Latest news with #Food&RuralAffairs
Metro
4 days ago
- Business
- Metro
New solar panels 'could cut people's bills by £530 per year'
Britons could save hundreds of pounds on their energy bills soon after the government confirmed all new build homes will have solar panels. A typical existing UK home could save around £530 a year from installing rooftop solar, based on the current energy price cap, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs said. This means today's new proposals, which will be further outlined this autumn in the Future Homes Standard, could significantly cut energy bills for the recipients of new build properties. They added it could further help tackle the cost of living for young families and new house buyers. Under the proposed changes, new homes will also have low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps and high levels of energy efficiency, cutting people's energy bills and boosting the nation's energy security. To deliver these aims, the proposed Future Homes Standard would see building regulations amended to explicitly promote solar for the first time, subject to practical limits. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: 'Solar panels can save people hundreds of pounds off their energy bills, so it is just common sense for new homes to have them fitted as standard. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'So many people just don't understand why this doesn't already happen. With our plans, it will. 'Today marks a monumental step in unleashing this rooftop revolution as part of our Plan for Change, and means new homeowners will get lower bills with clean home-grown power.' Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook, added that 'common-sense' planning will make it easier for people to use heat pumps and switch to EVs. More Trending New legislation, which came into force last week, means more homeowners will now be able to install a heat pump within one metre of their property's boundary without having to submit a planning application. Figures from Octopus show that 34% of those who order a heat pump are discouraged or drop out due to the need to submit a planning application. The first quarter of 2025 saw a record number of applications to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, up 73% from the same quarter in 2024. View More » The scheme provides households with up to £7,500 off the cost of a heat pump, which can save families around £100 a year by using a smart tariff effectively. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Universal digital 'BritCards' on an app could soon be used to prove who you are MORE: Free school meals to be extended to 500,000 chilldren across the country MORE: Halving violence against women and girls will require more cash, watchdogs say Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
Yahoo
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Spend of £2m on food waste collections approved
Almost £2m will be spent so that homes can have weekly food waste collections, a council has decided. Councillors in North Norfolk voted to spend the money so that caddies can be sent to all homes in the district, with the majority of the funding also being used to buy new collection trucks. From next year, every local authority in England will be required to collect food scraps as part of efforts to streamline waste management. On Wednesday night, a meeting of North Norfolk District Council heard that while it had received £1.45m from the government to help with costs, the remaining money would have to come from council reserves. A report for councillors said the bulk of the money would be spent on up to 14 new vehicles, costing around £100,000 each. It also heard delays on the delivery of equipment were possible, with many other local authorities looking to buy at the same time. In Norfolk, three out of seven district councils currently offer food waste collections – with Breckland, Great Yarmouth and South Norfolk due to introduce them alongside North Norfolk. Speaking before the meeting, Callum Ringer, Liberal Democrat cabinet member for environmental and waste called for ministers to provide full funding. "If the government want to roll services out, they should be able to fund it properly," he told the Local Democracy Reporter Service (LDRS). He also warned that "with all of these councils needing these vehicles at once, there may be some issues." The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was "investing £300 million to support councils on weekly food collections". "These reforms will cut the cost for waste management by over £200 million by 2035," a spokeswoman added. The Waste and Resources Action Programme charity estimated that 6.4 million tonnes of food waste was generated from UK households a year in 2021/22, with 4.7 million of that classified as "edible waste". The remainder was deemed "inedible or unavoidable". Food scraps can be turned into energy at bio digestion plants, creating biogas to generate heat and power - as well as fertiliser for agriculture. This helps to reduce the amount of methane released into the atmosphere through food waste being dumped in landfills. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. More bin lorries to check county's phone signal 'Bin-spections' could increase to boost recycling Food waste collection to hit council budgets North Norfolk District Council Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fishermen win legal battle over river pollution
A group of fishermen have won a landmark legal battle against the government, which lost its appeal against a ruling that it failed to protect and restore a river ecosystem. Pickering Fishery Association and environmental organisation Fish Legal took the government to the High Court over the health of the Costa Beck near Pickering. The High Court ruled in 2023 that the government's management plan for once-thriving fishing spot was insufficient, with the groups arguing fish populations had declined dramatically in recent decades because of pollution. The government challenged the decision, but the appeal was dismissed in a judgment handed down on Wednesday. Andrew Kelton, solicitor for Fish Legal, said Wednesday's decision should be "a turning point for improving river health nationwide". He added: "This comprehensive win for us in the Court of Appeal sets out a blueprint for restoring damaged rivers across the whole country." A Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs spokesperson said the government was "determined to clean up our polluted rivers, lakes and seas" and that it was "considering this judgment". They added: "We recognise there are problems with the current system, which is why we have launched an Independent Water Commission, which is looking at widespread water sector reform including the effectiveness of the Water Framework Directive and River Basin Management Plans. "We will continue to support the Environment Agency and its partners as they continue their work to improve the water environment in North Yorkshire and across England." But Penelope Gane, head of practice at Fish Legal, said: "[The government] could have dropped this appeal, but instead they have dragged out the legal process, wasting time and taxpayer money trying to defend continued inaction to restore not only the Costa Beck, but rivers nationwide." Only 16% of waterbodies and 14% of rivers in England currently had "good ecological status", she added. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Fishermen win landmark river legal case Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bird flu found again in seals at east coast colony
Bird flu has been found in seals at one of England's best-known colonies for the second time in recent months, scientists have said. The virus has been detected in 15 dead seals during recent testing at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, government figures show. More tests were carried out by staff from the "avian influenza national reference laboratory" after two grey seals tested positive Blakeney Point in February. Results released by the Animal & Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) show that more that 15 out of 40 seal carcasses tested were positive. Detail was given in a government statement posted online. Scientists said they could not be sure that bird flu had been the "sole cause of death". "A total of 40 seal carcasses were sampled from the site and from that 37.5% (15) tested positive," said the statement. "We cannot determine with certainty whether influenza of avian origin was the sole cause of death in these wild animals, and it is possible other factors may have contributed." The statement said findings had been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Bird flu, also known as avian influenza or H5N1, is a disease caused by a virus that infects birds and sometimes other animals. Recently, the world's first case of bird flu in sheep was found in Yorkshire. Government officials say there have been a "small number" of cases in humans in the UK since 2021. Defra says 1.78 million farmed and captive birds were culled between November and February due to the spread of the disease across the UK. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. First case of bird flu in sheep found on UK farm Bird flu in seals a first at National Trust site Should I worry about a bird flu pandemic? Animal & Plant Health Agency Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Bird flu found again in seals at east coast colony
Bird flu has been found in seals at one of England's best-known colonies for the second time in recent months, scientists have said. The virus has been detected in 15 dead seals during recent testing at Blakeney Point, Norfolk, government figures show. More tests were carried out by staff from the "avian influenza national reference laboratory" after two grey seals tested positive Blakeney Point in February. Results released by the Animal & Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) show that more that 15 out of 40 seal carcasses tested were positive. Detail was given in a government statement posted online. Scientists said they could not be sure that bird flu had been the "sole cause of death". "A total of 40 seal carcasses were sampled from the site and from that 37.5% (15) tested positive," said the statement. "We cannot determine with certainty whether influenza of avian origin was the sole cause of death in these wild animals, and it is possible other factors may have contributed." The statement said findings had been reported to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH). Bird flu, also known as avian influenza or H5N1, is a disease caused by a virus that infects birds and sometimes other animals. Recently, the world's first case of bird flu in sheep was found in Yorkshire. Government officials say there have been a "small number" of cases in humans in the UK since 2021. Defra says 1.78 million farmed and captive birds were culled between November and February due to the spread of the disease across the UK. Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. First case of bird flu in sheep found on UK farm Bird flu in seals a first at National Trust site Should I worry about a bird flu pandemic? Animal & Plant Health Agency Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
