Local Authority round-up 07/01/19

Brexit

Prime Minister urges UK to “turn a corner” in 2019

In her new year message, Theresa May said that the UK can “turn a corner” and start to “put its differences aside” if Parliament supports the proposed Brexit deal. Should MPs approve the exit terms later this month, Mrs May said the UK could “move forward together” and concentrate on other issues such as housing and health. MPs are to vote in the House of Commons in mid-January on the proposals reached with the EU. The UK is scheduled to leave the EU on 29 March 2019, but it is unclear what will happen if MPs reject the Withdrawal Agreement and the framework for future relations.

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US ambassador issues trade deal warning

US Ambassador to London, Robert Wood Johnson, has warned that Donald Trump’s offer of a “quick, massive, bilateral trade deal” will not be possible if Theresa May’s EU Withdrawal Agreement is approved. Mr Johnson added that ministers, and the Prime Minister, had to “measure the impact of all the other trade-offs” and how different trade agreements would benefit the UK” but did not give more details about what such a deal would entail. Reacting to Mr Johnson’s comments, the Downing Street spokeswoman said both the UK and US “want an ambitious trade agreement and [the UK] stands ready to conclude such an agreement as a priority after [it] leaves the European Union.”

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Contingency plans to ease “severe congestion” at Dover

The UK Government has awarded French company Brittany Ferries, Danish shipping firm DFDS and British firm Seaborne Freight with contracts valued at a total of £102.9 million to charter extra ferries to ease “severe congestion” at Dover in the case of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit. In documents outlining the agreements, the Department for Transport states that an “unforeseeable” situation of “extreme urgency” meant there was no time for the contracts to be put out to tender. Concerns have since been raised over the readiness of Seaborne Freight to run a freight service between Ramsgate and Ostend. However, the Government said it has awarded the contract in “the full knowledge that Seaborne is a new shipping provider.”

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UK agrees texts of a separation agreement with the EEA EFTA states

On 20 December 2018, the Department for Exiting the European Union announced that the UK Government has agreed the texts of the following agreements: (1) Separation agreement with the EEA EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), which protects the rights of UK and EEA EFTA citizens living in each other’s countries. It also covers separation issues including arrangements on goods placed on the UK or EEA EFTA market, intellectual property, data protection, public procurement, and ongoing judicial procedures; and (2) Citizens’ rights agreement with Switzerland, which protects the rights of Swiss nationals in the UK and UK nationals in Switzerland after Brexit.

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Exporting after Brexit seminar (Newcastle)

We are delighted to host this event on Wednesday 23 January 2019 at our Quayside offices in Newcastle. The event will consider exporting, international trade and the regional economy following Parliament’s decision on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. The event will include contributions from the Confederation of British Industry, Department for International Trade, North East LEP, NOF Energy and of course, Ward Hadaway.

Please click here to register your place.

We have recently created a Brexit checklist to assist businesses with the various challenges and opportunities presented by Brexit. Please click here to view.

Commercial

Government launches £9 million holiday programme for disadvantaged children

Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi has announced that thousands more disadvantaged children will benefit from free meals and activities during the school holidays, under a £9 million Government programme. Organisations can now bid for a share of the fund to deliver holiday clubs for pupils eligible for free school meals during the 2019 summer break. The scheme follows a £2 million programme in the summer of 2018, which saw charities and community groups provide meals and activities to children from poorer backgrounds. Mr Zahawi confirmed that with  increased funding the Government will “tailor the scheme so that it has the most benefit for young people and their families.”

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Statistics reveal a record year for culture in the Northern Powerhouse

According to figures released by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, between April and October 2018 there were 5,141,165 visitors across the 9 Government sponsored museums and galleries in the Northern Powerhouse compared to the same period in 2017, an increase of 912,468 (21.5%). The figures mark the highest number of visitors across these museums and galleries in the April to October period since comparable records began in 2011-12. Minster for the Northern Powerhouse, Jake Berry MP, said: “As we look forward to 2019, I’d encourage more people to join the 5 million who have already seen why the North’s rich art, culture and heritage is at the heart of the UK’s history and its future.”

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Funding boost to improve commuting via bicycle

The  Government has announced a £1.6 million funding boost to The Cycle Rail Programme, to help people make cycling a seamless part of their daily journey. The programme has been funded by almost £36 million to date from the Department of Transport, allowing cyclists to make their journeys to work as joined up and sustainable as possible. The programme has tripled the number of cycle parking spaces at over 500 stations across the country, bringing the total to over 80,000. The extra investment will extend the existing benefits, enabling more people to cycle directly to their station and lock up their bike securely.

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Government announces ‘Future High Streets’ fund

Following a recommendation from retail expert Sir John Timpson to help local authorities adapt to the changing nature of high streets and town centres, High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP has launched the Future High Streets Fund to help modernise high streets and town centres. The fund is intended to help local leaders implement bold new visions to transform their town centres and make them fit for the future. Mr Berry said: “We all know high streets are changing, we can’t hide from this reality, but we’re determined to ensure they continue to sit at the heart of our communities for generations to come.”

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Regulatory

Figures reveal children have ‘exceeded recommended sugar limited by age 10’

According to Public Health England (PHE), children have already exceeded the maximum recommended sugar intake for an 18 year old by the time they reach their tenth birthday. This is based on PHE’s total sugar consumption from the age of 2. Furthermore, while children’s sugar intakes have declined slightly in recent years, they are still consuming around 8 excess sugar cubes each day, equivalent to around 2,800 excess sugar cubes per year. To help parents manage this, Change4Life is encouraging parents to make simply everyday swaps which can reduce children’s sugar intake from some products (yoghurts, drinks and breakfast cereals) by half, while giving them healthier versions of the foods and drinks they enjoy.

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Families launch High Court challenge against special needs funding policy

Families from North Yorkshire, Birmingham and East Sussex have launched a High Court legal challenge against the Government’s social education needs funding policy which is leaving “thousands of children across the country in limbo.” The action follows an announcement from the Department for Education of an additional £350 million for SEND funding to support children with complex needs and disabilities over the next two years. However, Ofsted called special educational needs funding a “national scandal” with still a “long way to go” before children with SEND needs receive “the support they deserve.” The families have formed a group called SEND Family Action, and have been granted legal aid in their challenge against the Government.

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Government consults on extending single use plastic carrier bag charge scheme

On 27 December 2018, the Government launched a consultation on extending the single use plastic carrier bag plastic charge scheme that applies in England. Currently, the 5p bag charge applies only to big businesses, but it is estimated over 3.6 billion single-use plastic bags are supplied annually by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The consultation proposes extending the scheme from January 202 to cover SMEs and will also explore the possibility of increasing the 5p minimum charge to encourage further behaviour change, potentially doubling it to and increase the minimum charge to 10 pence. The consultation closes on 22 February 2019.

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Councils ‘failing to prosecute blue badge abusers’

According to analysis conducted by the Press Association, 94 out of 152 (62%) councils in England did not pursue anyone for abusing the blue badge holders scheme in 2017-18. Analysis by the Department for Transport also showed that the number of blue badges reported stolen totalled 4,246. Councils in Nottingham, Middlesbrough, Shropshire, Luton, Milton Keynes, Bournemouth and Reading were among those to record zero prosecutions. Martin Tett, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association said gathering evidence and mounting a prosecution could be “time-consuming and expensive” and claimed the disparity in enforcement levels across England was likely to reflect “different levels of pressures on available parking.”

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Planning and housing

Local Government Association (LGA) publishes initial response to housing report

The LGA has published a briefing outlining a summary of the main recommendations of relevance to local government and sets out their initial response to the ‘Independent review of build out: final report.’ The report was published on 29 October 2019 and makes recommendations on how to close the significant gap between the number of housing completions and the amount of land allocated or permissioned on large sites in areas of high housing demand. The Government is due to respond to the review in full in February 2019.

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Birmingham City Council approves 1,400 homes for Commonwealth Games

Birmingham City Council has approved the planning application for the accommodation for Commonwealth athletes. The council said its preparations to host the 2022 Commonwealth Games has ‘sprinted ahead’ with the approval of the first phase of a wider regeneration scheme which will provide around 1,400 new homes. The properties are being built on the former Birmingham City University Campus and will accommodate around 6,500 athletes and officials coming to Birmingham for the games. After the games, the properties will be converted to provide around 1,400 new homes across a range of tenures.

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London boroughs to join forces to support the homeless

On 31 December 2018 Community Secretary James Brokenshire MP announced that thousands of extra homes will be made available for vulnerable Londoners who are at risk of becoming homeless. To support this initiative, London boroughs will join forces to provide safe accommodation for families on the edge of homelessness, sustained by £38 million of funding from the Government’s £12 billion overall investment in tackling homelessness. To date, 11 London boroughs have signed up to the scheme, with more expected to join in the future. Over the next 3 years, the scheme is expected to help over 35,000 households within Greater London out of homelessness.

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If you have any questions about the issues raised in this update, please do not hesitate to get in touch.