Poorer pupils suffer 'nature gap'

Brendan Montague

 

| 9th September 2024 | 

Creative Commons 4.0

 THE ECOLOGIST

Abbie Trayler-Smith / WWF-UK

Poorer school children deprived of nature connection: new WWF report reveals a 'nature gap’ between schools in better-off and more deprived areas.

Pupils in UK schools are missing out on regular opportunities to experience nature that have been found to improve mental well-being and attainment, despite the hard work of many passionate teachers.

This is the key finding from a new report published today by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as children go back to school after the summer holidays.

New research in the Schools for Nature report, conducted by The Education Company, and with input from 1,885 schools across the UK, shows that only 24 per cent of schools provide daily opportunities for pupils to experience nature.  

Habits

Tanya Steele, CEO at WWF, said: “Schools and teachers have a vital and unique role to play in building children’s connection with nature – helping them learn about the wonder of the natural world and how to protect it. 

“Getting out into nature is good for our physical and mental wellbeing too – and it doesn’t have to cost the Earth. Bringing nature into the playground, even in small ways, can give pupils a chance to learn and connect with the natural world around them.” 

Shannon Kingston, Ark Tindall Primary, said: “As our curriculum intent at Ark Tindal is to have pupils leave the school with a relentless curiosity of the world around them, we knew we needed to build confidence and a positive attitude about outdoor learning within our teaching staff.” 

Jacqui Sellers, Weydon School, said: “We are doing all we can to integrate the natural world into our school environment, teaching the next generation the importance of protecting it but also reaping the benefits to student wellbeing. 

"We are all aware of the mental health challenges of young people and evidence shows that people with a strong connection with nature are typically happier in life; we aim to give students this knowledge and embed habits that stand them in good stead for the future. 

Affluence

"Whether it’s a space to calm, reflection or learning, our wildlife garden is a wonderful addition to our school made possible through the dedication of parents and students.” 

The report also reveals that as pupils progress from primary to secondary school, the likelihood of experiencing nature on a daily basis at school diminishes, dropping from 30 per cent to 12 per cent. 

As many as 56 per cent of secondary schools said they don’t offer any outdoor learning to any pupils. Beyond the school gate, 79 per cent of parents in the UK believe their children's screentime has gone up since the pandemic.  

The report data also reveals a 'nature gap’ between schools in better-off and more deprived areas. 

While 52 per cent of students in state schools with a low percentage of free school meals are given daily opportunities to experience nature, only 18 per cent attending state schools with a high percentage of free school meals have these opportunities. 

Bringing nature into the playground, even in small ways, can give pupils a chance to learn and connect with the natural world around them.

Overall, the report finds that currently, students’ chances of benefitting from spending time in nature – including benefits to their physical health, mental wellbeing and quality of education – are a lottery, depending on school year group, size, location, and affluence of the catchment area. 

Provision

Critically, being in nature not only helps pupils, it helps teachers too. Teachers can also benefit from higher job satisfaction through outdoor learning, including positive effects on their teaching practice and professional development.

The report includes case studies on schools that have successfully integrated nature into their curriculum and offers practical advice on how more schools can introduce them. In light of the findings, WWF wants all schools to be supported to provide regular nature experiences and charities will be key to realising this vision.  

Opportunities for pupils to experience nature at school can take place more formally during lessons, as part of their free time, or through school trips, extra-curricular activities and clubs. It doesn’t need to be expensive and can be included in a wide range of subjects.

But less than a third of UK schools say that outdoor learning is embedded into their curriculum for all students. 

Embedding outdoor learning into the curriculum means that teachers are planning when, how, and what to teach outside the classroom, and is a way to ensure that nature features in students’ learning provision.  

Outcomes

Pupils having access to nature during their free time requires either a natural environment onsite, or natural elements introduced. Yet half of schools in the UK say that none of their pupils have daily opportunities to spend free time or play in a nature-rich environment at school.

Overall, the report indicates that the most common practice when it comes to access to nature is through school trips and extra-curricular activities and clubs, with a quarter of schools saying that school trips to natural environments take place annually for all, or nearly all students.

While school trips and extra-curricular nature-based activities are important, they’re also infrequent and optional. The cost-of-living crisis is causing both parents and schools to revise their engagement with school trips, and voluntary activities are likely to attract students who are already engaged with, or interested in, nature. 

Rather than addressing inequalities based on education phase and socio-economic factors, optional activities may actually reinforce and exacerbate existing disparities.

We know that spending time in nature is good for us. And there is a growing body of evidence showing that when children and young people connect with nature through learning, there are a wide range of positive outcomes for pupils, teachers, and for nature. 

Mental wellbeing: Children and young people’s mental wellbeing has worsened over recent years, according to experts. In contrast, recent reports have shown that children show greater resilience, improved self-esteem, and increased self-efficacy when engaged in outdoor learning. Overall, children who experience nature-rich, immersive learning are more likely to feel good about themselves, resulting in improved wellbeing.  

 Improved attainment: Pupils are more motivated, less stressed, and more positive when learning in a natural setting, leading to better education outcomes. Teachers also report a reduction in disruptive behaviour, allowing pupils to focus on their work, and benefits to pupils who struggle in traditional classroom-based settings.

Benefits for teachers: Survey data from the largest outdoor-based learning project commissioned in the UK reveals that 72 per cent of project schools reported positive impacts on teachers’ own health and wellbeing. The majority of teachers involved in the study said they saw positive effects on their teaching practice and professional development, accompanied by a rise in their job satisfaction. Teachers also reported feeling less stressed as a result of spending time outside the classroom and engaging with nature.

Benefits for nature: The UK is in the top 10 per cent of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, with over 40 per cent of our species in decline [9]. For the next generation to care about, and take action to protect and restore nature, they must first develop a relationship with the natural world around them. Learning in nature and about nature at school plays an essential role in fostering this relationship. 

This Author

Brendan Montague is editor of The Ecologist. This article is based on a press release from WWF.

SPECIESISM

Namibia to slaughter more than 80 elephants as protesters call it a ‘colossal disaster’

Jane Dalton
Updated Sun 8 September 2024 


Killing 723 animals including 83 Namibian elephants will help offset the effects of this year’s drought, the government says ((Alamy/PA))


Plans by the Namibian government to kill 83 elephants and 640 other wild animals to feed the meat to people have sparked a fierce international row.

The British high commissioner to the country is among those backing the idea, but ecologists are warning of a “colossal disaster” for Africa’s wildlife.

Hunters are being brought in to shoot the animals dead because of a severe drought across southern Africa that has left some people struggling for food, the environment ministry says. It’s understood the mass cull has already begun, with the elephants due to be shot this week.

Meat from elephants in national parks will be handed out to humans (AFP via Getty)

Already 157 animals have been hunted by professional hunters and companies contracted by the government, yielding more than 56,800kg of meat.

Officials say nearly half of Namibia’s population is forecast to experience food insecurity in the coming months following the drought.

As well as the 83 elephants, those to be culled – in national parks and communal areas – are 30 hippos, 60 buffalos, 50 impalas, 100 blue wildebeest, 300 zebras and 100 eland antelopes.

Setting out regions where the elephants will be killed, the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism said: “This offtake will assist in reducing the negative impact of drought on the conservation of wild animals in both our national parks and communal areas.”

They said human-wildlife conflicts were expected to increase without intervention.

British high commissioner Charles Moore wrote on social media: “Namibia is very responsible in its use of natural resources. None of the species are endangered, so it’s a good/rational solution to help 300k+ people in desperate need. Sheltering animals won’t help.”

Elephants that see family members killed suffer lasting trauma that increases conflict with people, experts say (AFP via Getty)

But the status of elephants there is contested. Adam Cruise, a wildlife investigative journalist in Cape Town, says numbers in Namibia are falling, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature red list of conservation classifies African elephants as either endangered or critically endangered.

However, according to World Population Review, the latest estimate indicates Namibia has more than 24,000 elephants, a rise of 5.36 per cent in a year.

A report by African conservationists and scientists suggests the cull is motivated by forthcoming national elections and lacks environmental or food security assessments.

The experts are anonymous in the report because they say they face considerable risks, many having received threats or being subjected to actions such as “the revocation of permits, deportation, or worse”.

“This oppressive environment tragically results in media outlets often publishing government statements and strategies without the benefit of opposing views from the conservation community,” the report warns.

An IUCN map shows elephants are mostly in the north of the country (IUCN)

The authors warn culling will hit tourism, and that cattle do not graze in national parks so culling there will not help livestock farmers outside them, as the ministry insists.

“Elephants who witness culling, which typically targets entire families including young calves, is well established to exacerbate human-elephant conflict, rather than relieve it. Elephants who escape are known to experience lasting trauma from witnessing family members being shot,” the report says.

The ministry said in its announcement: “This exercise is necessary and is in line with our constitutional mandate where our natural resources are used for the benefit of Namibian citizens.

“This is also a prime example that conservation of game is really beneficial…

“Not only do Namibians benefit through the meat provided for drought relief, but the ministry has over the years supplied meat for national, regional, and traditional events in line with our policies and laws.

Namibia has suffered an intense drought (Getty)

“Game meat benefits are also extended to communities in rural areas especially those in conservancies.”

But Dr Cruise told the BBC: “It’s a bit insulting to toss a bit of game meat in the direction of starving, impoverished people, living on subsistence basis without any kind of meaningful developments in terms of employment opportunities and general social development.”

According to elephant biologist Dr Keith Lindsay, the cull will provide only short-term relief and set a dangerous precedent of reliance on wildlife to solve human problems.

He said: “This practice, if adopted and normalised, is very likely to create a continuing demand on vulnerable wildlife populations that would be unsustainable in the dwindling areas of natural habitat.

The plan includes culling 300 zebra (Getty)

“There is also the risk that it will give neighbouring nations a strong case for doing so as well, triggering a colossal disaster.”

The UK-based Action for Elephants organisation warned of “similar schemes on an even bigger scale by unscrupulous governments” across Africa.

“If other African countries with depleted wildlife see that no action is taken this time, no protest lodged, and no consequences to face, they will feel emboldened to do the same,” it said.

Izak Smit, of the Desert Lions Humans Relations Aid organisation told the ministry in a letter: “It has become clear that the human-wildlife-conflict thingy has become a very handy tool and scapegoat to accommodate abuse and dark agendas, one of which is availing trophies in cases where it cannot be justified in terms of sustainability.”

He said communities towards the west were more poverty and hunger-stricken than those that would receive the meat.

The Independent has approached the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism for comment.

UK

‘World’s deadliest chick’ hatches in Cotswolds bird park

Telegraph reporters
Sun 8 September 2024 


The southern cassowary chick is only the fourth known to have hatched in Europe this year - Birdland Park & Gardens / SWNS


One of the “world’s deadliest chicks” has hatched in a bird park in the Cotswolds.

Birdland has announced the first successful hatching in its history of the chick of a southern cassowary, renowned as one of the world’s largest and most formidable flightless birds.

The southern cassowary is regarded as dangerous because of its claws, strong legs and aggressive behaviour when threatened. The birds have killed people, including Marvin Hajos, 75, who was attacked by one of his pet cassowaries in Florida five years ago.

It is a major milestone for the Bourton-on-the-Water wildlife attraction, which has been trying to breed the giant birds on-site for more than 25 years.

Click here to view this content.

The chick, which is part of the Eaza Ex-situ Programme, formerly called the European Endangered Species Programme, is only the fourth to hatch in Europe this year and the firstborn in the UK since 2021.

The parents, a male from Avifauna in Alphen, the Netherlands, and a female from Frankfurt, Germany, have been together at Birdland since 2012.

Alistair Keen, the headkeeper at Birdland, said: “It has been a massive effort from the entire team here over many years, but it’s all been worthwhile when you see this amazing humbug-coloured chick exploring its new surroundings under the watchful eye of a very protective father.

Southern cassowaries, such as these ones in Queensland, have dagger-like claws 10cm long - BirdImages/iStockphoto

“Cassowaries have a reputation as one of the world’s most dangerous birds and their size, speed and power combined with their dagger-like 10cm claws mean we have to take looking after them extremely seriously.

“They are the only birds on-site that have their own risk assessment as they are potentially so hazardous.

“In order to avoid disturbing them during the incubation, we’ve been using video cameras to monitor the nest, and when we caught our first glimpse of the tiny chick, it was a very special moment indeed.”

It is the male that incubates the eggs and looks after the hatchlings, a rare occasion in the animal world. He sits on the nest for up to two months.

Once the brown-and-tan striped chicks hatch, it’s the male that leads them to his regular feeding grounds, protecting them and teaching them the ways of the world. Youngsters stay with their fathers for up to 16 months.

The name “cassowary” is thought to originate from two Papuan words: “kasu” (meaning horned) and “wari” (meaning head). It refers to the bird’s prehistoric-looking casque, a hollow structure made of keratin on the top of their head.

Found in the tropical rainforests of Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, the southern cassowary’s conservation status was recently re-designated from “vulnerable” to “least concern”.

However, deforestation and increasing human activity are providing a growing threat to the birds’ long-term survival prospects.

Although flightless, like other members of the ratite family including ostriches and emus, they are powerful runners, reaching speeds of up to 31mph. Despite lacking the ability to fly, the giant birds can also jump up to 2m and have even been filmed swimming.

Over the coming weeks, it is hoped that visitors will have a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse of the fast-growing bird in its spacious enclosure.

Trump slammed for criticising non-existent 'operations' in schools instead of shootings



Liam O'Dell

INDY100


After a school shooting in Georgia left four people dead this week, US presidential nominees Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have presented their contrasting stances on gun policy - with the Republican candidate now facing online condemnation for using the tragedy to make a point about gender-affirming surgery.

Trump and his running mate JD Vance have already been criticised for comments in the wake of the shooting, with the former’s remark that people should “get over” the Iowa shooting in January resurfacing and the latter said on Thursday that he didn’t like that murdered schoolchildren are “a fact of life”.

But on Saturday, at a rally in Wisconsin, Trump went further and told the crowd: “Can you imagine you’re a parent, and your son leaves the house and you say, ‘Jimmy, I love you so much, go have a good day in school’, and your son comes back with a brutal operation?


“Can you even imagine this? What the hell is wrong with our country?”

Aside from the very basic fact that schools are about education, rather than gender-affirming medical procedures, the Trump campaign failed to substantiate the claim from the convicted felon when it was asked by CNN to provide just one example where a child has been sent by a school for surgery without parental consent.

Even Moms for Liberty co-founder Tiffany Justice, who held a conversation with the former Apprentice star at an event in Washington DC last week in which he made the baseless claim about schools, told CNN: “Are kids getting surgery in school? No they’re not.”

And in addition to social media users emphasising the lack of evidence to support Trump’s Wisconsin comments, many are making the point that school shootings are a far more pressing issue.

There’s also the fact that the Republican was saying all of this behind bulletproof glass, after he was shot at in an assassination attempt last month.

The Harris campaign has slammed Trump and Vance’s comments on gun policy, with spokesperson Ammar Moussa saying in a statement: “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know we can take action to keep our children safe and keep guns out of the hands of criminals.

“Donald Trump and JD Vance will always choose the NRA [National Rifle Association] and gun lobby over our children. That is the choice in this election.”

Others offered up a rewritten version of Trump’s remarks.

Fairtrade thanks British shoppers as ‘two-thirds opt for certified products’


Rebecca Speare-Cole

A worker processing bananas at a farm near Orihueca in Magdalena, Colombia (Fairtrade/PA)
PA Media - Chris Terry



Fairtrade is thanking British shoppers for supporting low-income farmers around the world, as research suggests that two-thirds opted to buy certified products this year.

Marking its annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign, the organisation said the British public has helped to protect the future of everyday essentials like bananas, cocoa, tea, flowers, coffee and more, through their purchasing decisions.

Research by YouGov found that seven in 10 UK adults (69%) said they bought a Fairtrade product, which are produced by farmers and agricultural workers overseas.




A supermarket shopper chooses a bunch of Fairtrade bananas as the organisation thanks British consumers for their support of low-income farmers (Fairtrade/PA)

Fairtrade’s minimum price, premium payments, standards and guaranteed fairer prices mean farmers can afford to put food on the table, send their children to school, cover farm costs and adapt to climate change.

The certification body said that retail sales of Fairtrade products generated around £28 million in premium payments in 2023, which went directly to the producers so they could invest in business, community, healthcare, education and climate resilience projects.

During Fairtrade Fortnight, which kicks off on Monday, the organisation is joining up with supermarkets and leading brands to thank millions of people across the UK for their impact on these farmers’ lives.

This includes billboards placed outside supermarkets in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff and Edinburgh from Monday, congratulating shoppers on their support and encouraging them to buy more Fairtrade.

The billboards will highlight local purchasing figures, such as nine in 10 adults (89%) in Edinburgh buying a Fairtrade product last year and 65% of adults in Bristol enjoying Fairtrade chocolate.

The Co-op will offer a 10% discount on Fairtrade products for their members during the two weeks while brands like Maltesers, Ben & Jerry’s, Green & Blacks, Clipper and Cafedirect will also join the celebrations, the organisation said.


Jaime Alberto Garcia Florez, a Sierra Nevada farmer, tends to his coffee crops at his farm in Siberia township, Colombia (Fairtrade/PA)

Elsewhere, thousands of grassroots supporters in communities, schools, places of worship and universities are planning hundreds of special events across the country to celebrate the campaign as well as Fairtrade’s 30th anniversary.

Marie Rumsby, Fairtrade Foundation’s director of advocacy, said: “Every Fairtrade purchase makes a difference to farmers’ lives, and we want to remind shoppers that when they next visit a supermarket, they choose products with the Fairtrade logo, as these ensure farmers receive fairer prices for their hard work and can invest in their families and communities.

“Without the stability a fairer trade system provides – and as farmers tell us climate change is making it harder to grow crops – it is more important now than ever to show solidarity so future generations of farmers will be able to continue farming.


“But choosing to buy Fairtrade products helps build their resilience to these global challenges and helps keep our favourite products on our supermarket shelves.”

Elsewhere, Fairtrade research revealed that significant sections of the British public continue to back fair prices and fairer terms of trade for overseas farmers.

The survey found that 85% of UK adults think farmers in low-income countries should receive stable and fair pay for the products they grow.


Coffee beans at the Red Ecolsierra association in Santa Marta, Colombia (Fairtrade/PA)

And more than half (54%) of UK adults understand that buying Fairtrade has a positive impact on the lives of farmers and workers.

Fairtrade also found that the majority of the UK public shares its concerns about climate change putting production and supply at risk, and the impact this could ultimately have on prices.


Its latest poll revealed that 4 in every 5 adults in the UK (79%) are concerned about the potential effect of climate change on the price of food in the UK.

A similarly high number – 69% – are concerned about the potential effect of climate change more widely on the supply of food in the UK.

Fairtrade charity says people are making ‘conscious’ choice to buy its products

Zoe Wood

THE GUARDIAN
Sun 8 September 2024

The charity’s annual awareness campaign got under way on Monday.Photograph: Agencja Fotograficzna Caro/Alamy


Nearly 70% of UK adults have bought Fairtrade products such as bananas, tea or coffee in the past year despite pressure on personal finances, as concern that the climate crisis could push up the price of imported food drives “conscious consumerism”, the charity said.

Against the backdrop of this year’s big spikes in the price of coffee and cocoa, a YouGov poll, commissioned by the Fairtrade Foundation, revealed that 79% of Britons were concerned that climate breakdown could affect the price of food while 69% were worried it could disrupt supply to the UK.

Marie Rumsby, the charity’s director of advocacy, hailed the “resilient conscious consumerism”, adding that “every Fairtrade purchase makes a difference” at a time when farmers have told the organisation that global heating is “making it harder to grow crops”.


Fairtrade has sounded the alarm about the threat that unfair trade terms pose to the long-term viability of imports such as coffee and bananas, as growers cannot afford the investment required to counter the impact of climate breakdown on their crops.

The Fairtrade stamp on packaging guarantees that the producers receive a set minimum price and a financial bonus for community projects. This means farmers “can afford to put food on the table … cover their farm costs, and adapt to the changing climate”, said Rumsby.

“We want to remind shoppers that when they next visit a supermarket, they choose products with the Fairtrade logo,” she said as the charity’s annual awareness campaign got under way on Monday. “Choosing to buy Fairtrade products helps build their resilience and keep our favourite products on supermarket shelves.”

Michael Gidney, the charity’s chief executive, recently said Fairtrade sales held firm in 2023, despite the cost of living crisis.

Gidney, who is leaving at the end of 2024 after 12 years in the role, said it was “testament that, as happened in the financial crisis of 2008 to 2009, British shoppers do not trade down on their values when times are tough”.

Fairtrade Foundation income grew 11% year-on-year in 2023 to £13.4m. Businesses can apply for a licence to use the logo on approved products for a fee, so that as sales increase the fees to the foundation increase.

Cocoa and tea sales were up 6% and 5% in 2023, while sales of fresh vegetables were up 15%, and nuts and oil sales by 12%

Fairtrade brands call for more to join certification to boost impact

Rebecca Speare-Cole, PA sustainability reporter
Sun 8 September 2024 

Fairtrade brands and retailers are calling on competitors to sell more products sourced on fairer terms to boost the impact on low-income farmers around the world.

Clipper Tea, Brewgooder and the Co-op said they would like to see more sales in their sectors on Fairtrade terms to better support farmers who produce everyday essentials like bananas, cocoa, tea, and coffee.

It comes as the certification body marks its annual Fairtrade Fortnight campaign, calling on shoppers, MPs, retailers and brands to “Be the Change” in an unfair trade system that leaves farmers round the world facing increasingly insurmountable challenges.

Fonio grain farm workers in Guinea, West Africa (Brewgooder/PA)

Fairtrade’s minimum price, premium payments, standards and guaranteed fairer prices mean farmers can afford to put food on the table, send their children to school, cover farm costs and adapt to climate change.

UK-based brewer Brewgooder said it hopes to see more brewers buying Fairtrade fonio grain after it recently established the first Fairtrade-certified brewing supply chain.

Set up in just six months, the supply chain aims to ensure farmers in Guinea, West Africa, are paid a fairer price for their work and grain, with 67 producers already signing up according to local cooperatives.

Brewgooder has made the new supply chain, named “open grain” accessible to any UK brewer or business so they can maximise the impact sales have on farmer communities.

Alan Mahon, founder at Brewgooder, said: “Alone we can make a small but meaningful difference, but as an entire industry – even if only adopting Fairtrade fonio in small amounts – we can support farmers in Guinea make a game-changing impact on these communities while simultaneously bringing quality and desirable products to market.

“Enabling other beer producers to use our supply chain makes that possible.

Brewgooder’s new IPA is made from fonio grain sourced on Fairtrade terms from farmers in Guinea (Brewgooder/PA)

“We’re not adopting Fairtrade fonio to give ourselves a (unique selling point), but to show what can be achieved when you collaborate with farming communities for a fairer deal.”

Organic brand Clipper, which is one of Fairtrade’s first and longest-standing tea partners, has long called for fairer prices across the sector.

Hayley Murgett, head of hot drinks marketing at Clipper-owner Ecotone, said if half the tea in the UK was sold as Fairtrade, the difference it could make to farmers would be “absolutely insane”.

“We’d love to see more and more brands coming onto the Fairtrade premium,” she said.

“The more tea that can be sold with Fairtrade, the better we can improve those lives of the workers and farmers, who will then be able to better secure their future as well through climate combating measures.”

The tea sector is among those facing more volatility in recent years including Indian tea prices surging over the summer as extreme weather hit yields, especially in Assam.

Clipper’s cookstoves project in India have helped to prevent deforestation (Fairtrade/PA)

Ms Murgett said Fairtrade’s premium can help farmers “offset some of the impacts”.

“I think that’s where Fairtrade and organic play a really important role for us to try and secure the future of tea,” she said.

With British shoppers making particularly heritage-based decisions about the brand of tea they choose, Ms Murgett said Clipper’s focus is how it can “disrupt that kind of pattern” and “get them to question that tea choice so they could make that sort of more Fairtrade and organic impact”.

Daniel Parr, Ecotone’s European R&D team leader, also said shopper’s value perception behind tea needs to be “much higher”, citing the fact that people are now willing to pay premium prices on coffee because of barista culture.

“You look at all the skill and craft and effort that goes into making a kilo of tea and then you’re seeing a few pence per tea bag,” he said.

“Sustainable pricing is key but it has to be part of moving the dial on value perception.”

The Co-op said more retailers need to join the Fairtrade movement to maximise its impact (Alamy/PA)

He added that more tea companies buying Fairtrade is “exactly what we we want to see”.

Meanwhile, the Co-op said they would like to see other retailers to join the Fairtrade movement to help tackle the supply chain challenges that will intensify over the next decades.

It comes as the Co-op became the first UK retailer to move its entire range of fresh-cut roses to be 100% Fairtrade, which will help to fund social and community projects like supporting almost 5,000 female flower farm workers in Kenya.

Emily Pearce, senior sustainable sourcing and international development manager at the supermarket said: “As the second largest Fairtrade seller in the world, we’re proud to continue to pioneer Fairtrade by being the first UK retailer to extend our commitment to sourcing 100% Fairtrade roses.

“It’s incredible to see first-hand how our Fairtrade commitments change lives and build more resilient supply chains, yet we need others to join the Fairtrade movement to tackle the challenges the food systems face in the next 30 years.”

UK

Campaigners highlight corruption risks in Covid contracts as inquiry returns

Transparency International UK has highlighted concerns about pandemic-era contracts in new research.


People walk past the Covid Memorial Wall in London (PA)

PA Wire
David Lynch

Analysis of Covid-related contracts worth some £15.5 billion has identified corruption concerns, campaigners have claimed.

The research by Transparency International UK suggests there are questions to answer about the nature of 135 contracts made during the pandemic.

The group points to at least 28 contracts, worth £4.1 billion, which went to organisations with close connections at Westminster, particularly with the Conservatives who were in government during the pandemic.

It also raises concerns about contracts awarded through the VIP lane, a system deemed unlawful by the high court, of which 15 contracts worth £1.7 billion were awarded to politically connected suppliers.

The scale of corruption risk in the former government’s approach to spending public money during the years of the Covid pandemic was profound.

Daniel Bruce

The analysis also raises red flags about contracts which went to “new inexperienced suppliers”, and uncompetitive processes.

It comes as the Covid-19 Inquiry is set to reconvene for its third module, examining the impact of the pandemic on the UK’s health services.

Daniel Bruce, chief executive of Transparency International UK, said: “The scale of corruption risk in the former government’s approach to spending public money during the years of the Covid pandemic was profound.”

He added: “The Covid procurement response was marked by various points of systemic weakness and political choices that allowed cronyism to thrive, all enabled by woefully inadequate public transparency.

“As far as we can ascertain, no other country used a system like the UK’s VIP lane in their Covid response.”

He urged the authorities to “ensure full accountability”, as ministers look to appoint a Covid corruption commissioner.

The report titled Behind the Masks, due to be launched in Westminster on Monday afternoon, recommends ministers investigate the concerns it highlights, bolster its procurement practices and safeguards against impropriety.

A Conservative spokesman said: “Government policy was in no way influenced by the donations the party received – they are entirely separate.”

Rachel Reeves told the Commons in July a Covid anti-corruption probe would go ahead, aimed at clawing back money from Covid fraud.

A spokesperson for the Treasury, which is now leading efforts on investigating Covid era corruption, said: “The Chancellor has been clear that she will not tolerate waste and will appoint a Covid corruption commissioner to get back the money that is owed to the British people.

“The commissioner will report directly to the Chancellor, working with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, and their report will be presented to Parliament for all Members to see.”

Corruption review finds 'red flags' in more than 130 Covid contracts

Andy Verity

BBC
Investigations correspondent

A general shot of medical staff wearing protective medical equipment before entering a ward in Coventry, in May 2020

An anti-corruption charity says it has identified significant concerns in contracts worth over £15.3bn awarded by the Conservative government during the Covid pandemic, equivalent to one in every £3 spent.

Transparency International UK found 135 “high-risk” contracts with at least three red flags - warning signs of a risk of corruption.

Twenty-eight contracts worth £4.1bn went to firms with known political connections, while 51 worth £4bn went through a "VIP lane" for companies recommended by MPs and peers, a practice the High Court ruled was unlawful.

A Conservative spokesperson said: “Government policy was in no way influenced by the donations the party received – they are entirely separate.”

Transparency International UK analysed 5,000 contracts for red flags.

The charity said its analysis also indicated that almost two thirds of high-value contracts to supply items such as masks and protective medical equipment during the pandemic, adding up to a total of £30.7bn, were awarded without any competition.

A further eight contracts worth a total of £500m went to suppliers no more than 100 days old – another red flag for corruption.

Normal safeguards designed to protect the process of bidding for government contracts from corruption were suspended during the pandemic.

The government, led by Boris Johnson, justified this at the time by stressing the need to short-cut the bidding process to accelerate the supply of much-needed items such as personal protective equipment (PPE).

But Transparency International UK, a core participant in the Covid-19 inquiry which begins its third module on Monday, said the suspension of normal safeguards was often unjustifiable, costing the public purse billions and eroding trust in political institutions.

It is urging the authorities to investigate the high-risk contracts it has identified.


What is the UK Covid inquiry and how does it work?

Unused PPE worth £1.4bn 'stored inappropriately'


The charity said it has written to the National Audit Office, the Public Accounts Committee and Chancellor Rachel Reeves with a detailed overview of the findings and the contracts involved.

Chief executive Daniel Bruce said: “That we find multiple red flags in more than £15bn of contacts, amounting to a third of all such spending, points to more than coincidence or incompetence.”

He added that “the Covid procurement response was marked by various points of systemic weakness and political choices that allowed cronyism to thrive, all enabled by woefully inadequate public transparency.

“As far as we can ascertain, no other country used a system like the UK’s VIP lane in their Covid response.

“The cost to the public purse has already become increasingly clear with huge sums lost to unusable PPE from ill-qualified suppliers,” Mr Bruce continued. "We strongly urge the Covid-19 inquiries and planned Covid corruption commissioner to ensure full accountability and for the new government to swiftly implement lessons learned.”

Of a total of £48.1bn of public money spent on private sector contracts related to the Covid-19 pandemic, £14.9bn was written off by the Department of Health & Social Care.

Of that, approximately £1bn was spent on PPE that was deemed unfit for use, according to another NGO, Spotlight on Corruption.

A National Audit Office inquiry into public procurement during the pandemic, published in November 2020, found no evidence of ministerial involvement in procurement decisions or contract management.

UK
A tent city next to Mayfair: Why cutting homelessness might be harder than before


Michael Buchanan
Social affairs correspondent

BBC


On a recent evening, on one of London’s most exclusive roads, an estate agent was selling a property for £16.5m. Outside the agency, on the other side of Park Lane, was an encampment of approximately 24 tents housing rough sleepers.

Some were sitting outside, taking in the warm night air. Others were reading by torchlight.

Rough sleeping is on the rise across England but the tents like these increasingly appearing in the country’s towns and cities are only the most visible signs of a much bigger problem.

Homelessness is, by some measures, at record levels. Over 150,000 children, for instance, are living in temporary accommodation, often miles from their schools and their friends. On occasion, some are forced to live with their entire family in one cramped, sometimes mouldy, room.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner says England is in the “middle of the worst housing crisis in living memory”.

To tackle this, the new government is proposing to set up a homelessness reduction unit and in its manifesto, Labour said it would “put Britain back on track to ending homelessness”.

This might sound ambitious, but homelessness is something that governments have successfully tackled previously.

Labour’s manifesto said it would meet its promises on homelessness by “building on the lessons of our past” - a reference to the Blair government’s success in dramatically cutting rough sleeping.

In 1999, Tony Blair committed to reducing the number of rough sleepers by two-thirds in three years. By 2002, his government declared it had achieved its target a year early - the number of rough sleepers in England had fallen from 1,850 to 532.

These numbers remained low for most of the remainder of the decade. The method the government uses to count rough sleeping has changed over the years but experts agree that rough sleeping fell under Labour.

In 2010, when the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition took office, the figures showed an 11-year low of 440 rough sleepers on any given night. However the then-Housing Minister Grant Shapps said he was “sceptical” that the figures reflected “the true situation on the streets” and so the counting method was revised.

Under the new methodology, the number of rough sleepers in England stood at 1,768 in 2010. After that the numbers rose, peaking in 2017. Now, the latest official figures put it at 3,898 - 120% higher than in 2010.

Even during the pandemic, when the Conservatives pursued an “Everyone In” effort to protect rough sleepers from Covid - often using hotels that couldn’t accept paying guests - the number of people sleeping outside never fell below 2,400.

The evidence of the Blair years gives Labour the confidence, however, to say it knows how to cut homelessness. But repeating the trick in 2024 may not be as easy as it was before.

And most experts believe the latest figure is a huge underestimate.

The annual snapshot, which counts the number of people found to be rough sleeping on a single night each autumn, was found by the UK Statistics Authority to fall short in “trustworthiness, quality, and value”. It doesn’t include, for instance, a person known to be a rough sleeper, but not visible on the night of the count.

And it’s not just the numbers that are greater today - the type of rough sleeper is different, too.


Councils have entered into expensive deals to tackle homelessness costs


The occupants of the tents on Park Lane were mostly Romanians. Indeed in London, for which the data is most detailed and up-to-date, 55% of rough sleepers are not from the UK.

Back in the 1990s, rough sleepers in London were predominantly British and Irish. One obvious solution today would be to help those people from abroad return home.

But while such reconnecting schemes do exist, it isn’t that simple, says Matt Downie, chief executive of homeless charity Crisis. He says that some are victims of modern slavery, others have the right to remain in the UK.

“It needs untangling – they’re not all professional rough sleepers,” Mr Downie says.

Relying on the private rented sector, as councils usually do to tackle homelessness, is becoming increasingly difficult, too.

While Labour points out its commitment to ending so-called “no-fault evictions”, private rents in some areas have soared in recent years - up 9.7% in London in the year to June 2024, and 8.6% across England.

In addition, the short-term rental market, such as Airbnb, has reduced the number of properties that councils can use. London, for instance, is reportedly the city with the most Airbnb listings in the world, totalling over 150,000 - out of more than half a million across the UK.

As a result, the cost of housing families in temporary accommodation has soared. Councils spent more than £1bn on it last year, and the problem is pushing some local authorities towards bankruptcy. Several councils were forced to enter into expensive deals with the last Conservative government to cover the soaring costs of homelessness.

Treasury rules mean that Whitehall will only reimburse local authorities 90% of a figure calculated in 2011 for the cost of temporary accommodation, leading to an average monthly shortfall of about £350 per household, according to Mr Downie.

All this means the Starmer government will face a more difficult and more expensive task than its predecessor in the 1990s and 2000s.

‘Banging heads together’


There are, however, lessons the new ministers can take from the last Labour government, according to those who were there.

The key to the Blair administration’s success was getting the prime minister’s name and influence attached to the target, says Ian Brady, who was deputy director of the Rough Sleepers Unit at the time.

Tony Blair, he said, would hold regular meetings with key ministers to see what progress was being made, “banging heads together if necessary”.

There was money behind the initiative - £250m over three years - recalls Mr Brady, “a relatively big budget”. And different government departments were forced to help achieve this goal, including the Home Office and the Department of Health.

After that, a three-pronged strategy was adopted. Officials gathered data to understand who was sleeping rough. Those already in homeless accommodation, such as hostels, were moved into the private rented sector - allowing others to come off the streets. And lots of support services, such as drug and alcohol treatment, were put in place to ensure people did not become homeless again.

There are potential lessons from the Conservatives’ term in office, too.

In 2018, they funded three pilot studies of a scheme that has proven successful in tackling rough sleeping in the United States and Europe and had already been introduced in Scotland.

Housing First moves rough sleepers straight into their own properties and provides support services to help them maintain their homes. Tenancies can be kept, for instance, even if someone receives a short prison sentence or struggles to maintain contact with their drug and alcohol team.

The pilots were deemed to have been a success, with an official analysis concluding that “the vast majority of clients were in long-term accommodation a year after entering Housing First and reported significantly better outcomes across a range of measures”.

But the government has not said if it will introduce the scheme across the country, with some experts worried that it does not help enough people for the cost of the programme.

As well as rough sleeping, temporary accommodation is on the rise


The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has committed to ending rough sleeping in the city by 2030. He has not laid out the full details yet, but has promised that council house building will be a key plank – since 2018, says Mr Khan, London has built more than twice as many council homes as the rest of England combined.

Despite that, London has the biggest homelessness problem in England.

The Conservative government, in 2019, made a similar commitment to end rough sleeping by the end of the last Parliament but failed to achieve it, despite spending over £500m tackling the problem between 2022 and 2025.

In any case, rough sleeping is not the most significant homelessness issue. The latest figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government showed there were almost 120,000 households living in temporary accommodation - a record high - including those 150,000 children.

More than 3,200 children were living in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than the legal limit of six weeks, a figure that is up by almost 2,000% since the last time Labour were in power.

“It’s a national disgrace,” says Ian Brady. “I wouldn’t neglect what’s happening on the streets, but I’d start by tackling that problem.”

An expert, who has the ear of the new government, said one approach would be to keep those women and children who are fleeing domestic violence in their homes and force their partners to move out by using a different policing approach.

Finding properties for those families who do end up homeless will not be easy, however.

The 1.5m homes the government has committed to building during the lifetime of this Parliament will take some time to appear, yet the homeless problem is both immediate and urgent.

In an effort to tackle the limited supply of social housing, the government is expected to hold a consultation on the future of Right to Buy, the scheme that allows council tenants to buy their homes, often at a significant discount.

Matt Downie from Crisis would go further. “I would immediately suspend Right to Buy. It’s been a disaster,” he says. Since the policy was introduced in 1980, of the almost two million homes that have been sold through Right to Buy, Shelter estimates that just 4% have been replaced.

However even if Right to Buy were to be ended entirely, some commentators say annual sales only represent a small proportion of social housing stock and further action would still be needed to tackle the shortage of social housing.

Mr Downie would also urge the government to align the allocations system for social housing in England with what happens in Scotland, so that homeless families get priority when properties become available.

One lesson that remains from the Blair years, say experts, is the need to ensure that all government departments are working towards the same aim.

The Ministry of Justice often releases prisoners into the community knowing they have nowhere to live while the Home Office has been evicting asylum seekers from their accommodation within days of giving them permission to remain in the UK, often onto the streets.

Ms Rayner has promised “a long-term strategy across Government to deal with every pressure – including increasing social and affordable housing, and providing support for refugees leaving the asylum system and prison leavers”.

Such an approach, she says, “will get us back on track towards ending homelessness for good”.

The challenge the new government faces in tackling homelessness is much greater than the last time Labour were in office. But the potential rewards are also even greater, not just in terms of saving money but in giving so many thousands of families the dignity and certainty that comes with having a place to call home.

Top picture: Alamy

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