22 Jan 2025
Progress towards improving the environment has slowed with government still largely off track in achieving its legal environmental commitments, the latest annual assessment by the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has found. The OEP report provides an assessment of progress towards legally-binding environment targets, commitments and goals. The report covers the period 1 April 2023 […]
16 Jan 2025
The Guardian reports that Downing Street has blocked plans to release wild beavers in England because officials view it as a “Tory legacy”, the Guardian can reveal. Photo credit: Pierre Miyamoto Natural England, the government’s nature watchdog, has drawn up a plan for reintroductions of the rodent, which until about 20 years ago had been […]
31 Dec 2024
Just before Christmas, the government (Defra and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) published a Planning Reform Working Paper. The paper invites views on the government’s proposed new approach to development and nature recovery. It forms part of a series of working papers on different aspects of planning reform, designed to inform further […]
31 Dec 2024
A complete ban on use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides has moved a step closer after the government set out its plans to deliver a key election pledge. Despite being banned from general use in the UK, the last government authorised the use of neonicotinoids every year for the last four years in England via a […]
19 Dec 2024
The government has confirmed that water customers around the country will benefit from significantly higher payments to compensate them for water company service failures. Photo credit: Ekaterina Belinskaya Following public consultation, new and increased compensation will be compulsory for water companies to pay to customers and businesses in the event of issues like water […]
21 Nov 2024
Defra has outlined £50 million investment for internal drainage boards and set out plans to consult on a new strategic vision for floods investment. Recognising the significant impact of flooding on farmers, the government says an additional £50 million will be distributed to internal drainage boards (IDBs), the public bodies responsible for managing water levels […]
21 Nov 2024
The government has published a set of principles seeking to maintain integrity of the voluntary carbon and nature market. The principles “guide responsible participation in voluntary markets for buying and selling carbon and nature credits”. The 6 principles are Use credits in addition to ambitious actions within value chains Use high integrity credits Measure and […]
14 Nov 2024
Defra has launched a consultation on proposed reforms and technical amendments to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. Photo credit: Jens Meyers The proposals include removal of automatic de-designation after 5 years of ‘poor’ water quality changes to the designation criteria of bathing sites removing the fixed dates of the bathing season from regulations […]
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