Month: January 2018

New figures out today (29 January 2018) show the Northern Powerhouse is one of the most connected regions in the UK thanks to the government’s £1.7 billion broadband roll out programme.

97.2% of the North East is enjoying unprecedented access to superfast broadband – the highest coverage in the country. The North West follows only shortly behind with 96% of the region having access to superfast broadband.

More households and businesses across the North are now accessing superfast broadband speeds of 24 Mbps – more than double the 10 Mbps required by a typical family home.

Today’s figures published by Think Broadband show that the government is succeeding in improving connectivity in the Northern Powerhouse with businesses across the region benefitting from improved digital infrastructure and faster broadband; last year’s Autumn budget announced up to £1.8 billion of further government funding for the North to improve transport, digital connectivity, and economic regeneration.

Northern Powerhouse Minister, Jake Berry, said:

The Northern Powerhouse is leading the charge in bridging the rural-urban digital divide. Strong digital infrastructure, including access to superfast broadband, is vital for a flourishing local economy by helping to spur growth and create thousands of new jobs.

We’re doing all we can to bring broadband access to even the most remote and rural areas in the country and are giving businesses the tools they need to meet the demands of the digital age.

DCMS Secretary of State, Matt Hancock said:

Over the last 5 years, the government’s rollout of superfast broadband has made superfast speeds a reality for more than 4.5 million homes and businesses who would otherwise have missed out. But there’s still more to do in our work building a Britain that’s fit for the future.

We’re reaching thousands more premises every single week, and have committed to making affordable, reliable, high speed broadband a legal right to everyone by 2020.

The government’s £1.7 billion rollout of superfast broadband to areas deemed “not commercially viable” by industry has so far reached more than 4.5 million UK premises that would otherwise have been left in the connectivity slow lane, the majority of which are in rural areas.

With 19 out of 20 UK homes and businesses now enjoying superfast broadband access, the government has also delivered on its manifesto pledge to bring superfast broadband to 95% of UK premises.

In addition to the huge benefits to day-to-day life that superfast speeds offer, this closing of the “digital divide” has also delivered a significant boost to local economies – creating around 50,000 new local jobs and generating an additional £8.9 billion in turnover in the areas covered by the government rollout between 2013 and 2016.

Further information

The latest broadband coverage figures are available at www.thinkbroadband.com.

Highways England announced the preferred route for the £290 million improvement scheme, part of the Government’s £15 billion Road Investment Strategy, in July last year.

The improvement to the eight-mile stretch will help to improve journey times for residents, businesses and visitors, as well as unlocking one of the last bottlenecks in Cornwall.

Since the preferred route was announced, Highways England has been working with landowners along the route to develop the design of the scheme, the details of which will be announced from today (Monday 29 January 2018) when consultation is launched.

Josh Hodder, Project Manager for Highways England, said:

We recognise the strategic importance of improving this section of the A30 in helping to unlock economic growth in Cornwall and the whole of the region.

We look forward to sharing our progressed plans with local stakeholders, businesses and the community, full details are available from today, and we welcome all feedback during consultation.

The scheme offers a number of benefits to the area – as well as boosting the area’s economy, upgrading this stretch of the A30 is vital to improving motorists’ journeys, cutting congestion, improving safety and connecting local communities.

After the opening of the Cornwall Council-led A30 Temple to Higher Carblake dualling scheme last summer, Highways England is proposing to upgrade the eight-mile Chiverton to Carland Cross section, which will offer drivers more than 100 miles of dual carriageway between the M5 and Camborne in Cornwall.

The cost of developing the scheme is being partly funded by an £8 million contribution from the European Regional Development Fund, with an additional £12 million for the construction phase. The remainder of the cost of developing and delivering the scheme will be funded by central Government.

Cllr Geoff Brown, Portfolio Holder for Transport at Cornwall Council added:

I welcome this next step and the further consultation with communities. The scheme will help to improve journey times for local people, businesses and visitors and we know from previous public engagement that there is strong support locally to improve this stretch of the A30.

This project will build upon the excellent working relationship that we have with Highways England and I encourage people to take this opportunity to view the proposals and discuss them with the Highways England design team.

Public consultation events will offer people the chance to see detailed plans of the scheme, including junction and slip road access, roundabout and bridge designs, and meet with members of the project team. Information will also be available to view at local information points.

Full details of the scheme and information on the consultation events and information points can be found on the dedicated consultation webpage.

Following consultation, the scheme will then progress through the formal planning process and, subject to statutory approval under the 2008 Planning Act and the Secretary of State, construction is planned to start in spring 2020.

European Regional Development Fund

The project is receiving up to £8 million of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government (and in London the intermediate body Greater London Authority) is the Managing Authority for European Regional Development Fund. Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth programme webpage.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life has today called for evidence about how local councils are supporting good ethical standards in local government in light of changes over the past ten years.

Committee member, Dr Jane Martin CBE who will be leading on the review, said:

“Robust arrangements to support ethical standards are needed to safeguard local democracy and facilitate the representative process, but also to ensure high standards of conduct by councillors. The Committee considers it is timely to undertake a health check of local government so the public can have confidence that the standards arrangements supporting local democracy are working effectively.

“The Committee has maintained a longstanding interest in local government ethical standards, and regularly receives correspondence from members of the public expressing their concern about this issue.

“We are keen to hear first-hand how effective councils’ standards arrangements are, in light of the substantial changes in the standards landscape for local government over the last ten years.

“We are interested in how local authorities have designed their complaints handling, scrutiny and sanctions regimes in order to maintain excellent ethical standards and how members, local government officials and the public experience them.

“The Committee would like to hear from councils and individuals who can help us understand how ethical standards issues are dealt with by local authorities.”

Based on the submissions to this review and meetings with key stakeholders, we intend to publish our findings and recommendations late in 2018.

Notes to Editors

1. Interview requests and media enquiries should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740627.
2. The independent Committee on Standards in Public Life advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards across the whole of public life in the UK. It monitors and reports on issues relating to the standards of conduct of all public office holders.
3. The Committee has an independent Chair. Its membership is comprised of four independent members and a representative from each of the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democratic parties.
4. You can follow the Committee on Twitter @PublicStandards

In the dataset you can find the date of sale for each property, its full address and sale price, its category (residential or commercial) and type (detached, semi-detached, terraced, flat/maisonette or other), whether it is new build or not and whether it is freehold or leasehold.

The number of sales received for registration by property type and month

Of the 76,327 sales received for registration in December 2017:

• 56,161 were freehold, a 13.5% decrease on December 2016
• 9,854 were newly built, a 22.4% increase on December 2016

There is a time difference between the sale of a property and its registration at HM Land Registry.

Of the 76,327 sales received for registration, 18,974 took place in December 2017 of which:

• 335 were of residential properties in England and Wales for £1 million and over
• 180 were of residential properties in Greater London for £1 million and over
• 3 were of residential properties in Birmingham for £1 million and over
• 3 were of residential properties in Greater Manchester for £1 million and over
• none were of sales of residential properties in Cardiff for £1 million and over

The most expensive residential sale taking place in December 2017 was of a terraced property in the City of Westminster for £10,075, 000. The cheapest residential sale in December 2017 was of a terraced property in Llanelli for £15,000.

The most expensive commercial sale taking place in December 2017 was in Walthamstow for £33,809,500. The cheapest commercial sales in December 2017 were in Tunbridge Wells, Chigwell and Welwyn Hatfield, for £100.

Access the full dataset

Notes to editors

1. Price Paid Data is published at 11am on the 20th working day of each month. The next dataset will be published on 28 February 2018.
2. Price Paid Data is property price data for all residential and commercial property sales in England and Wales that are lodged with HM Land Registry for registration in that month, subject to exclusions.
3. The amount of time between the sale of a property and the registration of this information with HM Land Registry varies. It typically ranges between 2 weeks and 2 months. Data for the 2 most recent months is therefore incomplete and does not give an indication of final monthly volumes. Occasionally the interval between sale and registration is longer than 2 months. The small number of sales affected cannot be updated for publication until the sales are lodged for registration.
4. Price Paid Data categories are either Category A (standard entries) which includes single residential properties sold for full market value or Category B (additional entries) for example sales to a company, buy-to-lets where they can be identified by a mortgage and repossessions.
5. HM Land Registry has been collecting information on Category A sales since January 1995 and on Category B sales since October 2013.
6. Price Paid Data can be downloaded in text and CSV formats and in a machine-readable format as linked data and is released under the Open Government Licence (OGL). Under the OGL, HM Land Registry permits the use of Price Paid Data for commercial or non-commercial purposes. However, the OGL does not cover the use of third party rights, which HM Land Registry is not authorised to license.
7. The Price Paid Data report builder allows users to build bespoke reports using the data. Reports can be based on location, estate type, price paid or property type over a defined period of time.
8. HM Land Registry is a government department created in 1862. It operates as an executive agency and a trading fund and its running costs are covered by the fees paid by the users of its services. Its ambition is to become the world’s leading land registry for speed, simplicity and an open approach to data.
9. HM Land Registry safeguards land and property ownership worth in excess of £4 trillion, including around £1 trillion of mortgages. The Land Register contains more than 25 million titles, which show evidence of ownership, for some 85% of the land mass of England and Wales.
10. For further information about HM Land Registry visit our website.
11. Follow us on Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook.

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Arts Minister Michael Ellis has placed a temporary export bar on Ehrenbreitstein, by JMW Turner, to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.

The painting is at risk of being exported from the UK unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £18,533,750 (plus VAT of £306,750).

Shown at the Royal Academy in 1835 and based on material Turner collected when he visited the spot in 1833, the painting depicts the historic fortress overlooking the Rhine near Koblenz, Germany, dense with historical references to the French Revolutionary Wars which devastated Europe and reshaped the political and cultural landscape.

The obelisk on the left marks the grave of General Francois-Sévérin Marceau-Desgraviers, a hero of the French Revolutionary Army. His brief but brilliant career made him a Romantic hero while his moving funeral, at which German and French soldiers laid aside their enmity and participated, became a symbol for European reconciliation. These won him the accolade of a passage in Lord Byron’s poem “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” and the painting demonstrates that Turner shared Byron’s sentiments.

Turner produced a number of illustrations of sites associated with Byron for his publisher John Murray, and chose epigraphs from Byron for six paintings ranging across Belgium, Italy and – as in Ehrenbreitstein – Germany.

This is the only painting Turner produced of Ehrenbreitstein in oil. Contrary to his usual practice, the painting – rather than a highly finished watercolour – served as the direct model for the reproductive engraving by John Pye. Frustrated at how long Pye was taking to complete his task, Turner reclaimed the painting in 1842 and sold it to his important patron Elhanan Bicknell, on condition that it be returned to Pye until the print had been finished.

Arts Minister Michael Ellis said:

This rich, atmospheric painting demonstrates Turner’s extraordinary skill depicting light, as well as the close relationship between painting and poetry.

I very much hope that it can remain in the UK, where it can be admired and appreciated by future generations for many years to come.

The decision to defer the export licence follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest (RCEWA), administered by The Arts Council.

RCEWA member Lowell Libson said:

This magnificent and beautifully preserved painting from Turner’s maturity demonstrates this great artist’s ability to present many layered narratives – historical and emotional – within the context of topography. It is one of Turner’s finest works of the period.

The RCEWA made its recommendation on the grounds of the painting’s outstanding significance for the study of its status as a literary landscape and as a painting made primarily for engraving.

The decision on the export licence application for the painting will be deferred until 28 May. This may be extended until 28 November if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £18,533,750 (plus VAT of £306,750).

Offers from public bodies for less than the recommended price through the private treaty sale arrangements, where appropriate, may also be considered by Michael Ellis. Such purchases frequently offer substantial financial benefit to a public institution wishing to acquire the item.

Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the painting should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.

An image of the painting can be downloaded via our flickr site.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. Details of the painting are as follows:
   Oil on canvas, 36 1⁄4 x 48 1⁄2 in (93 x 48 1⁄2 cm), in good condition
2. Provenance: Sold directly by the artist, in 1844, to one of his most important patrons, Elhanan Bicknell (1788–1861), Carlton House, Herne Hill, Dulwich; His sale, London, Christie’s, 25 April 1863, lot 118, to Agnew’s on behalf of Ralph Brocklebank; Ralph Brockelbank (1803–1892), Childwall Hall, Liverpool; By descent to his second son, Thomas Brocklebank (1841–1919); By descent to his third son, Captain Henry Cyril Royds Brocklebank, CBE, RN (1874–1957); Sold by his trustees through Agnew’s in 1942 to Wentworth Beaumont, 2nd Viscount Allendale (1890–1956); By descent to his son, Wentworth Hubert Charles Beaumont, 3rd Viscount Allendale (1922–2002); By whom sold (The Property of the Rt. Hon. The Viscount Allendale), London, Sotheby’s, 7 July 1965, lot 90, to Agnew’s, acting on behalf of an English private collector; Thence by descent.
3. The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by The Arts Council, which advises the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.
4. The Arts Council champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people’s lives. It supports a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries – from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature, and crafts to collections. www.artscouncil.org.uk.