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Category: Europe

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Abusive practices of funds, the housing crisis, protection of primary residence and repeal of funds’ ability to take action against the primary residence – E-000023/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    The Commission is closely monitoring Greece’s compliance with the relevant Directives[1]. Should the Commission identify any shortcomings in the transposition or implementation thereof, will initiate further action to address them.

    In particular, Directive (EU) 2021/2167 on credit servicers and credit purchasers aims to support the development of secondary markets for non-performing loans in the EU, by providing a harmonised framework for their sale from banks to credit purchaser and servicers. At the same time, the directive ensures that the sale of such loans does not undermine borrowers’ rights.

    Furthermore, to protect consumers and prevent them from losing their homes, the Mortgage Credit Directive 2014/17/EU[2] provides safeguards[3].

    The same Directive enables Member States to introduce, in line with EU law, more stringent provisions in order to protect consumers[4].

    Regarding individual disputes, national authorities and courts ensure the rights of consumers granted under EU law.

    Regarding the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, everyone has the right to respect for his/her private and family life, home and communications. Within its scope of competence, the Commission remains committed to ensuring this right.

    In addition, to help tackle the housing crisis, the Commission has appointed the first-ever Commissioner responsible for housing and established a Task Force for Housing.

    The Commission will put forward a European Affordable Housing Plan and conduct an analysis of the impact of housing speculations and its economic consequences. During these activities, the Commission will give due consideration to the matters described by the Honourable Member.

    • [1] Directive 2009/65/EC concerning undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) OJ L 302, 17.11.2009, p. 32-96.
      Directive 2011/61/EU on Alternative Investment Fund Managers, OJ L 174, 1.7.2011, p. 1-73
      Council Directive 93/13/EEC of 5 April 1993 on unfair terms in consumer contracts, OJ L 95, 21.4.1993, p. 29-34.
      Directive (EU) 2021/2167 on credit servicers and credit purchasers, OJ L 438, 8.12.2021, p. 1-37.
    • [2]  OJ L 60, 28.2.2014, p. 34.
    • [3]  Such as ensuring that the creditworthiness of a borrower is assessed before a mortgage can be granted as well as obliging creditors to have adequate policies and procedures so that they make efforts to exercise, where appropriate, reasonable forbearance before foreclosure proceedings are initiated. Such measures may consist of a total or partial refinancing of a credit agreement, or of a modification of the existing terms and conditions of a credit agreement.
    • [4]  For example, the Greek insolvency code already establishes a safety net for vulnerable debtors, with a temporary subsidy of their loan instalment in out-of-court restructuring and a sale-and-leaseback regime in case of insolvency or if their primary residence is about to be auctioned: Law 4738/2020 transposing Directive (EU) 2019/1023, as amended by law 4818/2021 and law 5024/2023. The new sale-and-leaseback regime aims to avoid past moral hazard behaviour and the adverse impact it has had in the cost of credit in Greece. Until said mechanism becomes operational, Law 4916/2022 provides for the protection of the primary residence of eligible vulnerable debtors by means of a state subsidy and the suspension of liquidation measures.

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Census in Albania Aromanian minority organisations report misrepresentations and lack of transparency – E-000281/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    In its 2023 Report on Albania[1], the Commission called on Albania to conduct the 2023 national population and housing census in line with the relevant international standards and recommendations, including those issued by the Council of Europe and the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe .

    In the 2024 Report on Albania[2], the Commission noted that the legal framework for the protection of minorities is generally aligned with European standards and that the said census was completed in October 2023, and the preliminary results were published in June 2024.

    In addition, in the statistics chapter of the 2024 Report (Chapter 18), the Commission called on Albania to publish detailed data and a thematic analysis of the population and housing census following the initial data release of June 2024.

    The Commission is not directly involved in assessing the census procedure or in validating the census data. Furthermore, ethnic minorities are not part of the EU acquis on population censuses.

    The conduct of the census will be reviewed by the competent international organisations, including as part of regular monitoring of rights of people belonging to minorities.

    The Commission acknowledged[3] that in December 2024 Albania adopted the remaining implementing legislation on the rights of persons belonging to minorities, on the crucial issues of free self-identification of national minorities and the use of minority languages, welcoming this as a progress.

    • [1] SWD(2023) 690 final, https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/ea0a4b05-683f-4b9c-b7ff-4615a5fffd0b_en?filename=SWD_2023_690%20Albania%20report.pdf
    • [2] SWD(2024) 690 final, https://neighbourhood-enlargement.ec.europa.eu/document/download/a8eec3f9-b2ec-4cb1-8748-9058854dbc68_en?filename=Albania%20Report%202024.pdf
    • [3] https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/albania/european-union-%E2%80%93-albania-16th-sa-sub-committee-meeting-justice-freedom-and-security_en?s=214
    Last updated: 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Answer to a written question – Weapons trafficking to Sudan – E-000350/2025(ASW)

    Source: European Parliament

    Since the start of the conflict in Sudan in April 2023, the European External Action Service has been discussing the situation in this country during its political dialogues and exchanges with the Emirati authorities at various levels.

    The EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, has also been engaging with the Emirati and other regional stakeholders. In this context, the EU representatives have raised concerns about reported United Arab Emirates (UAE) support to the rapid support forces, while emphasising the importance of the UAE’s constructive engagement for reaching a sustainable cease-fire in Sudan.

    The negotiated outcome documents of two high-level meetings on Sudan co-organised by the EU, Germany and France in New York[1] and Paris[2] — attended by UAE — urge foreign actors to cease support to the warring sides.

    Situation in Sudan has also been discussed in the meetings with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including the first EU-GCC Summit in Brussels on 16 October 2024, where the EU and GCC leaders (UAE represented at the level of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance) underscored the importance of stopping the war and eventually returning to a political process leading to civilian rule in Sudan, and urged the Sudanese armed forces and the rapid support forces to engage seriously and effectively with crisis resolution initiatives, including the Jeddah platform.

    The Commission will continue to follow closely the conflict in Sudan and engage with the key regional stakeholders, including the UAE, in the regional efforts aimed at achieving a lasting peace and justice in Sudan. In the meantime, the EU has already adopted three listings of restrictive measures[3], including against entities that are based in the UAE, and stand ready to consider additional sanctions against those who are fuelling the war.

    • [1] https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/newsroom/news/2677588-2677588
    • [2] https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/country-files/sudan/news/article/ministerial-meeting-for-advancing-the-sudan-peace-initiatives-paris-le-15-04-24
    • [3] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202403154
    Last updated: 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Environment Agency secures proceeds of crime award for £313,382

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Environment Agency secures proceeds of crime award for £313,382

    The Environment Agency has secured a proceeds of crime judgment for £313,382.45 against men from Northampton who ran an illegal waste tyre site.

    Multiple piles of used tyres

    A pair of Northampton men are to pay for their role in an illegal tyre waste site in Daventry.

    At Northampton crown court on Friday 28 March, a confiscation hearing concluded against Nimesh Patel, aged 52, of Jasper Walk, Thorplands Brook, and Andrew Eyre, aged 55, of Poppyfield Road, Wootton.

    Patel was ordered to pay £175,013.93 and a £122 surcharge, while Eyre received an order for £138,368.52 and £140 surcharge.

    Both men have been given 3 months to pay or will face 3 and 2 years in prison respectively. Eyre was also fined £250 for breach of his first suspended sentence of imprisonment he received in January 2020.

    The duo had been prosecuted for their part in running a waste tyre site, Synergy Tyres (Midland) Ltd., at Broad March Industrial Estate in Daventry.

    In September 2024, Eyre, a director of the company, had received an 18-week prison sentence that was suspended for 12 months, on condition that he completed 30 days of rehabilitation activities.

    Patel, who had been operations manager, was sentenced to 14 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, on condition that he perform 80 hours of unpaid work.

    The Daventry site operated without an environmental permit and tyres were stored in an unsafe manner, creating a significant fire-risk and, therefore, a high-pollution risk. 

    From February 2020, Environment Agency officers inspected the site multiple times over the course of a year, and each time witnessed huge amounts of tyres that exceeded the legal limit.

    Paperwork obtained showed that waste tyres were continuously delivered to the site throughout the year, with Eyre being the sole director, and Patel having day-to-day control of the site. 

    The investigation found that the 40-tonne weekly limit for the storage or treatment of waste tyres was exceeded in 52 out of the 59 weeks analysed. 

    This probe followed a court case in January 2020 for the same nature of offending, when Synergy Tyres (Midland) Ltd. had been fined £11,250. Eyre received a suspended 12-month sentence, suspended for 24 months, on condition that he stayed out of trouble and performed 150 hours of unpaid work.

    At that hearing, John Mullen, then 59, of Frankston Avenue, Milton Keynes, received a 6-month community order with a requirement that he completed 15 days of rehabilitation activities.

    At the confiscation hearing on Friday 28 March, Mullen received an order for £1 and a surcharge of £85.

    Eyre and Mullen had been joint directors of a company called IN4 Ltd until February 2017, when Eyre retired, leaving Mullen as the sole director.

    That company was found by investigators in March 2017 to be storing more than 1,300 tonnes of tyres – more than 15 times the amount allowed under its environmental permit.

    Peter Stark, enforcement leader for the Environment Agency in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, said:

    “The case shows that we’re not just content to prosecute those who run illegal waste sites, we’ll also come after them to get back the profits they made from their illegal activities and to recoup taxpayers’ money spent on pursuing them.

    “Waste crime can have a serious environmental impact that puts communities at risk and undermines legitimate business and the investment and economic growth that go with it.

    “We support legitimate businesses and we are proactively supporting them by disrupting and stopping the criminal element backed up by the threat of tough enforcement as in this case.

    “We continue to use intelligence-led approaches to target the most serious crimes and evaluate which interventions are most effective.

    “If you see or suspect waste crime is being committed we urge you to report it immediately to CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.”

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Global experts in nuclear technology share expertise in Cumbria

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Press release

    Global experts in nuclear technology share expertise in Cumbria

    International experts in robotics, remote technologies and AI took part in a Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and Sellafield Ltd co-hosted workshop.

    Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) and Sellafield Ltd at a co-hosted workshop at the RaiCo facility in Whitehaven, West Cumbria.

    The week-long workshop showcased best practice in innovative technologies to support nuclear decommissioning.

    Held at Energus in West Cumbria, the event brought together experts from around the globe to share their opportunities, benefits and challenges in harnessing robotics and advanced technologies for safer, more efficient activities.

    The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) visitors also took part in a Sellafield tour organised by Claire Cleaver-Jones, who said:

    The NEA brings together a selection of countries dedicated to sharing state of the art knowledge in the field of nuclear energy, and we were delighted to be part of the event.

    The workshops focused on the role of innovation in harnessing robotics for safer, more efficient activities for decommissioning. It’s imperative that the nuclear industry continues to learn, share best practice and policies to support robotics as business as usual to achieve our mission in a quicker and safer way.

    NEA and Sellafield Ltd representatives

    Chief technology officer Robin Ibbotson, who opened the event said:

    Throughout its history, Sellafield has been leading on nuclear innovation.

    We need to manage and maintain the legacy, whereas in new sectors you have a green field on which to grow.

    This is why conferences focused on innovation in our stage of the nuclear lifecycle are so important. It provides the opportunity to learn, share and transfer best practice.

    I’m hugely proud of the work delivered across the business in innovation, from our new IT solutions in AI, our pragmatic approach on our major projects and our recent world firsts on robotics in remediation and engineering.

    Also, how we support collaboration across the UK nuclear enterprise and deployments across the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) group.

    Gabriele Grassi, NEA deputy head of radioactive waste management division said:

    The nuclear back end is a driving force for innovation, where new technologies can transform our work.

    Automation, robotics, remote operations, digitalisation, and artificial intelligence – to name a few – have tremendous potential to enhance efficiency, improve safety, and reduce costs. Beyond operational benefits, these innovations can also strengthen public confidence in the nuclear sector.

    They demonstrate that decommissioning and waste management can be carried out safely, effectively, and cost-efficiently, which is essential for the future of nuclear energy.

    Melanie Brownridge, NDA chief research and development officer added:

    The integration of robotics and AI in the decommissioning of the UK’s nuclear estate is essential for increasing value for taxpayers.

    Events like this provide a platform to bring together leading experts, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing, while showcasing the world- class work being undertaken at Sellafield and across the rest of the NDA group.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Crackdown on nuisance bikes revving up again

    Source: City of Stoke-on-Trent

    A joint Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire Police crackdown on nuisance bikes will hit the streets again in the coming weeks.

    Operation Transom targets riders who damage green spaces and put the public at risk through the use of off-road motorbikes.

    The operation is a partnership between Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Team and Staffordshire Police. It will see increased patrols in hotspot areas, with officers seizing bikes that are used to commit anti-social behaviour.

    The increased council and police presence will also serve as a visible deterrent to those causing a nuisance in the community.

    This crackdown is strategically timed with the start of the warmer months, as reports of nuisance bikes often increase as the weather improves.

    Signage is displayed in hot spot areas, warning offenders of the laws that give Staffordshire Police the power to seize vehicles that are being driven in a way that causes – or is likely to cause – nuisance, alarm or distress.

    The ASB Team will take enforcement action against anyone who is found to be a Stoke-on Trent City Council tenant or in any way linked to a tenancy.

    Councillor Majid Khan, cabinet member for community resilience for Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We are continuing to work closely with colleagues at Staffordshire Police to tackle, deter and educate those who continue to blight our communities with anti-social behaviour.

    “I want to reassure residents that we hear you, and action is being taken.

    “We are so fortunate to have so many green spaces in the city. We will not let people ruin them with mindless, arrogant behaviour.

    “Every one of us has the right to live in a cleaner, greener and safer city.”

    In 2024, over 350 reports were received concerning nuisance bikes.

    The local policing and ASB teams jointly investigated and took enforcement action including home visits, issuing Community Protection Warnings, and taking action against city council tenants.

    Since October 2024, the Roads Policing Team has conducted 12 proactive operations across the city, leading to three arrests, the seizure of two stolen quad bikes, and the recovery of six off-road pit bikes.

    Chief Inspector Dave Barrow, from the Stoke South local policing team, said: “Tackling reports of anti-social behaviour remains a neighbourhood priority for the team, and nuisance bikers are no different.

    “They can be a constant source of concern within our communities and can put both the public and themselves in danger. We simply will not tolerate that.”

    Alongside enforcement activity, a new programme of education will ensure potential riders – and their parents – know it is illegal to ride off-road bikes in any public space in Stoke-on-Trent. This includes parks, pavements, waste grounds and parkways.

    It was announced in February 2025 that, under the Crime and Policing Bill, new powers will mean police officers no longer need to issue a warning before seizing off-road bikes.

    Home Secretary Yvette Cooper recently met with Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Ellison, Staffordshire Police and Fire Commissioner Ben Adams, and officers from the ASB Team and Road Crime Team at Staffordshire Police Headquarters.

    The Home Secretary heard how Operation Transom had been jointly launched by Staffordshire Police and Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s ASB Team in 2021 – and that the work had seen increased patrols, along with regular operations in hotspot areas of the city.

    To report nuisance bikes in your area to Operation Transom, please email operationtransom@stoke.gov.uk. You can also ring 01782 233400. Please provide as much detail as possible.

    Incidents that are happening live should be reported directly to Staffordshire Police through the live chat on the website www.staffordshire.police.uk or by calling 101.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Repairing Roker Pier

    Source: City of Sunderland

    A 12 week programme of repairs for Sunderland’s storm damaged Roker Pier is due to begin at the end of this month.

    The grade II listed pier has been closed to the public for safety reasons since it was damaged by Storm Babet in October 2023.

    Planning approval for repair works was granted in January this year. The £236,000 repair programme is timetabled to start on Thursday 24 April and scheduled to be complete by Thursday 31 July.

    The City Council’s Cabinet Member for Business, Regeneration and Housing, Councillor Kevin Johnston said: “We all know and recognise that Roker Pier is a key part of our seafront, our heritage and our sea defences for the city and the Port of Sunderland.

    “The very heavy seas of Storm Babet washed away several sections of the deck near the lighthouse, railings were washed away, along with other sections of decking and coping stones.

    “Most of this damage was to the northern and eastern facing sections of the pier and, of course, we have a duty to keep the public safe so we’ve kept the pier closed.

    “Roker Pier and coastal structures all along the east coast suffered damage in Storm Babet. I’m pleased to confirm we are getting on with the repairs programme. This programme is a complex marine engineering job and, weather permitting, we look forward to seeing Roker Pier open again to the public by August.”

    Approximately 100 metres (more than 300ft) of railings were washed away in Storm Babet and as a Grade II listed structure the council has worked closely with heritage organisations on the repairs programme. The council has also had to be mindful of roosting and nesting seabirds.

    The contractor for the repairs is North East-based Southbay Civil Engineering Limited, who are currently working on repairs to the River Tyne piers following damaged caused by Storm Babet. They previously worked on Roker Pier slab repairs in 2014.

    Antony Ballantyne, Operations Director for Southbay Civil Engineering Limited, said: “As a local contractor, we are delighted to be involved in the delivery of a project that will retain one of the North East region’s most iconic coastal structures.

    “As a specialist marine contractor we are aware of the constant pressures such marine structures are under through events such as Storm Babet. Using our specialist experience together with that of our supply chain, we will ensure the aesthetic appearance of this grade II listed structure is maintained.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Message of the Holy Father on the occasion of the Slovak national Jubilee pilgrimage

    Source: The Holy See

    Message of the Holy Father on the occasion of the Slovak national Jubilee pilgrimage, 04.04.2025
    The following is the Message sent by the Holy Father Farncis to participants in the Slovak national Jubilee pilgrimage, read during Holy Mass in the Vatican Basilica:

    Message of the Holy Father
    Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
    Dear priests, men and women religious,
    Dear sisters, dear brothers in the Lord!
    I would very much have liked to be present with you to share this moment of faith and communion, but I am still in convalescence and so I will join you through prayer and with all my affection.
    I welcome you all, here in Rome for the national pilgrimage during this Jubilee year. I greet His Excellency Archbishop Bernard Bober, president of the Episcopal Conference, bishops, priests, consecrated men and women and lay faithful. A warm greeting goes to the civil authorities: in particular, I am pleased to address Mr. President Peter Pellegrini.
    Your pilgrimage is a concrete sign of the desire to renew faith, to strengthen the bond with the Successor of Peter and to bear witness joyfully to the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rm 5:5), because it is born of the love that sprang from the pierced Heart of Christ and poured into us by the Holy Spirit. From this hope, this Jubilee calls us to become pilgrims in all our life, and the journey to Rome, with the passage through the Holy Doors and the visits to the tombs of the Apostles and the Martyrs, is the pledge of this journey every day, reaching towards eternity. For you, Slovak sisters and brothers, it is an itinerary that is part of the rich Christian tradition of your land, made fruitful by the witness of Saints Cyril and Methodius and many other saints, who have irrigated it with the Gospel of Christ for more than a thousand years.
    Faith, dear friends, is a treasure to be shared with joy. Every time brings with it challenges and hardships, but also opportunities to grow in confidence and in abandonment to God. And like the Virgin Mary, who with her humble and courageous “yes” opened the door to the redemption of the world, also our “yes”, simple and sincere, can become a tool in the hands of God to achieve something great. To welcome His plan does not mean having all the answers, but trusting that, wherever He leads us, He precedes us also with His grace. To say “yes” today can allow us to open up new horizons of faith, hope and peace, for us and those whom the Lord makes us encounter. With a syndoal style, listen to what the Spirit is saying to your Churches, without fearing the new but discerning in it the initiative of God, who always surprises us.
    Sisters and brothers, continue to walk together, pastors and faithful, keeping your eyes on Jesus, our salvation. May the Virgin Mary, Patroness of Slovakia, whom you venerate in particular as Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, and who, precisely because of her union with the passion of her Son, is Mother of Hope, guide and protect you. I cordially bless all of you, your families and your people. Do not forget to pray for me.
    From the Vatican, 27 March 2025
    FRANCIS

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI Europe: Households and non-financial corporations in the euro area: fourth quarter of 2024

    Source: European Central Bank

    4 April 2025

    • Households’ financial investment increased at broadly unchanged annual rate of 2.4% in fourth quarter of 2024
    • Non-financial corporations’ financing increased at annual rate of 0.9%, compared with 1.1% in previous quarter
    • Non-financial corporations’ gross operating surplus decreased at unchanged annual rate of ‑1.4%

    Chart 1

    Household financing and financial and non-financial investment

    (annual growth rates)

    Sources: ECB and Eurostat.

    Data for household financing and financial and non-financial investment

    Chart 2

    NFC gross-operating surplus, non-financial investment and financing

    (annual growth rates)

    Source: ECB and Eurostat.

    Data for NFC gross-operating surplus, non-financial investment and financing

    Households

    Household gross disposable income increased in the fourth quarter of 2024 at a broadly unchanged rate of 4.4%. The compensation of employees grew at a lower rate of 4.9% (after 5.5% in the previous quarter), and gross operating surplus and mixed income of the self-employed increased at a lower rate of 2.9% (after 3.6%). Household consumption expenditure increased at a higher rate of 3.6% (after 3.2%).

    The household gross saving rate increased to 15.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024, compared with 15.2% in the previous quarter.

    Household gross non-financial investment (which refers mainly to housing) decreased at a more negative annual rate (-1.5%) in the fourth quarter of 2024 (after -0.9%). Loans to households, the main component of household financing, grew at a higher rate of 1.2% (after 0.9%).

    Household financial investment increased at a broadly unchanged annual rate of 2.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024. Currency and deposits grew at a higher rate of 2.8% (after 2.5%), while investment in debt securities increased at a lower rate of 9.0% (after 15.9%). Investment in shares and other equity grew at a higher rate of 2.0% (after 1.1%) due to accelerating investments in investment fund shares (7.7% after 5.4%). Investment in life insurance grew at a higher rate of 1.1% (after 0.8%) and in pension schemes at a lower rate of 2.1% (after 2.3%).

    Household net worth increased at an annual rate of 4.4% in the fourth quarter of 2024, after 5.7% in the previous quarter. Net financial and non-financial assets grew due to valuation gains in addition to investments. Housing wealth, the main component of non-financial assets grew at a higher rate of 3.4% (after 2.8%). The household debt-to-income ratio decreased, to 81.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 85.0% in the fourth quarter of 2023.

    Non-financial corporations

    Net value added by NFCs increased at a broadly unchanged annual rate of 2.5% in the fourth quarter of 2024. Gross operating surplus decreased at an unchanged rate of -1.4%, while net property income – defined in this context as property income receivable minus interest and rent payable – increased. As a result gross entrepreneurial income (broadly equivalent to cash flow) increased at a rate of 0.8% (after -1.4%).[1]

    NFCs’ gross non-financial investment increased at lower annual rate of 1.0% in the fourth quarter of 2024 (after 2.8%)[2]. Financial investment grew at lower annual rate of 1.8% (after 2.2%). Among its components, loans granted increased at a lower rate of 2.5% (after 3.3%), and investment in shares and other equity grew at a lower rate of 1.0% (after 1.3%).

    Financing of NFCs increased at a lower rate of 0.9% in the fourth quarter of 2024 (after 1.1%). Loan financing (1.2% after 1.4%)[3] and financing via shares and other equity (0.4% after 0.6%) grew at lower rates. Financing via debt securities increased at a broadly unchanged rate of 2.4%, while financing via trade credits accelerated (3.5% after 3.1%).

    The NFC debt-to-GDP ratio (consolidated measure) decreased to 67.3% in the fourth quarter of 2024, from 68.8% in the same quarter of the previous year; the non-consolidated, wider debt measure decreased to 138.7% from 140.7%.

    For queries, please use the Statistical Information Request form.

    Notes

    • This statistical release incorporates revisions to the data since the first quarter of 2021.
    • The annual growth rate of non-financial transactions and of outstanding assets and liabilities (stocks) is calculated as the percentage change between the value for a given quarter and that value recorded four quarters earlier. The annual growth rates used for financial transactions refer to the total value of transactions during the year in relation to the outstanding stock a year before.
    • The euro area and national financial accounts data of non-financial corporations and households are available in an interactive dashboard.
    • Hyperlinks in the main body of the statistical release are dynamic. The data they lead to may therefore change with subsequent data releases as a result of revisions. Figures shown in annex tables are a snapshot of the data as at the time of the current release.
    • The ECB publishes experimental Distributional Wealth Accounts (DWA), which provide additional breakdowns for the household sector. The release of results for 2024 Q4 is planned for 30 May 2025 (tentative date).

    MIL OSI Europe News –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: DVLA’s top tips for avoiding scams

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    DVLA’s top tips for avoiding scams

    Tips for motorists on how to recognise and avoid scams, including emails and text messages.

    DVLA is reminding motorists how they can keep themselves safe from vehicle and driving licence scams. Latest figures show that in 2024, almost 20,000 customers called DVLA’s contact centre to report fraudulent activity.

    With fraudsters increasingly using more sophisticated ways to trick their victims, it has never been more important for motorists to be vigilant and aware of how to recognise fraudulent emails, texts, websites and calls. 

    Here are DVLA’s top tips on how you can stay safe online.

    Only use GOV.UK

    The only place to access official information on DVLA and its services is GOV.UK. Using any other website could mean you’ll be charged more for services that are either cheaper or completely free on GOV.UK. Other websites may even be fraudulent, so our advice is to always use GOV.UK when transacting with DVLA.

    Never share your driving licence or vehicle information online

    Getting your driving licence is a big milestone, and you may be tempted to share your new shiny licence or V5C (log book) on social media.

    However, both documents contain key identifying details that scammers can use to steal your identity or even clone your vehicle. And before you know it, you could be receiving parking, congestion or speeding fines that you were not responsible for.

    Beware of emails and texts asking you to confirm personal details

    Fraudsters will often send emails or text messages to unsuspecting victims asking them to confirm personal details, such as bank or payment information. They may even send messages that claim you are entitled to a hefty vehicle tax refund. 

    DVLA will never ask you for your bank account details or ask you to confirm payment details. We will only ask you to confirm your personal details by email or text if you have a live enquiry with us.

    And vehicle tax refunds are issued automatically – never via an email with a link!

    If you receive one of these emails or texts, do not click on any links. Instead, report it to the National Cyber Security Centre and delete it immediately.

    Beware of websites impersonating DVLA

    Scammers create websites that attempt to impersonate DVLA and may appear legitimate. These sites will often charge additional fees for services you can get for free or at a lower cost on GOV.UK, including driving licence applications, vehicle tax transactions and Clean Air Zone (CAZ) payments. If you need to use these or any other government services, always search for them on GOV.UK.

    How to report online scams

    If you come across any of these scams or any other suspicious activity, you can play your part in helping us combat fraud by:

    The majority of our services are available online at GOV.UK. For the latest information about DVLA, you can sign up to our email alerts.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: More money and more land needed for London community land trusts and housing co-operatives

    Source: Mayor of London

    London’s community land trusts and housing cooperatives need more financial support and help accessing land, a London Assembly Housing Committee report has found.

    The report – Building Community Power: Expanding Cooperative Housing & Community Land Trusts in London – sets out how community land trusts1 and housing cooperatives2 offer real opportunities to help address London’s housing crisis in ways that can complement more mainstream forms of housing, delivering homes that are affordable and tailored for the needs of local communities.

    But the Committee’s investigation also uncovered challenges including uncertainty over the renewal of the Mayor of London’s Community Housing Fund, the high cost of land in London, and evidence that the barriers to building homes for Black and Global Majority Londoners, and working-class Londoners, can be even harder to overcome in the CLT and co-operative housing sector.

    Key recommendations include:

    • In the Government’s upcoming spending review, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) should engage with the GLA to identify new funds for housing cooperatives and community land trusts to deliver housing schemes in London.
    • The Mayor should identify and provide additional revenue funding to the London Community Led-Housing Hub to enable the Hub to continue to provide support to housing cooperatives and community land trusts.
    • The Mayor should direct the further release of Greater London Authority (GLA) Group land for community land trusts and housing cooperatives through the Mayor’s Small Sites Small Builders programme.
    • Through the London Community-Led Housing Hub, the GLA’s Housing and Land directorate should work with partners to develop a strategy by the end of 2025-26 to increase the number of community land trusts and housing cooperatives run by and for groups underrepresented in the sector, such as Black and Global Majority Londoners.

    Chair of the London Assembly Housing Committee, Sem Moema AM, said:

    “London has a housing crisis, and this Committee has consistently pushed for increased investment to deliver the affordable homes that Londoners deserve.

    “While there is no one answer to fixing this crisis, it is important that communities who want to provide their own solutions through community-led housing projects are supported to do so.

    “With additional funding, increased support and advice through the London Community-Led Housing Hub, and the release of more GLA land, many more Londoners could benefit from these projects.

    “In particular, community land trusts and housing co-operatives can put real power into the hands of Londoners to deliver the type of homes and spaces they need – while playing their part in reducing London’s housing shortfall.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Helping the Department for Transport increase data resilience

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Helping the Department for Transport increase data resilience

    The DfT needed to understand data flows within cargo shipments to identify and mitigate potential supply chain risks.

    The Department for Transport (DfT) needed to understand data flows within cargo shipments so that it could identify potential supply chain risks and how to mitigate them, increasing resilience. 

    The Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE) was asked to develop a reusable methodology that could map the types of data that flow through cargo systems, including third-party integrations, and identify potential vulnerabilities.  

    While this methodology would initially be focused on airports, it also needed to be reusable at road, rail and maritime hubs handling cargo. A second requirement was creating guidance that would enable other transport operators to map supply chain flows and data in their own systems. 

    A call out to ACE’s Vivace supplier community resulted in 12 submissions of interest, with four shortlisted to give presentations at an accelerator day. 

    From these, Arup was chosen to be the supplier because of its strong team and varied experience and a medium-sized airport was identified as a suitable pilot site. 

    Data discovery 

    This commission came from the DfT’s cyber arm, which had not worked with ACE before, and so the first step was working together to fully scope the problem.  

    This involved identifying exactly what data is captured around cargo planes flying in and out of an airport, including where data came in and left airport systems, where cargo is going next, the suppliers and systems involved at every stage, and defining the processes data goes through. 

    This phase also involved interviews with key stakeholders in the cargo handling process and exploring whether learning from other industries and government departments about how cybersecurity risks are captured and mitigated could be applied here. 

    Work for the remainder of the eight-week commission then shifted to consolidating the data model, mapping the data flows and the cybersecurity risk assessment. 

    Ultimately, a standardised methodology approach was created, covering three key steps of understanding data flows, reviewing threats and vulnerabilities, and identifying risks and implementing cost-effective security controls.

    Guidance that could be used by other teams to easily create their own processes was created, and cybersecurity risks outlined at a high level. Four potential next steps for this work were also suggested. 

    A show-and-tell explaining the findings in greater detail, and how these were repeatable elsewhere, was held for DfT stakeholders in maritime policy, aircraft security, aviation strategy and rail resilience and the methodology shared. Next steps are now being considered.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Sustainable flood memories

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Sustainable flood memories

    Sustainable flood memory emphasises the importance of remembering and learning from past flood events to enhance community resilience and adaptive strategies.

    Reviewing flood memory documents. Image credit: Sustainable Flood Memory project.

    Sustainable flood memories and the development of community resilience to future flood risk

    Lindsey McEwen 1, Joanne Garde-Hansen2, Owain Jones3, Andrew Holmes1 and Franz Krause4

    1 Centre for Water, Communities and Resilience, College of Arts, Technology and Environment, University of West England Bristol, United Kingdom

    2 School of Media and Communication, University of Warwick, United Kingdom

    3 School of Humanities, Bath Spa University, United Kingdom

    4 Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Cologne, Germany

    Funded by the UK Economic and Social Research Council from 2011 to 2015, the Sustainable Flood Memories (SFM) project created a conceptual framework to enhance community resilience against flooding. SFM empowers communities to navigate flood risk management through local knowledge and collective memory. The lessons learned from the SFM project provided insights for building a more resilient future by engaging communities, preserving local knowledge, and fostering adaptive learning.

    SFM acknowledges the importance of individual and community experiences with flooding.

    Lindsey McEwen and others (2016) described how sustainable flood memories can come from many sources including (page 17):

    narratives, oral and archived histories, physical marks, artefacts and material practices in the landscape, and media representing floods, comprising folk memories, autobiographical accounts, personal stories and anecdotes of previous floods (routine–severe) and their impacts.

    The project had 2 components. The first was a comparative study of 3 communities that experienced flooding involving local council members, flood action group representatives, and emergency services. The project culminated in a conceptual framework for SFM emphasising the role of local knowledge and experiences in decision-making processes.

    The second component used digital storytelling as a tool for adaptive learning. In partnership with the Environment Agency and local government, 21 digital stories were co-created with community members to address various aspects of community flood preparedness. These narratives preserved individual and collective memories and served as educational resources for at-risk communities.

    Digital flood story: A community

    Impact

    The project helped to improve community resilience, archive local flood knowledge, engage various sectors and support training.

    The project increased community awareness and engagement by fostering a collective memory of past floods and as a result, communities became more aware of their vulnerabilities. This increased community awareness helped to encourage local participation in flood management discussions, promoting ownership and responsibility for flood preparedness. It enhanced resilience given that communities learned from past flood events and could develop better preparedness strategies. This was particularly crucial for regions where extreme weather events may not be within living memory, necessitating a balance between remembering and forgetting.

    Former CEO National Flood Forum (2025) said:

    Detailed knowledge about very local flood risk and flooding incidents is incredibly important, both when combining it with the skills needed to better manage flood risk and in supporting communities to build their resilience. But all too often it gets lost from one generation to another and as people move away.

    Communities were also able to protect their local flood knowledge by archiving community-generated flood knowledge. This was important to ensure that informal histories were preserved alongside formal documentation.

    Property Flood Resilience Champion, Flood Mary (2025) said:

    Local flood memory is an essential part of the journey to flood resilience. Having local knowledge of flood risk is so important. I remember someone knocking [at] my door to find out if I knew about the local flood history, as they were about to buy a house in my street. Having somewhere to point people to, which has both new and historical flood risk information keeps flood risk real. Pulling all partners together to share their knowledge and expertise is an excellent way to make this happen.

    In addition, policymakers could leverage historical flood data and community narratives to create tailored flood risk management policies. The data could also improve infrastructure planning, ensuring that new developments are resilient to potential future flooding scenarios. They can also support training. The digital stories co-created during the project have been used in training for Environment Agency community officers and shared amongst at-risk community groups, demonstrating their practical application.

    The SFM project sparked discussions across various sectors, bringing in new voices and perspectives, particularly from the GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, and Museums) sector. Projects like Gloucestershire Archives’ Green Pledge Project have adopted SFM methodologies to enhance community engagement.

    Learning & Outreach Officer, Green Pledge Project, Gloucestershire Heritage Hub (2025) said:

    The Green Pledge Project at Gloucestershire Archives is about connecting people with archival material relating to our environmental history. We are using the records to inform and inspire people to live more sustainably. The creation of material, such as those made for the SFM project, which are stored at Gloucestershire Archives, enable us to do that in a very direct way. They have been shared in project presentations and event, sparking discussions around past floods and community resilience for future ones.

    Resources

    Centre for Floods, Communities and Resilience (CFCR). Sustainable Flood Memories and Community Resilience. Available at: https://esrcfloodmemories.wordpress.com/ (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Garde-Hansen, J., McEwen, L. J., Holmes, A. and Jones, O. (2017).  Sustainable Flood Memory: Remembering as Resilience. Memory Studies 10(4), 384–405. Available at: doi.org/10.1177/1750698016667453 (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Garde-Hansen J., McEwen L. J. and Jones O. (2016). Towards a memo-techno-ecology: mediating memories of extreme flooding in resilient communities. In Hajek, A. Lohmeier, L. and Pentzold, C. (eds.) Social Memory in a Mediated World: Remembering in troubled times, Palgrave Macmillan. Pp 55-73.

    Holmes, A. and McEwen L. J. (2020). How to exchange stories of local flood resilience from flood rich areas to the flooded areas of the future.  Environmental Communication 14(5), 597-613. Available at: doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2019.1697325 (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    McEwen, L. J., Garde-Hansen, J., Holmes, A., Jones, O. and Krause, F. (2016). Sustainable Flood Memories, Lay knowledges and the Development of Community Resilience to Future Flood Risk. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers 42 (1), 14-28. Available at: doi.org/10.1111/tran.12149 (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    McEwen, L. J. and Holmes, A. (2017). Sustainable Flood Memories: Developing the concept, process and practice in flood risk. In Vinet, F (ed.) Floods Vol 2: Risk Management. Editions ISTE (published in English and French) Chapter 10, 141-153. 

    McEwen L. J., Garde-Hansen, J, Robertson, I and Holmes, A. (2018). Exploring the changing nature of flood archives: community capital for flood resilience. In Metzger, A and Linton, J (eds.) La Crue, l’inondation: un patrimoine. L’Harmattan Publishing House, France. 

    United Nations Office for Disaster and Risk Reduction (UNDRR). PreventionWeb: Floods, Memories, and Resilience. Available at: https://www.preventionweb.net/news/floods-memories-and-resilience (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Funder 

    • UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)

    Collaborators

    • Environment Agency
    • Local government
    • UWE Bristol
    • Civil society organisations

    Research period  

    • 2011 to 2015

    Impact period  

    • Ongoing

    Impact country  

    • UK
    • France

    Contributing to the areas of research interest

    • 2 – Resilience and adaptation to flooding and coastal change

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Flood Hydrology Roadmap

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Flood Hydrology Roadmap

    The UK’s Flood Hydrology Roadmap is designed to safeguard communities, infrastructure, and natural environments from the escalating risks of flooding.

    Recovering from winter floods 2015-2016, York. Image credit: Environment Agency.

    Flood Hydrology Roadmap

    Sean Longfield1, Sue Manson 1 and Anita Asadullah 1

    1 Environment Agency, United Kingdom

    The UK’s Flood Hydrology Roadmap, led by the Environment Agency, was published in 2022. It charted a course from 2021 to 2046 to guide the UK towards a more resilient, scientifically driven, and collaborative approach to improve flood hydrology.

    The roadmap emerged in response to several strategic drivers. Flood hydrology underpins investment decisions across flood and coastal risk management, with an estimated £6 billion of investment in the UK planned between 2022 and 2028. This, combined with a need to support the implementation of flood risk management strategies across the UK required a new long-term vision and direction for flood hydrology.

    In response, the roadmap provided a UK-wide plan of action to improve ways of working, data, methods and scientific understanding in hydrology so that risk information was robust and could continue to support activities for safeguarding communities, infrastructure, and natural environments from the escalating risks of flooding. It considered all inland flood sources—rivers, surface water, groundwater, and reservoirs across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

    The roadmap for UK flood hydrology. Image credit: Environment Agency.

    Impact

    The roadmap’s vision for the next 25 years is that society will have improved hydrological information and understanding to manage flood hazards in a changing world; flood hydrology and whole-system process understanding will be underpinned by excellent evidence with quantified uncertainty. Leadership and collaboration are crucial to achieving this vision. It aims to bring new science into operational practice, developing the next generation of methods to increase flood resilience and adaptation to a changing climate. The roadmap’s success will be underpinned by cohesive action and gaining funding, estimated between £110 and £165 million over 25 years to 2046.

    The Environment Agency secured £6 million over 6 years to start delivering on the roadmap and established the Flood Hydrology Improvements Programme (FHIP). Through FHIP, the Environment Agency made the sub-daily flow and rainfall data publicly available which enabled valuable research into flood periodicity to be conducted. Another outcome was addressing gaps in hydrometric data through a project that preserved significant amounts of data. In addition, it enabled a UK-wide skills survey providing information on the state of the hydrological expertise in the UK. FHIP is leading on a benchmarking process for hydrological models, making it possible to appraise and bring new scientific methods into practice.

    The roadmap, with support from FHIP, has also enabled experts to work together more effectively. This included setting up a flood hydrology scientific and technical advice group.

    Rob Lamb, JBA Trust director and member of roadmap steering group (2022) said:

    By bringing together the views of scientists and practitioners from a wide range of disciplines and sectors, the roadmap advances flood hydrology both as a technical discipline and as a profession. It is a landmark report that will shape hydrology and flood management for years to come.

    The strategic direction is overseen by a governance board, which uses the roadmap to guide activities, coordinate action and share knowledge. It also reinforces opportunities for collaboration across organisations.

    Cordelia Menmuir, Senior Manager Hydrology and Flooding for Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Chair of the Governance Board (2025) said:

    It is a privilege to be able to Chair the Governance Board that oversees such a talented and passionate group of individuals all working towards the same common goal. Moving forward we are actively seeking out new ways to facilitate the involvement of any individual or organisation who believes they have something they can offer, and I would encourage all those who work in hydrology to consider contributing.

    Andrew Wall, National Flood Risk Services Manager at Natural Resources Wales (NRW) (2025) said:

    We have welcomed the opportunity for agencies across the UK to come together to review flood hydrology and develop a roadmap for future improvement to our data and techniques. NRW is looking forward to continuing to work alongside our partners in this important effort and playing a key role in the development and delivery of the vision for flood hydrology across the UK.

    Resources 

    British Hydrological Society. (2022). UK Flood Hydrology Roadmap and Flood Hydrology Improvements Programme. Available at: https://www.hydrology.org.uk/Flood_Hydrology_Roadmap.php (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2021). Flood hydrology roadmap. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/flood-hydrology-roadmap (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2025). UK Flood Hydrology Roadmap – Engage Environment Agency. Available at: https://engageenvironmentagency.uk (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Lamb, R., Longfield, S., Manson, S., Cloke, H., Pilling, C., Reynard, N., Sheppard, N., Asadullah, A., Vaughan, M., Fowler, H.J. and Beven, K.J. (2022). The future of flood hydrology in the UK. Hydrology Research 53(10): 1286-1303. Available at: doi.org/10.2166/nh.2022.053 (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Funder 

    The research project was funded by the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) research and development programme.  

    Collaborators  

    • A community derived project with around 50 organisations from public sector, industry and academia, now governed by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, the Department for Infrastructure, Northern Ireland, British Hydrological Society and UK Research and Innovation. For a full list of contributors see the report.

    Research period  

    • 2018 to 2022 

    Impact period   

    • 2021 to 2046 

    Impact country  

    • England
    • Wales
    • Scotland
    • Northern Ireland

    Contributing to areas of research interest

    • 1 – Understanding future flood and coastal erosion risk

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Thames Barrier future closure numbers tool

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Thames Barrier future closure numbers tool

    How adaptive planning approaches are being used to prepare the Thames Estuary for rising sea levels and changing river flows.

    Thames barrier close up. Image credit: Environment Agency.

    Thames Estuary 2100 – Projections of future Thames Barrier average annual closure numbers

    James Brand 1 and Ivan Haigh 2

    1 Environment Agency, United Kingdom

    2 Ocean and Earth Science, University of Southampton

    The Environment Agency collaborated with Professor Ivan Haigh from the University of Southampton in 2021 to 2022 to create a tool to model projected future annual closure numbers of the Thames Barrier. The Thames Estuary flood defences, including the Thames Barrier, protect over 1.4 million people and £321 billion worth of residential property in London and the wider estuary (Environment Agency, 2021). To make sure that the Thames Barrier continues to operate reliably, the number of closures needs to be kept at or below an average of 50 per year to allow sufficient time for maintenance.

    The projection tool that the team developed uses a Monte-Carlo modelling approach. It simulates a range of possible outcomes to predict minimum, maximum, and average projections for numbers of future barrier closures. As a result, the tool provides a more comprehensive understanding of future closure numbers which allows planners to consider not just sea level rise but also the effects of tidal cycles and storm surges, forecasting improvements, and even potential shifts in fluvial flow.

    Impact

    The level of detail provided by the projection tool enabled the Thames Estuary 2100 Plan (TE2100) to make more informed decisions about critical deadlines. For example, the tool’s insights led to an adjustment of the first defence-raising deadline for London from 2065 to 2050—15 years earlier than initially planned. This major shift reflected not only updated climate data, but also the anticipated impact of inter-annual tidal cycle peaks on closure frequency.

    Beyond simply updating timelines, the tool’s projections enable the Environment Agency to plan strategically. It allows the Environment Agency to test future scenarios where forecasting accuracy does not achieve expected improvements, preparing for possible adjustments in barrier operations and maintenance or further changes to defence raising deadlines.  

    The tool also helps planners evaluate how future maintenance schedules could be optimised to reduce disruptions during periods with a higher likelihood of closures. This insight is particularly valuable for long-term contingency planning, as it offers flexibility for adapting both routine and large-scale maintenance projects.

    Professor Ivan Haigh spoke about the importance of the tool (2024):

    Around the world there are more than 50 storm surge barriers in operation protecting tens of millions of people and trillions of pounds of property and infrastructure. However, with climate change, surge barriers are closing increasingly often, and closures are now occurring in months when they typically have not occurred in the past. Increased use of surge barriers in the future has critical implications for barrier management, maintenance and operation.

    Working closely with staff in the Environment Agency, we have produced a flexible tool that can estimate how much more often and which times of the year operators are likely to have to use their barriers. Working with the Environment Agency, and other barrier operators in the Netherlands and USA, we have considered the implications of this on future barrier management and maintenance, and identified when in the future barriers might have to be upgraded and replaced.

    The tool supported a path forward in climate-resilient infrastructure. The adaptability and foresight embedded in this approach make it a model for global flood risk management. Tools like the barrier closure projection tool have proven indispensable for maintaining the balance between protection, maintenance, and operational efficacy. The use of the tool has demonstrated that proactive steps are being taken to safeguard London’s future and that the insights gained can benefit cities and flood defences across the globe.

    Dr James Brand added (2025):

    This tool has provided us with vital new evidence to inform our strategic planning for managing London’s tidal flood risk. It helps us to test different scenarios for managing the flood defence system and allows us to make better informed decisions when setting deadlines for implementing improvements to the tidal flood defence system.

    Resources

    Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Environment Agency. (2023). Thames Estuary 2100 Plan. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/thames-estuary-2100-te2100 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2021). Thames Estuary 2100: 10-year monitoring review (2021). Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thames-estuary-2100 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Haigh, I., D’Arcy, E., Brand, J., Inavatillah, A., Trace-Kleeberg, S., Walraven, M., Saman, K., Batchelor, A., Lewis, C., Barlow, N.L.M., Thompson, P., O’Brien, P. and Marzion, R. (pre-print). Rapid Acceleration in the Number of Closures of Storm Surge Barriers in the Future: A New Tool for Estimating Barrier Closures. Available at: https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202410.2298/v1 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Funder

    • Environment Agency

    Research period 

    • 2021 to 2022

    Impact period 

    • 2023 and out to 2100

    Impact country 

    • England
    • Variants are also being used in the Netherlands and the USA

    Contributing to the areas of research interest

    • 6 – Digital technology

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Wetlands and coastal protection

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Case study

    Wetlands and coastal protection

    Wetlands can act as natural buffers to reduce wave energy.

    Steart Marshes, Steart, Somerset. Image credit Environment Agency

    Natural coastal protection and risk reduction by intertidal wetlands

    Iris Möller1 and Tom Spencer2

    1 Department of Geography, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland

    2 Cambridge Coastal Research Unit, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Natural flood management (NFM) protects, restores or emulates the natural functions of rivers, floodplains, catchments and the coast to reduce flooding and coastal erosion. It can take the form of wetland restoration. Wetlands can be very beneficial for reducing flood risks while also providing wider environmental benefits.

    Research from the Cambridge Coastal Research Unit (CCRU) demonstrated the critical role that coastal wetlands play as natural buffers against storm impacts. This work not only transformed understanding and attitudes toward coastal ecosystems, but has influenced policy and practice.

    Impact

    The findings from CCRU helped to shift the narrative on coastal management. The UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA2) highlighted flooding and coastal change as the highest climate risk for the UK, and identified an urgent need for effective, sustainable solutions. With rising sea levels projected to impact approximately 1,000km (20%) of England’s coastal defences by 2100, reliance solely on hard engineering is becoming increasingly untenable (Environment Agency, 2024).

    The CCRU’s extensive research provided compelling evidence that coastal wetlands, such as salt marshes, significantly dissipated wave energy during storms, and by doing so helped to protect coastal communities and infrastructure. By acting as natural barriers, these ecosystems reduce the wave heights that reach man-made structures, either decreasing the need for hard engineering solutions or the cost of their construction and maintenance where they are needed.

    The CCRU’s work was pivotal in advocating for the policy of ‘managed realignment.’ This strategy promotes restoring natural habitats by allowing the coastline to adjust in a way that benefits both the environment and human communities. By creating new habitat areas and reducing maintenance costs associated with artificial defences, managed realignment represents an approach to coastal management that aligns with both ecological and economic goals.

    Through field campaigns and experimental research, the CCRU quantified the extent to which wave energy is mitigated by coastal wetlands. Studies conducted in Essex estuaries and Morecambe Bay found that salt marshes can reduce wave heights by 15-20% during extreme storms, enhancing the stability of adjacent infrastructure. This research considered various factors, including water depth, wave height, vegetation type, and sediment characteristics, providing a nuanced understanding of how these ecosystems offer coastal protection.

    Experiments conducted in the world’s longest wave flume illustrated that even a 40 metre wide band of salt marsh can effectively lower storm wave heights, with a notable percentage of this reduction attributed to the plants and the stable sediment they create. This evidence was important for informing coastal management practices and illustrating the benefits of preserving and restoring natural habitats.

    In 2017 the Environment Agency published the ‘Working with natural processes evidence directory for flood and coastal risk management’ and it was updated in 2024. These publications referenced field and laboratory work from this research which demonstrated that saltmarshes can reduce wave heights under extreme wave and water level conditions.

    Principal Scientist, Flood & Coastal Risk Management Research, Environment Agency (2017) said:

    This evidence [from the CCRU] has been very important in helping [the Environment Agency] develop and publish our Natural Flood Management evidence base…to mainstream more natural approaches to flood and coastal erosion risk management.

    In addition to influencing policy, the CCRU has developed models and visualisation tools to help coastal managers understand and implement natural coastal protection strategies. By integrating scientific research with practical applications, these tools empower decision-makers to incorporate wetlands into coastal defence plans.

    Head of People Conservation Science, RSPB (2020) said:

    I can confidently say that research by the Cambridge Coastal Research Unit (CCRU) has provided the critical scientific underpinning for RSPB positions on natural coastal protection and coastal habitat restoration, allowing us to advocate for and secure improvements to government coastal management policies. This helps in advocacy of the benefits of our managed realignment coastal habitat work at sites such as Titchwell, Wallasea Island and Medmerry.

    The work of the CCRU has thus emphasised the importance of viewing coastal wetlands not merely as natural environments but as essential components of flooding and erosion management strategies.

    Resources 

    Christie, E.K., Spencer, T., Owen, D., McIvor, A.L., Möller, I., and Viavattene, C. (2018). Regional coastal flood risk assessment for a tidally dominant, natural coastal setting: North Norfolk, southern North Sea. Coastal Engineering, 134, 177-190. Available at: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2017.05.003 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2024). National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024. Available at: National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Kiesel J., Schuerch M., Christie E.K., Möller I., Spencer T., and Vafeidis A.T. (2020). Effective design of managed realignment schemes can reduce coastal flood risks. Estuarine, Coastal Shelf Science 242, 106844 Available at: doi: 10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106844 (Accessed 24 March 2025).

    Möller I., and Spencer T. (2002). Wave dissipation over macro-tidal saltmarshes: Effects of marsh edge typology and vegetation change. Journal of Coastal Res., SI 36, 506-521. Available at: doi: 10.2112/1551-5036-36.sp1.506 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Möller, I. (2006). Quantifying saltmarsh vegetation and its effect on wave height dissipation: results from a UK East coast saltmarsh. Journal of Estuarine, Coastal, and Shelf Sciences, 69, 337-351. Available at: doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2006.05.003 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Möller I., Kudella M., Rupprecht F., Spencer T., Paul M., van Wesenbeeck B.K., Wolters G., Jensen K., Bouma T.J., Miranda-Lange M., and Schimmels S. (2014). Wave attenuation over coastal salt marshes under storm surge conditions. Nature Geoscience, 7, 727–731 Available at: doi: 10.1038/ngeo2251 https://www.nature.com/articles/ngeo2251 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Möller, I. (2018). The storm is over. Available at: Salt Marshes under Extreme Waves – An EU Hydralab+ project (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Rupprecht, F., Möller I., Paul, M., Kudella, M., Spencer, T., van Wesenbeeck, B.K., Wolters, G., Jensen, K., Bouma, T.J., Miranda-Lange, M., and Schimmels, S. (2017). Vegetation-wave interactions in salt marshes under storm surge conditions. Ecological Engineering, 100, 301-315. Available at: doi: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.12.030 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    UNISDR Scientific and Technical Advisory Group Case Studies. (2014). Recognising Natural Coastal Protection and Risk Reduction by Intertidal Wetlands. Available at: Prevention Web – Spencer Coastal Protection (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Funder 

    1993 to 1996: PhD Studentship to IM: Natural Environment Research Council with Environment Agency (NERC Studentship No. GT4/93/7/P), UK, and Magdalene College Cambridge Scholarship.

    2000 to 2004: Effect of salt marsh edge morphology and vegetation cover on wave attenuation EA R&D Project W5B-022.

    2004 to 2005: Relationships between vegetation characteristics and sea defence value of saltmarshes RGS/EPSRC Geographical Research Grant

    2011 to 2013: Wave dissipation and transformation over coastal vegetation under extreme hydrodynamic loading (EU HYDRALAB IV, flume project with Universities of Hamburg and Hannover (Germany), NIOZ and Deltares (NL)). EU FP7 Integrating Activity HYDRALAB IV, Contract No. 261529

    2013 to 2014: Coastal ecosystems as a form of coastal defence, Newton Trust, Cambridge.

    2014 to 2018: Foreshore Assessment using Space Technology (FAST) EU 7th Framework Prog. SP1-Cooper., FP7-SPACE-2013-1 (collaborator), Grant no. 607131, (£451K)

    2018: Hydralab+ RESIST: EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (654110, HYDRALAB+).

    2016 to 2020: Physical and biological dynamic coastal processes and their role in coastal recovery (BLUE-coast); NERC (Directed Research Programme; Grant NE/N015878/1) (collaboration with 9 other organisations)

    2016 to 2020: Valuing the contribution which COASTal habitats make to human health and WEllBeing, with a focus on the alleviation of natural hazards (CoastWEB) NERC (Directed Research Programme; Grant NE/N013573/1 (collaboration with 7 other organisations)

    2018 to 2021: Response of Ecologically-mediated Shallow Intertidal Shores and their Transitions to extreme hydrodynamic forcing in UK settings (RESIST-UK), NERC Standard Research Grant (collaborators: British Geological Survey, Queen Mary University London) Grant no: NE/R01082X/1

    2023 to 2028: REWilding and Restoration of InterTidal sediment Ecosystems for carbon sequestration, climate adaptation and biodiversity support (REWRITE). Lead: Nantes University. EU HORIZON-CL5-2022-D1-02 funding call.

    2023 to 2028: Nature-based solutions for climate-resilient, nature-positive, and socially just communities in diverse landscapes (NATURESCAPES). Lead: Utrecht University. EU HORIZON-CL6-2022-COMMUNITIES-01.

    Research period  

    • 2000 – ongoing

    Impact period  

    • 2013 – ongoing

    Impact country  

    • UK

    • USA

    • Europe

    Contributing to the areas of research interest

    • 5 – Asset management

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Changes to social care inspections aimed at improving stability for vulnerable children

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    Changes to social care inspections aimed at improving stability for vulnerable children

    From today (Friday 4 April), Ofsted is making some important changes to the way children’s social care providers are inspected, aimed at improving support for children with complex needs.

    The changes to the social care common inspection framework (SCCIF) are mainly for the benefit of children’s homes and fostering agencies. They are intended to encourage more homes and agencies to look after children with high or multiple needs, with added reassurance that this will not negatively affect their Ofsted rating.

    Ofsted research published last year found that 91% of local authorities struggle to find suitable homes for children with complex needs. Some children wait months, or even years, for a stable placement. The research also found that concerns about Ofsted ratings were cited by local authorities as a frequent reason for homes rejecting referrals of children with complex needs. Local authorities felt that good and outstanding-rated homes in particular were hesitant to look after these children, due to fears of being downgraded at their next inspection.

    As a result, children with complex needs are too often living far from family or friends, experiencing multiple moves, or are accommodated in unsuitable and unregistered homes.

    The small number of changes to the SCCIF guidance, including the criteria which inspectors use to evaluate practice, will put a sharper focus on:

    • how providers promote and sustain stability for children, including those with high needs
    • a provider’s placement decisions, including how they balance the needs of a child requiring a placement with those of children already living in the home
    • the timeliness of a provider’s work to prepare children for their next move
    • how accurately placement decisions reflect a provider’s statement of purpose

    The effectiveness of providers’ work with partners to achieve greater stability for children, especially for those at most risk of instability and uncertainty in their lives, will be central to inspections.

    Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s National Director of Social Care, said:

    Every child deserves a stable, supportive home environment where they can thrive. We know that finding the right placement for a child can be challenging, but homes and fostering agencies should feel confident in their ability to provide long-term, sustainable care for vulnerable children who need it most. We want providers to be risk-aware, not risk-averse.

    I hope these changes send a clear message that we will recognise providers who step up to support our children with complex needs, and who stick with them though the most difficult times.

    The updated framework reflects Ofsted’s commitment to putting children’s needs at the heart of the inspection process. The changes have been made following continued engagement with social care stakeholders, including people with lived experience of the care system.

    Inspectors will be trained on the changes to inspection guidance, as part of the added reassurance that providers will not be unfairly penalised for taking in children with complex needs.

    We previously published a blog about these changes.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Tenant evicted following drug investigation with neighbours’ support

    Source: City of York

    A police officer supports the eviction

    Published Thursday, 3 April 2025

    Following a ruling by a district judge, a council tenant has been evicted this morning, Thursday 3 April, after drug-related activities and anti-social behaviour caused misery for her neighbours.

    The council was granted a possession order by York County Court to end the tenancy of Mandy Livesey, of 20 St Stephen’s Square, Acomb, York. This follows reports from neighbours to the council and police about drug-taking and dealing, loud noise and arguments at the apartment, and an endless succession of visitors. The anti-social behaviour in the home and area was a continual source of disruption and concern for local people who were worried about its impact on their families.

    City of York Council officers served a legal warning of eviction (a Notice of Intention to Seek Possession) on Ms Livesey, which she breached.  

    Following complaints from neighbours and evidence of loud noise, drink and drug-taking and numerous anti-social visitors, the council returned the case to York County Court. After considering evidence, the judge granted the council permission to apply for a warrant of eviction.

    Council officers then evicted Ms Livesey today, advising her where she could get information on her housing options, should she need it.

    Cllr Michael Pavlovic, Executive Member for Housing at City of York Council, said:

    Thank you to all the neighbours and officers involved in ending this anti-social behaviour. This much-needed home will be re-let as quickly as possible.

    “This case proves that together, we can tackle this kind of disruption and so improve the quality of life of those affected. Please report your concerns and work with us so we can take appropriate and effective action.”

    Ben Ambler, Acting Sergeant of North Yorkshire Police, added:

    Drug use and anti-social behaviour has a detrimental impact on the quality of life for local people. It’s unacceptable and we’ll use all the powers and resources available to us to take action against those who make other people’s lives a misery.

    “This result is evidence of our joint working with City of York Council and my thanks go to them for their work that has culminated in this eviction. I hope local residents are reassured that we will take action to tackle issues relating to drugs and anti-social behaviour and the impact these have on our communities.”

    Find information on how to report anti-social behaviour, or report it to the police on 101 if a non-emergency.

    Find information on how to report anti-social noise levels, or telephone 01904 551525 Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.00pm. From 9.00pm on Friday to 3.00am on Saturday and between 9.00pm on Saturday to 3.00am on Sunday, please call the Noise Patrol on telephone 01904 551555.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Investing millions in safety and infrastructure on our roads for the year ahead

    Source: Scotland – City of Edinburgh

    Councillors have agreed to take forward an ambitious suite of infrastructure and road safety works in the coming year, worth over £30m.

    The Roads and Infrastructure Investment – Capital Delivery Priorities for 2025/26 spreads the capital budget of £25.686m across six different work streams.

    Carriageways and footways will receive £18.161m and focus on repairing roads and pavements. Street lighting and traffic signals have £1.220m, which will be used to maintain and improve this network. Road structures take £1.545m and focusses on our road bridges, foot bridges, underpasses, tunnels and gantries. Our road operations will get £2.460m and encompasses drainage repairs, bus stop maintenance and surface enhancement. Other asset management and miscellaneous spending amounts to £2.3m.

    The additional £12.5m of funding agreed in February’s budget has been integrated into the programme to improve paths, pavements and road conditions. An extra £12.5m of funding was also agreed last year, with a record 460,000m2 of carriageways and 52,000m2 of footways receiving treatment in that period. The Council’s Road Condition Indicator (RCI), which signifies the percentage of roads that should be considered for investment, also saw a significant improvement in 2024/25.

    We’ll look to build on these results in the coming year by undertaking a combination of carriageway strengthening, carriageway resurfacing, carriageway surface treatment, footway asphalt, footway flags and footway slurry sealing.

    The report also outlines our Street Lighting Programme and looks further ahead to our Setted Street Priorities in the next six financial years with Frederick Street, Victoria Street and the Shore all featuring for refurbishment.

    Our Road Safety Delivery Plan 2025/26 allocates over £6m across the service. As part of this, the Road Safety team will address concerns around the Dalmahoy Junction and prioritise infrastructure improvements for safe school travel, including additional pedestrian crossings.

    There will also be provision for Accident Investigation and Prevention (AIP), speed reduction measures and new 30mph and 20mph speed limit reductions over this and the forthcoming year. A full breakdown can be found in Appendix 2 of the report. Road safety progress will be reported to Committee in October, following elected member workshops to drive forward existing priority projects.

    These allocations are driven by our main priorities in the year ahead to promote road safety, study road accidents, review our vacant school crossing sites, take preventative measures and offer information, advice and practical training to road users.

    Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said:

    I’m really pleased that these two ambitious and wide-reaching reports have been agreed.

    Our residents have made it abundantly clear that they want and expect continued investment in our roads network. Road safety also goes hand in hand with road condition and investment, with roads that are better maintained equalling safer roads for our children and young people. This is what I’m committed to delivering.

    From carriageway strengthening in Corstorphine and surface treatment in Seafield, to street lighting in Leith and road safety education in Ratho, we’re focussed on fulfilling our commitments and getting to work for the people of Edinburgh.

    A list of definitions for treatment specifications mentioned above in the Roads and Infrastructure Investment – Capital Delivery Priorities for 2025/26 report are below.

    Carriageway Strengthening: A substantial treatment with a minimum depth of 100mm. This includes removal of the surfacing and base course of the carriageway. Deeper excavations may be required depending on existing condition. Deeper excavations are required a bus stops.

    Carriageway Resurfacing: This treatment removes the surface course only. The depth of treatment is generally 40-50mm.

    Carriageway Surface Treatment: A preventative maintenance treatment. A thin treatment that is designed to slow deterioration of the carriageway. It is used primarily on carriageways that are starting to deteriorate. CEC uses two surface treatments: Surface Dressing and Micro Asphalt.

    Footway Asphalt: Break out of the existing asphalt footway. Depth will be dependent on existing condition. Kerbs are generally lifted and re-set as part of this treatment.

    Footway Flags: Break out of the existing footway with flags (slabs) being installed. Generally, pre-cast concrete flags are used, however, the following material is specified in the World Heritage Site: Old Town: Caithness Stone Flags New Town: Yorkstone Flags

    Footway Surface Treatment: A preventative maintenance treatment. A thin treatment that is designed to slow deterioration of the footway.

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Young drivers told to belt up in the back

    Source: City of Liverpool

    Young people – predominantly males – are being urged to ‘belt up in the back’, as new data highlights the staggering number killed in car crashes not wearing their seatbelts.

    Recent analysis by The AA Charitable Trust shows almost half (43%) of young passengers (17-29) who die in car crashes are not belted up.

    Young, male car passengers are twice as likely to die in a car crash than their female peers due to being unbelted.
    The research, based on five years of car crash data where seatbelt wearing status was known, shows 68% of young passengers who die unbelted are male.

    These crashes are also more likely to happen at night, with 74% of young, unbelted, passenger fatalities happening after dark.

    Provisional figures show that in 2024 across Merseyside there were 14 casualties killed or seriously injured who were not wearing their seatbelt at the time of the collision.

    Six of those were vehicle drivers (43%) and eight were vehicle passengers (57%). Also six of the casualties were 17–29-year-olds (43) and eight were 30+ year old (57%).

    Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death by around 50%, meaning up to around one quarter of all young car passenger deaths could be avoided if all young passengers put their belts on.

    Every week, four young people aged 17 to 29 were either killed or seriously injured on our roads when not wearing a seat belt. (Data on latest year of full data – 2023).

    In 2024, Merseyside Police issued 3,066 tickets for drivers and or passengers not wearing their seat belt.

    THE FACTS:

    • In a crash, you’re twice as likely to killed or seriously injured if you don’t wear a seat belt.
    • Younger drivers and passengers have the lowest seat belt-wearing rates, combined with the highest accident rate.
    • People are less likely to use seat belts on short or familiar journeys – putting them at serious risk of injury in a crash.

    THE LAW:

    • Drivers and passengers who fail to wear seat belts in the front and back of vehicles are breaking the law.
    • For those aged 14 and over, failure to wear a seat belt could result in an on-the-spot fine of £100. If prosecuted, the maximum fine is £500.

    Cllr Dan Barrington, Liverpool City Council Cabinet Member for Transport and Connectivity, said: “It is an utter tragedy that young people are dying as passengers and drivers because they have failed to put their seatbelt on. It’s such a quick and easy thing to do – and it could save your own life or the lives of the people around you.”

    Inspector Gavin Dixon of Merseyside Police, Roads Policing Department, said: “Merseyside Police work really hard to try and encourage everyone to wear their seatbelts in all forms of transport.

    “The figures speak for themselves; you are more likely to die in a collision if you don’t wear a seatbelt. As with mobile phone enforcement, we are constantly using new and innovative ways to catch people who choose not to wear their seatbelt and risk their own and their passengers’ lives.”  

    The analysis by The AA Charitable Trust  can be viewed here https://www.theaa.com/about-us/newsroom/aa-charitable-trust-launches-seatbelt-campaign

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Cycling Conference to Wheel into Dundee

    Source: Scotland – City of Dundee

    Scotland’s national cycling charity is bringing its conference to Dundee later this year. 

    A senior councillor is welcoming the news, stressing Dundee is delivering improvements for more people to travel by bike across the city. 

    Cycling Scotland will be hosting its annual conference in the city on September 10, which will be attended by organisations which are supporting more people to cycle for everyday journeys. 

    Speakers include transport secretary Fiona Hyslop, Dundee City Council leader Mark Flynn and Fair Work, Economic Growth and Infrastructure convener Cllr Steven Rome. 

    Cllr Rome said: “The latest Walking and Cycling Index for Dundee from Sustrans shows us that the majority of people in the city support more segregated cycle paths, more 20-minute and low-traffic neighbourhoods, increasing space for socialising on the streets, and shifting investment away from roadbuilding and towards more sustainable transport. 

    “I realise that there is much to do. However, we have delivered major projects across the city including the provision of secure cycle storage and infrastructure like the Broughty ferry to Monifieth Active Travel corridor and the Bell Street Green Transport Hub to encourage more cycling. 

    “I am looking forward to showcasing Dundee’s cycling strength to an influential audience at the conference.”  

    Denise Hamilton, Head of Communications at Cycling Scotland said: “We’re looking forward to being in Dundee this September for the Cycling Scotland Conference. Each year, we bring experts and decision-makers from across Scotland together, to share learning and acknowledge the progress being made to enable more people to cycle for everyday journeys.  

    “With Dundee hosting this national conference for the first time since 2018, it’s an opportunity to highlight the city’s support for active travel, including the roll-out of on-street cycle storage in residential neighbourhoods and how more young people are being given the chance to gain essential life skills with on-road Bikeability cycle training being delivered at every primary school in Dundee.  

    “Attendees will also look forward to learning more about Dundee’s ambitious plans to develop a network of dedicated cycle routes to connect communities across the city and support more journeys by bike.” 

    Catherine Wykes, Chair of Dundee Cycling Forum, said: “This is a real vote of confidence from Scotland’s national cycling charity and recognizes the progress Dundee City Council are making towards transforming our city into a place where people can choose to cycle for everyday journeys. Cycling is a cheap, healthy way to get about, and giving people that option will contribute towards making Dundee a great place to live, work and visit. 

    “We may still have some way to go, but with the conference bringing experts from across the country to Dundee for the day, this will be an ideal opportunity to showcase what’s been achieved so far and inspire Dundee City Council to keep going until we can claim to be a genuinely cycle friendly city.” 

    You can find out more about the conference on the Cycling Scotland website here  

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Upgrade to Granicus govService (Firmstep) system planned

    Source: City of Coventry

    Digital Services and Granicus colleagues are going to be upgrading the govService platform (previously known as Firmstep or AchieveForms) on Monday 7 April.

    The upgrade will start at midnight. It should not take long and the aim is for it to be up and working again by 8am.

    However, during this time, MyAccount, Dash and service applications which are used across the Council will not be available.

    If you have any questions, please contact Jason.Williams@coventry.gov.uk

    Friday, 4th April 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Government calls ‘last orders’ on red tape choking pubs, clubs, and restaurants in major boost to the British night out

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    Government calls ‘last orders’ on red tape choking pubs, clubs, and restaurants in major boost to the British night out

    Outside dining and later opening hours on the menu as government backs British pubs, clubs and restaurants with moves to slash burdensome red tape in the hospitality sector.

    • Mayor of London to be armed with new powers to review blocked licensing applications and boost the capital’s nighttime economy.

    • Package of measures answers industry plea to give businesses the conditions to thrive, with the government and British business working side-by-side as part of the Plan for Change.

    Pubs, clubs and restaurants are set to be released from burdensome red tape which has stifled business as government ‘backs the British night out’.

    Action includes moves to improve the application of licensing laws and strengthening businesses’ competitiveness, giving diners, pub and party-goers more time and more choice to enjoy what British hospitality has to offer.

    It includes a landmark pilot that could see more alfresco dining and later opening hours in London, as the Mayor of London is granted new “call in” powers to review blocked licensing applications in nightlife hotspots.

    If successful, this approach could be rolled out to other mayors across England, working closely with their own local police forces.

    The package of measures will seize the opportunities on offer in the UK hospitality sector, which employs over three million people and is worth around £62 billion to the British economy. It comes as the government continues to go further and faster to drive economic growth and get more money in working people’s pockets, a key focus of the Plan for Change.

    Businesses have long indicated that the current licensing system lacks proportionality, consistency, and transparency – creating barriers to growth and investment for business.

    Blockers to growth include businesses being banned from extending licensing hours for late night drinking and anti-competitive blockages from other businesses.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:

    British businesses are the lifeblood of our communities. We want them to Our Plan for Change will make sure they have the conditions to grow – not be tied down by unnecessarily burdensome red tape.

    We’ve heard industry concerns and we’re partnering with businesses to understand what changes need to be made, because a thriving nighttime economy is good for local economies, good for growth, and good for getting more money in people’s pockets.

    Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, said:

    We promised to clear the way to economic growth in our Plan for Change and that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re already reforming planning to back the builders, not the blockers. Now we want to do the same for the nighttime economy which has been neglected for so long. 

    Our pubs, restaurants, and live music venues are the beating heart of our cultural life, so it is vital they are given every chance to survive and thrive. 

    That’s why it’s time to give the Mayor of London new powers to back the capital’s pubs and clubs, as part of our plan to give mayors the tools they need to drive growth. Too often, we have seen the complaints of a vocal minority of objectors promoted over the need for our country to grow – we are determined to change this.

    Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King and Chair of the British Beer and Pub Association, Kate Nicholls, National Chair of the Institute of Licensing CEO of UKHospitality, Michael Kill, CEO of Night Time Industries Association, and the police are all working with the government to rapidly explore and evaluate better licensing options for businesses right across the UK.

    The group aims to transform the licensing system to one that better supports business growth and confidence, creating a better hospitality experience for Britons and visitors, whilst ensuring public safety and community interests remain adequately protected.

    It will report back in six weeks with solutions informing the government’s work to kickstart economic growth as part of the Plan for Change.

    Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, said:

    Businesses in our retail, hospitality and leisure sectors are foundational to our economy and our high streets. They are big employers in every community across the UK, offering accessible jobs and opportunities and providing spaces where communities can come together – they are the glue that binds us together as a society.

    These measures will ensure that we support these vital sectors by delivering a business environment as part of our Plan for Change that allows them to operate profitably so that they can provide the jobs, investment and growth communities across the country need.

    In addition to these steps, a new £1.5 million Hospitality Support Scheme has been launched to help get existing projects over the line and fill job vacancies in the sector.

    This includes supporting the delivery of hospitality training facilities in prisons, which will help to address skills gaps and provide prison leavers with a fresh start and opportunities on release, reducing unemployment and the £18 billion cost of reoffending.

    These new steps are part of the government’s wider work to kickstart economic growth, boost productivity and put more money in working people’s pockets as part of the Plan for Change.

    Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King, Chair of the British Beer and Pub Association and Co-Chair of the Licensing Taskforce, said:

    Licensing regulations provide a clear example of how well-intentioned legislation can inhibit economic growth, with excessive restrictions often limiting premises’ ability to respond to changing circumstances and customer demand.

    I am looking forward to working with the hospitality minister as we speak to stakeholders from within the industry and beyond to understand current frustrations and limitations.

    I hope that we can address existing concerns and create a licensing system that reduces unnecessary red tape, accelerates the licensing process and unlocks opportunities for premises to drive economic growth across the UK.

    The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:

    I am delighted that the government is looking to grant London greater powers over licensing.

    This significant decision would allow us to do more to support the capital’s pubs, clubs, music venues and other parts of the visit and tourist scene. It would boost tourism, stimulate growth and deliver new jobs both in London and across the country.

    This is more evidence that we now have a government that wants to work with the capital and recognises the role that we can play in delivering economic prosperity and support Londoners as we build a better London for everyone.

    Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality and National Chair of the Institute of Licensing, said:

    Cutting red tape and improving hospitality’s competitiveness is much-needed to unlock our sector’s potential to drive socially productive growth and create jobs. A new and improved licensing system that is fit for the 21st century will be a huge boost to the nation’s pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels.

    I’m delighted that this expert group will be leading the review and coming forward with solutions that can unlock the high street’s potential, in addition to informing the government’s Industrial Strategy.

    Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the British Beer Association said:

    A review of the 2003 Licensing Act is long overdue.  We are currently working with MPs to pass an amendment to permitted licensing hours at times of major national events when Parliament is not sitting.  But this is just one example where the current law restricts the ability of pubs to respond to consumer demand and sell beer and other drinks in a responsible manner. 

    There will be many other simple changes that can be made to the Act that will ease the ability to do business and drive more sales, invest and grow.  I look forward to the quick implementation of the recommendations that the taskforce brings forward and urge the government to repeat this exercise across a number of other policy areas where urgent reforms are needed including business rates reform, packaging reform and much needed cuts to beer duty.

    More Information

    • The government will work with the Greater London Authority to review strategic licensing powers and explore a pilot scheme, providing the Mayor of London with new powers over strategic licensing. This could include a new “call in” power over licensing applications in areas of strategic importance for the nighttime economy.  

    • The Mayor of London recently launched a new, independent London Nightlife Taskforce to examine and address the issues facing London’s nightlife industry and provide recommendations on how to ensure the night-time economy can thrive.

    • This review of strategic licensing powers will look at options for providing the mayor with new powers to support the nightlife industry.

    • The government and the GLA will work closely with local stakeholders, including the police, to design the pilot scheme.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Leader of the Commons writes to Secretary of State on Allister concerns about parcels border

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Statement by TUV leader Jim Allister MP:

    “Last week in the Commons I used the opportunity presented by questions to the leader of the House to ask for a debate on the latest iteration of the crippling Irish sea border, namely the parcels border, which is due to become effective from 1 May. It will

    mean that every parcel moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland, including

    personal parcels from a grandmother to a grandchild, is subject to the requirements of the EU customs border. It is particularly damaging for business, because business-to-business parcels can be sent only if the sender belongs to the trusted trader scheme and pays the fee, and if they make a customs declaration, including on where the goods came from and what they are. I asked when the Commons could discuss the fact that this United Kingdom is being partitioned and severed by an unnecessary border in the Irish Sea.

    “I welcome the fact that on foot of this the leader of the House has drawn the matter to attention of the Secretary of State and advised him that he should “ensure that the House is kept updated on this matter.”

    “I am very conscious that it was the gross injustice of the Sea Border which resulted in me being elected as MP for North Antrim and I will continue to challenge it at even turn until our place in the United Kingdom is restored.”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: TUV hits out on Central Station controversy

    Source: Traditional Unionist Voice – Northern Ireland

    Commenting on the ongoing controversy over Sinn Féin’s  imposition of Irish signage on Grand Central Station, TUV leader Jim Allister has attacked the Infrastructure minister’s stance and deplored how the DUP has weakened the position going forward on signage on public buildings by agreeing to an Irish Language Commissioner.

    “Among the many flaws in Minister Kimmins’ argument are the following:-

    • She relies on Translink-made decisions to have bi-lingual signage at Newry and on some glider services as justifying her imposition at Grand Central. Herein she shoots herself in the foot, because it is for Translink, not the minister, to make such operational decisions, as is evident from the Partnership Agreement governing the DFI/Translink relationship.
    • Whereas the Communities minister may have statutory responsibilities in respect of language, she has none. Hence her meddling inevitably makes it a cross-cutting issue.
    • It is not the quantum of the spend upon which the significance of the decision turns, rather its societal impact, which is evident from the controversy generated.
    • In contending that her remit involves “overseeing the delivery of public transport services”, she effectively concedes her overreach, because determining the signage on a station is clearly neither overseeing the delivery of public transport nor compatible with the arrangements affording such functions to the arms length body. Translink isn’t being allowed to operate as an arms length body if the minister is involving herself in the minutia of operational decisions.

    “It is therefore right and necessary that Sinn Fein and its greening agenda should be challenged in the courts on this important issue and I commend Mr Bryson on his initiative in this regard. DUP ministers will need to do a lot more than seek clarification from their partner in government.

    “Sadly, the DUP has weakened its own hand by, at this very time, seeking to appoint an Irish Language Commissioner “to protect and enhance the development of the use of the Irish language by public authorities.” This is the reality against which the deputy First Minister’s public bluster must be measured!”

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  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Mental health costs of flooding

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    Mental health costs of flooding

    Including the impact of floods on people’s mental health for the first time.

    Family moving items after a flood. Image credit: Environment Agency.

    A method for monetising the mental health costs of flooding 

    Christophe Viavattene 1, Sally Priest 1, Jacqui Cotton 2 and Carolann Simmonds 2

    1 Faculty of Science and Technology, Middlesex University, United Kingdom

    2 Environment Agency, United Kingdom

    The Environment Agency and risk management authorities routinely include the mental health impacts of flooding in investment decisions following research published in 2021 A method for monetising the mental health costs of flooding.

    Prior to this research, investment decisions focussed on the economic damages to homes, businesses and infrastructure. Although authorities knew that those affected by floods suffered with mental health conditions, there was insufficient robust data available to develop a new method. However, in 2017, Public Health England published the results of a national study on the impacts of flooding on mental health and well-being.

    This study showed that people whose homes had been flooded suffered high levels of probable depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. The study provided the figures needed to look at the economic damages for the first time. Subsequent studies showed these impacts could last for at least 2 years after the flood.

    Impact

    The Environment Agency project took this new data and used it to calculate the costs of the mental health impacts. These costs include treatment and medication, and loss of employment or earnings due to time off work. The project worked out the value to be £1,878 per adult per flood for shallow floods (less than 30cm of water in a home) to up to £4,136 per adult per flood for deeper, more severe floods (when water is over 1 metre deep). Deeper floods result in more possessions being lost and people being away from their homes for longer during repairs. This increases the impact on those affected, and thus increases the cost.

    Alongside the research project, Environment Agency economists created clear guidance on how to use the economic cost information for those developing business cases for flood risk projects. The guidance was published in Mental health costs of flooding and erosion.

    Resources 

    Environment Agency. (2020). A method for monetising the mental health costs of flooding. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/a-method-for-monetising-the-mental-health-costs-of-flooding (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2021). Guidance: Mental health costs of flooding and erosion. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-costs-of-flooding-and-erosion/mental-health-costs-of-flooding-and-erosion (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    UK Health Security Agency. (2023). Guidance: How to recover from flooding. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flooding-and-health-advice-for-frontline-responders/how-to-recover-from-flooding – assessment-and-management-of-mental-health (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    UK Health Security Agency. (2023). Health effects of climate change in the UK 2023 report. Chapter 3 Climate change, flooding, coastal change and public health. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/657086ad746930000d488919/HECC-report-2023-chapter-3-flooding.pdf (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Funder 

    The research project was funded by the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) research and development programme.  

    Collaborators  

    • Flood Hazard Research Centre, Middlesex University
    • Environment Agency 
    • Natural Resources Wales  
    • Public Health England

    Research period  

    • 2017 to 2020

    Impact period  

    • 2020 onward

    Impact country  

    • England

    Contributing to the areas of research interest

    • 3 – Funding and investment

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Working with nature to reduce flood and erosion risks

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    Working with nature to reduce flood and erosion risks

    Evidence base on natural flood management is supporting investment decisions and informing which measures to use.

    Saltmarsh creation at Lower Otter. Image credit: Environment Agency.

    Working with natural processes evidence directory

    Lydia Burgess-Gamble1 and Daniel Hine 1

    1 Environment Agency, United Kingdom

    A key resource for natural flood management (NFM) stakeholders in the UK is the Working with natural processes evidence directory (WWNP). NFM seeks to protect, restore, and mimic the natural functions of catchments, floodplains, rivers, and coasts to reduce flooding and coastal erosion. The internationally recognised evidence directory captures what the research says about the benefits of NFM as well as providing case studies and opportunity maps. The Environment Agency first published it in 2017 with an update in 2024.

    The 2024 edition, informed by more than 700 research papers, summarises the latest evidence for 17 measures relating to river and floodplain, woodland, run-off, and coast and estuary management. Evidence of NFM has grown in recent years, building confidence in the flood risk reduction and wider benefits these approaches can bring. The updated evidence base shows that flood risk reduction and wider benefits vary across measures. It helps us to understand what works best where. It also tells us there is still more to learn about NFM, but the research gaps are closing and are more detail-orientated.

    Impact

    Growing evidence on the effectiveness of NFM has had a transformative impact on flood risk management across the UK, helping to support investment in natural solutions to increase society’s resilience to flooding, coastal erosion and climate change. 

    The evidence base underpinned the design of the Environment Agency’s £25 million fund for Natural Flood Management. The fund was announced in 2023 and runs until March 2027. It aims to reduce local flood risk while providing wider benefits to the environment, nature and society. It will accelerate new and existing opportunities to implement and fund NFM and fill knowledge gaps in the evidence base. It is benefitting 38 projects, overseen by a range of organisations.

    Following the 2017 publication, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) invested £4 million from 2017 to 2022 through the NERC natural flood management programme. Projects funded by the programme helped to address some of the research gaps identified in the 2017 evidence directory and informed the updated version.

    The research findings from the 2017 evidence directory were also used by project teams to support NFM design within the Natural Flood Management Pilot Programme that ran from 2017 to 2021 and funded 60 projects. Learning from the pilots helped to inform the 2024 evidence base by demonstrating that NFM measures used in combination across a large area could provide flood risk reduction benefits through reduced runoff and increased water storage, in addition to other learning. It was estimated that the NFM Pilot Programme created 1.6 million cubic metres of water storage which is about the equivalent of around 670 Olympic size swimming pools (Environment Agency, 2022).  

    The WWNP evidence directory has supported local NFM projects in their design and selection of measures.

    It was referenced as a key resource to the Slow the Flow project in Calderdale. At Hardcastle Crags (Hebden Bridge) the charity group installed over 800 leaky barriers. Their research has shown that natural flood management measures can slow high water levels in a flood by between 30 and 105 minutes downstream. 

    The research also helped Stroud District Council to choose the most effective locations for floodplain reconnection as part of the Stroud Natural Flood Management Project. This project is thought to reduce flood risk to about 12 properties and has inspired discussion about further works. 

    The evidence directory enabled the Shipston Area Flood Action Group to have meaningful community and landowner discussions as part of their Natural Flood Management Project in Shipston-on-Stour. These successful discussions led to agreements and the installation of more than 850 natural flood management features including leaky wooden barriers, ponds, bunds, river restoration and tree planting. The project is thought to have reduced flood risk to more than 80 homes.  

    Beyond the UK, the findings from the evidence directory are widely referenced in the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features for Flood Risk Management, an international guide produced by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

    Resources 

    Environment Agency. (2017). Working with natural processes to reduce flood risk. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/working-with-natural-processes-to-reduce-flood-risk (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2021). Natural Flood Management Programme: initial findings. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-flood-management-programme-initial-findings (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2022). Natural Flood Management Programme: evaluation report. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-flood-management-programme-evaluation-report (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2025). Working with natural processes to reduce flood risk 2024, Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/working-with-natural-processes-to-reduce-flood-risk-2024 (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). (2024). Driving policy innovation over decades: natural flood management. Available at: https://www.ukri.org/ (Accessed: 25 March 2025).

    Funder 

    The research project was funded by the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) research and development programme.  

    Collaborators  

    • Environment Agency (EA)
    • Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
    • Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
    • Welsh Government
    • Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
    • JBA Consulting
    • English Severn and Wye RFCC
    • Forest Research
    • HR Wallingford
    • Natural England
    • River Restoration Centre
    • Woodland Trust
    • CH2M Hill
    • James Hutton Institute
    • Lancaster University
    • Newcastle University

    Research period  

    • 2017 to 2024

    Impact period  

    • 2017 – ongoing  

    Impact country  

    • England
    • Wales
    • Scotland

    Contributing to areas of research interest

    • 8 – Integrated outcomes

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Forecasting floods with unprecedented detail

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    Forecasting floods with unprecedented detail

    Flood forecasting with the open-source flood modelling tool High-Performance Integrated Hydrodynamic Modelling System (HiPIMS)

    Flooding December 2015, Carlisle. Image credit: Environment Agency.

    High-Performance Integrated Hydrodynamic Modelling System (HiPIMS) for flood forecasting and risk assessment

    Qiuhua Liang 1 and Huili Chen 1

    1 School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, United Kingdom

    Professor Qiuhua Liang and his team at Loughborough University developed the award-winning High-Performance Integrated Hydrodynamic Modelling System (HiPIMS) over 2 decades. HiPIMS is an open-source flood modelling tool formally released at presentation in 2013. It was designed to better predict and understand flooding using high-performance computing. HiPIMS provides timely and detailed flood forecasts over an entire catchment or city.

    The research filled a practical gap – forecasting highly transient flooding processes, driven by intense rainfall, dam breaks, storm surge or tsunamis. Flood predictions or forecasts are essential to assess and mitigate flood risk, and to develop effective plans for emergency response benefiting people at risk, government agencies, and other practitioners working on flood risk management (Xia, Liang and others, 2019).

    Impact 

    HiPIMS was implemented and tested for forecasting the flooding process caused by the 2015 Storm Desmond over the entire Eden Catchment of 2500km². The real-time flood forecasting system was developed by integrating HiPIMS with the Met Office’s numerical weather prediction outputs. The system was able to forecast flooding from 36‐hour weather forecasts at a 10-metre resolution in 1.75 hours. This was the first real-time forecasting of a complete flooding process induced by intense rainfall, from rainfall-runoff, river hydraulics to inundation (Ming, Liang and others, 2020).

    The output was showcased at the Royal Society’s Flooding From Intense Rainfall Programme Open Event in London on 27th November 2018, and recognised by Prof Brian Golding, the Senior Research Fellow in Weather Impacts from the Met Office, at the time as “the UK’s first real-time, high-resolution flood forecasting system of its kind”.

    HiPIMS simulated flood map for the 2015 Desmond Flood in Carlisle. Credit: Qiuhua Liang.

    HiPIMS was later embedded in the UK’s Data and Analytics Facility for National Infrastructure (DAFNI) for real-time flood forecasting through the NERC funded Flood-PREPARED and PYRAMID projects. It was also used to generate surface water flooding data to improve national infrastructure resilience in the National Digital Twin Programme (NDTP). The NDTP supports growing national capability in digital twinning technologies and processes throughout the UK.

    Outside of the UK, HiPIMS has also been used to advance flood modelling and risk mapping practice. In China, the Ministry of Water Resources’ Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) incorporated HiPIMS into their Integrated Flood Modelling System (IFMS) to support national flood risk mapping across approximately 500,000km², almost half of the 1.1 million km2 of flood-prone areas in the country. The research developed as part of HiPIMS benefitted hundreds of millions of people in different provinces in China through provision of detailed flood risk information to better inform mitigation strategies (IWHR, 2023).

    The Deputy Director from the Centre of Flood Control and Drought Relief at the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) (2023) said:

    The numerical methods and model developed by Professor Qiuhua Liang have been directly applied to support national flood risk mapping in China. The flood risk maps have been used by the Central Government and local governments of different levels to inform flood risk management policy making and support flood protection planning and investment.

    HiPIMS was adopted by government departments in Nepal to standardize methodologies for assessing Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) risks (Chen, Zhao and others, 2022). The tool was featured in the RAINMAN-Toolbox, supporting heavy rainfall hazard assessments in central European catchments, showcasing its versatility across different geographic contexts.

    The tool has received several awards, including the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water in 2024 recognising its innovation and impact. The award honours the development of pioneering, open-source, multi-GPU hydrodynamic models that support real-time flood forecasting at high temporal and spatial resolutions.

    Resources 

    Chen H, Zhao J, Liang Q, and others. (2022). Assessing the potential impact of glacial lake outburst floods on individual objects using a high-performance hydrodynamic model and open-source data. Science of the Total Environment, 806(3): 151289. Available at: doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151289 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).  

    HiPIMS-ocl Version 1 on GitHub. Available at: https://github.com/lukeshope/hipims-ocl (Accessed: 24 March 2024).

    HiPIMS-CUDA Version 2 on GitHub. Available at: https://github.com/HEMLab/hipims (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Loughborough University. (2025). HiPIMS history – UNESCO Chair in Informatics and Multi-hazard Risk Reduction. Available at: https://www.lboro.ac.uk (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Ming X, Liang Q, and others. (2020). Real-time flood forecasting based on a high-performance 2D hydrodynamic model and numerical weather predictions. Water Resources Research. Available at: doi.org/10.1029/2019WR025583 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).  

    Smith LS, Liang Q (2013). Towards a generalised GPU/CPU shallow-flow modelling tool. Computers & Fluids, 88: 334-343. Available at: doi.org/10.1016/j.compfluid.2013.09.018 (Accessed 24 March 2025).  

    Xia X, Liang Q, and others. (2019). A full-scale fluvial flood modelling framework based on a high-performance integrated hydrodynamic modelling system (HiPIMS). Advances in Water Resources, 132: 103392. Available at: doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2019.103392 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Funder 

    • UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)
    • Loughborough University 

    Collaborators  

    • China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (IWHR) 
    • International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) 
    • UK Met Office 
    • Newcastle University  

    Research period  

    • 2013 to 2022 

    Impact period

    • 2013 to 2022 

    Impact country  

    • UK 
    • China 
    • Nepal

    Contributing towards the areas of research interest

    • 4 – Flood incident management

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Coastal morphological modelling for decision makers

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    Coastal morphological modelling for decision makers

    Using the Coastal Modelling Environment tool to change how the UK manages coastal risks.

    Boulders used as sea defences at Happisburgh, Norfolk. Image credit: British Geological Survey.

    Coastal Modelling Environment (CoastalME)

    Andres Payo Garcia 1, Dave Favis Mortlock 2, Jim Hall 3, Robert Nicholls 4 and Mike Walkden 5

    1 British Geological Survey, United Kingdom

    2 Visiting Research Associate – British Geological Survey, United Kingdom

    3 Department of Engineering Science, Oxford University, United Kingdom

    4 Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom

    5 Moffatt & Nichol and Visiting Research Associate – British Geological Survey, United Kingdom

    Improved predictions are essential to quantify risks from coastal erosion and flooding. However, predicting how coastal landscapes change over decadal timescales raises challenges that don’t have solutions yet. The Integrated COASTal Sediment Systems (iCOAST) project funded by NERC from 2012 to 2016, provided essential demonstrations of new approaches to address this challenge.

    Among the tools developed through the project, the engineering tool Coastal Modelling Environment (CoastalME) stood out. It is being used in the UK and internationally. It provides improved predictive capability for coastal adaptation. Modellers can use CoastalME to simulate the interaction of coastal landforms and human interventions for open coast systems. This enables users to model and visualise coastal landscape changes more effectively using commonly available spatial data. CoastalME is freely available, making it an accessible resource.

    This research has resulted in significant changes in the way that the UK manages coastal risks. It enables better-informed use of the limited amount of coastal-aggregate material – the foundation of the human-natural UK defence system against coastal flooding and erosion.

    Impact

    CoastalME is used in several projects across the UK and Europe, as a planning tool in both research and engineering contexts.

    As a research tool, CoastalME is being used in 2 multi-year NERC funded projects. The Coastal Hazards, Multi-hazard Controls on Flooding and Erosion (CHAMFER) project is a collaboration between the National Oceanography Centre (NOC), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the BGS which runs from 2022 to 2027.

    The tool is being used in the CHAMFER project to better assess the risk of compound flooding and erosion. CoastalME is also being used within the UKGravelBarriers project (2023 to 2027) led by the BGS. This aims to understand the effectiveness of gravel barriers in coastal protection under changing climatic conditions. Effective management of these coastal landforms is needed to ensure that they can reduce risks from coastal erosion and flooding. The role of CoastalME is to allow gravel beach and barrier dynamics to be modelled as integral components of larger coastal systems, supporting more realistic simulations under a range of climate and policy scenarios.

    Blanco and others (Environment Agency, 2019) in developing guidance for the use of coastal morphological models for decision makers found (page 74):

    The computational cost of these [CoastalME and ESTEEM] models is low and they have proved effective in exploring morphodynamic trends and improving the understanding of mesoscale behaviour. Their potential is significant as they combine different types of models and behaviours, and can therefore encompass many features over long time and spatial scales. They aim to fill the gaps where other more conventional models are not that strong. For example, CoastalME includes different sediment fractions – sand, gravel and mud. 

    As an operational tool, CoastalME is being used to inform decision making at regional, international and global levels.

    At the regional level, the tool is being used as part of the Resilient Coast (RC) Project funded by the Environment Agency’s Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP). The RC project explores the concept of a sediment circular economy for coastal adaptation in East Anglia. CoastalME is used to quantify the sand, gravel and fine material along the coast and its value as a nature-based resource. Early results suggest that allowing a 10 metre wide section of cliff between Felixstowe and Caister to recede by 1 metre would release 1.8 million cubic metres of sand. This is equivalent to the volume imported during the largest sandscaping project to date, at Bacton, at a total cost of £21 million (Johnson and others, 2020).

    At the international level, CoastalME has been used to assess the risk of flooding and erosion for the whole of Andalusia’s coastline, which extends for 1,200km, measured at a scale of 1:25,000, and traverses 5 of 8 provinces. This study represents the first attempt to map the spatial distribution of sediment thickness along this coastal zone by integrating various publicly available datasets. It demonstrated the flexible design of CoastalME by incorporating representations of geomorphological features such as ‘ramblas’ (a dry riverbed used as a road or thoroughfare) that are important sources of sediment during heavy rainfall events.

    The European Space Agency’s Destination Earth (DestinE) initiative aims ‘to create a digital model of Earth that will be used to monitor the effects of natural and human activity on our planet, anticipate extreme events and adapt policies to climate-related challenges’ (European Space Agency). The DestinE initiative is using CoastalME as part of the Digital Twin lead component on coastal processes and extremes as a thematic module to provide 4D coastal landscape capability. The integration of CoastalME into the European Space Agency’s initiative signified that this research has the potential to impact coastal areas worldwide, providing a model for global resilience in the face of climate change.

    Resources

    Argans. (2024). Coastal Processes and Extremes – EO Based Digital Twin. Available at: https://www.argans.co.uk/proj-dtc.html (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    British Geological Survey. (2025). CoastalME. Available at: https://www.osgeo.org/projects/coastalme/ (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    British Geological Survey. (2025). UKGravelBarriers Project Overview. Available at:https://earthwise.bgs.ac.uk (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2025). Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme (CTAP). Available at: https://engageenvironmentagency.uk (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2024). Resilient Coasts. Available at: https://engageenvironmentagency.uk (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2019). Coastal morphological modelling for decision-makers. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/coastal-morphological-modelling-for-decision-makers (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    European Space Agency. (2025). Destination Earth Overview. Available at: https://www.esa.int (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Hall, J. (2012). UKRI – iCOAST Project Overview. Available at: https://gotw.nerc.ac.uk (Accessed 24 March 2025).

    Johnson, M., Goodliffe, R.J.W., Doygun, G., Flikweert, J. and Spaan, G. (2020). From idea to reality: The UK’s first sandscaping project. Terra et Aqua. Spring: 158. Available at: https://www.iadc-dredging.com (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    National Oceanography Centre (NOC). (2025). CHAMFER Project Overview. Available at: https://projects.noc.ac.uk/chamfer (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Torrecillas, C., Payo, A., Cobos, M., Burke, H., Morgan, D., Smith, H. and Jenkins, G.O. (2024). Sediment Thickness Model of Andalusia’s Nearshore and Coastal Inland Topography. Journal of Marine Science Engineering. 12(2): 269. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse12020269 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Funder 

    • Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)

    Collaborators  

    • British Geological Survey
    • Oxford University
    • University of East Anglia
    • Environment Agency
    • Moffatt & Nichol

    Research period  

    • 2012 to 2016 iCOAST, NE/J005584/1
    • 2016 to 2022 BLUEcoast, NE/N015649/1
    • 2022 to 2027 CHAMFER, NE/W004992/1
    • 2024 to 2028 UKGravelBarriers, NE/Y503265/1

    Impact period  

    • 2016 to present

    Impact country  

    • UK
    • Spain (Andalusia)

    Contributing to the areas of research interest

    • 1 – Understanding future flood and coastal erosion risk
    • 2 – Resilience and adaptation to flooding and coastal change
    • 3 – Funding and investment
    • 5 – Asset management
    • 6 – Digital technology

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Working together to adapt to a changing climate

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    Working together to adapt to a changing climate

    Research supported authorities to work with communities when planning to reduce flood and coastal erosion risks.

    Workshop participants discussing engagement challenges. Image credit: Icarus

    Working together to adapt to a changing climate – flood and coast

    Rhys Kelly1, Ute Kelly1, Helen Bovey2, Karen Saunders2, Steve Smith2, Kate Kipling3 and Cath Brooks3

    1 University of Bradford, United Kingdom

    2 Icarus, United Kingdom

    3 Environment Agency, United Kingdom

    The Environment Agency led on the Working together to adapt to a changing climate initiative from 2018 to 2022. Through this research, there was a change in understanding how to work collaboratively with partners and communities on climate adaptation.

    The team articulated 6 challenges that exist when engaging with partners and the public about climate adaptation. Then, they co-created tools with 2 communities – Caterham Hill and Old Coulsdon and Hemsby – to address these challenges. The new knowledge and tools led to better community engagement and more effective partnerships. One of these tools underpinned the successful start to a £200 million flooding and coastal resilience programme.

    Impact

    The Environment Agency used one of the tools, the readiness assessment tool, for 25 projects under the £200 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. The tool identified risks, ensured partners had the same level of understanding and aspirations, improved partnership working and enabled more partners to be involved, and earlier. This underpinned the successful start of the innovation programme.

    A Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme survey respondent (2021) said:

    Without the readiness assessment [tool] the project would probably have slipped by 6 months but [we were] able to identify this issue and change project structure.

    The Environment Agency used the readiness assessment tool on 14 projects as part of the £5.2 billion Flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) investment programme. 94% of participants said that readiness assessment helped their project do things in a new, more efficient, or better way.

    The new national guidance on creating local Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) strategies led by the Environment Agency also used the readiness assessment tool. The intent was for the tool to be part of the assurance process for anyone developing a new FCERM strategy at the local level.

    A Flood Risk Engagement Advisor from the Environment Agency (2021) said:   

    …the Readiness Assessment Tool helps the Environment Agency go a step further and gather insight into how ready some of our communities are to engage around climate change. Having this information helps us to tailor our approach and meet the community [using] the right technique and with their views and challenges in mind.

    The research project also created tools for collaborative community engagement on climate change adaptation including a community readiness assessment survey, simulation and scenario development exercise. Projects in the Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme used the community survey to baseline community views and knowledge and inform engagement planning. The Making Space for Sand project in Cornwall adapted the surface water simulation to fit the coastal context.

    Measure 3.1.3 in England’s National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England was related to the research and ensured that findings were put into practice. This included using learning in the Environment Agency’s national engagement skills development programme. The research was integral to the content of training courses such as ‘engaging in changeable and uncertain times’, which was provided to staff from the Environment Agency and other risk management authorities. It is also being used in the Environment Agency’s Working With Others training for engagement professionals.

    An engagement professional from the Environment Agency participating in the training (2025) said:

    The ‘Working together to adapt to a changing climate’ report really chimes with the ‘bottom-up’ community engagement pilot project we’re developing. Considering the 6 engagement challenges is vital if we are to work more efficiently, effectively and equitably. This report helped me to better articulate the work we’re doing and align with the business objectives of the Environment Agency.

    In 2024, the project was selected as a UK case study for the G20 in Brazil. It was presented at a Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group meeting. The G20 report recognised that “the project successfully engaged a broader cross-section of the community, ensuring that previously underrepresented voices could contribute meaningfully to planning efforts” (G20, 2024).

    Resources

    Environment Agency. (2020). National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5f6b6da6e90e076c182d508d/023_15482_Environment_agency_digitalAW_Strategy.pdf (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2021). Flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) investment programme. Available at: https://environment.data.gov.uk/asset-management/downloads/capital-programme.pdf (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2023). Working together to adapt to a changing climate – flood and coast. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/working-together-to-adapt-to-a-changing-climate-flood-and-coast (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2025). Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme. Available at: https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/ctap (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2025). Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. Available at: https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/innovation-programme (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    G20. (2024). G20 Compendium of Community Based Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction. Available at: https://g20drrwg.preventionweb.net/2024/media/102073/download.html (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Kelly, R. and Kelly, U. (2023). Readiness assessment in flood risk management and climate adaptation: A mechanism for social innovation? Journal of Flood Risk Management. Available at: doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12915 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Making Space for Sand. (2025). Making Space for Sand. Available at: https://www.makingspaceforsand.co.uk (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Funder

    The research project was funded by the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) research and development programme.

    Collaborators

    • Environment Agency

    • Natural Resources Wales 

    • Surrey County Council 

    • Coastal Partnership East 

    • Icarus (as consultant) 

    • University of Bradford 

    Research period

    • 2018 to 2022

    Impact period 

    • 2021 – ongoing

    Impact country

    • England

    Contributing to the areas of research interest

    • 2 – Resilience and adaptation to flooding and coastal change

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –