Defra seeks "urgent" cash to set up environment protector

Defra has sought a cash advance of £215,000 from the Contingencies Fund to get the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) set up in advance of the Environment Bill receiving Royal Assent. This will pay for start up staff, public appointments and services.

In a written statement to the House, environment secretary, George Eustice (pictured), described the requirement as “urgent” given the timelines associated with getting the OEP operational before we leave the EU.

In a speech on environmental recovery last week, Eustice listed other actions relevant to that mission, including:

£4m for a two-year pilot to bring green prescribing to four urban and rural areas that have been hit the hardest by coronavirus; and promise of a paper setting out the government’s approach to setting long-term targets on biodiversity, waste, water, and air quality through the new Environment Bill, so they are established in time by October 2022.

“We will shortly be launching the appointment campaign for the first chair of the Office for Environmental Protection so that they will be in place to lead a new public body in 2021 – to scrutinise and assess progress towards these targets.”

A new consultation in autumn on changing the approach to environmental assessment and mitigation in the planning system. “If we can front-load ecological considerations in the planning development process, we can protect more of what is precious.”

A £5m pilot on establishing a new Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment. “At the heart of our approach is a simple premise. If we can improve the baseline understanding of habitats and species abundance across the country in every planning authority, then we can make better decisions towards achieving our vision to leave the environment in a better state than we found it.”