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Friday 1 June 2012

Lessons from London: cutting carbon emissions without the financial risk - The Guardian

Lessons from London: cutting carbon emissions without the financial risk - The Guardian

As public sector organisations face a period of unsurpassed austerity, managers are bombarded with directives to not only cut costs and improve efficiency, but to reduce carbon emissions and lower energy consumption at the same time.

In London, mayor Boris Johnson has committed the city to targets that could make it the greenest conurbation in the world, reduce the capital's CO2 emissions and energy consumption by 60% by 2025.

As a significant part of London's CO2 is emitted from public sector buildings, there needs to be a focus on making those buildings more efficient. This will require action from local government – figures estimate that up to 80% of premises belonging to councils, health, and education authorities will still be in use in 2050.

One answer lies with the Greater London Authority's retrofitting scheme, known as RE:FIT, which alone could lead to a reduction of 100,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2015.

The programme works by helping public organisations equip their buildings with energy-saving technology that did not exist when the buildings were first built. Retrofit measures include new building management systems, combined heat and power, photovoltaic solar panels, low-energy lighting and new, efficient boilers.

A pilot exercise applied these tools to 42 buildings currently used by Transport for London, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade. This has been followed by work near completion on a further 44 buildings with the London boroughs, universities, hospitals and cultural organisations.

The potential energy and cost savings of retrofitting are substantial: for the organisations that took part in the pilot, the installation of the new technology helped them to identify savings of over 7,000 tonnes of CO2 per annum, generating annual cost savings of more than £1m.

It is anticipated that a total of 100 public sector buildings will have completed or signed up to the programme by May 2012, with 43 organisations already committed to the programme.

The RE:FIT scheme itself places councils at a very low financial risk. Approved energy service companies, which provide the retrofitting work, guarantee that the alterations to these buildings will deliver the agreed reduction in energy over an agreed payback period. This helps transfer the risk from the public into the private sector.

It also gives participants access to specialist skills and support. Financed via £2.67m from the European Investment Bank's ELENA (European Local Energy Assistance) fund, a development unit established to oversee the rapid implementation of the programme – and act as its public face.

This unit provides a single point of expertise and helps participating authorities understand how the scheme can be applied to their assets and provides support during the preparation of tenders and the procurement of suppliers that will help to save them energy. It oversees all projects being undertaken through RE:FIT, reporting back on their overall impact and success so new public sector retrofit schemes can learn from its progress.

This development unit is also responsible for managing the performance of the energy service companies. This is all done at no cost to those taking part.

Plans are underway to retrofit a further 297 buildings in London during the next year, with a target for a total of 600 public buildings to be given an energy-efficiency makeover as part of the programme by 2015. These include town halls, libraries and museums, and could lead to estimated savings of up to £6m on energy bills each year with reductions of 36,000 tonnes of carbon – the equivalent of taking around 60,000 vehicles off London's roads.

• For more information visit paconsulting.com/greeningbusiness

David Rees is head of local government services at PA Consulting Group

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Source: www.guardian.co.uk

First free WiFi London Tube stations named - Digital Spy

Source: www.digitalspy.co.uk

New Tesco delivery scheme helps customers save up to £100 - Talking Retail
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Source: www.talkingretail.com

London launches world's largest 'low-emission zone' - EurActiv.com

The scheme, which begins on 4 February 2008 and will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, will initially apply only to large diesel trucks weighing over 12 tonnes. 

Cameras around the zone will check their number plates against a database of vehicles registered as meeting the EU's 'Euro' limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) – two pollutants found in exhaust fumes that are blamed for serious health and environmental problems. 

Those exceeding the limits will be fined a daily fee of £200 and risk a further £1,000 fine if they fail to pay up. Truck-drivers from abroad also risk paying the fine unless they register their vehicle in advance and it meets the required standards.

The scheme will be extended to cover buses and coaches in July and to large vans and minibuses in October 2010. 

Transport for London (TfL), which is implementing the £49 million project, says it will improve quality of life for Londoners and reduce the number of people suffering from asthma, cardio-vascular disease and other health conditions, cutting healthcare bills by £250 million. 

"Levels of particulate matter in many parts of London are way over EU standards […] Air quality is the worst in Britain and among the worst in Europe […] The Mayor has a legal obligation to take steps towards meeting national and European Union air quality objectives which are designed to protect human health," explained the body. 

But hauliers say the new rules will be very expensive despite having achieving only a "minimal benefit". 

"This scheme achieves very little that would not have been achieved anyway as the result of enhanced EU engine standards. Londoners, and lorry operators, are having to pay an enormous price […] for a trivial improvement in air quality. The biggest pollution from traffic in London comes from cars and the scheme does not apply to them," said Gordon Telling, head of policy for the UK's Freight Transport Association. 

70 towns and cities in eight European countries including Norway, the Netherlands and Germany already have or are planning low emission zones. But London's scheme, covering a 1,577-square kilometre zone inhabited by 7.5 million people, will be "the largest in the world by a significant margin", according to TfL. 

The implementation will be closely followed at EU level as the Commission is preparing a package of measures aimed at greening transport in Europe's cities (EurActiv 26/09/07). One measure under consideration is the introduction of harmonised rules on urban green zones that would enable local authorities across Europe to implement similar schemes to the one in London, while preventing a fragmented patchwork of different zones and standards. 


Source: www.euractiv.com

London 2012: June events calendar and diary - Daily Telegraph

David Nash at Kew, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens; June 9 – April 14 2013
The works of sculptor David Nash will go on display at Kew Gardens this month, with sculptures, installations, drawings and film in place in the open air, garden glasshouses and on-site exhibition spaces. Nash is renowned for his work with wood and the exhibition will see the artist work on a ‘wood quarry’ in Kew, where he will create new pieces for the exhibition using trees from Kew Gardens that have reached the end of their natural life.

Bt Artbox Project, throughout London; June 18 – July 16
Sir Giles Gilbert Scott’s traditional red telephone box is an icon of British design but this month it gets a temporary revamp from select artists and designers. Keith Tyson, Romero Britto, Zandra Rhodes and Giles Deacon are among those selected to participate in the BT Artbox Project, which will see them decorate a full-size, fibreglass replica of the K6 telephone kiosk, which will then be displayed in different areas of the city.

Codebreaker - Alan Turing's life and legacy, Science Museum; June 21 – June 2013
One hundred years after his birth, Alan Turing is celebrated with a free year-long exhibition at the Science Museum. Examining his life and legacy, the exhibition considers his contribution to computer science – which still holds influence today – and remembers his wartime codebreaking successes. The exhibition will display one of the most comprehensive collections of Turing-related artefacts, including machines he developed and worked on.

BP Portrait Award 2012, National Portrait Gallery; June 21 – September 23
The National Portrait Gallery follows its exceptionally popular Lucian Freud exhibition with the BP Portrait Award. This is the most prestigious portrait competition in the world, with a £25,000 prize going to the work judged to best showcase contemporary portrait-painting technique. Admittance is free.

New London theatre and performing arts openings

London 2012 Festival, throughout London and nationally; June 21 – September 9
The London 2012 Festival is the cultural complement to the London 2012 Olympic Games and the culmination of the four-year Cultural Olympiad. Throughout the capital, and throughout the country, thousands of events will take place to ensure millions of people will have the opportunity to participate in this exceptional summer. Highlights in London include the BT River of Music festival, which will see act including the Scissor Sisters and the Noisettes perform at six separate Thames-side locations, and an enhanced West End LIVE in Trafalgar Square which will this year see the casts from every one of London’s West End musicals perform for free. You can see coverage of the festival as it progresses on our London 2012 Festival portal.

Southbank Centre Summer Festival; June 1 – September 9
The Southbank Centre has another summer’s entertainment sorted with its Festival of the World. With a focus on learning, the event seeks to showcase how art can transform lives with a programme that’s challenging, moving and engaging. Highlights include Bryn Terfel’s four-day celebration of Welsh culture and Unlimited, the largest series of commissions by disabled and deaf artists ever undertaken in the UK.

New London restaurant and bar openings

Chase and Country Tails Terrace, Harvey Nichols; June 4 - July 15

Hopes are high for a good summer and if clement weather does grace us then the Chase and Country Tails Terrace at Fifth Floor Harvey Nichols is going to be popular. Created by Chase Distillery, the terrace’s traditional English-countryside look is inspired by the Herefordshire countryside where the company is based. More a bar space that serves food than a restaurant, the terrace will serve drinks featuring Chase spirits and mini tasting dishes created by Fifth Floor restaurant executive chef Jonas Karlsson.

Beard to Tail pop-up restaurant, 24 Chart Street; June 12-15
Shoreditch cocktail bar Callooh Callay tries its hand at the food trade with the four-day opening of the Beard to Tail pop-up restaurant. The meat-heavy menu is set to feature plenty of hearty, homely dishes with mains priced at £8-£13. The space will accommodate only 35 covers. Annoyingly bookings aren’t taken but you can expect the cocktail list to provide compensation. The pop-up precedes the opening of a permanent Beart to Tail restaurant, currently set for September 2012.

The Cube by Electrolux, Southbank Centre; June 1 – September 30
A Room for London, the boat-shaped, one-bedroom hotel, is perched atop the Queen Elizabeth Hall already; now The Cube by Electrolux plonks itself above the adjacent Royal Festival Hall. A pop-up restaurant sponsored by the appliances manufacturer, it will feature dishes created by Michelin-starred chefs stationed across the British Isles, including Sat Bains, Claude Bosi and Tom Kitchin. Guests who dine here will be served at least five courses with matching wines, and only 18 people will be accommodated at a time. Lunch at the Cube by Electrolux costs £175 per person, while dinner costs £215. Bookings can be made through the website.

Eat London afternoon tea, Wyndham Grand; June 1-30
Chocolatier Damian Allsop newly created Eat London chocolate bars are influenced by London’s cultural diversity (coffee and banana crunch are used for the Brixton bar; ginger, peanut and soy for China Town) and to celebrate their launch the Wyndham Grand London Chelsea Harbour hotel has launched an Eat London afternoon tea for the month. The tea features traditional teatime treats that have again been adapted to represent different parts of the city and costs £28 per person. On June 9, Allsop will be present at the hotel to run a two-hour chocolate masterclass – that costs £40 per person.

Afternoon Rock tea, W London hotel; June 1 onwards
The W London hotel is now serving Afternoon Rock tea, its variant of traditional afternoon tea. Launched to coincide with this summer’s Jubilee and Olympic festivities, the tea celebrates all things British with a menu that’s inspired by great British rock bands. Served on a three-tier stand made from original vinyl records, items served are named after rock albums and songs. London’s Burning, for example, is a chocolate pudding and hazelnut crunch; Cherry Bomb is a chocolate, mascarpone and cherry dessert inspired by The Runaways’ 1976 song.

Other London openings

ZSL London Zoo Lates, London Zoo; June 1 – July 27
From now until the end of July, London Zoo will be open late on Fridays and the venue is offering a packed Zoo Lates programme of events to celebrate. Running from 6pm-10pm the adults-only event will feature live comedy and cabaret performances on site, a silent disco (loud music disturbs the animals) and, of course, the opportunity to observe the hundreds of different animal species resident in the zoo.


Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

London Welsh to contest decision soon – Rugby News Update - Bettor.com

London Welsh to contest decision soon – Rugby News Update

London Welsh, a club that plays in the Championship, the second tier of rugby in England have defeated the Cornish Pirates over a two-legged final to be declared champions.

However, they are not being allowed promotion into the Aviva Premiership, the top tier of rugby in England, as they do not fill the minimum requirement criteria. Their application to join the country’s elite was rejected by the Professional Game Board, a decision that was upheld by the Rugby Football Union.

After securing the title, the club is keen to fight their case in order to secure their promotion into the top flight. They have a minimum of three months to know what tier they will be playing in, as the new season will start by then. It provides the club a very small window of opportunity to take the matter to court or settle for an out of court settlement. London Welsh were waiting till the season concluded, and now that they have emerged winners, they are in a strong bargaining position.

Club chairman, Bleddyn Phillips, said, "We shall be lodging an appeal in the very near future and in parallel we are pursuing all other available opportunities to make sure we can take our rightful and deserved place in the Aviva Premiership."

John Taylor, the managing director of the club has said that the refusal of the RFU has brought the situation into a tipping point. He referenced the need of the RFU to make the Championship a professional body, and they need to support the lower league teams, in order to create a culture where the teams have an opportunity to advance.

He said, "The feeling is that even if we were to be in a situation at the end of it for whatever reason we didn't win this appeal, and we are going to fight it very, very hard, things will never be the same again. They will not be prepared to go through this again at the end of next season.”

It is going to be a long summer for London Welsh and they have to make important decisions regarding the future of the club.


Source: blogs.bettor.com

Hay Festival 2012: Sir Terry Leahy 'It is the customer who decides where to shop' - Daily Telegraph

She claimed that 276 jobs are lost every time a major Tesco is built in a town.

“If you are going to measure your life by your success at Tesco, surely you are going to look back at the effect your incredibly aggressive marketing policies have had on the towns you leave behind?” she said.

But Sir Terry claimed that in fact supermarkets are good for the High Street as it ensures people remain in town to shop rather than going elsewhere.

“The towns that Tesco invests in do better. If you do not let modern facilities into the town people go elsewhere. Not every business is guaranteed to survive. One day Tesco will be out of business. But good businesses can thrive with competition,” he said.

“All markets are about winners and losers. There is a price to pay if you are loser.”

“So the question is, is there a net benefit [if the supermarket wins]. I think there is – there is investment, better quality of service and cheaper food.”

Following the recent planning reforms, Sir Terry backed plans for the controversial “presumptions in favour of sustainable development”.

“In order to make the change to a low carbon economy there has to be investment,” he said.

Sir Terry said ultimately the customers are responsible for the actions of Tesco because “Tesco was not created by a politician, Tesco only grew because millions of people chose to shop there.”

“We do not kill anything off,” he said. “It is the customers who dictate where to shop.”

He also denied that Tesco has been overly aggressive in sourcing from farmers or selling to customers.

“If Tesco is too big, too aggressive too monopolistic then customers will go somewhere else they do have a choice 95 per cent of customers can choose one of the three main supermarkets and they do that every day.”

Plan B for Hay are currently drawing up alternative plans to fund the building of a new school without selling the town centre site to a developer.

Richard Evans, another town councillor, said Hay-on-Wye has only retained its charm as the “town of books” because it has not had a supermarket in the centre.

He said supermarkets like Tesco are killing the traditional market town.

“People come to Hay because there is not a supermarket. There is a butcher, a baker, a grocer and of course all the book shops. Supermarkets like Tesco kill off small towns,” he said.

“I wonder how [Sir Terry Leahy] sleeps at night knowing what he has done for the last 14 years.”

Sir Terry praised the work of the Coalition to manage the economy but said Britain was in danger of being taken over by bureaucracy.

“There is too much business and produce regulation in the UK. Regulation is growing faster than the economy and that in general is not a good thing. I think it is in part because politicians do not trust citizens to make decisions.

“If they trusted people more they would have to regulate less. Particularly in bigger organisations like the NHS. It is a tragedy if you have highly talented people highly controlled by central management.

“Part of problem is that you have wonderful people in the public sector but the management is too centralised.”


Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

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