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Millions of people could be given council tax rebates worth hundreds of pounds under plans to limit the impact of rising energy prices, The Times has reported. According to media reports, the Prime Minister is set to meet with Rishi Sunak this week to discuss options to deal with the cost-of-living crisis. According to The Times, one of the plans considered...

Key government departments are not currently represented in its Green Jobs Delivery Group, and no changes will be made to the national curriculum to embed environmental sustainability in education, the government has confirmed in its response to the Environmental Audit Committee’s 'Green Jobs'-report. Still, the government has expressed its commitment to ensure the right skills and wider employment support are...

99% of bathing waters in England have passed water quality standards following testing carried out by the Environment Agency at over 400 designated sites. The results, released earlier this week, show that for the 2021 bathing season 94.7% of beaches and inland waters gained an ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ rating, while 4.3% achieved the minimum ‘Sufficient’ rating. This compares with 98.3% passing...

The European Commission has promoted learning on environmental sustainability in the European Union in a recent Council Recommendation proposal. The aim of the proposal is to support Member States, schools, higher education institutions, non-governmental organisations and education providers in equipping learners with understanding and skills on sustainability, climate change and the environment. Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya...

Eight carbon-cutting projects will share £8.7 million of Scottish Government investment, with project partners providing match funding, taking total investment to £24.4 million. The projects, funded through the Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition (LCITP) Programme, include the construction of a district heat network using heat from a waste water treatment works in Renfrewshire and new air source heat pumps and energy...

A 'pioneering' study has developed a set of UK-SSPs (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways) and provides products that will aid future research into the UK’s climate resilience. Cambridge Econometrics led a partnership with UK Centre of Ecology & Hydrology, University of Edinburgh, and University of Exeter to develop the UK-SSPs, producing five scenario pathways with a host of products that can be used by the climate...

The 13th round of the Ofgem Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme has awarded more than £3.9 million in grants to 20 charities across England, Scotland and Wales. With the ongoing energy crisis at the forefront of householders’ minds, grants were awarded for new initiatives that support vulnerable households with energy bills and projects that will help homes reduce their long-term...

After gas and electricity prices have seen an unprecedented and unexpected rise throughout 2021, discussions on how consumers could be shielded from a further expected rise to utility bills are reported to be taking place. According to Financial Times, an idea known as a temporary price stabilisation mechanism is being promoted by energy companies. Under this proposal, the state would make...

Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey has announced a £55 million Energy Payment Support Scheme for vulnerable people struggling to meet rising energy costs due to the global fuel crisis. A one-off payment of £200 will be made automatically to around 280,000 eligible people in receipt of specified benefits. The payment will be made through existing payment channels, without the need for...

Today the Government has published the UK’s Third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3), a five-year assessment which identifies the risks that climate change poses to multiple parts of the UK society and economy. Delivered under the Climate Change Act 2008 and following close work with the Climate Change Committee (CCC), the report includes recognition of the further progress that the...