Landmark deal struck to bring military housing estate back into public hands
Major deal unlocks new-build housing projects for military families plus essential refurbishments
End to huge annual rental bill to save around £230 million per year
A major deal to bring the Armed Forces housing estate back into public ownership has been agreed by the government. Billions of pounds will be saved by the deal over the next decade, delivering savings for taxpayers and enabling additional investment into homes for military families. The landmark move reverses a sale undertaken by the Government in 1996.
The Defence Secretary describes today’s announcement as a “decisive break” with the failed approach of the past, which will enable the first steps to be taken to fix the long-term decline in housing for military families and deliver homes fit for heroes. He will also commit to using the deal to help achieve the Government’s milestones on kickstarting economic growth and boosting housebuilding across the country.
Today’s deal will bring to an end to an arrangement which has seen the taxpayer spend billions of pounds on rental payments for military housing while still being liable for rising maintenance costs and handing back billions of pounds worth of military properties.
Under the agreement, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) will buy back 36,347 houses, making major redevelopment and improvements possible. The deal is part of the Government’s drive to boost military morale, tackle recruitment and retention challenges and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve.
The MOD, supported by UK Government Investments, and Annington have formally agreed that the MOD will reacquire the service family estate sold in 1996, which is now valued at £10.1 billion when not subject to leases, and is being purchased for £5,994,500,000, representing excellent value for money.
The new deal will see the immediate saving of more than £600,000 of taxpayers’ money each day, with the current annual bill of £230 million in rent being eliminated. These savings to the defence budget will help to fix “deep-set problems” in military housing, and support the development of a high-quality new homes for military families.
The announcement comes as the Government kickstarts work on a new military housing strategy, to be published next year. Key principles of the strategy will include: a generational renewal of Armed Forces accommodation; new opportunities for forces homeownership; and better use of MOD land to support the delivery of affordable homes for families across Britain.
The first steps in the strategy will include the rapid development of an action plan to deliver on the “once in a generation” opportunities unlocked by today’s deal. This work will involve independent experts, forces families and cross-government input.
This will support the Government’s Plan for Change, which is built on the strong foundation of national security. It also comes alongside the Prime Minister’s Homes for Heroes pledge to exempt veterans from rules requiring a connection to a local area before accessing social housing.
Defence Secretary, John Healey MP, said:
“This deal shows our government is determined to deliver homes fit for our heroes. This is a once in a generation opportunity, not only to fix the dire state of military housing but to help drive forward our economic growth mission, creating jobs and boosting British housebuilding.
“Our armed forces and their families make extraordinary sacrifices: theirs is the ultimate public service. It is shameful that in the lead up to Christmas, too many military families will be living with damp, mould and sub-standard homes – issues which have built up over the past decade.
“We are determined to turn this around and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve. These important savings to the defence budget will help fix the deep-set problems we inherited. I thank the teams who have helped us reach this landmark deal at pace – another example of this government delivering for defence.
“There is still a lot of work to do to deliver the homes our military families deserve, and these problems will not be fixed overnight. But this is a decisive break with the failed approach of the past and a major step forward on that journey.”
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones said:
“This is a landmark deal that will start saving the taxpayer money immediately, all while driving forward our mission to create growth across the country.
“Not only does it open the door to major development and improvements across the military housing estate, but most important of all, it will help us on our mission to build more houses and deliver our service personnel the homes they deserve.”
The original agreement did not strike an appropriate balance of risk and reward, and it is estimated the taxpayer is nearly £8 billion worse off as a result. Money which should have been better spent on maintaining and improving our service family homes.
Eliminating the liabilities associated with the leases creates budgetary headroom to partially fund this purchase, meaning that the public expenditure impact of this measure, and the impact on net financial debt, is confined to £1.7 billion.
The 1996 sale saw 55,000 houses sold for an average of just £27,000 each property. In buying these houses back, the government will control properties worth almost ten times that average value and will no longer be paying £230 million annually in rent.
Other areas of the deal that have cost taxpayers money or prevented improvements to the estate include:
Annually handing back hundreds of empty properties to Annington, totalling more than 18,000 properties since 1996 – worth an estimated £5.2 billion by today’s valuations.
Although the deal included a discount from market rent rates, the MOD – and therefore the taxpayer – have been responsible for all maintenance on all properties.
If the MOD spent money improving a property for service families, in some circumstances this could incur greater rental costs under the terms of the deal.
Despite most of the properties having been built in the 1950s and 1960s, the deal has prevented the MOD from being able to demolish properties or build additional houses for Service Families.
Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said:
“Housing provision is a constant part of life for Service Personnel and their families, who support them closely throughout their military careers. We understand the importance placed on this for people’s morale and decisions on whether to continue in the Armed Forces long-term.
“This deal is a crucial step in being able to deliver meaningful change for those who serve – an opportunity to regain control of the estate and move forward with substantial redevelopment and refurbishment. This work will provide military families the higher-quality houses they fully deserve. It is very significant and very welcome.”
Following today’s deal, the MOD can start work on substantive redevelopment and improvements. The agreement frees up our ability to build on the Service Family Accommodation estate with a more modern estate, helping reduce maintenance costs and, as part of work facilitated by the deal, programmes to build new houses are being accelerated.
Planning applications will be submitted in the coming days for 265 new houses and apartments at RAF Brize Norton, and further plans will be submitted in the Spring for around 300 new houses at Catterick Garrison.
The potential for improvements to the estate can already be seen where family housing is being provided outside of the 1996 deal. At Imjin Barracks in Gloucestershire 176 modern homes are being built, which include low-carbon heating systems and solar panels, reducing energy costs for military families and improving sustainability.
The landmark deal to repurchase the estate from Annington follows the MOD’s comprehensive success in the High Court last year. The agreement brings the properties back to public ownership and delivering long term value for money for current and future taxpayers.
Since July, the Government has slashed recruitment red tape to make the process more straightforward for those wanting to join the military, announced the largest Armed Forces pay increase for 22 years and recently the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill passed its Second Reading in the House of Commons.
Velorim is calling on cycling community to nominate their local bike shop to join the scheme
Ambition will see more than 1,000 places for people to recycle bicycle tyres and inner tubes across the UK
Velorim, the UK’s simple solution to recycling bicycle tyres and inner tubes, has announced its ambition to double collection points across the UK by 2026, as it continues its mission to make cycling greener.
With over 600 locations across the country already, the recycling service aims to make recycling bike tyres and inner tubes even easier for cyclists, providing a cost-effective solution to reducing the impact of cycling waste on the environment.
Every year 44,000 tonnes of bicycle tyres and inner tubes are discarded by cyclists*. Limited recycling resources means that much of this waste is either sent to landfill where materials leak lead and zinc into the soil, or incineration where 3 tonnes of CO2 are produced per one tonne of rubber incinerated.
Velorim aims to tackle the issue by making the recycling of these materials as easy as possible for the cycling community. Through offering a recycling collection scheme at local bike shops, the service is set up to make recycling as convenient and cheap as possible.
Since starting collections in 2020, Velorim has collected more than 150,000 tyres and 150,000 inner tubes for recycling. To help them achieve their goal of doubling collection points by 2026, co-founders of Velorim Russ Taylor and Richard Lawrence are calling on cyclists to nominate their local bike shop, repairers and mechanics to join the scheme:
“We know that cyclists tend to take an active approach to ecological and environmental matters and our service is there to support this ethos. We have made a steady growth since starting our business in 2020, but we know there are still many areas across the country that we’re yet to reach. We’re calling on bike retailers and the cycling community to embrace the service and support us in our mission to make cycling even greener. Cyclists can nominate local bike businesses to sign up to the scheme.”
Velorim currently has more than 600 collection points across the UK. To find your nearest collection point visit Velorim-Group.com.
To become a Velorim Centre or to nominate your local bike shop, visit Velorim-Group.com.
Moe Forouzan, Team Manager – Business and Innovation at Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, has been elected to the Board of the Institute of Economic Development (IED), the UK’s leading professional body for economic development and regeneration practitioners.
With 19 years’ experience in local government, Moe heads up Blaenau Gwent’s Economic Development Unit, specialising in driving business growth, addressing retention challenges, and managing industrial and office premises, including employment land. His strategic oversight encompasses the development and management of the Council’s business and economic functions, focusing on implementing economic stimulus initiatives, and fostering collaborative networks that both enhance local supply chains and peer-to-peer support.
Moe Forouzan
Moe is particularly passionate about supporting startups, SMEs and business relocation projects, helping them thrive in dynamic and competitive environments. A Trained Master Enterprise Facilitator, he is the only UK certified practitioner of the Sirolli model of Enterprise Facilitation, personally trained by Dr Ernesto Sirolli. This innovative approach provides free and confidential business support to entrepreneurs and social enterprises, empowering local communities through entrepreneurship. Moe’s public sector expertise is underpinned by both an undergraduate and Master’s degree in Business and Enterprise Development obtained from the University of South Wales, and experience in managing family-run businesses.
With his appointment to the IED Board announced at the Institute’s Annual General Meeting on 4th December, Moe revealed that his commitment to economic development is “both professional and personal, driving me to continuously refine my knowledge and deliver impactful outcomes” across the public, private and third sectors. He said this experience made him “highly adaptable and well-suited to leadership roles in diverse business contexts”.
“I am really excited by this opportunity to join the IED Board, and to work with people who are passionate about economic development,” Moe explained. “I am delighted to be part of an organisation that has a clear shared ambition, and is considered a heavyweight in its field. The IED is recognised as a distinctive and highly credible player in economic development, offering unparalleled CPD opportunities and action for the profession, and as a member I already see the value from its activities. The professional development I have experienced has been amazing, always challenging, and focused on helping practitioners to improve. Being on the Board is an opportunity for me to give back too, including through mentoring support. It really is the best place for me to be as a practitioner.
“As an organisation there is an opportunity to develop our links in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but growing membership in Wales is really big for me. I want to help promote the benefits of the IED, and to encourage more and more practitioners to be part of the national economic development movement, which in turn will support the delivery of best practice in local and regional communities in Wales. I have seen austerity in economic development, and how to re-boot it, and now is the time to kick on again.
“We have a UK/Welsh government talking about growth. Growth is one of the biggest ticket items going on and we have got to back economic development because it links to everything. If we invest in economic development, and channel our ambition, we will grow economy.”
Ellie Fry, Corporate Director of Regeneration and Community Services at Blaenau Gwent Council, commented: “This is a really exciting appointment for Moe personally and for the Council professionally. Moe is passionate about economic development and supporting businesses of all sizes to thrive and grow in Blaenau Gwent and I know that he will bring this enthusiasm and commitment to his new role on the Board of the IED. Well done Moe.”
Tom Stannard, Chair of the IED said: “I would like to formally welcome Moe to the IED Board of Directors, and look forward to working with him as we seek to further deliver our mission and push the objectives of our Grow Local, Grow National manifesto across the UK.”
AMION Consulting Director and former Whitehall economist joins the IED Board
Simon Dancer, Director at AMION Consulting, has been appointed to the Board of the Institute of Economic Development (IED), the UK’s leading professional body for economic development and regeneration practitioners.
With over 25 years’ experience in economic development, housing and regeneration, Simon joined the leading UK-wide economics advisory business AMION in 2016 to provide independent strategic advice to its clients to help them achieve economic growth.
Simon Dancer
Simon previously worked in Whitehall for 16 years at the Homes & Communities Agency (now Homes England), managing a team of specialised economists. In addition to an extensive understanding of Green Book economic appraisal and business cases, Simon has co-authored several economics policy guidance notes that have become “industry standards”.
These include the ground-breaking Employment Densities Guide, applied across the UK, to calculate job capacity within built development; the pioneering Additionality Guide, used around the world to help public sector agencies identify the real effect of government intervention and saw Simon present to a global academic audience at the World Bank in Paris; and the Endowments Best Practice Note, now in its fourth edition, which underpins endowment policy across the country for those assets which cannot be disposed of in the open market.
Some of Simon’s other career highlights include providing housing policy advice for the South Korean government, advising a former Prime Minister’s household, acting as a consultee for updates of HM Treasury’s Green Book, and being the retained economic adviser for the West Midlands Combined Authority for over four years.
Simon was also instrumental with AMION helping to secure £459 million of Levelling Up Fund grant across the country, from the three rounds of competitive bidding. Today he is also a business case adviser for Ebbsfleet Development Corporation, working on Green Book-compliant submissions to both MHCLG and HMT.
With his election to the IED Board announced at the Institute’s Annual General Meeting on 4th December, Simon said: “I am delighted to join the IED, as the go-to centre for excellence in the sector, and one whose insights are a reference point for the economic development profession. With over 25 years’ experience under my belt, 16 in the public sector and now well established in the private sector, putting myself forward for the IED Board feels like a natural position. I see the IED as the kitemark for our profession.”
Simon uses the IED’s well-established online CPD programme for new starters in AMION’s economic development team, and also praised its representation and advocacy work. “The training it provides is a big bonus, bringing a formalised process around on-the-money courses which balance the technical and softer side of economic development,” he commented. “If you work in economic development, the IED is that North Star for the industry. There is a huge opportunity for us to make a difference, to increase our membership, and influence the new government, especially on areas they are not funding yet.”
Tom Stannard, Chair of the IED, said: “I would like to formally welcome Simon to the IED Board of Directors, and look forward to working with him as we seek to further deliver our mission and push the objectives of our Grow Local, Grow National manifesto across the UK.”
Lymington-based British firm Bridgeworks, which is headquartered in the UK and which specialises in WAN Acceleration is now a listed supplier for the United Nations. The company, which has unique, fully patented technology, can thwart as well as obfuscate cyber-criminals.
Bridgeworks was also invited to join a 2-day UK Trade Mission to the UN by the Department for Business and Trade (DBT). The DBT hosted a select number of healthcare, facilities and infrastructure and cybersecurity entrepreneurs and companies on 20th and 21st June 2024 to discuss United Nations procurement and future opportunities of interest.
Why WAN Acceleration?
WAN Acceleration is a technology that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to mitigate the retarding effects of latency and packet loss upon data egress and ingress on Wide Area Networks. Latency and packet loss slow down data transfers. They create a window for slow data backups and restores, while also providing time for cyber-criminals to divert sensitive data.
At worst, their impact could lead to a significant amount of downtime and, in the case of a data breach, there could be significant reputational and financial losses. This could be from, for example, non-compliance to GDPR or from non-compliance to other international and national data protection laws and regulations – including in the US.
British talent welcomed
Pete Newman, Senior Trade & Investment Officer, says he really appreciates the participation of UK cyber companies – including Bridgeworks. “It was a real pleasure to host 15 companies and to meet with entrepreneurs representing the best of British industry and innovation,” he says.
In a LinkedIn post after the event, he continues: “UN agencies in New York and across the globe procure nearly $30B per year across a wide variety of goods and services. The UK is the third largest country supplier to the UN with $1.3 billion supplied according to the latest figures.”
Unfortunately, since the meeting, new figures have arisen. In an email, he reveals that the UK has dropped to become the 7th largest country supplier to the UN. This is caused by procurement numbers dropping across the UN from the highs of 2021 and 2022. “They were a result of spending, due to the pandemic. The latest numbers available from 2023 are still at historic highs for the UN, but down from $29B to $24B,” he states.
UN HQ tour
Returning back to his LinkedIn post, he comments: “In addition to attending the Trade Mission at British Consulate General in New York, delegates toured the UN headquarters to gain a better understanding of the organisation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in support of international development, fighting poverty, promoting human rights and the UN’s commitment to maintaining international peace and security.”
Bridgeworks’ invitation came after being asked to attend by the UK Trade Team at the British Embassy in Washington, where the firm attended a previous conference.
David Trossell
Generating interest
Antony Reynolds, Vice-President, Federal and National Security Business and Global Channels Leader at Bridgeworks, attended the Trade Mission with the company’s CEO and CTO, David Trossell. They attended roundtable discussions and presentations with UN procurement officials, and Trossell then gave a 20-minute presentation to UN procurement managers on day two.
“By far, we generated the most interest and triggered many questions from the UN Buyers, with a lot of interest in data centre transfer speed and efficiency,” says Reynolds. He points out that the main reason for attending the Mission was to increase Bridgeworks’ visibility because before the meeting, UN procurement knew nothing about Bridgeworks.
It also allows the firm to respond to Request for Information (RFIs) and tender invitations. “We are now seeing regular RFI and Bid invitations from the UN Trade Alert Service, with the caveat that the parameters for products and services needs to be reviewed and tweaked.” It works through the UN Global Procurement Portal, the UN Global Marketplace.
He adds: “We have shown that we exist, and that we have been supported by the British Government. Subsequently, we are now registered as a supplier to the UN.” Ultimately, it’s all about selling WAN Acceleration to the UN, as there is a huge sales opportunity across the organisation. For Bridgeworks, at the moment, that relates to deals of up to £100,000 each. The firm’s investment might increase if their registration proves successful.
Mission successful
David Trossell, CEO and CTO of Bridgeworks, remarks that Bridgeworks involvement in the Trade Mission was a success: “While there is no immediate business, we have shown why Bridgeworks exists, that it exists and why WAN Acceleration is a crucial technology for obfuscating cyber-criminals, as well as for moving large volumes of data around the world.”
He therefore looks forward to being involved in more Trade Missions in the near future, and he counsels innovative British businesses to join the UN Global Market Place to increase their influence and reach. The impact of being a UN listed supplier can be positive – by helping to raise the profile of company such as Bridgeworks beyond the United Nations.
These relate to appeals that challenge local authority decisions about the level of support to be provided to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) via an education, health and care plan (EHCP).
During this period, there was a 55% increase in registered SEND appeals compared to the same period in the previous academic year.
The Tribunal notes the following reasons as contributing to the increase:
The continued effect of the 2014 SEND reforms, which introduced EHCPs and extended the provision of support from birth to 25 years of age
The expansion of the Tribunal’s powers to make non-binding recommendations on health and social care (where there is a valid appeal on an educational element of the plan)
The growth in the number of families seeking EHCP assessments and, subsequently, the rise in the number of children and young people with an EHCP.
Laura Thompson
Laura Thompson, Senior Associate specialising in SEND matters within the education team at UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, said: “These latest set of statistics make for alarming reading. While the factors suggested by the SEND Tribunal will have played a role, each of these have existed for some time – yet this is a problem that is increasing exponentially, with the 55% rise in appeals this year a significant uptick on figures of 24% and 29% in the previous two years.
“This is not a sustainable trend and only serves to further undermine the support available to SEND children. In most cases, Tribunal hearings are being listed at least a year after an appeal is registered, which, when considered in the context of a child’s education, is huge.
“Throw in the recent Department for Education data showing that permanent exclusions were up by more than a third in the 2023/24 autumn term – with SEND pupils accounting for roughly half of these, and it’s clear to see why four in five of respondents to our School Leaders Survey said they are dissatisfied with government SEND policy.
“Unfortunately, there isn’t an obvious solution to the appeals issue. The Tribunal has recently consulted on a proposal for all ‘refusal to assess’ appeals to be automatically heard on the papers, with a view to cutting down waiting times, but this will do little to steady the flow of appeals when these types of appeals represented only 27% of the total number registered.
“So what else can be done? It is unlikely there is one ‘right’ answer. The previous government proposed mandatory mediation as part of its SEND review in 2022. This was met with mixed opinions, with some feeling this would only serve to further protract the resolution process.
“However, high-quality mediation can be an incredibly useful tool for reaching agreement and the current requirement to only ‘consider’ mediation in most cases means that, a lot of the time, it isn’t accessed at all. Mandatory mediation may not be the answer, but something has to be done and perhaps it is worth a revisit.”
Momentum Transport Consultancy and Spatial Design Hub have announced the launch of Micromobility PlannerTM – a cutting-edge geospatial analysis software tool and app designed to enable local authorities to optimise shared micromobility networks.
Developed for use by counties, local authorities and combined authorities, the subscription-based online tool is set to empower decision makers in UK and Ireland towns and cities to strategically plan micromobility, including eScooters and eBikes, as part of efficient, equitable and sustainable local transport plans.
Micromobility Planner has been developed with funding from The Department for Transport (DfT) in partnership with Connected Places Catapult through Transport Research and Innovation Grants’ (TRIG) local transport decarbonisation strand.
A new era in micromobility planning
Steve Hands, Transport Planner and Shared Micromobility Lead at Camden Council said: “Micromobility Planner would be particularly helpful to boroughs starting their micromobility journey. It provides valuable data to help with scheme planning and inform conversations with micromobility operators. In our experience, it’s essential to put parking zones in the right places to ensure all areas have access to these transport options and the zones meet local demand.”
Micromobility Planner addresses key challenges in the fast-evolving landscape of shared micromobility planning by providing:
Comprehensive demand insights: The tool leverages census data and geospatial analytics to pinpoint areas of high demand, helping cities strategically deploy resources and micromobility services, maximise ridership potential, reduce carbon emissions and address transport deserts. The software can be used to determine the most suitable areas to start a new shared micromobility scheme, or to extend an existing one, and to define the shared micromobility scheme planners want to see by inputting desired operating areas and fleet size.
Parking optimisation: By calculating parking density and accessibility requirements, the tool assists in designing infrastructure that reduces conflicts with pedestrians and minimises disruptions to car parking revenue. With Micromobility Planner, towns and cities can quickly decide how much micromobility parking space to provide and where to locate it, to avoid challenges such as pavement clutter.
Customisable scenarios: Local authorities can easily model different scenarios to optimise docked and dockless bike schemes, eScooters and other shared micromobility systems.
Sustainability alignment: The software integrates metrics to support cities’ sustainability and carbon-neutral goals.
Will Durden, managing director at Momentum said: “Local authorities are under pressure to reduce carbon emissions, promote sustainable transport and manage traffic congestion – and well-designed shared micromobility schemes, such as eBikes and eScooters, have great potential to redefine how people move around our towns and cities. But their integration comes with challenges.
“We have already seen several micromobility trials ending and being removed across the UK, and in large part we believe this is down to a lack of data, information and strategic exchange on questions such as fleet size, where micromobility hubs and parking locations should be placed and how many are needed to optimise their effectiveness.
“Local authorities currently have no choice but to rely on information from operators or to commission bespoke studies, both of which can be expensive. For a monthly subscription Micromobility Planner puts independent evidence at the fingertips of all local authorities in the UK and Ireland for the very first time, allowing them to take strategic, data-driven decisions on how micromobility can plug into their local transport networks most effectively.”
James O’Brien, founder of Spatial Design Hub added: “Our aim with Micromobility Planner is to combine Momentum’s bespoke consultancy with Spatial Design Hub’s expertise in geospatial analysis, and bespoke cloud-based technology solutions. As a result, Micromobility Planner harnesses powerful GIS data and analytics to give decision makers highly-granular, independent information which they can use to review and align operators’ proposals with their local priorities.
“This is a first for the UK and Ireland, and we believe it can revolutionise shared mobility by putting transport planners at towns and cities in the driving seat. We’re confident that more places will be able to plan seamless, user-friendly and environmentally-conscious shared micromobility networks by using Micromobility Planner, and taking more informed, strategic decisions.”
By Elli Kiely, Design & Innovation Director, HJK Construction
Open any newspaper in the UK, and it will mention the housing crisis in the UK. The actual extent of the crisis is hotly debated, but there is one thing everyone agrees on – there is undoubtedly a serious problem with the supply and demand of housing in this country. In 2018, The National Housing Federation suggested there should be 340,000 new homes built every year until 2031, with 145,000 of these in the social and affordable category. In 2022, the NHBC reported that 191,801 homes were built in the UK. Far short of what is generally believed to be necessary. The UK is one of Europe’s most expensive places to buy or rent a home. It has among the fewest homes per person. Over 50% of people in the UK live in households that spend more than 40% of their income on housing costs.
Elli Kiely
Given these costs, one way to alleviate the crisis is to increase the amount of affordable housing. Affordable housing for sale is defined as homes are sold at a discounted rate of at least 20% below market value, either by shared ownership, a discounted sales rate by developers, or discounted by the First Homes Scheme, which sells homes to people at 30-50% below market value. The National Planning Policy Framework requires that 10% of new homes built in major residential developments are affordable.
Over the last five years, around half of all new affordable homes were delivered through developer contributions, with most of the rest delivered through the Government’s Affordable Homes Programme.
Housing Associations are another way that the housing crisis might be alleviated. These associations are not-for-profit social landlords providing homes and support for around six million people around England. Housing associations build a quarter of England’s new homes, including almost all new social and affordable homes. Here at HJK Construction, after completing our first development with a housing association, we found that the standards were met and expectations were excellent. Housing Associations are committed to quality, and we are excited about the potential for further successful collaboration.
However, there is a very high demand for Housing Association properties. In the North West, as of July 2024, almost 200,000 households were on housing associations’ waiting lists. Liverpool has the highest figure with 10,683 waiting for a home within its local authority, closely followed by Manchester with 8,394. The average waiting time for a three-bedroom family home in Manchester is around four years. The North must create 16,603 new social houses to meet needs.
However, collaborations between Housing Associations and SMEs face a huge hurdle, and it’s one at the very centre of the housing crisis – planning permission and how it’s currently working in the UK.
Delays with applications are holding back construction projects and the delivery of new homes. These planning bottlenecks are seriously failing communities—many people are simply being left without suitable housing, forcing them to move elsewhere. Post-COVID, many local authorities’ lead times for planning decisions have increased dramatically. The Housebuilding Federation’s 2023 report stated that planning permission for new housing has continued to decline and is predicted to fall to unprecedented levels.
Local Authorities need to streamline the planning process—making it leaner, more efficient, and crucially, much quicker. Put simply, faster decisions mean more houses can be built, alleviating the housing shortage. We urge local authorities up and down the country to recognise the detrimental effects these delays are having and take steps to hold planning departments accountable for timely and efficient decision-making.
Speeding up planning approval addresses the housing crisis and has substantial knock-on effects nationally and locally. Building new homes helps create jobs, encourages the establishment of businesses, and stimulates the local economy. Ailing towns, suburbs, and villages have been revitalised across the country by building new homes.
A survey published in 2023, commissioned by the Homebuilder’s Federations, Close Brothers Property Finance, and Travis Perkins, shows that 93% of SMEs cite securing planning as a major barrier to growth. 91% of these businesses say that planning departments in local authorities need to be more resourced, hindering SME homebuilders’ growth. 46% of SME developers say the cost of obtaining planning permission has risen by over 30% in the past three years.
We urge local authorities to recognise the impact of planning delays on the housing sector and take steps to hold planning departments accountable for timely and efficient decision-making. We recognise that council budgets are tight, and the staffing and management of planning departments are under considerable strain, but we ask local authorities to recognise how beneficial housebuilding is to the local economy and act accordingly. There is huge potential for growth, job creation, and town and urban centre regeneration; all it needs to be is enabled by a positive, proactive approach from central government and local authorities.
James Johns, Head of Corporate Affairs, UK, Workday
Nations across the globe are feeling a squeeze on skills. One recent McKinsey study found that nine in ten executives or managers are having trouble hiring people with the talent they need – or that they expect to have that problem in the next five years.
Paradoxically, these shortages are becoming more acute despite the rapid rise in degree-qualified candidates in most developed nations. In the UK, student numbers have approximately doubled since the 1990s – and similar trends are seen across the OECD38 countries.[1] Meanwhile, a study from Dell predicts that 85% of the jobs which will exist in 2030 are yet to be invented.
With such shifts already taking place – and more on the horizon – it’s clear that ‘jobs for life’ are a thing of the past. What’s more, learning should no longer be limited to school and university. Instead, it must continue throughout our careers in a way that’s integrated into our work and which provides us with the evolving skills we need for a flourishing career and a strong economy.
Yet today we’re not nurturing a skills-based workforce in this way. From limiting business growth to driving inflation and stunting individual careers, the ramifications of the skills shortage are far reaching. Stakeholders across business, academia and government need new strategies for bridging the gap.
It’s positive to see the new Labour government prioritising the skills gap, with the introduction of the Skills England bill set to unite businesses, skills providers, unions, Mayoral Combined Authorities and national government to deliver a highly trained workforce. Initiatives such as this, alongside the strategic use of new technologies like AI, will be crucial in creating the skilled workforce the future needs.
Assessing the new government’s skills strategy
Announced in the King’s Speech, the Skills England Bill aims to “provide learners with the skills required to thrive in life, businesses with the trained workforce they need to succeed and local areas with access to the right skills to spur economic growth.” This will entail delivering skills ranging from the essential to the highly technical.
At the heart of the bill is an ambition to map the current skills landscape across England, identify critical gaps and work with stakeholders across the public and private sectors to address them. With research showing that the number of skills shortage vacancies doubled between 2017 and 2022 to a total of 531,200 this will be no mean feat. It will require the tracking, analysis and management of vast amounts of data. Such a process will also need to be ongoing – reacting to new demands and shifts in the workforce in real time to continuously address new skill requirements as the needs of the economy evolve.
Supporting the UK’s shift to a skills-based workforce cannot though solely be left to the Government, vital though their leadership will be. Employers also have a critical role to play. In both cases, AI and other innovative technologies can help. These tools are uniquely suited to the analysis of the significant pools of data that’s necessary for tackling a challenge as complex as nationwide skills shortages. What’s more, they can do so efficiently, without the need for costly investment in more manual work.
Applying AI to skills shortages
For more than a decade, Workday has been at the forefront of applying AI to human capital management (HCM). Our AI innovations have been built on an unprecedentedly clean and structured dataset informed by billions of transactions and tens of millions of users.
At the heart of our approach to AI in HCM is Workday Skills Cloud, which can analyse and map existing skills and identify key gaps. It does so by drawing on data sources that contain more than 200 million identified skills while using large language models to maintain a definitive taxonomy of skills in 16 different languages. From there, it provides a range of features – from recommended learning to bolster skills, toanalyticswhich allow employers to identify and tackle unknown skill gaps before they become critical. Already used by a quarter of Fortune 500 companies, it provides a clear example of how large organisations with complex and diverse workforces can effectively use technology to tackle skill gaps at scale. When employers understand skills, they can deploy the right people to the right projects, and tap into or build new talent pools, improving both agility and diversity. When employees understand skills, they can make more informed decisions about their work, better plan their career progression and access higher-paying, more fulfilling roles. As consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton has stated, “Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help democratize access to opportunities […] Al can yield a greater, more diverse talent pool than old-fashioned networks.”
One business that’s harnessed the benefits of Skills Cloud is the aerospace and power leader Rolls-Royce, which first deployed the tool in 2020. The business was responding to reports from employees that they felt careers were siloed and that skills weren’t being transferred or nurtured effectively between departments.
During its rollout, Skills Cloud quickly took off. During the pilot alone, 60% of people completed a profile and a third of managers raised a ‘gig’ – a skills-based request for internal candidates for specific jobs or tasks. The first rollout ended with 4,000 people, and since then the business has continued to scale quickly, with 10,000 people onboard at the last count.
Thousands of Rolls Royce’s employees have been using the platform to develop skills and discover new opportunities. It’s not only helping the business to efficiently target skills where needed, but also enabling it to paint a clear picture of the overall skills (and shortages) across the organisation. As a result, leaders are able to make informed strategic decisions on workforce planning, while individual employees can cultivate and apply skills in a way that bolsters career development and satisfaction.
Moving to a skills-based future
The significant scale of Rolls-Royce’s deployment reveals how technology can aid the shift to a skills-based future.
New technology can rapidly map skills across different departments or even organisations, offering a bird’s eye view of gaps. It can empower individuals and teams to untap and nurture existing skills and direct human capital within an organisation to where it will have the greatest impact.
It’s through deployment of intelligent technology like this, combined with political will, that we’ll build a workforce that continuously nurtures skills and can meet the challenges of both today and tomorrow.
[1] Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Education at a Glance 2022: OECD Indicators (Paris: OECD, 2022).
New research challenges the idea that 2024 was the year of the ‘digital election’ – particularly for younger voters
New nationally representative research from Marketreach, the marketing authority on commercial mail, reveals that mail is more likely to have had an influence on voting intention than any other marketing channel across all ages. 27% said that Mail was ‘most influential’ on making decisions compared with 24% saying TV and 18% who chose social media.
Mail was voted as having the highest level of engagement at 70%, i.e. it is most likely to be read, shared or talked about, and it was seen as most trustworthy in the run up to the 2024 general election. In fact, it was regarded as almost twice as trustworthy by voters than other channels on average*. Mail is also much less associated with misleading or inaccurate information (20%), compared with social media (34%).
The youngest age groups polled demonstrated the highest levels of engagement with mail. For instance, among 18-24-year-olds, over four in five (81%) people said they had engaged with mail during the run up to the election, higher than social media (72%), posters (67%), online advertising (64%) and party political broadcasts on TV (51%).
Among 25-34-year-olds the figures were 69% for mail, followed by social media (63%), posters (52%), online advertising (48%) and party political broadcasts on TV (32%). In addition, 60% of 18-19 year olds (new voters) kept any mail until a few days before the election versus an average of 27%.
Andrew Marr, journalist, broadcaster and commentator, wrote in the report’s foreword: “Elections are national, sometimes even global, events. But in our Parliamentary system, they are first of all local ones. We want a direct, emotional connection between ourselves, the candidates and ultimately the MP. It’s about intimate space – mail arrives at an actual address not an IP address; a physical postcode, not a digital identifier; something I can hold in my hand, not something only held, briefly, in the mind’s eye. And something that I can trust. This report is a welcome dose of reality, a happy corrective.”
The research was conducted in partnership with Thinks Insight & Strategy. Released during this year’s Parliament Week (18th-24th November), the research and report explore voter behaviour in relation to marketing from all parties in the 2024 election. The report from Marketreach, entitled Landslide: How mail swept the board for political parties in the 2024 General Election, explores why certain channels are more effective over others. The research found that mail is more effective at:
Making people think
Voters who received election mail found that it was more than 50% more effective at making them think about their voting intentions than other channels. This could be because mail was seen as having close to twice the relevance of other marketing channels in the run up to the election and was the most likely of all channels tested to be perceived as trustworthy. Subsequently, mail was considered the most useful channel for future election communications – chosen by 36% of respondents, compared with 31% who said party political broadcasts and 15% who said social media.
Being memorable
There was some Election mail presence throughout the campaign, but the volume became much larger towards the end of the campaign period. It became the most recalled communications channel – with three quarters (74%) recalling a piece of mail towards the end of the campaign compared to one third (32%) for social media from political parties.
Reaching voters locally
Locality is important. Mail is the only medium that can be localised down to constituency level, which means the content can be personalised to very small groups of voters and their concerns, with 65% of respondents reporting that mail was primarily focused on the election in their local constituency. This is almost three times higher than the figure for online advertising (22%) and for social media (23%).
Amanda Griffiths, Head of Planning & Insight at Marketreach who commissioned the research said: “Everyone thought reaching voters in this election was going to be about digital channels. It wasn’t. In fact, mail proved to be the most effective way for political parties to communicate – according to the voters themselves. And it’s even more effective when integrated with other media. For all the talk about the shift to digital in all areas of life, there are some times when we want things to be tangible, steadfast and dependable. When it comes to important moments of contemplation we want to deliberate carefully and in our own time. Mail delivers on this desire, and it is effective with younger generations too.”
The NHS emerged as an election issue during the campaign, which posed a challenge for Labour. The party knew it was going to inherit an economy with low levels of growth and high levels of debt. It also knew the NHS was struggling and ‘unprotected’ public services were facing cutbacks on an undeliverable scale.
The Highland Marketing advisory board met to discuss Labour’s first 100 days in office, the Darzi review, the Budget, and prospects for technology in next year’s 10 Year Health Plan.
Their view? The new government has got off to a slow start and needs to come through with a realistic plan for the future of health and care with technology as a key enabler.
If Rishi Sunak had gone to the polls when political correspondents predicted that he would, the UK would have been voting at the start of November. However, he called an election in May, the country voted on 4 July, and Sir Keir Starmer had been in his job for four months by the time bonfire night rolled around.
Yet shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves ruled out the most obvious ways to raise taxes. So, Labour made the electorate a ‘retail offer’ of an additional 40,000 appointments per week to tackle waiting lists, paid for by a crack-down on ‘non-doms’, while insisting there would be no further money without “reform.”
Buying time
When he arrived at the Department of Health and Social Care, new secretary of state Wes Streeting announced that “the policy of this is that the NHS is broken.” He also announced an independent review by Lord Ara Darzi, a surgeon and health minister in Gordon Brown’s government.
In September, Lord Darzi made headlines by declaring that the NHS “is in serious trouble.” But health tech entrepreneur Ravi Kumar said: “there is nothing in there that will surprise people who have been in and around the NHS.”
“There were no surprises in there,” agreed David Hancock, an interoperability expert who has worked for both shared care record and electronic patient record suppliers, “so why do it? The only reason was to buy time.”
Cindy Feddell, a former NHS CIO who now works in Canada agreed, although she felt more urgency was needed. “I thought they would have used the review to launch a plan, but they didn’t,” she said. “It’s very disappointing, because it is a plan we need, not more strategic reviews.”
Diagnosing NHS Failure
Lord Darzi did make a diagnosis of the NHS’ problems that could feed into the 10 Year Health Plan due next January. He argued the root of its challenges lie in the austerity politics of the Cameron/Osborne era, that starved public services of money while driving demand.
He argued these issues were exacerbated by the “calamity without international precedent” of health secretary Andrew Lansley’s reforms in 2012, which fractured NHS structures in a last-ditch attempt to drive competition across the system.
But he also noted that the governments that came before and after these changes have talked about ‘left shift’ reforms without making them stick.
Lord Darzi argued one reason is that they failed to align funding flows with these changes. Plus, he noted, it has become routine to transfer capital funding to the ‘frontline’ – leaving the NHS with crumbling facilities and “stuck in the foothills of digital transformation.”
Reform talk and reality on the ground
When Streeting talks about “reform” these days, he talks about three shifts: from hospital to community, from treatment to prevention, and from analogue to digital.
However, Nicola Haywood-Cleverly, a former chief information officer and trust non-executive director, noted there is a big gap between where the NHS is now, and where these three shifts would take it.
At the moment, she said, NHS England is focused on waiting lists and financial discipline, even if this means cuts in staff or services that pull in a different direction. “I want to know what is going to be different,” she said.
“At the moment, my main concern is there might be a gap between what the Operational Priorities and Planning Guidance [which sets out NHS England’s ‘must dos’ for the service] and the 10 Year Health Plan might say.”
Budget smoke and mirrors
This gap was not closed by the much-anticipated Budget delivered by chancellor Rachel Reeves in October. To fill the “£20 billion black hole” in this year’s public finances, invest in infrastructure, and stabilise public services, Reeves raised taxes by £40 billion and borrowing by £70 billion.
Around half the headline tax increase will go to the NHS, which was promised £22.6 billion over two years. However, this year’s £10.4 billion includes a £1 billion transfer from the capital budget and £1.8 billion for waiting list initiatives announced in the summer.
What’s left will have to cover financial pressures of around £4.8 billion, drug and pay pressures, including changes to employer National Insurance contributions.
“What came out of the Budget was smoke and mirrors, again,” said James Norman, who worked in NHS finance and as a trust CIO and who now works on the supplier side. “It is just covering the pressure that is there; there is nothing new coming down the line.”
In fact, he argued, it’s worse than that, because NHS employers will be covered for the NI changes, but the GPs, third sector, and social care providers who will have to deliver any shift from hospital to community and prevention, won’t. Another example of how talk about reform and reality on the ground are pulling in different directions.
Capital funding mirrors and smoke
The Budget also made a big deal out of promising more capital spending. An additional £3.1 billion was added to next year’s capital budget, taking it to £13.6 billion. Of this, £1.5 billion has been allocated to capacity increases, including additional beds, surgical hubs, and scanners, and £2 billion to “technology and digital.”
However, the advisory board noted that while Streeting talks about a shift from analogue to digital it is virtually impossible to invest in the current climate. “Digital leaders are saying they cannot do anything without going through two or three layers of governance outside their own organisations,” said Nicola Haywood-Cleverly.
“That makes it very hard for suppliers to build a pipeline.” Many trusts are having to freeze vacant non-clinical posts to manage system deficits, reducing their capacity to digest innovation and transformation.
Meantime, it is unclear whether Reeves’ tech spending is new money or, in effect, a re-announcement of the £3.4 billion that her predecessor, Jeremy Hunt, announced for NHS digitisation in March. Certainly, the Treasury ‘red book’ makes no mention of the latter.
Left shift, acute capture
For the advisory board, though, the big question is how the money that is available will be spent. Rizwan Malik, imaging leader, picked up on the promise to invest in community diagnostic centres and scanners. In principle, he argued, this could help to ‘left shift’ services into the community; but in practice many CDCs and new scanners have been attached to acute trusts.
Nicola Haywood-Cleverly argued there are similar issues with virtual community and urgent health care. Some of the innovative projects developed during the Covid-19 pandemic have morphed into virtual wards overseen by acute trusts “so primary and community-led care in its purest sense has been diluted, and become part of the old way of doing things.”
Integrated care boards were set up to create joined up services that still found room for both health and social care providers and innovative ideas. But, as Lord Darzi pointed out, NHS England’s policy focus and funding flows have not moved in the same direction – and nor has investment in IT.
Where’s the enabling tech?
The Treasury red book says Reeves’ £2 billion will “run essential services and drive NHS productivity improvements” while making sure that all trusts have electronic patient records, the NHS has better cyber security, and there are enhancements for the NHS App.
James Norman pointed out it makes no mention of some of the big, enabling technologies that will be needed to ‘left shift’ services and loop in innovative providers or social care. “What has happened to the shared care records?” he asked, as one example.
“They were meant to connect care, by integrating data and letting people see information relevant to them. But in some places people have backed them while in others they’ve been put in at a minimal level and nobody is using them. What’s the plan?”
Big projects, brownfield sites
Just before the advisory board met, the DHSC announced that eleven ‘enabler’ groups have been set up to feed into the 10 Year Health Plan. Encouragingly, there is a digital group, led by NHS England chief data and analytics officer Ming Tang and former national director of transformation Tim Ferris.
However, Ferris is best known for launching the Frontline Digitisation programme to complete the deployment of EPRs at trusts and Tang is leading on the roll-out of Palantir’s Federated Data Platform, which suggests the group may focus on acute IT.
It could also go looking for a ‘big project’. The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change has been making a lot of noise about creating a single, digital health record for every UK citizen within five-years.
But it has failed to answer questions about whether it would build on initiatives like shared care records, or junk them. Advisory board chair Jeremy Nettle raised a similar issue about the NHS App. When it was set up, the app was billed as a “digital front door” for the NHS.
Then NHSX decided it should just provide identity and login services and sign-post people to third-party apps. Now, it’s a mishmash of login and basic functionality; a lot of which is dependent on what GPs allow their patients to see.
“The NHS App shows that it is not just technology that matters,” he said. “It is how it is deployed and how it is used. You need a roadmap and consistent investment to deliver.”
One plan, with technology at its heart
The advisory board also felt that it would be a mistake to develop a 10 Year Health Plan with strategies to support it. Past experience suggests these strategies too easily become menus of options, from which ideas are funded or not-funded according to political interest and the finances available.
Instead, the board argued there should be one plan, that explains how the finance, workforce, and technology available will be used to enable its direction of travel. “We shouldn’t have a 10 Year Health Plan and a tech strategy to go with it,” James Norman argued. “There should be one plan that says how technology will be used to deliver.”
Unfortunately, as Jeremy Nettle pointed out, that won’t be easy to achieve. “The NHS may not be broken, but it’s certainly unwieldy, and its integration with social care is complex, and both are subject to a lot of different pressures that will need sustained effort and investment to address,” he said.
And what about social care?
Social care is a crisis of its own; one that is threatening to bankrupt councils and providers, while not providing adults the care they need. After the main board meeting, Jane Brightman, a social care expert with a special interest in technology, said there had been some measures for the sector in the Budget.
These included £600 million of new grant funding for local authorities, an £86 million increase to the Disabled Facilities Grant to support 7,800 more adaptations to homes to reduce hospitalisations and prolong independence, and an increase to the Carer’s Allowance weekly earnings limit from £151 a week to the equivalent of 16 hours at the National Living Wage (which means carers can earn over £10,000 per year).
There was also an extra £250 million to test new ways of working in children’s social care next year, including a pre-announced £44 million to test allowances for kinship carers and to roll out regional hubs to support the recruitment of foster carers.
Despite these measures, she said there is significant concern that this will not make a dent in the sector’s current problems, or the ones being stored up for the future. The increase in employer National Insurance contributions will also hit the sector hard and could swallow up any additional funding on offer. Despite Labour’s missions to improve and its talk about reforming health and social care, a Fair Pay Agreement for social care workers and a National Care Service have not featured in its first months in government. “Both ideas are welcomed by the sector, but too far down the road to provide the hope that is much needed right now,” Jane said.
A national image sharing platform, used by NHS organisations, patients and others to securely access diagnostic scans and tests, has seen record usage across the country.
The image exchange portal, widely known in the NHS as the IEP, is now being used to share as many as 500 images each second – includingx-rays, CT, MRI, ultrasound scans and more.
The system was first introduced into the NHS in 2009, to allow trusts to share images with each other. Greater reliance on the independent sector to help to tackle diagnostic backlogs, and an increase in patients requesting access to their own images, have contributed to a growth in use of the portal, as more images move beyond organisational boundaries.
Rising volumes of scans and tests taking place for patients has also fuelled growth in the use of the IEP.
Deployed in every acute hospital trust in England, a growing number of organisations beyond NHS trusts have been using the portal – including stroke networks, organisations delivering new insights into cancer, large private healthcare groups, teleradiology reporting providers, and innovative companies helping to create 3D models for pre surgery planning.
In total more than 450,000 individuals currently use the IEP. The portal was used to transmit close to 12 million patient imaging studies in 2023, compared to approximately 2.8 million studies back in 2012.
Chris Scarisbrick, deputy managing director for Sectra, the company which hosts the IEP, said: “The image exchange portal remains globally unique, and is envied as a national tool for sharing diagnostic images for patients.
“Developed for the NHS originally as a means to share radiology imaging between individual hospitals, the role of IEP has changed in line with the needs of a health service now dealing with greater diagnostic demands than ever before.
“As hospitals work hard to tackle a substantial diagnostic backlog, the portal has become an important means to share diagnostic imaging with the independent sector, to help to ensure timely diagnosis for patients. And as more and more ‘ologies’ become digital, it is supporting national access to more than just radiology images.”
Steven Frisby, IEP national account manager at Sectra, added: “Use of the image exchange portal continues to expand in ways that couldn’t have been envisioned 15 years ago when it was first introduced into the NHS.
“Patients are increasingly demanding access to their own imaging. And as medical frontiers expand, and technological capabilities in healthcare continue to evolve, the ability to access imaging through a secure platform, and in ways that protect patient data, is ever more important.
“Now, as the NHS seeks new ways to share images nationally, we welcome conversations on how this national platform can continue to evolve as we ensure it receives the investment needed to meet the needs of healthcare into the future.”
From left to right: EVIES Presenter, Cat Hancock (Believ’s Chief of Staff), Madeleine North (Assistant Planner at Believ), Murray Sirel (Believ’s Head of Product), Luke Templer (Interim Chief Finance Officer at Believ), James Bruce (Head of Bidding at Believ), EVIES presenter)
After a year that has seen Electric Vehicle (EV) Charge point operator (CPO) Believ double its cumulative socket numbers and employee head count, the firm has triumphed in the prestigious Electric Vehicle Innovation and Excellence Awards (EVIEs) winning ‘EV Scale Up of the Year’.
The award recognises both the rapid growth of its ‘all-speeds’ charge point network, and how technical innovation and a commitment to sustainability and social value are driving the best charging experience and helping deliver ‘cleaner air for all’.
The judges were especially impressed by Believ’s ‘very strong consumer feedback’, with drivers rating them 4.6 out of 5 for safety and charging experience, supported by uptime statistics of 99.8% and 98.0% on rapid and fast charge point availability respectively.
The award win was also influenced by Believ’s recent Carbon Neutral Britain and ISO environmental management, health and safety, information security and quality accreditations. A notable technical innovation put forward in Believ’s award submission was ‘Digital Electricity’, a new way to roll out charge point infrastructure quickly and cost effectively. It capitalises on Believ’s close relationship with delivery partner Virgin Media O2 to utilise existing telecom ducts to significantly reduce the need for disruptive installation works, thus making previously commercially unviable sites deliverable.
Guy Bartlett, Believ CEO, says the award is the result of highly experienced and dedicated teams, of which he is extremely proud:
“I am thrilled we have won this award. It is testament to the expertise and unrivalled experience of our teams, as well as a total dedication to deliver on our mission to make sustainable transport available to everyone and deliver cleaner air for all,” he says.
“Our rapid growth and ability to recruit the very best people to drive our mission is thanks to our industry-leading backing from Liberty Global and Zouk Capital. My thanks to all stakeholders for helping us to achieve this important recognition.”
Strategic diversification plan sees the creation of a new position that will extend TTC’s offering to new markets
TTC Group, the learning and development and training experts, has appointed legislation, risk and compliance training professional, Kylie Wilson as Public Sector Director. Her role will focus on developing and managing Public Sector relationships with law enforcement agencies and other entities such as emergency services, regulatory bodies and government agencies.
Kylie Wilson
The new position supports TTC Group’s strategic growth plan, helping the business extend its offering to support the compliance needs of the wider Public Sector.
A highly experienced learning and development (L&D) professional, Kylie was formerly a Detective in Public Protection in the Metropolitan Police and was part of the New Scotland Yard Crime Academy for Detective Training. In this new role, Kylie is responsible for developing and managing relationships with key stakeholders, securing new contract opportunities and developing new product lines. She will also engage with the TTC’s information security strategy to ensure alignment with industry standards and legal requirements, be an ambassador for cyber security and own the business-critical relationship with UKROED, the NDORS programme regulator.
Kylie commented: “Having worked in the public sector for over 15 years, supporting a wide range of organisations, I look forward to the new challenge of building relationships that will support a broad range of employee compliance and training programmes. My background means I have a deep understanding of industry trends and legislation and how best to adapt to changes in the competitive landscape. I am genuinely excited to become a member of the TTC team, helping to further shape the future of its already hugely successful behavioural training offerings.”
Dave Marsh, CEO of TTC added, “As we continue to diversify the TTC Group offering, Kylie’s holistic understanding of the challenges and requirements of the public sector will be invaluable. As an experienced and highly successful training professional, Kylie has both a strong history and deep understanding of the public sector to help ensure TTC training meets the needs of a wide range of organisations. We are thrilled to welcome Kylie to the TTC team and look forward working together to serve existing and new clients and partners.”
The British Army demonstrated the Archer Mobile Howitzer – an artillery system with fully automated gun designed for rapid deployment.
The first in the series of Exercise Dynamic Front 25 involved 5,000 soldiers, including 350 deployed by the British Army.
This is the first time Finland has hosted a major international military exercise since becoming a NATO member in April 2023.
British Army personnel have demonstrated a first live firing of a next-generation howitzer amidst freezing conditions in one of the largest series of NATO artillery exercises ever conducted in Europe.
As temperatures plummeted to -3 degrees Celsius just outside the Arctic Circle, 350 Army personnel joined soldiers from 28 countries – including NATO’s newest member Finland – on Exercise Dynamic Front 25.
During the 12 days of training, which began on the 14 November, the Army demonstrated its capability by conducting its first live firing on exercise with the Archer Mobile Howitzer – an artillery system with fully automated gun designed for rapid deployment. The system, which can fire more than eight rounds a minute at a range of 50km, was procured at speed from Sweden last year.
An Archer Artillery Gun is fired by troops from 19th Regiment Royal Artillery, during a live range on Rovajärvi Training Area during Exercise Dynamic Front, Finland
Also demonstrated in training were the enemy artillery detection radar, TAIPAN, and the UK’s Multiple Launch Rocket System, which can fire up to 12 rockets or missiles in less than a minute.
The training is the first in a wider NATO Dynamic Front 25 series, which takes place across four more countries in the coming months and aims to coordinate live fire artillery capabilities between allied nations from the Arctic Circle to the Black Sea. The exercise reinforces the government’s ‘NATO first’ defence strategy which has seen it set European security as its defence priority and commit to spending 2.5% of GDP on defence.
Minister for the Armed Forces Luke Pollard MP said:
“The successful live firing of the powerful Archer Mobile Howitzer shows we are equipping our Armed Forces with the latest battle-winning weaponry to help keep the UK secure at home and strong abroad.
“This joint exercise reiterates our unshakeable commitment to NATO and demonstrates our collective readiness to meet emerging threats and deter aggression across Europe.”
The exercise focused on advanced NATO technology, with soldiers connecting different military systems from multiple members of the alliance. This allowed shared information to rapidly direct responses across the field.
This comes a month after the UK announced it will strengthen NATO’s eastern flank with a new defence roadmap signed with Estonia. The joint declaration will see thousands of UK troops held at high readiness, ready to defend NATO’s eastern flank, in addition to those deployed in Estonia. It will also boost cooperation on developing long range missiles with NATO Allies, improving the Alliance’s collective air defence and offering opportunities to the UK defence industry.
It is the first time Finland has hosted a major international military exercise since becoming a NATO member following Russia’s illegal full-scale invasion of Ukraine. It takes place as Ukraine marked 1,000 days of the war on 19th November.
The LGIU and CCLA Cllr awards are the only national awards to celebrate the vital work of councillors across the country.
Cllr Robinson was first elected to Liverpool City Council in 2008, representing the Kensington & Fairfield ward. He became Leader in May 2023, having previously held the position of Cabinet Member for Finance, responsible for setting the Council’s budget. He is also the Liverpool City Region Cabinet Member for Innovation.
Awards: Cllr Robinson (centre) and Cllr Rahima Farah (far right) receiving their gongs
Cllr Robinson was nominated for his “calm, committed leadership, focused on integrity and good governance” which has helped lead the Council out of statutory intervention” and he was praised for “new relationships with partners and community engagement being at the heart of his leadership style”.
Prior to that, Cllr Robinson was Chair of Merseytravel, and subsequently Portfolio Holder for Transport for the Liverpool City Region. During his time at Merseytravel and the Combined Authority, making public transport more affordable, particularly for young people, was a key focus.
A second major award of the night was for Liverpool’s Cllr Rahima Farah, who represents Toxteth, who won in the Community Champion category.
The judging panel noted that Cllr Farah “has made an immediate and outstanding impact across her community, with a particular focus on tackling health inequality and providing opportunities for young people.” Elected in 2023, Cllr Farah was commended by the judges for her “commitment to constituents.”
The winners were announced at a ceremony at London’s Guildhall, showcasing the best of local government, and were chosen by a judging panel comprised of senior councillors and leading stakeholders from across the sector.
More information about the winners can be found here.
Fusion21 has announced the renewal of its national Building Safety and Compliance Framework, worth up to £800 million over four years, and is now inviting bids from interested suppliers providing regional, or national coverage.
The procurement with purpose provider is seeking competent and specialist suppliers to help landlords manage and maintain safe buildings and demonstrate compliance.
Suitable for all building types across the public sector, this fourth-generation framework continues to support Fusion21’s ‘big six’ offer and includes a new lot dedicated to sprinkler and mist systems.
The framework is split into twelve lots:
Lot 1 Asbestos Surveying and Consultancy
Lot 2 Asbestos Abatement and Removal
Lot 3 Legionella and Water Hygiene Consultancy
Lot 4 Legionella Monitoring and Control
Lot 5 Fire Safety Surveying and Consultancy (Multi-Disciplinary)
Lot 6 Fire Risk Assessments
Lot 7 Fire Safety Inspections
Lot 8 Passive Fire Protection
Lot 9 Fire Suppression (Sprinkler and Mist) Systems
Lot 10 Active Fire Safety
Lot 11 Warden Call and Tele-health
Lot 12 Electronic Security
Peter Francis, Group Executive Director (Operations) at Fusion21 said: “Set to launch in April 2025, this framework renewal will enable members to continue addressing the unique safety challenges of buildings ensuring the ‘golden thread’ of information is maintained, while also helping to address the challenges created by new legislation – such as the Building Safety Act (BSA 2022).
“The framework is being set up under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 and Fusion21 members accessing this offer will benefit from flexible call-off options, support from technical experts, and measurable cost efficiencies.
“As with all Fusion21’s frameworks, the Building Safety and Compliance Framework will help members to deliver social value they can see in communities, aligned with their organisational priorities.”
Tender applications are welcome from interested suppliers (existing and new) that meet the criteria set out in the tender documentation. To learn more and apply for the framework use the following link: hubs.li/Q02XgVxN0 and click on ‘Current opportunities’.
The submission deadline is Friday 17 January 2025, at 12 noon.
Scottish Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee has welcomed a report detailing spending by Scotland’s public bodies.
Commenting on the Public Bodies Data Report, Mr McKee said it will provide ‘crucial clarity’ and inform work to establish how frontline services can continue to be prioritised.
Mr McKee said: “The Scottish Government has made improving public services a key priority, alongside eradicating child poverty, building prosperity and protecting the planet. We are proud to have more frontline public sector workers than other parts of the UK, and to pay them more, demonstrating the value we place on workforce, skills, quality and fairness.
“But we also recognise that within our finite budget, and ongoing financial constraints and cost pressures, exacerbated by Brexit and 14 years of austerity, we have a responsibility to ensure that the investment the Scottish Government makes in our public services on behalf of the people of Scotland is used efficiently and sustainably.
“Our commitment to improvement is reflected in a programme of public service reform built on two key elements – ensuring public services remain fiscally sustainable – and improving outcomes for people and communities.
“Our reform challenge will be ensuring spending is proportionate to the value the public derives from services. Today’s publication marks a key step towards addressing the challenges we face. But I am hugely encouraged by the commitment already demonstrated to this work by public sector leaders as we work closely to focus on front-line spending and ensure services remain fiscally sustainable through investment.”
A collaborative partnership between Sodexo’s Aberdeen-based Energy & Resources business and Sodexo-managed prison, HMP Addiewell will see 50 sleep pods donated to the Aberdeen Cyrenians, a registered charity dedicated to supporting vulnerable people and those experiencing homelessness.
Sodexo is committed to contributing positively to the communities in which it operates and with a strong presence in Aberdeen was aware of the work of the Aberdeen Cyrenians and reached out to offer support.
The Aberdeen Cyrenians is a local charity and social care services provider supporting some of the most vulnerable people in the community facing crisis, trauma, addiction, homelessness, and isolation for over 50 years.
With winter planning underway, Aberdeen Cyrenians and partners had identified a need for rapid response and immediate relief for potential rough sleeping. Sodexo connected the charity to HMP Addiewell to organise a donation of 50 sleep pods to help the city, with Aberdeen Cyrenians acting as a distribution ‘hub’ to support local organisations.
The sleep pods are emergency one-person shelters developed by registered charity, Sleep Pod to protect rough sleepers in severe weather.
Donna Hutchison, chief executive officer, Aberdeen Cyrenians said: “Whilst our focus is on the prevention of homelessness we recognise the need to have the necessary contingencies in place to mitigate risk as we come into the winter months. We are delighted to be working with Sodexo and HMP Addiewell, with the sleep pods offering a safer and more dignified alternative to sleeping rough.”
Sleep Pod has been working in partnership with Sodexo and HMP Addiewell for a number of years, distributing sleep pods to charities across the country. This collaborative partnership is not only benefiting the vulnerable and homeless in local communities in Scotland and beyond but is helping reduce the risk of prisoner reoffending by equipping them with valuable skills which improves their employability prospects on release.
Ian Ashby, Sleep Pod co-founder adds: ”Sleep Pod is pleased to work alongside HMP Addiewell, Sodexo’s Energy & Resources business, and Aberdeen Cyrenians in supporting vulnerable individuals facing homelessness. Together, this partnership enables us to provide vital emergency shelters that meet the needs of those most affected by severe weather. Our ongoing collaboration with Sodexo allows us to strengthen these efforts, providing essential resources where they are most needed.”
Tony Brady, business development director, Energy & Resources, Sodexo UK & Ireland, told GPSJ: “As a business, we are committed to supporting and helping out our local charities. Building this partnership with the Aberdeen Cyrenians was key in making a real difference in the lives of those who are experiencing homelessness, especially as we now head into the colder months.”
Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth monitored the Russian Bear-F aircraft flying over the North Sea
Operation comes as Royal Navy shadowed Russian military vessels passing through the English Channel
Second time in three months that the Royal Navy and RAF have detected Russian ships and aircraft within a week of each other
RAF fighter jets were yesterday scrambled when a Russian military aircraft was detected flying close to UK airspace.
Two Typhoons from RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland monitored a Russian Bear-F aircraft as it flew over the North Sea. The Russian reconnaissance plane had been detected in the UK’s area of interest and at no time was it able to enter UK sovereign airspace.
The incident comes after the Royal Navy shadowed Russian military vessels passing through the English Channel over the past week.
The Typhoons, which were supported by a Voyager refuelling aircraft, are part of the RAF’s Quick Reaction Alert. This sees aircraft in Scotland and England at high-readiness 24/7, 365 days a year ready to defend and protect UK airspace.
The scrambling follows British warships, helicopters, and long-range maritime patrol aircraft keeping close watch on the progress of two separate groups of Russian ships as they sailed in opposite directions – one bound for the Atlantic and the other towards the Baltic. This ensured the ships acted in a safe and non-threatening manner.
In the Channel, HMS Iron Duke and tanker RFA Tideforce shadowed three Russian vessels, which were led by the new frigate Admiral Golovko.
The Golovko was accompanied by oceanographic research vessel Yantar and supporting tanker Vyazma. All three had been tracked by the Norwegian Navy before British forces took over. The Duke class frigate and Tide-class tanker, supported by an RAF P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, followed the ships through the Dover Strait and Channel before handing over monitoring duties to the French Navy.
As the Golovko continued her journey, Iron Duke took over shadowing duties of the second Russian group. Frigate Neustrashimy and her support ship, tanker Akademik Pashin were travelling to their home port in the Baltic. Iron Duke remained in contact with the pair back through the Channel and into the North Sea before handing over to a Dutch warship.
Minister for the Armed Forces, Luke Pollard said:
“Our adversaries should be in no doubt of our steadfast determination and formidable ability to protect the UK.
“The Royal Navy and RAF have once again shown they stand ready to defend our country at a moment’s notice and I pay tribute to the professionalism and bravery of those involved in these latest operations.”
This is the second time in three months that the Royal Navy and RAF have detected Russian ships and aircraft within a week of each other.
In a landmark policy shift, the UK government has announced the complete abolition of the non-dom tax regime, effective April 2025. The reform will replace the current non-domiciled status with a residence-based tax scheme, fundamentally altering the tax obligations for thousands of non-dom individuals residing in the UK. With this announcement, many non-dom residents are considering their financial future and residency status to align with the new rules.
Steph Gemson, founder of accountancy company TaxGem, discusses the implications of this change in the UK tax landscape and offers guidance on what people should do next if it impacts them.
What does the New Residence-Based Scheme mean?
From April 6, 2025, all UK residents, regardless of domicile status, will be taxed on their worldwide income and gains after four years of residence, removing the previous remittance basis option.
This means people who don’t class the UK as their permanent, main country of residence can no longer pay an annual remittance basis charge to exclude foreign income and gains from UK tax if they are not brought into the UK; all global income and gains will be taxed on an arising basis.
Individuals new to UK tax residence (defined as those in their first four years, after at least a decade abroad) will still have a four-year period during which foreign income and gains will be exempt from UK tax, with no restrictions on remittance.
How will the new regulations impact current non-doms?
The existing option for non-doms to pay a remittance basis charge to limit UK tax to UK-sourced income will be abolished, meaning all residents will now be taxed on worldwide income after four years of UK residence. Previously, non-doms could maintain their status and the remittance basis for many years, but under the new regime, non-dom distinctions are effectively eliminated for tax purposes, creating a uniform tax treatment for all residents.
Unlike the previous indefinite remittance basis option, the new regime will offer new UK residents a limited four-year exemption from foreign income and gains taxation, after which full UK taxation applies.
Non-doms accustomed to sheltering foreign assets, income and gains may face increased administrative and financial complexities under full worldwide taxation, which can impact wealth management, trusts, and cross-border income tax planning.
What should current non-dom UK residents do to manage their tax liabilities and finances?
Global financial planning is essential for non-dom UK residents who have previously relied on remittance-based rules. Careful global assets and income management under a worldwide tax scope, potentially impacting wealth management strategies and investments abroad, must be undertaken by a qualified, experienced accountant or tax adviser who understands global tax liabilities.
Non-doms new to the UK may benefit from the four-year exemption on foreign income and gains. Planning around this window can help maximise tax efficiency during the initial years of UK residency. For individuals with significant foreign income or assets, relocating outside the UK may be more attractive to preserve tax advantages.
Non-doms with foreign trusts or complex asset holdings should reassess these structures under the new rules, potentially restructuring to mitigate global taxation impacts. Non-doms can also utilise the Temporary Repatriation Facility (TRF) to remit overseas funds at a reduced tax rate. Also, they could qualify to rebase certain foreign assets, providing short-term opportunities to manage tax exposure effectively.
How can non dom UK residents still optimise their financial portfolios in the UK?
Despite removing the non-dom status there will still be tax-efficient investment options and methods for non dom UK residents to optimise their financial portfolios. With worldwide income becoming taxable, investing in UK-based assets can simplify tax obligations and reduce exposure to additional foreign tax complications, especially for income-generating assets. Tax-efficient investment wrappers like ISAs (Individual Savings Accounts) and pension contributions remain exempt from UK income and capital gains taxes – making this an attractive option for individuals looking to shelter investments from tax.
Eligible non-doms can elect to rebase certain foreign assets to their value as of April 5, 2017, ensuring only gains arising after this date are subject to UK Capital Gains Tax. This can significantly reduce tax liabilities on existing assets.
Reviewing offshore trusts under the new rules is essential for those with substantial assets. Due to new UK-wide tax obligations, trusts may need to be adjusted or, in some cases, liquidated if they no longer provide the intended tax benefits.
The Temporary Repatriation Facility (TRF) offers a window to bring pre-6 April 2025 foreign income and gains into the UK at a reduced tax rate. This can be advantageous for non-doms needing liquidity or wishing to reinvest in the UK while managing tax exposure.
Non-doms can also explore UK-compliant offshore investment funds structured to defer tax on growth until assets are realised or repatriated, aligning with global investment strategies while managing immediate tax impacts. Consideration must also be given to restructuring investments to prioritise assets generating capital gains over those producing dividends or interest, as capital gains may allow for more flexibility with lower rates of tax and available reliefs and exemptions, optimising the overall tax efficiency of the portfolio.
To ensure you navigate the new rules, seek a tax expert to help you make the correct financial decisions and understand your obligations and potential reliefs. Missteps in reporting foreign income or structuring international assets under the new rules could lead to hefty tax penalties. Professional advisors will ensure compliance with the updated HMRC requirements and minimise any risk. Experienced tax advisors can also guide non-doms in assessing options like relocating assets, adjusting investment portfolios, or considering alternative residency plans to optimise tax exposure and align with personal financial goals. With transitional reliefs, such as rebasing and the Temporary Repatriation Facility, professional advice is also key to strategically timing and structuring asset transfers, allowing non-doms to maximise these benefits while available.
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