Tag: Press Release

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in London [February 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in London [February 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 2 February 2005.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer – Gordon Brown – today used a speech at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit in Manchester to highlight the Government’s £1 billion Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.

    Starting in April 2005 the scheme – which could mean up to £150m for London alone – will allow local authorities to receive a proportion of increases in local business rate revenues to spend on their own priorities. It builds on the success of the New Deal, the Child Tax Credit and the Pension Credit. In London, 274,000 people were helped into work through the New Deal, 392,000 working families benefit from Child Tax Credit and 278,000 pensioner households are receiving Pension Credit.

    Speaking at the summit, the Chancellor said:

    “Because all their business rates income went to central government, in the past local authorities had no direct financial incentive to encourage new business creation. Now under our Business Growth Incentive scheme local authorities keep a proportion of the additional business rate income generated by new business creation.

    “Based on historical data we estimate that in total as a result of this measure local authorities could gain up to £1 billion over the next three years – a further incentive to encourage local indigenous business creation.

    “And a boost for business in every town, city and region – every community across the country benefiting from more business and more jobs.”

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in North East of England [February 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in North East of England [February 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 2 February 2005.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer – Gordon Brown – today used a speech at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit in Manchester to highlight the Government’s £1 billion Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.

    Starting in April 2005 the scheme – which could mean up to £50m for the North East alone – will allow local authorities to receive a proportion of increases in local business rate revenues to spend on their own priorities. It builds on the success of the New Deal, the Child Tax Credit and the Pension Credit. In the North East of England, 133,190 people were helped into work through the New Deal, 222,000 working families benefit from Child Tax Credit and 155,000 pensioner households are receiving Pension Credit.

    Speaking at the summit, the Chancellor said:

    “Because all their business rates income went to central government, in the past local authorities had no direct financial incentive to encourage new business creation. Now under our Business Growth Incentive scheme local authorities keep a proportion of the additional business rate income generated by new business creation.

    “Based on historical data we estimate that in total as a result of this measure local authorities could gain up to £1 billion over the next three years – a further incentive to encourage local indigenous business creation.

    “And a boost for business in every town, city and region – every community across the country benefiting from more business and more jobs.”

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in North West of England [February 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in North West of England [February 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 2 February 2005.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer – Gordon Brown – today used a speech at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit in Manchester to highlight the Government’s £1 billion Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.

    Starting in April 2005 the scheme – which could mean up to £130m for the North West alone – will allow local authorities to receive a proportion of increases in local business rate revenues to spend on their own priorities. It builds on the success of the New Deal, the Child Tax Credit and the Pension Credit. In the North West of England, 238,810 people were helped into work through the New Deal, 561,000 working families benefit from Child Tax Credit and 349,000 pensioner households are receiving Pension Credit.

    Speaking at the summit, the Chancellor said:

    “Because all their business rates income went to central government, in the past local authorities had no direct financial incentive to encourage new business creation. Now under our Business Growth Incentive scheme local authorities keep a proportion of the additional business rate income generated by new business creation.

    “Based on historical data we estimate that in total as a result of this measure local authorities could gain up to £1 billion over the next three years – a further incentive to encourage local indigenous business creation.

    “And a boost for business in every town, city and region – every community across the country benefiting from more business and more jobs.”

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in South East of England [February 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in South East of England [February 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 2 February 2005.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer – Gordon Brown – today used a speech at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit in Manchester to highlight the Government’s £1 billion Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.

    Starting in April 2005 the scheme – which could mean up to £110m for the South East alone – will allow local authorities to receive a proportion of increases in local business rate revenues to spend on their own priorities. It builds on the success of the New Deal, the Child Tax Credit and the Pension Credit. In the South East of England, 131,810 people were helped into work through the New Deal, 544,000 working families benefit from Child Tax Credit and 270,000 pensioner households are receiving Pension Credit.

    Speaking at the summit, the Chancellor said:

    “Because all their business rates income went to central government, in the past local authorities had no direct financial incentive to encourage new business creation. Now under our Business Growth Incentive scheme local authorities keep a proportion of the additional business rate income generated by new business creation.

    “Based on historical data we estimate that in total as a result of this measure local authorities could gain up to £1 billion over the next three years – a further incentive to encourage local indigenous business creation.

    “And a boost for business in every town, city and region – every community across the country benefiting from more business and more jobs.”

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in South West of England [February 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in South West of England [February 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 2 February 2005.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer – Gordon Brown – today used a speech at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit in Manchester to highlight the Government’s £1 billion Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.

    Starting in April 2005 the scheme – which could mean up to £85m for the South West alone – will allow local authorities to receive a proportion of increases in local business rate revenues to spend on their own priorities. It builds on the success of the New Deal, the Child Tax Credit and the Pension Credit. In the South West of England, 119,400 people were helped into work through the New Deal, 392,000 working families benefit from Child Tax Credit and 217,000 pensioner households are receiving Pension Credit.

    Speaking at the summit, the Chancellor said:

    “Because all their business rates income went to central government, in the past local authorities had no direct financial incentive to encourage new business creation. Now under our Business Growth Incentive scheme local authorities keep a proportion of the additional business rate income generated by new business creation.

    “Based on historical data we estimate that in total as a result of this measure local authorities could gain up to £1 billion over the next three years – a further incentive to encourage local indigenous business creation.

    “And a boost for business in every town, city and region – every community across the country benefiting from more business and more jobs.”

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in West Midlands [February 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in West Midlands [February 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 2 February 2005.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer – Gordon Brown – today used a speech at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit in Manchester to highlight the Government’s £1 billion Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.

    Starting in April 2005 the scheme – which could mean up to £150m for the West Midlands alone – will allow local authorities to receive a proportion of increases in local business rate revenues to spend on their own priorities. It builds on the success of the New Deal, the Child Tax Credit and the Pension Credit. In the West Midlands, 173,650 people were helped into work through the New Deal, 428,000 working families benefit from Child Tax Credit and 271,000 pensioner households are receiving Pension Credit.

    Speaking at the summit, the Chancellor said:

    “Because all their business rates income went to central government, in the past local authorities had no direct financial incentive to encourage new business creation. Now under our Business Growth Incentive scheme local authorities keep a proportion of the additional business rate income generated by new business creation.

    “Based on historical data we estimate that in total as a result of this measure local authorities could gain up to £1 billion over the next three years – a further incentive to encourage local indigenous business creation.

    “And a boost for business in every town, city and region – every community across the country benefiting from more business and more jobs.”

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in Yorkshire and the Humber [February 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Gordon Brown highlights measures to boost business in Yorkshire and the Humber [February 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 2 February 2005.

    The Chancellor of the Exchequer – Gordon Brown – today used a speech at the Deputy Prime Minister’s Delivering Sustainable Communities Summit in Manchester to highlight the Government’s £1 billion Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme.

    Starting in April 2005 the scheme – which could mean up to £120m for Yorkshire and the Humber alone – will allow local authorities to receive a proportion of increases in local business rate revenues to spend on their own priorities. It builds on the success of the New Deal, the Child Tax Credit and the Pension Credit. In Yorkshire and the Humber, 198,870 people were helped into work through the New Deal, 424,000 working families benefit from Child Tax Credit and 253,000 pensioner households are receiving Pension Credit.

    Speaking at the summit, the Chancellor said:

    “Because all their business rates income went to central government, in the past local authorities had no direct financial incentive to encourage new business creation. Now under our Business Growth Incentive scheme local authorities keep a proportion of the additional business rate income generated by new business creation.

    “Based on historical data we estimate that in total as a result of this measure local authorities could gain up to £1 billion over the next three years – a further incentive to encourage local indigenous business creation.

    “And a boost for business in every town, city and region – every community across the country benefiting from more business and more jobs.”

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Paul Boateng promotes employment, skills and government initiatives for families and children in Kent [February 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Paul Boateng promotes employment, skills and government initiatives for families and children in Kent [February 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 3 February 2005.

    Increasing employment opportunities and boosting skills is essential for regional economic growth and productivity, the Chief Secretary of the Treasury – the Rt Hon Paul Boateng – outlined today in a visit to Kent.

    Mr Boateng met with the business community in Gravesend to discuss skills and the new National Employer Training Programme which will offer a package of support to help those in work but with lower skills obtain basic skills or level 2 qualifications. The Programme will build on regional training pilots  – one of which began recruiting in 2003 in Kent and Medway – to encourage employers all over the country to train their low skilled workers.

    Mr Boateng said:

    “We recognise that there is an important regional dimension to our skills agenda and that there is a need for flexibility at the local level to innovate – responding to local conditions. Building on programmes such as the Kent and Medway pilot, the National Employer Training Programme will be providing free and flexibly delivered training for NVQ Level qualifications for low skilled adults across every region in the South East.”

    Mr Boateng also visited the Holy Family Church Sure Start in Gravesend, and had the chance to discuss with parents and families their Sure Start project and other Government initiatives in the area to support families and children.

    Investment in high quality childcare and children’s services is vital to eliminate child poverty, help parents into employment and protect children from harm and improve child outcomes. The Sure Start Centre in Gravesend is one of 9 in Kent and caters for 850 children, and focuses on improving social and emotional development, health, children’s ability to learn, and strengthening families and communities.

    Choice for parents, the best start for children: a ten year strategy for childcare published with the Pre-Budget Report builds on the success of Sure Start and announces:

    • all families with children aged up to 14 who need it will have an affordable, flexible, high quality childcare place that meets their circumstances;
    • every family will have easy access to integrated services through Sure Start Children’s Centres in their local community. 2,500 Children’s Centres will be in place by 2008 and 3,500 by 2010 ensuring a Children’s Centre for every community; and
    • a goal of 20 hours free high quality care a week for 38 weeks for all three and four year olds;

    Paul Boateng said:

    “Sure Start has delivered over 500 local sure start programmes to date, providing a range of early years, parenting and family support to children and families. The excellent results seen in Gravesend from this Sure Start are yet another example of why this is being rolled out nationwide.

    “In addition many of the families I have met today will be benefiting from the Child Trust Fund payment – with an initial voucher worth £250 to ensure that at age 18 all children, no matter what their background, will have some wealth from which to plan their future”.

  • HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Chancellor proposes G7 action on tsunami assistance [January 2005]

    HISTORIC PRESS RELEASE : Chancellor proposes G7 action on tsunami assistance [January 2005]

    The press release issued by HM Treasury on 4 January 2005.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown today set out the proposals the UK is making as president of the G7 group of Finance Ministers on how the G7 and the international financial institutions can provide further financial assistance to countries affected by the tsunami disaster.

    Gordon Brown said today:

    “Our proposal is that, with immediate effect, the Paris Club should expect no debt repayment from afflicted countries. That would then lead to an analysis of the needs of these countries, with the possibility of some debt relief, at the same time ensuring that the money goes to the people and areas in greatest need. Britain has put this on the agenda for the G7 Finance Ministers meeting at the beginning of February.

    “That will be backed up by two other proposals: the International Monetary Fund will offer emergency assistance; and the World Bank, which has made an initial contribution for emergency relief, will add to that substantially with money for reconstruction.

    “Therefore, the $2 billion figure which has been quoted as the world’s contribution to deal with both the problems of first aid and reconstruction will rise very substantially, and Britain is going to play its part in making its contribution to that enhanced figure.

    “What my discussions with the IMF, the World Bank, the US Treasury Secretary and other financial leaders over the last few days have shown to me is that we never want to be in a position again where we have to choose between emergency aid and tackling the underlying causes of poverty. The world ought to be able to do both.

    “That is why I will also be putting forward proposals for a new ‘Marshall Plan’ for aid, trade and debt relief for the developing world to release sufficient resources through debt relief and through additional money to be provided by the richest countries and for trade justice so that we can deal with the underlying causes of poverty in Africa and elsewhere as well as providing the aid for reconstruction – that is why 2005 will be a critical year for development under the UK’s presidency.

    “What people are realising as a result of this terrible tragedy is that what happens to the poorest citizen in the poorest country affects the richest citizen in the richest country – we are an interdependent world, one moral universe, and I think just as we see the power of nature to destroy, we have seen the power of human compassion to build, and it is on that – people’s moral sense that something has got to be done – that we build the next stage of our efforts to achieve social justice on a global scale.”

  • PRESS RELEASE : New funding to support child victims of abuse [January 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : New funding to support child victims of abuse [January 2023]

    The press release issued by the Home Office on 4 January 2023.

    The funding will develop early intervention strategies to prevent violence against women and girls, the Safeguarding Minister announced today.

    More than £10 million has been allocated to organisations providing vital support to children who have survived domestic abuse, such as counselling and 1:1 support. These projects include Welsh Women’s Aid, The Children’s Society and SafeLives.

    This will be rolled out through the Children Affected by Domestic Abuse Fund. Originally set up in 2018, this fund has already supported thousands of children and families.

    Minister for Safeguarding, Sarah Dines, said:

    The impact of domestic abuse is devastating and it is especially heartbreaking that children are being affected by this horrific crime. This is why we have invested additional funding into vital services supporting children who have been impacted.

    We are also proud to invest further in projects which identify the most effective ways to intervene early and prevent these crimes from being committed in the first place, which will protect those most vulnerable to abuse.

    Minister for Children and Families, Claire Coutinho, said:

    “Instead of a safe and stable family life, children who experience domestic abuse are growing up with pain and conflict at home as their norm. This investment will provide crucial support like 1:1 counselling and support work for those affected by domestic abuse.”

    The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 legally recognised children as victims of domestic abuse in their own right where they see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse, and are related to either the perpetrator or victim.

    This latest iteration of the Children Affected by Domestic Abuse Fund will provide up to £10.3 million over 3 years and will go to 8 organisations, including over £2.5 million for Welsh Women’s Aid.

    Welsh Women’s Aid Chief Executive, Sara Kirkpatrick, said:

    “Welsh Women’s Aid is delighted to have secured this vital funding via the Home Office Children Affected by Domestic Abuse Fund in partnership with 15 of our specialist member organisations across Wales. This much-needed funding will help us strengthen our capacity to work with and support children and young people who have been affected by domestic abuse. Together, we will test a range of trauma-informed interventions and create a clear evidence base of what works.”

    From the £17.8 million, up to £7.4 million will be invested over 3 years to programmes which prioritise early intervention and research into the most effective ways of preventing abuse.

    This will work to establish how to prevent violence against women and girls, marking a commitment in the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy.

    This includes projects ranging from improving awareness of VAWG, through preventative work with young people to researching possible connections between increased use of online sites and sexual exploitation. Projects include Changing Lives, who will use the funding to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation online, and Surrey PCC, who will develop a public campaign to increase younger people’s understanding of stereotyping, misogyny, sexism and sexual offences to enable them to challenge violence against women and girls.

    Laura McIntyre, Head of Women’s and Children’s Services at Changing Lives, said:

    Changing Lives has been providing support to adult women who have been targeted, groomed or exposed to sexual abuse for over 15 years.

    During coronavirus (COVID-19), we developed a report called Net-reach, where we observed a worrying number of young women and girls (18-25 years old) advertising sexual services online, raising concerns about child sexual exploitation and ongoing vulnerability to abuse in adulthood.

    Thanks to the funding, this project will allow our specialist team to build up relationships with women in a growing environment, where we can offer support to prevent sexual abuse and exploitation. We understand that not all women are abused online, but organisationally we see increasing numbers of women accessing our services after being harmed online, traumatised and feeling suicidal.

    This funding is part of the government’s commitment to tackle violence against women and girls.

    In March last year, we published the cross-government Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, which invests over £230 million in tackling these heinous crimes. This includes over £140 million for supporting victims and over £81 million for tackling perpetrators. The plan will transform the whole of society’s response in order to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems and processes in place needed to deliver these goals.

    The Home Office also launched the ground-breaking, long-term behavioural change ‘Enough’ campaign. The campaign aims to provide bystanders with a range of safe ways to intervene if they witness an incident of violence against women and girls, ranging from sexual harassment on the street, public transport or at work, to unwanted touching, sharing intimate images of someone without their consent and coercive control in a relationship.