Latest news with #Taskforce
Travel Daily News
11-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
ITM Inclusive Travel Taskforce releases new guide
ITM launches a new guide and webinar to help companies embed DE&I into travel policies, supporting inclusive, safe, and equitable business travel for all. Empowering companies to build inclusive travel programmes, the Institute of Travel Management (ITM)'s latest Taskforce has produced a new guide to help organisations across different sectors embed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) into their corporate travel policies and practices. Accessible to all, the guide will be available both in written and audio format and will be supported by a free webinar on 19 June, 10 – 11:00 (BST)*. The taskforce** brings together voices from both buyers and suppliers to provide a well-rounded perspective. Representative of the collaborative approach required to consider the needs of all individuals; the guide encourages a true partnership of both internal and external parties across the business. Offering actionable insights that build on duty of care initiatives, the webinar and guide is applicable to all, whether you are in the initial stages of building an inclusive travel strategy or developing an established policy. Outputs serve as a practical roadmap for travel managers and associated stakeholders to create travel programmes that account for the varied needs of a diverse workforce — including considerations related to race, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, religion, and neurodiversity, which may put a traveller at greater risk than others. From conducting inclusive risk assessments to supplier engagement and employee feedback mechanisms, the guide provides clear steps to transform intent into impact. ITM board member and Taskforce representative, Sue Jones added, 'Be reassured that we, our buyer members and our supplier members are all learning together, so the important thing to remember is that you are not alone in this!' Motivating others to embark on this journey, this series of resources incites meaningful change – 'keep in mind that the steps we take towards making business travel truly inclusive will make a positive difference to our travellers, to our organisations, and to society as a whole.' Supporting individuals to be their complete selves in all aspects of their working life; both at home and 'on the road' without discriminations, barriers and/ or burden; the guide alongside this month's webinar, addresses the following key topics: Key topics addressed include: Understanding different traveller experiences through different perspectives Embedding inclusive practices into travel risk management and duty of care Engaging with diverse suppliers and accommodation partners Building feedback loops that centre employee voices Leveraging data to measure inclusivity in travel spend and policy impact Building an Inclusive Travel Programme will be available to download via ITM Resources from 19 June; following the associated webinar earlier that same morning. * Non ITM members must first create a free Connect profile before registering at **Taskforce members include Sue Jones at HSBC, Adam Hickingbotham at Atkins Realis, Kayleigh Rogers at Amex GBT, Carolyn Pearson at Maiden Voyage, Kerry Smith at Mott MacDonald, Louise Kilgannon at FESTIVE ROAD and a Travel Manager from Banking and Financial Services
Business News Wales
06-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Planning Reform Is Vital for Wales' Housing Future
The two governments in Westminster and Cardiff Bay have often taken very different approaches to housing and planning. While the Labour Government in England has pressed ahead with ambitious planning reforms, the Welsh Government has, until now, largely avoided such changes. Could this be about to change? There appears to be a growing recognition in Cardiff Bay that planning reforms will be needed to deliver the Welsh Government's target of 20,000 social rented homes as well as its broader housing ambitions. For instance, the First Minister, Eluned Morgan, has made speeding up planning a top priority, and a consultation earlier this year outlined plans to increase Local Planning Authority (LPA) performance and resources. The recently released Affordable Housing Taskforce report is the latest sign of a positive shift in sentiment and sets out a series of ambitious proposals for reforms to both national planning policy and the planning process. Many of the recommendations bear similarities to measures already underway in England through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill and revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). Will the Welsh Government seize the opportunities the Taskforce has set out? Affordable Housing Taskforce Chaired by backbench Member of the Senedd (MS) Lee Waters, the Taskforce aimed to identify both short- and long-term barriers to Affordable Housing delivery. HBF submitted written evidence and met with Waters to provide input. The context of the Taskforce's work is extremely challenging. Housing supply levels in Wales are falling year-on-year, and in 2023-24 just 4,771 new homes were completed – the second-lowest year on record and far below the peak of over 9,000 new homes in 2006-07. The home building industry is a major player in Affordable Housing provision, delivering 45% of all new affordable homes between 2021 and 2023 via Section 106 (S106) agreements – and so making a significant contribution to the Welsh Government's 20,000 social homes target. This is an important and often overlooked point, as with the delivery of affordable units so closely tied to private development, any fall in market housing delivery inevitably reduces the number of S106 Affordable Homes coming forward. Constraints on housing delivery previously identified To unlock housing delivery across all tenures, we have consistently highlighted several key constraints on development in Wales: • Time-expired Local Development Plans (LDPs) which contain unviable and undeliverable housing allocations.• Delays relating to statutory consultee responses and SuDS Approval Bodies (SABs).• Under-resourced Local Planning Authorities (LPAs). • No requirement for councils to calculate a housing land supply since Technical Advice Notice 1 (TAN1) was revoked in 2020, making it very difficult to progress sites which are not allocated in LDPs. Taskforce recommendations The Taskforce's recommendations reflect many of these concerns. For instance, it recommended that land identified as suitable for housing in LDPs should have a presumption towards development. If implemented, this could be transformational and help stop allocated sites from being delayed or even refused once an application is submitted. However, there must be accompanying incentives for LDPs to be kept up to date in the first place to ensure an adequate supply of deliverable allocated sites. Many of the Taskforce's other recommendations are squarely aimed at addressing the key causes of planning delays, such as proposing that LPAs no longer wait for statutory consultees past their response deadlines and establishing multidisciplinary 'development teams' within councils to resolve delays – reflecting England's 'New Homes Accelerator' teams and statutory consultee reviews. The Taskforce also called for greater delegated powers for planning officers on smaller schemes, raising the major development threshold to 50 dwellings, and introducing a national scheme of delegation, all of which could significantly accelerate housing delivery and support SME home builders. What next? Of course, while many of the Taskforce's recommendations reflect those included in England's Planning and Infrastructure Bill, Wales' approach to housing is and will rightly continue to be distinct from that in England. For instance, it is extremely positive that the Help to Buy Wales scheme remains in place, providing vital support for first-time buyers and confidence for industry, while no such support scheme is in place in England. Furthermore, the Welsh Government's policy priority continues to be Affordable Housing, whereas in England, there is a greater focus on a general uplift in supply of all housing tenures. However, despite these differences, both governments now recognise the urgent need to deliver more homes and speed up planning. But how many of the Taskforce's recommendations will the Welsh Government implement – and when? It is positive that the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Jayne Bryant, has accepted the recommendations that fall to her and has set up an implementation group to oversee them (although the recommendations related to planning fall under a different minister). Some recommendations could be implemented relatively quickly, while on the other hand, many of the more systemic recommendations, such as a presumption towards development for land identified in the LDP, would require new legislation and consultation, and so are unlikely to be implemented soon. As a result, with the next Senedd election due in May 2026 and the possibility of a Reform or Plaid Cymru-led government, some of the more ambitious recommendations are at risk of being delayed or shelved. What role can HBF play in these debates? Looking ahead to next year's Senedd elections, HBF is actively seeking responses from home builders on what changes the next Welsh Government can make to planning and housing policy to further support the industry, and we will continue to push for changes to boost housing delivery of all tenures in the years ahead.
Scoop
05-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Disability Taskforce Extended As Budget Funding Boosts System
Press Release – New Zealand Government Disability Support Services Taskforce was established to lead the implementation of these recommendations. That important work is progressing well, and I am now looking to the Taskforce to lead more work to further strengthen the system. Minister for Disability Issues The Disability Support Services Taskforce will be extended for a year to continue its progress in stabilising the disability support system and shaping it for the future. Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston says the Taskforce has been extended to 30 June 2026, with its work further enhanced by a billion-dollar funding boost announced in last month's Budget. 'This Government is committed to the ongoing support of the disability community and delivering better outcomes for disabled people, their families and carers,' Louise Upston says. 'We've demonstrated this in Budget 2025, where the DSS Budget received $1 billion in additional funding over four years – that's about $250 million a year of new money. 'This includes $60 million a year in residential care funding increases and about $190 million a year for increases across all DSS services for cost pressures, including care in the community. 'We are making good progress in delivering for disabled people, and the Taskforce will continue to play a key role. 'In August 2024, the Independent Review made recommendations to manage increasing cost pressures faced by DSS. 'The Taskforce was established to lead the implementation of these recommendations. That important work is progressing well, and I am now looking to the Taskforce to lead more work to further strengthen the system. 'The Taskforce has already made significant progress to stabilise DSS, including: reviewing pricing and contracting arrangements for residential care, which are being implemented following Budget 2025 improving systems and processes for assessing performance and forecasting expenditure reviewing needs assessment and allocation, and flexible funding settings so they better meet the needs of disabled people, their whānau and carers. 'My expectation is that DSS will continue to involve the disability community in discussions about how disability support services are delivered. I'll have more to say on the next phase of work in the coming months,' Louise Upston says. Notes: New funding for DSS in Budget 2025 included: $1 billion over four years towards meeting the increasing costs of disability support services (including $240 million for residential care) and to support more people to access those services. $10 million over two years to address the increasing costs for services and support for people with an intellectual disability and complex care needs who live in secure or supervised care under the High and Complex Framework. This will also fund critical workforce training initiatives and essential infrastructure, including repairs and maintenance upgrades. $9.5 million over four years to recognise and respond to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry. This includes work to strengthen how DSS audits the quality of its services, critical incident and complaints management processes and systems, and to contribute to other cross agency work to improve recordkeeping and the capability of the disability workforce.
Scoop
04-06-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Disability Taskforce Extended As Budget Funding Boosts System
Minister for Disability Issues The Disability Support Services Taskforce will be extended for a year to continue its progress in stabilising the disability support system and shaping it for the future. Minister for Disability Issues Louise Upston says the Taskforce has been extended to 30 June 2026, with its work further enhanced by a billion-dollar funding boost announced in last month's Budget. 'This Government is committed to the ongoing support of the disability community and delivering better outcomes for disabled people, their families and carers,' Louise Upston says. 'We've demonstrated this in Budget 2025, where the DSS Budget received $1 billion in additional funding over four years – that's about $250 million a year of new money. 'This includes $60 million a year in residential care funding increases and about $190 million a year for increases across all DSS services for cost pressures, including care in the community. 'We are making good progress in delivering for disabled people, and the Taskforce will continue to play a key role. 'In August 2024, the Independent Review made recommendations to manage increasing cost pressures faced by DSS. 'The Taskforce was established to lead the implementation of these recommendations. That important work is progressing well, and I am now looking to the Taskforce to lead more work to further strengthen the system. 'The Taskforce has already made significant progress to stabilise DSS, including: reviewing pricing and contracting arrangements for residential care, which are being implemented following Budget 2025 improving systems and processes for assessing performance and forecasting expenditure reviewing needs assessment and allocation, and flexible funding settings so they better meet the needs of disabled people, their whānau and carers. 'My expectation is that DSS will continue to involve the disability community in discussions about how disability support services are delivered. I'll have more to say on the next phase of work in the coming months,' Louise Upston says. Notes: New funding for DSS in Budget 2025 included: $1 billion over four years towards meeting the increasing costs of disability support services (including $240 million for residential care) and to support more people to access those services. $10 million over two years to address the increasing costs for services and support for people with an intellectual disability and complex care needs who live in secure or supervised care under the High and Complex Framework. This will also fund critical workforce training initiatives and essential infrastructure, including repairs and maintenance upgrades. $9.5 million over four years to recognise and respond to the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry. This includes work to strengthen how DSS audits the quality of its services, critical incident and complaints management processes and systems, and to contribute to other cross agency work to improve recordkeeping and the capability of the disability workforce.
Business Times
04-06-2025
- Business
- Business Times
Beyond polar bears: How nature-related financing can help companies be more resilient
[SINGAPORE] A cracked, parched earth. Bare trees and withered crops. Emaciated livestock. That is often the image one has when a drought occurs. An image that is often far flung from the day-to-day realities of many people. However, glovemakers in Malaysia felt its effects very keenly in 2014, after a water rationing exercise – a response by Selangor state to a prolonged drought – raised their costs and disrupted production. Top Glove's chief executive officer at the time, Lim Wee Chai, said then that the company may be forced to halt production, should the situation continue. The company subsequently invested RM15 million (S$4.6 million) to set up water treatment plants that could provide reverse osmosis to operating facilities, to reduce its reliance on municipal water. It also implemented other measures to enhance its water resilience, such as harvesting rainwater as a sustainable water source, as well as introducing water recycling in its factories. Glovemakers' dependency on water is an example of why there needs to be a rethink on nature's relationship with how people live and work, and how companies conduct their businesses, said UOB chief sustainability officer Eric Lim. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 12.30 pm ESG Insights An exclusive weekly report on the latest environmental, social and governance issues. Sign Up Sign Up 'Some people may think of nature as polar bears and trees, and less of water, air, land, atmosphere – drinkable water, arable land, breathable air,' he said. 'These are the natural capital that is all around us, and essential inputs to our daily lives and business models.' It goes back to how people and companies use water, air and land – forms of natural capital that have sustained humanity and socio-economic growth at almost zero or low cost for millennia, yet are often overlooked. To this end, UOB published its nature strategy in March this year, as it believes it should help clients start thinking about how their business models interact with these natural ecosystem services. It is about integrating nature into economic value chains, and not just viewing it from a restoration or conservation perspective, said UOB's Lim. There are a few reasons why the bank has embarked on such a strategy. First, the strain on natural capital is only going to increase, and companies will inevitably face growing demands to embed nature-related risks and opportunities in their strategy and business operations. The sustainability sector is already seeing greater focus on natural capital. While not yet a regulatory requirement, companies and investors are already starting to pay more attention to nature-related disclosures, such as those recommended by the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures. Second, it would actually be costlier to replace the infrastructure capabilities that the earth's ecological assets naturally provide, if nothing is done to sustain them. 'The ability to retain soil for stable foundations, control pests, moderate temperatures – if nature can no longer do all of these things for us, we will have to build expensive infrastructure to replicate them,' said UOB's Lim. Nature-related financing To support companies looking to integrate nature into their business, it would be helpful to broaden the scope of nature financing. While nature-related financing has typically been associated with conservation or restoration projects – termed as nature-positive finance – UOB's Lim said that it should also include business activities that avoid or reduce pressure on nature. These are beyond the environmental impact assessments conducted for the assets that UOB finances, as part of its responsible financing and due diligence requirements. The Singapore Sustainable Finance Association recently published a white paper on nature financing that advocated for the same. UOB's Lim is co-lead for the association's natural capital and biodiversity workstream. According to UOB's latest sustainability report – in which the bank outlined its nature strategy for the first time – 60 per cent of its sustainable finance portfolio already takes nature-related issues into account. And this is just from a baseline of fulfilling current regulatory expectations on waste and water pollution, as well as the certification for green buildings by the Building and Construction Authority. Already, the bank has in place several frameworks relating to sustainable trade finance, greening built environments as well as circular economy business models. But there is a lot more to scale, and that is where the growth opportunity is, said Lim of UOB. 'And we're keen to continue scaling our financing towards the real-economy activities that either reduce pressure on nature or are nature-positive, and to continue to create positive impact,' he added. Sustainable trade and sustainability-linked loans would be the UOB's main avenues to help support companies intending to pursue their own nature strategy. In fact, Lim of UOB believes that sustainability-linked loans with nature-focused performance targets are likely to take off first, as companies show that they are increasing their effective and responsible use of natural capital. With its strategy and products now in place, UOB is looking to engage with real-economy sectors and a broad range of stakeholders – including corporates, financiers, asset managers and regulators – to assess key natural capital issues and vulnerabilities, identify sectors for collaboration and develop an action plan for these sectors. This entails exploring if there are regulatory levers that can be enhanced, as well as the scope of real-economy activities that companies can embark on that banks are willing to finance. Given that Singapore is a highly urbanised city-state where ensuring food security is a priority, UOB believes the key industries that will matter to the country would be the built environment and agriculture. One nature-related topic that can also be further developed in Singapore is water. This is especially so considering that it is another key priority for the city-state, and an issue that cuts across various types of industries. Ultimately, integrating nature into the economy is not just about incorporating resilience into physical infrastructure; it should also be applicable to business models within and beyond the shores of Singapore. 'As changes in natural capital continue to place stress on these value chains, are our business models and the assets we own resilient and properly adapted to these changes?' said UOB's Lim. However, while companies can try to ensure resource efficiency and circularity in their operations, it would not take off on a large-scale if governments do not create an enabling environment. Nevertheless, nature and its related financing opportunities are still nascent, he said. 'There is a huge potential for us to continue to grow the opportunity in nature financing, as governments as well as real-economy sectors continue to become more sensitised to our reliance on nature. This therefore provides opportunities to build assets and business models that embed resilience and sustainability.'
