Today, Tuesday 28 May 2019, The Planning Inspectorate accepted for examination an application by Norfolk County Council for a proposed new highway crossing of River Yare, Great Yarmouth, connecting Harfrey’s Roundabout to the west of the River Yare with South Denes Road to the east of the River Yare.

The application was submitted on 30 April 2019 and the decision to accept the application was made in accordance with section 55 of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended). The legislation allows 28 days from the day after the date of receipt of an application for the Planning Inspectorate to decide whether or not to accept it.

The decision and a copy of the application documents can be viewed at the Great Yarmouth Third River Crossing project page on the Inspectorate’s National Infrastructure Planning website.

The Planning Act 2008 (as amended) sets high standards for applications and places a strong duty upon developers to involve the local community, local authorities and other stakeholders in the development of their proposal, ahead of submission.

Sarah Richards, Chief Executive of The Planning Inspectorate said: “We have considered very carefully the application submitted by Norfolk County Council and decided that it meets the required tests set out in the legislation to be accepted for examination.

“Of course, this does not mean that consent has been given for the project to go ahead – acceptance of the application simply means that the Examining Authority can begin to make arrangements for the formal examination of the application”.

It is now for Norfolk County Council to publicise the fact that its application has been accepted to proceed to examination and invite people who are interested in the proposal to register with the Planning Inspectorate as an Interested Party by making a Relevant Representation.

Interested Parties in an application can:

• Say what they agree or disagree with in the application and why
• Comment on what other people have said in their representations
• Attend the preliminary meeting and say how they think the application should be examined
• Request that an open floor hearing is held
• Attend an open floor or issue-specific hearing
• Request to speak at a hearing.

Sarah Richards said. “Shortly, the public will be invited to register as interested parties in this proposal, giving them their first opportunity to make formal representations to the Inspectorate whether they object to or support the project. Everyone who registers in the correct way can be sure that their evidence will be considered by the independent Examining Authority who will be appointed to examine the case. “

Sarah added: “A major priority for us over the next few weeks is to continue our work with communities who are affected by this proposal, to ensure that the process is understood, and people know how and when to register as an Interested Party.”

Ends

Journalists wanting further information should contact the Planning Inspectorate’s Press Office, on: 0303 444 5004 or 0303 444 5005 or email: press.office@planninginspctorate.gov.uk

More information on this application, including details of the developer’s website, is available in National Infrastructure’s Programme of Projects. Visit: the Projects page at https://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/

Notes to editors:

The Planning Inspectorate is an agency of the Ministry for Housing, communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and operates within the policy framework prescribed in the Planning Act 2008, secondary legislation and the National Policy Statements.

The process in a snapshot

There are six key stages within the process. The summary below provides examples of when and how people have an opportunity to provide evidence to the Planning Inspectorate.

Pre-application

Key activities:

• Project development / developer’s pre-application consultation and publicity.

• Environmental impact assessment preparation and scoping, where required.

Public involvement:

• Have their say on the proposal to the developer through their pre application consultation

Acceptance by the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State

Key activities:

• The Secretary of State has 28 days from the day after receipt to decide whether or not an application should be accepted for examination

Public involvement:

• Details will be posted at the Planning Inspectorate’s website on how to register as an interested party – if an application has been accepted for examination and publicised by the developer.

• Opportunity to legally challenge a decision not to accept an application.

Pre-examination

Key activities:

• Single Inspector or a Panel of Inspectors appointed.

• Preliminary Meeting called and held.

• Procedure and timetable set for examination.

Public involvement:

• Register to say what you agree or disagree with in the application

• Submit your representation

• View application documents submitted by the developer on the Planning Inspectorate website

• Attend the Preliminary Meeting

• Say how the examination should be conducted.

Examination

Key activities:

• A maximum of six months to carry out the examination

Public involvement:

• Submit more detailed comments in writing

• Comment on what other people have said

• Request and attend an open-floor hearing

• If being held, request to speak at open-floor and / or issue specific hearing(s)

• Comment on the local authority’s Local Impact Report – detailing the impact of the scheme on the local area.

Decision

Key activities:

• A maximum of three months for Planning Inspectorate to issue a recommendation to the relevant Secretary of State, with a statement of reasons.

• The relevant Secretary of State then has a further three months from receiving the recommendation in which to issue the decision.

Post decision

Key activities:

• Six weeks for any legal challenge.

Public involvement:

• Opportunity to challenge.

The Planning Inspectorate has accepted for examination an application by Norfolk County Council for a proposed new highway crossing of River Yare, Great Yarmouth.

ESFA has announced 47 providers who have secured European Social Fund (ESF) funding. These providers will help to develop the skills of young people and adults in 38 local enterprise partnership areas, to make sure existing workforce skills are enhanced and young people can secure employment or progress to further education and training.

The 47 ESF funded providers secured a total of £315 million through a stringent procurement process, which adhered to EU rules of open, fair and competitive tendering, and was conducted in accordance with the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

The ESF helps people get better jobs and ensures fairer job opportunities for all EU citizens. It works by investing in Europe’s workers, young people and all those seeking a job.

From 1 April 2019 to 31 July 2021, the 47 ESF providers, spread across England, will work in local communities to increase participation in education, training and employment.

They will do this by developing the skills of potential and existing workforces and by supporting young people into education. The focus will be on those who find it hard to engage in education and training and in areas with higher rates of youth unemployment.

We invited bidders to tender against four opportunities in ESF investment priority areas:

1. Access to employment for jobseekers and inactive people – including the long-term unemployed and people far from the labour market, through local employment initiatives and support for labour mobility
2. Sustainable integration of young people into the labour market
3. Active inclusion
4. Equal access to lifelong learning for all age groups in formal, non-formal and informal settings to upgrade their knowledge, skills and competencies for the workforce, by promoting flexible pathways including careers guidance and validation of acquired competencies

More information about the individual projects will be available on the Contracts Finder shortly.

We will publish versions of the provider contracts in English and Polish, in line with ESF regulations, within the next couple of months.

U.S. and UK participants held the second meeting of the U.S.-UK Financial Regulatory Working Group (Working Group) on May 23, 2019 in Washington, DC. The Working Group was formed to deepen our bilateral regulatory cooperation with a view to the further promotion of financial stability; investor protection; fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and capital formation in both jurisdictions. This cooperation is especially important given transition in the United Kingdom’s regulatory relationships as it withdraws from the European Union.

Participants included officials and senior staff from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and HM Treasury, and from the U.S. and UK independent regulatory agencies, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Comptroller of the Currency, Securities and Exchange Commission, the Bank of England, and the Financial Conduct Authority. U.S. and UK participants shared views on issues in their respective areas of responsibility.

At the meeting, U.S. and UK participants discussed the outlook for financial regulatory reforms and future priorities, including possible areas for deeper regulatory cooperation to facilitate further safe and efficient financial services activity between U.S. and UK markets. They also discussed the implications of the United Kingdom’s exit from the EU on financial stability and cross-border financial regulation.

Participants recognized the importance of regulatory cooperation in fostering the bilateral activity of U.S. and UK financial services firms. Participants also reported on the Working Group’s progress since the inaugural meeting in September 2018, including successfully extending existing bilateral financial regulatory arrangements between the United States and the European Union with respect to the United Kingdom and updating existing bilateral financial regulatory arrangements between the United States and United Kingdom. This was necessary to ensure supervisory and regulatory continuity as the United Kingdom exits the European Union. Additionally, both sides recognized the importance of financial innovation and took note that U.S. Treasury and HM Treasury will soon launch a partnership to promote further engagement on financial services innovation, including with firms seeking to grow internationally in our markets.

Participants identified follow-up work for the Working Group on these topics and other cross-border issues. The next meeting of the Working Group will be in the second half of 2019 in London. Bilateral contacts will continue, as appropriate, outside the Working Group on any issue related to our ongoing financial regulatory cooperation.

Collaboration between the United States and the United Kingdom on financial services was boosted today by the establishment of a Financial Innovation Partnership.

The Partnership between the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the UK’s HM Treasury will build on and deepen bilateral engagement on emerging trends in financial services innovation. This will include encouraging collaboration in the private sector, sharing information and expertise about regulatory practices, and promoting growth and innovation.

Heath Tarbert, Acting Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, said:

Technology is the future of financial services, and innovation drives growth. By jointly fostering entrepreneurial breakthroughs, we will write a new chapter in the longstanding friendship between America and Britain.

John Glen, Economic Secretary to HM Treasury said:

The United Kingdom and United States lead the world in financial services, and are at the cutting edge of innovative FinTech. By working more closely together through this new partnership we can help firms in both our countries to go even further to harness new technologies, share expertise and serve consumers.

Gilbert B. Kaplan, Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, said:

The International Trade Administration is looking forward to participating in this innovative new partnership with the UK that will help drive bilateral financial services collaboration and expand opportunities for firms from both countries at the intersection of financial services, technology and international commerce.

Graham Stuart MP, Minister for Investment, said:

The United States is the United Kingdom’s largest bilateral trading partner, so it is brilliant to see this commitment to increase commercial and regulatory cooperation between our leading financial services sectors. Today’s announcement is another positive step toward deepening the already extensive economic ties between the United Kingdom and United States.

The Financial Innovation Partnership (FIP) will focus on two main areas:

• Regulatory Engagement: Dialogue between authorities and with the private sector is critical to identify and address potential regulatory synergies, share lessons, and develop closer working relationships. The United States and United Kingdom will build on existing regulatory cooperation by discussing regulatory developments and sharing experiences on technical issues related to innovation in financial services.

• Commercial Engagement: The FIP also seeks to promote a dynamic private sector that supports entrepreneurs and new business models – a necessary driver of financial innovation. It will provide enhanced and regular opportunities for the private sector in one country to engage with industry associations, and market participants in the other country. Through the FIP, the UK Department of International Trade (DIT) will bring UK firms to the United States and the U.S. Commerce Department will coordinate trade promotion missions to the United Kingdom.

The Partnership was announced at the U.S.-UK Financial Regulatory Working Group, which was established to facilitate even closer collaboration on financial services issues between U.S. and UK Treasuries, and U.S. and UK financial regulators.