Pulse.Assent

Lord Terence Burns has been appointed by the Secretary of State as the new Chair of the Ofcom Board, for four years from 1 January 2018.

The term of the outgoing chair, Dame Patricia Hodgson, ends on 31 December 2017.

Culture Secretary Karen Bradley said:

I would like to thank Dame Patricia Hodgson for her many years of service and welcome Lord Burns as the new Ofcom Chair. The UK has a thriving telecommunications industry and a dynamic media landscape, and Lord Burns’ roles at Channel 4 and in government means he brings with him a wealth of expertise and experience to this vital role.

Lord Burns said:

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to take on this role at an important time for Ofcom. The UK communications sector provides essential services to everyone in the UK and is critical to the future success of the economy.

Lord Burns is Senior Adviser to Banco Santander and a non-executive member of the Office for Budget Responsibility. He is also a member of the House of Lords Economic Affairs Select Committee and Chairman of the Lord Speaker’s Committee on the Size of the House.

He was Chief Economic Advisor to the Treasury and Head of the Government Economic Service from 1980 to 1991 and Permanent Secretary to the Treasury from 1991 until 1998.

Previous appointments include Chairman of Santander UK plc, Channel 4 Television Corporation; Marks and Spencer plc, Welsh Water, the National Lottery Commission and The Royal Academy of Music.

From 2004 to 2006 he was Independent Adviser to the Secretary of State on the BBC Charter Review.

Notes to Editors

• This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments
• The Chair of Ofcom is appointed by the Secretary of State. Remuneration for this role is £120,000 for up to three days a week. The term of appointments will last for four years
• In accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Lord Burns has declared no such political activity

Highways England plans to improve traffic flows at an important junction for the millions of people that travel to Birmingham International Airport every year and also surrounding venues such as the National Exhibition Centre.

The project, due to start in 2020, will see the creation of a new 2.4km dual carriageway link road – aligned to the west of Bickenhill – between the A45 Clock Interchange and a new junction on the M42 south of junction 6 located north of Solihull Road.

We are inviting everyone to have their say on the details at a public consultation running from 9 January 2018 until 19 February 2018 on the preferred route for M42 junction 6.

Highways England senior project manager, Jonathan Pizzey, said

We want to make sure that local people and other stakeholders have a say in the project.

We’ll be taking all comments into consideration as we complete the design, prior to making a planning application later in 2018. All comments will be considered, and we will provide a report identifying how they have influenced the design.

As part of the scheme there are also plans to improve traffic flow at the M42 junction 6 roundabout – a well-known bottleneck – by providing dedicated left turn links between the M42 and A45 at the NEC and the north east side of the roundabout. This will benefit motorists by reducing congestion and improving journey times around the junction, as well as access to and from the motorway.

We will continue to work closely with all stakeholders through the detailed design and statutory process to ensure their views and ideas are incorporated into the design where appropriate.

Construction is expected to start in 2020 and completion is due in 2023; subject to DCO approval in 2019.

Location	Date	Time
The Arden Hotel: Coventry Road, Bickenhill, B92 0EH	Tuesday 9 January 2018	1pm to 8pm
St Peter’s Church Hall: Church Lane, Bickenhill, B92 0DN	Thursday 11 January 2018	12pm to 8pm
Catherine de Barnes Village Hall: Hampton Lane, B91 2TJ	Saturday 13 January 2018	10am to 4pm
Marston Green Parish Hall: 38 Elmdon Road, Marston Green, B37 7BT	Wednesday 17 January 2018	12pm to 8pm
Fentham Hall: Marsh Lane, Hampton-in-Arden, B92 0AH	Friday 19 January 2018	12pm to 8pm
Warwickshire Gaelic Athletic Association: The Clubhouse, Catherine de Barnes Lane, Bickenhill, B92 0DB	Saturday 27 January 2018	10am to 4pm
The Core: Touchwood, Homer Road, Solihull, B91 3RG	Wednesday 31 January 2018	10am to 5:45pm (A selection of presentation boards will remain at The Core until 19 February 2018)

For a copy of the preferred route announcement leaflet and more information about the scheme, visit the M42 junction 6 Improvement website.

Members of the public can also contact the project team by emailing m42junction6@highwaysengland.co.uk or by calling Highways England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000.

Rising levels of employment are a clear demonstration that Wales is open for business, Secretary of State for Wales, Alun Cairns said today (13 December).

Figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that the employment rate in Wales has increased 0.5% across the quarter.

The statistics show:

• The unemployment level is up 6,000 (0.4 percentage points) over the quarter. The rate in Wales is now 4.7%, which is above the UK average of 4.3%
• The employment level in Wales is up 2,000 (0.5 percentage points) on the quarter. The employment rate is now 72.8%, which is still below the UK average (75.1%)
• Total employment for the UK is down 56,000 (0.2 percentage points) on the quarter but up 325,000 (0.7 percentage points) on the year. The employment rate is now 75.1%
• Total UK unemployment is down 26,000 (0.1 percentage points) on the quarter and down 182,000 (0.6 percentage points) on the year. The unemployment rate is now 4.3%, the joint lowest it has been since 1975

Secretary of State Alun Cairns said:

Whilst it is great to see that employment levels have increased there is still more that needs to be done to ensure employment levels are sustainable.

The UK Government is working hard to create the right conditions for economic growth, investment and jobs in Wales by implementing policy such as scrapping the Severn Tolls. We will continue to do more to demonstrate the strength of the Welsh economy to business.

I’m convinced that increasing exports to new markets will not only grow the Welsh economy but will create jobs across Wales. I’m doing everything I can with the support of my cabinet colleagues to help companies in Wales maximise their exporting potential.