Policy Statements and Initiatives
Defra: A call for the phase-out of peat in compost material was announced last week by Environment Secretary, Hilary Benn, as part of the latest Act on CO2 campaign.
It would mean that gardening centres & DIY stores would cease to sell peat-based composts for the amateur gardening market within 10 years and switch to peat-free alternatives instead. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has been peat-free since 1992.
It would mean that gardening centres & DIY stores would cease to sell peat-based composts for the amateur gardening market within 10 years and switch to peat-free alternatives instead. The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has been peat-free since 1992.
In a recent survey carried out by the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), two-thirds of garden owners were unaware of the environmental issues surrounding peat and its extraction for use in compost & growbags.
Press release ~ Defra’s Act on CO2 Peat-Free campaign ~ Soil Strategy, Safeguarding our Soils ~ Horticultural Trades Association (HTA) ~ Defra - Soil ~ British Society of Soil Science ~ JNCC - Soils ~ Soil-net.com ~ RHS: Peat
HL: The Mayor of London has published the first ever statutory housing strategy for London after more than a year of extensive consultation. Jenny Edwards, Chief Executive of Homeless Link, the national umbrella organisation for frontline charities & organisations working to end homelessness, said:
“…... It is highly significant for charities working with homeless people in London as the Mayor lists tackling homelessness as a key priority and has put a relatively short timeline on achieving the target of ending rough sleeping by 2012. …….
We want this to be the decade that ended homelessness once and for all. We are confident that, if we can also get people to support the Evening Standard’s current campaign to tackle poverty in London and help their local homelessness charity, we can make this vision a reality.”
We want this to be the decade that ended homelessness once and for all. We are confident that, if we can also get people to support the Evening Standard’s current campaign to tackle poverty in London and help their local homelessness charity, we can make this vision a reality.”
Press release ~ Homeless Link ~ London Housing Strategy ~ Evening Standard’s current campaign to tackle poverty in London
Newswire – GEO: A new web based one-stop-shop for Military families looking for employment & training and a network of Jobcentre Plus Armed Forces Champions were amongst a package of initiatives to support Service families announced last week. The former service will be available this spring via two existing websites: Directgov (search for 'jobs'), and the Royal British Legion Civvy Street jobs portal.
The package of measures, which also look at how childcare & school places allocation meet the needs of Service families, are published in a report by the Service Families Employment Taskforce.
The Government Equalities Office and the Ministry of Defence will also publish a short guide which will be available to Service families and will have practical advice on where to go for support on employment & training.
The Government Equalities Office and the Ministry of Defence will also publish a short guide which will be available to Service families and will have practical advice on where to go for support on employment & training.
Press release ~ Service Families Employment Taskforce ~
ScotGov: A test programme helping young parents give their children a healthier start in life was officially launched last week by Health Secretary, Nicola Sturgeon. The Family Nurse Partnership is being tested in the NHS Lothian area, where it is supporting first-time parents or single mums under the age of 19.
The 6 family nurses will visit expectant mums every 1 or 2 weeks during pregnancy and throughout the first 2 years of their baby's life, offering guidance on child development, preventative health measures, parenting skills, breastfeeding, better diet information and advice for mothers on education & employment.
Press release ~ ScotGov: Health & Community Care ~ ScotGov: Family Nurse Partnership Programme Evaluation ~ Family Nurse Partnership - Denver ~ DCSF: The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme
Defra: The second round of a £5.5m grant scheme to help households better protect their homes against flooding, has been announced. The Property Level Flood Protection Grant Scheme is part of the Government’s response to Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the 2007 floods.
In this the second phase, £2.6m will be allocated to 34 schemes in areas at high risk of flooding, enabling 532 households to benefit from practical flood protection solutions such as air bricks covers, storm porches, door guards and flood boards.
In this the second phase, £2.6m will be allocated to 34 schemes in areas at high risk of flooding, enabling 532 households to benefit from practical flood protection solutions such as air bricks covers, storm porches, door guards and flood boards.
ScotGov: A plan to position Scotland as the world leader in carbon capture & storage (CCS) has been published. The carbon capture & storage roadmap, produced by the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise, is a ‘comprehensive set of actions to put Scotland at the forefront of CCS development’.
Guidance on how Ministers will determine consents relating to thermal power stations under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 has also been published. It confirms the ScotGov position that any new coal-fired station would need to demonstrate carbon capture & storage on at least 300Mw of its capacity from day one and retro-fitting for those stations by no later than 2025, with 100% CCS expected on new builds from 2020.
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