As part of her commitment to tackle the injustice of mental illness the Prime Minister commissioned an independent review of mental health and employers which has found that around 300,000 people a year are leaving their jobs each year due to mental illness – costing employers up to £42 billion annually.
The Prime Minister is today confirming that NHS England and the Civil Service – two of the country’s largest employers – will abide by the recommendations of the report.
As a result NHS and Civil Service employees will now be guaranteed tailored in-house mental health support.
Alongside this, NHS England and the Civil Service will:
introduce a set of core and enhanced standards which will ensure employees have the knowledge, tools and confidence to understand and look after their own mental health – and the mental health of their colleagues
have support in place to help prevent mental illness being caused or worsened by work and equip those who have a mental illness to thrive
be held to account for delivering these standards by their relevant regulators so that employees can have faith they are being introduced effectively
Prime Minister Theresa May said:
I have made it a priority of this government to tackle the injustice of mental illness.
Vital to this is the need to have a comprehensive cross-government plan which transforms how we deal with mental illness not only in our hospitals or crisis centres but in our classrooms, shop floors and communities.
That’s why I commissioned this important review which starkly illustrates the cost of untreated mental illness – around 300,000 people with a long term mental health problem are losing their jobs each year.
And that has a big impact on businesses which are losing up to £43 billion each year as a result.
So we need to take action. That’s why I am immediately asking NHS England and the Civil Service – which together employ more than two million people – to accept the recommendations that apply to them.
With so many of our leading businesses leading the way in this area – and reaping the rewards as a result – I am sure that the private sector will follow suit.
It is only by making this an everyday concern for everyone that we change the way we see mental illness so that striving to improve your mental health – whether at work or at home – is seen as just as positive as improving our physical wellbeing.
The report from Lord Dennis Stevenson, a long-time campaigner for greater understanding and treatment of mental illness, and Paul Farmer CEO of Mind and chair of the NHS Mental Health Taskforce includes 40 recommendations for the public and private sector.
The Prime Minister is today writing to all metro mayors and key business groups including the CBI, IoD and Federation of Small Businesses to draw attention to the review and encourage them to implement the recommendations in their organisations and across their networks.
The government will consider the wider recommendations and respond in due course.
Alun Cairns calls for swift progress in the delivery of Swansea Bay Region City Deal during keynote speech in the city
UK Government announces £800,000 new investment in Swansea University’s SPECIFIC centre for UK’s first energy positive office
Welsh Secretary to visit city centre gallery as part of fact-finding visit for the race for the UK City of Culture 2021 title
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns will call on all partners to “pull together and make the Swansea Bay Region City Deal vision a reality” when he addresses delegates at the Policy Forum for Wales event in Swansea today (26 October).
Mr Cairns’ speech forms part of a wider visit to Swansea where he will also announce a £800,000 UK Government backed investment in Swansea University’s SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre.
The funding, delivered by Innovate UK, will be used to construct the world’s first energy positive office, capable of generating more energy than it uses.
In March this year, the Secretary of State stood alongside the Prime Minister and local partners to sign the Swansea Bay Region City Deal.
It is a deal which is expected to deliver more than 9,000 jobs and £1.3billion of investment through 11 targeted projects which will see Wales placed front and centre of global science and innovation.
Seven months on since the signing of the agreement, Mr Cairns will take to the stage at the Marriott Hotel to urge partners to now “push forward to delivery” so that the people of Swansea can start to “see the tangible benefits and investment being made.”
During the speech, he will outline how Swansea is benefitting from the UK Government’s prioritising of its infrastructure investment. The recent introduction of the innovative bi-mode Intercity Express trains will benefit passengers travelling across South Wales and the Government is also looking at making station improvements in Swansea and at ways to deliver direct services from London through to Pembroke Dock.
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:
These are exciting times for the Swansea region – not only because the dynamism of the projects that will be delivered through the City Deal, but also through the other investments that are being made in infrastructure that will stand the test of time.
The UK Government is ambitious for Swansea. That is why we are empowering the area to make the decisions to support the city’s own economic growth, boost employment and attract investment.
We need to seize the opportunities that are coming Swansea’s way. The potential the region has is immense but it is crucial that all levels of government, private and public sectors work together to drive it forward and make the region the powerhouse of innovation it deserves to be.
The energy positive office will be manufactured using cutting edge off-site manufacturing techniques and incorporate cutting edge, innovative energy harvest, storage and release technologies. The building will be completed by April 2018 and will be occupied immediately by up to 40 members of staff.
SPECIFIC is led by Swansea University and works with more than 50 partners from academia, industry and government to deliver its vision for buildings as power stations.
The Active Office will be linked to the Active Classroom – an existing space which provides teaching space and a laboratory for Swansea University students, as well as a building-scale development facility for SPECIFIC and its industry partners.
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:
The UK Government is committed to leading the world in delivering clean energy technology and today’s investment shows that we are prepared to support innovation in this critical area.
Research and innovation has a proven track record of helping drive our economy. Swansea University is making a huge contribution in this area, making great strides in science and research which is receiving plaudits all over the world. I look forward to seeing this new investment come to life and hope it will provide another boost to the ground-breaking research being taken forward by the University.
Ruth McKernan, Chief Executive of Innovate UK, said:
Building the UK’s first office that creates more power than it uses is a significant step, and I’m proud that it is Innovate UK funding that is making it happen. The Active Office heralds the future for building design and is a testimony to the fantastic work being done at Swansea University by the SPECIFIC team. This flagship demonstration of the ‘buildings as power stations’ concept will draw visitors from around the world and give us a glimpse of the future.
Professor Richard Davies, Vice Chancellor of Swansea University, said:
It is exciting to see SPECIFIC’s innovative ‘buildings as power stations’ concept becoming a practical reality. The Active Office at our magnificent Bay Campus follows closely on the heels of the ground-breaking Active Classroom. As well as demonstrating what is now possible off the grid, the new building will share energy with the Active Classroom, showing how buildings can work together to create energy resilient communities.
While in the city, the Secretary of State will also take the opportunity to find out more about the case being put forward by Swansea in the race for the UK City of Culture title in 2021.
He will visit the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery where curator Jenni Spencer-Davies will escort him on a tour of the gallery and provide an overview of the recent multi-million pound redevelopment of the space.
The Grade II listed gallery, which was founded in 1911, benefitted from a Thanks in part to a £576,500 Heritage Lottery Fund cash injection to help transform it into a destination art gallery of international significance, featuring new spaces for touring exhibitions, displays and lectures as well as a fully accessible entrance, café and shop.
NOTES TO EDITORS
Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency. Innovate UK drives productivity and growth by supporting businesses to realise the potential of new technologies, develop ideas and make them a commercial success.
The Swansea Bay City Region includes the local authority areas of Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Pembrokeshire and Neath Port Talbot, joined by Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and Hywel Dda University Health Boards, Swansea University and the University of Wales Trinity St David’s, and private sector partners.
Innovation and Knowledge Centres (IKCs) were co-funded by the Engineering Physical Research Council (EPSRC) and Innovate UK as a key component of the UK’s approach to the commercialisation of emerging technologies through creating early stage critical mass in an area of disruptive technology. They are able to achieve this through their international quality research capability and access to companion technologies needed to commercialise research.
IKC SPECIFIC was set up in 2011 with 5-year grant commitments from EPSRC, Innovate UK and Welsh Government, with phase II commitment in April 2016. There has been further investment across both phases from Swansea University, strategic industrial partners (BASF, NSG Pilkington and Tata Steel) and additional support from Cardiff University. IKC Specific has generated more than £40m of funding for allied R&D projects such as Sêr Solar and Swansea University’s Materials and Manufacturing Academy. The centre has developed research links with a number of other universities working in complementary research areas
Current status – Wednesday 25 October 2017 (15:45)
Preparations are continuing for the assessment of safe disposal options for chemicals identified during decommissioning work at our analytical services laboratory.
As we announced last night, we have requested the support of the Army’s EOD team in doing this.
Update at Tuesday 24 October 2017
As part of work to prepare for the decommissioning and demolition of the historic analytical laboratories at Sellafield, we identified a number of chemicals requiring safe disposal.
Following the safe and successful controlled detonation by the army’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team at the weekend we are now seeking further technical advice from the EOD to assist us with further chemical disposals. This work will take place in due course.
Disposal of historic chemicals is a common procedure. The EOD team deal with redundant chemicals including from schools, universities and hospitals, hundreds of times a year.
Operations in the laboratory complex have been stood down to enable these further technical assessments.
Employees should attend work as normal.
Key facts:
Even in a worst case scenario, a release of radioactivity from the site is not credible.
Our mission is to clean up and decommission the Sellafield site – the oldest and most complex nuclear site in the UK. We discover things like this because we proactively go looking for them.
The chemicals we are dealing with at Sellafield are contained within a complex of laboratories.
The chemicals are in sealed containers and the containers are in good condition.
Sellafield Ltd has engaged with our regulators throughout this process and will continue to do so. Sellafield Ltd’s investigation will be made available to them.
We stood down the on-coming shift in the laboratory complex, in order to make it easier for the EOD team to come in and assess the situation.
The rest of the Sellafield site (over 1,000 buildings, which are home to over 10,000 employees) is operating normally tonight, and will be tomorrow.
This Order brings into force section 154 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (which relates to littering from vehicles in England) on 25th October 2017.
Highways England and a group of environmental volunteers have picked up a major award after transforming land alongside the A30 in Devon into a hotspot for wildlife.
The Big Biodiversity Challenge – Maintenance and Management Award was won by Highways England and the Sticklepath and Okehampton Conservation Group (STOC) for an innovative scheme at Blackhall Farm enhancing habitats and creating stepping stones for wildlife species to move across the area.
The land, owned by Highways England, had already been identified as having potential and benefits for habitat connectivity but funding needed to be identified to take the project forward.
With the help of StOC volunteers, labour costs were kept to a minimum and just £1400 was spent on materials and the hire of a mini digger.
Over a three year period a wetland area has been created, new hedges laid and woodland has been looked after and actively managed at the 1.5 hectare site.
Highways England ecologist Leo Gubert, said:
I am delighted for all of us that we have won this CIRIA award. It is a perfect example of how community involvement can result in wonderful benefits for biodiversity on the land we manage while providing a real sense of achievement for everyone involved.
The hard working volunteers from StOC kept working under all weather conditions with a never fading enthusiasm. It has been a real pleasure to work with them.
The new approach of Highways England ecologists working alongside volunteers has seen numerous benefits at Blackhall Farm, including:
An explosion in wild flower species providing foraging habitat for pollinators
A large woodland area thinned and coppiced and hedges laid providing habitat for dormice, birds, invertebrates and other small mammals
Habitat created for aquatic species, including a rare local damselfly
StOC group coordinator Mike Watson said:
The group has thoroughly enjoyed taking part in this project with Highways England and Kier and it’s wonderful the work has been recognised by this award.
It feels good to know that we have made a difference and achieved so much in the three years we have been involved. We are looking forward to getting back to the site and continuing the good work.
The project will continue for the foreseeable future and plans include installing a bee bank using soil from a nearby construction scheme and planting woodland bulbs in the coppiced area.
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.
Be prepared for the unexpected is the stark warning from volunteer flood wardens in Calderdale.
Katie Kimber is one of two Environment Agency flood wardens in a newly formed group set up to help protect residents and businesses in Luddenden Foot and they are looking to recruit more this Autumn.
She lives a row of houses at the bottom of the Calder Valley that has a canal running at the front and a river behind them, with their gardens protected by a high wall. Until Boxing Day 2015 they had never been flooded.
Katie said:
I was completely unprepared. I had only just moved to the area and even though the damage I suffered was minimal compared to houses just a stone throw away it made me determined to be ready for the next time.
The mother of two children, aged 12 and 15, now has a flood plan for her own property and has helped set up a flood container for her local community kitted out with sandbags, Floodsax, brushes, spades, gulley cleaners, wheelbarrows, gloves and hand hygiene gel – all the provisions needed for clean-up operations.
Katie has recently attended a sessions with Calder Valley Search and Rescue where the team demonstrated the dangers of water and how to keep safe during a flood event. She has worked with her husband to develop an app called Flood Aware for tracking water levels in the local area. Her role is to work with the Environment Agency to provide them with valuable local knowledge about what is happening on the ground and to support her community in the event of a flood – particularly older and vulnerable people living in the hamlet.
Her advice to all residents is to make sure they have measures in place to protect their own property, sign up for the Environment Agency weather warnings and flood alerts available by email, text and phone, check what the warnings mean and what they should do, keep a close eye on the weather outside and the levels of nearby rivers, particularly during prolonged, heavy rain.
Katie, whose day job is working for Watermark Flood Fund Calderdale, a Community Foundation For Calderdale project which raises money to provide grants in case of future flooding and provides public relations support for Landlines and Watermarks – a unique community arts project with a water theme – said:
Expect the unexpected, have FloodSax or something similar ready under your sink and an emergency bag full of essentials such as a change of clothes, wellies, mobile phone, snacks. Even if you feel silly knock on your neighbour’s door if you have any concerns.
A positive to come out of the recent flooding incident is we have become a very close-knit community, we know and look out for each other.
Karl Boggis, father of two young boys, joined the Mytholmroyd flood group shortly after there were two flood events just two weeks apart in his village in 2012. The group has developed from being a small local pressure group to being the ‘eyes and ears’ of organisations such as the Environment Agency (EA) with 22 active volunteer wardens covering eight zones. The flood wardens receive early warnings of bad weather on the horizon from the EA’s duty officer and one of group’s first tasks is to set up a communications cell in one of their living rooms to provide people of Mytholmroyd with regular updates using their Facebook Group about all flood related activity.
Karl is part of the Mytholmroyd flood group
They communicate with each other using radios, visit neighbours to ask them to move any cars at risk and move property upstairs to safety, help evacuate local schools if necessary and will direct traffic to keep it out of flood water.
Karl, a town councillor and former town Mayor, said:
We know all the hot spots now, which areas are more at risk of flooding so we visit them first to check everything is OK and make them aware of the likelihood of bad weather. We have evacuation plans for some houses, check drains and gullies to make sure they are not blocked. When necessary, we will open up the cabin store in Mytholmroyd for people to collect sandbags.
A lot of our work is through effective communications and making sure people don’t panic. We ask people to stay at home, turn their radios on and if they have elderly neighbours please check on them.
As part of my role I visit people in my local community to introduce myself as their flood warden so they know who to contact if they have a problem. Most of our hard work is actually to help people clear up after a flood.
Karl, a property developer who also works part-time in a utility warehouse distributor, had six of his seven properties badly damaged during the Boxing Day floods with water reaching 10ft in his own house. He said:
Sometimes we do get alerted to bad weather and it doesn’t materialise which does make people complacent. However, the effects of floods are so devastating it is much better to be warned and be safe than sorry.
All flood wardens in Calderdale are being encouraged to take part in an exercise to test their flood plans on the 20th October to coincide with the Upper Calder flood sirens being sounded as part an annual test.
When asked what qualities you need to be a flood warden Karl said:
You need plenty of community spirit, a desire to help and good local knowledge helps.
Jon Follows, flood resilience officer with the Environment Agency, said:
The local knowledge flood wardens can provide on the ground is invaluable. They complement our work by implementing their community action plans and offer a key point of contact for us to be able to warn and inform people.
These days with climate change our weather is becoming even more unpredictable and so it’s vital for communities at risk to protect themselves by signing up for free flood warnings, and prepare a flood plan.
1 in 6 properties in England are at risk of flooding – that’s almost 5 million people. A big worry is that only about half of the people who are in a flood risk area, actually know about it.
Jon’s advice is to start by taking three simple steps to help protect you, your family and home from the devastating effects flooding:
Check your flood risk – Use the Environment Agency maps to find out if you are at risk from flooding
If you are interested in becoming a flood warden or would like to ask questions, please email the flood resilience team at yorkshiresw.fim@environment-agency.gov.uk.
For the latest information on current flood warnings and the local weather forecast, Calderdale residents can visit the ‘Eye on Calderdale’ website – www.eyeoncalderdale.com
You can also stay up to date by following @EnvAgencyYNE and #floodaware on Twitter.
On Boxing Day 2015 around 370 properties were flooded in Mytholmroyd as extreme rainfall affected the upper Calder Valley. Since then, Environment Agency teams have carried out thousands of inspections, made crucial repairs and constructed temporary defences. A flood action plan for the town was published in May 2016 setting out plans for permanent improvements to flood protection.
New steps will be taken to deal with litter louts and those few who mindlessly throw rubbish from their vehicles, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey announced today.
Cleaning up our streets and countryside currently costs the taxpayer almost £800 million a year and so maximum on-the-spot fines for dropping litter will almost double from April next year – from the current limit of £80 to £150 – in order to deter and punish the anti-social minority who continue to drop rubbish.
In future councils will also be able to impose these fines on the owners of vehicles from which litter is thrown, even if it was discarded by someone else. The government is clear these fines should not be abused simply as a means of raising money, so guidance on how fines should be applied will be issued to councils.
Environment minister Thérèse Coffey said:
Littering blights our communities, spoils our countryside and taxpayers’ money is wasted cleaning it up.
Throwing rubbish from a vehicle is just as unacceptable as dropping it in the street and we will tackle this antisocial behaviour by hitting litter louts in the pocket.
These new fines will make sure the perpetrators, not the local community, bear the cost of keeping our streets and roads clean.
Today’s announcement means that:
From April next year, the maximum on-the-spot fine local authorities can issue for dropping litter will nearly double, from £80 to £150. The minimum fine will increase from £50 to £65, while the default fine will increase from £75 to £100.
For the first time, local authorities will also be able to apply these penalties for littering to vehicle owners if it can be proved litter was thrown from their car – even if it was discarded by somebody else.
The changes to fines for littering follow a public consultation as part of the launch of England’s first ever Litter Strategy in April 2017. These new findings showed the vast majority of respondents were in favour of increasing on-the-spot fines.
More than 85% were in favour of increasing fixed penalties for littering, while local authorities agreed that new penalties to tackle littering from cars would help to improve environmental quality in their area. The government is today confirming that it will proceed with these measures, with legislation introduced by the end of this year and the new fines in place by April next year, subject to parliamentary approval.
The government is clear however that councils must not abuse the power to impose fines. Councils should take into account local circumstances, like local ability to pay, when setting the level for these fines. Government guidance will be issued around the turn of the year to ensure the new powers are used in a fair and proportionate way by local authorities.
Salahuddin Sahibzada and Muhammad Anjum have each been disqualified for six years having given disqualification undertakings to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, which commenced on 25 September 2017 and 3 October 2017, respectively.
Mr Sahibzada and Mr Anjum were the directors of New Lahore Express Limited, and on 18 April 2016 Home Office Immigration Enforcement Officers discovered that the company was employing five illegal workers.
The company went into liquidation on 17 August 2016 owing creditors £90,973. A penalty of £30,000 was imposed by the Home Office Immigration and Enforcement on 29 June 2016 for employing illegal workers which remained unpaid.
Commenting on the disqualification, Martin Gitner, Deputy Head of Investigations, West Midlands stated:
Illegal workers are not protected under employment law, and as well as cheating legitimate job seekers out of employment opportunities these employers defraud the tax payer and undercut honest competitors.
The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, makes employers responsible for preventing illegal workers in the UK. To comply with the law, a company must check and be able to prove documents have been checked prior to recruitment that show a person is entitled to work.
The public has a right to expect that those who break the law will face the consequences and this should serve as a warning to other directors tempted to take on illegal staff.
Notes to editors
Mr Salahuddin Sahibzada resides in Eastbourne and his date of birth is August 1973.
Mr Muhammad Anjum resides in Southend On Sea and his date of birth January 1963.
New Lahore Express Limited (CRO No. 06800253) was incorporated on 23 January 2009.
New Lahore Express Limited traded from 265 Bethnal Green Road, London E2 6AH and its registered office was at the same address.
Mr Sahibzada was a director from 29 September 2009 to the date of liquidation.
Mr Anjum was a director from 14 May 2014 to the date of liquidation.
The Company went to creditors voluntary liquidation on 17 August 2016 with as estimated deficiency of £90,973.
On 4 September 2017, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Mr Sahibzada, effective from 25 September 2017, for a period of 6 years.
On 12 September 2017, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Mr Anjum, effective from 3 October 2017, for a period of 6 years.
Following a visit from Home Office Immigration Officers in April 2016, a breach was discovered, New Lahore Express Limited was issued with a penalty notice in the sum of £30,000 which remained outstanding at the date of liquidation.
A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:
act as a director of a company
take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
be a receiver of a company’s property
Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.
The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.
BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.
The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.
Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.
This service is for journalists only. For any other queries, please contact the Insolvency Enquiry line on 0300 678 0015.
For all media enquiries outside normal working hours, please contact the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Press Office on 020 7215 1000.
Regulation 2 of these Regulations amends the Social Security (Information-sharing in relation to Welfare Services etc.) Regulations 2012 (S.I. 2012/1483).
