Policy Statements and Initiatives
Defra: The Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF), which opened to applications last week, is specifically targeted at helping rural communities access the money needed to carry out feasibility studies into renewable energy projects, and fund the costs associated with applying for planning permission.
It is intended that projects will then be able to attract private finance to pay for renewable energy kit and get projects up & running. Funding can be used to support rural projects across the renewable and low carbon energy spectrum including wind, solar, biomass, heat pumps, anaerobic digestion, gas Combined Heat and Power & hydro.
DfE: The Department for Education recently updated its website with advice for primary schools set to receive more money for school sport in September 2013.
School sport is set to be transformed this autumn when the government’s new £150m funding package comes into play. Children’s Minister Edward Timpson has written to every primary school to alert them to a new online information source to help headteachers decide how to spend the cash.
BIS: Speaking at the recent Government Construction Summit, Business Minister Michael Fallon unveiled the industrial strategy for construction – ‘Construction 2025’ – which will set out how the government and industry will ensure the UK continues to thrive in the face of increasing global competition.
The strategy includes an action plan of 10 joint commitments to ensure industry is best placed to achieve its ambitions by 2025. Highlights include reducing growth barriers for businesses, particularly small and medium-sized firms (SMEs) and sole traders.
Press release & links ~ EU: Finishing touches to single market for construction products ~ HMT: Industry & government need to work together to deliver infrastructure, says Deighton ~ CBI comments on launch of construction industrial strategy
CO: Reforms to strip out inefficiencies in public sector construction have already generated £447m in savings for the taxpayer last year and will deliver up to 20% savings in project costs by 2015, Cabinet Office Minister Chloe Smith said last week.
Making links across departments has meant government is able to act as a single customer to the construction industry and provide clear benchmarks for budgets by setting out the average price it expects to pay for projects. The new set of benchmarks published last week ‘aims to drive down project costs even further and encourage the industry to offer more competitive and innovative solutions’.
DfE: Ofsted is to place a greater emphasis on schools’ performance on disadvantaged pupils, outstanding heads will support schools with their use of the pupil premium and John Dunford will be the new Pupil Premium Champion.
Independent research published by the Department for Education shows 4 out of 5 secondary schools and more than two-thirds of primary schools introduced or enhanced support for disadvantaged pupils as a direct result of the pupil premium.
MoJ: A crucial step forward in transforming the way offenders are rehabilitated was mapped out last week as Justice Secretary Chris Grayling announced a nationwide network of 70 resettlement prisons. The reforms will mean all offenders leaving custody receive ‘through the gate’ supervision and support to turn their lives around.
DfE: Cross-government responsibilities for youth strategy & policy will move from the Department for Education to the Cabinet Office and be led by Nick Hurd, the Minister for Civil Society. Cabinet Office’s new responsibilities will include the statutory duty on local authorities for youth provision in their areas and strategic dialogue with young people and youth sector organisations on youth policy.
The government has also published a progress report on ‘Positive for Youth’ – setting out the progress it has made in placing young people at the heart of decision-making.
ScotGov: The Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS), a Scottish Government debt management tool which allows individuals & couples to repay their debts over a longer period, has been improved to benefit more people in Scotland.
Following consultation with stakeholders during 2012, and as part of the wider consultation on Bankruptcy Law Reform, the amended Scheme will as of last week freeze interest & charges at an earlier date, potentially saving people in debt up to 6 weeks interest.
The new regulations will also allow for a debtor to apply for a payment break of up to six months where there is evidence that there has been a reduction in income of more than 50 per cent and provides a new review process before appeal.
Following consultation with stakeholders during 2012, and as part of the wider consultation on Bankruptcy Law Reform, the amended Scheme will as of last week freeze interest & charges at an earlier date, potentially saving people in debt up to 6 weeks interest.
The new regulations will also allow for a debtor to apply for a payment break of up to six months where there is evidence that there has been a reduction in income of more than 50 per cent and provides a new review process before appeal.
DECC: Aspiring communities across the nation will be able to receive Feed-in Tariff payments for the clean green energy generated by larger community energy projects, under new plans set out last week. Projects such as solar PV on school roofs or panels on libraries, community owned wind turbines and hydro power from local streams could all benefit under the proposed new rules.
The proposed changes to the FITs rules will be made as part of the Energy Bill process. Once this Bill comes into force, the Government will consult on what this will mean in practice for community schemes.
Notes for editors
HMT: Last week government Ministers & regulators met with payday lenders and consumer groups to discuss concerns about payday lending. Government made it clear at the summit that ‘there remain serious concerns about payday lending, that these loans are not right for a majority of people and that they result in many people not getting a fair deal’.
Press release & links ~ IEA: Restriction of payday loans would hit the poorest the hardest ~ DWP: Government and regulators quiz payday industry at summit
FCO: The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, and His Excellency Mr Keiichi Hayashi, Ambassador of Japanto the United Kingdom, have signed 2 agreements which will create a legal framework for closer co-operation between the 2 countries on defence and security.
CLG: The first 9 areas to be championed by the Public Services Transformation Network were announced recently by Eric Pickles, who said ‘the areas would receive dedicated support to help them develop practical reforms and deliver better services for less at a local level’.
CO: Chloe Smith, Minister for Political & Constitutional Reform, has launched a campaign to get as many people as possible on the electoral register. The campaign is particularly targeted at groups of people who have been identified as being under-represented on the electoral register including young people aged 16-24 and people in social housing.
The minister also launched an initiative called Rock Enrol, to be delivered in schools & colleges, which educates 16 & 17-year-olds on the importance of having a voice and gives them the opportunity to register to vote. New resource materials designed by young people have been launched for teachers to use in classes.
DWP: The benefit cap has been successfully delivered in 4 London areas. In total, just over 2,400 households were capped in the boroughs of Enfield, Haringey, Bromley and Croydon, new figures reveal.
From 15 July 2013 the national roll-out of the benefit cap will take place to cover an estimated total of 40,000 households limiting benefit payments to £500 a week or £26,000 a year. The benefit cap will not affect a household if a member is entitled to Working Tax Credit, or certain other benefits. Further support is provided by an online calculator.
WAG: The Health Minister and Deputy Minister for Social Services have agreed to provide an additional £3.2m a year to local authorities in Wales to ensure that the £50-a-week cap on home care charges remains sustainable for the future.
DfE: Skills Minister Matthew Hancock announces technical level qualifications & applied general qualifications. Employers & trade associations will be asked to endorse the best occupational qualifications - to be known as ‘tech levels’ - so young people know which courses have the best job prospects.
The move is announced as part of the government’s response to its consultation on the vocational qualifications which will continue to count in performance tables for colleges & school sixth-forms. The changes follow similar action to overhaul school league tables for 14- to 16-year-olds.
ScotGov: Community groups at the centre of plans to develop rural Scotland are being encouraged to forge partnerships to identify proposals for their areas. It is part of the revised approach to the new LEADER programme, which enables local groups to help decide the best way to deliver financial support to rural communities.
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