HOMES in parts of the area could soon benefit from free home insulation.
PECT Consultancy Limited, the consultancy arm of environmental charity Peterborough Environment City Trust, is working with Fenland District Council to offer residents in Chatteris, March, Whittlesey and Wisbech free and subsidised loft insulation.
This will help residents save money on household bills, as well as cutting carbon emissions from homes, helping to save the environment.
Project manager of the scheme Mark Randall said: “Insulating your home could significantly shrink your heating bills, as well as helping to protect the environment by reducing harmful carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere.
“All local residents are eligible for subsidised loft insulation, and those on means-tested benefits may be entitled to a full grant, allowing them free insulation.”
The free loft insulation scheme is subject to qualifying criteria and is on a first come first served basis due to a limited fund.
The qualifying criteria for the free loft insulation scheme are:
n Properties must be owner occupied or privately rented.
n Households must be in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as working families tax credit or pensions credit.
Those who do not qualify for the 100 per cent grant could still qualify for assistance towards the cost of insulating their home. It could cost as little as £199 for cavity wall insulation or £249 for loft insulation for a three-bed semi-detached house.
n For more information, to find out whether you are eligible for a grant, and to register for a grant while funds last, call PECT’s Energy Services Team on 0800 7834761.
full article
Wednesday 31 October 2007
Barcode on your bin - and a £100 fine if you put too much rubbish in it
Millions of families are to be given barcoded wheelie bins in a computerised system to spy on people's rubbish.
It will be used to send automatic £100 fines to people who put out too much refuse or break strict rules on when they leave their bins out.
The barcodes, to be brought in by a group of 27 councils, can also be used to enforce pay-as-you-throw taxes.
Binmen will carry handheld barcode readers on which they can record details of any rulebreaking by the bin's users.
At the end of their round, theywill return the scanners to a docking station which downloads the information to a central computer.
The computer can then send out tax bills or "education leaflets" and warnings to first-time rulebreakers. Those who offend several times will automatically be sent £100 fines.
If the pilot schemes are a success, other councils are likely to bring in barcodes to exploit the new powers to levy pay-as-you-throw taxes which were revealed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on Monday.
News of the barcode trials provoked an angry response from opposition politicians.
Tory spokesman Eric Pickles said: "The numbering of every bin in Britain is a necessary step before they stop emptying them for free.
"I am very concerned that this is the first step in creating a national central database of every bin.
"This is yet more intrusive monitoring of family homes by state bureaucrats, going hand in hand with identity cards and the national property database for council tax revaluation."
Disclosure of the scheme to put barcodes on bins comes after a week of chaos and interdepartmental warfare in Whitehall over pay-as-you-throw taxes on people who put out too much nonrecycled refuse.
Last week an official announcement of rubbish taxes by Defra was blocked by Gordon Brown at the last moment.
Downing Street ordered Defra minister Joan Ruddock to scrap a planned statement, pointing out that Mr Brown told the Daily Mail as long ago as April that he intended to kill off the idea.
Defra officials then said the plans "needed work" and were being "refined".
But on Monday the legal powers to levy taxes on bins were included in the department's Climate Change Bill - details of which will not be made public until next month.
Ministers said there will now be "pilot" projects to try out pay-asyou-throw taxes.
The Government calls the taxes "incentives" and ministers have suggested they will amount to no more than £30 a year.
But town halls and a think-tank close to Mr Brown believe this is far too low and that the taxes should be at least £10 a month.
Around 30 councils have already fitted wheelie bins with microchips which can identify the house or flat they belong to so bills can be sent to the right place after dustcarts weigh the bin's contents.
Mr Pickles said: "It is clear detailed planning is now under way to introduce next-generation technology and hit families with bin taxes on top of council tax.
"Whitehall will start off small with pilots before rolling out the scheme nationwide, as happened with the axing of weekly collections."
Some 170 councils have introduced fortnightly rubbish collections in an effort to make people recycle more waste.
The system has proved hugely unpopular and been blamed for smells and infestations of vermin.
Councils argue that they face £3billion extra costs in taxes and EU fines over the next few years if they do not cut the amount of rubbish they send to landfill.
The Local Government Association said last night the barcode system was meant to bring environmental improvements and not to spy on families.
A spokesman said: "Councils have no interest whatsoever in snooping on people.
"The use of new technology is one way a local authority can improve its collection service, combat fly-tipping and ensure residents are recycling as much waste as possible."
By STEVE DOUGHTY
full article
It will be used to send automatic £100 fines to people who put out too much refuse or break strict rules on when they leave their bins out.
The barcodes, to be brought in by a group of 27 councils, can also be used to enforce pay-as-you-throw taxes.
Binmen will carry handheld barcode readers on which they can record details of any rulebreaking by the bin's users.
At the end of their round, theywill return the scanners to a docking station which downloads the information to a central computer.
The computer can then send out tax bills or "education leaflets" and warnings to first-time rulebreakers. Those who offend several times will automatically be sent £100 fines.
If the pilot schemes are a success, other councils are likely to bring in barcodes to exploit the new powers to levy pay-as-you-throw taxes which were revealed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on Monday.
News of the barcode trials provoked an angry response from opposition politicians.
Tory spokesman Eric Pickles said: "The numbering of every bin in Britain is a necessary step before they stop emptying them for free.
"I am very concerned that this is the first step in creating a national central database of every bin.
"This is yet more intrusive monitoring of family homes by state bureaucrats, going hand in hand with identity cards and the national property database for council tax revaluation."
Disclosure of the scheme to put barcodes on bins comes after a week of chaos and interdepartmental warfare in Whitehall over pay-as-you-throw taxes on people who put out too much nonrecycled refuse.
Last week an official announcement of rubbish taxes by Defra was blocked by Gordon Brown at the last moment.
Downing Street ordered Defra minister Joan Ruddock to scrap a planned statement, pointing out that Mr Brown told the Daily Mail as long ago as April that he intended to kill off the idea.
Defra officials then said the plans "needed work" and were being "refined".
But on Monday the legal powers to levy taxes on bins were included in the department's Climate Change Bill - details of which will not be made public until next month.
Ministers said there will now be "pilot" projects to try out pay-asyou-throw taxes.
The Government calls the taxes "incentives" and ministers have suggested they will amount to no more than £30 a year.
But town halls and a think-tank close to Mr Brown believe this is far too low and that the taxes should be at least £10 a month.
Around 30 councils have already fitted wheelie bins with microchips which can identify the house or flat they belong to so bills can be sent to the right place after dustcarts weigh the bin's contents.
Mr Pickles said: "It is clear detailed planning is now under way to introduce next-generation technology and hit families with bin taxes on top of council tax.
"Whitehall will start off small with pilots before rolling out the scheme nationwide, as happened with the axing of weekly collections."
Some 170 councils have introduced fortnightly rubbish collections in an effort to make people recycle more waste.
The system has proved hugely unpopular and been blamed for smells and infestations of vermin.
Councils argue that they face £3billion extra costs in taxes and EU fines over the next few years if they do not cut the amount of rubbish they send to landfill.
The Local Government Association said last night the barcode system was meant to bring environmental improvements and not to spy on families.
A spokesman said: "Councils have no interest whatsoever in snooping on people.
"The use of new technology is one way a local authority can improve its collection service, combat fly-tipping and ensure residents are recycling as much waste as possible."
By STEVE DOUGHTY
full article
Tuesday 30 October 2007
Bin tax muddle leaves green policy in disarray
Gordon Brown's green policies were thrown into confusion yesterday after ministers confirmed that they would be pushing ahead with pilot schemes for controversial new "pay-as-you-throw" bin taxes.
The Prime Minister had been anxious to distance himself from what he saw as unpopular "waste taxes" – which could cost typical households £250 a year – and No 10 claimed last night that plans for new schemes would not be rolled out across the country.
But Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, announced that powers to set up pilot schemes for charging households who put out more waste would be included in the Climate Change Bill, sparking allegations of Cabinet disarray on the issue.
The confusion began last week when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which had intended to push ahead with national bin taxes, was over-ruled by Downing Street, which is unenthusiastic about the plans before forthcoming local elections.
The U-turn was the latest sign of Mr Brown's fear of introducing new green taxes that are seen as disastrous electorally but are being heavily promoted within Whitehall as essential to any programme to avert climate change.
Last night, the Conservatives attacked the confusion within the Government.
Eric Pickles, the local government spokesman, said: "This just shows how Gordon Brown cannot be trusted – one week briefing that he opposes bin taxes, the next introducing this new tax on family homes by stealth. This isn't a green tax but a green fig leaf to hike local taxes on top of council tax. No one should believe a word that Mr Brown says."
Yesterday Defra published a document setting out plans to allow all councils to charge bin taxes in the new Climate Change Bill to be introduced next month. However, the document was withdrawn later and replaced with a proposal to introduce only a handful of pilot schemes.
Downing Street sources said the entire scheme, which involved households being charged either for each sack or bin of non-recyclable rubbish or by the weight of rubbish they put out, had "gone back to the drawing board".
The confusion within the Government's "green" policy emerged with Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, due to set out plans for an environmentally sustainable transport policy. In a statement to MPs today, she will announce plans for households to get "personal travel plans" aimed at cutting the amount of carbon dioxide they produced.
The Department for Transport has run pilot schemes in which families have cut their car use by an average of 20 per cent after working with government advisers to see where they could use alternatives.
Ms Kelly said yesterday that the plans were about "creating the incentives to make responsible choices".
She will again make clear that a national toll scheme remains far off the agenda but will announce congestion-charging schemes in cities that could lead to national motorways being brought into a tolling system.
By Robert Winnett, Charles Clover and James Kirkup
full article
The Prime Minister had been anxious to distance himself from what he saw as unpopular "waste taxes" – which could cost typical households £250 a year – and No 10 claimed last night that plans for new schemes would not be rolled out across the country.
But Hilary Benn, the Environment Secretary, announced that powers to set up pilot schemes for charging households who put out more waste would be included in the Climate Change Bill, sparking allegations of Cabinet disarray on the issue.
The confusion began last week when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), which had intended to push ahead with national bin taxes, was over-ruled by Downing Street, which is unenthusiastic about the plans before forthcoming local elections.
The U-turn was the latest sign of Mr Brown's fear of introducing new green taxes that are seen as disastrous electorally but are being heavily promoted within Whitehall as essential to any programme to avert climate change.
Last night, the Conservatives attacked the confusion within the Government.
Eric Pickles, the local government spokesman, said: "This just shows how Gordon Brown cannot be trusted – one week briefing that he opposes bin taxes, the next introducing this new tax on family homes by stealth. This isn't a green tax but a green fig leaf to hike local taxes on top of council tax. No one should believe a word that Mr Brown says."
Yesterday Defra published a document setting out plans to allow all councils to charge bin taxes in the new Climate Change Bill to be introduced next month. However, the document was withdrawn later and replaced with a proposal to introduce only a handful of pilot schemes.
Downing Street sources said the entire scheme, which involved households being charged either for each sack or bin of non-recyclable rubbish or by the weight of rubbish they put out, had "gone back to the drawing board".
The confusion within the Government's "green" policy emerged with Ruth Kelly, the Transport Secretary, due to set out plans for an environmentally sustainable transport policy. In a statement to MPs today, she will announce plans for households to get "personal travel plans" aimed at cutting the amount of carbon dioxide they produced.
The Department for Transport has run pilot schemes in which families have cut their car use by an average of 20 per cent after working with government advisers to see where they could use alternatives.
Ms Kelly said yesterday that the plans were about "creating the incentives to make responsible choices".
She will again make clear that a national toll scheme remains far off the agenda but will announce congestion-charging schemes in cities that could lead to national motorways being brought into a tolling system.
By Robert Winnett, Charles Clover and James Kirkup
full article
Monday 29 October 2007
Benn sets out new Climate Change Bill
Publishing the government's response to the public consultation on the Climate Change Bill, Hilary Benn has said the UK must "step up" its efforts in tackling global warming.
The environment secretary unveiled the government's amendments to the proposed legislation, which include a system of "carbon budgets" and the creation of an independent climate change committee to advise on how to reach the targets.
In its original form, the draft bill imposed a legal duty on the government to cut carbon emissions by at least 60 per cent on 1990 levels by 2050, and by between 26 and 32 per cent by 2020.
However, environmentalists groups have called for this target to be as high as 80 per cent.
The command paper published on Monday said that the responsibilities of the climate change committee would be increased to require the government to seek advice before amending the targets and that it would report on whether these need to be strengthened.
Under the legislation, five-year carbon budgets would be set by the committee of experts and published to improve clarity on how Britain will meet the targets.
And the amendments also include measures to boost ministerial accountability by requiring the government to explain to Parliament if it fails to meet a carbon target or does not accept advice on the budget.
The government will also regularly assess the risks of climate change to the UK and will be required to report to Parliament annually on how it is cutting aviation and shipping emissions.
Benn said: "We need to step up the fight against climate change and we need to do it fast.
"The draft bill we set out earlier this year, and have now refined, is a groundbreaking blueprint for moving the UK towards a low carbon economy. It will bind us to legally enforceable emissions reduction targets at home, while giving us greater clout at the international negotiating table."
He said the "invaluable input" from three parliamentary committees on the draft bill, and from industry and the public, had helped create "stronger, more effective and more transparent" legislation.
"In short, they have helped make a good bill better," the environment secretary said.
He added that the bill would introduce a cap and trade system for large organisations and would give local authorities the power to pilot schemes to reduce levels of household waste and increase recycling rates.
full article
The environment secretary unveiled the government's amendments to the proposed legislation, which include a system of "carbon budgets" and the creation of an independent climate change committee to advise on how to reach the targets.
In its original form, the draft bill imposed a legal duty on the government to cut carbon emissions by at least 60 per cent on 1990 levels by 2050, and by between 26 and 32 per cent by 2020.
However, environmentalists groups have called for this target to be as high as 80 per cent.
The command paper published on Monday said that the responsibilities of the climate change committee would be increased to require the government to seek advice before amending the targets and that it would report on whether these need to be strengthened.
Under the legislation, five-year carbon budgets would be set by the committee of experts and published to improve clarity on how Britain will meet the targets.
And the amendments also include measures to boost ministerial accountability by requiring the government to explain to Parliament if it fails to meet a carbon target or does not accept advice on the budget.
The government will also regularly assess the risks of climate change to the UK and will be required to report to Parliament annually on how it is cutting aviation and shipping emissions.
Benn said: "We need to step up the fight against climate change and we need to do it fast.
"The draft bill we set out earlier this year, and have now refined, is a groundbreaking blueprint for moving the UK towards a low carbon economy. It will bind us to legally enforceable emissions reduction targets at home, while giving us greater clout at the international negotiating table."
He said the "invaluable input" from three parliamentary committees on the draft bill, and from industry and the public, had helped create "stronger, more effective and more transparent" legislation.
"In short, they have helped make a good bill better," the environment secretary said.
He added that the bill would introduce a cap and trade system for large organisations and would give local authorities the power to pilot schemes to reduce levels of household waste and increase recycling rates.
full article
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