Local Authority round-up 23/06/23

Commercial

Government to scrap DIY waste fees

Environment Minister Rebecca Pow has announced that the government will be abolishing fees charged by local authorities in order for people to dispose of DIY waste at household waste recycling centres. Councils will now need to treat DIY waste the same as household waste. The move comes in order to encourage and support householders to dispose of their waste in a responsible manner and to encourage recycling. Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to dispose of their waste properly and that’s why we are removing the financial burden on doing the right thing with DIY trash. This not only supports our wider work to tackle fly-tipping and waste crime, but we are helping home improvers across the nation make their dream projects a reality.”

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£16 million funding boost for Kent bus services

The Department for Transport announced this week that it will be providing £16.1 million to Kent County Council for its bus service improvement plan which aims to improve local bus services, speed up bus journey times and deliver lower fares to help passengers save money on travel. Roads Minister Richard Holden said “Many people across Kent rely on the bus to get to work and go shopping, attend medical appointments and see friends and family. That is why today we’re confirming over £16 million on top of our previous £19 million investment to boost Kent’s bus services and help build the modern, reliable and affordable bus network all residents in Kent deserve.”

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International Trade

Developing Countries Trading Scheme enters into force

The UK’s new post-Brexit Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS) entered into force on 19 June. Under the scheme, tariffs on products entering the UK from 65 developing countries will be cut and it is expected to help reduce import costs by over £770 million each year. Minister for International Trade Nigel Huddleston said “This scheme is a brilliant example of the UK taking advantage of its status as an independent trading nation and I am excited to see it implemented today. It will create opportunities for businesses around the world, supporting livelihoods, creating jobs and diversifying local and international supply chains. It will also benefit UK businesses and consumers by lowering import costs on a whole range of products.”

For more information please click here.

Planning and housing

Government provides funding for planning sector

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has announced that it is granting £1.59 million to the Local Government Association to fund the new Pathways to Planning Programme to support aspiring graduates into the planning sector. Minister for Housing and Planning, Rachel Maclean said “Delivering a modern and efficient planning system is vital in shaping our neighbourhoods and communities. We want to place the next generation of planners on the frontline to design beautiful homes and provide high quality infrastructure right across the country. We are bringing in ground-breaking reforms to speed up the planning process through the Levelling Up Bill, and it is essential that local councils are equipped with the right skills and resources as we continue to level up towns and cities that people are proud to call home.”

For more information please click here.

Upcoming events

Webinar series: Data Protection

Register your interest for our on-going webinar series on ‘Data Protection’ for in-house lawyers, DPOs and senior management in private and public sector organisations. The series will run throughout 2023 providing attendees with up to date information on key Data Protection topics. The short one hour sessions will be delivered by our experts with allocated time for you to ask any questions you may have. The next in our series ‘Data protection and the implications of AI tools’ will take place on 4 July 2023.

For more information or to book your place, please click here.

Transforming Workplace Health and Wellbeing

Ward Hadaway partner Jamie Gamble will be joined by a panel of experts on Tuesday 4th July between 8:30am – 12:30pm at the INNSiDE by Meliá Hotel who will provide valuable insight into how implementing focused Health and Wellbeing initiatives will help your workforce and in turn help you improve performance and productivity. We will also be joined by well-known regional employers who will share their own experiences of implementing Health and Wellbeing strategies in the workplace and the impact that they have had.

For more information or to book your place, please click here.

If you have any questions about the issues raised in this update, please do not hesitate to get in touch.