Professional bodies unite
Six bodies representing a range of environmental professions have united in a joint letter to planning minister, Greg Clarke MP, expressing their concern over the current planning reform proposals from government.
In the latest of a wave of expressions of concern, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, Royal Meteorological Society, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management, Institution of Environmental Sciences, Arboricultural Association and Institute of Fisheries Management challenged the proposals under the draft National Planning Policy Framework as they currently stand.
The signatories urged the government to exercise due caution in rushing out the reforms and in particular to re-examine its use of the term 'Sustainable Development', which they consider to be a "gross misrepresentation" of the principle. They also questioned the "draconian" rationalisation of planning guidance, which sweeps aside many safeguards established over generations, arguing that its removal will leave the planning system ill-equipped to consider a range of strategic-level threats facing society, including climate change.
The group considers that the government's proposals represent a capitulation to a powerful commercial lobby group and will result in a "builders' charter" to develop at the cost of wider local and environmental interests as opposed to considering economic, social and environmental factors in a balanced manner which respects the principles and recognised definitions of sustainable development, and the best interests of all in society.
A copy of the letter can be found via the following link: http://www.ciwem.org/policy-and-international/parliamentary-work/planning_reform.aspx.
More British produce needed
An appeal has gone out for more British fruit and vegetable growers to supply food to London's lucrative wholesale markets.
Those who have already taken advantage of the opportunities offered by New Covent Garden, Western International and New Spitalfields markets have increased annual turnover by an average of over £100,000 a year.
But according to the NFU, which operates the Business Development Managers (BDMs) scheme set up by the Greater London Authority, many farmers and growers are missing out, particularly with market bosses saying they struggle to get their hands on British produce.
Part of the BDMs' work is to increase the amount of traders and wholesalers that are Red Tractor licensed. This will be increasingly important, as Red Tractor food is a requirement of the food standards for the 2012 Olympic Games.
The programme is part of the Mayor of London's Food Strategy: Healthy and Sustainable Food for London which aims to increase the supply of local, regional and sustainable food into the city by working with market traders and the rest of the food chain.
It has been so successful that the Defra Fruit and Vegetable Task Force has recommended that it be expanded to other markets up and down the country.
nfu.org.uk
Reduce roadside litter
The Highways Agency is calling on road users to help tackle roadside litter on England's motorways and major A roads.
The Agency clears around 240,000 sacks of litter from England's motorways every year and is asking road users to make sure their rubbish is responsibly disposed of. Drivers are encouraged to keep a bag for rubbish in their vehicles, until it can be disposed of in a bin.
Highways.gov.uk
Widening North-South divide
The North of the country risks being left further behind as the drivers of economic growth are concentrated in the south according to new analysis by IPPR North (Institute for Public Policy Research North). The situation is made worse by new economic powers being devolved to London and Scotland.
The new analysis has been prepared to coincide with the launch of a new commission, which aims to find solutions for the North to forge its own future. The Northern Economic Futures Commission brings together for the first-time, key figures from the business world across the North of England to set out a 10-year strategy for economic growth.
New analysis by IPPR North shows that there was a significant turnaround in the economic fortunes of some of the North's major cities prior to the recession - including Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle, York and Sheffield - but the North-South divide still continues to widen as the drivers for growth remain concentrated in the South.
Research by IPPR North shows that the North of England is falling behind in relation to key drivers for economic growth such as skills, business start-ups, and investment in transport, science and technology.
ippr.org
Power and money
Localism thinktank, the New Local Government Network (NLGN) has called on councils to try and cushion some of the current financial pressures they face by making greater use of green energy subsidies: with an estimated pot available of up to £12 billion over the next two decades.
With some council budgets being cut by nearly 9% next year, a new report Power and Money highlights how some authorities are already starting to install solar panels on social housing and other council properties, thereby accessing new sources of funding through the 'Feed-in Tariff' and the 'Renewable Heat Incentive'.
However, NLGN has also warned how a lack of clarity from the government on its support for schemes is hindering such development. With only 275 community properties among the 20,000 Feed-in tariff installations accredited last year, there is a danger that the vast potential for green energy solutions across the local government estate will be left largely unfulfilled.
Power and Money by NLGN's Luke Hildyard is available free at
nlgn.org.uk
Land grab film
Oxfam has released an online parody of Alec Baldwin's sales talk in the cult classic movie Glengarry Glen Ross as part of their GROW campaign, for which they launched a major new report on land deals and the impact they are having on poor people around the world.
A new demand for land has seen swathes being sold, leased or licensed over the past decade in a drive to produce enough food for people miles away, meet botched biofuels targets and speculate on land to make an easy profit. Many of the deals are in fact land grabs in which those who live or make a living from that land are not consulted, treated fairly or properly compensated.
Oxfam is calling on investors, national governments, and international organisations to take a variety of measures to put a stop to land grabbing so that affected communities are consulted, treated fairly and have a means to grow enough food to eat.
You can view the film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOH_dYFLvyo
oxfam.org.uk
Rogue landlord research
New research from Shelter has revealed how rogue landlords are blighting the lives of more and more people across the country.
The housing and homelessness charity contacted every local authority in England to build a picture of both the scale of the problem with rogue landlords and what is being done to tackle it.
Shockingly local authorities admit there are 1,477 known landlords who are giving local authorities continued cause for concern and repeatedly making tenants' lives a misery. Of particular worry, the responses show that complaints about serious and potentially life-threatening hazards, including dangerous gas and electrics, have risen by 25 per cent over the past two years.
The research also shows that overall complaints about landlords have increased, taking them to a staggering 86,628 in the last year. Yet despite the sharp increase in problems, just 270 successful prosecutions have been made by local authorities against landlords during the same period.
Shelter is warning that unless councils urgently crack down on this small but highly dangerous minority, more tenants will be at risk.
shelter.org.uk
With around 7000 people newly diagnosed with HIV every year in the UK and lifetime treatment costs soaring to an additional £1billion every year, Terrence Higgins Trust is launching 'Tackling the Spread of HIV in the UK', a plan to bring down HIV transmission and reduce the growing financial burden on the NHS at a time it can least afford it.
The charity, which has been at the heart of tackling HIV for almost thirty years, is calling for a renewed national commitment to HIV prevention centred on four achievable actions:
Halve undiagnosed and late diagnosed HIV within three years
Increase the numbers of people with HIV taking treatment from half to two-thirds in three years
Identify those who persistently take risks which expose them to HIV and support them to change
Set HIV prevention against a backdrop of widespread HIV awareness
tht.org.uk
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