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Deputy Prime Minister warns UK is “in cyber and economic contestation with an increasing range of state and non-state actors”.

This is the Government’s response to the Business and Trade Committee’s submission to the NSI Call for Evidence.

We want to hear your views on how the NSI regime can be even more business friendly while maintaining and honing the essential protections we need for our national security

Pick Everard have announced the completion of a new facility for the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) to host rehearsals and performances.

According to Pick Everard, a national multi-disciplinary consultancy working within the property sector, the new establishment, which held its topping out ceremony last September, can now house all 54 musicians serving under RMAS – the organisation where all officers in the British Army are trained to take on the responsibility of leading their soldiers. 

Funded by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) under the Defence Estate Optimisation (DEO) Army Programme, the refurbished buildings include an instrument store, music library and rehearsal rooms, as well as offices, storage, changing rooms, and a crew room that will support performances such as passing out parades and Sovereign’s parades.  

Commenting on the achievement, Matt Carter, director at Pick Everard, said creating the new development has been a ‘complex’ yet rewarding project.

‘This has been a complex undertaking, which involved close collaboration with our project partners to navigate several onsite challenges, including ecology operations to ensure our work would not interfere with natural habitats present onsite,’ Matt said. ‘Our teams were committed to delivering a facility of the highest standard, with green credentials, which is reflected in our DREAM ratings.’

Matt added: ‘British Army Band Sandhurst musicians now have a modern and acoustically optimised environment, that is befitting of their reputation for excellence on the UK Defence stage.’

In addition to helping RMAS, the new development is also beneficial to the environment. Air source heat pumps, solar panels and programmable lighting systems have been fitted within the building.

Against this backdrop, social value was also integral to the project, with the team providing free decoration services to community centres nearby. These centres will also host coffee mornings with the veterans to discuss and raise awareness about mental health.

Debs Thorne, Joint Bands School Programme Manager, said: ‘This project is a fantastic example of the significant investment underway across the Army estate, to support military training and future capability through delivery of modern, sustainable infrastructure. I have been really impressed by the quality of the finished buildings and I trust that the British Army Band Sandhurst will soon feel at home in their new, purpose-built music facility.’

The Ensemble Band are due to move into the building this summer and an official opening event is planned for autumn 2024.

Images: RMAS

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New research from Envirohomes Renewables has revealed that properties in the Isles of Scilly are the worse affected as just 14.9% have an EPC rating of band ‘c’ or above.

The Scottish-based organisation studied data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) which displayed the percentage of homes in each local authority with an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) of band ‘C’ or above.

Properties with an EPC rating of band ‘C’ often meet the minimum energy efficiency standards required by building regulations. However, having a ‘B’ or an ‘A’ rating is preferred.

According to the research, the Isles of Scilly, which is located off the Cornish coast, has the lowest number of energy efficient homes in England. The data examined found that in 2022, just 14.09% of properties in the area had an EPC rating of ‘C’ or above – the lowest in England by almost 10%.

However, homes in Pendle, which is situated in Lancashire, aren’t far behind. Experts found that a mere 21.83% of properties here reach the required EPC ratings. In addition, only 24.84% of homes in South Essex have EPC ratings of ‘C’ or above.

Research from Envirohomes Renewables.

Commenting on the news, Ross Jones, director of Envirohomes Renewables, said: ‘While there are many ways you can save money on energy for your home, having a low energy efficiency rating can make this very difficult from the start, and costs will add up, and with the current cost of living this can be a serious problem. However, if you live in one of these areas, you can improve your EPC rating by installing insulation, changing your lighting, replacing your boiler, and more.’

The new research, which was published earlier this week, coincides with government plans to ensure all fuel-poor homes have an EPC rating of a least band ‘C’ by 2030 and as many homes across the country as possible are rated a band ‘C’ or above by 2035. Although, the figures uncovered by Envirohomes Renewables show a lot more work needs to be done to make sure these goals are met.

Image: Andreas Gücklhorn

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The Office of National Statistics (ONS) has revealed inflation rates hit their lowest level since September 2021 last month, leading experts to believe that the Bank of England is ‘likely to maintain interest rates for an extended period.’ 

According to the figures from the ONS, which were revealed this morning, the drop in food prices, particularly in meats and crumpets, caused inflation to fall from 3.4% in February to 3.2% in March. Although this is a positive outcome, city economists and the Bank of England had forecast a slightly larger decline to 3.1%.

Against this backdrop, economists are expecting a further decline in April, with the potential to fall below the Bank’s 2% target after a sharp drop in household gas and electricity bills to the lowest level for two years.

Commenting on the news, chancellor Jeremy Hunt, said: ‘The plan is working: inflation is falling faster than expected, down from over 11% to 3.2%, the lowest level in nearly two and a half years, helping people’s money go further.’

However, Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, has said that today’s outcome is not a win for the Conservative party.

‘Conservative ministers will be hitting the airwaves today to tell the British people that they have never had it so good,’ Ms Reeves said. ‘However, after 14 years of economic failure under the Conservatives, working people are worse off.’

Ms Reeves added: ‘Prices are still high in the shops, monthly mortgage bills are going up and inflation is still higher than the Bank of England’s target.’

Echoing a similar tone, Daniel Austin, CEO and co-founder at ASK Partners, said: ‘Decreasing inflation suggests that the Bank of England is likely to maintain interest rates for an extended period, particularly considering the signs of economic recovery we’ve witnessed.

‘This all points to a positive domestic story of an economy exiting a mild recession but does mean that pressure will remain on those servicing debt and with ongoing global market uncertainty surrounding the Middle East crisis, the coming months are set to be shaky.’

‘In the real estate sector and as property loan extensions expire, borrowers will face the choice of injecting fresh capital, returning assets to lenders, or selling in a soft market,’ Austin said. ‘The assets hitting the market will kickstart the cycle and offer opportunities for capital-endowed buyers, who view this as an opportune moment to acquire assets at significant discounts.’

The latest inflation news, comes ahead of the next Bank of England’s meeting where they will decide on whether to retain interest rates or decrease them. The meeting is due to take place on 8th May 2024.

Ahead of the meeting, John Glencross, CEO and co-founder of Calculus, said: ‘Today’s data shows UK inflation is falling, although still above the Bank of England’s target of 2%. If inflation continues to fall the Bank of England may start to cut interest rates by summer which could bring a renewed sense of optimism for investors, consumers and British businesses alike.

‘In his Spring Budget, the Chancellor spoke on his belief that the success achieved in tackling inflation will soon convert to economic growth, placing particular focus on the strength of the UK’s technology sector. Supporting British growth companies could help improve the near economic horizon by boosting GDP and increasing job creation.’

Image: stux

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After three years of uncertainty, Northumberland City Council have ditched plans to build a new EV battery factory in favour of a computer data centre.

In 2021 Britishvolt, a UK startup manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries, proposed plans to build a new EV battery factory in Cambois, Northumberland, however the organisation collapsed at the beginning of 2023 after running out of money, which caused more than 200 people to lose their jobs.

The battery plant, which was going to be known as the ‘gigafactory’, was expected to create 3,000 highly-skilled jobs and another 5,000 indirect jobs in the wider supply chain, and had been touted as an example of ‘levelling up’.

However, following the companies collapse, Northumberland County Council have said they are now considering buying back the energy park, which was home to Britishvolt, in exchange for up to £110m from private equity firm Blackstone.

The investment firm plans to build a computer centre, known as a hyperscale data centre campus on the grounds. These types of establishments are often used by companies including Google, IBM and Microsoft and typically comprise more than 5,000 severs and cover 10,000 sq ft.

As this project is so big, the local authority have claimed that the plans would create more than 1,600 direct jobs and over 2,700 indirect roles over the course of its development.

Currently, there have been no details released about which organisation will be running the data centre, but the council is set to meet on 23rd April to speak about the plans in more detail.

Commenting on the news, Scott Dickinson, said that although letting go of the previous battery factory plan was ‘disappointing’, the new proposal shows a lot of ‘promise’.

He added: ‘The local community shares a sense of caution but is determined to support and ensure the success of this endeavour.

‘The group pledges unwavering support for all initiatives and is eagerly anticipating crucial milestones such as the submission and review of planning applications.’

Image: Britishvolt 

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