NewzIntel.com

Category: 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

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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  

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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.”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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!”

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • 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 –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The interconnected risks of flooding

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    The interconnected risks of flooding

    This research was applied to give the government, flood risk management authorities and the insurance industry a better understanding of risk.

    Image credit: Environment Agency

    Transforming flood assessment at multiple scales through better statistical understanding of risk

    Rob Lamb 1, Jonathan Tawn 2, Caroline Keef 3, Ross Towe 2, Sarah Warren 3

    1 JBA Trust and Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, United Kingdom

    2 Lancaster University, United Kingdom

    3 JBA Consulting, United Kingdom

    Research led by Lancaster University, JBA and the JBA Trust – conducted over a decade – has supported the government, flood management authorities and the insurance industry to have a better understanding of flood risk from local to national scales.

    Historically, flood risk was often assessed in isolated terms. This meant the focus was on single locations or individual flood events, rather than accounting for how extreme weather patterns can co-occur across large areas. As a result, assessments could underestimate the broader, interconnected risks of flooding.

    The research team addressed this gap by developing methods that model flood events as multivariate extremes. This allowed for a more realistic estimation of the likelihood of concurrent flooding across multiple locations. The approach enabled flood risk to be assessed at a national scale, informing decisions in the UK’s National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) and aiding global reinsurance companies in risk evaluations.

    Multivariate Extreme Value theory

    The research breakthroughs were founded on multivariate extreme value theory. The theory addressed the probability of multiple extreme events occurring simultaneously. Prior to this research, methods were limited in scope, handling only a few variables or locations. While they were mathematically convenient, they didn’t align with real-world flood data, often leading to inaccurate risk estimates.

    To overcome this, Lancaster University researchers developed a conditional probability model that could handle a large number of variables with varied dependencies. This model demonstrated that, contrary to traditional beliefs, the probability of seeing a 1 in 100-year flood somewhere in England and Wales annually is as high as 88%.This finding underscored the need to shift from isolated risk descriptions to a more holistic framework, and recognised that a seemingly rare event locally could be much more probable when considered across a broader scale.

    Impact

    The new approach proved influential during the UK’s 2016 National Flood Resilience Review (NFRR), which was prompted by severe flooding in 2013 to 2014 and 2015 to 2016.

    UK Chief Scientific Adviser (2016) said:

    There was pressure on Government to better understand the risks involved. … Your contribution to the review was very important. Ministers were determined to base the review’s conclusions and recommendations on sound evidence and analysis… Our advice had significant influence on both the evidence and the way in which it was communicated.

    The government’s conclusions were heavily based on the research insights, which reshaped the understanding of flood risk. It also highlighted the urgency of comprehensive preparedness.

    A direct outcome of the NFRR was the government’s £12.5 million investment in new mobile flood defences, quadrupling the number of units from 2015 levels. Furthermore, a commitment to an ongoing £2.3 billion capital investment plan was secured, aiming to protect 300,000 homes. This strategic shift—grounded in more realistic risk assessments—increased the resilience of both urban and rural communities against future floods.

    Beyond the UK, these advancements have been influential globally, especially for the insurance and reinsurance sectors.

    Working with Lancaster University and the Environment Agency, JBA further refined the methods to improve their scalability and efficiency, leading to the development of the Multivariate Event Modeller tool. This open-source tool allows for joint probability analysis, making it accessible for environmental scientists and risk managers who need to analyse complex, interconnected flood events.

    The research has extended into ocean wave analysis, contributing to a better understanding of coastal extremes that compound flood risks, especially in coastal regions.

    These tools and insights have led to more accurate, data-driven assessments that can guide infrastructure planning, inform policy, and support sustainable urban development.

    Resources

    BBC News Article. (2016). Hundreds of key sites in England at Risk of Floods, dated 8th September 2016 corroborating £12.5 million investment means four times as many temporary flood barriers than in 2015. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-37306094 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2017). Planning for the risk of widespread flooding: Project Summary SC140002/S. Available at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Grainger, J., Sykulski, A., Jonathan, P., & Ewans, K. (2021). Estimating the parameters of ocean wave spectra. Ocean Engineering, 229, Article 108934. Available at: doi.org/10.1016/j.oceaneng.2021.108934 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Grainger, J., Sykulski, A., Ewans, K., Hansen, H. F., Jonathan, P. (2023). A multivariate pseudo-likelihood approach to estimating directional ocean wave models, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series C: Applied Statistics, Volume 72, Issue 3. Available at: doi.org/10.1093/jrsssc/qlad006 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Heffernan, J. E. and Tawn, J. A. (2004). A conditional approach to modelling multivariate extreme values (with discussion), J. Roy. Statist. Soc., B, 66, 497-547. Available at: doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9868.2004.02050.x (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    HM Government. (2016). National Flood Resilience Review (NFRR). Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    JBA Trust. (2022). Improving statistical models of large scale flood events. Available at: https://www.jbatrust.org/ (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Keef, C., Tawn, J. A. and Lamb, R. (2013). Estimating the probability of widespread flood events. Environmetrics, 24, 13-21. Available at: doi.org/10.1002/env.2190 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Lamb, R., Keef, C., Tawn, J. A., Laeger, S., Meadowcroft, I., Surendran, S., Dunning, P. and Batstone, C. (2010). A new method to assess the risk of local and widespread flooding on rivers and coasts. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 3, 323-336. Available at: doi.org/10.1111/j.1753-318X.2010.01081.x (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Multivariate Event Modeller – Github. Available at: https://github.com/jbaconsulting/Multivariate-Event-Modeller (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    REF 2021 Impact Case Study: A step-change in the understanding and quantification of risk to improve resilience to flooding, Lancaster University, Unit of Assessment: 10, Mathematical Sciences. Available at: https://results2021.ref.ac.uk/impact/ (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    REF 2021 Impact Case Study: Transforming Government assessments of flood risk and resilience through improved understanding of uncertainties in flood risk modelling Lancaster University, Unit of Assessment: 7, Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Available at: https://results2021.ref.ac.uk/impact/ (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Tawn, J. A., Shooter, R., Towe, R. and Lamb, R. (2018). Modelling spatial extreme events with environmental applications. Spatial Statistics, 28, 39-58. Available at: doi.org/10.1016/j.spasta.2018.04.007 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Towe, R., Tawn, J. A. and Lamb, R. (2018). Why extreme floods are more common than you might think? Royal Statistical Society Journal, Significance, Vol. 15, No. 6, 16-21. Available at: doi.org/10.1111/j.1740-9713.2018.01209.x (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    UK Parliament Statement. Written Statement UIN HLWS139 on the National Flood Resilience Review made by Lord Gardiner, 8th September 2016. Corroborates £12.5 million of spending on new temporary flood defences and a £2.3 billion investment to better protect 300,000 homes.

    Funder 

    • JBA Trust
    • Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
    • Environment Agency

    Collaborators  

    • Lancaster University
    • JBA Trust
    • JBA Consulting
    • Environment Agency
    • Shell Research

    Research period  

    • 2004 to 2023

    Impact period  

    • 2008 to 2017

    Impact country  

    • UK

    • Globally

    Contributing towards the 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: Climate change and peak river flows

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    Climate change and peak river flows

    Research provided vital information for planners, developers, and flood risk management authorities to prepare for future flooding scenarios. 

    Close up of a depth gauge. Credit: Environment Agency.

    Climate change impacts on peak river flows

    Alison L Kay 1, Ali Rudd 1, Matthew Fry 1, Gemma Nash 2 and Stuart Allen 3

    1 UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, United Kingdom

    2 UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

    3 Environment Agency, United Kingdom

    The Climate change and fluvial flood peaks research investigated how climate change affects fluvial flood peaks. The evidence is used to support sustainable development and investment in flood and coastal risk mitigation actions. The research spanned from 2018 to 2021 and was published in 2023.

    The research builds on past projects. In 2010, the early uplifts were assessed in the Regionalised impacts of climate change on flood flows, which used selected local hydrological models within a sensitivity framework. The hazard was regionalised using UK climate projections (UKCP09) in Practicalities for implementing regionalised allowances for climate change on flood flows. However, in this earlier research, the information on the impact of flooding relied on old climate projections and was based on modelling a limited number of locations.

    The release of updated UK climate projections (UKCP18) paired with new, national scale modelling methods, offered an opportunity to improve the information available for decision-making. The team combined the sensitivity framework with a national-scale hydrological model (Grid-to-Grid) and the UKCP18 probabilistic projections in the 2023 publication. This enabled a better understanding of potential changes to flood peaks across every 1km square of the river network in England, Wales and Scotland. In doing so, it helped to address the limitation that previous uplifts were derived from a limited number of specific catchment models. By using a consistent approach, the research team discovered varying sensitivities among catchments. This discovery helped predict how different regions would respond to climate-induced rainfall changes.

    Impact

    The research results had significant implications for flood risk management. The data produced provided more nuanced understanding of how flood peaks may change. This enabled the Environment Agency to update guidance for estimating future flood risks aimed at building developers and flood risk management authorities.

    The Environment Agency’s Director of Strategy and Adaptation (2021) said: “[w]e now have much more detail than ever before on how river flows will change at a catchment level, allowing us to address future flood and coastal risks more confidently.”

    The findings were integrated into national guidance for flood risk assessments. This ensured that developers accounted for climate change in their planning processes. Between April 2023 and March 2024, over 96% of planning decisions adhered to flood risk advice based on these updated guidelines, which demonstrated effective uptake of the research outputs.

    The Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management report: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 illustrated how the guidance helped avoid potentially unsafe developments. In particular, 60,000 homes were protected through adherence to the updated flood risk advice.

    The Environment Agency’s Chief Scientist Group’s Annual Report 2022 highlighted the successful integration of research findings into operational practices.

    The insights gained from this research provided a crucial foundation for future planning and flood risk management. For those involved in planning and flood risk management, it is vital to consult the updated guidance for conducting flood risk assessments.

    Resources

    Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). (2025). Climate change allowances for peak river flow. Available at: https://environment.data.gov.uk/hydrology/climate-change-allowances/river-flow. (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2016). Flood risk assessments: climate change allowances. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/flood-risk-assessments-climate-change-allowances (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2020). Flood and coastal risk projects, schemes and strategies: climate change allowances. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/flood-and-coastal-risk-projects-schemes-and-strategies-climate-change-allowances (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2021). Practicalities for implementing regionalised allowances for climate change on flood flows. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/practicalities-for-implementing-regionalised-allowances-for-climate-change-on-flood-flows (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2021). Regionalised impacts of climate change on flood flows. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/regionalised-impacts-of-climate-change-on-flood-flows (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2021). Managing flood risk in the face of a changing climate – Creating a better place blog. Available at: https://environmentagency.blog.gov.uk/2021/07/20/managing-flood-risk-in-the-face-of-a-changing-climate/ (Accessed: 24 March 2024).

    Environment Agency. (2023). Climate change and fluvial flood peaks. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-research-reports/climate-change-and-fluvial-flood-peaks (Accessed 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2023). Chief Scientist’s annual review 2022. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63ff3f57d3bf7f25f76ffc9d/Environment_Agency_Chief_Scientist_s_annual_review_2022.pdf (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2024). Flood and coastal erosion risk management report: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-and-coastal-risk-management-national-report/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-report-1-april-2023-to-31-march-2024 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Kay, A.L., Rudd, A.C., Fry, M., Nash, G. and Allen, S. (2021). Climate change impacts on peak river flows: Combining national-scale hydrological modelling and probabilistic projections. Climate Risk Management. Vol 31. Available at: doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2020.100263 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Met Office. (2021). Met Office UKCP18 case study. Available at: https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/research/ukcp/ceh_ukcp_case_study.pdf (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. (2014). Guidance: Flood risk and coastal change. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/flood-risk-and-coastal-change (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Reynard, N. S., Kay, A. L., Anderson, M., Donovan, B., & Duckworth, C. (2017). The evolution of climate change guidance for fluvial flood risk management in England. Progress in Physical Geography, 41(2), 222-237. Available at: doi.org/10.1177/0309133317702566 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH). (2025). Climate change impacts on river flood peaks. Available at: https://cc-flood-impacts.ceh.ac.uk/ (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Wasko, C., Westra, S., Nathan, R., Orr, H.G., Villarini, G., Villalobos Herrera, R. and Fowler, H.J. (2021). Incorporating climate change in flood estimation guidance – Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A. 379: 20190548. Available at: doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2019.0548 (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
    • UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
    • Natural Resources Wales
    • Scottish Environmental Protection Agency

    Research period

    • 2018 to 2021

    Impact period

    • 2021 to present

    Impact country

    • England
    • Scotland
    • Wales

    Contributing to the 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: The Levee Safety Partnership

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    The Levee Safety Partnership

    The Levee Safety Partnership brings together experts from 3 countries to focus on emerging challenges and opportunities in flood defence infrastructure assets.

    Levee safety Partnership, York 2023. Image credit: Environment Agency.

    Levee Safety Partnership

    Environment Agency (United Kingdom), Rijkswaterstaat (the Netherlands) and the United States Army Corp of Engineers (United States of America)

    The Levee Safety Partnership (LSP) is a collaboration uniting engineers and researchers from the Netherlands, the USA, and the UK. It was established after Hurricane Katrina in 2004, when the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) sought expertise from Rijkswaterstaat in the Netherlands to enhance levee safety risk management. In 2014, the Environment Agency joined the partnership.

    The Environment Agency has Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) in place with both organisations, underpinned by mutual agreement. The purpose of the MoUs is the sharing of common technical interests, and to cooperate in the development of joint activities in the field of Integrated Water Resources Management. To support this, participants exchange scientific and technical information, participate in visits and staff exchanges, run a community of practice, seminars and workshops and share best practices and lessons learned.

    Impact

    In 2024 and 2025, the research focused on surface protection specifically improving resilience and biodiversity in both vegetation and soils. This led to a collated evidence base to support improvements in seed mix, where further trials are intended before adapting current practice.

    Across 2023 and 2024 workshops helped to improve understanding on backwards erosion piping. Engagement with the International Handbook on Emergency Management for Flood Defences has led to further research to improve the evidence base behind options for emergency response to asset failure.

    The Levee Safety Partnership has raised awareness about levee safety topics, techniques, and technologies. This includes the development of the International Levee Handbook (ILH). Launched in 2013, the handbook offers international good practice on levees, based on knowledge and experience from 6 countries. It provides a guide to the evaluation, design, implementation, maintenance and management of levees and is relevant to the types of flood embankment managed by the Environment Agency, private owners and other operating authorities in the UK.

    Alongside research and development, the partnership has also supported exchanging best practice. For example, in 2017 at a meeting in St. Louis, the members evaluated a levee using methodologies from the Environment Agency, Rijkswaterstaat and the USACE. This cross-comparison evaluation led to valuable lessons and the adoption of an “American Style” assessment approach in the Netherlands.

    Staff exchanges led by the partnership have helped build capacity and develop the skills and knowledge of professionals. In 2024, a USACE member relocated to England for several months, supporting a review of asset resilience and assessment of risk. This person presented the Levee Safety Tool (LST2.0) to the Environment Agency, demonstrating how it can enhance the Environment Agency’s RAFT+ tool. Later in 2024, a member of the Environment Agency relocated to the USA for a year to focus on potential improvements to Environment Agency standards and share best practice.

    The partnership also runs an early career network. The network supports the development of younger engineers and scientists that are members of the partnership, typically within the first 5 to 10 years of their careers. It has created useful resources including country placemats describing context, governance and assessment methodology.

    The impact extends beyond the partnership. The Levee Safety Partnership regularly updates and participates in the annual International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) which is formed of over 100 countries and has a subcommittee on levees. Various spin-off groups have also emerged from the LSP, focusing on themes such as coastal zone management and incident management. The levee incident group is a parallel group that exists under the same Memorandum of Understanding, focused  on levee safety incident response.

    Impacts have also included a Tolerable Risk Workshop (2008 and 2020) and a ‘one levee, three methods’ assessment review, where each nation applied the other nations approach to their levee and a SWOT analysis led to considered outcomes. A similar review on the approach to climate change (resilience), as well as country governance, strategies and methodologies has helped nations to consider options. The success of the group has led to further groups of a similar nature in coastal zone management, storm surge barriers, and incident management.

    Resources

    CIRIA. (2013). The International Levee Handbook. Available at: The International Levee Handbook (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Rijkswaterstaat. (2024). International Handbook on Emergency Management Flood Defences. Available at: International Handbook on Emergency Management for Flood Defences (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Rijkswaterstaat. (2025). International Partnerships. Available at: https://www.rijkswaterstaat.nl/en/collaboration/international-partnerships/ (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    United States Army Corp of Engineers. Levee Safety Program. Available at: Levee Safety Program (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Funder

    The Environment Agency research components of the LSP are  funded by the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) research and development programme.

    Collaborators

    • Environment Agency

    • United States Army Corp of Engineers (USACE)

    • Rijkswaterstaat

    Research period 

    • Ongoing

    Impact period 

    • Ongoing

    Impact country 

    • United Kingdom

    • United States of America

    • Netherlands

    Contributing to areas of research interest

    • 5 – Asset management

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Social inequality and flood risk

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Case study

    Social inequality and flood risk

    Flooding is a growing environmental threat across the UK, but not all communities experience its impacts equally.

    View of damage following a flood. Image credit: Environment Agency.

    Flood risk, inequalities and justice

    Gordon Walker 1 and Peter Bailey 2

    1 Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, United Kingdom

    2 Environment Agency, United Kingdom

    The Environment Agency commissioned research between 2006 and 2022 that explored the social distribution of environmental risks across England. The research found a link between social deprivation and flood vulnerability. The Environment Agency has used these findings to update its evidence base on the social distribution of flood risk and decision-making rules for investment.

    Impact

    Taken together, the research on social inequality and flood risk has influenced academic and policy understandings of not only inequalities in the distribution of flood risk, but also clear differentials in the vulnerabilities of households when flooding is experienced.

    The first report Addressing environmental inequalities: flood risk led by Gordon Walker was published in 2006. This analysis demonstrated a clear inequality in that people living in deprived communities – as measured by the Index of Multiple Deprivation – were more likely to be at risk of flooding. The pattern of risk from coastal flooding was particularly skewed towards deprived communities, with river flooding more evenly distributed (Figure 1).

    Figure 1: Total households at different levels of risk from river and sea flooding by deprivation decile within coastal areas. Credit: Environment Agency.

    These findings shaped flood policies. In 2010 the Environment Agency’s corporate indicators for flooding included an outcome measure for flood schemes of homes better protected in deprived areas (Environment Agency, 2015). Then in 2011, the Government introduced a partnership funding policy for flooding. This policy included an incentive that gave a higher rate of funding for schemes protecting homes in deprived areas from flooding (Defra, 2011).

    Published in 2011, the article Flood risk, vulnerability and environmental justice: evidence and evaluation of inequality in a UK context built upon the 2006 research. It explored the related issues of flood vulnerability and flood justice. The article has been widely cited, providing a foundation for similar analyses that have since been undertaken in the US and various European countries. It was also one of the first articles in the UK and internationally to bring flooding within an environmental justice framing.

    In 2020, the Environment Agency updated the original 2006 analysis. It used the updated Index of Multiple Deprivation as well as the latest version of the National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA). This version of NaFRA addressed some of the shortcomings of the 2006 analysis such as including the benefit of flood defence schemes in the flood risk exposure data. The report was published in 2022 in Social deprivation and the likelihood of flooding. The updated analysis still found evidence of flood inequalities in England.

    The findings included:

    • the size of the inequality was smaller than the 2006 study, because national flood data included flood defences and many schemes were built since 2006
    • deprived coastal communities still experienced significant flood inequalities
    • flood inequalities found within rural areas were greater than those in urban areas
    • the analysis suggested that recent investment has been relatively successful in reducing flood risk exposure inequality for the 20% most deprived areas in England

    The updated analysis and the 2022 report have been used by the National Audit Office in Managing flood risk: Report by the Comptroller and Auditor General.

    Resources 

    Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). (2011). Flood and Coastal Resilience Partnership Funding. London: Defra. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c89f1ed915d48c2410708/pb13896-flood-coastal-resilience-policy.pdf (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2006). Addressing Environmental Inequalities: Flood Risk. Science Report: SC020061/SR1. Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7c365ced915d76e2ebbd58/scho0905bjok-e-e.pdf (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2015). Flood and coastal erosion risk management Outcome Measures. Progress made towards achieving the Flood And Coastal Erosion Risk Management Outcome Measures target: July 2014 to September 2014. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-outcome-measures (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2022). Social deprivation and the likelihood of flooding. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-deprivation-and-the-likelihood-of-flooding (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Environment Agency. (2024). National assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk in England 2024. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-assessment-of-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-in-england-2024/national-assessment-of-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-in-england-2024 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Ministry of Housing and Local Government. (2020). English indices of deprivation. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/english-indices-of-deprivation (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    National Audit Office (NAO). (2020). Managing flood risk – NAO report. Available at: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/managing-flood-risk/?nab=2 – downloads (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Walker, G. and Burningham, K. (2011). Flood risk, vulnerability and environmental justice: Evidence and evaluation of inequality in a UK context. Critical Social Policy Volume 31, Issue 2, pp. 216–240. Available at: doi.org/10.1177/0261018310396149 (Accessed: 24 March 2025).

    Funder 

    • Environment Agency

    Research period  

    • 2006 to 2022

    Impact period  

    • 2006 to present

    Impact country  

    • UK

    Contributing to the areas of research interest

    • 8 – Integrated outcomes

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: FCERM research outcomes and impact

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    News story

    FCERM research outcomes and impact

    Research investment is making an impact in managing flooding and coastal change.

    On 4 April 2025, the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) research and development programme published a collection of case studies. They highlight how research has been used to improve flood and coastal erosion risk management by connecting people who have operational problems with researchers who have solutions.

    The case studies cover diverse topics – from modelling with advanced technologies like digital twins, to using natural flood management measures, to applying people’s local flood knowledge and improving how we work with communities.

    The FCERM research and development programme is a collaborative partnership between the Environment Agency, Defra, Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales. We work with partners from academia, industry and across government.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire: John Marshall

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments 3

    Press release

    Change of His Majesty’s Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire: John Marshall

    Mr John Marshall has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Togo.

    His Majesty’s Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire (and non-resident Ambassador to Togo), John Marshall

    Mr John Marshall has been appointed His Majesty’s Ambassador to the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire and non-resident Ambassador to the Republic of Togo in succession to Ms Catherine Brooker who will be transferring to another Diplomatic Service appointment. Mr Marshall will take up his appointment during June 2025.

    Curriculum vitae

    Full name: John Marshall

    Year Role
    2023 to present Guinea, His Majesty’s Ambassador
    2021 to 2022 Brussels, Temporary Assignment
    2016 to 2021 Luxembourg, Her Majesty’s Ambassador
    2011 to 2015 Dakar, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Senegal and Her Majesty’s non-resident Ambassador to Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde
    2007 to 2011 Addis Ababa, Deputy Head of Mission
    2004 to 2006 FCO, Deputy Head, Sustainable Development and Commonwealth Group
    2003 to 2004 FCO, Head, Caribbean Team
    2000 to 2003 Kuala Lumpur, Head of Political, Economic and Public Diplomacy
    1997 to 1999 FCO, Head of Political Section, United Nations Department
    1995 to 1997 FCO, Head of India, Nepal and Bhutan Section, South Asian Department
    1992 to 1995 Tokyo, 2nd Secretary Economic/Political
    1988 Joined Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Media enquiries

    Email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk

    Telephone 020 7008 3100

    Contact the FCDO Communication Team via email (monitored 24 hours a day) in the first instance, and we will respond as soon as possible.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: New Chair appointed for Creative Scotland review

    Source: Scottish Government

    Evidence-led review to report by November.

    A new Chair has been appointed to lead the independent review of Creative Scotland, Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has announced.

    Angela Leitch CBE will replace Dame Sue Bruce, who withdrew from the role on health grounds in March.

    In a letter to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs & Culture Committee, Mr Robertson said Ms Leitch would be supported in the role by Stuart Currie as Vice Chair.

    The Culture Secretary also confirmed that the timeframe to publish recommendations would be extended until November, to allow the new Review team sufficient time to gather and consider evidence from the sector.

    Mr Robertson said:

    “I am delighted to report that Angela Leitch CBE has agreed to lead the independent review, supported by Stuart Currie as Vice Chair. Both Angela and Stuart bring a wealth of local government and public sector experience.

    “With the 2025-26 Scottish Budget including a record £34 million uplift for culture, including an additional £20 million for Creative Scotland’s multi-year funding programme, the review will consider Creative Scotland’s functions and remit to maximise the impact of this increase and ensure it can meet the culture sector’s needs.

    “In the meantime, I welcome the fact that our survey seeking the culture sector’s views on how culture and the arts are currently supported and areas for change, received more than 750 responses from individuals and organisations across Scotland. This feedback, which will be published later this Spring, will no doubt inform the independent Creative Scotland review.”

    Ms Leitch said:

    “Culture and the arts provide us with a sense of belonging, preserving our history and traditions, and promoting an understanding of different perspectives. It’s well recognised that the sector and the people who work within it contribute significantly to Scotland’s society, our communities, and the economy.

    “It’s also recognised that the context cultural organisations and artists are now operating in has changed considerably since Creative Scotland was established in 2010. I welcome the opportunity to work with colleagues in Creative Scotland and across the sector to review its remit and functions with a view to ensuring it continues to be relevant today.”

    Background:

    Angela Leitch has more than thirty years’ experience in local government, having worked in West Lothian and the City of Edinburgh councils before becoming Chief Executive firstly in Clackmannanshire Council and then East Lothian Council. In 2019 Angela was appointed as the Chief Executive of the newly formed Public Health Scotland, which amongst other responsibilities, played a crucial role in producing data, evidence and advice throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. She stepped down from this role in April 2023.

    Angela was Convenor of the Board of the Scottish Local Authority Remuneration Committee which presented its report on changes to the payments to elected members, in December 2023, to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and Scottish Government Ministers.

    She is a member of the Accounts Committee and the Scottish Police Authority. She is also Chair of YouthLink Scotland and is a Trustee of the homelessness prevention charity Cyrenians.

    The independent review into Creative Scotland was first announced in the 2024-25 Programme for Government, as the first review of Creative Scotland since its establishment in 2010. The Scottish Budget 2025-26 provides an increase of £34 million to culture in Scotland, including £20 million for Creative Scotland’s multi-year funding programme.

    Following Dame Sue Bruce’s withdrawal on health grounds, and the appointment of Angela Leitch CBE as the new Chair, the independent review is now expected to publish recommendations in November 2025. Further details on the review process, including the terms of reference, will be set out to Parliament in due course.

    Chair of Creative Scotland review confirmed – gov.scot, 13 January 2025

    Letter from the Cabinet Secretary, Constitution, External Affairs and Culture in relation to the Culture Sector Review, 4 March 2025

    The full text of the Culture Secretary’s letter to update the CEEAC Committee on the appointment of Angela Leitch CBE as Chair of the independent review of Creative Scotland is as follows:

    2 April, 2025

    Dear Clare,

    INDEPENDENT REVIEW OF CREATIVE SCOTLAND

    As I shared in my previous letter of 4 March 2025, unfortunately Dame Sue Bruce has had to withdraw from leading the Review of Creative Scotland on health grounds.

    The process for appointing a successor to chair the Review of Creative Scotland has now concluded and I am delighted to report that Angela Leitch CBE has agreed to lead the Review. Angela brings a wealth of public sector experience having worked at senior level in local authorities for over two decades and served as Chief Executive for Public Health Scotland for four years. I am also pleased to confirm that the Chair will be supported by Stuart Currie who has agreed to act as Vice Chair. Stuart brings a wide range of skills and knowledge in both local government and the public sector. 

    I know the Committee shares my view that the Review will be immensely valuable work and should be completed without undue delay. Unfortunately Dame Sue’s withdrawal means that the timescale for completion will be longer than originally anticipated. I am sure you will agree that whilst the delay is unfortunate it is important that the Chair has time to undertake an evidence led Review of Creative Scotland. I have therefore asked the Chair to provide the Scottish Ministers with recommendations and a written report in November. I can also confirm that good progress is being made with consideration of the responses to the sector wide survey which took place earlier this year and the analysis of the consultation responses will be published later this Spring.

    The key objectives of the Review will be to:

    1. consider Creative Scotland’s functions and remit, as set out in the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, to ensure they continue to be relevant for the culture sector and meet Ministers’ aspirations;
    2. evaluate how Creative Scotland delivers its functions including appropriateness of existing governance arrangements; and
    3. maximise the impact of the funding Creative Scotland provide to the culture sector by ensuring Creative Scotland use and distribute funding appropriately and effectively.

    I appreciate the Committee’s continued interest and involvement in the work to date and I would like to thank you for your patience whilst the appointment process has been underway. I know that the Chair will be keen to meet with you to discuss the final remit of the Review. The Secretariat of the Creative Scotland Review would be happy to help in arranging a meeting and can be contacted at creativescotlandreview@gov.scot

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Psychology in policing and criminology under spotlight at Aberdeen conference The impact of AI and other emerging technologies on modern policing will be investigated during an annual psychology event taking place in Aberdeen later this month.

    Source: University of Aberdeen

    Dr Eva RubinovaThe impact of AI and other emerging technologies on modern policing will be investigated during an annual psychology event taking place in Aberdeen later this month.
    Organised jointly by the University of Aberdeen, Abertay University and the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, the Applied Psychology in Policing Settings conference will focus on the use of new technology to support and work with vulnerable groups, as well as the impact of AI and other emerging technologies on policing research and practice.
    Academics from the Universities of Aberdeen, Stirling and Birmingham City will give presentations on a range of topics, including the effects of alcohol on memory recall in investigative interviews, using virtual reality to improve eyewitness testimony and how facial recognition assists police investigations.
    Dr Eva Rubinova, Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen’s School of Psychology, co-organised the event with Dr Penny Woolnough, Reader in Forensic and Investigative Psychology at Abertay University and Associate Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research; and Dr Julie Gawrylowicz, Reader in Applied Cognitive Psychology at Abertay University.
    Dr Rubinova will give a presentation on her research exploring strategies for interviewing witnesses in domestic abuse cases. Her project aims to collect information about practices currently used by Police Scotland officers when collecting witness statements in these cases, to inform future research.
    “We are excited to host the fourth networking conference of the Evidence and Investigation Network of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research at the University of Aberdeen,” said Dr Rubinova. “The lineup of speakers includes Aberdeen, Scottish and UK academics, all experts in their fields who will share their cutting-edge research focused on innovative technologies and evidence gathering in cases involving vulnerable groups.
    “Delegates will have opportunities to network and develop new collaborations focused on solving issues in everyday policing practice. We hope the conference will educate and inform our audience and inspire the development of new ideas and knowledge exchange.”
    Dr Clare Sutherland and Dr Travis Seale-Carlisle, from the University of Aberdeen’s School of Psychology, will also give talks at the event on hyperrealistic AI and improving eyewitness identifications respectively.
    Free to attend, Applied Psychology in Policing Settings 2025 will take place on 16 April, 10am to 4pm, at the University of Aberdeen King’s College Conference Centre. You can book your place and find out more here.

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Second shipment of vitrified waste from UK to Germany completed

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    News story

    Second shipment of vitrified waste from UK to Germany completed

    The second of three planned shipments of high level waste in the form of vitrified residues has been safely delivered to Germany.

    Seven flasks containing high level waste were transported from the Sellafield site, West Cumbria to the port of Barrow-in-Furness by rail.

    The flasks were then loaded on to the specialist nuclear transport vessel Pacific Grebe, operated by Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS) for transfer to the German port. The waste was then transported by rail in Germany to the ISAR federal storage facility arriving on 03 April 2025.

    This shipment was carried out in full compliance with all appropriate national and international regulations.

    The waste returned resulted from the reprocessing and recycling of spent nuclear fuel at Sellafield which had previously been used to produce electricity by utilities in Germany.

    Vitrified Residue Returns are a key component of the UK’s strategy to repatriate high level waste from the Sellafield site, fulfil overseas contracts and deliver on government policy.

    Sellafield Ltd’s programme manager Jonathan Clingan said:

    Thanks to the excellent work of various teams at Sellafield Ltd, NTS and other partners in the UK and overseas, we have safely delivered the second Vitrified Residue Return to Germany, delivering a key milestone in the UK Government’s commitment to returning waste to overseas customers.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Current events in Turkey: UK Statement to the OSCE

    Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

    Speech

    Current events in Turkey: UK Statement to the OSCE

    Ambassadors Holland says the UK is closely monitoring the situation in Turkey.

    Thank you, Mr Chair.  We are closely monitoring the situation in Türkiye. This is an ongoing domestic Turkish legal process, and the UK expects Türkiye to uphold its international commitments and the rule of law, including swift and transparent judicial processes. 

    We have raised recent events with the Turkish Government and the Foreign Secretary spoke with Foreign Minister Fidan to raise the UK’s concern. 

    The UK is a staunch supporter of democracy, human rights and the rule of law across the world and will always support the fundamental rights to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly and media freedom.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Paul Turner sworn in as International Commissioner of Solomon Islands Scouts Association

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    World news story

    Paul Turner sworn in as International Commissioner of Solomon Islands Scouts Association

    Paul Turner took his Oath at Government House on Thursday 3 April 2025 before Chief Scout and Governor General of Solomon Islands, His Excellency Sir David Tiva Kapu.

    Group photo with the newly appointed International Commissioner of Scout, His Excellency Paul Turner.

    British High Commissioner to Solomon Islands and Non-Resident Commissioner to the Republic of Nauru, His Excellency Paul Robert Turner is the new International Commissioner of the Solomon Islands Scout Association.

    High Commissioner Paul Turner took his Oath at Government House on Thursday 3 April 2025 before Chief Scout and Governor General of Solomon Islands, His Excellency Sir David Tiva Kapu in a brief investiture and installation programme.

    Chief Commissioner of Scout, Joe Billy Oge welcomed the new International Commissioner to the Scout Movement:

    Welcome to the worldwide brotherhood of Scouting your Excellency British High Commissioner as the newly appointed International Commissioner for Solomon Islands Scout Association. We look forward to a close working relationship with you during your term in office in Solomon Islands.

    In his brief remarks, new International Commissioner of the Scout Movement, Paul Turner said:

    I was once in the scouts as a boy and I know the huge value the scouts can bring, both to young people and local communities. The scouts offer wonderful opportunities for boys to develop a range of life skills and to be a key part of the community.

    The Oath of Office ceremony was administered by the office of the Chief Commissioner before His Excellency the Governor General and Chief Scout of Solomon Islands Sir David Tiva Kapu. He was assisted by the Chairman of the Scout Council Mr. William Barile and National Commissioner for Training Mr. Edward James Anisi.

    The appointments were approved by the Scout Council and signed by His Excellency the Governor General and Chief Scout of Solomon Islands, Sir David Tiva Kapu.

    The Solomon Islands Scout Association was admitted as the 172nd member of the World Organisation of Scout Movement (WOSM) with voting rights as of 30 June 2021.

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI United Kingdom: CMA believes remedies offer in Safran / Collins may address competition concerns

    Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

    Press release

    CMA believes remedies offer in Safran / Collins may address competition concerns

    CMA considers that undertakings offered by aerospace equipment manufacturer Safran could resolve competition concerns relating to its acquisition of part of aerospace business Collins.

    istock

    The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is considering Safran’s offer of undertakings, which includes the sale of substantially all of Safran’s business in the design and production of Trimmable Horizontal Stabilizer Actuator (THSA) systems, to remedy the competition concerns it identified during its Phase 1 investigation.

    Having provisionally found that these undertakings could address the CMA’s concerns, the CMA will now proceed to considering them in more detail, including seeking third party feedback, and if satisfied, will clear the deal.

    THSA is a vital component in commercial aircraft design and allows for movement of the horizontal tail of an aircraft. The tail helps to maintain stability, reduce drag, and keep the aircraft airborne. Whilst aircraft components like THSA are made around the world, Collins maintains a manufacturing presence in the north of the UK.

    Both businesses conceded at an early stage in the CMA’s investigation that the deal raises competition concerns and informed the CMA they would submit undertakings to address these concerns. Since then, the CMA has had constructive, early engagement with the businesses on possible remedies.

    The CMA is concerned the deal – if allowed to proceed without remedies – could increase the cost of THSA components or lower innovation and lead to fewer options available for aircraft manufacturers to choose from. This could, in turn, lead to less innovative products or increased prices for aircraft customers such as airlines and logistics companies should these manufacturers pass the increased costs onto them.

    Naomi Burgoyne, Senior Director for Mergers at the CMA, said:

    From an early stage in our investigation we have engaged with the companies on the proposals they have put forward to resolve competition concerns related to THSA systems used on aircraft.

    THSA systems are an important part of an aircraft’s design. A competitive supply chain ensures those looking to purchase aircraft – be they airlines or logistics firms – have the best options available at the best prices. We’ll need to consider feedback on these undertakings, but our preliminary view is these may resolve our concerns.

    More information can be found here Safran / Collins merger inquiry – GOV.UK

    Notes to editors:

    1. Safran is a company headquartered in Paris, France, and active in the design, manufacture and sale of aerospace equipment. Collins is a US manufacturer of actuation systems in the aerospace industry and maintains a presence in the north of the UK.
    2. The CMA considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the undertakings offered by the companies, or a modified version of them, might be accepted by the CMA and is considering the offer. Formal acceptance of the undertakings would result in the CMA clearing the deal under the Enterprise Act 2002.
    3. Safran will retain a small THSA business that is commercially and operationally separate from the primary THSA business to be divested.
    4. For media enquiries, please contact the CMA press office on 0203 738 6460 or press@cma.gov.uk

    Updates to this page

    Published 4 April 2025

    MIL OSI United Kingdom –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: Waverley man charged over fuel thefts

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    Waverley man charged over fuel thefts

    Friday, 4 April 2025 – 2:18 pm.

    A man has been charged with 48 offences following an investigation into vehicle damage and fuel theft across Launceston.
    Between January and April this year, several vehicles were targeted. 
    Northern Criminal Investigation Branch today charged a 31-year-old Waverley man with 24 counts of stealing and 24 counts of injure property.
    He will appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court at a later date.
    Anyone with information should contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1800 333 000 or online at crimestopperstas.com.au

    MIL OSI News –

  • MIL-Evening Report: Heroin found in cocaine and ‘ice’, and snorting a line can be lethal

    Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Darren Roberts, Conjoint Associate Professor in Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, St Vincent’s Healthcare Clinical Campus, UNSW Sydney

    Skrypnykov Dmytro/Shutterstock

    Authorities in New South Wales and Victoria have been warning the public about worrying cases of heroin overdoses after people thought they had taken cocaine or methamphetamine.

    We know the issue is also relevant to other parts of Australia. And it’s particularly concerning because heroin can cause life-threatening opioid overdoses, particularly in people inexperienced with heroin who snort it.

    Our new research sheds more light on what happens to people who accidentally took heroin thinking it was something else.

    What we did and what we found

    We are part of a NSW Health program that helps to find and quickly respond to concerning illicit and recreational drug poisonings and trends. The program is a collaboration between many government health services, including hospitals, the NSW Poisons Information Centre and labs.

    We searched our database and found 34 cases of opioid overdoses after using what people thought to be a stimulant drug between January 2022 and June 2024. A total of 19 people thought they were taking cocaine and 15 methamphetamine.

    Most of these 34 people had a severe opioid overdose requiring treatment by paramedics and in hospital. Sadly, two people died.

    Heroin was the opioid in all cases where we specifically tested for it, and we suspect all the cases.

    Cases occurred across NSW but most cases (68%) were in Sydney. In the last eight months of our study we identified multiple cases each month which may indicate these cases are becoming more common.

    In the United States, drugs like cocaine and methamphetamine are sometimes mixed with the potent opioid drug fentanyl. This unintentional use of opioids is causing many deaths in the US. But we didn’t find any evidence that fentanyl was the cause of the overdoses we examined.

    What happens when you take heroin by accident?

    Cocaine and methamphetamine are stimulant drugs. These are drugs that make a person feel more energetic and confident, and their pupils become larger.

    They have the opposite effect to heroin, which is an opioid and sedative. Heroin and other opioids make a person feel relaxed and often drowsy, with smaller pupils.

    When overdosing, opioids cause loss of consciousness and a person’s breathing slows or even stops, which is life-threatening. Severe opioid overdose without prompt treatment is lethal.

    If you expect to be taking cocaine or methamphetamine, but it is actually heroin, or has some heroin in it, you will very likely overdose. This is particularly true if you don’t usually take opioids, or if you use it for the first time. People can overdose from as little as snorting a line.

    Why is this happening?

    Sometimes people get a different drug than they wanted. This can happen because the drug is mixed with something else or swapped.

    This can happen for many reasons, including during manufacturing and distribution. It can happen intentionally or unintentionally by the dealer or people using the drug.

    One major reason is that you sometimes can’t tell heroin apart from cocaine or methamphetamine just by looking at them. So if drugs are mixed or swapped, you can’t always tell until you take them.

    What can we do about it?

    Opioid deaths are preventable. Government and community groups are working together to respond to the problem, either via issuing drug alerts or by educating their members.

    But people who take illicit or recreational drugs can reduce their risk by avoiding using drugs alone, and by making sure one person in their group is able to get help if needed.

    Unexpected sleepiness is a reason to seek help, not to simply rest. Start CPR if someone is not responsive and call 000.

    If someone is not responsive, start CPR and call 000.
    PanuShot/Shutterstock

    How about naloxone?

    Definitely, if someone is experiencing an opioid overdose, give them naloxone as soon as possible.

    Naloxone is a life-saving medicine that can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose. It comes in an easy-to-use nasal spray, and as a pre-filled injection.

    It’s available for free and without a prescription via the national Take Home Naloxone program. You can also order it online and get it by post.

    Naloxone is for anyone who may experience, or witness, an opioid overdose or adverse reaction.

    NSW authorities recommend it for people who use any illicit drugs including opioids, stimulants (like cocaine, methamphetamine and MDMA), ketamine and counterfeit pharmaceuticals, due to the risk of drugs being mixed with something else or swapped. Call 000 even if you have given naloxone.

    You can report unexpected overdoses to the Poisons Information Centre from anywhere in Australia on 131 126. In an emergency in Australia, call 000.

    Darren Roberts is the Medical Director of the NSW Poisons Information Centre and a clinical toxicologist and addiction medicine specialist at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital

    Jared Brown is affiliated with NSW Ministry of Health and NSW Poisons Information Centre.

    Peter Chisholm is a is a public health registrar in Drug and Alcohol Services at The Langton Centre and Prince of Wales Hospital.

    – ref. Heroin found in cocaine and ‘ice’, and snorting a line can be lethal – https://theconversation.com/heroin-found-in-cocaine-and-ice-and-snorting-a-line-can-be-lethal-253348

    MIL OSI Analysis – EveningReport.nz –

  • MIL-OSI Australia: More police hitting the beat in Tasmania

    Source: New South Wales Community and Justice

    More police hitting the beat in Tasmania

    Friday, 4 April 2025 – 12:55 pm.

    Tasmania Police has welcomed 15 new constables into its ranks today, with recruit course 5/2024 officially graduating from the police academy.
    Education and Training Commander Damien George said the new officers have worked hard to complete their training and are ready to begin serving the Tasmanian community from next week.
    “Each one of these 15 people should be extremely proud of what they have already achieved, and I look forward to seeing where their new career takes them,” he said.
    “From project managers to personal trainers, our new police officers will bring a range of past experiences to the job when they hit the beat in Glenorchy, Launceston, Devonport, Burnie, Bridgewater and Hobart.”
    “They’re stepping into roles which are anything but ordinary, with each shift offering a new opportunity to serve and engage with our communities.”
    “I encourage anyone who’s looking to find purpose and a job where every moment matters to consider applying to join Tasmania Police.”
    “At Tasmania Police, your actions have meaning, your efforts have purpose, and your presence makes a difference.”
    Constable Callan Sexton and Constable Kate McMaster have been awarded Dux of Course and Runner-up Dux of Course, respectively.
    Both new officers said they are looking forward to their first day in the job.
    “It’s an exciting thing to be finishing up our time at the academy and then starting brand new at our stations,” Constable Sexton said.
    Constable McMaster said she can’t wait to start her new career.
    “My advice for anyone thinking of applying, is to go for it.”
    “It’s never too late to apply or change your career – prior to joining Tasmania Police I had been studying at university for a decade”.
    “I decided to apply because of the dynamic nature of the job, and the endless opportunities provided,” she said.
    For more information about Tasmania Police recruitment, visit https://recruitment.police.tas.gov.au/

    MIL OSI News –