Category: Gov Press Releases

Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific Mark Field is visiting Manila today (16 August) for a programme that will include a keynote speech on the rules-based international system (RBIS) and discussions on strengthening further bilateral relations with the Philippines.

During his visit, the Minister will meet governmental officials including Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez, Defence Secretary Maj Gen Delfin Lorenzana, and Senator Loren Legarda.

In his speech, Mr Field will join Australian Ambassador Amanda Gorley to highlight the benefits the RBIS has brought to all countries.

Speaking ahead of his visit to the Philippines, Minister Mark Field said:

The rules-based international system has had a hugely positive impact on global security and prosperity, protecting people and countries, and helping them to achieve their potential. This is why the UK is working so hard to cherish and protect these rules.

Mr Field will also meet members of the finance and business communities, as well as green finance experts and trade officials to raise the UK’s profile in the Philippines.

The Minister’s visit to Manila is the second stop on a six-country Southeast Asia trip.

Further information

• Follow Foreign Office Minister Mark Field @MarkFieldUK
• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook
• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

Thousands more women in Malawi will benefit from family planning services through new support announced by Minister for Africa Harriett Baldwin today.

During a visit to the Scotland Malawi Partnership in Edinburgh Ms Baldwin set out how the six year programme, called Tsogolo Langa which translates as ‘My Future’, will provide important sexual and reproductive health services for more than 300,000 Malawians and save an estimated 6,000 preventable maternal deaths.

Ahead of the visit Ms Baldwin said:

Every woman has a right to a happy and healthy life. This is about empowering women to take control of their own health and their own futures.

Malawi’s long term success matters to the UK. That is why I am proud UK aid is supporting these vital services for hundreds of thousands of young Malawians, allowing them to make decisions on their families and futures in a safe and informed way.

UK aid will provide access to modern contraceptives, help clinics from running out of stock and provide accurate health information for women in harder to reach rural areas. It will also work with young people to reduce teenage pregnancies and prevent unwanted pregnancies.

The Department for International Development (DFID) will work with the Government of Malawi’s Ministry of Health to deliver the programme, supporting the country’s aim to reduce its high teenage pregnancy rate.

Minister of Health and Population for the Government of Malawi, Atupele Muluzi said:

This assistance is very timely as Malawi continues to further stabilise its population growth that is driven by teenage pregnancy, currently standing at 29%.

Malawi still has a huge gap in providing different choices in contraceptives and this investment will assist in helping young women have more control of their future. Malawi appreciates the support that it receives from the UK Government, as our oldest and largest partner to our development.

DFID’s family planning support in the world’s poorest countries is helping women finish their education, get better jobs, fulfil their potential and in turn provide for their smaller planned families.

This latest support comes after Ms Baldwin’s visit to Malawi last month during which she announced £37.5 million of new UK aid funding to support early grade learning and keep more girls in school. Ms Baldwin also visited Majete National Park to see how the UK is supporting efforts to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.

Chief Executive of the Scotland Malawi Partnership, David Hope-Jones said:

We are delighted to meet Minister Baldwin and discuss the scale and impact of the people-to-people and nation-to-nation friendship Scotland enjoys with Malawi.

We welcome these new DFID funding commitments which will have a significant positive impact in Malawi.

While in Edinburgh, Ms Baldwin also visited the Royal Hospital for Sick Children where she met with the Chief Executive of World Child Cancer Jon Rosser, and Dr Emma Johnson, a paediatric oncologist who has volunteered with World Child Cancer for eight years.

World Child Cancer works to treat children suffering from cancer in developing countries by twinning hospitals with those in richer countries to support training and improve the quality of care available to children with cancer, regardless of where they are born.

Over the last year, World Child Cancer has received UK Aid Match support, meaning for every £1 donated to them by the British public, £1 has been matched by the UK government through DFID.

Notes to editors

• The Department for International Development’s (DFID) programme Tsogolo Langa (£50.1 million) will build on progress made by previous DFID family planning programmes in Malawi, in support of the UK’s commitment to address adolescent and young women’s sexual and reproductive health needs, particularly access to modern contraceptives.
• Tsogolo Langa will enable women in Malawi to make informed voluntary choices regarding whether and when to have children, and how many to have. DFID will work collaboratively with the Government of Malawi through the Ministry of Health Reproductive Health Directorate to deliver the programme.
• The programme is a strategic investment to help the Government of Malawi realise its goal to reach 60% contraceptive prevalence rate for all women and to reduce teenage pregnancies year-on-year by 2020, a commitment made at the Family Planning Summit 2017.
• In July 2017, the UK hosted a major international summit on family planning, in partnership with UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
• The Summit brought together leaders from around the world to work together to remove barriers to family planning services so that voluntary, modern contraception could be offered to many more millions of women in the world’s poorest countries across Africa and Asia.
• At the Summit, the UK committed to supporting millions of women in developing countries where there is no or poor access to contraceptives, contraceptive choices are limited or unaffordable, or women are blocked from accessing family planning services due to stigma or lack of information.

Today, Tuesday 14 August, The Planning Inspectorate has announced that the application for the upgrade and reopening Manston Airport has been accepted by the Secretary of State for Housing Communities and Local Government for examination.

The application for the proposed project was submitted on 17 July 2018 and the decision has been made within of the 28 day statutory deadline.

The application is for the upgrade and reopening of Manston Airport primarily as a cargo airport, with some passenger services, with a capacity of at least 12,000 air cargo movements per year.

In accordance with the Planning Act 2008 (as amended by the Localism Act 2011) , when considering whether or not to accept an application for examination, the Secretary of State has regard to the application documents submitted, any adequacy of consultation representations received from local authorities, and the extent to which the developer has had regard to any guidance issued. Other matters relating to the application will be considered by the Examining Authority during the examination and interested parties will have an opportunity take part in that process and give their views if they wish.

It is now for the applicant, RiverOak Strategic Partners Ltd, to publicise the fact that its application has been accepted for examination and invite people who are interested in the proposal to register with the Planning Inspectorate as an interested party by making a relevant representation.

Once the period for registering as an interested party has opened, people will easily be able to register online with the Planning Inspectorate by visiting the project’s page and completing the online ‘Registration and Relevant Representation form’. Alternatively, those without internet access may call the Planning Inspectorate helpline: 0303 444 5000 for a printed registration form.

Sarah Richards, Chief Executive, Planning Inspectorate said. “After careful consideration we have decided on behalf of the Secretary of State that the application submitted by RiverOak Strategic Partners Ltd met the required tests set out in the legislation to be accepted for examination”.

“The decision has been made within the statutory deadline. It demonstrates our ability to deliver a predictable, fair and efficient examination process that provides certainty for everyone involved.”

“The applicant must now decide and publicise when members of the public can play a part in the examination process by registering with the Planning Inspectorate as an interested party to give their views.”

Interested parties in an application can:

• Say what they agree or disagree with in the application and why;
• Comment on what other people have said in their representations;
• Attend a Preliminary Meeting and say how they think the application should be examined;
• Request that an open floor hearing is held; and
• Attend and request to speak at open floor or issue-specific hearings should one be held.

The Planning Inspectorate’s Advice Note 8.3, ‘How to register and become an interested party in an application’ is available on the Inspectorate’s website or a copy can be requested by calling 0303 444 5000.

Ends

Journalists wanting further information should contact the Planning Inspectorate Press Office, on: 0303 444 5004 or 0303 444 5005 or email: pressoffice@pins.gsi.gov.uk.

Notes to editors:

• The acceptance to proceed to examination decision and a copy of the application can be viewed at the Manston Airport project page on the Planning Inspectorate’s website.
• The Planning Inspectorate, National Infrastructure Programme of Projects details the proposals which are anticipated to be submitted to the Planning Inspectorate as applications in the coming months.
  Copies of the application documents can be viewed online on the project page.

The process in a snapshot

There are six key stages within the process. The summary below provides examples of when and how people have an opportunity to provide evidence to the Planning Inspectorate.
Pre-application

Key activities:

• Project development / developer’s pre-application consultation and publicity.
• Environmental impact assessment preparation and scoping, where required.

Public involvement:

• Have their say on the proposal to the developer through their pre application consultation
  Acceptance by the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State

Key activities:

• The Secretary of State has 28 days from the day after receipt to decide whether or not an application should be accepted for examination

Public involvement:

• Details will be posted at the Planning Inspectorate’s website on how to register as an interested party – once an application has been accepted for examination and publicised by the developer.
• Opportunity to legally challenge a decision not to accept an application.

Pre-examination

Key activities:

• Single Inspector or a Panel of three or more Inspectors appointed.
• Preliminary Meeting called and held.
• Procedure and timetable set for examination.

Public involvement:

• Register to say what you agree or disagree with in the application
• Submit your representation
• View application documents submitted by the developer on the Planning Inspectorate website
• Attend the Preliminary Meeting
• Say how the examination should be conducted.

Examination

Key activities:

• A maximum of six months to carry out the examination

Public involvement:

• Submit more detailed comments in writing
• Comment on what other people have said
• Request and attend an open-floor hearing
• If being held, request to speak at open-floor and / or issue specific hearing(s)
• Comment on the local authority’s Local Impact Report – detailing the impact of the scheme on the local area.

Decision

Key activities:

• A maximum of three months for Planning Inspectorate to issue a recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State, with a statement of reasons.
• The relevant Secretary of State then has a further three months from receiving the recommendation in which to issue the decision.

Post decision

Key activities:

• Six weeks for any legal challenge.

Public involvement:

Opportunity to challenge.

England

In England, the June data shows on average, house prices have risen by 0.3% since May 201. The annual price rise of 2.7% takes the average property value to £245,076.

The regional data for England indicates that:

• West Midlands experienced the greatest monthly price rise, up by 1.9%
• the North East saw the most significant monthly price fall, down by 1.9%
• London saw the lowest annual price increase, down by 0.7%

Price change by region for England

Region	Average price June 2018	Monthly change % since May 2018
East Midlands	£187,553	-0.5
East of England	£292,632	1.0
London	£476,752	-0.6
North East	£127,271	-1.9
North West	£159,801	0.5
South East	£325,107	0.6
South West	£252,558	-0.5
West Midlands	£196,015	1.9
Yorkshire and the Humber	£160,727	0.9

Repossession sales by volume for England

The lowest number of repossession sales in April 2018 was in the East of England.

The highest number of repossession sales in April 2018 was in the North West.

Repossession sales	April 2018
East Midlands	45
East of England	9
London	37
North East	64
North West	120
South East	45
South West	42
West Midlands	40
Yorkshire and the Humber	68
England	470

Average price by property type for England

Property type	June 2018	June 2017	Difference %
Detached	£367,947	£357,220	3.0
Semi-detached	£229,360	£220,112	4.2
Terraced	£198,836	£192,410	3.3
Flat/maisonette	£226,638	£227,646	-0.4
All	£245,076	£238,595	2.7

Funding and buyer status for England

Transaction type	Average price June 2018	Annual price change % since June 2017	Monthly price change % since May 2018
Cash	£230,065	2.4	0.0
Mortgage	£252,647	2.9	0.4
First-time buyer	£206,005	2.5	0.5
Former owner occupier	£277,690	2.9	0.1

Building status for England

Building status*	Average price April 2018	Annual price change % since April 2017	Monthly price change % since March 2018
New build	£310,029	7.8	3.9
Existing resold property	£238,785	3.2	0.9

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for England

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for England show:

• the number of completed house sales in England fell by 19.3 per cent to 50,308 compared with 62,318 in April 2017

Month	Sales 2018	Sales 2017	Difference %
March	62,237	74,386	-16.3
April	50,308	62,318	-19.3

London

London shows, on average, house prices have fallen by 0.6% since May 2018. An annual price fall of 0.7% takes the average property value to £476,752.

Average price by property type for London

Property type	June 2018	June 2017	Difference %
Detached	£909,473	£890,539	2.1
Semi-detached	£588,852	£569,116	3.5
Terraced	£496,983	£490,877	1.2
Flat/maisonette	£416,101	£428,001	-2.8
All	£476,752	£480,152	-0.7

Funding and buyer status for London

Transaction type	Average price June 2018	Annual price change % since June 2017	Monthly price change % since May 2018
Cash	£495,907	-1.7	-1.2
Mortgage	£470,879	-0.4	-0.4
First-time buyer	£417,193	-1.1	-0.6
Former owner occupier	£537,783	-0.2	-0.7

Building status for London

Building status*	Average price April 2018	Annual price change % since April 2017	Monthly price change % since March 2018
New build	£512,049	3.9	4.3
Existing resold property	£477,123	-0.3	1.3

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for London

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for London show;

• the number of completed house sales in April 2018 fell by 26% to 5,272 compared with 7,120 in April 2017

Month	Sales 2018	Sales 2017	Difference %
March	6,685	8,659	-22.8
April	5,272	7,120	-26.0

Wales

Wales shows, on average, house prices have risen by 1.7% since May 2018. An annual price rise of 4.3% takes the average property value to £156,886.

Average price by property type for Wales

Property type	June 2018	June 2017	Difference %
Detached	£234,339	£225,439	3.9
Semi-detached	£151,991	£143,947	5.6
Terraced	£121,586	£116,907	4.0
Flat/maisonette	£114,043	£110,994	2.7
All	£156,886	£150,394	4.3

Funding and buyer status for Wales

Transaction type	Average price June 2018	Annual price change % since June 2017	Monthly price change % since May 2018
Cash	£152,601	4.0	1.8
Mortgage	£159,428	4.5	1.6
First-time buyer	£135,691	4.2	1.9
Former owner occupier	£181,538	4.4	1.4

Building status for Wales

Building status*	Average price April 2018	Annual price change % since April 2017	Monthly price change % since March 2018
New build	£210,429	7.9	2.1
Existing resold property	£150,819	2.5	-0.3

*Figures for the two most recent months are not being published because there are not enough new build transactions to give a meaningful result.

Sales volumes for Wales

The most up-to-date HM Land Registry sales figures available for Wales show:

• the number of completed house sales in April 2018 fell by 13.9% to 3,005 compared with 3,490 in April 2017
• there were 54 repossession sales in April 2018

Month	Sales 2018	Sales 2017	Difference %
March	3,547	3,909	-9.3
April	3,005	3,490	-13.9

Access the full UK HPI

UK house prices rose by 3.0% in the year to June 2018, down from 3.5% in the year to May 2018. This is the lowest UK annual rate since August 2013 when it was also 3.0%.

The UK Property Transaction Statistics for June 2018 showed that on a seasonally adjusted basis, the number of transactions on residential properties with a value of £40,000 or greater was 96,340. This is 5.7% lower compared to a year ago. Between May and June 2018, transactions decreased by 3.0%.

West Midlands was the fastest growing region with an annual growth rate of 5.8%, up from 5.0% in the previous month. London was the slowest growing region, falling by 0.7% in the year to June 2018, down from negative 0.2% in the previous month.

See the economic statement.

Notes to editors

1. The UK House Price Index (HPI) is published on the second or third Wednesday of each month with Northern Ireland figures updated quarterly. The July 2018 UK HPI will be published at 9.30am on Wednesday 19 September 2018. See calendar of release dates.
2. We have made some changes to improve the accuracy of the UK HPI. We are not publishing average price and percentage change for new builds and existing resold property as done previously because there are not currently enough new build transactions to provide a reliable result. This means that in this month’s UK HPI reports, new builds and existing resold property are reported in line with the sales volumes currently available.
3. The UK HPI revision period has been extended to 13 months, following a review of the revision policy (see calculating the UK HPI section 4.4). This ensures the data used is more comprehensive.
4. Sales volume data is also available by property status (new build and existing property) and funding status (cash and mortgage) in our downloadable data tables. Transactions involving the creation of a new register, such as new builds, are more complex and require more time to process. Read revisions to the UK HPI data.
5. Revision tables have been introduced for England and Wales within the downloadable data. Tables will be available in CSV format. See about the UK HPI for more information.
6. Data for the UK HPI is provided by HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland, Land & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and the Valuation Office Agency.
7. The UK HPI is calculated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) andLand & Property Services/Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. It applies a hedonic regression model that uses the various sources of data on property price, in particular, HM Land Registry’s Price Paid Dataset, and attributes to produce estimates of the change in house prices each month. Find out more about the methodology used from the ONS and Northern Ireland Statistics & Research Agency.
8. The UK Property Transaction statisticsare taken from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) monthly estimates of the number of residential and non-residential property transactions in the UK and its constituent countries. The number of property transactions in the UK is highly seasonal, with more activity in the summer months and less in the winter. This regular annual pattern can sometimes mask the underlying movements and trends in the data series so HMRC also presents the UK aggregate transaction figures on a seasonally adjusted basis. Adjustments are made for both the time of year and the construction of the calendar, including corrections for the position of Easter and the number of trading days in a particular month.
9. UK HPI seasonally adjusted series are calculated at regional and national levels only. See data tables.
10. The first estimate for new build average price (April 2016 report) was based on a small sample which can cause volatility. A three-month moving average has been applied to the latest estimate to remove some of this volatility.
11. Work has been taking place since 2014 to develop a single, official HPI that reflects the final transaction price for sales of residential property in the UK. Using the geometric mean, it covers purchases at market value for owner-occupation and buy-to-let, excluding those purchases not at market value (such as re-mortgages), where the ‘price’ represents a valuation.
12. Information on residential property transactions for England and Wales, collected as part of the official registration process, is provided by HM Land Registry for properties that are sold for full market value.
13. The HM Land Registry dataset contains the sale price of the property, the date when the sale was completed, full address details, the type of property (detached, semi-detached, terraced or flat), if it is a newly built property or an established residential building and a variable to indicate if the property has been purchased as a financed transaction (using a mortgage) or as a non-financed transaction (cash purchase).
14. Repossession sales data is based on the number of transactions lodged with HM Land Registry by lenders exercising their power of sale.
15. For England, this is shown as volumes of repossession sales recorded by Government Office Region. For Wales, there is a headline figure for the number of repossession sales recorded in Wales.
16. The data can be downloaded as a .csv file. Repossession sales data prior to April 2016 is not available. Find out more information about repossession sales.
17. Background tables of the raw and cleansed aggregated data, in Excel and CSV formats, are also published monthly although Northern Ireland is on a quarterly basis. They are available for free use and re-use under the Open Government Licence.
18. HM Land Registry’s mission is to guarantee and protect property rights in England and Wales.
19. 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.
20. 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 showing evidence of ownership for some 85% of the land mass of England and Wales.
21. For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry
22. Follow us on Twitter @HMLandRegistry, our blog, LinkedIn and Facebook

Contact

The government is urging the UK’s geospatial sector and beyond to take part and share views on their future vision, as part of its call for evidence launched today.

The creation of the Geospatial Commission was announced in November 2017, to maximise the value of data linked to location, which could generate £11 billion a year.

By using location data, geospatial technology is transforming services across the private and public sectors to contribute to the #SmarterGov Government campaign, which helps deliver wider economic growth and productivity. From emergency services, transport planning, and 5G networks, to housing, smarter cities and drones – the UK’s geospatial infrastructure has the potential to revolutionise the UK’s economy.

The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, David Lidington, said,

The data revolution is changing the way we see the world and the way we live our lives – and this government is determined to make the most of the opportunities it presents.

The launch of today’s call for evidence is another key milestone in the Geospatial Commission’s exciting journey. We want to hear how the use of geospatial data can support economic growth and productivity across the United Kingdom, while transforming how public services are delivered.

This is crucial in helping to inform the UK’s first ever Geospatial Strategy, which the Government will launch next year.

Call for evidence document

The call for evidence document is linked to below:

Geospatial Commission: call for evidence 2018
(PDF, 1.76MB, 40 pages)

Call for evidence questionnaire

The call for evidence questionnaire is linked to below in various formats:

Geospatial Commission response questionnaire (odt)
(ODT, 18.9KB)

Geospatial Commission response questionnaire (docx)
(MS Word Document, 30.3KB)

Geospatial Commission response questionnaire (pdf)
(PDF, 88.9KB, 9 pages)

Initial analysis

This document sets out the initial high-level analysis which contributed to the Government’s announcement of the creation of a Geospatial Commission in the 2017 Autumn Budget:

Initial Analysis of the Potential Geospatial Economic Opportunity
(PDF, 453KB, 18 pages)

Notes to editors

Geospatial Commission

The Geospatial Commission is an impartial expert committee within the Cabinet Office, supported by £40 million of new funding in each of the next two years, and will drive the move to use public and private sector geospatial data more productively. Research estimates that this could contribute up to £11 billion of extra value for the economy every year. The Geospatial Commission is due to publish its first annual plan next Spring.

Further details on the Geospatial Commission can be found in this press release: Chancellor to unlock hidden value of government data

Partner bodies

The Geospatial Commission has 6 partner bodies. These are:

• British Geological Survey
• Coal Authority
• HM Land Registry
• Ordnance Survey
• UK Hydrographic Office
• Valuation Office Agency

Over £300,000 is now available for community projects that get tough on litter, Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey has announced today (15 August 2018).

The first round saw a number of councils, charities, businesses, and public projects awarded almost £125,000 to take innovative steps to tackle littering in their communities. The successful projects included measures to tackle littering by football fans, and working with hauliers and business owners to reduce roadside litter.

As part of the Fund, Defra is also preparing to launch a ‘digital innovation challenge’ to help find innovative digital and technological solutions to local litter challenges. We have already seen mobile apps like LoveCleanStreets, “Littergram” or “Find it Fix It Love It” showcase digital and technological solutions to help people report litter problems and see a speedy resolution.

The funding builds on the Government’s wider Litter Strategy for England, as well as the recent launch of the 25 Year Environment Plan setting out how Government will protect and enhance our natural environment. 10% of the fund is entirely dedicated to preventing marine litter.

Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey said:

This Government is tough on tackling litter which if left unchecked makes our towns and cities less pleasant places, poisons our wildlife, and blights our countryside.

That is why we are providing grants of up to £10,000 for communities to come up with creative solutions to tackle litter in their local area and I encourage local groups to apply.

It is only through government and communities working together that we will affect the long-term behavioural change that is needed to tackle this scourge, and leave the environment in a better state than we inherited it.

Communities Minister Rishi Sunak said:

We are determined to make our cities, towns and countryside greener, cleaner and tidier environments for all.

Brilliant ideas to make that happen were realised with the first round of funding. Now, we’re looking for people to come forward with inventive and impactful projects to build on that and our wider strategy to substantially reduce litter.

Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said:

Innovation is a vital part of turning the tide on litter. We need to find new ways to change the behaviour of those who think it is OK to drop their rubbish on the ground and new solutions that make it easier for people to do the right thing.

It is fantastic to see the Government supporting innovation through this scheme, which is helping organisations and communities develop exciting new ideas and approaches, and at Keep Britain Tidy we are delighted to be receiving funds to enable us to test new behavioural interventions through our award-winning Centre for Social Innovation.

Keeping the country’s streets clean cost local Government almost £700 million last year. Much of this is avoidable litter, and money that could be better spent in the community. Despite this, a worrying 1 in 5 people admit to dropping litter, with a recent study showing 1 in 4 people admit to ‘careful littering’ such as leaving drinks cans or coffee cups on window ledges.

Government has recently announced a range of new measures to get tough on litter including almost doubling on-the-spot fines for litter louts, and new penalties for littering from vehicles, making the keeper of the vehicle responsible even if it isn’t possible to identify precisely who threw the litter.

The UK continues to be a global leader in tackling waste, recently announcing a world-leading ban on microbeads, and proposals to extend the 5p plastic bag charge. Government has also recently announced an intention to ban the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, plans for a deposit return scheme to increase recycling rates of drinks bottles and cans, and launched a call for evidence on using the tax system or charges to address single-use plastic waste.

The Litter Innovation Fund application window closes 5 October.

Background

• The Litter Innovation Fund was set up as part of the Government’s Litter Strategy for England which was launched in April 2017 and is administered by the sustainability not-for-profit WRAP. A total of £450,000 is available for funding to local projects.
• The funding is evenly provided by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and funding awarded is limited to a maximum of £10,000 per project. Projects must also secure match-funding.
• The cost of £682m in 2016/17 for street cleaning is from Official local Government returns to DCLG.
• Further information on the Litter Innovation Fund is available on the WRAP website.
• Research on one in five admitting to having dropped litter in the past is from Keep Britain Tidy – Litter Droppers Segmentation research (2010).
• Research on 27% of people admitting to ‘careful littering’ is from a poll by YouGov for Keep Britain Tidy (2018).
• Results from the first round of projects will be published in due course.

On 30 July 2018, UK Visas and Immigration’s Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Freetown moved to a new premises. Customers making a new application should attend their appointment at the new VAC. Customers who have still to collect their application will now need to report to the new address.

UK visa customers will continue to complete their applications and pay their visa fee online at Visa4UK/ Access UK in exactly the same way as before, and choose an appointment at the TLS Contact VAC in Freetown.

The Visa Application Centre in Freetown will be open every week day between 08:30hrs – 14:30hrs. Customers will be able to make appointments to submit visa applications in Freetown between 08:30hrs and 14:30hrs Monday to Friday.

As before, applications made in Freetown will be processed in line with UKVI’s global customer service standards. All UK visa applications will continue to be decided by UK Visas and Immigration staff in a fair and objective process. Staff at the Visa Application Centre have no influence at all over the outcome of any visa application.

New Visa Application Centre Address

UK Visa Application Centre
TLS Contact
West African Sunshine Building
Gouji Property Development
Building No: 5
7 Lumley Beach Road
Aberdeen
Freetown