Category: 0 Reviewed

The company responsible for the country’s motorways and main A roads has more than 280,000 tonnes of salt, over 500 salt spreading vehicles ready around the clock to help drivers get to their destinations safely.

Roads Minister, Jesse Norman said:

It is essential to keep our road network running throughout the winter.

Highways England has informed us that they are well prepared for adverse weather, with enough salt to cover 610,000 miles of our motorways.

But the expert advice is clear: drivers need to make their own judgements about road conditions. If it doesn’t look safe then they should stay put and travel once weather conditions have improved.

Highways England’s national winter and severe weather team leader, Paul Furlong, said:

We care about people getting to their destinations safely and during any severe weather our teams will be working around the clock to keep traffic moving.

We’re asking drivers to make sure they and their vehicles are also prepared. Before you set out, check your vehicle, the road conditions and the weather forecast. If conditions are poor, and journeys are not essential, consider waiting until the weather gets better – this should improve journeys, and give our gritters a chance to treat the roads.’

To help keep traffic moving, Highways England has nearly 130 winter service depots across the country, and more than 250 environmental sensor stations that provide real-time monitoring of road weather conditions and temperatures.

Highways England is urging drivers not to use the hard shoulder to undertake gritters, risking a collision with a stationary vehicle and causing a hazard when gritters try to come off at junctions.

Drivers are asked not to take unnecessary risks this winter and only pass a gritter when it is safe to do so, avoiding using the hard shoulder and checking for hazards ahead.

During severe weather drivers are urged to follow this advice:

• In snow and ice, drivers should stick to the main roads where they can and only travel if necessary
• drivers are also encouraged to make sure they have a winter kit in their vehicle, including an ice scraper and de-icer, warm clothes and blankets and sunglasses to cope with the low winter sun
• In high winds, there’s a particular risk to lorries, caravans and motorbikes, so drivers should slow down and avoid using exposed sections of road if possible
• In heavy rain, drivers should keep well back from the vehicle in front, gradually ease off the accelerator if the steering becomes unresponsive, and slow down if the rain and spray from vehicles makes it difficult to see and be seen
• In fog, drivers should switch on their fog lights and not use lights on full beam as the fog will reflect the light back – if you really cannot see, you should consider stopping until it is safe to continue

Drivers are advised to follow messages on the overhead signs and listen to radio updates. Further information can be found by visiting our traffic information website or calling the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000.

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 Prime Minister will meet leading digital entrepreneurs and innovators from across the country on Wednesday 15 November, as she announces a series of measures to support the continued growth and success of the UK’s world-class tech sector.

In the run up to the Budget, the Prime Minister and Chancellor will co-host a tech roundtable and reception at Downing Street, and reaffirm the Government’s enduring commitment to this vital industry.

The PM and Chancellor will announce a new package of support to ensure Britain remains at the forefront of global innovation, which includes:

• Doubling to 2,000 the number of visas available to the brightest and best talent from around the world, including in digital technology
• An investment of £21 million to expand Tech City UK into a nationwide network – Tech Nation – to accelerate the growth of the digital tech sector across the country
• A new £20 million fund to help public services take advantage of UK expertise in innovative technologies like Artificial Intelligence
• The launch of a £20 million training programme which will challenge thousands of young people aged between 14 and 18 to test their skills against simulated online cyber threats

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

Our digital tech sector is one of the UK’s fastest-growing industries, and is supporting talent, boosting productivity, and creating hundreds of thousands of good, high-skilled jobs up and down the country.

It is absolutely right that this dynamic sector, which makes such an immense contribution to our economic life and to our society, has the full backing of Government.

Helping our world-class entrepreneurs and innovators to succeed is how we lay the foundations for our prosperity and build an economy fit for the future.

Technology is at the heart of our modern Industrial Strategy, and we will continue to invest in the best new innovations and ideas, in the brightest and best talent, and in revolutionary digital infrastructure.

And as we prepare to leave the European Union, I am clear that Britain will remain open for business. That means Government doing all it can to secure a strong future for our thriving tech sector and ensure people in all corners of our nation share in the benefits of its success.

The Home Office will look at how it can work with organisations across the UK to ensure wider take up of the additional visas outside London. Alongside this, the Home Secretary will meet with technology experts to seek their input on making sure our visa processes are as efficient as possible.

The new funding for Tech Nation will see the organisation expand its successful hub model to more cities around the country, including Belfast, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Birmingham. Building on the work of existing regional clusters, Tech Nation will support 40,000 entrepreneurs and up to 4,000 start-ups as they scale their businesses.

The new ‘GovTech’ challenge fund will encourage UK firms to use technology to solve challenges facing the public sector, while a dedicated new team will act as a front door into Whitehall to connect tech companies to the right parts of Government.

A new £2 million pilot voucher scheme is also being launched today by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), in Aberdeenshire, Bristol/Bath and North East Somerset, Coventry and Warwickshire, and West Yorkshire. This is part of Government’s pledge to help bring the UK’s fastest and most reliable broadband to homes and businesses across the country. Local companies will be among those offered vouchers by broadband suppliers to pay for gold-standard full-fibre gigabit connections, to help revolutionise our digital infrastructure and make it fit for the future.

The PM and Chancellor will also confirm that over two million people have now received free digital skills training from businesses such as Barclays, Cisco, Google and Lloyds Banking Group, under the Digital Skills Partnership launched by DCMS earlier this year.

And there are just days left for students to apply for a new apprenticeship and university bursary worth £4,000 a year, being offered by the National Cyber Security Centre as part of Government’s investment in the next generation of cyber security specialists, digital entrepreneurs and tech innovators.

Chancellor Phillip Hammond said:

Britain is a world leader in digital innovation with some of the brightest and best tech firms operating in this country. Working with us, they can provide technological fixes to public sector problems, boost productivity, and get the nation working smarter as we create an economy fit for the future.

Brent Hoberman, Co-Founder and Chairman of Founders Forum, said:

I welcome the UK Government’s recognition of the importance and positive impact of the tech sector. These measures announced today will help reinforce the UK’s European leadership in technology and entrepreneurship.

Sherry Coutu CBE, Chair of Founders4Schools and the Scaleup Institute said:

The digital tech sector is a key component of the UK’s competitive advantage and these new measures are welcome news for innovative small and medium-sized businesses and third sector organisations by helping to create the conditions in which they can scale up.

Eileen Burbidge, Chair of Tech City UK, said:

We are delighted to hear that the Government wants to increase Tech City UK’s funding for the next four years. Under the Tech Nation banner, this country that has brought so much innovation to the world and leads in sub-sectors such as fintech, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, robotics and life sciences, will build a national network of digital excellence so that the UK will continue to be recognised as one of the best places in the world to start or grow a digital tech business.

Suppliers will be offering vouchers worth between £500 and £3000 each to local businesses which can then be used to pay for the installation of gigabit speed connections. The aim of the pilots is to encourage the market to extend full fibre infrastructure in the UK by increasing demand and reducing the cost to customers.

The many benefits of a full fibre gigabit connection include:

• allowing businesses to upload and download massive files in a matter of seconds
• enabling widespread use of videoconferencing throughout an organisation
• providing an unprecedented level of reliability whilst greatly enhancing resilience
• future proofing – making sure that businesses have the technology in place to deal with the ever increasing demands for internet speed and connectivity
• allowing businesses in remote communities to compete on a technologically level playing field with those companies based in major cities who may already have full fibre connectivity

Minister for Digital Matt Hancock said:

A world-class digital communications network is essential to ensure the UK’s future competitiveness in the global market and its ability to attract investment. Faster and more reliable connections are transforming the way we live and work, and better broadband supports businesses to grow and become more productive.

These voucher pilots, alongside a range of other actions, are testament to Government’s ambition for full fibre infrastructure across the UK to underpin our digital economy.

Four areas across the UK have been carefully selected to test the market conditions and infrastructure conditions we aim to help to create through the wider Local Full Fibre Network programme. The areas are:

• Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire
• Bristol, with Bath and North East Somerset
• Coventry and Warwickshire
• West Yorkshire Combined Authority (Bradford, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leeds, Wakefield and York)

This programme comes as part of the government’s £23 billion National Productivity Investment Fund aimed at improving productivity, which is key to raising living standards. This fund has already earmarked £740 million specifically for improving Britain’s digital infrastructure, ensuring the UK is match-fit for the future.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Andrew Jones MP, said:

We are determined to provide the infrastructure needed for British businesses to thrive and prosper. The rollout of next generation, full-fibre broadband will help do that.

Lightning internet speeds and unprecedented reliability will boost trade and ensure our firms can connect effortlessly to their customers and suppliers.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• For more information on the scheme, please go to https://gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk/
• The trial voucher Scheme will only allow vouchers to be used to help pay for new connections that are “gigabit capable”. Generally, this will mean that the connection is physically delivered using a fibre optic cable directly into the premises (FTTP).
• Connections delivered this way are future-proof and have the capability to provide incredibly fast and reliable broadband connections. Other technologies are supported by the Scheme – for example, wireless – but these too must provide gigabit capable connectivity.
• The trials comes hot on the heels of the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund announced earlier in the year, as well as new legislation to enable business rates relief for new fibre. Unlocking more than £1 billion for full fibre broadband, the fund has ignited interest from private finance to invest in the sector.
• £2m has been made available for vouchers for the test phase. Across the four areas this fund will operate as a single challenge fund. The market test phase will end when the money has gone or by the end of March 2019, whichever comes first.
• In order to take part in the Scheme, suppliers must be registered and must be able to demonstrate that they are genuinely able to provide the high quality connectivity the Scheme aims to support. If you think you meet these criteria in the areas where the test is taking place, contact us at: https://www.gigabitvoucher.culture.gov.uk

The Queen has been pleased to approve the following appointments:

• Penny Mordaunt MP as Secretary of State for International Development.
• Sarah Newton MP as Minister of State at the Department for Work and Pensions.
• Victoria Atkins MP as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office.

Further information

• Penny Mordaunt MP was previously Minister of State for Department for Work and Pensions
• Sarah Newton MP was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office.