Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, speech to the Global Engineering Congress – 24th October 2018

The government has today (24 October 2018) published statutory instruments in relation to environmental assessments and the planning regime.

These instruments make no substantive changes of policy, but when the UK leaves the European Union (EU) these instruments will ensure the continued smooth operation of the following regimes relating to the environment and the planning system:

• Environmental Impact Assessment – which aims to ensure that environmental considerations are taken into account at the development consent stage of the planning process

• Strategic Environmental Assessment – which aims to ensure that environmental considerations are taken into account at the strategic plan-making stage of the planning process

• Hazardous Substances Regulations – these ensure that the objectives of preventing major accidents, and limiting the consequences of such accidents, are taken into account in land-use planning

These instruments also make a small number of amendments to other planning legislation, for example where there are references to obligations in EU law which are redundant or no longer appropriate.

The amendments in these instruments:

• will ensure that these regimes will continue to operate as they did before the date we leave the EU
• will not be retrospective, and so there will be no need to re-examine any decisions made before our EU exit purely as a result of these changes

We have also taken this opportunity to bring up to date some references to other legislation. Those provisions come into force on 31 December 2018. All other provisions come into force at the point the UK leaves the European Union on 29 March 2019.

Before these statutory instruments are formally laid in Parliament, they have to go through a sifting process. A new committee in the House of Commons and the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee in the House of Lords will consider the suitability of the relevant procedure.

The UK government is committed to maintaining the highest environmental standards after we leave the EU, and will continue to uphold international obligations through multilateral environmental agreements.

See the statutory instruments that the government has laid:

The UK government has also laid a statutory instrument which applies in Northern Ireland.

The negative parliamentary procedure is proposed for these statutory instruments. Negative SIs do not need active approval by Parliament. They will automatically come into effect as law unless either House stops (annuls) them within a fixed period after they have been laid (usually 40 sitting days).

The UK will leave the EU at 11pm on 29 March 2019.

Luton in Harmony and Luton Borough Council, in partnership with Building a Stronger Britain Together, have today (Wednesday 24 October 2018) announced the launch of ‘Many Voices, One Town’, a campaign showcasing how young Lutonians are leading the way in celebrating the town.

The campaign was launched at the UK Centre for Carnival Arts by Lloyd Denny, Chair of Luton in Harmony, Councillor Hazel Simmons, Leader of Luton Borough Council and Baroness Williams, Minister for Countering Extremism.

It featured the stories of seven inspiring young people talking about the pride they have in Luton, and how they each contribute to the town. By telling these stories, Many Voices, One Town hopes to inspire more local people to think about and celebrate what makes Luton great.

Working in partnership with organisations, schools and communities – including Luton Town Football Club – across Luton, the campaign celebrates the town’s many voices, demonstrating how they come together to create a town people can be proud of.

Many Voices, One Town builds on commitments from the government, Luton in Harmony and Luton Borough Council to work in partnership with individuals and organisations to build more cohesive and resilient communities and make a stand against extremism in all its forms.

At the launch of Many Voices, One Town, Lloyd Denny, Chair of Luton in Harmony, spoke about how young people are crucial part of the success of Luton, using art, culture, education and sport to celebrate the area.

LLoyd Denny said:

Luton is a town that has so much to offer and its young people have a huge part to play in that.

Through arts, culture, education and sport these young people demonstrate that it doesn’t matter where you are from, rather it is that diversity that makes Luton such a wonderful and unique place.

I am therefore optimistic that we as a town will continue to build on our past, enjoy the present and embrace the future.

Over the coming months, the campaign will also be supported by initiatives run with schools and local groups in Luton working with young people and the wider community. These include:

• Advocacy Academy – facilitating a leadership programme which will equip teachers and youth workers to help young Lutonians build resilience and find a voice
• Revoluton Arts – creating a collaborative artistic project in a central Luton location that will bring young people from different backgrounds together to celebrate the town
• Wicketz – a programme that will use sport to bring young people together and provide the opportunity to learn important skills for the workplace
• Luton Town FC Community Trust – a community competition that will combine art and football, giving young Lutonians the opportunity to design their own training shirt
• Luton Irish Forum – a citizenship programme for ten young Lutonians to make a positive difference in their community
• Safer Luton Partnership – an organisation that will help young people learn about other cultures through their ‘Day in the Life’ programme

Baroness Williams, Minister for Countering-Extremism said:

Building a Stronger Britain Together is about communities coming together to show they are united in our shared values and directly challenge the misguided attempts by those who sow the seeds of division in our communities or promote extremist views.

I’ve seen the passion young people of Luton have for their community and Many Voices, One Town will show what it is that makes the town great.

A Newark man has been fined for transporting waste without the proper licence.