 October 2023 (BST).Read to full competition document to submit a proposal.

The Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence Programme

As part of the UK’s renewable energy supply to achieve Net Zero goals, offshore wind energy will be essential. However, the installation of offshore windfarms may cause detrimental effects on the quality of data gathered from surveillance radars, which are crucial for the UK’s air defence detection capability.

The Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence programme has been addressing this challenge area for several years. After the successful completion of Phase 1 and Phase 2, Stream 1 of Phase 3 was launched earlier this year. The primary objective of Stream 1 is to support prototype demonstration of the technologies that could mitigate the impact of windfarms on UK Air Defence.

Stream 2 aims to find innovative solutions that can accurately model and test the effectiveness of different mitigation technologies.

Wing Commander Kevin Walton, Co-Chair of the Ministry of Defence/Offshore Wind Industry Council Air Defence Mitigation Task Force said:

“The MOD is playing an active role in the UK’s efforts to build a greener, net-zero future.

“Offshore wind will play a central part in meeting our nation’s renewable energy needs and ensuring energy security for the UK. Complementing existing RAF work to mitigate the impacts of large-scale offshore windfarms on our current radars and the previous phases of this competition, this 2nd stream of Phase 3 of the innovation competition will play an important part in helping us to find the right combination of future solutions that will enable the long-term co-existence of windfarms and the UK’s air surveillance radars.”

Windfarm Mitigation for UK Air Defence Programme: Phase 3 – Stream 2

To support the decision making on further development of windfarm mitigation technologies, it is necessary to develop a model which can be used to objectively compare the funded solutions, determine their effectiveness in reducing the impact of proposed offshore windfarm developments and predict the consequences and benefits of combining solutions together.

For this competition, we are seeking models that can help assess the performance of different windfarm mitigation technologies to inform future policy decisions. The model should be able to assess the technologies and combinations against a set of specific metrics, data, and different scenarios.

Example scenarios include:
- Several military jets crossing over a windfarm
- A fast jet performing a turn over a windfarm
- A supersonic fast jet traversing a windfarm at high/low altitude
Example metrics include:
- Percentage of time over a windfarm that the target remains tracked
- Time to re-establish tracking if lost
- Delay of any tracking.
Read the full competition document for a more detailed breakdown of the competition’s requirements.
August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Government teams up with sport stars to launch new physical activity drive [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 30 August 2023.

The Government will join forces with former sports stars, health professionals and fitness experts to help an additional 3.5 million adults and children get physically active by 2030, as part of a major national activity drive.
- New sports strategy sets national participation targets of an additional 2.5 million adults and 1 million children active by 2030
- New taskforce, led by Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer, Sports Minister Stuart Andrew and former England Rugby Union international Ugo Monye, to drive strategy forward and track progress on these goals
- Announcement builds upon unprecedented government funding for grassroots sport facilities and opening up access to school sport across the country
The Government will join forces with former sports stars, health professionals and fitness experts to help an additional 3.5 million adults and children get physically active by 2030, as part of a major national activity drive.

Appointed by the Prime Minister and Culture Secretary, the new National Physical Activity Taskforce will be led by the Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, Sports Minister Stuart Andrew and former England Rugby Union international Ugo Monye as an independent co-chair.

It comes as part of the Government’s new sport strategy published today. ‘Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity’ sets out a blueprint to improve the nation’s health and fitness, enhance corporate governance in the sport sector and make it more resilient to future challenges at elite and grassroots level.

The new participation targets – to have over 2.5 million more active adults and over 1 million more active children by 2030 – are intended to reach people of all ages and backgrounds, and meet the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidance that:
- Adults should aim to carry out at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week
- Children should aim to carry out at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day
Figures from the Sport England Active Lives Survey indicate that 25% of adults are currently deemed to be ‘inactive’ in England, with over 11 million doing less than 30 minutes of activity in total a week. Meanwhile figures indicate that 53% of children and young people are not meeting the CMO’s guidance of at least 60 minutes of activity a day – with 23% being fairly active, but 30% doing less than 30 minutes a day.

NHS statistics from 2021-2022 indicate that almost a quarter (23%) of year 6 children were obese in England, an increase of 3% from 2018-19, the last figures recorded prior to the COVID-19 pandemic – making a national activity drive all the more important.

As part of this new strategy, the expert taskforce will advise on how to deliver on these targets, challenge how ambitions are being delivered and hold the Government, National Governing Bodies, the physical activity sector and schools to account for delivering the targets at both the national and local level.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:

As Culture Secretary I want to increase opportunities for everyone to find the sport or activity that they love, which will help them be healthy and happy. Whether that’s playing with friends on the basketball court, getting on your bike or working out in your living room we want everybody to find a sport or physical activity for them.

Our new taskforce, jointly led with Ugo Monye, will work across government and the sports industry to turn these ambitious targets into a reality, helping to break down barriers to help people enjoy the benefits of getting active.

Through our support for school sports and our continuing investment of millions of pounds in facilities in local communities across the country we are making sure that people have welcoming and accessible places where they can get active.

National Physical Activity Taskforce co-chair and former England Rugby Union international Ugo Monye said:

As a former international player and dad to young children, I know the importance of instilling the benefits of sport and physical activity.

It is clear that a major effort is needed to get Britain moving and boost our national health. I’m determined to use my experience and drive forward this ambitious strategy.

It is the first sport strategy to be published since 2015, and builds upon the Government’s record investment of almost £400 million in grassroots facilities, including in multi-sport facilities, swimming pools and park tennis courts, to ensure communities across the country have access to high quality, safe facilities.

This is alongside investment of over £600 million for school sport and PE over the next two years, with a focus on making it clear that girls have the same access as boys, building on the success of the Lionesses at UEFA Women’s EURO 2022 last year and in their recent FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 campaign.

The strategy also sets the vision for the future of the sector in the country.

In recent years, the responsibilities of sport governing bodies around integrity issues, such as misconduct (including bullying, discrimination and safeguarding issues), doping and corruption, have highlighted concerns on how some athletes have been treated, the mechanisms for raising complaints and how disputes are resolved at elite and grassroots level.

The Government is clear that sport needs to be a welcoming, inclusive and fair environment that participants and their parents or guardians can have confidence in.

In light of this, a call for evidence is being launched today on current experiences of how issues and concerns in sport across the UK are dealt with in the sector, and how these could be strengthened. The call for evidence is open to participants in sport, parents and guardians, coaches, athlete support personnel, sports governing bodies, academics and other relevant stakeholders.

Sports Minister Stuart Andrew said:

It is vital that everyone participating in sport feels safe and secure. We want to ensure that we have the strongest possible systems for addressing sport integrity issues and that we remain at the forefront of global efforts around fairness and inclusion in sport.

UK Sport and Sport England have taken significant steps to improve safeguarding including the revision of protections for children. The Government has also strengthened positions of trust legislation to now include sports coaches.

I urge everyone with relevant experiences to contribute to this call for evidence process.

The new sport strategy also seeks to ensure that the sector moves towards a more sustainable future, both financially and environmentally.

DCMS will support the sector to attract additional forms of investment to help the sector continue to grow and thrive, including new sports and areas with significant growth potential, such as women’s sport. The department will also highlight best practice, examples of good governance, and work with the tech sector to identify innovative solutions to help increase participation and physical activity.

It follows the Government providing more than £1 billion in financial support to the sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department will also continue to work with UK Sport, host cities and sporting bodies to bid for, and successfully host, major sporting events that deliver significant socio-economic benefit across the UK, to maintain our world-leading track record in this area. DCMS will commission additional analysis of the economic value of these events to support future decision making. It follows the recent success of England hosting UEFA Women’s EURO 2022, the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games and the Rugby League World Cup.

The Government’s Gold Framework guidance has been updated to help DCMS and UK Sport work successfully with the sector to keep bringing the world’s biggest and best major sporting events to the UK. It comes at a time when the UK and Ireland are bidding to host UEFA EURO 2028, with a decision due later this year.

These events are a core element of the Government’s strategy to not only provide significant benefits across the country, but inspire people to get more active, and create the next generation of sports stars.

DCMS will also champion the importance of the sector prioritising the development of its own environmental sustainability initiatives and encourage the sharing of best practice from across sport and physical activity.

This is expected to help the sector to deliver on UK Sport’s goal for high-performance sport to be having a net positive impact on the environment by 2040, and for sport national governing bodies to have reduced their emissions by 50% by 2030.
August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Appointments made to the Natural England Board [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 August 2023.

Extensions and reappointments of board members at Natural England, the government’s statutory advisor on nature conservation.
Defra Ministers have reappointed Kim Shillinglaw and Peter Unwin and extended the appointments of Rosamund Blomfield-Smith and Kerry ten Kate as Natural England Board Members.

Kim Shillinglaw and Peter Unwin have been reappointed for a second term of three years from 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2026. Rosamund Blomfield-Smith and Kerry ten Kate’s appointments have been extended for nine months from 1 June 2023 to 29 February 2024.

Board members play an important role in providing leadership for the organisation, ensuring the delivery of Natural England’s mission to build partnerships for Nature recovery, in support of the Environmental Improvement Plan. This includes setting strategy and direction, agreeing objectives, overseeing performance and taking important decisions such as designations.

These appointments have all been made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments published by the Cabinet Office. All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.

Natural England plays a key role in delivering the government’s environmental priorities. Its purpose is to ensure the natural environment is conserved, enhanced and managed for the benefit of present and future generations.

Biographies:

Kate Shillinglaw

Kim has led the commercial transformation of businesses as Director of Factual at EndemolShine, modernised TV channels as Controller of BBC2 and BBC4, and initiated content from Stargazing Live to Blue Planet II as Head of Science and Natural History Commissioning.

She chaired the BBC’s Commercial Income and Factual Boards, advised organisations from the Royal Institution to the Science Museum and been a Trustee of NESTA and the Raspberry Pi Foundation. She is co-chair of the National Nature Reserves Steering Group.

Peter Unwin

Peter Unwin is an ex-civil servant with 10 years Board level experience as Director General at Defra and DCLG and a spell as acting Permanent Secretary at Defra. He worked across a wide range of policy areas, including the natural environment, climate change, agriculture, local government and planning.

After leaving the Civil Service in 2015 he spent four years as Chief Executive of the Whitehall & Industry Group, an independent charity promoting leadership development and understanding between government, industry and the not-for-profit sector.

Peter was awarded a CB for services to the environment in 2011 and is a member of the Aldersgate Group.

Rosamund Blomfield-Smith

Rosamund Blomfield-Smith spent 30 years in the City, latterly as a director of both Rothschilds and ING Barings, but since 2003 has been non-executive.

She has served on many boards, including Thames Water and Hartpury Agricultural College and was until recently chairman of Museum of London Archaeology and a member of Ofgem’s Challenge Group.

She is also a Trustee of the Jo Cox Foundation.

Kerry ten Kate

Kerry ten Kate is an independent consultant, advising governments, companies, banks and civil society organisations on how best to integrate the natural environment into economic decision-making.

She is a trustee of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, where she chairs the Conservation Committee and a non-executive board member at Finance Earth. She is a member of the Aldersgate Group and Conservation Fellow at the Zoological Society of London.

She is a former member of the Natural Capital Committee.
August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Director, Aleksander Staskiewicz, who illegally took out a Bounce Back Loan jailed for eight months [August 2023]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 30 August 2023.

Aleksander Staskiewicz overstated his company turnover in order to secure the taxpayer-backed funds.

Aleksander Staskiewicz, 35, from Southampton, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment at Southampton Crown Court on 17 August 2023, for offences contrary to the Fraud Act 2006 and the Companies Act 2006.

Staskiewicz applied for a £20,000 Bounce Back Loan in May 2020 when the country was in lockdown. However, his company Think Gas Ltd had already been in financial difficulty before the pandemic had struck, and he had considered closing it down.

Instead, he overstated his company’s turnover in his application for the government funding and withdrew £19,600 the day after the loan was deposited in the company account. The day after this, he applied to close down his company by having it struck off from the Companies House register.

The striking-off application to dissolve a company makes clear that creditors, such as a bank with an outstanding loan, should be notified within seven days of applying to close the business, and that failure to notify interested parties is a criminal offence. Staskiewicz did not inform his bank.

The company’s affairs were investigated by the Insolvency Service after counter-fraud systems flagged the likelihood that fraud had occurred.

Attempting to avoid a custodial sentence, Staskiewicz told the court that he hoped to repay the loan money back within 12 months. However, he had made no effort to repay the loan in the past three years.

Peter Fulham – Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Aleksander Staskiewicz thought he could abuse the rules to exploit a scheme, backed by taxpayers, specifically designed to help businesses get through the pandemic.

He now has a criminal conviction as a consequence of his actions. We will not hesitate to prosecute such cases.

Background

Aleksander Staskiewicz is of Southampton. His date of birth is July 1988.

Think Gas Ltd – Company No. 10638031

Staskiewicz pleaded guilty at Southampton Crown Court on 20 July 2023 to the following specific offences:

Fraud by misrepresentation contrary to sections 1 and 2 Fraud Act 2006 – eight months
Failure to notify creditor of a strike off application contrary to section 1006 Companies Act 2006] – eight months
To be served concurrently making overall sentence of eight months.

August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Housing estate pollution sanction sees environment charity get funding boost from Keepmoat Homes [August 2023]

The press release issued by the Environment Agency on 30 August 2023.

Keepmoat Homes Ltd, a company that specialises in building residential housing and which owns the site at Heron’s Reach near Bradford, will donate £100,000, while Applebridge Construction Limited, which were contracted by Keepmoat Homes for the first phase of the development, will donate £35,000.

An investigation by the Environment Agency found that Pitty Beck was polluted a number of times between October 2016 and November 2018 while construction was underway.

The companies submitted Enforcement Undertakings to the Environment Agency, which have now been accepted.

An Enforcement Undertaking is a voluntary offer made by companies and individuals to make amends for their offending, and usually includes a donation to an environmental charity to carry out improvements in the local area.

On 13 October 2016 Keepmoat Homes reported pollution from its site, and an Environment Agency officer confirmed that silty water was running from the site and into the beck. The same happened on numerous occasions over subsequent months. The company did not have an environmental permit to allow for treated water to be discharged into the beck.

The company obtained this permit in October 2017. This allowed the discharge of water from one outlet at a maximum rate of no more than 40mg/l of suspended solids. Only days later, a discharge containing 555 mg/l entered the beck from a different outlet, followed by the first of several permit breaches from the permitted outlet containing more than the allowed concentration of suspended solids.

As part of the requirements of the Enforcement Undertaking, Keepmoat Homes revised its surface water management plan for the site, constructed urban drainage ponds, purchased a siltbuster and gulley bags to remove sediment from the water leaving site and improved its inspection and monitoring regime.

Applebridge Construction employed a full time health and safety manager, reviewed and updated its environmental management system and delivered bespoke training to staff.

Environment Agency Area Environment Manager Ben Hocking said:

Housing construction companies – like all companies carrying out any major development work – have a responsibility to ensure their work does not impact on the environment and we will take action when pollution occurs.

While we will always take forward prosecutions in appropriate cases, Enforcement Undertakings are an effective enforcement tool to allow companies to put things right and contribute to environmental improvements.

They allow polluters to restore the harm caused to the environment and prevent repeat incidents by improving their training and procedures.

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

Companies that damage our natural environment must be held to account and enforcement action like this ensures polluters pay and help clean up our rivers and waterways.

Our Plan for Water is delivering more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement right across the water sector.

Aire Rivers Trust will use the donations on the monitoring and prevention of pollution on Bradford Beck, a ‘pocket park’ proposal at Bradford Beck and restoring habitats in the catchment, including some wetlands at Pitty Beck.

Bradford-based environmental charity the Aire Rivers Trust will use the donations on the monitoring and prevention of pollution on Bradford Beck, and to restore riverside habitats across the catchment. The charity works to improve the River Aire for both wildlife and local communities.

Simon Watts, Operations Manager at the Aire Rivers Trust, said:

We’re pleased to see money from polluters being spent on restoring Bradford’s streams and river. We believe the work it will fund will create a lasting impact on the health of the beck that runs through the heart of Bradford.

August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Families urged to boost their back-to-school budget with Tax-Free Childcare [August 2023]

The press release issued by HM Treasury on 30 August 2023.

With the new school term starting, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding families to open a Tax-Free Childcare account today to save up to £2,000 per child on their yearly childcare bills.

Families can use their Tax-Free Childcare account to pay for any approved childcare including holiday clubs, breakfast and after school clubs, child minders and nurseries.

The scheme provides working families, with children up to the age of 11, or 16 if their child has a disability, up to £2,000 a year per child or £4,000 a year if their child is disabled. For every £8 paid into a Tax-Free Childcare account, families automatically receive the government top up of £2. Families can save up to £500 every 3 months for each child or £1,000 if their child is disabled.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:

Starting back to school and arranging childcare for the term ahead can be costly for working families. Tax-Free Childcare offers financial help so families can save on the cost of childcare. Search Tax-Free Childcare on GOV.UK and sign up online today.

Opening a Tax-Free Childcare account online is straightforward and can be done in about 20 minutes. Money can be deposited at any time, 365 days a year, to be used straight away or left in the account and used whenever it is needed. Unused money in the account can be withdrawn at any time.

August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Location data can help build the EV chargepoint network of tomorrow [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on 30 August 2023.

New report sets out how location data can support local authorities to make good decisions about where EV chargepoints should be installed.
- New report seeks to support local authority decisions about electric vehicle (EV) chargepoint rollout
- The transition to EVs will be enabled by a dependable public charging network and local authorities are ideally placed to identify their local charging needs
- Location data can provide the evidence base needed to support better decisions about local charging infrastructure
The Geospatial Commission has today (30 August 2023) published a report to support local authorities to make decisions about where to install electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints in their areas.

By 2030, the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be phased out and by 2035 all new cars and vans will be zero emission. The transition to EVs will be enabled by a dependable, well located public charging network that local authorities are ideally placed to help deliver.

Location data can arm local authorities with evidence to rollout a public charging network that gives current and prospective EV owners the confidence to make their journeys, whether in a densely populated city or the countryside. Drivers need to have the same confidence that they can charge their EV as they have that they can refuel their current petrol or diesel vehicle, so they can go about their business unimpeded. This is critical to the growth of the economy, one of the Prime Minister’s five priorities.

Viscount Camrose, Minister, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said:

The transition to electric vehicles is central to the government’s plan to decarbonise the transport sector, keep the UK at the forefront of clean transport and tackle pollution, all while seizing the potential for growth and job creation in the UK’s growing EV industry.

Local authorities and the wider sector should continue to embrace new location data and analysis to accelerate the targeted rollout of chargepoints so that drivers can find and access reliable chargepoints wherever they live.

The location of chargepoints is as important as absolute numbers. This report explores the breadth of location data and applications available to support local authority decisions about where to install new chargepoints and identifies five opportunities to better use existing location data, as well as new sources of information to:
- understand the location and availability of existing chargepoints by making chargepoint operator data standardised and consistent
- understand consumer charging behaviour and travel patterns by using population movement data
- identify the location of EVs by using commercially-held data about leased vehicles
- identify existing electricity network capacity through better use of distribution network operator data
- identify areas without off-street parking by using proxy data
Transport networks need to become more efficient, greener and safer. The Geospatial Commission has been leading a multi-year programme highlighting the opportunities for advanced geospatial applications in the transport sector. The programme has identified how location data can support the future of mobility and next generation transport networks and called out ways to maximise its impact. In 2021 we published ‘Getting to the Point’ which explored the role of location data to help model future demand for chargepoints, identify suitable sites, create a seamless consumer experience and track rollout.

This report highlights that the location of chargepoints is as important as absolute numbers. Consumers want chargepoints to be where they need them and for them to be easily accessible. Local authorities are ideally placed to identify local needs and play a fundamental role in facilitating private sector investment and ensuring all communities have access to reliable public charging infrastructure, especially on-street charging points. They must make informed decisions about how many, which types and where chargepoints will be installed, based on demand and site suitability. Location data and applications can give valuable insight.

Martin Tugwell, Chief Executive, Transport for the North, said:

High quality location data plays a critical role in enabling better decision making on how society can make a rapid transition to achieving a low carbon economy.

Location data and analysis is a vital component of our work at Transport for the North to underpin activities outlined in our regional Strategic Transport Plan, such as supporting our local authorities EV charging planning and delivery, and facilitating private sector investment to drive EV chargepoint rollout.

Steve Ward, Decarbonisation Programme Manager, Transport for Wales, said:

Good quality location data is essential to us helping the public and private sectors collaborate to identify and develop sites for electric vehicle charging. We have worked with datasets from a large number of sources to develop modelling tools that indicate which locations are more suitable for commercially-funded charging facilities, and which could be unlocked by targeting investment in improving electricity supply capacity.

We are sharing the outputs of our mapping with all stakeholders, including the electricity Distribution Network Operators, who are using this data to plan ahead of anticipated demand for charging ‘hotspots.
August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Passengers to benefit from easier and cheaper travel with new app guidance [August 2023]
The press release issued by the Department for Transport on 30 August 2023.

Travel and navigation app providers encouraged to ensure new technology offering more streamlined journeys is accessible to all users.
- commuters will be able to access easier, cheaper and more personalised journeys, as new guidance is launched for travel apps
- new code of practice will help ensure navigation apps offer step-free journey options for disabled people and safer travel such as well-lit walking routes
- part of the government’s work to deliver cutting-edge transport technology that benefits transport users and helps grow the economy
Commuters will soon benefit from smarter travel apps that offer cheaper, safer and more accessible journeys, following new government guidance launched today (30 August 2023) to ensure travel and navigation apps benefit all users.

The government’s new Mobility as a Service (MaaS) code of practice for app developers and companies aims to ensure they offer more streamlined journeys for travellers and commuters while ensuring the technology is accessible to all.

Technology known as MaaS is already in use in apps such as Citymapper and Google Maps and aims to bring together data, such as timetabling or ticket prices, from multiple types of transport to offer streamlined choices to travellers all on one app.

The guidance encourages app platform providers to consider accessibility needs when suggesting routes, which could include outlining wheelchair-accessible routes and stations and providing step-free options for all journeys.

The guidance also recommends that app providers consider the personal safety of app users when suggesting routes. For example, apps should allow people to choose “main roads only” options for journeys, keeping to well-lit roads. Apps should also be able to share their live location with a contact while on the move.

Further recommendations include ensuring apps consider users in rural areas where internet connectivity could make accessing online journey planning difficult. As part of this, platforms are encouraged to include offline options, such as a phone number for ordering taxis or claiming compensation for delays.

Technology and Decarbonisation Minister Jesse Norman said:

New technologies are transforming how we travel, making journeys easier for those with disabilities and connecting rural towns and villages better, among much else.

With the new code of practice, the Department for Transport (DfT) is encouraging app providers to make the most of the new technology, helping to ensure potentially vulnerable groups and communities are not left behind.

MaaS tech platforms can make journeys more convenient by bringing together planning and payment into one app and allowing people to tailor journeys to their specific needs. It is also hoped that this could lower the cost of journeys for travellers, by ensuring more choice and competition.

As the use of transport continues to change, with more people making use of public transport and rental bikes, the government is encouraging tech companies to develop platforms that bring together different types of transport into one easily accessible journey.

By helping to ensure smoother travel for people across the UK, this code of practice aims to help harness cutting-edge of transport technology, encouraging businesses and individuals to make the most of the new technology and helping to grow the economy.

Examples of MaaS platform operators already operating in the UK include Swift in the West Midlands. Now the largest smart ticketing scheme outside London, Swift cards can be used as a ticket for train, bus or tram services, as well as car parking and season tickets. The scheme has 190,000 active smartcard holders with 45 million journeys completed over the past 12 years.

In 2020, DfT also awarded funding to Solent Transport as part of its Future Transport Zones programme to develop a transport app for the region. The new app, Breeze, allows people on the south coast to plan, book and pay for all journeys, including public transport, cycling, e-scooters and ferries. It also provides information about how busy services are and suggests the greenest way to travel.

Conrad Haigh, Solent Transport Manager, said:

As the UK’s first multi-city MaaS app with integrated ticketing, Breeze is already proving popular across south Hampshire and the Isle of Wight with over 7,000 users inside its first 10 months of operation. Giving customers the travel information they need and bringing clarity to travel options are critical to the continued success of Breeze. Solent Transport is proud to be working closely with DfT, sharing what works and what doesn’t to improve access to transport services.

As a partnership of the local transport authorities for Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton, Solent Transport has a varied mix of transport services to integrate into Breeze and a blend of urban, semi-urban and rural environments to navigate.

With support from our academic partners the University of Portsmouth and University of Southampton, the Solent region offers the perfect testing ground to trial and evaluate effective delivery of a MaaS app.
August 30, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Rishi Sunak meeting with the Crown Prince of Kuwait [August 2023]

The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 29 August 2023.

The Prime Minister welcomed his Highness the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, to Downing Street today.

He welcomed the historic and strong friendship between the UK and Kuwait, which has endured for 125 years. As we mark the 75th anniversary of the opening of the Kuwait Investment Office in London, the leaders witnessed the signing of a new UK-Kuwait Investment Partnership which will drive significant new investment into UK industries and support Kuwait’s changing economy.

The Prime Minister noted opportunities to diversify Kuwaiti investments in the UK, driving growth in both countries in new sectors, from life sciences to technology.

The leaders also discussed work to deepen our longstanding cooperation on defence, including in cyber security. The Prime Minister welcomed Kuwait’s constructive role in upholding regional security and the Crown Prince’s support for diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

August 30, 2023