UK Government to redirect vast HS2 savings into unprecedented transport investment across the country, benefiting more people, in more places, more quickly.
Scotland to benefit from funding to enable better links between the Cairnryan ferry terminals serving Northern Ireland and South West Scotland.
A total of £36 billion in savings from HS2 will be reinvested in hundreds of transport projects across the UK.
Network North will build better connectivity across the North and Midlands, with faster journey times, increased capacity, and more frequent, reliable services, according to the Westminster government.
And connections will also be strengthened across the United Kingdom, following recommendations made in the Union Connectivity Review.
Scotland will benefit from funding to solve the pinch points on the A75 between Gretna and Stranraer, providing better links between the Cairnryan ferry terminals serving Northern Ireland and southwest Scotland – recognising the importance of east-west connectivity within the UK.
The move comes alongside further investment in the connections with the M6 and Cumbria, and the A77 towards Glasgow.
Successive governments have promised it, but we ( the UK Government) are delivering long-awaited upgrades to the A1 coastal route between Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed, improving the route to Edinburgh and strengthening transport links between Scotland and England.
We will continue to work with the Scottish Government to deliver the benefits of this investment package and improve connectivity across the country.
TUC slams Conservatives’ decision to axe northern leg of HS2 as a “huge act of levelling down”
Commenting on the prime minister’s speech to Conservative Party Conference, TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “The Tories have broken Britain. Today the Prime Minister confirmed what everybody already knew – he has neither a plan or vision for fixing it.
“Whether it’s failing to deliver HS2, presiding over the longest pay squeeze in modern history or record hospital waiting lists – the Conservatives’ record in government has been dire.
“We urgently need political change. The country cannot afford the Tories for one day longer. It’s time for a general election.”
Commenting on the decision to axe the northern leg of HS2, Paul said: “This a huge act of levelling down – however Rishi Sunak tries to spin it.
“The northern leg of HS2 would have created thousands of good jobs and boosted growth across the North and the Midlands.
“But these economic benefits have been squandered by the Conservatives’ gross incompetence. This failure is on them and them alone.
“The public will be rightly sceptical about more promises on transport investment for the north and the Midlands. Who can trust the Tories to deliver on anything?”
UK Government to introduce ‘historic’ new law to protect future generations of young people from the harms of smoking
Government to introduce historic new law to protect future generations of young people from the harms of smoking.
Smoking is the UK’s biggest preventable killer – causing around 1 in 4 cancer deaths and 64,000 in England alone – costing the economy and wider society £17 billion each year.
Move would be the most significant public health intervention in a generation, saving tens of thousands of lives and saving the NHS billions of pounds.
Further crackdown on youth vaping will see government consult on restricting disposable vapes and regulating flavours and packaging to reduce their appeal to children.
The Westminster government is set to introduce a new law to stop children who turn 14 this year or younger from ever legally being sold cigarettes in England, in a bid to create the first ‘smokefree generation’.
Proposed new legislation will make it an offence for anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 to be sold tobacco products – effectively raising the smoking age by a year each year until it applies to the whole population. This has the potential to phase out smoking in young people almost completely as early as 2040.
Smoking is highly addictive, with 4 in 5 smokers starting before the age of 20 and remaining addicted for the rest of their lives. By stopping young people from ever starting to smoke, the government will protect an entire generation of young people from the harms of smoking as they grow older.
Smoking is the UK’s biggest preventable killer – causing around 1 in 4 cancer deaths and leading to 64,000 deaths per year in England. It puts huge pressure on the NHS, with almost one hospital admission every minute attributable to smoking and up to 75,000 GP appointments each month taken up by smoking-related illness.
It is also one of the biggest drivers of health inequalities across the country – deaths from smoking are more than two times higher in the most deprived local authorities, where more people smoke, compared to the most affluent. Smoking rates in pregnancy also vary hugely, with as many as 20% of pregnant women smoking in some parts of the country – increasing the chance of stillbirth by almost 50%.
Smoking also costs the economy £17 billion a year, through smoking related lost earnings, unemployment, early deaths and costs to the NHS.
These changes amount to one of the most significant public health interventions by the government in a generation. If the government does not act, the independent review published in 2022 estimated that nearly half a million people will die from smoking by 2030.
More broadly it is expected to mean up to 1.7 million fewer people smoke by 2075 – saving tens of thousands of lives, saving the health and care system billions of pounds and boosting the economy by up to £85 billion by 2075. It would also avoid up to 115,000 cases of strokes, heart disease, lung cancer and other lung diseases.
Smoking will not be criminalised, and our phased approach means anyone who can legally buy cigarettes now will not be prevented from doing so in future.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “No parent ever wants their child to start smoking. It is a deadly habit – killing tens of thousands of people and costing our NHS billions each year, while also being hugely detrimental to our productivity as a country.
“I want to build a better and brighter future for our children, so that’s why I want to stamp out smoking for good. These changes will mean our kids will never be able to buy a cigarette, preventing them getting hooked and protecting their health both now and in the future.”
Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer, said: Smoking damages many lives. It causes stillbirths, asthma in children, heart disease, stroke and dementia in addition to causing most lung cancer and increasing risk of many other cancers.
“Becoming addicted to cigarettes in early life is one of the worst things that can happen for future health. Preventing people becoming addicted to smoking, and helping those who smoke to quit are two of the most important measures we can take to improve health.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Smoking kills, places a huge burden on the NHS and costs the economy billions every year.
“Through this landmark step we will protect our children, grandchildren and the health service from the dangers of smoking long into the future.
“And while vaping is an effective tool for adults quitting smoking, we are determined to tackle the concerning surge in children vaping, driven by marketing and flavouring which appears to specifically target young people.”
The government has also announced a further major crackdown on youth vaping, by announcing an intention to consult on plans to reduce the appeal and availability of vapes to children.
Vaping is rightly used by adults as a tool to quit smoking, but the health advice is clear – if you don’t smoke, don’t vape and children should never vape. It is already illegal for children to vape but in a worrying trend, youth vaping has tripled in the last three years, and more children now vape than smoke.
To ensure we get the balance right between protecting our children and supporting adult smokers to quit the government will bring forward a consultation.
The consultation will look at:
Restricting the flavours and descriptions of vapes so that vape flavours are no longer targeted at children – we want to ensure this is done in a way that continues to support adult smokers to switch.
Regulating point of sale displays in retail outlets so that vapes are kept out of sight from children and away from products that appeal to them, such as sweets.
Regulating vape packaging and product presentation, ensuring that neither the device nor its packaging is targeted to children.
Restricting the sale of disposable vapes, which are clearly linked to the rise in vaping in children. These products are not only attractive to children but also incredibly harmful to the environment.
We will also close loopholes in the law which allow children to get free samples and buy non-nicotine vapes.
Enforcement activity will also be strengthened, with an investment of £30 million to support agencies such as local trading standards, HMRC and Border Force to take action to stop underage sales and tackle the import of illicit tobacco and vaping products at the border.
Professor Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, said: “Smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable death and costs the NHS billions of pounds each year. Almost every minute of every day someone is admitted to hospital because of smoking.
“This is a momentous public health intervention and we welcome the government’s bold and ambitious action which will lead to longer and healthier lives. A smokefree generation will relieve an enormous burden on our NHS.
“Stop smoking services help hundreds of thousands of people every year quit for good. With double the funding – now £140 million – even more people will be able to access this free service to kick the habit once and for all.”
Cancer Research UK’s Chief Executive, Michelle Mitchell OBE, said: “Raising the age of sale on tobacco products is a critical step on the road to creating the first ever smokefree generation.
“The Prime Minister deserves great credit for putting the health of its citizens ahead of the interests of the tobacco lobby. Investing more in stop smoking services is essential for the nation.
“Smoking places huge pressure on the NHS and the economy – with over 500,000 hospital admissions every year in England attributable to smoking.
“We will support the UK Government to quickly implement legislation to raise the age of sale, alongside their investment of more money in stop smoking services.”
Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, Medical Director of the British Heart Foundation, said: “Smoking is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes, needlessly taking many lives prematurely.
“We welcome this important initiative from the Prime Minister to limit its damage to the health and well-being of our nation.”
Deborah Arnott, Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “The Prime Minister has today announced an unprecedented set of measures to protect the next generation and hasten the day when smoking is obsolete.
“Children are four times as likely to start smoking if they grow up with smokers, and once they do it’s highly addictive and difficult to quit.
“The twin track approach of raising the age of sale and tougher enforcement to stop young people starting, matched by substantial additional funding to motivate addicted smokers to quit and provide them with the support they need to succeed, will help get us on track to a smokefree future.
“We look forward to the day when smoking is no longer responsible for avoidable ill health and perinatal mortality in babies and young children, nor the leading cause of premature death in adults.”
The government will also continue to drive forward its agenda to support current smokers to quit for good, by:
More than doubling the current funding for stop smoking services, investing an additional £70 million a year to expand locally delivered and cost-effective services. This will support around 360,000 people to quit smoking;
Providing an additional £5 million this year and then £15 million a year thereafter to fund national tobacco marketing campaigns to explain the changes, the benefits of quitting and support available;
Rolling out a new national ‘swap to stop’ scheme – supporting 1 million smokers to swap cigarettes for vapes – the first national scheme of its kind in the world.
It comes on top of previous interventions such as the introduction of plain packaging on tobacco products, raising the age of sale from 16 to 18 and banning smoking in public places – all of which have had a significant impact on smoking rates.
In particular, raising the age of sale reduced the prevalence of smoking among 16/17-year-olds by 30%.
Overall, the number of people who smoke has reduced by two thirds since 1974, when smoking was at its peak.
Dr Camilla Kingdon, President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: As a children’s doctor, I am in no doubt that both smoking and vaping are terrible for the health of babies, children and young people.
“The prime minister’s announcement is hugely welcome.”
Dr Jeanette Dickson, Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said: “The Chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges welcomes the Prime Minister’s bold announcement to effectively end smoking in the UK.
“The damage done by smoking affects everyone, from unborn babies through to our oldest family members. The best way to prevent these harms is to reduce and ultimately bring an end to smoking in the UK.”
Professor Kamila Hawthorne MBE, GP, said: “As a GP of 35 years’ standing, I have seen the terrible irreversible damage that smoking does to health.
“It is much easier to never have started smoking, than trying to stop once a habit has formed. Opportunities to smoke must not be available to children, and anything that prevents a smoking habit is worth supporting.”
Tim Mitchell, President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, said: “Smoking is a major cause of cancer and many other conditions that require surgery, as well as affecting recovery after an operation.
“By reducing the number of people who smoke, these measures will save lives and reduce the need for surgery.”
Dr Sarah Clarke, President of the Royal College of Physicians and Consultant Cardiologist at Royal Papworth Hospital Cambridge, said: I welcome all measures to reduce uptake of smoking and make it obsolete once and for all.
“Investment in Public Health messaging and cessation services will all contribute to this. I see too many lives ruined by smoking.”
Health is a devolved issue and the Scottish Government has yet to announce it’s response to Westminster’s initiative.
Prime Minister to put local people in control of more than £1 billion with long-term plan for left-behind towns
Fifty five towns – seven in Scotland – given £20 million endowment-style funds each over 10 years to invest in local people’s priorities
Long-term Plan for Towns will empower communities across the UK to take back control of their future – taking long term decisions in the interests of local people
Funding to be spent on local priorities; reviving high streets, tackling ASB, improving transport and growing the local economy
The UK Government has unveiled 55 towns that will benefit from a £1.1 billion levelling up investment, as part of a long-term plan for towns that provide long-term investment in towns that have been overlooked and taken for granted.
Towns that will be given the opportunity to develop a long-term plan supported by a Towns Board include 6 in the North East, 10 in the North West, and 4 in the West Midlands. In total, 55 towns will benefit from the UK-wide approach, including 7 towns in Scotland and 4 in Wales.
The Government will work with local councils and the devolved administrations to determine how towns in Scotland and Wales will benefit from funding and powers under the long-term plans. In Northern Ireland, we look forward to working with a restored Executive to determine the approach to providing support there.
Under the new approach, local people, not Whitehall-based politicians, will be put in charge, and given the tools to change their town’s long-term future. They will:
Receive a ten-year £20 million endowment-style fund to be spent on local people’s priorities, like regenerating local high streets and town centres or securing public safety.
Set up a Town Board to bring together community leaders, employers, local authorities, and the local MP, to deliver the Long-Term Plan for their town and put it to local people for consultation.
Use a suite of regeneration powers to unlock more private sector investment by auctioning empty high street shops, reforming licensing rules on shops and restaurants, and supporting more housing in town centres.
More than half the population live in towns, but half-empty high streets, run-down town centres and anti-social behaviour undermine towns in every part of the UK.
Yesterday’s announcement marks a change in approach that the government hopes will put an end to people feeling like their town is ignored by Westminster and empower communities to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people.
The announcement came on the eve of the Conservative party conference – perhaps the last gathering of the Tory faithful before the general election.
This plan builds on the Government’s ‘central mission’ to level up the UK by putting more power and money in the hands of people who know their areas best to build a brighter future for their community, creating bespoke initiatives that will spark the regeneration needed.
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said: “Towns are the place most of us call home and where most of us go to work. But politicians have always taken towns for granted and focused on cities.
“The result is the half-empty high streets, run-down shopping centres and anti-social behaviour that undermine many towns’ prosperity and hold back people’s opportunity – and without a new approach, these problems will only get worse.
“That changes today. Our Long-Term Plan for Towns puts funding in the hands of local people themselves to invest in line with their priorities, over the long-term. That is how we level up.”
Levelling Up Secretary, Michael Gove said: “We know that in our towns the values of hard work and solidarity, common sense and common purpose, endeavour and quiet patriotism have endured across generations. But for too long, too many of our great British towns have been overlooked and undervalued.
“We are putting this right through our Long-Term Plan for Towns backed by over £1bn of levelling up funding.
“This will empower communities in every part of the UK to take back control of their future, taking long term decisions in the interests of local people. It will mean more jobs, more opportunities and a brighter future for our towns and the people who live and work in them.”
The government’s ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns’, published today, is carefully designed to complement the wider levelling up programme, working alongside funding for specific projects across the UK, our targeted support to the places most in need through Levelling Up Partnerships, and initiatives supporting economic growth in wider city regions like investment zones.
The Long-Term Plan for Towns will require town boards to develop their own long-term plan for their town, with funding over 10 years and aligned to the issues that research shows people want the most, including:
Improving transport and connections to make travel easier for residents and increase visitor numbers in centres to boost opportunities for small businesses and create jobs
Tackling crime and anti social behaviour to keep residents safe and encourage visitors through better security measures and hotspot policing
Enhancing town centres to make high streets more attractive and accessible, including repurposing empty shops for new housing, creating more green spaces, cleaning up streets or running market days
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “I wholeheartedly welcome the launch of the UK Government’s Long Term Plan for Towns.
“It’s great to see that seven Scottish towns will benefit from £20 million each from the latest round of levelling up funding which so far has seen us invest more than £2.4 billion right across Scotland to help grow our economy and level up the country.
“I look forward to seeing these towns – and the communities within them – use this investment to breathe new life into the places where they live, work and play.”
Local people will be at the heart of decisions, through direct membership of a new Towns Board, which will include community groups, MPs, businesses, cultural and sports organisations, public sector agencies and local authorities for each town and through a requirement to engage local people on the long-term plan for each town.
These Town Boards will have direct government support in addition to the funding and powers they receive through Long-Term Plan for Towns, and will be required to engage local people on their long-term plan.
The Government has also announced a new ‘Towns Taskforce’, sitting in the Department for Levelling Up and reporting directly to the Prime Minister and Levelling Up Secretary. This will help town boards to develop their plans, and advise them on how best to take advantage of government policies, unlock private and philanthropic investment and work with communities.
A new ‘High Streets and Towns Task Force’ will also be established, building on the success of the existing version, providing each selected town with bespoke, hands-on support.
Further information
Towns have been allocated funding according to the Levelling Up Needs Index which takes into account metrics covering skills, pay, productivity and health, as well as the Index of Multiple Deprivation to ensure funding goes directly to the towns which will benefit most, without new competitions or unnecessary hurdles. A full methodology note will be published.
This commitment to towns follows other initiatives designed to support towns, including driving economic growth in 101 areas through the Towns Fund, and the £1 billion Future High Streets Fund, which is creating thriving high streets.
Local authorities will be the lead delivery partner for plans. This programme has been developed following our work with local authorities, with funding designed to be spent flexibly over a number of years based on local and evolving needs, and distributed through an allocative rather than competitive process.
Plan for drivers ‘will sit alongside continued investment in public transport and active travel’
new long-term government plan will support drivers and put the brakes on anti-car measures
plan will address drivers’ everyday concerns with new measures to keep traffic moving, make parking simpler, and clamp down on overrunning road works
guidance to be reviewed on 20mph limits and low traffic neighbourhoods in England to ensure local support, ending blanket imposition of anti-driver policies
Transport Secretary Mark Harper has set out plans to protect drivers from over-zealous traffic enforcement, as part of a long-term government plan to back drivers.
With 50 million people holding a driving licence in Great Britain and more than 40 million licensed vehicles in the UK, the government’s new plan will support the majority who drive, by keeping motoring costs under control and ensure people have the freedom to drive as they need to in their daily lives.
The measures include reviewing guidance on 20mph speed limits in England to prevent their blanket use in areas where it’s not appropriate and amending guidance on low traffic neighbourhoods to focus on local consent.
As part of the ongoing review into low traffic neighbourhoods, the government will also consider measures for existing anti-driver policies that did not secure local consent. The plans also aim to stop councils implementing so called ‘15-minute cities’, by consulting on ways to prevent schemes which aggressively restrict where people can drive.
Drivers across the country will also soon be able to benefit from new technology to simplify parking payments. The national parking platform pilot will be rolled out nationwide so that drivers can use an app of their choice to pay instead of downloading multiple apps.
In the continued drive to tackle potholes, the government will support councils to introduce more lane rental schemes, where utility companies are required to pay to dig up the busiest roads at peak times. Under the proposals, at least half of the extra money raised from these fees will go directly towards repairing road surfaces.
To further clamp down on overrunning street works, the government will consult on extending fines for repairs which run into weekends and increasing current levels of fixed penalty notices.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “For too long politicians have focused on the short-term decisions with little regard for the long term impact on hardworking families.
“We’ve seen this consistently with people’s freedoms on transport. The clamp down on drivers is an attack on the day to day lives of most people across the UK who rely on cars to get to work or see their families.
“This week the UK government will set out a long-term plan to back drivers, slamming the brakes on anti-car measures across England. We are taking the necessary decision to back the motorists who keep our country moving.”
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said: “Too often the private car is vilified when it has been one of the most powerful forces for personal freedom and economic growth. That’s why the government is taking the long-term, necessary decision to back the motorists who keep our country moving.
“We’re introducing a plan to ensure drivers can enjoy smoother journeys, park more easily and no longer face unfair and oppressive traffic enforcement measures.
“Our plan will sit alongside our continued investment in public transport and active travel as part of a package of measures designed to help people travel in the best way that works for them.”
A call for evidence will be launched on options to restrict the ability of local authorities to generate revenue surpluses from traffic offences and over-zealous traffic enforcement, such as yellow-box junctions.
To make life easier for drivers and help traffic flow better, the Department for Transport will strengthen guidance to make sure bus lanes only operate when necessary and a consultation will be launched on motorcycles using bus lanes. Further measures and the full plan will be published in the coming days.
The measures follow the Prime Minister’s new approach to net zero announced last week, which committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, while supporting people who rely on their cars in their daily lives. The long-term plan to back drivers will protect people who rely on their cars from anti-driver policies.
The plans also follow the government’s support for drivers by cutting the fuel duty rate by 5p per litre since March 2022, saving the average driver around £100 a year. This is in addition to £5 billion government investment since 2020 to resurface local roads, and new rules to clamp down on utility companies leaving potholes behind after street works.
Forty-five treasured institutions across the United Kingdom given funding to safeguard future
Pubs, museums and sports clubs across the United Kingdom have been given vital funding from Government to secure their future for generations to come.
Forty-five treasured spaces in our villages, towns and cities will receive more than £12.3m in funding so they can be run by the community, for the community.
Thanks to the latest funding from the government’s Community Ownership Fund, these institutions will be owned and run by hardworking community groups.
£1 million will rebuild a historic Yorkshire railway bridge in urgent need of repair, which carries the railway line over Bridgehouse Beck between Keighley and Oxenhope.
The funding will protect a tourist rail line which is used by more than 250,000 passengers a year, and will improve transport infrastructure in the region so that the local economy can continue to thrive.
The original bridge was built in 1867, and the railway line has featured in dozens of films and TV shows over the years including The Railway Children in 1970.
David Pearson, Co-ordinator for External Finance & Resources at the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway Preservation Society, said: We’re overjoyed to have received this funding, which will be going towards the complete rebuilding of the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway’s bridge 27 in the middle of the railway at Haworth and in the middle of Haworth village.
“It means that the long term survival of train services on the railway is ensured and means everything to our railway, our villages and our people.”
An educational aerospace discovery centre in Kinross will be created with £300,000 from the fund, offering interactive learning opportunities and exhibitions which will inspire future generations to pursue STEM careers.
And the Vale of Aeron pub in Ystrad Aeron, Wales, (above) which was known as a favourite haunt of the legendary poet Dylan Thomas, has been given £300,000 for renovations to keep it open and make it accessible to the whole community.
Jacob Young, Minister for Levelling Up, said: “Our priority is to support communities and deliver opportunities right across the country, which is why we’re investing £12.3m to secure the future of cherished community institutions.
“These places – from pubs to historic railway lines – are the golden thread which run through our social fabric, and keeping them going is vital for supporting communities.”
Other projects which have received funding include:
Lordsfield Swimming Club in Hampshire, a volunteer-run facility which will be sustained for the future with an £835,400 grant so it can provide low-cost swimming to local schools and the wider community.
£1.2 million to secure the future of four pubs, including the Vale of Aeron, so they can continue to pull pints for locals.
Knutsford Market Hall in Cheshire received £560,000 to ensure it continues to host and support a number of small businesses.
Sterts Theatre in Cornwall will be restored with £300,000 so that it can resume its community and professional performances.
The Margate School in Kent will be able to undertake essential repairs with £400,000 that will secure a long-term future for the not-for-profit art school.
Dartford Gym and Youth Club will undergo essential refurbishment with £244,920 to restore it as a space for local schools, clubs and community organisations to engage in sport and social activities.
The Community Ownership Fund has now given £49.3 million for 195 projects across the UK. This includes almost £8 million for thirty-three pubs so that local people can still go to their beloved local, and £14.6 million for sixty six community centres so they can continue to play an important role in people’s lives.
The latest round of allocations includes £770,057 for three projects in Wales, £992,825 for four projects in Scotland and more than £1m for four projects in Northern Ireland.
Changes which came into effect for this round of bids also meant that all projects could bid for up to £1 million in funding, not just sports clubs, and the amount organisations needed to match fund decreased to only 20%, to allow more places to benefit.
The George pub in Kent previously benefited from a £250,000 grant from the fund, which allowed it to reopen in May 2023. The pub shut during the Covid-19 pandemic and the owners decided to sell up and retire, but locals were able to get the doors open again because of the funding and are now planning for the future.
Local resident Alex Withington said: “We’re going to have a café that opens during the day too. When we did a survey, a lot of people said they wanted somewhere during day to use as well.
“We’re also looking to have a petanque area and a community library in the pub. We’re just so happy to have helped restore The George to the heart of Bethersden for our community.”
A new aerospace discovery centre is one of four Scottish projects set to receive thousands in government funding following a successful bidding round.
Almost £1m will be granted to the four projects – including £300,000 for the aerospace centre – to help level up local opportunities for generations to come.
Through interactive learning and exhibitions, the new centre will inspire young people to pursue aerospace-related jobs in science, tech, engineering and maths. It will be based at the Aero Space Scientific Education Trust’s Station House in Kinross, which was officially opened by Princess Anne in 1985.
Other new projects awarded in Scotland include:
£256,793 to create a Community Net-Zero hub in Glasgow, boosting low-carbon learning and training in the city and urban nature-based wellbeing activities for residents.
£253,032 to bring an existing shop building in Stirling into community ownership, creating a commercially sustainable village shop which supports the diversity of its community and visitors.
£183,000 for Aberdeenshire to redevelop Laurencekirk Community Centre into a larger community hub. This will help host more local events and advisory services, lunch and chat clubs for elderly and lonely people and clubs for school holidays, youths, mums and toddlers.
UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord said: “It’s great news that a further four Scottish projects are sharing almost £1 million (£992,825) from the UK Government Community Ownership Fund.
“Through the fund we are now supporting 28 community groups across Scotland to breathe new life into the places where they live, work and play to the tune of almost £6.2 million (£6,161,420).
“In total we are directly investing more than £2.4 billion in hundreds of projects across Scotland as we help grow our economy and level up the country.”
The Community Ownership Fund helps towns and cities across the UK to create and restore treasured institutions like museums, pubs and sports clubs, so that they can be run by the community, for the community.
The fund has now given £6.2 million for 28 projects in Scotland – part of 195 projects now being supported across the UK.
Changes which came into effect for this round of bids also meant that all projects could bid for up to £1 million in funding, not just sports clubs, and the amount organisations needed to match fund decreased to 20%.
This also marks the first time that applicants applying to support projects such as the Community Net-Zero hub, have been able to benefit from support with the development of their application and business case through the Community Ownership Fund development support provider, led by Locality.
The Community Ownership Fund is currently open again for bids and will close on 11 October 2023 and groups are being urged to apply for up to £2m in funding for the very first time.
Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay has announced measures to tackle aortic dissection, a heart condition that kills 2,000 people every year
Aortic dissection takes the lives of 2,000 people a year in Britain
Government and NHS England to look at ways to tackle condition
Health Secretary pledges to build on strong work already being done
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay, has unveiled measures to tackle aortic dissection, a life-threatening heart condition that kills 2,000 people every year.
Speaking at a research event to mark Aortic Dissection Awareness Day, the Health Secretary announced the formation of an NHS working group that will bring together clinical experts and charities, to improve diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
The group will review the whole patient experience when it comes to aortic dissections, and pinpoint opportunities for future improvement, including the potential benefits of genetic testing.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Steve Barclay said: “Aortic dissection can be a devastating condition and every year it takes the lives of more people than die on our roads, yet awareness is low. Changing that will save lives.
“Developing a holistic approach, from identifying those potentially at risk to providing first class follow-up care, will be life-changing for patients and I’m delighted to be able to build on the good work we’re already doing in this area.
“I also want to pay tribute to the tireless work of my colleague Pauline Latham whose campaigning to improve aortic dissection care has kept this issue on the agenda.”
The Health Secretary has asked for the working group to report back with options within six months, and aortic dissection charities will input into the work.
Pauline Latham MP, who tragically lost her son to an undiagnosed aortic dissection in 2018, has been a leading voice in campaigning to improve the lives of sufferers and their families, and met with the Secretary of State earlier this year to discuss ways to improve aortic dissection care.
Pauline Latham MP said: “In the wake of losing my son Ben to a missed diagnosis of aortic dissection, I couldn’t sit back and let other families suffer the way we have. That’s why Graham Cooper, Catherine Fowler and I started The Aortic Dissection Charitable Trust.
“We’ve been pushing hard – asking tough questions in Parliament, meeting with health ministers, and I’m thrilled to say, we have NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care on board.
“This will bring in standardised care, genetic screening, and specialised nurses to not only save lives but improve quality of life for everyone affected by this condition. It’s our heartfelt mission to turn tragedy into a safer future for all.”
The announcement builds on the progress made on aortic dissection in recent years. NHS England adjusted 111 and 999’s triage systems to better recognise chest pains caused by aortic dissections and is rolling out the Aortic Dissection Acute Toolkit across the regions to speed up diagnosis and improve patient outcomes, while The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has also published a best-practice guide to improve diagnosis in emergency departments.
The Department of Health and Social Care is also funding dedicated research into aortic dissection through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, as part of an annual £50 million investment in cardiovascular disease research.
Researchers are developing a tool to help people at genetic risk of aortic dissection decide if they want screening and, if necessary, preventative treatment and this is just one of the many exciting research projects under way across the country.
The remit of the working group will be to:
continue to monitor and support the implementation of the acute Aortic Dissection toolkit which has already been produced by NHS England and is currently being rolled out to NHS providers
review the whole aortic dissection patient pathway and identify areas for improvement including the elective pathway
explore the evidence and options for genetic screening including potential cohorts for screening
scope the clinical skills and workforce requirements to support aortic dissection pathway improvement
Almost 430,000 18-21 year olds with an unclaimed Child Trust Fund, worth an average of £2,000, are being urged by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to claim their cash as part of UK Savings Week (18 to 24 September 2023).
Child Trust Funds are long-term, tax-free savings accounts and were set up for every child born between 1 September 2002 and 2 January 2011, with the UK Government contributing an initial deposit of at least £250. Funds can be withdrawn once the account matures when the child turns 18.
A recent student survey, conducted by UCAS, asked first and second year university students about Child Trust Funds and the results showed that they were most interested to know how much money was in their account (43%) and how to claim it (32%). The survey also revealed 60% of students got their information about Child Trust Funds from their parents.
Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Second Permanent Secretary and Deputy Chief Executive, said:“Many 18-21 year olds are starting out in first jobs or apprenticeships, starting university or moving into their first home and their Child Trust Fund is a pot of money with their name on.
“I would encourage young people to use the online tool to track it down or, for parents of teenagers, to speak to them to ensure they’re aware of their Child Trust Fund. It could make a real difference to their future plans.”
There are currently 5.3 million open Child Trust Fund accounts. Young people aged 16 or over can take control of their own Child Trust Fund, although the funds can only be withdrawn once they turn 18. More than 500,000 matured Child Trust Fund accounts have been claimed or transferred into an ISA since the oldest children on the scheme turned 18 in September 2020.
Families can continue to pay in up to £9,000 a year tax-free into a Child Trust Fund until the account matures. The money stays in the account until the child withdraws or reinvests it into another account.
The UCAS survey revealed that 74% of respondents were aware of Child Trust Funds.
Further findings include:
more men (75%) were aware of Child Trust Funds compared to 73% of women
78% of 19 year olds were aware of Child Trust funds compared to 71% of 20 to 21 years olds
of the people who had not yet claimed their Child Trust Fund, 76% of respondents were likely to take steps to learn more about how to withdraw it.
Sharon Davies, CEO of Young Enterprise, said: “We would encourage all young people to investigate if they have money which is unclaimed in a Child Trust Fund and to use it wisely.
“A disproportionate amount of the money is unclaimed by young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are the very people who would benefit most from these funds. The investment could be placed into an adult ISA or put towards driving lessons, education or starting a business.
“The money in a Child Trust Fund has the potential to be life changing and the lack of knowledge about them shows the importance of financial education and financial planning from a young age”.
The UK Government is offering help for households. Check GOV.UK to find out what cost of living support you could be eligible for.
I know people in our country are frustrated with our politics.
I know they feel that much gets promised, but not enough is delivered.
I know they watch the news or read the papers and wonder why in the face of the facts as they have them, choices are made as they are.
I know that they dislike Westminster game playing, the short termism, and the lack of accountability.
But most of all I think people are tired of the false choice between two versions of change that never go beyond a slogan.
I have been Prime Minister for nearly a year now and it is the privilege of my life.
I know the fundamentals of our great country are solid and timeless.
Its people are its greatest strength, economically and socially.
Their hopes and genius are what propel us forward, not Government.
Government can set the framework, step in when needed, and step back when necessary.
It can make big decisions.
But what I have concluded during my time so far as Prime Minister, is that those decisions – the decisions that could bring real change, change that could alter the trajectory of our country – can be so caveated, so influenced by special interests, so lacking in debate and fundamental scrutiny that we’ve stumbled into a consensus about the future of our country, that no one seems to be happy with.
And this is because too often, motivated by short term thinking, politicians have taken the easy way out.
Telling people the bits they want to hear, and not necessarily always the bits they need to hear.
We are making progress, including on my five priorities.
Inflation – down again today and on track to be halved.
Fastest growth in the G7 over the last two years.
Debt – on target to be falling.
The NHS – treating more patients than last year.
And small boats – crossings significantly down on last year.
But put simply: that isn’t enough.
If for too many, there remains a nagging sense that the path we’re on no matter which party is in government isn’t quite what we hoped for, and that no one seems to have the courage to say so.
That we make too little, that we spend too much, that things take too long and that even when we know these things, we seem powerless to change them.
Now, I am here today to tell you that we do not have to be powerless.
Our future doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion.
Our destiny can be of our own choosing.
But only if we change the way our politics works.
Can we be brave in the decisions we make, even if there is a political cost?
Can we be honest when the facts change, even if it’s awkward?
And can we put the long-term interests of our country before the short-term political needs of the moment, even if it means being controversial?
I have spent my first year as Prime Minister bringing back stability to our economy, your government, and our country.
And now it is time to address the bigger, longer-term questions we face.
The real choice confronting us is do we really want to change our country and build a better future for our children, or do we want to carry on as we are.
I have made my decision: we are going to change.
And over the coming months, I will set out a series of long-term decisions to deliver that change.
And that starts today, with a new approach to one of the biggest challenges we face: climate change.
No one can watch the floods in Libya or the extreme heat in Europe this summer, and doubt that it is real and happening.
We must reduce our emissions.
And when I look at our economic future, I see huge opportunities in green industry.
The change in our economy is as profound as the industrial revolution and I’m confident that we can lead the world now as we did then.
So, I’ll have no truck with anyone saying we lack ambition.
But there’s nothing ambitious about simply asserting a goal for a short-term headline without being honest with the public about the tough choices and sacrifices involved and without any meaningful democratic debate about how we get there.
The Climate Change Committee have rightly said you don’t reach net zero simply by wishing it.
Yet that’s precisely what previous governments have done – both Labour and Conservative.
No one in Westminster politics has yet had the courage to look people in the eye and explain what’s really involved.
That’s wrong – and it changes now.
The plans made on your behalf assume this country will take an extraordinary series of steps that will fundamentally change our lives.
A ban on buying new boilers even if your home will never ever be suitable for a heat pump.
A ban that takes effect in just three years for those off the gas grid.
And mandatory home upgrades for property owners in just two years’ time.
There have even been proposals for:
Taxes on eating meat
New taxes on flying
Compulsory car sharing if you drive to work
And a government diktat to sort your rubbish into seven different bins.
Now I believe deeply that when you ask most people about climate change, they want to do the right thing, they’re even prepared to make sacrifices.
But it cannot be right for Westminster to impose such significant costs on working people especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet and to interfere so much in people’s way of life without a properly informed national debate.
That’s especially true because we’re so far ahead of every other country in the world.
We’ve had the fastest reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the G7. Down almost 50% since 1990.
France? 22%.
The US? No change at all.
China? Up by over 300%.
And when our share of global emissions is less than 1%, how can it be right that British citizens, are now being told to sacrifice even more than others?
Because the risk here, for those of us who care about reaching Net Zero – as I do – is simple: If we continue down this path, we risk losing the consent of the British people.
And the resulting backlash would not just be against specific policies but against the wider mission itself, meaning we might never achieve our goal.
That’s why we have to do things differently.
We need sensible, green leadership.
It won’t be easy.
And it will require a wholly new kind of politics.
A politics that is transparent, and the space for a better, more honest debate about how we secure the country’s long-term interest.
So, how do we do that? What is our new approach to achieving net zero?
First, we need to change the debate.
We’re stuck between two extremes.
Those who want to abandon Net Zero altogether – because the costs are too high, the burdens too great or in some cases, they don’t accept the overwhelming evidence for climate change at all.
And then there are others who argue with an ideological zeal: we must move even faster, and go even further no matter the cost or disruption to people’s lives and regardless of how much quicker we’re already moving than any other country.
Both extremes are wrong.
Both fail to reckon with the reality of the situation.
Yes, Net Zero is going to be hard and will require us to change.
But in a democracy, we must also be able to scrutinise and debate those changes, many of which are hidden in plain sight – in a realistic manner.
This debate needs more clarity, not more emotion.
The test should be: do we have the fairest credible path to reach Net Zero by 2050, in a way that brings people with us?
Since becoming Prime Minister, I’ve examined our plans and I don’t think they meet that test.
We seem to have defaulted to an approach which will impose unacceptable costs on hard-pressed British families.
Costs that no one was ever told about, and which may not actually be necessary to deliver the emissions reduction that we need.
And why am I confident in saying that?
Because over the last decade or more, we’ve massively over delivered on every one of our carbon budgets despite continuous predictions we’d miss them.
We’ve seen rapid technological advances which have made things like renewables far cheaper:
Just consider offshore wind, where costs have fallen by 70% more than we projected in 2016.
And people are increasingly choosing to go green – look at how demand for electric vehicles has consistently outstripped forecasts.
Given these things, I’m confident that we can adopt a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach to meeting Net Zero that eases the burdens on working people.
And that’s the second part of our new approach.
Now I’m not saying there will be no hard choices.
And nor am I abandoning any of our targets or commitments.
I am unequivocal that we’ll meet our international agreements including the critical promises in Paris and Glasgow to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees.
I’m proud that our country leads the world on Net Zero, with the most ambitious 2030 target of any major economy.
And as we’re as committed as ever to helping developing countries.
Just the other week I announced $2bn for the Green Climate Fund – the single biggest commitment of its kind, the UK has ever made.
But we can do all this in a fairer, better way – and today I can set out the details of what our new approach will mean for people.
That starts with electric vehicles.
We’re working hard to make the UK a world-leader.
I’m proud that we’ve already attracted billions of new investments from companies like Tata’s Jaguar Land Rover gigafactory.
And I expect that by 2030, the vast majority of cars sold will be electric. Why?
Because the costs are reducing; the range is improving; the charging infrastructure is growing.
People are already choosing electric vehicles to such an extent that we’re registering a new one every 60 seconds.
But I also think that at least for now, it should be you the consumer that makes that choice, not government forcing you to do it.
Because the upfront cost is still high – especially for families struggling with the cost of living.
Small businesses are worried about the practicalities.
And we’ve got further to go to get that charging infrastructure truly nationwide.
And we need to strengthen our own auto industry, so we aren’t reliant on heavily subsidised, carbon intensive imports, from countries like China.
So, to give us more time to prepare, I’m announcing today that we’re going to ease the transition to electric vehicles.
You’ll still be able to buy petrol and diesel cars and vans until 2035.
Even after that, you’ll still be able to buy and sell them second-hand.
We’re aligning our approach with countries like Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Sweden, and US states such as California, New York and Massachusetts and still ahead of the rest of America and other countries like New Zealand.
Now, to get to Net Zero, we also need a fairer, better approach to decarbonising how we heat our homes.
We’re making huge advances in the technologies that we need to do that, like heat pumps.
But we need a balance.
Between incentivising businesses to innovate, so heat pumps become even cheaper, more effective, and more attractive.
But without imposing costs on hard-pressed families, at a time when technology is often still expensive and won’t work in all homes.
For a family living in a terraced house in Darlington, the upfront cost could be around £10,000.
Even the most committed advocates of Net Zero must recognise that if our solution is to force people to pay that kind of money support will collapse, and we’ll simply never get there.
So, I’m announcing today that we will give people far more time to make the necessary transition to heat pumps.
We’ll never force anyone to rip out their existing boiler and replace it with a heat pump.
You’ll only ever have to make the switch when you’re replacing your boiler anyway, and even then, not until 2035.
And to help those households for whom this will be hardest I’m introducing a new exemption today so that they’ll never have to switch at all.
Now, this doesn’t mean I’m any less committed to decarbonising our homes.
Quite the opposite.
But rather than banning boilers before people can afford the alternative; we’re going to support them to make the switch.
I’m announcing today, that the Boiler Upgrade Scheme which gives people cash grants to replace their boiler, will be increased by 50% to £7,500.
There are no strings attached.
The money will never need to be repaid.
And this is one of the most generous schemes of its kind in Europe.
Next, energy efficiency.
This is critical to making our homes cheaper to heat.
That’s why we’ve got big government grants like the Great British Insulation Scheme.
But under current plans, some property owners would’ve been forced to make expensive upgrades in just two years’ time.
For a semi-detached house in Salisbury, you could be looking at a bill of £8,000.
And even if you’re only renting, you’ll more than likely see some of that passed on in higher rents.
That’s just wrong.
So those plans will be scrapped, and while we will continue to subsidise energy efficiency – we’ll never force any household to do it.
And that’s not all.
The debate about how we get to Net Zero has thrown up a range of worrying proposals and today I want to confirm that under this government, they’ll never happen.
The proposal for government to interfere in how many passengers you can have in your car.
I’ve scrapped it.
The proposal that we should force you to have seven different bins in your home.
I’ve scrapped it.
The proposal to make you change your diet – and harm British farmers – by taxing meat.
Or to create new taxes to discourage flying or going on holiday.
I’ve scrapped those too.
And nor will we ban new oil and gas in the North Sea which would simply leave us reliant on expensive, imported energy from foreign dictators like Putin.
We will never impose these unnecessary and heavy-handed measures on you, the British people but we will still meet our international commitments and hit Net Zero by 2050.
And if we’re going to change politics in the way I’m talking about, we can never allow carbon budgets to be set in the same way again.
The last Carbon Budget process was debated in the House of Commons for just 17 minutes and voted through with barely any consideration given to the hard choices needed to fulfil it.
It was the carbon equivalent of promising to boost government spending with no way to pay for it.
That’s not a responsible way to make decisions which have such a bearing on people’s lives.
So, when Parliament votes on carbon budgets in the future, I want to see it consider the plans to meet that budget, at the same time.
If the first part of our new approach to meeting Net Zero is to change the debate and the second part is a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach that eases the burdens on families…
…then the third is to embrace with even greater enthusiasm, the incredible opportunities of green industry and take the necessary practical steps to create whole new sectors and hundreds of thousands of good, well-paid jobs right across the country.
We’re already home to the four of the world’s largest offshore wind farms, we’re building an even bigger one at Dogger Bank and we’re improving our auction process to maximise private investment into this world-leading industry.
We’re lifting the ban on onshore wind.
We’re investing in four new clusters to capture and store carbon from the atmosphere.
And we’re building new nuclear power stations for the first time in thirty years.
Just this week, we took a significant long-term decision to raise funding for Sizewell C – putting beyond all doubt our commitment to decarbonising our power sector.
And later this autumn, we’ll shortlist the companies to build the new generation of small modular reactors.
But one of our biggest constraints to reaching Net Zero and improving our energy security, is this:
We’re investing billions in new energy projects, yet we don’t have the grid infrastructure to bring that power to households and businesses.
And when energy security is national security – that’s unacceptable.
Right now, it can take fourteen years to build new grid infrastructure.
There are enough projects waiting to be connected to generate over half of our future electricity needs.
So, I can announce today that the Chancellor and Energy Security Secretary will shortly bring forward comprehensive new reforms to energy infrastructure.
We’ll set out the UK’s first ever spatial plan for that infrastructure to give industry certainty and every community a say.
We’ll speed up planning for the most nationally significant projects.
And we’ll end the first-come-first-served approach to grid connections by raising the bar to enter the queue and make sure those ready first, will connect first.
So, from offshore wind, to nuclear, to a revolution in our energy infrastructure investors should have absolute confidence that we’re getting on with the job and the UK will remain the best place in the world to invest in the green industries of the future.
Not least, because of something else this country has always excelled at: innovation in new technologies.
As a country that emits less than 1% of the world’s carbon emissions, one of the most powerful contributions, we can make is our unique ability to develop new technologies that can help the world.
Like the SENSEWind team in Scotland developing the technology to service floating offshore wind turbines while still out at sea.
Or the researchers at Cambridge who pioneered a new way to turn sunlight into fuel.
And that’s why today we’re going further, creating the new, £150m Green Future Fellowship.
This will support at least 50 leading scientists and engineers to develop real, breakthrough green technologies.
And it builds on the £1 billion I invested as Chancellor, in the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.
And finally, we can’t tackle climate change without protecting nature; and vice versa.
Just the loss of forests alone accounts for the equivalent of ten times the global emissions of the entire United Kingdom.
And in the coming weeks, ahead of my attendance at COP28, I will set out the next stage in our ambitious environmental agenda.
So, in conclusion.
This country is proud to be a world leader in reaching Net Zero by 2050.
But we simply won’t achieve it unless we change.
We’re now going to have a better, more honest debate about how we get there.
We’ll now have a more pragmatic, proportionate, and realistic approach that eases the burdens on families.
All while doubling down on the new green industries of the future.
In a democracy, that’s the only realistic path to Net Zero.
Consent, not imposition.
Honesty, not obfuscation.
Pragmatism, not ideology.
That’s how we’ll turn the challenge of net zero into the greatest opportunity – and the proudest achievement – of our lifetimes.
And this is just the start.
What we begin today, is bigger than any single policy or issue.
We are going to change the way our politics works.
We are going to make different decisions.
We won’t take the easy way out.
There will be resistance, and we will meet it.
Because I am determined to change our country and build a better future for our children.
Nothing less is acceptable.
What the PM’s new approach to Net Zero means for you
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak explains his new approach to Net Zero
I’m absolutely committed to reaching Net Zero by 2050.
But no one in politics has had the courage to look people in the eye and explain what that involves.
That’s wrong – and it changes now.
We’re changing our approach to meeting Net Zero to ease the burden on working people.
So what does that mean for you?
Removing unnecessary and heavy-handed measures
The debate about how we get to Net Zero has thrown up a range of worrying proposals and I want to confirm that under this government, they’ll never happen.
I’m scrapping the proposal for government to interfere in how many passengers you can have in your car and the idea that we should force you to have 7 different bins in your home.
I’m also scrapping the proposal to make you change your diet – and harm British farmers – by taxing meat.
And the proposal to create new taxes to discourage flying- I’ve scrapped that too.
We will never impose these unnecessary and heavy-handed measures on you, the British people, but we will still meet our international commitments and hit Net Zero by 2050.
Extending deadlines to transition to clean energy
We know the upfront costs for families are still high – so to give us more time to prepare, we’re easing the transition to electric vehicles on our roads and heat pumps in our homes.
That means you’ll still be able to buy new petrol and diesel cars and vans until 2035, in line with countries like Germany and France.
It also means we’ll never force anyone to rip out their old boiler for an expensive heat pump, which for a family living in a terraced house in Darlington, could cost up to £10,000.
How can we afford to make these changes
This country is proud to be a world leader in reaching Net Zero by 2050.
Because of the progress we have already made, the UK’s share of global emissions is now less than 1%.
In fact we are a world leader in cutting emissions, surpassing the targets most countries have set for 2030 including Australia, Canada, Japan and the US.
We have overdelivered on all our previous targets to date.
Given this progress, reaching our targets does not need to come unnecessarily at the expense of people facing higher costs – and that’s why today we can ease the burden on working families.
We will continue to meet our international agreements, including the critical promises in Paris and Glasgow to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees, but our new approach to Net Zero is:
Pragmatic, proportionate and realistic
Accountable to the British public
Meet our Net Zero commitment
Supporting British families
In a democracy, that’s the only realistic path to Net Zero.
Consent, not imposition.
Honesty, not obfuscation.
Pragmatism, not ideology.
That’s how we’ll turn the challenge of Net Zero into the greatest opportunity – and the proudest achievement – of our lifetimes.
Reacting to the Prime Minister’s speech this afternoon on meeting net zero, Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon Philip Dunne MP, said: “The Prime Minister’s speech this afternoon, contrary to prior media speculation, reinforced his clear commitment to net zero Britain.
This was very welcome, as was his reflection on how far we have come in meeting our environmental goals. It was a measured and realistic response to the current Net Zero challenge and the demands the transition will make on the British public.
“The very welcome ‘rabbit in the hat’ is the 50% increased grant for the Boiler Upgrade Scheme to £7,500 for any household scrapping their fossil fuel boiler. There is also specific relaxation of the proposed timeline to replace oil-fired boilers for those households off the gas-grid by 2026, of which there are some 1.5 million, including the majority in rural areas of South Shropshire. The Government has clearly listened to concerns that, without Government support, some low carbon alternatives are simply too far out of reach for many at this point.
“As our Committee found during our work on heat pumps earlier this Parliament, successful heat pump installation often requires significant additional work to insulate homes properly and may require changes to radiators. There are simply not yet enough skilled engineers in the supply chain. The Government appears to have learned the lesson from previous home heating schemes for homeowners and landlords and I expect this straightforward grant support will enable the supply chain to develop.
“We still have the leakiest housing stock in Europe, but the cost of requiring energy efficiency measures on the 20% of hardest to insulate homes, such as those which are listed or old properties in rural areas, lacked credibility. Energy efficiency policies will now be focussed on the 80% of homes which need improving and can be achieved to meet emission reduction targets.
“Delaying the ban on sale of new petrol and diesel cars is disappointing, but reflects the reality that this is where most of the major car manufacturing nations are. The take-up of electric vehicles has been led by fleet buyers, which is happening faster than predicted and likely to continue until economies of scale bring down the purchase price for individuals able to buy new cars. The industry has called for ambition and certainty. It is now absolutely imperative that this date does not slip further. The Government must now accelerate its efforts to get charging infrastructure up to speed.
“I was encouraged to learn the Chancellor and the Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary will confirm their plans to make the grid ready for Net Zero Britain: the Environmental Audit Committee will be engaging actively with these policy proposals. It was also good to learn that the next Contracts for Difference auction round for Offshore Wind will be improved to reflect sustainable pricing in a global context, which shows the Government has learned from the last round and should enable projects to come forward to help meet renewables targets.
“On scrutiny, the Prime Minister is right to point to the deficiencies in how Parliament examines carbon budgets. The effective bypassing of the Commons chamber on measures which have such a significant effect on the UK economy means that we as parliamentarians do not have a stake in the crucial policy decisions we are asked to approve on the nod. So I welcome his commitment to present a full delivery plan for the Seventh Carbon Budget to Parliament for scrutiny before we are asked to approve the Government’s plans.
“My colleagues on the Environmental Audit Committee and on the other Commons and Lords committees examining Government policy will have heard the Prime Minister’s criticism of poorly-scrutinised policies developed in departments, with too little external engagement.
“Colleagues across Parliament who take scrutiny seriously will welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to opening more Government decisions on climate targets up to fair and rigorous scrutiny.
“We look forward to greater openness from Government on its climate plans and greater responsiveness to those Commons committees tasked with holding the Government to account.”
Millions of households across the UK will receive £300 directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) between 31 October and 19 November
Millions of households to receive £300 from DWP between 31 October and 19 November 2023
This is the second of 3 payments totalling up to £900 supporting eligible people on means-tested benefits with the cost of living
Payments make up part of government’s record financial support for the most vulnerable worth an average of £3,300 per household
Tax credits-only customers who do not qualify for a payment from DWP will receive £300 from HMRC between 10 and 19 November 2023
Millions of households across the UK will receive £300 directly from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) between 31 October and 19 November.
This is the second of 3 payments totalling up to £900 for those eligible and on means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or tax credits, in 2023 to 2024, and eligible pensioner households will also receive a further £300 payment later this year as an addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.
The £300 Cost of Living Payment will be sent out automatically and directly to recipients, meaning those eligible do not need to apply, contact the Government, or take any action to receive it. This includes tax credits-only customers who will receive the payment from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between 10 and 19 November 2023.
The payment reference for bank accounts will be the recipient’s National Insurance Number followed by DWP COL or HMRC COLS.
Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “The best way we can boost bank balances is by bearing down on inflation, but as we get there, we are ensuring the most vulnerable households are cushioned from high prices with a further Cost of Living payment.
“Alongside this, thousands of Work Coaches across the country are helping find work, increase their hours and boost their skills. I encourage anyone who wants to progress their career and strengthen their finances to visit their local Jobcentre to find out what help is available.”
Jeremy Hunt, Chancellor of the Exchequer, added: “Halving inflation and getting price rises under control is the best way to support households struggling with their bills.
“But it is also right that we are helping the most vulnerable in our society, and this latest Cost of Living payment is part of a package of support worth £3,300 per household on average over this year and last to help those struggling the most.”
The full list of benefit recipients that qualify for the second Cost of Living Payment are those who are eligible and receive at least one of the following:
Universal Credit
Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Income Support
Working Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit
Pension Credit
To be eligible for the Cost of Living Payment from DWP, you need to have been entitled to a payment for a qualifying benefit between 18 August 2023 and 17 September 2023, or payment for an assessment period, ending between these dates. From HMRC, you need to have received a payment of tax credits for any day in the period between 18 August 2023 and 17 September 2023.
The DWP continues to encourage low-income pensioners not already getting Pension Credit to check their eligibility, as – thanks to Pension Credit backdating rules – they could still qualify for both the second Cost of Living Payment as well as the third payment due in Spring 2024.
Over eight million pensioner households will also receive a further £300 payment later this year in addition to the Winter Fuel Payment.
The Online Safety Bill has been signed off by the Houses of Parliament and will become law soon
the bill will make the UK the safest place in the world to be online by placing new duties on social media companies – honouring our manifesto commitment
the bolstered bill has been strengthened through debate, with firmer protections for children, more control for adults and clarity for social platforms
The Online Safety Bill has passed its final Parliamentary debate and is now ready to become law.
This major milestone means the government is within touching distance of delivering the most powerful child protection laws in a generation, while ensuring adults are better empowered to take control of their online lives, while protecting our mental health.
The bill takes a zero-tolerance approach to protecting children and makes sure social media platforms are held responsible for the content they host. If they do not act rapidly to prevent and remove illegal content and stop children seeing material that is harmful to them, such as bullying, they will face significant fines that could reach billions of pounds. In some cases, their bosses may even face prison.
The bill has undergone considerable parliamentary scrutiny in both the Houses and has come out with stronger protections for all.
Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “The Online Safety Bill is a game-changing piece of legislation. Today, this government is taking an enormous step forward in our mission to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online.
“I am immensely proud of what we have achieved with this bill. Our common-sense approach will deliver a better future for British people, by making sure that what is illegal offline is illegal online. It puts protecting children first, enabling us to catch keyboard criminals and crack down on the heinous crimes they seek to commit.
“I am deeply thankful to the tireless campaigning and efforts of parliamentarians, survivors of abuse and charities who have all worked relentlessly to get this bill to the finish line.”
Without this groundbreaking legislation, the safety of children across the country would be at stake and the internet would remain a wild west of content, putting children’s lives and mental health at risk. The bill has a zero-tolerance approach to protecting children, meaning social media platforms will be legally responsible for the content they host and keeping children and young people safe online.
Social media platforms will be expected to:
remove illegal content quickly or prevent it from appearing in the first place, including content promoting self-harm
prevent children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content
enforce age limits and age-checking measures
ensure the risks and dangers posed to children on the largest social media platforms are more transparent, including by publishing risk assessments
provide parents and children with clear and accessible ways to report problems online when they do arise
In addition to its firm protections for children, the bill empowers adults to take control of what they see online. It provides three layers of protection for internet users which will:
Make sure illegal content will have to be removed
Place a legal responsibility on social media platforms to enforce the promises they make to users when they sign up, through terms and conditions
Offer users the option to filter out harmful content, such as bullying, that they do not want to see online
If social media platforms do not comply with these rules, Ofcom could fine them up to £18 million or 10% of their global annual revenue, whichever is biggest – meaning fines handed down to the biggest platforms could reach billions of pounds.
Also added to the bill are new laws to decisively tackle online fraud and violence against women and girls. Through this legislation, it will be easier to convict someone who shares intimate images without consent and new laws will further criminalise the non-consensual sharing of intimate deepfakes.
The change in laws will make it easier to charge abusers who share intimate images and put more offenders behind bars and better protect the public. Those found guilty of this base offence have a maximum penalty of 6 months in custody.
Former Love Island star and campaigner Georgia Harrison said: “Violence against women and girls is so common, with one in three women in the UK having experienced online abuse or harassment.
“The Online Safety bill is going to help bring this to an end, by holding social media companies accountable to protect women and girls from online abuse.”
Under the bill, the biggest social media platforms will have to stop users being exposed to dangerous fraudulent adverts by blocking and removing scams, or face Ofcom’s huge new fines.
The government has recently strengthened the bill even further, by amending the law to force social media firms to prevent activity that facilitates animal cruelty and torture (such as paying or instructing torture). Even if this activity takes place outside the UK but is seen by users here, companies will be forced to take it down.
Anticipating the bill coming into force, the biggest social media companies have already started to take action. Snapchat has started removing the accounts of underage users and TikTok has implemented stronger age verification.
Ofcom Chief Executive, Dame Melanie Dawes said: “Today is a major milestone in the mission to create a safer life online for children and adults in the UK. Everyone at Ofcom feels privileged to be entrusted with this important role, and we’re ready to start implementing these new laws.
“Very soon after the bill receives Royal Assent, we’ll consult on the first set of standards that we’ll expect tech firms to meet in tackling illegal online harms, including child sexual exploitation, fraud and terrorism.”
While the bill has been in progress, the government has been working closely with Ofcom to ensure changes will be implemented as quickly as possible when it becomes law.
The regulator will immediately begin work on tackling illegal content and protecting children’s safety, with its consultation process launching in the weeks after Royal Assent. It will then take a phased approach to bringing the Online Safety Bill’s into force.
Passing of the Online Safety Bill ‘a momentous day for children’ says NSPCC chief
The Online Safety Bill will finally require tech companies to make their sites safe by design for children
New laws come after years of campaigning and robust political scrutiny in Parliament
NSPCC CEO Sir Peter Wanless thanks survivors and bereaved parents and urges tech companies to seize the opportunity offered by regulation
Survivors of online child abuse tell how the Online Safety Bill will address further preventable harm to countless other children
The NSPCC has welcomed the passing of the Online Safety Bill, a ground-breaking piece of legislation they say will radically change the landscape for children online.
After years of campaigning, tech companies will now have a legal duty to protect children from sexual abuse and harmful material on social media sites, gaming apps and messaging services.
The charity has helped strengthen the legislation during its long journey through UK Parliament, ensuring that it results in regulation that comprehensively protects children online.
The charity says the legislation will mark a new era for children’s safety at a time when online child abuse offences are at a record high and children continue to be bombarded with harmful suicide and self-harm content on social media.
In August this year, NSPCC Scotland revealed that more than 3,500 online grooming crimes* had been recorded by Police Scotland over the past six years while the legislation was being discussed. Last year (2022/23), 593 Communicating Indecently with a Child offences were recorded in Scotland, with more than half of the offences against children under the age of 13.
The Online Safety Bill was published in May 2021 and has been subject to robust scrutiny and debate by MPs, Lords and civil society.
Its importance was starkly highlighted by the inquest into the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell in September last year, which ruled that the self-harm and suicide content that Molly had been recommended on social media had contributed to her death.
Ruth Moss, whose 13-year-old daughter Sophie died by suicide after viewing harmful content online, joined forces with Molly’s father Ian Russell and other parents whose children died following exposure to harmful content online, to form the Bereaved Parents for Online Safety group to strengthen the protections in the Bill.
The Edinburgh nurse has been campaigning with the NSPCC for several years for robust new legislation that would force tech bosses to make their sites safe for children.
Ruth said: “I’m pleased that the Bill has passed. I have always argued that self-regulation by tech companies hasn’t worked. Numerous families, including mine have highlighted these failings over many years. So, I welcome the bill wholeheartedly. It is a big step in offering protection to children online.
“For at least two years, we struggled to keep my daughter Sophie safe online. In spite of removing devices, restricting internet use, implementing parental controls and having conversations about internet safety, these were not enough to prevent her from being exposed to websites that promoted self-harm, suicide and contained dark, graphic, harmful material. Complaining to internet and social media companies was either impossible or futile.
“The impact of Sophie viewing this harmful material was a deterioration in her existing mental health struggles, with devastating consequences. Sophie was 13 years old when she died by suicide. We will never truly recover from her death, and it is rightly every parents worse nightmare.
“This Online Safety Bill may not solve all the issues that children have online. But it is essential to start regulating online platforms. They have a duty of care to keep their users safe to the best of their ability.
“Of course, I do have some reservations about the Online Safety Bill. It is a new piece of legislation that has not had the chance to be tested – so there will be some unknowns. And no piece of legislation will be perfect. We will only really know if the legislation goes far enough over time.
“The Bill will need to stay relevant. If we look at other initial law, it develops over time with the changing environments in which we live. Technology changes and with it, the legislation around it will need to keep up. But this is a good first step. It sends a message to tech companies that safety should not be compromised for the sake of profit and that tech companies cannot deny responsibility for keeping their service users safe on their websites.
“In my opinion, the enforcement of the Bill is key. This will be challenging. It will require Ofcom going up against some of the most powerful and influential organisations in the world. Ofcom will have a difficult job. Currently, I have confidence that they will do what is necessary to uphold the legislation where needed, however time will tell.
“As with any piece of complex legislation, there were amendments that did not get passed around legal but harmful content for adults, the appointment of a children’s advocate and other areas that I would like to have seen included in the bill. But again, no Bill is perfect, and I am pleased to see it passed.”
The Online Safety Bill has been shaped in large part by survivors of abuse, bereaved parents and young people themselves who have campaigned tirelessly to ensure the legislation leads to real-world change for children.
Aoife (19) from East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, was 15 when she was exploited by a man online who pretended to be a teenager.She said: “He convinced me to send him photos and then blackmailed me with them.
“It was terrifying but luckily I knew to report to Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) and he was eventually convicted.
“I know this kind of thing happens all the time – we need the new law to stop it from hurting more lives.”
Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: “We are absolutely delighted to see the Online Safety Bill being passed through Parliament. It is a momentous day for children and will finally result in the ground-breaking protections they should expect online.
“At the NSPCC we hear from children about the completely unacceptable levels of abuse and harm they face online every day. That’s why we have campaigned strongly for change alongside brave survivors, families, young people and parliamentarians to ensure the legislation results in a much safer online world for children.
“Children can benefit greatly from life online. Tech companies can now seize the opportunity to embrace safety by design. The NSPCC is ready to help them listen to and understand the online experiences of their young users to help ensure every child feels safe and empowered online.”
The NSPCC’s commitment to protect children online does not end with the passing of the Bill and the charity will continue to advocate to ensure it results in truly safe online spaces for children.
Online Safety Bill Timeline:
2014 NSPCC launches a campaign calling for a new offence to make online grooming a crime, by making it illegal for an adult to send a child a sexual message. 50,000 people signed our petition
2015 The Government included the offence in the Sexual Offences Act 2015, but it took two more years of sustained campaigning before they finally brought the offence into force so police could take action and arrest offenders
April 2017 Sexual Communication with a Child became an offence
April 2017 The NSPCC first called on Government to bring in statutory regulation of social networks
Dec 2017 NSPCC call for tech companies to have a legal duty of care to keep children safe
April 2019 Government publishes the Online Harms White Paper
January 2020 Online Harms paving bill, prepared by the Carnegie Trust and introduced by Lord McNally, was selected for its first reading in the Lords
February 2020 Government publish initial consultation to the Online Harms White Paper, announcing Ofcom as the likely watchdog
September 2020 NSPCC sets out six tests for the Online Harms Bill in its Regulatory Framework
December 2020 Government published its Online Harms White Paper consultation response
March 2021 NSPCC analysis of the consultation response found significant improvement is needed in a third of areas of proposed legislation if the Online Safety Bill is to extensively protect children from avoidable harm and abuse
May 2021 Government publishes draft Online Safety Bill
September 2021 Parliamentary scrutiny begins, and the NSPCC publish Duty to Protect – An assessment of the draft Online Safety Bill against the NSPCC’s six tests for protecting children
October 2021 Facebook whistleblowerFrances Haugen gives evidence to the Joint Committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill
December 2021 The joint committee on the Draft Online Safety Bill call for a number of changes to the legislation to better prevent child abuse
January 2022DCMS Committee back NSPCC’s call for the Online Safety Bill to put a legal duty on tech firms to disrupt the way offenders game social media design features to organise around material that facilitates abuse
January 2022 The Petitions Committee also called for the Online Safety Bill to be strengthened
March 2022 The Government publishes the Online Safety Bill
April 2022 Online Safety Bill has its Second Reading and NSPCC publish its Time to Act reportwhich sets out where the Bill can be improved to become a world-leading response to the online child abuse threat
May 2022 Online Safety Bill Committee Stage begins
July 2022 Online Safety Bill Report Stage debates
Summer 2022 Online Safety Bill delayed by two changes to Prime Minister
September 2022 Inquest into the death of 14-year-old Molly Russell finds social media contributed to her death
December 2022 Online Safety Bill returns to Parliament
December 2022 Bereaved Families for Online Safety formed to campaign for strong protections for children and families through the Online Safety Bill
January 2023 Conservative MP rebellion backs NSPCC amendment that forces Government to commit to holding senior tech managers liable for harm to children
January 2023 Online Safety Bill begins its journey through the House of Lords
Spring 2023 Government amendments strengthen protections for children following campaigning by civil society, including NSPCC and Bereaved Families for Online Safety
September 2023 Online Safety Bill due its Third Reading in the House of Lords and to return to Parliament for final passage
