14 March, 2019

featuring

Andreea Anastasiu │ Policy and Engagement Officer│ Government Outcomes Lab and Neil Stanworth │ Founding Director │ ATQ Consultants and GO Lab Fellow of Practice

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Published 18 December 2018

Control systems are the hardware and software systems used to control machinery and processes for a variety of plants and projects.

The ten-year, £50m contract will deliver control systems throughout the Sellafield site that are more standardised, compatible and durable.

Martin Chown, Sellafield Ltd supply chain director, said:

Our priority is the safe, secure and cost-effective delivery of the clean-up mission at Sellafield.

Having control systems that are more compatible with one another and that work for the entire life of projects is crucial to our success.

Published 18 December 2018

A stronger and more effective regulatory framework is being introduced to improve building safety.

The government is creating a stronger and more effective regulatory framework to improve building safety.

This will mean tougher sanctions for those who disregard residents’ safety, more rigorous standards and guidance for those undertaking building work, and a stronger voice for residents.

The plans outlined today (Tuesday 18 December) explain how the government will implement the recommendations made by Dame Judith Hackitt in her review of building regulations and fire safety published following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Building a Safer Future, commits the government to a programme of reform over the coming years which will:

• Take forward all of the recommendations in the Hackitt review
• Create a more effective regulatory and accountability framework to provide greater oversight of the industry
• Introduce clearer standards and guidance, including establishing a new Standards Committee to advise on construction product and system standards and regulations
• Put residents at the heart of the new system of building safety, empowering them with more effective routes for engagement and redress
• Help to create a culture change and a more responsible building industry, from design, through to construction and management

The government will establish the Joint Regulators’ Group to trial elements of a new regulatory system ahead of any new proposed legislation. The group will bring existing regulatory bodies together to work with developers and building owners, as well as seeking input from residents and tenants, to develop and test new approaches that may later feature in legislation.

In addition to setting out its plans to implement the changes called for by Dame Judith Hackitt, a full review of fire safety guidance within building regulations has also been launched. The government has issued a ‘call for evidence’ that will gather expert advice on the full range of fire safety issues to enable guidance to be revised. The government is also inviting views from residents and those who manage buildings on how to improve fire and structural safety. Residents and building owners are invited to identify the best ways of working together to meet safety responsibilities and to share existing good practice.

Secretary of State for Communities, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP said:

There is nothing more important than being safe in your own home and I am determined to improve building safety.

My plan for stronger, tougher rules will make sure there is no hiding place for those who flout building safety rules.

By making people responsible and more accountable for safety, we will create a more rigorous system so residents will always have peace of mind that they are safe in their own homes.

A Written Ministerial Statement supporting today’s announcement and providing further details has been published alongside a full implementation plan.

The Joint Regulators Group’ will comprise key regulators and partners – Local Authority Building Control, The National Fire Chiefs Council, the Health & Safety Executive, the Local Government Association which includes the fire and rescue authorities, and others as required.

Since the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, the government has:

• Published the Social Housing Green Paper looking at improving the lives of those living in social housing.
• Identified buildings with unsafe aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding and ensured there are appropriate interim safety measures in place until the cladding is replaced.
• Committed up to £400 million to fully fund the replacement of unsafe cladding on high-rise social housing properties.
• Incentivised remediation by supporting local authorities to take decisive enforcement action where remediation plans for high-rise buildings with unsafe ACM cladding are unclear. This includes offering financial support where this is necessary to enable them to carry out emergency remedial work on affected private residential buildings with unsafe ACM cladding.
• Announced a ban on the use of combustible materials on the external walls of high-rise residential buildings. The regulations were laid in parliament on 29 November 2018 and are due to come into force on 21 December 2018.
• Welcomed the industry formation of the Competence Steering Group.
• Launched an Early Adopters’ Group, made up of developers and building owners to improve building safety now and drive the change in culture within the industry.
• Commenced an investigation into the fire door industry and intervened in the composite fire door market to remove unsafe products from sale.
• Issued advice notes to building owners and those responsible to make sure residents are safe now and in the future, including an addendum to the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) operating guidance, providing specific guidance on the assessment of high-rise residential buildings with unsafe cladding.

Review of building regulations and fire safety

Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of building regulations and fire safety was published on 17 May 2018. Dame Judith Hackitt said in her review:

This new regulatory regime needs to change the culture and mindset of those people and businesses involved in the design, construction, maintenance and operation of certain buildings so that they take proper ownership of the potential building safety risks and provide intelligent leadership in managing and controlling those risks (rather than being told by government what to do).

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Not all greenery is festive – that’s the reminder from the Environment Agency this Christmas, after teams have removed more than 1,000 tonnes of highly-invasive floating pennywort from river networks in the Anglian region.

More than 500 tonnes were removed from the Bedford Ouse, 400 tonnes from the River Cam, and 200 tonnes from the Ely Ouse.

The teams have also tackled 50 new patches that appeared this year on the River Witham between Lincoln and Chapel Hill.

It’s part of a sustained attack on the non-native species this winter that sees the EA working with partners, contractors, local communities and volunteer groups to clear the plant – even by hand, when necessary.

Floating pennywort forms dense mats that can affect oxygen levels in the water, crowd and kill off native wildlife, and damage habitat. It can become so prolific that boaters, anglers and others can’t use the waterway, and it even clogs sluices, weirs and drains, potentially increasing flood risk.

The plant is notoriously difficult to control – it can grow up to 25cm a day in the right conditions and even a small fragment can re-grow into a new plant.

But the Environment Agency is continuing to battle the weed this winter. On the Great Ouse, teams with weedboats are harvesting and removing the pennywort onto the banks, where it can compost down safely and naturally.

Volunteers from local fishing, canoeing and boating groups are also chipping in by removing rafts of the weed with their hands, nets and bin bags.

Removal efforts will continue into the spring, and the Environment Agency is appealing to anglers, boaters and others who spend time on or near the water to report any patches they see – and to take precautions to avoid spreading it.

Paul Separovic, team leader at the Environment Agency said:

Floating pennywort can cause damage to our natural habitat, threaten our native ecology, and prevent people from enjoying pastimes that bring them closer to nature, like fishing, boating and canoeing.

That’s why we’re reminding people to help us stop the spread of this aquatic invader – make sure to check, clean and dry your clothes and equipment thoroughly after being in the water, and report sightings to us on 0800 80 70 60.

We’d like to thank our partner organisations, local communities, and especially the dedicated volunteers who go out of their way to help with removing the weed.

If we all do our parts, we can help protect our natural environment for people and wildlife into the future.

Environment Agency officers’ long-term plan of attack involves working methodically down the rivers to clear the weed, and revisiting and double-checking previously cleared stretches. As well as advancing the frontline, the teams also tidy up riverbanks so there’s less for the floating pennywort to cling to, which will help reduce its spread.

Learn more about invasive species – and how you can help stop the spread – on the Non-native Species Secretariat’s website.