07 Sep 2016
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom has announced plans to ban the sale and manufacture of cosmetics and personal care products containing tiny pieces of plastic, commonly known as ‘microbeads’. Each year billions of tiny beads end up in our seas from a range of products such as face scrubs, toothpastes and shower gels. These beads build […]
15 Dec 2015
One of the first on the bonfire of the Quangos in the last Parliament was the Sustainable Development Commission who had developed a reputation for trying to do things and save money. At least the world gets sustainable development – now we have their quango … the Natural Capital Committee. These Parliamentary committees have a […]
03 Dec 2015
Ofwat: PN 06/15 Ofwat welcomes Government review into retail competition for household water services. Ofwat today welcomed the Government’s decision to look into the benefits of providing competition for retail water services to household customers in England. The Government has asked Ofwat to carry out the review, reporting back next summer. Once complete, it will […]
20 Oct 2015
This feels a bit like another ‘The Big Society’ but this time for the environment. The contrast of this rather airy speech – thin on specifics – with the impact of the failures of air quality (see links below) that the Government are being forced to face up to and the spending review (not mentioned) […]
30 Sep 2015
Elizabeth Truss speech to Wildlife & Countryside Link (Sept 15th) https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/elizabeth-truss-speech-to-the-wildlife-and-countryside-link This speech at the meeting which saw the launch of the Blueprint for Water’s vision The speech is a very strange mix of the well-trodden Government path of supporting all things farming and economic with very little mention of nature conservation. It highlighted a […]
08 Jun 2015
Ministerial Duties at Defra George Eustace seems to have retained his previous brief covering food and farming brief and which also includes marine. There is lots of cross over with the water brief on issues like land-use and CAP and catchment management. Rory Stewart EdieNet: The Department for Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has confirmed […]
08 Jun 2015
Two perspectives on how the cuts will operate. Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jun/04/george-osborne-45bn-savings-plan-whats-being-cut-department-guide Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Adam Vaughan The environment department has already suffered some of the steepest cuts across Whitehall, with a 30% cut in 2010 against the government average of 19%, followed by a further 10% in 2013, leaving observers wondering what’s […]
01 Jun 2015
Cloud Sustainability highlights the Energy Bill to secure sources of gas, and previous announcement on onshore wind but no new support for energy conservation http://www.cloudsustainability.com/queens-speech-environmental-issues-under-the-spotlight CIWM Highlighted the lack of any support for the circular economy and an Enterprise Bill which promises to cut £10bn of red tape http://www.mrw.co.uk/news/queens-speech-criticised-over-environmental-issues/8683694.article Edie net highlighted the […]
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