Latest news with #BeccySpeight
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Labour MPs poised to rebel over planning bill amid concerns for nature
Labour MPs are planning to rebel over the planning and infrastructure bill after constituents raised concern that it threatens protected habitats and wildlife. The Guardian understands that about two dozen Labour MPs are calling for ministers to force developers to build more than a million homes for which they already have planning permission before pushing through legislation that rolls back environmental protections for the most protected habitats in England. Ministers are understood to be drawing up amendments to the most controversial part of the bill, part three, in an apparent scramble to head off a rebellion and quell the anger of respected wildlife groups, whose membership is many millions strong. Sources close to the discussions said there were red lines that could not be crossed to make sure nature was protected. Related: Ten jewels of English nature at risk from development and Labour's planning bill Alexa Culver, an environmental lawyer with RSK Wilding, said ministers were expected soon to present 'appeasement' amendments on part three so they could claim the legislation was not regressive. She said: 'We should assume that ministers won't have sought the advice of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) on these amendments. I urge us all to call for a further legal opinion from the OEP so that misleading ministerial statements aren't allowed to stay in circulation for too long.' The Guardian revealed on Tuesday that three separate legal opinions – including the OEP's – say the bill rolls back environmental protections, including for more than 5,000 of the most sensitive, rare and protected habitats in England, leaving them vulnerable to destruction. Wildlife charities are calling on the government to scrap part three and redraw the bill when it returns to parliament on Monday. Beccy Speight, the chief executive of the RSPB, said: 'The government must stop portraying this planning bill as a win-win for nature and economic growth. It is not. A thriving natural world is essential to underpin both growth and a resilient future. It's not too late for the government to address the issues with part three of the bill, and put forward legislation that can actually deliver economic growth and restore nature at scale.' Property developers have yet to build 1.4m homes for which they have planning permission. In a tactic known as landbanking, developers hold land with planning permission to secure higher values, according to recent research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR). Chris Hinchliff, the Labour MP for North East Hertfordshire, said that rather than pushing through a bill that allowed developers to pay to sidestep environmental protections, ministers should force developers to start building the homes they already had permission for. Hinchliff has submitted a number of amendments to the bill aiming to strengthen protections for nature. He said: 'This legislation strips back environmental protections and local democracy but does nothing to stop developers drip-feeding developments to inflate prices. The planning system consistently approves more homes than get built. The bottleneck isn't simply process, it's profit.' The rebel backbenchers are working with the Green party and the Liberal Democrats to form a large group that hopes to scupper part three of the bill, which they say is the most damaging, when the legislation comes to parliament next week. Part three allows developers to sidestep environmental obligations by paying into a nature restoration fund, for environmental improvements elsewhere at a later date. Related: Destroying our natural wealth makes us poorer in every sense of the word The planning and infrastructure bill is central to the government's growth strategy, with a target to build 1.5m homes by the end of this parliament to address the UK's housing affordability crisis and drive economic growth. Ministers announced recently that they were consulting on a range of measures to get developers building, including considering a use-it-or-lose-it policy, which was recommended by the IPPR in its report in February. IPPR research shows that planning rules have been loosened over the past two decades but building rates have decreased during that time. Hinchliff said there should a fresh approach to deal with underperforming developers. 'I've proposed financial penalties for developers who don't build as promised, and new powers for councils to block developments from firms which repeatedly land bank,' he said. Terry Jermy, the Labour MP for South West Norfolk, said: 'Ensuring that homes with planning permission get built in a timely manner is part of the solution to our housing needs. There's a housing shortage in the country, which is costing local councils and the government huge sums of money in emergency and temporary accommodation, and the dream of home ownership remains out of reach for many. Tackling landbanking needs to form part of the government's focus to bring about the change needed.' Dr Maya Singer Hobbs, a senior research fellow at IPPR, said: 'Developers are not deliberately building slowly to stymie housebuilding, but they are not going to build at a rate that will reduce house prices – it's not in their interest to do this, and indeed they have legal obligations to shareholders that would prevent this. There might be a case to explore whether giving local authorities the power to apply a 'use it or lose it' approach to planning permission would speed up delivery.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Wildlife charities urge Labour to scrap ‘licence to kill nature' in planning bill
Leading wildlife charities are calling on Labour to scrap a significant section of the planning bill that they say is a 'licence to kill nature', as new data reveals bats and newts are not the main reason planning is delayed in England. The RSPB and the Wildlife Trusts, whose membership is more than 2 million, said Labour had broken its promises on nature. They called for part three of the bill, which allows developers to avoid environmental laws at a site by paying into a national nature recovery fund to pay for environmental improvements elsewhere, to be ditched. Beccy Speight, CEO of the RSPB, said: 'It's now clear that the bill in its current form will rip the heart out of environmental protections and risks sending nature further into freefall. 'The fate of our most important places for nature and the laws that protect them are all in the firing line. The wild spaces, ancient woodlands, babbling brooks and the beautiful melody of the dawn chorus – it's these natural wonders that delight people all over the country and support our physical and mental health that are under threat. That cannot be allowed to stand.' The charities released new research that suggested bats and newts were not the reason for delays in planning in 2024. The chancellor, Rachel Reeves; the prime minister, Keir Starmer; and the housing secretary, Angela Rayner; have repeatedly framed nature as a blocker to growth, blaming bats and newts for delays to infrastructure and housing projects. The data from analysis of 17,433 planning appeals in England in 2024 found that newts were relevant in just 140 (0.8%) planning appeals and bats in 432 (2.48%). Craig Bennett, chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said: 'Before the general election, Labour promised to restore nature. Under a year later, the chancellor is leading an ideological charge against the natural world despite it being the very foundation of the economy, society and people's health. Promises have been broken, and millions of people have been betrayed.' The leading British wildlife charities spoke out as more than 60 conservationists, including presenter Chris Packham, business leaders and legal experts signed a joint statement calling for the planning and infrastructure bill to be paused and for a meaningful consultation over part three of the draft legislation. Anger from environmental groups, ecologists and some economists has grown after Labour MPs and housing minister Matthew Pennycook rejected every amendment to strengthen protections for nature in the bill, which were put forward by MPs on the committee examining the draft legislation. These include a call for better protections for rare and vulnerable chalk streams and for all so called irreplaceable habitats which cannot by their very nature be recreated anywhere else in a compensatory scheme. British ecologist Sir John Lawton, who signed the joint statement, said the government should pause the bill for proper consultation: 'Legal changes of this magnitude should at least follow due process. A hurried competition for last-minute 'rescue' amendments to this dangerous bill helps no one, and will surely harm our environment, and our economy on which it depends,' he said. 'Normal, evidence-led, democratic due process is all we are asking for.' In a separate letter to Steve Reed, the environment secretary, the body representing ecologists said part three of the bill effectively allowed on-site habitats and species to be 'wantonly destroyed to make way for development' with the vague hope that it would be restored somewhere else at some future point in time. '[This] is quite evidently a catastrophically wrong approach,' said the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. Bennett said the so-called nature recovery part of the bill was a misnomer because in reality it was a licence to destroy nature. He said: 'The Wildlife Trusts and others have offered constructive solutions that would allow the bill to proceed and achieve its aim to accelerate development whilst maintaining strong environmental protections. We're appalled that these have all been spurned. Nature is in crisis and must not suffer further damage. Much loved places like the New Forest could now be at risk – that's why we're now saying the misleadingly named 'nature recovery' section must be removed.' A government spokesperson said: 'We completely reject these claims. The government has inherited a failing system that has delayed new homes and infrastructure while doing nothing for nature's recovery, and we are determined to fix this through our plan for change. That's why our planning and infrastructure bill will deliver a win-win for the economy and nature by unblocking building and economic growth, and delivering meaningful environmental improvements.'
BBC News
21-05-2025
- BBC News
Hen harriers feared killed after vanishing from Cumbria reserve
Two rare birds which disappeared from their nests are suspected of having been killed, says the at the conservation charity have reported being "sickened" by the sudden loss of the male hen harriers from its Geltsdale Nature Reserve in Cumbria. The pair's disappearance has left the chicks in the nests in need of food, dampening hopes of a successful 2025 breeding charity said hen harriers were often targets for rogue gamekeepers trying to protect commercial grouse stocks from being preyed upon, adding: "This killing has to stop." It also said the disappearance had been reported to Cumbria for their acrobatic courtship displays, hen harriers are categorised as a red-listed species in the UK due to the declining breeding local team is currently providing food to the female at one of the nests at Geltsdale - which is surrounded by grouse moors - in a desperate attempt to save the chicks. Fears over the latest losses, which occurred within days of each other, come after a previous male was found fatally shot on neighbouring land in spring 2023.A police investigation into that death was unable to prove who had been responsible. The RSPB is also renewing calls for England to follow Scotland's lead with regard to tougher regulation of grouse-shooting Speight, RSPB chief executive, said: "It is truly sickening to lose these particular birds from Geltsdale in such a short space of time."The last five years have seen a high count of crimes against hen harriers with 102 suspected or confirmed incidents, the majority happening on or close to grouse moors."This killing has to stop." She added that "for these magnificent birds to ever have a sustainable population in England", estates proven to be linked to raptor persecution "would simply lose their licence to operate".
Western Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Climate
- Western Telegraph
Farming budget ‘must be protected as drought looms'
The call comes as the latest Met Office data show swathes of the country have had a record number of days with little or no rain so far this year. Analysis by the PA news agency found central England, north-east England, north-west England and north Wales, and Northern Ireland, have all had a record number of days with less than 0.1mm of rain since January 1, in records dating back to 1931. In national records stretching further back, the UK is experiencing the driest spring in more than a century, which has put crops and habitats under pressure and prompted warnings to millions of households they may face water restrictions this summer. The farming budget pays for nature-friendly farming measures such as wildflower strips (Emily Beament/PA) In the face of the dry weather, the heads of major farming organisations and conservation charities have urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to protect the farming budget – which is the biggest spend for nature as well as supporting farmers – in the spending review. Without investment to make agriculture and landscapes resilient to the extremes that climate change is bringing and to protect the environment, food security and legal targets to restore nature will be at risk, they warn. Farming payments in England have switched from EU-era subsidies to funding for 'public goods' such as healthy soil, wildflowers, clean water and hedgerows, and last autumn the Government heralded a 'record' £5 billion over two years for sustainable farming. But the biggest plank of the new approach, the sustainable farming incentive (SFI), was abruptly closed to applications in March after the money was all spent, with a reformed scheme not set to reopen until early next year. And with budgets across departments under pressure in the spending review, there are concerns the nature-friendly farming budget will not be maintained in the squeeze. Speaking side-by-side from a countryside conference, National Farmers' Union president Tom Bradshaw and RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight warned the Government would not hit legislated targets to reverse declines in nature by 2030 without the funding. Ms Speight said: 'More than 70% of the UK is farmed, and if we're going to stand a chance of hitting these nature recovery targets and actually reversing the situation we've got now, then absolutely, farmers are crucial to that.' She added: 'We're facing into these drought conditions, and farmers, livestock farmers, arable farmers, are really struggling in terms of being able to plan ahead and looking at what climate change is already bringing to us. The challenges we all know we're facing in terms of climate, in terms of nature, and then in terms of sustainable food production, are very, very real now Beccy Speight, RSPB 'It's got to be about resilience, and it's the kind of activities that this money funds that will build that resilience into the food system, as well as build resilience into our natural world. 'The challenges we all know we're facing in terms of climate, in terms of nature, and then in terms of sustainable food production, are very, very real now, very, very stark. 'And this budget is the budget that enables those things to be delivered.' Mr Bradshaw said a large number of farmers needed to be involved in the environmental schemes to deliver on the Government's ambitions for nature, as well as support farming businesses that are under huge pressure, and the heritage and culture of rural communities of which farmers are a key part. 'Without a large enough budget, the budget will either be cut too thinly and it won't be able to have the impact that it needs to, or it'll end up being targeted in specific landscapes and therefore it won't be a scheme which is open to all, and won't be able to deliver across a broad area of the country,' he warned. The resilience of our food system is something that everyone benefits from Tom Bradshaw, NFU president 'The driest spring on record is obviously a good precursor to why we need to invest now to safeguard for the future, and the resilience of our food system is something that everyone benefits from,' he added. They are being joined in their call to protect the farming budget for agriculture and the environment by the National Trust, Woodland Trust, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Green Alliance and Wildlife And Countryside Link. Martin Lines, chief executive of the Nature Friendly Farming Network said: 'Nature is the foundation of food production – as this drought makes painfully clear. 'If we want farms to stay profitable and food to stay on shelves, we must tackle the climate and nature crises head-on. 'Investing in nature-friendly farming is essential economic policy,' he warned. The nature-friendly farming budget pays for measures including those that protect and improve soil, such as cover crops, making it more resilient to extremes of wet weather and drought which have hit the UK in recent years, enabling farmers to sow their crops and see them grow better. Reducing inputs such as pesticides, and supporting natural pest predators and pollinators through wildflower-strips, hedgerows and beetle banks in fields also reduces costs for farmers and supports wildlife. The latest daily Met Office rainfall figures show central England has had 74 days with less than 0.1mm of rain between January 1 and May 19, north-east England has had 71 days, north-west England and north Wales have had 64 days, and Northern Ireland has had 54 days with no or little rain. South=east England has had 76 days with no or little rain, the most since 1949, south-west England and south Wales has had 61 days, the most since 1953, and Scotland has had 35 days with less than 0.1mm of rain, the most since 1974.
The Guardian
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
UK sand eel fishing ban remains in place despite EU legal challenge
A ban on fishing for sand eels in UK waters will remain in place despite a legal challenge from the EU. The small, silvery eels make up the bulk of the diet of seabirds, but they are fished for commercial pig food. A lack of sand eels means seabirds such as puffins can starve to death. After the UK left the EU, the previous Conservative government banned European countries from fishing for sand eels in British waters. The EU took the UK to court over the decision in order to support Denmark, which has the largest sand eel fishing fleet. Lawyers argued ministers did not consider the 'economic and social' effects of the ban. They used the dispute settlement mechanism of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement to contest the ban. The ruling found the decision to close Scottish waters to sand eel fishing was fully upheld, but that during the decision-making process to close English waters to sand eel fishing, the UK did not have sufficient regard to the principle of proportionality, specifically in relation to EU rights during the adjustment period. Ministers said they would bring the process back into compliance but that they did not need to reopen the fishery while they did so. Nature campaigners celebrated the decision. Beccy Speight, chief executive of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, said: 'We are absolutely delighted the panel has found the ecological case for the closure of industrial sand eel fishing is sound. Also, that UK governments are within their rights to restrict sand eel fishing in UK waters to protect this valuable food source for declining seabirds. 'This has been a great example of collaboration between the UK and Scottish governments, and all those in civil society across the UK and the EU that have campaigned long and hard for our threatened seabirds. We now expect the UK government and the EU to move forward and make this closure permanent. Safeguarding sand eel stocks is a key part of the jigsaw that will help set our puffins, kittiwakes and the wider marine environment on the path to recovery.' Ben Reynolds, executive director of green thinktank IEEP UK, said: 'The decision of the tribunal is welcome news for the environment, and for the finding that there is no legal obligation to reverse the closures despite the procedural error being found in the English case. This is one of only a handful of issues where the UK has used its post-Brexit powers to go further than the EU on tightening up protection of the environment.' Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion A government spokesperson said: 'We welcome the clarity provided by this decision, and we will undertake a process in good faith to bring the UK into compliance on the specific issues raised by the tribunal. The ruling does not mean the UK is legally obliged to reverse the closure of English waters, and the decision to close Scottish waters was fully upheld.'
