A cap of £95,000 will be introduced to stop huge exit payments when public sector workers leave their jobs, the government announces today (10 April 2019).

More than 1,600 highly-paid workers received payments of more than £100,000 in 2016-17 when they left public sector roles, costing a total of £198 million. English local government six-figure payments alone accounted for £98 million. Exit payments across the public sector were £1.2 billion in 2016-2017.

To ensure exit payments are value for money for the taxpayer, a consultation is launching today outlining how the government will introduce the cap. The UK Civil Service, local government, police forces, schools and the NHS are included in a first round of implementation which will cover the vast majority of public sector workers.

The policy has been carefully designed to protect long-serving, lower-earning staff.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, said:

It is clearly wrong when people leave public sector roles with massive payoffs. It incenses the public when they see their hard-earned money used badly like this.

That’s why we are capping exit payments to stop unacceptably large pay-outs for senior managers.

Under government plans, exit payments under the cap – covering redundancy lump sums and pension top-up payments – will continue to be available so public sector employees can support their families, find new employment or have a bridge until retirement age.

While capping pay-outs at the top, the government is delivering the biggest public sector pay rise in ten years, announced last summer, with the highest rises going to the lowest paid nurses, teachers and police officers. The government announced in May 2015 that it intended take forward its commitment to end six-figure exit payments for public sector workers. It has been considering the most appropriate way to implement the cap, and is now announcing how it intends to introduce it.

Towns across the country will benefit from a new scheme which will see landlords turn their empty shops into vibrant community hubs open to the public, Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP has announced.

The Open Doors project in partnership with the Meanwhile Foundation, will help community groups transform their town centres by renovating unused retail units and making them fit for purpose.

Working with experts in managing the process of vacant high street properties which are temporarily available or for ‘meanwhile use’, the government will work to match public and private landlords with community groups offering vital services from well-being classes to business support sessions and mentoring for social enterprises.

The partnership will help tackle social problems linked to declining high streets such as crime, unemployment and loneliness.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

Our high streets are the beating heart of the places we call home and make a real difference to the wellbeing of our communities.

This pilot is a great way to tackle some of the challenges faced by landlords and communities. It will support groups across the country and demonstrate the potential ‘meanwhile use’ of unused spaces.

High Streets Minister Jake Berry MP said:

The Open Doors Scheme encourages us to be more creative when tackling the social and economic challenges faced by our communities.

This pilot is just a glimpse of what we can do to revamp vacant properties on our high streets, boost more community hubs and create more spaces for people to work, live and shop.

The confirmed locations that will be part of the scheme are Stoke-on-Trent, Bradford, Rochford, Kettering and Slough.

The Open Doors project, which has been backed by Sir John Timpson’s High Streets Expert Panel, is just one of the ways the government is feeding into the wider plan to transform our high streets.

The government recently announced £9.75 million to local authorities in England to champion community-led clean-ups of high streets and town centres all across the country ensuring they look their best.

The government is committed to helping local high streets evolve and adapt to the changing retail landscape and is keen to see thriving places where communities feel engaged and enjoy their vibrant town centres and high streets.

‘Meanwhile use’ refers to the short-term use of temporarily empty buildings such as shops until they return back to commercial use.

Towns across the country will benefit from a new scheme which will see landlords turn their empty shops into vibrant community hubs open to the public.

The protests in Sudan that began in December 2018 reached a new level of intensity and popular support on 6 April. They continue to grow and the demand for political change from the courageous and resilient people of Sudan is becoming ever clearer and more powerful.

The time has come for the Sudanese authorities to respond to these popular demands in a serious and credible way. The Sudanese people are demanding a transition to a political system that is inclusive and has greater legitimacy. The Sudanese authorities must now respond and deliver a credible plan for political transition. Failing to do so risks causing greater instability. The Sudanese leadership has a grave responsibility to avoid such an outcome.

We call on the Sudanese authorities to release all political detainees, stop the use of violence against peaceful protesters, remove all restrictions to freedoms, lift the state of emergency and allow for a credible political dialogue in a conducive environment with all key Sudanese actors that has as its basis the goal of a political and economic transition to a new type of Sudan. One where human rights, the rule of law, democracy and equal citizenship are all respected and which can bring an end to the conflicts and corruption that have plagued the country.

If the Sudanese authorities take these steps, the Troika (the United States, The United Kingdom and Norway) will support such a political process and in time could work to help resolve some of the long term economic challenges that Sudan faces.

This is a pivotal moment for the future of Sudan. The decisions the Sudanese authorities take now, in an inclusive dialogue, will have a dramatic impact on the lives of 40 million Sudanese people and the stability of the region. We urge the Sudanese authorities, as well as the opposition, to embrace their responsibilities.

I am updating the House on the East Midlands, South Eastern and West Coast Partnership franchise competitions.

I am pleased to inform the House that, following rigorous competition, I intend to award the next East Midlands Railway franchise to Abellio East Midlands pending successful completion of a standstill period of at least 10 days.

The franchise is due to start on 18 August 2019 and will run for 8 years, until 21 August 2027, with an extension of 2 years callable at my discretion.

Passengers, local authorities, businesses and other stakeholders across the country contributed to a highly demanding and challenging specification for this new franchise. Bidders were invited to demonstrate how they would meet this specification, and I am very pleased that we have agreed a plan with Abellio East Midlands for them to exceed these expectations.

Abellio East Midlands will oversee the introduction of brand-new trains, entirely replacing the existing intercity fleet with more reliable and comfortable trains. Passengers will benefit from an 80% increase in the number of morning peak seats into Nottingham, Lincoln and St Pancras. Passengers will also see faster journey times over long-distances, with a new express service from Corby through Luton into London.

The East Midlands Railway will be at the forefront of the government’s commitment to deliver a cleaner, greener rail network. Abellio East Midlands will trial hydrogen fuel cell trains on the Midland Main Line and will run zero-carbon pilots at six stations along the route.

The new franchise will also deliver a fairer deal for passengers. Over £17 million will be invested in improving station facilities across the route, including to deliver accessibility improvements. Abellio East Midlands will also deliver an additional 916 extra car park spaces and 1,050 cycle spaces.

Passengers will benefit from the provision of free wifi throughout the franchise, both on-trains and at stations, and a significant uplift to the current ticketing system, with the introduction of smart, flexible ticketing options, including to provide better value for those who travel regularly but less than 5 days a week, as well as improved ticket-buying facilities and nine newly staffed stations.

The new East Midlands Railway franchise will also introduce enhanced delay repay compensation, with passengers able to claim compensation if their train is more than 15 minutes late.

We look forward to working closely with Abellio East Midlands to ensure they deliver the high-quality services that passengers expect and deserve from the railway and the East Midlands Railway franchise.

With regards to the South Eastern franchise competition, I am also today updating the House that my department is negotiating a short-term extension to the current franchise agreement with Govia while we make a decision on the competition. This will ensure continuity of services for passengers until 10 November 2019, with an option to extend the agreement further to April 2020.

We are due to award the West Coast Partnership in June.

Alongside this, there is a root-and-branch review of the railway underway, independently chaired by Keith Williams. This will make ambitious recommendations before the end of the year to reform the structure of the whole rail industry to prioritise passengers’ and taxpayers’ interests.

The next East Midlands Railway franchise and the ongoing competitions include significant improvements for passengers and steps to bring track and train closer together. From 2020, we will begin to roll-out further reforms, advised by the Rail Review, across the country. We will be guided by the approaches that deliver benefits to passengers and other rail users soonest. Awarding the new East Midlands Railway franchise is part of that strategy.