A £46 million scheme to provide more effective and coordinated support for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities was launched today (10 December 2020) by Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing Kelly Tolhurst.

The government is inviting local organisations to form partnerships and bid for a share of the funding to better support those who experience multiple disadvantages including homelessness, substance misuse, mental health issues, domestic abuse, and contact with the criminal justice system.

These people are among the most vulnerable in our communities, facing entrenched disadvantage and trauma. They often experience difficulties in getting the coordinated support from local services that they need.

This can lead to increased reoffending, greater risk of rough sleeping and ill-health and can result in a higher demand and costs for local response services and the criminal justice system.

The ‘Changing Futures’ programme aims to establish new, innovative and co-ordinated ways to better support vulnerable adults. The prospectus, published today, invites expressions of interest from organisations such as councils, health bodies, police, probation services, voluntary and community sector organisations to form local partnerships.

Minister for Rough Sleeping and Housing, Kelly Tolhurst said:

This £46 million funding will help some of the most vulnerable people in our communities turn their lives around and build a brighter future.

The ‘Changing Futures’ programme gives local organisations the flexibility and resources they need to work in partnership to deliver effective support where it is needed most. I look forward to receiving really innovative bids for projects that will make a real difference to so many people’s lives

The Programme, announced at the Budget, aims to deliver improvements at the individual, service and system level:

• for individuals, to stabilise and then improve the life situation of adults who face multiple disadvantage
• for services, to better integrate local services to provide a person-centred approach and to reduce demand on reactive services
• for the local system, to test a different approach to funding, accountability and engagement between local commissioners and services, and central government and local areas

The programme will run alongside evaluation, applying learning from local areas to national policymaking, aiming to deliver better outcomes with taxpayers’ money.

New reports commissioned by the government and published today (Thursday 10 December 2020) raise the prospect of a limited reopening of the Hammersmith Bridge to pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic.

In September, the Department for Transport invited respected engineering consultants AECOM and Professor Norman Fleck of the University of Cambridge – an expert in fracture mechanics – to review engineering studies of the bridge’s condition previously undertaken by consultants for the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham (LBHF).

The reports, published today, looked in detail at the computer modelling and risk assessments undertaken to date by LBHF’s consultants and of the bridge strengthening works proposed by Transport for London (TfL). They conclude that earlier risk assessments were conservative and, as there is now a better understanding of how the bridge might be behaving, suggest assumptions on its closure should be revisited.

The reports recommend LBHF and its consultants reconsider whether the bridge can be reopened, albeit with restrictions, in its current state to pedestrians, cyclists and river traffic. Further mitigation measures will be needed. These include blast-cleaning the paint from the 2 remaining pedestals so that any hidden fractures can be identified, as well as potentially installing further monitoring equipment.

AECOM and Fleck’s reports recognise that our understanding of the bridge’s condition and behaviour has improved considerably since March of this year when the current risk assessment was prepared. The government is therefore calling on LBHF to review AECOM and Fleck’s work and consider their rationale for a full closure of the bridge, with a focus on exploring all avenues for a partial reopening.

Transport Minister Baroness Vere said:

Today’s reports set out that there is potentially a route to Hammersmith Bridge being partially reopened and without major works, which is something I know people in the area will welcome.

I’m therefore calling on Hammersmith & Fulham Council to seriously consider these reports so we can do right by people who have been impacted by this bridge’s closure, and help people move around London easily again as soon as is safely possible.

We remain committed to finding a funding solution for the bridge’s full repair and reopening to vehicular traffic.

The government has provided the funding for removing ornate cast-iron casings and blast cleaning 2 western pedestals via the extraordinary funding and financing deal agreed with TfL on 31 October 2020. This work is expected to be carried out by April 2021. The eastern pedestals have already been blast-cleaned.

Given any reopening before the stabilisation works have been completed will have to be restricted, we continue to work on delivering a ferry service across the river as a temporary measure. Also, as part of the extraordinary funding and financing package, TfL will establish and run this service using active travel funding, alongside any local contributions. Public procurement activity for the ferry is underway, with service commencement targeted for spring 2021.

At 11.03am on 15 December 2015, Tim Peake ascended into the sky on a Soyuz rocket and became the first Briton ever to live aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Tim’s mission, Principia, helped inspire a generation of schoolchildren to discover the opportunities offered by science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.

During the 6-month mission, the UK Space Agency worked with Tim on more than 30 outreach projects with a range of partners, including experiments to grow salad from seeds in space, create imaginative films inspired by spaceflight and exercise like an astronaut. Over 2 million students took part in the outreach programme with 1 in 3 UK schools taking part.

This new campaign, organised by the UK Space Agency and Tim Peake, will run from 10 December until 31 January 2021. It aims to uncover stories from people like Lowena Hull, 18, who is studying science at university after she designed code for an MP3 player which Tim then used on the ISS; or Michael Woodward who after following Tim’s mission now works at Goonhilly Earth Station in Cornwall, where he maintains antennas used to talk to the ISS. One lucky participant will get the chance to win a group video call with Tim himself.

Tim Peake, British ESA astronaut, said:

I am excited to hear how my mission encouraged people to explore a future in STEM. When I was younger, I was inspired by scientists, explorers and aviators; they all helped me to pursue my dreams.

You don’t have to be an astronaut to work in space. The UK space sector is an exciting place to work. Careers include coders, environmentalists, engineers and designers. I’m sure many of the young people we hear from will one day make an impact on the world through their career in space.

Tim may have inspired the subjects you or your students chose to study or the career you embarked on, or maybe you took up stargazing as a hobby. However he inspired you, whether you’re a grown-up or a child, the UK Space Agency wants to hear from you by completing the Inspired by Tim survey or sending in a short video.

While onboard the Space Station in 2016, Tim hosted question and answer sessions with school students. These sessions saw children given their chance to put their questions to Tim from thousands of miles away, and have answers beamed back down to Earth.

Science Minister, Minister Solloway, Said:

“From the moment we caught a glimpse of Tim Peake gliding through the hatch of the International Space Station, we knew we were witnessing an historic moment that would open up the possibilities for UK spaceflight and inspire a generation like never before.

“As we mark 5 years since Tim’s remarkable mission, I can’t wait to hear first-hand how it has motivated the UK’s most talented young people – from ambitious astronauts to aspiring engineers – to embark on their own careers in our thriving space industry.”

A mission of firsts: Tim Peake’s time in space

• Ahead of his mission, Tim spent 5 years in training, learning how to cope with G-force and zero-gravity living; the rudiments of the spacewalk; and how to live in isolation with his future crew mates, including the American Tim Kopra and Russian cosmonaut Yuri Malenchenko.

• Onboard Tim contacted young people via HAM radio, ran the London Marathon, and took part in cosmic classroom live link where half a million children watched the broadcast online.

• Tim spent 186 days on the Station, during which time he orbited the Earth 2,720 times and took part in 250 scientific experiments.

• On 15 January 2016, Tim became the first Briton to don the familiar white pressure suit and leave the safety of the ISS with just a tether in space. He spent almost five hours doing maintenance work on the exterior of the station.

The UK is a founding member of the European Space Agency and invests around £40 million each year in international space exploration programmes, including human spaceflight activities and missions to send UK-built rovers to Mars.

In addition, earlier this week the UK Space Agency announced over £7 million of funding to put the UK at the forefront of space innovation. The National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP) is supporting 21 high-risk, high-reward projects that support companies and universities with radical ideas for how we tackle climate change through earth observation or address satellite communications challenges, from providing greater connectivity to remote places to increasing the efficiency of our homes.