News story: UK and Egypt continue to tackle joint threats

Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach today welcomed his Egyptian counterpart to London to discuss shared challenges and threats, including that posed by Daesh.

Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hegazy was received by a ceremonial guard from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment, before holding discussions with Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon.

Discussion included shared security interests in Libya, planned Defence Engagement this year, including preparations for a future joint exercise involving counter-improvised explosive device (C-IED) training, and the UK’s commitment to security in the region. Dates for the annual military staff talks were also confirmed, which aim to identify mutual training opportunities and areas where both nations can deepen their military relationship.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said:

Stability abroad helps keep the streets of Britain safer and more secure.

With a strengthening relationship and as a key partner in defence and military matters, Britain is working with Egypt to combat threats, including from Daesh terrorism in Sinai and Libya.

Deepening our relationship with Egypt helps ensure stability in the Middle East and improves safety and security here in Britain.

The Defence Secretary visited Cairo in September, where he committed the UK to continue working alongside the Egyptian military, particularly through C-IED training.

Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach today welcomed his Egyptian counterpart Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hegazy to London. Crown Copyright.

As part of joint Defence work last year, Royal Navy warships HMS Ocean and Bulwark visited Egypt and met with ENS Tahya Misr to practice manoeuvres and participate in an air defence exercise.

10 Egyptian officers from their Mistral class helicopter carriers were also hosted on board, and ahead of the exercise HMS Ocean, visited the port of Alexandria, the first Royal Navy ship to do so for eight years.

Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach said:

I was pleased to welcome Lt Gen Hegazy to London, and following a positive exchange I have personally reaffirmed our important Defence ties. We will continue to develop this military bond.

While in the UK, Lt Gen Hegazy is also due to visit Northwood Headquarters, where he will meet Commander of Joint Forces Command General Sir Chris Deverell, among other senior personnel.




Green Party to stand in Stoke by-election

1 February 2017

North Staffordshire Green Party has announced local activist Adam Colclough as its candidate for the Stoke by-election.

Colclough is from Stoke and understands the problems it faces. He wants to end austerity and tackle insecure employment, low pay and inadequate housing. His priorities are the NHS, social care and education.

Colclough works in logistics operations but also has roles in a mental health forum, NHS patients’ forum and young offenders’ rehabilitation organisations. He is studying part time for a sociology degree at Staffordshire University.

Colclough said:

“I’m absolutely committed to fighting for a better future for my city and its people. Politicians need to be honest about the real causes of the problems that blight Stoke on Trent and offer credible solutions that will work. Simply staying silent about austerity instead of offering realistic, alternative economic and industrial policies is not good enough.

“The people of Stoke have been taken for granted for far too long and the Green Party will be honest in addressing these issues to create a fair and sustainable future. Many people in Stoke are disconnected from the three mainstream parties and seeking an alternative. We want to offer them one based on inclusion and hope, not division and prejudice.”

Jonathan Bartley, Green Party co-leader, said:

“Adam has lived in Stoke his whole life which means he truly understands the strengths and challenges of the local area. He would do whatever it takes to work with others of like mind to meet the needs of the local community, and defeat the forces that seek to separate us. I’m proud that Adam is offering a brighter, fairer future.”

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Press release: Captivating CCTV footage of kestrel released by Highways England

The film shows the young bird of prey:

  • using the CCTV mast as a perch
  • being mobbed both by a magpie and then a raven
  • checking out her reflection in the camera
  • still-hunting, where the bird sits on the exposed perch and watches for prey
  • struggling to keep her perch in high winds

Kestrel video

The release of the video comes in the wake of the RSPB’s BIG Garden Bird watch last weekend. More than half a million people were expected to take part, recording the number of birds that visited their gardens over a one hour period.

The RSPB is also promoting the Big School Bird Watch during the month of February, where pupils will be encouraged to get closer to nature by counting birds at set times.

More information can be found on the RSPB website.

Traffic Officers Leigh Goodchild and Steve Dyas at Highways England’s Regional Control Centre in Avonmouth first spotted the cheeky bird in October 2016.

And since then operators monitoring traffic on CCTV have been treated to frequent sightings as the kestrel has made a camera stand at junction 11a of the M5 one of its favourite perches.

Leigh Goodchild said:

We’ve grown quite fond of our feathered friend since she started visiting the camera. The platform seems to give a good view of the surrounding area and potential prey – on one occasion she returned with half a mouse which she proceeded to swallow complete, tail and all!

We’ve also noticed she’s rather obsessed with her own image, which she probably thinks is an equally nosey kestrel ‘in’ the camera, but her inquisitiveness has given us some good close-ups.

She’s squawked and attacked the lens a few times as well but when that happens we try to discourage her from hurting herself by tilting the camera skywards.

Her visits certainly brighten up our day and makes a change from the traffic!

With their pointed wings and long tails, kestrels are a familiar sight along UK motorways and other main roads as they use thermals from the road to hover while they look for prey.

Kestrels are generally recognised by their characteristic hovering hunting mode, but also use perches to hunt. They can often be seen perched on a high tree branch, or on a telephone post or wire, on the lookout for prey. The RSPB estimate that there are around 46,000 breeding pairs of kestrels in the UK, and the bird is on their amber list of protected species.

Highways England Traffic Officers operate motorway CCTV cameras from seven regional control centres and the National Traffic Operations Centre and patrol the motorway network around the clock. They work to keep traffic moving by dealing with incidents and setting signals and signs to alert drivers to potential issues ahead.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.




News story: Manchester seminar: Developing place based services in Gtr Manchester slidepack (31 Jan 2017)

In this free seminar learning Jane shared past and future challenges for GM place-based delivery models.

featuring

Jane Forrest

Greater Manchester Public Service Reform Team

The scale of financial challenge facing Greater Manchester public services continues to be a driver for change and across Greater Manchester (GM) partners are working together on the radical reform of public services through a series of challenging and ambitious programmes to improve outcomes for GM residents whilst increasing independence and reducing the rising demand on public services.

The development of place-based integrated working is an essential feature of the GM whole-system approach to the creation of new Public Service delivery models. These new delivery models are being designed against demand; focussing on reduction and prevention and building on community capacity. It is intended that these new models will maximise operational effectiveness within the context of reduced budgets and are essential to the sustainability of neighbourhood services.

In this free seminar learning Jane will share past and future challenges for GM place-based delivery models and discuss how citizens are at the centre of their plans and will help to truly drive whole system reform

Please see slide pack for further information

If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email academy@noms.gsi.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.




News story: Serious signalling irregularity at Cardiff East Junction

Over the Christmas period in 2016, Network Rail carried out extensive resignalling and track remodelling work in and around Cardiff Central station. This was the final stage of the Cardiff area signalling replacement scheme, a project which has been in progress for several years. This stage involved the closure of the power signal box at Cardiff, with control of the area moving to the South Wales Control Centre (SWCC), and changes to the track layout and signalling on the east side of Cardiff Central station.

Some of the new track layout was brought into use on 29 December. At 08:46 hrs on that morning the driver of train 2T08 from Cardiff Central to Treherbert, which had just left platform 7, noticed that a set of points in the route his train was about to take were not set in the correct position. Train 2T08 was the first up train on the Up Llandaff line after the start of service over the new layout.

The points at which the train stopped were redundant in the new layout and should have been secured in the normal position in readiness for their complete removal at a later date. The project works required eight point ends in two separate locations to be locked and secured in this way. In the event only six of the eight point ends were locked and secured, and the line was re-opened to traffic without the omission having been identified by the project team through the normal checking processes which should take place as part of this type of works. These two point ends were left in a condition in which they were unsecured and not detected by the signalling system, and the points at which train 2T08 stopped, points 817A, were left lying reverse. If the driver had not noticed the position of these points and stopped, the train would have been diverted towards line E (the former down relief line) on which trains can run in either direction. The new signalling system uses axle counters for train detection, and in this situation the system would not have identified that the train was in the wrong place.

A few minutes earlier, at 08:24 hrs, another train, down train 1V02, had travelled over the other points which had been left unsecured at the other end of the same crossover (817B). These points had been left in the normal position, which was correct for trains travelling over them in the down direction.

No-one was injured and no damage was caused by either event, and Network Rail acted quickly to secure both sets of points.

Our investigation will examine:

  • the events leading up to the commissioning of the new track layout in the area of 817 points
  • the methods that Network Rail’s Cardiff area signalling replacement project used for project management and assurance processes
  • the on-site team briefing and works management process.

It will also examine any relevant management issues and consider previous relevant recommendations made by the RAIB.

Our investigation is independent of any investigation by the railway industry or by the industry’s regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.

We will publish our findings, including any recommendations to improve safety, at the conclusion of our investigation. This report will be available on our website.

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