Main menu:
Communities
Sustainable Communities
Latest news
19 September 2007
Firms sign up to reduce carbon footprint
Nine large companies, including The Co-op, Coca Cola, Halifax, Kimberly-Clark and Cadbury have joined a scheme to reduce their carbon footprint.
The companies will use a new product standard being developed by the government with the Carbon Trust. They will measure the carbon emissions from the start to finish of production of some of their products, as part as a trial of the scheme.
14 September 2007
More money for Council Housing
A £500m incentive for councils in England to build more homes has been announced by the government.
The cash will be shared out between councils that build enough homes within a set timescale. The grants also depend on councils building a certain mix of housing - for example homes for young families rather than just flats.
The scheme was outlined on Friday by Housing Minister Yvette Cooper, who said it is aimed at creating more homes for families and first-time buyers.
11 July 2007
New bills to be published in the Autumn
The Queen's speech this Autumn will include several bills in this policy area.
The Climate Change Bill will establish the lega framework for reduction of the UK's emissions.
The Constitutional Reform Bill will include many of the proposals made by Gordon Brown on July 3rd, including giving MPs a vote before any war and on international treaties, Commons committees for each English region, moving election days to weekends and establishing a national security council.
The Crossrail Bill will establish the powers to build the Crossrail rail line from west to east in London.
The Energy Bill will give much greater incentives for renewable energy, but also making it easier for companies to invest in carbon capture.
The Housing and Regeneration Bill will merge the Housing Corporation (that funds social hosuing) and English Partnerships (that plans hosuing projects in new growth areas). It also changes social housing regulation.
The Local Transport Bill includes the ability to introduce road pricing, and greater powers to plan local bus services.
The Planning Reform Bill will introduce a new planning system for major infrastructure projects and simplifies the planning system for minor home improvements.
5 July 2007
Local people to have greater say on spending
Neighbourhoods across England will be given new opportunities to direct extra resources at the issues they care about from tackling anti-social behaviour or drug-dealing to providing new community and leisure facilities. New Communities Minister Hazel Blears announced the idea in her first major speech as Communities Secretary. She set-out a radical vision for the next stage of the Government’s devolution agenda with the ambition for every neighbourhood to have control of a ‘community kitty’ within five years.
Conference 2007 - Sustainable Communities and Housing announcements
Gordon Brown, Hazel Blears and Yvette Cooper all called for Tory and Lib Dem councils to stop obstructing house building and to start doing it.
The number of new homes built will increase to 240,000.
The social housing budget will increase by 50%, to £8.6bn per annum.
The number of new eco-towns will double, from 5 to 10.
All high-energy light bulbs will be phased out from sale within 4 years (saving 5 million tonnes of carbon pa), and the government will work with the industry to phase out high-energy domestic appliances.
October 10 2007
Pre-budget report
The pre-budget report had a number of announcements on spending – see here for details
November 6 2007
Queen’s Speech has new bills
There were 29 bills and draft bills mentioned in the Queen’s Speech on November 6 2007. For more details on the Bills relating to this Commission, click here.
November 2007
Homelessness scheme expanded
Labour’s Housing Minister has announced a new £70 million expansion of the Government’s homelessness scheme to help people to make a permanent move away from the streets.Yvette Cooper said that the investment will fund more than 100 new or upgraded hostels with training facilities to help the vulnerable people who need them. More details here
Climate Change Bill published
The Labour Government has published its landmark Climate Change Bill, the first of its kind in the world.It sets out Britain’s plans to tackle climate change for the next 50 years, and includes legally binding targets to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by at least 60 per cent by 2050 against 1990 levels.The bill also provides a clear pathway to achieve the emission reductions through a system of five-year carbon budgets, set 15 years ahead.
November 27 2007
Planning shakeup announced
Hazel Blears announced a faster and more efficient planning system.
Ministers say the Planning Reform Bill will help the UK meet needs for housing and infrastructure as well as environmental and energy supply challenges. It includes an independent planning commission to replace big planning inquiries and will streamline eight current planning regimes covering schemes like electricity generation, power lines, airports and reservoirs.
The aim is to deliver more "timely and predicable" decisions on important schemes, the government hopes it will mean decisions are made within a year.
And the reforms would allow people to install small-scale renewable power sources like solar panels and wind turbines without planning permission - as long as they do not affect their neighbours.
Building loft conversions and conservatories would also become easier and councils will have to include climate change in their thinking on local plans.
December 11 2007
All UK homes to be powered by wind by 2020
Labour’s Business and Enterprise Secretary John Hutton has announced proposals to open up Britain's seas to up to 33GW (gigawatts) of offshore wind energy. He also announced that he will chair a panel of experts to advise him on renewable energy, underscoring the UK Government's determination to play its part in meeting the EU target of 20% renewable energy by 2020.
Speaking to the European energy industry in Berlin, John Hutton launched a Strategic Environmental Assessment of the seas surrounding the UK, paving the way for a possible 'third round' of wind energy development and beyond: "The draft plan I'm setting out today could allow companies to develop up to 25 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2020, in addition to the 8 gigawatts already planned.
"...If we could manage to achieve this, by 2020 enough electricity could be generated off our shores to power the equivalent of all of the UK's homes. This could be a major contribution towards meeting the EU's target of 20% of energy from renewable sources by 2020.
December 13 2007
Next steps for social housing
Labour’s Housing Minister, Yvette Cooper, has announced a package of measures and extra investment to make social housing fairer and more effective.
The plans will re-focus social housing around the needs of the tenants and will make it easier for young families to move to larger homes when they need to. Proposals would also increase opportunities for elderly people to relocate closer to their families and grandchildren. Also included in the plans is a major new crackdown on cramped housing, with £15 million in funds over the next three years to help councils in areas most under pressure.
December 15 2007
Climate change deal agreed in Bali
After long and difficult negotiations, an international deal agreed by all countries has laid out the path for the replacement to the Kyoto agreement.
Other Pages
Commission Work Programme 2007
November 2006 report
August 2006 report
June 2006 report
Commission Work Programme 2006