Legislation / Legal

Newswire – WWFWWF-UK has warned that Britain’s position as a leader in offshore wind energy is in danger of being undermined by an institutional bias towards oil & gas. Highlighting an obscure legality in Crown Estate leases that continues to prioritise oil & gas exploration off the UK’s coast to the detriment of renewables, WWF urges the Government to stand by its commitment to a green economy and use the forthcoming Energy Bill to remove any barriers that could endanger future green jobs and climate targets.
 
WWF has uncovered a little known clause contained within Crown Estate leases which can terminate existing rights granted to offshore wind farm operators whenever the government declares a license for oil & gas exploration in the same area.  Not only can wind farm operators lose their lease, but they face premature decommissioning costs when their lease is revoked and are not entitled to any compensation to recover any expected financial returns.
Press release
 
ScotGov: MSPs recently passed a new law that will ditch the right to buy (RTB) for new council house & housing association tenants. The RTB will also be abolished for all new homes built in the social sector.
 
The creation of a new Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR), and the introduction of a charter for social housing, aims to improve value for tenants & taxpayers by assessing landlords' performance. Around 1 in 4 Scottish households, about 600,000 homes, are in the social rented sector.
Press release ~ Housing (Scotland) Bill
Facing the Future...find out more