In a major boost for local high streets, up to £830 million from the Future High Streets Fund will be invested in 72 areas across England, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced today (26 December 2020).

The funding will help these areas transform their high streets into vibrant hubs for future generations and to protect and create thousands of jobs.

In a key milestone for the government’s levelling up agenda, this investment will help areas to recover from the pandemic while also driving long term growth.

It will enable the delivery of ambitious regeneration plans, drawn up by places, and fund new local projects such as improvements to transport infrastructure, new homes and the transformation of underused spaces.

The funding will also help to protect and create thousands of jobs in a range of industries, delivering opportunities and prosperity to communities across England. Confirmed plans include:

• £24.6 million to support the delivery of 186 new homes, road safety improvements and a permanent new space for the historic market in Birkenhead.
• £17.9 million to boost Worcester town centre by renovating the Scala Theatre and Corn Exchange, transforming underused space to create new homes for first time buyers and improving connectivity.
• £25 million for Swindon’s plans to modernise its town centre, including a new public transport hub and improved cycle and pedestrian routes.

This funding is part of wider support we’re providing to communities and businesses, to protect jobs, support the most vulnerable and ensure no one is left behind as we tackle the COVID-19 pandemic head on.

Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:

The year ahead will be a big one for the high street as it seeks to recover, adapt and evolve as a result of the pandemic. Today’s £830 million investment from the Future High Streets Fund is one of many ways the government is working to help our much-loved town centres get through this and prosper into the future.

The role of high street has always evolved. We want to support that change and make sure that they are the beating heart of their local community – with high quality housing and leisure in addition to shops and restaurants.

This investment will help us build back better and make town centres a more attractive place to live, work and visit.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said:

We are supporting our high streets to get through this pandemic through business grants, paying people’s wages and tax deferrals.

The Future High Streets Fund will help areas bounce back through regeneration projects that level up opportunities and create jobs right across the country.

The Future High Streets Fund was launched in December 2018 and is a key part of this government’s plan to renew and reshape town centres – making them a more attractive place to live, work and visit. £107 million of the Future High Streets Fund has been allocated to DCMS to support the regeneration of heritage high streets.

The Future High Streets Fund is just one of the ways the government is supporting the retail and hospitality sector. During the pandemic, we made it easier for areas to adapt to the challenges they faced.

This included making it easier to demolish and rebuild unused buildings to create homes with our High Street Homes Permitted Development Rights; providing restaurants, pubs and cafes with the freedom to offer takeaway services; and making it easier for businesses and communities to host markets and stalls so customers can be served safely.

In May we launched a fund to help councils reopen high streets safely and we recently announced that retailers will be able to extend their opening hours over the festive period to help keep shoppers and staff safe.

This month we extended protections from the threat of eviction for businesses unable to pay their rent until March 2021, taking the duration of these measures to one year.

Our recent proposals for the new Parking Code of Practice will support shoppers visiting their local high street by introducing a tiered approach to private car parking fines and ensuring a fair appeals process.

We are also reviewing the provision of public toilets to ensure that there are appropriate facilities for visitors to town centres.

Fifteen areas across England have been awarded a confirmed £255 million from the Future High Streets Fund. A further 57 areas have received a provisional funding offers totalling up to £576 million and we will be working with them to finalise their proposals.

The 15 places who are receiving full funding are:

1. Tamworth Town Centre – Tamworth, £21,652,555
2. Sunderland City Centre – Sunderland, £25,000,000
3. Sutton – Sutton, £11,346,704
4. Bishop Auckland – Durham, £19,856,853
5. Blyth Town Centre – Northumberland, £11,121,059
6. Kidderminster – Wyre Forest, £20,510,598
7. Old Kent Road – Southwark, £9,605,854
8. Swindon – Swindon, £25,000,000
9. Stockport – Stockport, £14,500,000
10. Winsford – Cheshire West and Chester, £9,980,000
11. Sheffield High Street – Sheffield, £15,817,001
12. Blackfriars, Northern City Centre – Worcester, £17,939,000
13. Birkenhead – Wirral, £24,581,011
14. Brierley Hill High Town Centre – Dudley, £9,985,689
15. Stretford – Trafford, £17,605,674

The 57 places receiving provisional funding offers are:

1. Leamington Town Spa, Warwick (Warwickshire) – £10,015,121
2. Nuneaton Town Centre, Nuneaton and Bedworth (Warwickshire) – £13,362,736
3. Wolverhampton City Centre – £15,760,196
4. Walsall – £11,439,967
5. Newcastle-Under-Lyme – £11,048,260
6. Stafford – £14,377,723
7. Tottenham, Haringey – £10,019,648
8. Woolwich Town Centre, Greenwich – £17,150,964
9. Wealdstone, Harrow – £7,448,583
10. Putney Town Centre, Wandsworth – £1,058,706
11. Elland Town Centre, Calderdale (West Yorkshire) – £6,310,812
12. Northallerton, Hambleton (North Yorkshire) – £6,085,013
13. Rotherham – £12,660,708
14. Halifax – £11,762,823
15. Barnsley Towns Centre – £15,624,456
16. Scunthorpe – £10,675,323
17. New Ferry, Wirral – £3,213,523
18. Wigan – £16,633,691
19. Crewe – £14,148,128
20. Rochdale (Greater Manchester) – £17,080,458
21. Farnworth, Bolton (Greater Manchester) – £13,306,817
22. Oldham – £10,750,237
23. Kirkham Town Centre, Fylde – £6,290,831
24. Maryport Town Centre, Allerdale – £11,527,839
25. Carlisle City Centre – £9,129,874
26. Plymouth City Centre – £12,046,873
27. Barnstable, North Devon – £6,548,876
28. Newton Abbot, Teignbridge – £9,199,364
29. Paignton, Torbay – £13,363,248
30. Kingswood, South Gloucestershire – £12,555,464
31. Salisbury City Centre – £9,355,731
32. Penzance, Cornwall – £10,403, 112
33. Trowbridge, Wiltshire – £16,347,056
34. Yeovil – £9,756,897
35. Taunton, Somerset – £13,962,981
36. Loftus, Redcar and Cleveland – £5,833,628
37. Middlesbrough Centre – £14,170,352
38. Stockton – £16,543,812
39. South Shields – £5,959,187
40. Derby City Centre, St Peters Cross – £15,034,398
41. Sutton-in-Ashfield (Nottinghamshire) – £6,279,872
42. Grantham, South Kesteven (Lincolnshire) – £5,558,818
43. Grimsby (North East Lincolnshire) – £17,280,917
44. Nottingham City Centre, West End Point – £12,523,981
45. Heanor, Amber Valley – £8,592,837
46. Northampton – £8,442,730
47. Buxton, High Peak – £6,608,223
48. Dover Town Centre and Waterfront – £3,202,226
49. Newhaven, Lewes – £5,004,939
50. Chatham Town Centre, Medway – £9,497,720
51. Ramsgate, Thanet – £2,704,213
52. Commercial Road, Portsmouth (Hampshire) – £3,122,375
53. Fratton, Portsmouth – £3,858,489
54. High Wycombe – £11,886,876
55. St Neots, Huntingdonshire – £3,748,815
56. March High Street, Fenland – £6,447,129
57. Great Yarmouth – £13,774,430

The outputs listed are locally reported and will undergo further quality assurance before being finalised and confirmed in grant offer letters.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has hailed the UK’s new comprehensive security agreement with the EU that will see the UK continuing to be one of the safest countries in the world.

A range of fast and effective security capabilities were agreed with the EU, which will help bear down on criminals and bring them to justice.

Measures agreed include:

• streamlined extradition arrangements;  

• an arrangement enabling the fast and effective exchange of national DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration data via the Prüm system to aid law enforcement agencies in investigating crime and terrorism;

• continued operational co-operation with Europol and Eurojust that reflect the scale of our contribution to these agencies;

• arrangements enabling the fast and effective exchange of criminal records data via shared technical infrastructure; and 

• arrangements providing for continued transfers of Passenger Name Record  data to protect the public from serious crime and terrorism.   

It is the first time the EU has agreed such a comprehensive agreement with a third country in this area. It ensures the UK can work with counterparts across Europe to tackle serious crime and terrorism, protecting the public and bringing criminals to justice.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

The safety and security of UK citizens is the Government’s top priority and the UK will continue to be one of the safest countries in the world.

I’m immensely proud of the comprehensive package of capabilities we’ve agreed with the EU. It means both sides have effective tools to tackle serious crime and terrorism, protecting the public and bringing criminals to justice.

But we will also seize this historic opportunity to make the UK safer and more secure through firmer and fairer border controls.

The UK is a leader in global security and will continue to play its part on the international stage to keep people safe. In addition to the deal, work such as the UK’s 2025 Border Strategy and co-operation with international partners, will ensure we tackle threats as varied as terrorism, organised crime and illegal migration.

From 1 January 2021, free movement will end and tougher border rules for EU criminals will come into force. Under these changes, foreign criminals sentenced to more than a year in jail will be banned from entering the UK.

The UK will also make it harder for criminals to operate and smuggle illicit commodities such as guns and drugs into the country. From July 2021, the UK will start receiving advance data on all goods coming from the EU into Great Britain, something which has not previously been possible under EU rules.

The UK is also phasing out the use of insecure identity documents used to enter the UK. From 1 October 2021, the UK will refuse to recognise EEA and Swiss national identity cards which are some of the most insecure and abused document seen at the border and often used by organised crime groups.

The Government is also providing the police with more powers to protect the public. From 1 January 2021, the police will have the power to detain fugitives wanted by close partner countries immediately without having to apply for a UK arrest warrant first. This means that criminals will be brought to justice faster.

Further details on the security arrangement can be found on the UK-EU Trade and co-operation agreement summary.

Flooding remains a risk to some areas in England, particularly the North West and West Midlands. This follows heavy rain from Storm Christoph that fell on already saturated ground, which has led to exceptionally high river levels in recent days.

Very sadly, around 500 properties have been flooded so far and the Environment Agency’s officers are working hard with partners to help reduce the risk, including up to 30 properties in Bewdley in Worcestershire. However, 35,000 properties across the country have already been protected from flooding and teams are operating flood defences, flood storage reservoirs and putting up temporary barriers where needed to help protect communities.

At 12.15pm on 23 January, 1 severe flood warning currently remains in place, where flooding poses a significant risk to life or significant disruption to communities, there are 95 flood warnings, meaning that flooding is expected, and 95 flood alerts, meaning that flooding is possible.

People living in northern and central parts of England, especially around Ironbridge and Bewdley and further down the river Severn where river levels remain high, are being urged to prepare for the risk of flooding over the weekend. The public should sign up to flood warnings and check the latest safety advice.

Dan Bond, Flood Duty Manager at the Environment Agency, said:

Our thoughts are with anyone who has been affected by Storm Christoph, especially those whose homes or businesses have been flooded. Environment Agency officers are out today across the country assessing defences and operating flood barriers, and so far 35,000 properties have been protected.

As river levels react to recent heavy rainfall from Storm Christoph this could bring flooding to some areas, particularly along parts of the River Severn today and into Sunday, with a risk of damage to buildings in some communities. There is also a chance of localised flooding of land and roads across parts of the North West of England on Tuesday due to further rain.

We urge people to keep away from swollen rivers and not to drive through flood water – it is often deeper than it looks and just 30cm of flowing water is enough to float your car.   

People should check their flood risk, sign up for free flood warnings and keep up to date with the latest situation at via Gov.uk or follow @EnvAgency on Twitter for the latest flood updates.

Storm Christoph brought some heavy, and at times record breaking, rain to parts of England. Provisional figures show Honister, in Cumbria, received 123.8 mm of rainfall on Tuesday 19 January, a new daily rainfall record for this winter and 2021. Figures also show parts of Cleveland, in North Yorkshire, received more than their average January rainfall in just a 48 hour period. Tuesday 19 January was the wettest January day for Rochdale (46.8mm), Preston (43.6 mm) and Stonyhurst, Lancashire (43.8mm) since 1954.

Evacuating people from their homes is a multi-agency decision where all risks are considered. Preparations for evacuations and to create Covid-secure rest centres will have been made by the relevant agencies as a precautionary measure. We would urge anyone advised to evacuate to follow the advice of the emergency services at the time.

Find out if you’re at risk of flooding in England

Sign up for flood warnings

Get help during a flood

What to do after a flood

The government has today published figures which show the number of people who have received the vaccine between 8 December and 20 December in the UK is 616,933.

The UK government has procured doses on behalf of the entire UK. The number of people who have received their first dose of the vaccine in each of the 4 nations is:

• England: 521,594
• Scotland: 56,676
• Wales: 22,595
• Northern Ireland: 16,068

In line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), vaccines have been administered to care home residents, those aged 80 and over and health and social care staff through over 500 vaccination sites across the UK. The vaccination programme will continue at pace over Christmas.

The vaccine roll-out in care homes in England began on Wednesday 16 December, with hundreds of residents vaccinated across 7 care homes in Slough, Aintree, Herne Bay, Thanet, Chalfont St Peter, Droitwich and Cheltenham, as well as Chelsea Pensioners.

Larger care homes with 50 to 70 beds will be prioritised first, with around 2,900 care homes of this size in England.

Over the coming weeks and months, the rate of vaccination will increase as more doses become available and the programme continues to expand, with more vaccines being delivered direct to care homes.

Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said:

Thanks to a huge effort from the NHS to overcome significant logistical challenges, 616,933 people across the UK have had their jab of the coronavirus vaccine.

In just over 3 weeks, the NHS in every part of the UK has already set up hundreds of vaccination sites to ensure those most in need can receive their jab as quickly as possible.

This is just the beginning and we are continually expanding our vaccination programme to help everyone get back to normal in the future.

Figures on vaccination uptake for the UK will be published on a weekly basis from today on the PHE coronavirus data dashboard.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine was the first vaccine to be authorised for use by the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Patients require 2 doses of the vaccine for the vaccine to be at its most effective. Thanks to the work of the government’s Vaccines Taskforce, 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine have been secured for the whole of the UK.

Rolling reviews on the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna and other vaccine candidates are underway and, if authorised by the MHRA, will mean there are more doses available to vaccinate those in need.

Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said:

I am extremely proud the UK is the first country in the world to roll out the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and protect the most vulnerable from this awful disease.

The NHS across the UK is working incredibly hard to scale up the vaccination programme as fast as they can to make sure everyone on the priority list can get their vaccine easily.

England

All vaccinations in England are recorded between 8 December and 20 December and represent the first doses only.

The data for England is drawn from 2 sources depending on the vaccination site:

• for hospital sites the data is reported from the National Immunisation Management Service, which is the system of record for the NHS vaccination programme
• for local vaccination services this is an initial data extract from the Pinnacle system, which is being used by GPs to record COVID-19 vaccination events. This data will also be aggregated into the National Immunisation Management Service

Northern Ireland

As the vaccination programme began on 8 December 2020, the number of individuals reported to have been vaccinated in week ending 13 December 2020 only includes data from 8 to 13 December 2020.

Scotland

Vaccinations that were carried out in Scotland are reported in the Vaccination Management Tool. As the vaccination programme began on 8 December 2020, the number of individuals reported to have been vaccinated in week ending 13 December 2020 only includes data from 8 to 13 December 2020.

Wales

Vaccinations that were carried out in Wales are reported in the Welsh Immunisation System, and are extracted each Tuesday to reflect activity up to the close of the preceding Sunday. As the vaccination programme began on 8 December 2020, the number of individuals reported to have been vaccinated in the week ending 13 December 2020 only includes data from 8 to 13 December 2020.