Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government, Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP, and the Independent Site Management Lead, Doug Patterson, exchange letters on the future management of the Grenfell Tower site. This follows government taking freehold ownership of the Grenfell Tower site.
Automated People Mover (APM): at a glance
HS2 today unveiled the visuals for its new people mover at the first of a series of events to share emerging designs with the public and explain the role that the people mover will play.
The people mover will provide a fast and frequent transport connection between HS2’s new Interchange Station in Solihull, through to Birmingham Airport in just 6 minutes. When fully operational, the people mover will carry up to 2,100 passengers per hour in each direction.
HS2 has been working closely with the Urban Growth Company (UGC) in Solihull to include extra design elements which will support wider growth plans at the UK Central Hub. This includes modifying the alignment of the people mover as part of a major redevelopment at Birmingham International Station to create a new, multi-modal transport exchange.
The approximately 20 metre long people mover vehicles will depart from each stop approximately every 3 minutes. They will pick up passengers from Interchange Station, and then travel 2.3 kilometre across an elevated viaduct stopping at Birmingham International Railway Station, the National Exhibition Centre, before reaching Birmingham Airport.
The viaduct will be 12 metres off the ground at its highest point, and the 3 stops will be fully accessible, designed using colour to provide clear wayfinding for passengers, while information screens and audio announcements will provide live journey updates to communicate both HS2 and People Mover services.
These greater connections to key leisure and business locations like Resorts World, The NEC and Birmingham Airport, further enhance HS2’s Interchange Station in Solihull as a major gateway for the region. It will be part of a new public transport interchange serving Solihull and the West Midlands, with unparalleled links to the UK motorway network.
Mark Thurston, CEO of HS2 Ltd, said:
HS2 is about connecting the country, and the people mover is another example of how we will do that. This entire area in the West Midlands, and the wider regions across the UK will be able to capitalise on the connectivity that Birmingham Interchange Station brings and the people mover is an integral part of this.
The high speed connection into Interchange Station opens up the UK Central Hub, the NEC, Birmingham International station and Birmingham Airport to new business and leisure customers who might not have chosen this area previously. With the airport being only 6 minutes from the station, it means better options for air travellers, and makes it more accessible to even more of the UK.
Jonathan Bretherton, Managing Director of the Urban Growth Company, said:
The APM will be a vital and exciting link, connecting HS2 and the Arden Cross site to the NEC and Birmingham Airport, making the whole area easily navigable for those choosing to live, work or play here. Our work to coordinate the views of local stakeholders will continue to ensure that the final APM design fully supports the economic growth we are predicting here.
In particular, our planned redevelopment of Birmingham International Station to accommodate a realigned APM, will make sure the Interchange Station is fully connected to the local and regional transport network.
The exact vehicular system to operate the APM is still to be decided and they will be maintained in a dedicated maintenance facility which will be located along the viaduct on the eastern side of the M42 crossing.
HS2 is currently working to finalise the scheme design of the people mover and will hold a further series of events in partnership with the UGC for people to see the designs in Autumn 2019 before submitting an application to Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council seeking approval of matters related to design of the People Mover as required within the HS2 Act.
The full list of upcoming events are:
Visit our events page for more information.
The government’s landmark Domestic Abuse Bill will be introduced in Parliament today, signalling a major step forward in transforming the response to this crime.
The Bill is the most comprehensive package ever presented to Parliament to tackle domestic abuse, both supporting victims and bringing perpetrators to justice.
Following extensive work with stakeholders and charities, the government carried out a public consultation on measures to be included in the Bill that saw more than 3,200 responses.
A draft of the Bill was published in January and has undergone extensive scrutiny by a Joint Committee of cross party MPs and Peers as part of the government’s collaborative approach to ensure this historic legislation is correct. The Committee published a report on the draft bill in June and made a set of recommendations which the government has considered carefully.
Measures in the Bill include:
introducing the first ever statutory government definition of domestic abuse, which will include economic abuse
establishing a Domestic Abuse Commissioner to champion victims and survivors
introducing new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders to further protect victims and place restrictions on the actions of offenders
prohibiting the cross-examination of victims by their abusers in the family courts
providing automatic eligibility for special measures to support more victims to give evidence in the criminal courts
The Prime Minister, who launched the consultation at Downing Street in March last year, said:
Domestic abuse can take many forms, from horrific physical violence to coercive behaviour that robs people of their self-esteem, their freedom and their right to feel safe in their own homes, but the immense bravery I’ve seen demonstrated by survivors is consistent throughout. We have a duty not only to bring the perpetrators of these vile crimes to justice, but to support victims as they rebuild their lives.
This Bill will help us do just that and represents a true step-change in our approach. It couldn’t have happened without the victims, charities, campaign groups and frontline agencies who have worked alongside government to ensure we get this right, and as we reflect on reaching this important milestone together I want to express my thanks to them once more.
Responding to the Joint Committee’s report, the government has either accepted or partially accepted the majority of recommendations and has committed to consider several further as the Bill progresses through Parliament.
Also being announced today are government plans to support asylum seekers suffering domestic abuse by ensuring they have access to refuges, ensuring that victims can receive the specialist support they need.
The government will also undertake a review into the statutory response to migrant victims of domestic abuse.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said:
Domestic abuse destroys lives and tears families apart, but all too often it is hidden behind closed doors.
This landmark Bill is an opportunity to help those who suffer this deeply harmful crime and support those who bring the perpetrators to justice.
Justice Secretary David Gauke said:
This Bill marks a fundamental shift in our response to domestic abuse – establishing greater protections for victims, whilst ensuring perpetrators feel the full weight of the law.
By banning abusers from cross-examining their victims in the family courts, and giving courts greater powers through new protection orders, we are making sure the justice system is better equipped than ever to tackle this horrific crime.
Minister for Crime, Safeguarding and Vulnerability, Victoria Atkins said:
Having spoken to survivors of domestic abuse, I have been both shocked by their stories and moved by their resilience and strength. As a government, we must do all we can to support those who have suffered this horrendous abuse.
The Domestic Abuse Bill goes further than ever before and recognises the complex nature of domestic abuse, while putting the needs of victims at the forefront.
In January, the government published a report into the economic and social cost of domestic abuse, which revealed the cost to victims of domestic abuse in the year ending March 2017 in England and Wales was an estimated £66 billion. It is estimated that around 2 million adults experience domestic abuse each year, affecting almost 6% of all adults.
The introduction of the Domestic Abuse Bill follows a meeting, hosted by the Prime Minister in Downing Street last week with domestic abuse survivors, frontline experts and charities, including Refuge, SafeLives and Women’s Aid. During the event the Prime Minister reiterated her personal commitment to tackling this issue, which has been a priority throughout her career. Discussions were intended to inform the delivery of the Bill through Parliament, with attendees urged to continue pushing for change to stamp out abuse and support victims, and to work with the Prime Minister’s successor in taking this important policy forward.
A first-of-its-kind joint review into roads policing and traffic enforcement will be launched later this year, in a bid to improve road safety.
The 2 year review, jointly funded by the Department for Transport (DfT) and Highways England, will look at how roads policing currently works, its effectiveness, and where improvements could be made or gaps bridged.
The DfT will be looking at this with the Home Office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council. A pilot programme based on the review and consultation feedback could begin next year, and could test out new initiatives or ways of working to see what works best in reducing road casualties.
Road Safety Minister Michael Ellis said:
We have strong laws in place to ensure people are kept safe on our roads at all times.
But roads policing is a key deterrent in stopping drivers breaking the law and risking their and other people’s lives.
This review will not only highlight where police forces are doing good work, it will show what more can be done to improve road safety.
The review will also look at how the police and different agencies work together, the information they share and how improvements may increase capability and capacity.
It will also consider how best to police roads in rural and urban areas, and the strategic road network.
In order to find out what currently works well, a call for evidence will be launched this autumn. Findings and recommendations will be ready in 2020.
The review will not increase the burden on existing police forces. In fact, to help free up police time, the department has rolled out a new version of the Collision Reporting and Sharing software and provided a smartphone app to work on existing police mobile devices as well as funding to buy tablet computers.
This app enables officers to accurately report crash data and locations on site, rather than having to return to a police station to duplicate paperwork on a computer.
The DfT has also invested in the development of roadside breathalysers, which once finished, will enable suspected drink drivers to be tested at the roadside, without having to go back to the police station for a test, and the reading can then be used in court.
The final was not just cricket at its best but sport at its best – courage, character, sportsmanship, drama, incredible skill and even the odd slice of luck…
All combining to create a real thriller, one of the great sporting spectacles of our time.
It was a fitting end to what has been a great tournament – and I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in once again making our country a sporting showcase for the world.
The players and coaching staff.
The organisers and volunteers.
The incredible spectators from 10 nations who brought such colour and passion to England and Wales this summer.
The runners-up yesterday, New Zealand.
Real champions show their true character not just in victory but also in defeat, and I am sure everyone here agrees that their response on the field yesterday shows what Black Caps are made of, what New Zealanders are made of.
They are a credit to their team, a credit to their sport and a credit to their nation.
Then of course, there is England.
Or “World Cup-winning England”, as we can get used to saying.
You are a team that represents modern Britain – and that plays like no other side in the world.
In the group stage you responded to setbacks not by giving in but by coming back stronger than ever.
And, when the odds were against you in the biggest game of your lives, you simply and stubbornly refused to lose.
It is that determination, that character, that has made you world champions.
But more than that you have made history.
You have helped the nation fall in love with cricket once again.
And, perhaps most important of all, as we saw across the country last night and at the Oval this morning, you have inspired countless future Morgans, Rashids and Archers.
This was a record-breaking World Cup.
Yesterday we saw a final for the ages.
And here today we have a team that will be spoken of in awe for generations to come.
Thank you all once again.
On behalf of the whole country congratulations to – and I just want to say this one more time – England’s World Cup winners.