News UK March 2008

*Cabinet Office Minister Tom Watson announces a new Task Force to take forward proposals in the Power of Information report, March 31 www.tom-watson.co.uk, March 31 topic
*'Community energy: urban planning for a low carbon future’, guide published by Town and Country Planning Association, March 31 Town and Country Planning Association, (PDF file), March 31 topic, topic
*Government consults on "how we want England's regions to operate and perform...", March 31 Communities and Local Government, March 31 Consultations
*Consultation on protecting our soils, March 31 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, March 31 topic
*2007 UK emissions estimated to be 2 per cent lower than in 2006, March 27 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, March 27 topic
*"Nearly 20% less waste has been sent to landfill since 2001", says Environment Agency, March 26 Environment Agency, March 26 topic
*Review to look at councils making better use of technology like the internet to notify people about planning applications, March 25 Communities and Local Government, March 25 topic
*Green Government IT programme to be launched in the summer, March 18 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, March 18 This step is one of several that the government has announced in response to the Sustainable Development Commission’s Sustainable Development in Government annual report 2006/07. The Government’s response to the 2007 SDiG report can be accessed via the Cabinet Office website
*Ministers secretly approve £1 billion increase in roads costs, March 18 Campaign for Better Transport, March 18 topic
*Latest projections confirm that the Government’s 2010 carbon emissions and renewables goals will be missed by a large margin and that the statutory targets for emissions in 2020 are in doubt, March 14 Cambridge Econometrics, March 14 topic
*Attenborough launches project to stem butterfly decline. March 13 Guardian Unlimited Environment, March 13 Conservation initiative aimed at reversing 'silent natural disaster' topic
*"Local Strategic Partnerships or Local Service Boards are not sufficiently local or connected to the community to allow effective community involvement." Community empowerment in practice: lessons from Communities First by Dave Adamson and Richard Bromiley of the University of Glamorgan is published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. March 11 Joseph Rowntree Foundation, March 11 topic
*Aspiration for non-domestic buildings such as offices and shops to be zero carbon from 2019. The details and timeline will be subject to consultation later this year. The chancellor has also announced his ambition for all public service buildings to be zero carbon from 2018. March 12 Communities and Local Government, March 12 topic
*£4 million to help local authorities fight climate change, March 11 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, March 11 From April, councils’ success in cutting carbon dioxide emissions will be measured as part of a new performance framework. They will also be assessed on their efforts to adapt to the effects of climate change, and to tackle fuel poverty. Many councils are expected to set specific targets to lead the drive to cut back on carbon emissions in their areas. topic
*Survey suggests the public oppose the Government’s policy of building 3 million new homes by 2020 (53%), and think the biggest winners of Government house building plans are property developers and landowners (50%), March 7 Campaign to Protect Rural England, March 7 topic
*White Paper launch document 'Unlocking the Talent of our Communities' published, March 5 Communities and Local Government, March 5 topic
*New duty to cooperate comes into legal effect from today, March 4. According to Communities and Local Government Communities and Local Government, March 4 , under the new duty to cooperate, all key government service providers will have a responsibility to work together to identify regional priorities and shape and change services at a local level. topic
*Walls built with hemp for sustainable education centre at CAT, March 3 Centre for Alternative Technology, March 3 
*Rural Advocate reports on realities of rural England. Nearly a million rural households living below the official government poverty threshold, March 3 Commision for Rural Communities, March 3 topic
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