A survey by Kantar Public, published today (Sunday, 18 February), has found that 56% of the public judge the Conservatives’ handling of Berexit as poor or very poor.
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, signed by the the National Church Institutions (NCIs) of the Church of England, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) encourages the Church of England to use its buildings and other property to improve broadband, mobile and WiFi connectivity for local communities.
65% of Anglican churches and 66% of parishes in England are in rural areas and their locations at the heart of their communities mean they are often well placed to address connectivity and coverage problems.
The use of these churches, as well as other church properties and farm buildings, to host digital infrastructure will help to deliver the Government’s commitment for everyone to get good quality mobile connectivity where they live, work and travel.
DCMS Secretary of State, Matt Hancock said:
Churches are central features and valued assets for local communities up and down the country. This agreement with the Church of England will mean that even a 15th century building can help make Britain fit for the future improving people’s lives by boosting connectivity in some of our hardest-to-reach areas.
Through its Industrial Strategy, the Government is continually driving the UK’s connectivity, telecommunications and digital sectors, and investing in the skills, industries and infrastructure of the future.
Improved digital connectivity will bring a range of benefits to rural communities, including:
The Dioceses of Chelmsford and Norwich are already supporting programmes which
use Church buildings to improve connectivity in rural areas. It is hoped the accord
will be instrumental in encouraging more local dioceses and parishes to positively
consider how they can use their property in this way.
The Bishop of Chelmsford, Rt Revd Stephen Cottrell, said:
We know that rural churches in particular have always served as a hub for their communities. Encouraging churches to improve connectivity will help tackle two of the biggest issues rural areas face – isolation and sustainability.
The Diocese of Chelmsford has been pioneering this approach with County Broadband since 2013. Our work has significantly improved rural access to high-speed broadband.
Many new forms of technology are available to improve internet access in rural areas and I hope that this partnership between the Church of England and the Government will help rural churches consider how they can be part of the solution. I know that many churches already help people access the internet and provide digital skills training, and this Accord is a natural extension of great work already occurring.
The Bishop of Norwich, Rt Revd Graham James, said:
I welcome this agreement. It builds on what we have been seeking to do in the Diocese of Norwich since 2011 with the creation of WiSpire, a company seeking to use church towers and spires to enable Wifi connectivity in communities, especially in rural locations.
Our parish churches are a truly national network, and to use them creatively to create new forms of connectivity enhances their value for the communities they serve.
Hamish Macleod, Director Mobile UK, said:
Mobile UK welcomes this announcement from Government and the Church of England, which emphasises the benefits of mobile connectivity to local communities.
Where there is a need, a suitable building is available and appropriate terms can be agreed, the mobile operators will continue to extend their use of churches to increase mobile coverage and capacity, while respecting the church environment.
Rural Affairs Minister Lord Gardiner said:
It is vitally important people living in the countryside have the same opportunities as those in urban areas, and that means having strong mobile and broadband infrastructures in place.
This initiative marks an important step in our continued drive to connect better our rural communities and bridge the digital divide.
Clear guidance set out by both the Church and Historic England ensures that any telecoms infrastructure deployed does not impact on the character and architectural or historic significance of churches.
Under the accord the Government has also pledged to provide advice for parishes and dioceses to enable them to consider supporting digital connectivity and to develop the necessary skills for digital infrastructure projects.
There is the possibility that similar accords could be made with other faith communities that have similar estates.
Owing to varying terrain and different community needs the Accord covers all types of mobile and broadband technologies – churches are free to explore different options to meet the needs of their communities.
There are more than 120 cases of broadband and mobile services being delivered from parish churches across the country. These take a number of forms – from wireless transmitters in church spires and church towers, to
aerials, satellite dishes, and more traditional fibre cables. The Church of England has just over 16,000 church buildings in 12,500 parishes.
Church of England and Historic England guidance on the installation of telecoms equipment in churches
At a round table meeting with rural Church of England Bishops, convened by the Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Alan Smith, and representatives of the fixed and mobile operators on 13 December 2017, chaired by the then Minister for Digital, Matt Hancock, and the Minister for Rural Affairs and Biosecurity, Lord Gardiner, it was agreed that an accord between the Church and Government would help make clear the importance of connectivity and support in principle for using Church assets to host fibre and mobile infrastructure.
Joint
on Use of Church Land and Buildings to Support Digital Connectivity
Updated: Added translation
Lord Astor of Hever, the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy visited Oman on 11 – 15 February 2018. His role is to work with the UK Department for International Trade to support and encourage the growth of business links and partnerships between the UK and Oman, and to promote the UK as a trade partner of choice for Oman. His visit reinforced the importance the UK places on its bilateral trade relationship with Oman.
During his visit, Lord Astor had meetings with a range of senior government and business officials. He had a series of key meetings with senior officials to discuss Oman – UK business trade relations and focused on education & training, touring the new Takatuf-Petrofac Oman Centre of Excellence and meeting with the National Training Fund to discuss vocational training. He also hosted an Oil & Gas networking reception and spoke about the strength of the bilateral relationship in oil and gas, both historically and looking forward.
At the end of his visit, Lord Astor said:
“I was pleased to visit Oman again in my role as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy. Oman is a country I have a long affinity with and it is important to the UK. As a Trade Envoy, I work closely with the Trade Team at the British Embassy in Muscat and organisations in the UK to help boost links and create opportunities for UK and Omani businesses to work together.
The UK is the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Oman by far, accounting for over 45% of total FDI. The majority of this investment is in the oil and gas sector in Oman, both in upstream exploration and production and, increasingly, in the development of downstream oil and gas industry. Bilateral cooperation on education and training, both within oil and gas and across the board, underpins economic development, and I am delighted to see British industry working with Omani institutions to deliver high quality training in Oman. There is a strong appetite in Oman to see more trade with the UK and we are keen to continue to build, strengthen and support that relationship.”
About 11.20pm yesterday, Police received a report that a boy was found abandoned inside a park on 108 Po Hong Road.
The Chinese boy is about 14 to 18 years old. He is about 1.7 metres tall and 63 kilograms in weight. He has a round face with yellow complexion and short black hair. He wore a black jacket, a yellow shirt, black trousers, yellow sports shoes and a pair of black glasses when being found. No identity document was found.
The boy, sustaining no apparent injuries, was admitted to Tseung Kwan O Hospital for observation.
Investigation by the officers of Tseung Kwan O District is underway.
Police urge his relatives or anyone who has information to offer, to contact any police stations or the officers of Tseung Kwan O District on 3661 0831 or 3661 0832, or email to tkodist-rr @police.gov.hk .
