Author Archives: HM Government

The Cabinet Secretary is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Patrick Vallance as the new government Chief Scientific Adviser. Dr Vallance, who is currently President of Research and Development, at GlaxoSmithKline, and the former Head of Medicine at University College London, was chosen following an open competition. He will take up the post in Spring 2018. Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Scientific Adviser for the Department of Health, is carrying out the role on an acting basis.

The Cabinet Secretary, Sir Jeremy Heywood said:

This is an excellent appointment for the Civil Service, in an important area of government business. Patrick Vallance has already advised the government on several occasions in his capacity as a Member of the UK Ministerial Industry Strategy Group, so he is well placed to offer the best scientific advice available to the Prime Minister and other members of the Cabinet. I am also looking forward to the contribution Patrick will make in leading the science community across government, building on the great work of Sir Mark Walport, his predecessor.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Sir Mark for the invaluable contribution he has made to policy development and strengthening Whitehall’s already world-class science capability.

Commenting on his new role, Dr Patrick Vallance said:

It is a great honour to join the Civil Service as the Government Chief Scientific Adviser. Science, engineering and technology have a vital role to play at the heart of policy making and are critical to economic growth and prosperity in the UK as well as to addressing many of the greatest challenges of our time, such as environmental change and keeping our citizens healthy and secure.

I look forward to working with colleagues to ensure the government has the best possible advice, from the best experts, based on the strongest evidence, to inform the widest range of policy decisions.

Science Minister, Jo Johnson said:

Science and innovation plays a pivotal role in our Industrial Strategy and we’ve invested an additional £4.7 billion to 2020/21 to ensure we continue to build on our worldwide reputation as a science powerhouse. Dr Patrick Vallance’s extensive knowledge and experience from the private sector and academia will play a central role in supporting this commitment and promoting our global leadership status.

Members of the public are being invited to share their views on the Environment Agency’s strategy to protect areas of the north Kent coast over the next century.

The online public consultation opens today, 6 November 2017, allowing people to view the Environment Agency’s plans on how best to best protect people, properties, wildlife habitats and agricultural land from flooding and coastal erosion in the Swale and Medway Estuary Area.

The Medway Estuary and Swale Strategy outlines the best technical solution for flood defence while considering the impact and benefits to local communities and the environment, as well as the cost to the taxpayer. It covers the Medway towns of Stoke, Sittingbourne, Conyer and Faversham, in addition to the Isle of Sheppey and the Medway Estuary.

Rising sea levels could result in the loss of nationally and internationally designated wildlife habitats in the area, which might be ‘squeezed’ against existing defences. The strategy therefore considers whether existing defences could be moved inland and the coastline returned to a more natural state, or whether habitat could be created elsewhere.

Mark Douch, Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager, said:

The project team has developed leading options for each section of the strategy area, based on economic, technical, and environmental appraisals.

We are keen to hear comments and feedback from the public on the proposed flood and coastal management options. We want to make sure we have captured all information before finalising the strategy.

The consultation runs until 5 February 2018.

Members of the local communities and key stakeholders are invited to review the proposed options for the management of coastal flood and erosion risk at public exhibitions being held at:

• Eastchurch Village Hall, Isle of Sheppey, 3pm to 7pm, 30 November 2017.
• Riverside Country Park, Gillingham, 3pm to 7pm, 6 December 2017.
• Halling Community Centre, 3:30pm to 7:30pm, 12 December 2017.

A groundbreaking new development in South West London moved a step closer today (8 November), as tunnelling work on the Northern Line extension was completed, paving the way for faster journey times and supporting tens of thousands of new homes.

This project, which was backed by £750 million of loan guarantees from HM Treasury, has created two new tunnels running from Battersea to Kennington via Nine Elms. Two new tube stations – Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station – will also be added to the Northern Line, helping cut commutes to central London to as little as 15 minutes.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss said:

It’s very exciting to see this new phase of the Northern Line delivered.

Great infrastructure, including the tube, is vital to a thriving London. That is why we backed this important project which is supporting thousands of jobs and new homes in our capital.‎

And that is why we are backing projects across the country that will help drive enterprise and growth.

The newly extended service is vital to regenerate a historic part of London, and will create an estimated 25,000 new jobs, resulting in more than 20,000 new homes being built in the area.

As the first London tube line extension for more than 20 years, the project received government support in 2012, in the form of a UK Guarantee. This project was one of the first to benefit from the UK Guarantee Scheme which supports private investment in UK infrastructure projects, and enabled the Mayor of London to borrow up to £1 billion needed to get it off the ground.

Further information

The UK Guarantees Scheme was launched in July 2012 and can issue up to £40 billion of guarantees. To date, it has issued nine guarantees totalling £1.8 billion of Treasury-backed infrastructure bonds and loans, supporting over £4 billion worth of investment.

For the Northern Line extension, the loan from the Public Works Loan Board is being used to pay for the up-front costs of construction, while the borrowing costs are being serviced by a tariff on development paid by developers to the London Boroughs of Wandsworth and Lambeth under the Section 106 (s106) and Community Infrastructure.