Tag: Department for Levelling Up

• Community groups to bid for funding to celebrate 75th anniversary of Windrush
• Funding open to applications from Northern Ireland for the first time
• Part of wider £3.75 million committed to honouring the Windrush legacy to date

Applications for the Windrush Day Grant Scheme have been opened by the Department for Levelling Up, today (18 January 2023).

Community groups, charities and councils will now be able to bid for their share of the £750,000 pot of funding to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Windrush community in their local areas.

Each area can bid for up to £50,000 to fund celebratory parades, educational resources, arts and sporting projects, providing they are focused on the contribution of the Windrush generation and their descendants.

Currently in its fifth year, the scheme will for the first time be open to applications from Northern Ireland in recognition of Windrush communities who resided there.

Communities Minister Lee Rowley said:

“The 75th anniversary of the arrival of MV Empire Windrush at the Port of Tilbury, marks a seminal moment in our nation’s shared history.

“This government is fully committed to honouring the Windrush generation and their immense contribution to this country. This funding will really help local communities come together, honour the past and celebrate our country.”

To date, the government has dedicated £3.75 million in funding toward honouring the Windrush legacy. This includes £2.75 million across five years of the Windrush Day Grant Scheme, and £1 million allocated to the National Windrush Monument.

Last year 35 projects across England were given a share of £500,000 funding to help commemorate Windrush Day. They included:

• The establishment of the Bristol Windrush Reggae Choir, a six-month project that included vocal workshops and specially commissioned music.
• A one-day festival at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, celebrating many aspects of UK Caribbean life, from music and dance to food and storytelling; and
• A Windrush exhibition across museums, cultural centres, schools and colleges in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire together with live performance and online workshops.

Following a rigorous recruitment campaign Professor Richard Prager has been appointed to the role, succeeding Professor Alan Penn. Professor Prager is currently Head of the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University and Academic Director of Cambridge Online Education. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Engineering & Technology, and of Queens’ College Cambridge.

In this role Professor Prager will support the science and engineering profession in the department, offer advice on specific initiatives and work with other CSAs across government to enable work to be informed by appropriate data and scientific principles.

Commenting on his appointment, Professor Richard Prager said:

I am delighted to be joining the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and to have a chance to build on the strong scientific and engineering foundations that Professor Alan Penn has created. I will be particularly interested to contribute to the department’s work in sustainable housing, building safety and the integration of evidence across different aspects of society. I am also looking forward to collaborating with CSAs from other departments on broader strategic projects.

The team of government chief scientific advisers aim to ensure, through advising ministers and senior officials, policy decisions are evidence-based and supported by the highest-quality scientific evidence and understanding.

Two new Green Freeports will be established in Inverness and Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth, the UK and Scottish governments have jointly announced today (Friday 13 January), helping to create jobs, drive growth and level up the country.

Backed by up to £52 million in UK Government funding, the new sites are expected to bring forward an estimated £10.8 billion of private and public investment and create over 75,000 new, high-skilled jobs.

Bidding opened earlier this year and consortiums submitted their bids for their share of the cash, which were jointly considered by the UK and Scottish governments. As part of the process, the successful locations had to demonstrate to officials and ministers from both governments how they would regenerate local communities, deliver decarbonisation, establish hubs for global trade and foster an innovative environment to support levelling up.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said:

Working together delivers results – and I am absolutely delighted that the First Minister and I can announce the delivery of our shared ambition for people in Scotland today with not one but two excellent Green Freeport areas.

In extending the benefits of freeports to Scotland, we are unleashing the potential of the Firth of Forth and Inverness and Cromarty Firth – backing the delivery of thousands of high-quality green jobs for future generations, as we continue to make gains on our commitments to transition to net zero.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said:

Scotland has areas of outstanding opportunity but there are also places that can benefit from more investment to truly level up communities that have been overlooked.

This is a shared challenge faced by us all across the UK, which is why I’m delighted the UK and Scottish Governments have collaborated to deliver two Green Freeports in Scotland, which will undoubtedly be transformative for future generations to come.

Inverness and Cromarty Firth and the Firth of Forth are fantastic areas for these new Green Freeports to set up, ensuring the benefits are felt right across Scotland. This will help to create exciting new jobs, boost business and encourage investment in the local areas and beyond.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said:

This is a milestone achievement in the process to deliver Green Freeports for Scotland. Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport will support businesses to create high-quality, well-paid new jobs, promote growth and regeneration, and make a significant contribution to achieving our net zero ambitions.

A rigorous joint selection process has been followed. The successful applicants showed a strong determination to embed fair work practices, including payment of the Real Living Wage, and to enshrine net zero initiatives in their work.

We look forward to working closely with them to ensure they deliver maximum positive impact and become operational as soon as possible. We will also work with the unsuccessful bidders to consider how they can build on the plans set out in their bids to deliver jobs and growth in their regions outside the Green Freeports programme.

Scotland has a rich history of innovation, trade and manufacturing and as we look to seize the many opportunities achieving net zero offers, the creation of these internationally competitive clusters of excellence will help us to create new green jobs, deliver a just transition and support our economic transformation.

Following a joint assessment process, UK and Scottish Government have selected Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport and Forth Green Freeport as the winning bids. Each will now be granted up to £26 million in funding over the next few years, primarily to address infrastructure gaps which are currently holding back investment.

• The Forth Green Freeport aims to drive a transition to net zero by 2045 through attracting up to £6bn worth of investment and creating 50,000 jobs, generating £4.2bn in additional Gross Value Added in the first 5 years. The Green Freeport will have a focus on renewables manufacturing, alternative fuels, carbon capture utilisation and storage and shipbuilding, as well as the development of a new creative hub. The site includes the ports at Grangemouth, Rosyth and Leith, Edinburgh Airport, and a site at Burntisland.
• The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport aims to create 25,000 jobs and generate £4.8bn in investment for the area, with a focus on floating offshore wind, nuclear and hydrogen that will drive a transition to net zero by 2045. An expansion of the Inverness Campus and Powerhouse is also planned, along with proposals to deliver innovation and skills support. The site includes the Ports of Inverness, Cromarty Firth and Nigg and Inverness Airport.

We expect both Green Freeports to become operational in late 2023.

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said:

I’m delighted to see Inverness and Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth awarded Green Freeport status. Each can now be granted up to £26m in UK Government funding that will spark innovation, create high-quality jobs and encourage regeneration for the benefit of the whole of Scotland.

UK Freeports are a key part of the UK Government’s Levelling Up strategy – they will bring prosperity and growth that is crucial as we tackle the challenges associated with rising energy prices and the increased cost of living.

Working jointly with the Scottish Government, we had some very strong and creative bids to consider. We are excited about the opportunities the Green Freeports will bring to improve infrastructure and generate investment, all while taking a step closer to our Net Zero goals.

This builds on the UK Government’s successful Freeport programme in England, where are all 8 Freeports are open for business, and sites in Plymouth and South Devon, Solent, Teesside, Liverpool and East Anglia recently being granted final government approval.

Freeports in Liverpool and East Anglia have received final government approval today (Tuesday 10th January) meaning the majority of English Freeports are now fully up and running.

Freeport East and Liverpool City Region will join Freeports that are already delivering jobs and investment across areas including Plymouth, Solent, and Teesside, as part of the government’s mission to level up, spread opportunity and drive economic growth. This is in addition to £52 million invested to bring two Green Freeports to Scotland, as well as at least one Freeport in Wales. The locations of these will be announced in due course, and discussions are ongoing to extend the Freeport programme to Northern Ireland.

Taking full advantage of the freedoms of leaving the EU, businesses in Freeports will be offered generous tax incentives and a simplified customs procedure, unlocking much-needed investment and high-quality jobs. The two Freeports will now receive up to £25 million seed funding each from the government over the next few years, on top of potentially hundreds of millions of pounds in locally retained business rates to upgrade infrastructure and stimulate regeneration in their local areas.

Combined, the six fully operational Freeports are expected to generate millions of pounds in investment and thousands of highly skilled jobs, boosting local economies and benefitting the whole of the UK.

Levelling Up Minister Dehenna Davison said:

Freeports are magnets for investments, putting places like the Wirral and Harwich on the global stage and the frontier of innovation.

With £25 million of seed funding, these Freeports will unlock local expertise and skills to boost key local industries, create jobs and grow our national economy.

We are maximising the opportunities of leaving the European Union to drive growth, boost innovation and encourage investment in the UK.

Freeport East which is on the world’s major trade routes connecting the UK directly with markets around the world will become a world-leading centre for clean energy production, offering a unique set of opportunities and support for investors, traders, manufacturers and suppliers. The Freeport estimates that it will deliver thousands of new jobs and generate £5.5 billion over 10 years, for the local economy.

Located at the UK’s biggest western facing port, Liverpool City Region will drive growth in the UK’s advanced manufacturing, biomanufacturing, logistics, and low carbon industries. It estimates that it will deliver thousands of new jobs and £850 million for local economies.

Richard Ballantyne OBE, Chief Executive, British Ports Association, said:

We are pleased to see two more freeports moving forward and this is an exciting time for the sector. These announcements will bring new investment and new jobs to Felixstowe, Harwich and Merseyside. The establishment of freeports in these areas builds on strong maritime foundations and we welcome the continued confidence Government has in ports to drive sustainable growth.

Ben Murray, Maritime UK Chief Executive, said:

We’re delighted to see both Liverpool City Region and Freeport East officially launched with bold programmes to develop their local proposition for inward investment, innovation, and exports.

With Freeport East and Liverpool focused on clean energy, advanced manufacturing, biomanufacturing, and logistics, they will help strengthen our maritime clusters and grow our maritime sector, complimenting the freeports launched at the end of last year.

The freeport programme is catalysing economic growth and job creation in coastal towns and cities around the UK. As we start the year, we look forward to growing the role of maritime in the levelling-up mission.

Freeports benefit from a package of measures, comprising tax reliefs, customs advantages, business rates retention, planning, regeneration, innovation and trade and investment support.

Liverpool City Region Freeport and Freeport East join three newly operational Freeports announced at the end of last year, including Teesside Freeport which will drive investment and industrial growth in renewables; Plymouth and South Devon Freeport which will harness the region’s marine and defence expertise to deliver thousands of skilled jobs into the region; and Solent Freeport which will grow its ambitious maritime economy, making the Solent a thriving hub for the world’s marine and maritime sector.