Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
A level playing field
Among the most technically ambitious of the Government’s planning reforms announced as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill is the new Infrastructure Levy, which on the face of it appears to be a quicker, fairer way of funding new infrastructure and could even be useful in helping Local Authorities to finally get a grip of affordable housing. The current S106 mechanism - based loosely on floor space - is open to interpretation and often sees projects held up by contractural biccering. New proposals base the levy on the gross development value of the finished project, so both the authority and the developer know where they stand from the get-go.
Also open to interpretation is the language used in the Procurement Bill (see page 29). Rees-Mogg says his post-EU procurement revolution will ’free businesses from straightjackets’ but according to law practice Eversheds Sutherland, the Bills approach to the principles of procurement law appears somewhat unclear. Expect big changes to buying, possibly even by the latter half of 2023.
On the road to net zero, this issue takes a look at Clean Air Zones including Oxford CC’s trailblazing ‘ZEZ’ and a retrofit scheme that can help commercial vehicles operate in the zone. Smart City Business summarises fascinating research into smart city lighting projects and how they can be replicated as well as the innovative use of smart tech in UK ports.
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Danny Wright, acting editor
Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
Lochinvar has unveiled a new range of high temperature R290, air-to-water heat pumps capable of producing hot water up to 70degC while still achieving high energy efficiencies and reduced environmental impact.
The new Amicus Altus is available in three potential configurations: Two-pipe heating only, two-pipe heating or cooling, and four-pipe simultaneous cooling with heating and heat recovery making it suitable for most types of commercial project.
The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) is the professional body that exists to advance and promote the art, science, and practice of building services engineering, to invest in education and research, and to support our community of built environment professionals in the pursuit of excellence.
Beehive is an award-winning customer experience and insight agency that helps executive decision
Michael Kolatchev, principal consultant/Rossnova Solutions (Belgium) and Lina Kolesnikova, consultant/Rossnova Solutions (Belgium) discuss the security threats facing the growing number of “smart cities”
Cardiff has recently installed 47 air-quality monitoring stations across the city to measure pollution in the air