Living Heritage Inventory: Consultation Response
(4 days, 16 hours ago)
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The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism (Chris Bryant)
I am repeating the following written ministerial statement made today in the other place by my noble Friend, the Minister for Gambling and Heritage and DCMS Lords Minister, Baroness Twycross:
The Government have published the response to the consultation on the inventories of living heritage, one of the key obligations under the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, which the UK ratified last year. The response details how we, working closely with the devolved Governments, will create inventories of living heritage of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which will combine into a UK inventory.
The Government will start a conversation throughout the UK about our cultural heritage—the folklore, performance, customs and crafts that play an important role in the identity, pride, and cohesion of communities across the UK—and how we collectively safeguard this intangible cultural heritage or ‘living heritage’.
The Government have taken an open, inclusive and community-based approach to implementing the convention and we are grateful to the many who participated in the roundtables and submitted responses to the consultation. This engagement has been invaluable in developing the criteria, categories, and approach we will use for the inventories. DCMS has worked closely with the devolved Governments to agree the consultation response.
Later this year, the Government will open the call for submissions to these inventories with full guidance and information about how to submit an item. DCMS will engage and include as many communities as possible to recognise and celebrate the extraordinary range of living heritage across all corners of the UK.
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Bedford Universal Theme Park and Resort
(4 days, 16 hours ago)
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The Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism (Chris Bryant)
I am pleased to publish an update on the proposal for the construction of a Universal Destinations and Experiences (UDX) theme park and resort in Bedford, further to the Prime Minister’s announcement of the same during recess on 9 April.
We have reached an agreement in principle for Universal to turn the site of the former Kempston Hardwick brickworks, on the outskirts of Bedford, into a 476-acre theme park and entertainment resort complex. The expected multi-billion pound investment from the American company will be one of the most significant investments to be made in the United Kingdom in this Parliament, and is among the largest single investments ever in the UK tourism and entertainment sector.
The benefits of the project are substantial. Universal estimates that it will deliver over £50 billion for the economy by 2055; and that 8.5 million visitors will come to it in its first year of operation in 2031. Over the course of the construction period, 20,000 jobs will be created, with a peak of 5,000 on site at the busiest time. The park and resort will employ 8,000 people in its first year, which is anticipated to rise to 10,000 by the 20th year of operation. Jobs will require skills of all kinds, with opportunities to develop careers in a range of creative, administrative and technical fields. The development is expected to become the biggest visitor attraction in the UK, surpassing our current top attraction of the British Museum. It will be the first Universal theme park in Europe and one of the largest visitor attractions on the continent.
This investment is the Government’s plan for change in action, directly improving the lives of working people and strengthening our country. It aligns with our missions to kick-start economic growth and break down barriers to opportunity—providing valuable opportunities outside of London and our bigger cities for professionals to develop their careers and live meaningful lives.
In November, this Government announced the creative industries as a priority growth-sector, and a key pillar of the upcoming industrial strategy. Universal’s theme park and resort is one demonstration of how this Government are already securing investment in the high-growth sectors that will drive our growth mission.
Part of the reason Universal chose the UK as their European home was due to the strength of our creative industries. From Dua Lipa to Shakespeare, Conan Doyle to Hogwarts, we are a world leader in the arts and creative industries. Universal’s theme park and resort will be another tremendous asset to the sector. It will bring hundreds of jobs in the creative industries, showcase our wonderful British intellectual property, and enhance our soft power, as fans of British creativity across the globe look at the world-class offer in Bedford.
Alongside the creative industries this will boost tourism in the UK. In November of last year, I announced my ambition for the UK to attract 50 million visitors a year by 2050. The tourism industry is larger than our automotive and agricultural industries combined, and is projected to grow in the years ahead. This investment will create a new visitor economy in Bedfordshire, enabling Bedford and the region to showcase proudly all it has to offer to tourists, from the UK and globally. This Government believe everybody across the UK is a part of our national story, so I am proud that this investment puts Bedford at the centre of a new, major tourist attraction.
Government are working hard, together with Universal, to ensure that they can meet the ambitious delivery timelines. Even so, decisions on procurement and intellectual property rest entirely with Universal and as such they will be the first to share updates in those areas. Of course we have gone to great lengths to champion the strengths of British companies and intellectual property.
The Government are also working closely with Bedford borough council. It is essential that local voices and experience should be woven into any delivery of policy, projects and programmes; and given the scale of change and the transformational impact on the area, the imperative to do so is even greater. The council has shown commendable dedication so far to this project.
The Department would welcome the support of colleagues across both Houses for this transformational investment.
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Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund
(4 days, 16 hours ago)
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)
I announced on 1 April that the adoption and special guardianship support fund will be continuing from April 2025, with a budget of £50 million.
I fully appreciate the importance of ASGSF funding to many children and young people and have heard many reports of how much it means to families. Therefore, I recognise that this funding remains significant as part of the wider support which local areas should provide to adoptive and kinship families.
However, we are in a challenging fiscal climate and are having to make tough but fair decisions across the public sector to address the £22 billion black hole that the Government inherited and to ensure this fund is financially sustainable.
Demand for support from the ASGSF continues to grow significantly. In 2025-26, in order to maximise the number of children who can access this fund, we have had to make the difficult decision to set the maximum amount of funding for an individual child each year, known as the fair access limit, at £3,000.
Specialist assessments up to the level of £2,500 will continue to be considered for funding, though only within the overall fair access limit of £3,000. Where it is assessed as being needed, local authorities and regional adoption agencies can fund therapy above the £3,000 fair access limit out of their mainstream children’s services budget.
The adoption and special guardianship fund will still enable those eligible to access a significant package of therapeutic support, tailored to meet their individual needs.
I appreciate that these changes will require some applications which are currently in draft, or which have been submitted, to be reviewed. We have provided more detailed guidance to local authorities and regional adoption agencies about the practical implications of the changes, and the Department for Education’s delivery partner, Mott MacDonald, is also able to answer questions.
Finally, we recognise the importance of ongoing clarity and stability in the provision of this important support to vulnerable children. We will be discussing further the best approach to the management of funds in future years. Future funding will of course be subject to spending review decisions. As a result, we will, for the time being, only be able to consider applications where the therapy or specialist assessment will be fully completed before the end of March 2026. We will make a further announcement in due course about the plans for the ASGSF from April 2026.
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Oxford Business College: Franchised Provision
(4 days, 16 hours ago)
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The Secretary of State for Education (Bridget Phillipson)
I am today announcing that I have taken action against Oxford Business College, a private provider of higher education courses franchised by five institutions registered with the Office for Students.
My Department became aware last year of credible concerns about the recruitment and attendance of students on courses offered by the college, for which students are eligible for student support. I therefore commissioned the Government Internal Audit Agency to investigate these concerns, and have now received and carefully considered its reports, which have been shared with the college and its partners for comment.
It is clear to me that the management of recruitment and attendance at the college has fallen well short of the standards I am entitled to expect; this is unfair on those students who have genuinely wished to study. In particular, the investigation has not been able to provide me with assurance that students’ prior attainment, including their competence in the English language, has been adequately assessed, or that their attendance on their courses has been adequately monitored. I am aware that a number of the college’s partners have already terminated their agreements with it or have imposed additional controls.
I have therefore informed the college that new students on its courses will not be eligible for student support with immediate effect. The college’s partners have all told me that they have initiated planning for student protection, in conjunction with the Office for Students, which will allow genuine students to transfer to new courses. I recognise that this will be challenging, and have, therefore, allowed the college’s partners until the end of the current academic year on 31 August to complete those transfers, during which time the students affected will be able to retain their maintenance and fee support, provided they remain engaged with their studies. If they transfer, they will be able to receive funding to complete their studies.
These decisions reflect my determination to stamp out any abuse of the student support system. I will not hesitate to do the same again if circumstances justify it.
Last month, the Government set out the further steps they are taking to address concerns about franchised provision. This included asking the Public Sector Fraud Authority to help co-ordinate the cross-Government response to address the serious allegations I referred to in my statement on 25 March.
The Government consultation on proposals to strengthen oversight of partnership delivery in higher education closed on 4 April. The responses to this consultation are being considered carefully to ensure that the Government response will be effective in preventing abuse of student support and poor quality in franchised provision. I will update parliament when the Government response is published.
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Birmingham City Council
(4 days, 16 hours ago)
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The Minister for Local Government and English Devolution (Jim McMahon)
Industrial action continues to affect waste disposal services at Birmingham city council. The Government have repeatedly called for Unite to call off these strikes, and accept the fair deal on the table.
The major incident that the council declared, because of the risks to public health caused by interruptions to this vital statutory service, remains in force. The Government have taken decisive action to support the council in using the tools that it needs to ensure waste in the city can be safely and sustainably managed.
The statutory intervention in Birmingham city council is led by commissioners, who are supporting the council to undertake functions of local government in the city, including waste disposal services.
The Government have provided extensive and ongoing support to the city council to ensure the welfare of the citizens of the city. At the council’s request, the Government have deployed operational and logistical expertise to assist the council in addressing the accumulated backlog of waste on the city’s streets. That backlog presented real risks to public health, and especially that of the city’s most vulnerable and deprived residents, who should not have to endure the presence of piles of waste on streets, in parks and in other public spaces.
As a result of this concerted and ongoing effort, and with the assistance of other councils, private operators, and the endeavours of many determined workers who have put in long hours, over 26,000 tonnes of waste have been removed, and rubbish levels are approaching normal. More than 100 bin lorries are out every day; regular bin collections have resumed, and the council continues to monitor the situation closely to ensure waste does not build-up and to fight opportunistic fly-tipping.
I want to thank Birmingham city council for its continuing work to get the streets clean and to bring the dispute to an end. It must confront the challenge of modernising its waste disposal service so that it works for the people of the city and does not store up irresponsible liabilities for the future. While it is for the council to work through this with Unite, the Government support the council in its efforts to maintain the progress on resolving the equal pay injustice which saw thousands of women workers paid less than their male counterparts over many decades.
The council has put a constructive and reasonable offer on the table that protects the interests of the citizens of Birmingham, and of the council’s own employees in the waste disposal services.
The deal on the table is a good deal. The council has worked hard to offer routes to maintain pay comparable roles, and in some cases to upskill and increase workers in scope. The ongoing and extensive clean-up and maintenance operation will continue until the industrial action is suspended.
The Government will continue to be on the side of those people, and to support the council in its journey to create the sustainable, fair and reliable waste service that residents in Birmingham deserve.
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