Following a 6-week consultation held last year, 3 options were presented to the public on plans to improve this busy commuter route. The proposals included junction improvements between junction 1 and 7 and additional lanes at points along the route.
The preferred route includes a number of improvements which aim to reduce the causes of congestion on the M621. This includes widening the carriageway at junction 2, closing junction 2a anti-clockwise and installing improved technology and signs along the route. The anti-clockwise carriageway at junction 3 will also be widened from 1 to 2 lanes and the way the lanes merge at junction 3 will also be changed to give priority to traffic on the main carriageway.
Highways England project manager Sarah Kearns said:
This is an exciting scheme and we look forward to moving this project to the next stage and improving the road for drivers heading into and out of Leeds.
The option we have chosen to take forward will work well alongside the other transport and infrastructure projects taking place around the city.
Highways England is currently carrying out improvements between junction 3 and junction 6 on the M621 until May 2018 as part of vital work which needs to take place before we begin work on this major scheme.
The works include the installation of central reserve concrete barrier for safety reasons and renewal of verge barriers and drains.
The Prime Minister has appointed Dame Shirley Pearce as a member of the Committee on Standards in Public Life following an open competition.
Shirley has held senior executive and non-executive roles in higher education, health and policing. She is currently Chair of Governors of the London School of Economics and Political Science, a member of the Higher Education Quality Assurance Panel for the Ministry of Education in Singapore and a Trustee for the Royal Anniversary Trust.
In 2013 Shirley was appointed by the Home Secretary as the inaugural Chair of the College of Policing (the first professional body for policing) where she oversaw the introduction of the first Code of Ethics for policing based on the Nolan Principles. She was also a Board member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, the Healthcare Commission and Health Education England.
She was Vice Chancellor of Loughborough University from 2006 – 2012, where she delivered a new strategy for the university which saw a significant increase in turnover, closer working with industry partners and research success in the Research Excellence Framework alongside a top rated student experience.
Earlier in her academic career she held appointments at University College London (UCL) and the University of East Anglia (UEA) where she established a new medical school with an innovative curriculum and a focus on primary care and inter-professional learning.
In 2005, Shirley was awarded a CBE for services to education in the National Health Service and in 2014 was appointed DBE for services to Higher Education.
The 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.
Shirley takes up the post effective immediately for a five-year term. Her appointment was made after open competition in line with the Cabinet Office Governance Code regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
Interview requests and media enquiries should go to Maggie O’Boyle on 07880 740627.
Dame Shirley Pearce replaces Sheila Drew Smith OBE, whose term ended on 16 February 2018.
The other members of the Committee are: Lord (Paul) Bew, Chairman, Rt Hon Dame Margaret Beckett DBE MP, Simon Hart MP, Dr Jane Martin CBE, Jane Ramsey, Monisha Shah, and Rt Hon Lord (Andrew) Stunell OBE.
Arts Minister Michael Ellis has placed a temporary export bar on Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), by Salvador Dalí and Edward James, to provide an opportunity to keep it in the country.
The sculpture is the last known example of the hand-painted white design in the UK. It is at risk of being exported unless a buyer can be found to match the asking price of £853,047 plus VAT.
Lobster Telephone was a collaboration between Dalí, one of the 20th century’s most influential artists, and his patron, English poet Edward James, who was known for his promotion of the Surrealist movement.
In total, eleven Lobster Telephones were commissioned by James in 1938. Of these, seven were hand-painted white and four were painted red. Each telephone was slightly different, meaning that each is unique.
The inspiration for the iconic piece came in 1936 when Dalí, James and others were eating lobsters and one of the discarded shells landed on a telephone.
Edward James owned one of the finest private collections of surrealist work – including both versions of the Lobster Telephone – at Monkton, his country house in West Sussex. Today, the majority of the white versions are in museums abroad, including public collections in Rotterdam, Florida, Johannesburg, Minneapolis and Lisbon.
Arts Minister Michael Ellis said:
Salvador Dali was one of the greatest artists of the 20th Century. This iconic work was created in the UK, and I want it to remain here.
It is important that we keep world-class art in this country and I hope a buyer can be found to save it for the nation.
With its suggestion of both eroticism and menace, pleasure and pain, Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac) is a classic surrealist conceit, recalling the ‘trap’ sculptures of Giacometti’s surrealist phase. It also anticipates by half a century the confrontational but also playful sculptures made of manufactured and natural found objects by artists such as Jeff Koons and Damien Hirst. Its importance cannot be overestimated.
The RCEWA noted that this ‘white on white’ Lobster Telephone was distinctly different from the red and black versions. It made its recommendation on the grounds of the sculpture’s close connection with our history and national life – especially James’s role as a patron and collector – its outstanding aesthetic importance and its significance for the study of the history of Surrealism, taste and design in the UK.
The decision on the export licence application for the sculpture will be deferred until 21 June 2018. This may be extended until 21 September 2018 if a serious intention to raise funds to purchase it is made at the recommended price of £853,047.23 (plus VAT of £29,000).
Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the sculpture should contact the RCEWA on 0845 300 6200.
An image of the work can be downloaded via our flickr site.
ENDS
For media information contact:
Faye Jackson,
Communications Officer,
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
Tel: 0207 211 6263
Email: faye.jackson@culture.gov.uk
Notes to editors
Details of the sculpture are as follows:
Salvador Dalí (1904-89) and Edward James (1907-84)
Lobster Telephone (White Aphrodisiac), 1938
Painted plaster, metal and Bakelite found object (telephone)
19 x 31.7 x 16 cm
Provenance: Made for Edward James by Green & Abbott in 1938.
The Edward James Foundation, West Dean, West Sussex.
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.
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.
Figures show that children are around 5 times more likely to live in poverty if they live in a workless household, compared to a household where all adults work. The number of children living in a workless household is down by almost 600,000 since 2010.
There’s also good news for household incomes as these have risen to another record high, with income growth continuing to outstrip inflation in 2016/17. Income inequality – the gap between the richest and poorest – has fallen and remains lower than in 2010. Material deprivation rates for children and pensioners are at their lowest ever.
The average household now takes home a record £494 a week, and compared to 2007/08 the poorest fifth of households are seeing an extra £1,000 after inflation added to their annual income.
Minister for Family Support, Housing and Child Maintenance, Kit Malthouse, said:
It’s fantastic news that one million fewer people are living in absolute poverty than in 2010, including 300,000 children. It makes sense that poverty rates are falling while the employment rate is increasing, and today’s figures confirm that work remains the best route out of poverty.
We know there is more to do to ensure that every child gets the very best chances in life. Our welfare reforms offer parents tailored support to move into work, ensuring that even more families can enjoy the opportunities and benefits that work can bring.
The news follows statistics released yesterday which show that the employment rate remains at a joint-record high of 75.3%, with 32.25 million people now in work. On average, we have seen 1,000 more people in a job every day since 2010.
We spend more on family benefits than any other country in the OECD, at 3.8% of GDP. Working families are benefitting from the introduction of the National Living Wage, and the rise in the personal tax threshold is taking the lowest paid out of tax. Through welfare reforms including Universal Credit, the government is making sure it always pays to be in work.
The government is continuing to protect all vulnerable groups in society, with disability benefits being exempt from the benefit freeze and the basic State Pension being protected through the ‘triple lock’.
Ms NneNne Iwuji-Eme has been appointed British High Commissioner to the Republic of Mozambique in succession to Ms Joanna Kuenssberg. Ms Iwuji-Eme becomes the first British black female career diplomat to be appointed High Commissioner. She will take up her new role in July 2018.
Ms Iwuji-Eme has spent 16 years in the Foreign Office, with roles ranging from Economic Adviser for Africa to Chief Press Officer to the Africa Minister, she has also worked as an Economist in Defra and for Royal Dutch Shell. Her most recent posting was to Brazil as First Secretary Prosperity and Acting Prosperity Consul.
NneNne Iwuji-Eme said:
“It is an honour and a privilege to be appointed High Commissioner to Mozambique.
“I hope my appointment as the first British black female career diplomat to this position will inspire young talent, regardless of race or background, to pursue their ambitions in the Foreign Office. I look forward to forging even stronger connections between Britain and Mozambique two close members of the Commonwealth family.”
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:
“As the country heads in a new and exciting direction, it’s important that we have the brightest and the best batting for Britain.
“Our great diversity is an invaluable asset on the global stage, and it’s only right that at all levels the FCO reflects this.
“As a continent with some of the world’s fastest growing economies, Africa is an important partner post Brexit. NneNne has the vision, experience and energy to take our relationship with Mozambique to the next level, and I congratulate her on her appointment.”
The Foreign Office has made huge strides in improving diversity. Just under a third of Missions (32per cent) are headed up by women up 200 per cent since 2008, and half the FCO board is female. Black and Minority Ethnic currently make up 13.4 per cent of Foreign Office staff, with the FCO board and BAME networks improving diversity with tailored training and mentoring programmes and a schools outreach programme.
The FCO is working to improve diversity in the Diplomatic Service and his been awarded a Gold banding for race, in the Business in the Community Diversity Benchmark, the UK’s most comprehensive benchmark for workplace diversity
CURRICULUM VITAE
Full name: Chigozirije NneNne Iwuji-Eme
2014 – present Sao Paulo, Deputy Prosperity Consul /Head of Prosperity
2013 – 2014 Brasilia, First Secretary (Political)
2012 FCO, Chief Press Officer covering Africa Minister, South Asia, North America, UN
2011 – 2012 FCO, Head of Section, Strategy and Resources, Global Economy Group
2009 – 2011 FCO, Head, Great Lakes Section, Africa Directorate
2008 FCO, Policy Analyst, Directorate for Strategy, Policy Planning, and Innovation
2006 – 2008 Royal Dutch Shell (Netherlands), Scenarios Planner/Senior Africa specialist
2002 – 2006 FCO, Head, Africa, Middle East and Transition Economies, Economic Policy Department
1999 – 2001 Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Economic Adviser
To mark the milestone, uniformed personnel from the Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Air Force, as well as a number of staff at attractions from across the County of Conwy have shown their support to the event by displaying the Armed Forces Day flag.
Excitement is brewing throughout the region for the event on the 30 June, with so many people wanting to show their support and say thank you to our serving personnel, veterans, cadets and their families for all the work they do to keep us safe at home and abroad.
On the 30 June, a parade of around 1,000 serving personnel, veterans, cadets and marching bands will step off from the Llandudno War Memorial at 11am to signal the start of the Armed Forces Day celebrations. The parade, which promises to be an impressive display of both sound and colour, will then march down the road adjacent to the promenade, culminating in a salute to a number of special guests and dignitaries outside Venue Cymru.
Serving personnel, veterans, families, friends and visitors will then have the chance to interact with exhibitions and activities along Llandudno Promenade and Bodafon Fields including static aircraft, armoured vehicles and a diving tank (all assets are subject to operational requirement). A fantastic opportunity for the public to get up close to military assets.
A full programme including an event site map will be released nearer the time.
A special thanks goes to the support of Welsh Government, our charity partners SSAFA, and the Royal British Legion for working with Conwy County Borough Council to make this event possible.
Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns said:
Armed Forces Day is a chance for communities across Wales to say thank you to our service personnel, veterans and their families for their service, commitment and courage.
And in 100 days’ time, all eyes will fall on Llandudno as host to the main nationwide celebration. I will be proud and privileged to be a part of these celebrations, joining thousands of people in expressing our gratitude to the men and women who do so much to preserve our freedom.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said:
I am delighted Wales has been chosen to host National Armed Forces Day this year, and look forward to joining friends at events in Llandudno in 100 days to formally thank our service men and women. We have a proud military history in Wales, and I also wish to pay tribute to the families of our Armed Forces personnel this year for the sacrifices they have made to support those who so selflessly chose to serve their country.
Cllr Liz Roberts, Armed Forces Champion, Conwy County Borough Council said:
Hosting Armed Forces Day is a huge coup for Llandudno, and despite still being 100 days away, an incredible amount of work has already been undertaken behind the scenes to highlight how our seaside town is the right environment for this event and make the forces community proud.
On Saturday 30 June, Llandudno will become the focal point for the UK as together we acknowledge the hard work and dedication of serving personnel and veterans.
It’s important to mark the 100-day milestone and showcase the support we have within the County of Conwy, across North Wales, and from the Armed Forces towards this fantastic event.
Colonel Lance Patterson, Deputy Commander 160th Infantry Brigade and Headquarters Wales, said:
“Armed Forces Day 2018 promises to be an important and fine occasion, not just for Llandudno but for the whole of Wales and the rest of the UK.
Councils across the country are set to receive a share of over £215 million from 2019 to prevent homelessness, Homelessness Minister Heather Wheeler confirmed today (22 March 2018). This includes a £15 million fund for London councils to support their work together to prevent and reduce homelessness.
This government is determined to help the most vulnerable in our society and to break the homelessness cycle once and for all. That why we’re investing over £1.2 billion in tackling the issue and bringing in the most ambitious legislation in decades that will mean people get the support they need earlier.
This latest funding gives councils the freedom to invest in homelessness services that work in their area, including support to prevent someone becoming homeless in the first place.
Today’s announcement comes ahead of the Homelessness Reduction Act which comes into force next month to significantly reform England’s legislation and ensure that more people get the help they need when they’re faced with homelessness.
It forms part of the government’s comprehensive approach to reducing homelessness, giving early support to those at risk of losing their homes.
In addition to total of £617 million in Flexible Homelessness Support Grant funding and implementing the Homelessness Reduction Act, the government is taking significant action to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping through:
a new cross-government Homelessness Reduction Taskforce supported by a panel of experts that will drive forward a new strategy to reduce homelessness with an initial focus on rough sleeping
£28 million funding for 3 ‘Housing First’ pilots in Manchester, Liverpool and the West Midlands to support long-term rough sleepers off the streets. Individuals will be provided with stable, affordable accommodation and intensive wrap-around support. This will to help them recover from complex health issues, for example substance abuse and mental health difficulties and sustain their tenancies
investing £9 billion to build more affordable housing, including council homes
supporting Housing Benefit and Universal Credit claimants living in areas where private rents have been rising fastest, the government will increase some Local Housing Allowance rates by increasing Targeted Affordability Funding by £40 million in 2018 to 2019 and £85 million in 2019 to 2020. This will increase the housing benefit awards of approximately 140,000 claimants in 2018 to 2019, by an average of £280, in areas where affordability pressures are greatest.
Further information
In April 2017, the government replaced the tightly controlled Department for Work and Pension’s Temporary Accommodation Management Fee (TAMF). This payment could only be used for expensive intervention when a household was already homeless, rather than on preventing it happening in the first place. The new grant empowers councils to act more strategically to support the full range of homelessness services, including preventing families from losing their homes in the first place.
On Monday EU foreign ministers expressed “unqualified solidarity” with the UK after the terrible attack in Salisbury and gave their support for our efforts to bring those responsible for justice, demanding urgent and full answers from the Russian government. EU ministers agreed the need to focus on the implications of this shocking incident.
Tomorrow the Prime Minister and other EU leaders will discuss this at the European Council. I came to Brussels today as part of the preparations for those discussions.
I had the opportunity to meet the High Representative and other senior EU officials and to brief representatives of all the Member States.
I set out the reasons for our clear assessment of Russian responsibility, the measured but clear response we were taking, the wider pattern of malign behaviour into which Salisbury fits, and the importance of a renewed and wider international focus, including from the EU, on the challenge Russia represents to our shared interests and values.
It was clear from my discussions not only the strong solidarity with my country but also the shared sense of gravity and determination to look carefully, calmly but purposefully at the implications, given the high stakes involved for our shared European security and the rules based international order.
Corporal Bayliss was killed when the Hawk T1 aircraft he was flying in crashed at RAF Valley at approximately 1330hrs on Tuesday 20 March 2018.
A Police investigation and a full Service Inquiry into the crash has been initiated. It would be inappropriate to speculate on the causes of the incident at this time.
Sergeant Will Allen, a close colleague of Corporal Jon Bayliss and the leader of the Red Arrows’ group of travelling support engineers, known as the Circus, for 2018 said:
Jon had the ability to motivate and inspire a team and those around him – no matter the rank, role or person. He was so proud to have been chosen to join the Circus team for 2018 and, in being one of the small group of engineers whose job it was to fly in a Red Arrows jet, had fulfilled a schoolboy dream.
Jon had a big a presence on the Squadron and with his wide beaming smile, and dry humour, could lighten up any dull moment or lift spirits when needed. Both inside and outside of work, he was a generous, kind and caring man who could also always be relied upon.
Having worked with Jon both at the Red Arrows and elsewhere in the Royal Air Force, I know how tirelessly he approached each task and was, what many would describe, a genuine grafter.
Squadron Leader Richard Bland, Senior Engineering Officer of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, said:
Everyone on the team has a great story about Jon and, without exception, he was known as a top bloke with an infectious smile, cheeky grin and possessing a dry sense of humour that had the ability to fill a room with laughter. At the same time, Jon was the ultimate professional and embodiment of excellence. As the leader of a team responsible for replenishing the jet’s dye systems last year, he led exceptionally well, looking after his team mates selflessly and was a true inspiration.
We have been touched by the messages of condolence received from the wider Air Force, from people who knew Jon across ranks and trades and it is clear people loved him. As a skilled leader, ambassador for the Royal Air Force and knowledgeable technician, Jon had all of the attributes and qualities that define the Red Arrows.
Wing Commander Andrew Keith, Officer Commanding, Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows said:
The thoughts of each and every member of the Red Arrows team are with Corporal Jonathan Bayliss’ family and friends. He was a dedicated, skilled and experienced Royal Air Force engineer who we will miss deeply. As a highly-trained technician, Corporal Bayliss made a huge contribution to ensuring the Red Arrows’ aircraft were able to carry out displays and flypasts to millions of people across the globe and I know how proud he was to be part of that team effort.
Corporal Bayliss was a popular colleague and someone whom others looked up to, being able to draw inspiration from his knowledge and strength of character. The Red Arrows family is a close one – the Squadron is a small team who live and work side-by-side and the overwhelming number of condolence messages, received from around the world, have been enormously comforting to us all and we are very grateful for that.
Air Vice-Marshal Warren James CBE, Air Officer Commanding (AOC) 22 Group – of which the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team is part of – said:
Our heartfelt condolences go to Corporal Jonathan Bayliss’ partner and family at what is a terrible, tragic time. His death has understandably come as a great shock to his colleagues and fellow team mates at the Red Arrows. The incident is a reminder of the risk present with all types of flying but also of the hard work and commitment shared by both air and ground crews alike.
All of our thoughts are now with Corporal Bayliss’ family, friends and his colleagues as they try to come to terms with his loss and investigations take place into establishing what happened.
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said:
It is with deep sadness that I heard of the death of Corporal Jonathan Bayliss whilst flying with the Red Arrows on Anglesey. It’s clear from his colleagues that he was an incredibly skilled engineer and held in the highest regard as a teammate, a friend, and a shining example of what the British Armed Forces stand for. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones at this terrible time.
Corporal Jonathan Bayliss, 41, was an Aircraft Technician (Mechanic) with the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.
He was born in Dartford, Kent and grew up in Hartley. He attended Axton Chase School in Longfield and studied at West Kent College before going on to complete a HND in engineering management at the University of Greenwich.
Before joining the Royal Air Force in 2001, he worked at Brands Hatch motor racing circuit.
Prior to becoming a member of the Red Arrows team in January 2016, Corporal Bayliss’ Royal Air Force career involved working on squadrons at RAF Coltishall and RAF Coningsby as well as on overseas deployments.
As a mechanical engineer with the Red Arrows, he had supported successful tours to the Far East, including China, as well as the Middle East and mainland Europe.
In 2017 he was a leader of the Red Arrows’ dye team, helping to replenish the jets’ famous smoke systems wherever they landed.
For 2018, he had been selected to be one of the Circus team – the small group of highly-trained engineers who travel with the aircraft and provide technical support to the Red Arrows when the aircraft operate away from their home base.
At least 250 new diplomatic roles will be created overseas in the coming two years as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) invests in a major expansion of the UK’s diplomatic service, an uplift of almost 15% on the number of British diplomats overseas, the Foreign Secretary announced today.
Ten new sovereign missions, either Embassies or High Commissions, will also be opened over the next two years. This means that the UK will have more sovereign missions around the world than any other European nation.
As part of the Government’s Global Britain vision, this expansion of the UK’s global presence and increase in the number of diplomats underscore the Government’s commitment to strengthening relationships with old allies and forging new partnerships around the world as the UK leaves the EU.
Commenting on the expansion, the Foreign Secretary said:
I am determined that we will seize the opportunity of leaving the EU to become a more outward-looking country, which promotes free trade, projects our values and defends the international rules based system. That is the best way to serve our interests overseas and to protect the security and prosperity of people here at home.
The expansion of our overseas network with at least 250 more diplomats and 10 new overseas missions will enable us to do all this. It reflects the ambition of Global Britain and will make the UK’s overseas network of sovereign missions the largest of any European country.
As we leave the EU, we will have a bigger global footprint and we will use our buccaneering spirit to go out and secure the right outcomes for Britain.
Today’s announcement comes on the day that the UK opened a new diplomatic office in Chad’s capital, N’Djamena, which is the first UK mission in the country and will support the work of Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development staff.
The additional roles overseas build on changes to the diplomatic service that we have already made to support the Government’s preparations for leaving the EU. These have included rebalancing the overseas network immediately following the referendum to create an additional fifty roles in the European network and boosting staff numbers by 150 in London and overseas, to support Brexit work as a result of additional Treasury funding of £14.5 million.
The uplift announced today will be funded through a further £15.1m for EU Exit preparations in 2018-19 already announced by the Treasury at the Spring statement this month and a proportion through a further £90m additional funding now agreed by the Treasury to support the Government’s Global Britain ambitions over the next two years.
