Latest news with #CommunitiesandLevellingUp
ITV News
18-07-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Government change flagship planning bill after pressure from MP expelled for rebelling
The government has changed its flagship planning bill to add better environmental protections in response to a campaign spearheaded by suspended MP Chris Hinchliff. Hinchliff had the Labour whip withdrawn on Wednesday for persistently rebelling against the government, just a day before the announcement than an amendment he put forward had largely been accepted. The change means that housing developers will now have to explicitly set out how they will protect the environment before a development starts being built. The government insist the changes they have put forward are different to the ones suggested by Hinchliff - but they've been accused of watering down the bill in response to pressure from MPs and campaigners. 'There are clear differences between the amendment we rejected and the one we put forward yesterday," a government spokesperson said. 'The previous amendment would have introduced unnecessary restrictions and impractical measures, while our changes will provide greater confidence that the right conservation measures will come forward at the right time. 'After carefully listening to the Office for Environmental Protection and other expert stakeholders, we have brought forward a comprehensive package of amendments to ensure our reforms deliver improved outcomes for nature whilst supporting our efforts to get Britain building.' Hinchliff's amendment was also supported by the three other MPs who had the whip withdrawn on Wednesday - Neil Duncan-Jordan, Rachael Maskell and Brian Leishman. It was the rebellion over the government's proposed welfare cuts that sparked the suspensions, and while Hinchliff voted against the government on the benefits reforms, he also organised a revolt against the planning bill. The government U-turned on its package of welfare cuts after pressure from swathes of Labour backbenchers - leaving all of the £5 billion-worth of planned savings wiped out. Despite caving in to the rebels on welfare, on Wednesday Prime Minister Keir Starmer suspended Hinchliff and three other MPs for "repeatedly break[ing] the whip". Three other MPs also had their roles as trade envoys removed. Hinchliff's amendment called for environmental plans laid out by developers and already included in the bill (EDPs) to include a schedule setting out "the timetable for the implementation of each conservation measure and for the reporting of results". In updates to the bill announced on Thursday night the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Levelling Up appeared to accept some of Hinchliff's changes. "We will also now require EDPs to set out the anticipated sequencing of the implementation of conservation measures – with specific reference to the timing of development coming forward," the department said. "This will provide additional assurance that EDPs will not lead to open-ended or irreversible impacts from development. "This would include detail as to whether and which conservation measures must be in place in advance of development coming forward, ensuring that no irreversible harm could occur to an environmental feature." A summary of the changes also confirmed rare species would also get extra protections: "Upfront conservation measures may be necessary in instances where a habitat or species is rare or fragile, requiring immediate action to improve its conservation status before development impacting upon it could be approved." In a statement Hinchliff said he "warmly welcomes" the changes and will now vote with the government on the bill. 'Ministers have now tabled amendments in the House of Lords that address many of the issues I raised. 'The key function of Amendment 69 - which I tabled in the Commons - was to ensure Environmental Delivery Plans result in genuine improvements to the specific environmental features identified as at risk. 'Last night's announcement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government confirms that the Government is directly tackling this point." Hinchliff said he was refused meetings with the relevant minister to raise his concerns. 'I wanted to engage constructively with the government, to raise views shared by millions of members of nature organisations, and to find solutions through dialogue," he said. "I hope in the future we can find consensus ahead of time and avoid confrontations. I look forward to voting with the government on a significantly improved Bill when it returns to the Commons. 'This episode underscores the need for a collaborative approach to politics - one that respects the role of parliamentary democracy and listens to experts, campaigners, and the public." The CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link also welcomed the changes, CEO Richard Benwell said: "Any change to environmental protection comes with risk, but the government's new amendments give stronger safeguards for UK wildlife and help ensure that irreplaceable habitats stay off the table for development."'It's rare for a government to bring forward a package of positive amendments before losing a single vote. "The changes today are testament to the strength of public demand for a planning system that will protect and restore nature, but they are also a positive sign of a government willing to listen to good environmental sense."
The National
10-03-2025
- Politics
- The National
Anti-Islamophobia charity loses UK funding even as incidents soar
The UK government has cut future funding for a charity that monitors anti-Muslim hate, despite record high incidents being reported. Tell Mama runs a reporting service for hate incidents directed at Muslims and the charity has been funded since its creation in 2012 by the Department of Housing, Communities and Levelling Up. But the charity's director Iman Atta told The National its funding, from next month for the year ahead, has not been renewed, meaning it could be forced to close. "This Labour government informed us that they will not be grant funding Tell Mama after 12 years of work," she said. "Given the timescales and pressures on funding, we are unable to raise funds to keep working on countering anti-Muslim hate and supporting our communities." Only weeks ago, the charity announced it had received almost 11,000 reports of hate incidents across 2023 and 2024 through its reporting service, and warned of a surge in anti-Muslim sentiment stoked by last summer's far-right riots and the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. "We are at a time when anti-Muslim hate reached record levels in 2024," she said. "A time when the government needs to walk the talk on tackling anti-Muslim hate." Ms Atta also claimed that "to date no payment has been made" from the £1 million ($1.3 million) it was granted by the department in April 2024 but this is disputed by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which said the money had been "made available". The Labour government wrote to the charity in September to warn of changes in how funding would be allocated. A disagreement followed after the charity declined to submit work records containing sensitive data. "Despite these challenges and the totally unacceptable and unethical asks to hand over our work, we continued to support those affected by anti-Muslim hate and continued our work with partner agencies ensuring the safety of all communities," Ms Atta said. The UK police describes the charity's role as 'invaluable" in tackling hate crime. The police have had an information sharing agreement with Tell Mama since 2015, which it said became all the more crucial in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel in 2023, after which "marked increases in hate crime and tensions" were reported. 'Over the years, we have cultivated a strong and effective relationship,' said a National Police Chief's Council representative. "Tell Mama and similar organisations that support other communities have provided invaluable insights and reporting data. These contributions have allowed for the effective analysis of community tensions and informed actions to reduce such tensions." The arrangement with Tell Mama and similar organisations was the result of a report in 1999 into the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, which found victims of hate crimes were often reluctant to report them to the police. The charity supplies partial data from its reporting service to the police, while keeping victims' identities hidden. This exchange has allowed both organisations to develop heat maps of the main areas where anti-Muslim incidents occur and to identify the risks of far-right extremism. A total of 6,313 reports were made to the charity in 2024, up from 4,406 in the previous year and 2,651 in 2022. More than half of last year's reports (3,680) constituted 'offline or in-person hate', up by almost three quarters (72 per cent) since 2022, the organisation said. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it was revising its approach to future funding. 'This year we have made up to £1 million of funding available to Tell Mama to provide support for victims of Islamophobia, and we will set out our approach to future funding in due course,' a representative said.
