FLOODING
MPs seek assurance over delayed flood defence review MPs and council leaders have written to Prime Minister Theresa May pressing the government to act on flood defence recommendations before the arrival of Winter, after its review was delayed. The National Flood Resilience Review assesses how the country can be better protected from flooding and extreme weather conditions, and was due to be published in July. However, politicians have warned that delaying the publication could mean councils do not have enough time to implement the guidance before Winter. The review was commissioned after Storm Desmond last December, which caused severe flooding across the north of England, Wales and Scotland. Mary Creagh, MP for Wakefield and chairwoman of the environmental audit committee, said: “It is disappointing that the National Flood Resilience Review has been delayed and neither the flood envoys nor the minister responsible for leading the review have been replaced in Theresa May’s new government. “It is vital the review is led by the Cabinet Office, which has a coordinating role across government. I have written to Andrea Leadsom
and Ben Gummer to seek urgent clarification so that families and businesses at risk of flooding can see that the government has a plan to protect the nation’s energy, transport and digital infrastructure.” A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said that the review was likely to be published by the end of September: “We’ve always committed to publishing this review this summer, so we would say that so far it hasn’t been delayed and we’re still working to that timeframe.” READ MORE:
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TRANSPORT
Calls to improve public transport in rural areas The government must take immediate action to improve public transport in rural areas, the Campaign for Better Transport has argued. With the government’s new Bus Services Bill currently in the House of Lords and soon to be introduced in the House of Commons, the campaign group is arguing that, while the Bill is good news for transport in towns and cities, there remains little to improve services in rural areas, where cuts have been most damaging. Therefore, the Campaign for Better Transport is urging the government to introduce: local public transport assessments, whereby local authorities should be required to carry out assessments of need for public transport in their areas; roll out Total Transport, a new approach which works by combining budgets and planning to give better more efficient services, to all local authorities; improved funding for buses; and asset of community value, meaning public transport which is essential in connecting communities can also be protected. Stephen Joseph, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Public transport cuts can have a devastating impact on rural areas. If you don’t have access to a car, the
chances are you’re reliant on buses to get you to school, to hospital, to friends or to the shops. If that bus service disappears it can leave whole villages completely isolated. The government must use the Bus Services Bill to give rural local authorities the powers and funding to stop communities getting cut off.”
BUS FINES
Newcastle City Council generates £2.4m from bus lane fines
GB News
BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT – www.governmentbusiness.co.uk
Newcastle City Council has accumulated £2.4 million from issuing fines to motorists caught using bus lanes, stating that all income generated will be invested in the city’s public transport systems and highways management. Opposition leaders have called for the council to spend the funds on revamping deprived areas of the city. The Liberal Democrat counsellors for the region have argued that the funds raised should be split equally between the city’s 26 wards – meaning there would be more than £90,000 to invest in road improvements in each area. Anita Lower, Lib Dem Leader, said: “There are areas of the city in real need of investment and we think it should be spent there, not in the city centre. “We are preparing to launch a campaign to get the council to resurface and repair pavements and roads in the wards where some major work is needed. If you live in a ward or street where the footpath has not been resurfaced for 40 years it can be very frustrating, especially when you know how much the council has to spend.” A Newcastle City Council spokesman said: “The cameras are not there to catch out motorists, they are there to help us manage the network and improve public transport reliability. We will carefully consider any mitigating circumstances whilst dealing with appeals against bus lane penalty charges. “Where a driver has received multiple notices and it is clear that they may not have been aware of the first notice then our approach has been to show some favourable discretion. “We would encourage the driver to write to us and explain the circumstances so we could consider this further.” READ MORE:
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REFUGEES
UK urged to accept 400 refugee children Almost 400 refugee children living in the Calais ‘Jungle’ camp are eligible to come to the UK, campaigners have claimed. Citizens UK have urged Home Secretary Amber Rudd to accept the children, many of whom reportedly have family in Britain, on the one year anniversary of the much-publicised drowning of three-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi. The group, consisting of local politicians, celebrities and religious leaders, argue that out of the 7,000 refugees living in the camp, there are 800 unaccompanied children – 387 of whom are eligible to be transferred to the UK.
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Volume 23.5 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE
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