MIL Pubishing Engine 2

Source: Scottish Government

Embargoed until 0001 Sunday 2 August 2026

A new £15 million fund has been launched to improve the resilience of communities across Scotland most at risk from flooding.

Funding will be provided to local groups, communities and local authorities to help them improve their flood resilience and preparedness.

The funding will support sustainable drainage, including natural features like green spaces and planting, to reduce flood risk and future proof existing flooding infrastructure. Coastal communities will benefit, with support available for innovative coastal resilience projects to replenish sand dunes and reduce flood risk in towns like Montrose.

Additional support will be available for communities recovering from the impact of recent flooding, while Public Health Scotland will develop a new interactive tool combining flood risk data with population and demographic data to help identify communities and groups most at risk in the future.

A new Flood Advisory Service will support local authorities in delivering major flood protection schemes more efficiently, reducing delays and improving value for public money.

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action Gillian Martin said:

“Climate change means, globally, we are facing an increasing flood risk, and Scotland is not immune to that. We are determined to take action now to protect people, homes and livelihoods.

“This £15 million package delivers on our 100 days commitment to invest in flood mitigation and prevention, with support targeted where it is needed most. By working closely with communities, local authorities and expert partners, we are investing in practical measures that will strengthen resilience and adapt to the challenges of the future.

“From community-led projects and nature-based solutions to better data, improved infrastructure and more effective flood protection schemes, this investment complements our wider Flood Resilience Strategy to help build a safer, more resilient Scotland.”

Background

This investment supports the Scottish Government’s Flood Resilience Strategy.

This three-year investment will support increased local resilience. Following preparatory work this year, funding for local projects will be available from next year.

Further detail on this programme of work will be outlined in the forthcoming Flood Resilience Strategy Implementation Plan.

SEPA is the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Scotland’s principal environmental regulator.

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

July 31, 2026

Experts comment on news that the High Court have rejected a challenge to the PATHWAYS clinical trial for puberty suppressing hormones.

 

Dr Matt Westmore, Chief Executive, Health Research Authority, said:
“Protecting people who take part in research is why the Health Research Authority exists.


“The checks that we carry out, alongside the independent ethics review process, ensure the interests of participants are put first, and that the research is safe and ethical.


“High profile studies like this will always attract extra scrutiny and we welcome the opportunity to assure the public of the safeguards put in place to protect research participants.


“We are grateful to the Court for its consideration of this case, and its recognition that Research Ethics Committees (REC) have the right expertise to review complex studies like PATHWAYS Trial.


“We would like to thank the volunteers who sit on RECs for their time, expertise and careful consideration of these important ethical questions.


“PATHWAYS Trial has all the necessary approvals to begin recruiting participants in line with the approved research protocol.

”
 
 
https://www.

judiciary.

uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Bayswater-Approved-Judgment.

pdf
https://www.

judiciary.

uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Bayswater-Press-Summary.

pdf
 
 
Declared interests
No reply to our request for DOIs was received.

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story
First phase of new homes delivered for military families in Cyprus

Families are expected to move into the 46 new homes at Dhekelia Station soon.

The first phase of a 138-home programme has been delivered at Dhekelia Station.

MOD Crown Copyright.

The first of 138 new homes for armed forces personnel and their families have been completed and handed over at Dhekelia Station in Cyprus.

  
The first phase of the project is now complete, with the delivery of 46 new Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area.

  
The homes have been delivered through the APOLLO programme, a joint initiative between the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and Cyber and Specialist Operations Command (CSOC).

 The programme aims to enhance the resilience of critical UK defence assets in Cyprus while ensuring infrastructure meets modern building standards and supports contemporary ways of working.

  
The first 46 homes have officially been handed over to Dhekelia Station Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Tim Wildish, with families expected to move into the properties shortly.

  
A £48 million contract was awarded to the Lagan Iacovou Joint Venture in 2023, and will see a total of 138 three- and four-bedroom homes built for Service personnel and their families in the area.

  
Designed specifically for the environment of Cyprus, the homes incorporate measures to improve resilience against seismic activity.

Cyprus sits within an area of known earthquake risk, and safeguards against earthquakes have been built into the homes’ design and construction.

 
The properties have also been designed with Service families in mind, with comfort-cooling measures in place to help families cope with Cyprus’ high summer temperatures.

Sustainability features including solar panels, air source heat pumps and electric vehicle charging points are also included, helping reduce energy consumption and lower household costs.

  
Simon Oxley, DIO Project Manager, said:  

Seeing the first families move into these homes will be a significant milestone for everyone involved in this project.

These modern, energy-efficient properties will provide high-quality accommodation for Service personnel and their families for many years to come.

  
The completion of this first phase demonstrates the strong partnership between DIO, CSOC and our industry partners.

It is an important step in the APOLLO programme, which is delivering long-term investment across the Defence estate in Cyprus, improving both the lived experience of Service families and the resilience of critical Defence infrastructure.

CSOC Deputy Head Infra Delivery, Tracey Fuoco, said:  

I am very pleased the project has now reached the milestone of handing over the tranche of new homes.

I’m conscious this has been possible due to the hard work of the whole project team, and I thank all those involved for their continued commitment to delivering the new homes for Service families in Dhekelia.

Luke Carolan, Project Director for Lagan Iacovou JV, said:  

It is a privilege to be delivering such high-quality homes for the British Forces personnel and their families, who will soon call the development their home.

  
This achievement reflects the outstanding teamwork and dedication of everyone involved in the project including all our site teams, subcontractors and supply chain partners.

I’d like to thank the DIO and CSOC client teams, as well as the Station staff, for their collaborative and professional approach throughout the project so far.

The APOLLO programme is a 10-year investment programme that will modernise significant parts of the British Forces Cyprus and Sovereign Base Areas estate, including operational infrastructure and Service Family Accommodation across Episkopi, Akrotiri, Dhekelia and Ayios Nikolaos.

 

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

July 31, 2026

A review paper published in Cell Press Blue looks at protein intake, ageing and longevity in humans, rodents and insects.

 

Prof Paul Greenhaff, Professor of Muscle Metabolism, University of Nottingham, said:
“Firstly, the article is a review (so not original research).

 Secondly, it is primarily based on evidence from rodent and insect research and the central question of whether protein restriction positively impacts of healthy ageing and longevity has not been addressed in humans.

 Of course, such human volunteer studies are very difficult to deliver however it is essential that is achieved because rodents and insects are not representative models of human ageing.

 The trajectory of body composition change over the lifespan is different to humans, and insects and rodents have greater metabolic rates relative to the human alongside poorer metabolic stability.


“Here are two good papers1,2that highlight these differences.


“So in short, the associations identified in the review article are thought provoking and bring mechanistic insight, but whether they translate to the human condition is debatable.

”
 
1 Demetrius L.

Of mice and men.

When it comes to studying ageing and the means to slow it down, mice are not just small humans.

EMBO Rep.

2005 Jul;6 Spec No (Suppl 1):S39-44.

DOI: 10.

1038/sj.

embor.

7400422
 
2 Rennie, M.

J.

, Selby, A.

, Atherton, P.

, Smith, K.

, Kumar, V.

, Glover, E.

L.

and Philips, S.

M.

(2010), Facts, noise and wishful thinking: muscle protein turnover in aging and human disuse atrophy.

Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 20: 5-9.

https://doi.

org/10.

1111/j.

1600-0838.

2009.

00967.

x
 
Prof Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics, Open University, said:
“As a statistician it’s beyond my competence to comment on the physiology in this paper, or its conclusions about the effects of reducing protein intake on human health.


“However, I do know about how different types of research paper are produced, and I therefore want to comment on the labels at the top of the press release describing some key attributes of the study.


“The first one says the paper was peer-reviewed, which it doubtless was.


“The second one says it is a systematic review.

 It simply isn’t.

 In a systematic review, the researchers make efforts to find all the papers and research reports that are relevant to the question of interest.

 There are accepted standards for how to carry out a systematic review, and how to report it.


“This paper doesn’t claim to be a systematic review.

 Instead it is a narrative review of the literature.

 The authors have clearly based their findings on a large number of research papers, and it’s beyond my expertise to comment on whether they missed any important ones.

 But they don’t explain how they chose the papers to review, and they don’t use statistical methods to combine the findings.


“I’m absolutely not criticising the authors of the paper for using this approach.

 It’s a common way of reviewing a field of study.

 But I wanted to mention that it’s not a systematic review, in case anyone thinks that it will have the characteristics that a systematic review should have.


“The final label says that the paper is about people.

 Well, it does draw conclusions about the effects on human health of restricting protein intake.

 But to label a paper as being about people typically means that the research reported in the paper was carried out using human subjects.

 That’s not the case here.

 Many of the studies that are reviewed did use human subjects, but the review also covers a lot of studies that were carried out using experimental animals.

 That raises another question that I’m not competent to answer – can the findings from these animal studies really be carried over to humans?
“To examine the subject that this new study covers, in such a broad-ranging review, it is often necessary to include findings from animal studies.

 So again I’m not making any criticism of the paper authors for doing just that.

 Unlike me, they are experienced in understanding which findings from animal studies also apply in humans.

 It’s only the labelling in the press release that I’m criticising.

”
 
 
 
‘The hallmarks of protein and amino acid restriction in aging and longevity’ by Bailey A.

Knopf and Dudley W.

Lamming was published in Cell Press Blue at 16:00 UK time on Friday 31 July 2026.

 

DOI: 10.

1016/j.

cpblue.

2026.

100079
 
 
Declared interests
Prof Paul Greenhaff: “I have no conflict of interest that I am aware of.

”
Prof Kevin McConway: “I have no conflicts of interest.

”

Source: City of Canterbury

As the Herne Bay land train trial comes to an end, we would like to say a huge thank you for the phenomenal response over the last week.

There’s been cheering, whooping, waving and a lot of choo-choo-ing!

Interest levels have massively exceeded our expectations. We’ve seen queue times of Disneyland ride proportions! Every trip has been packed to the rafters.

Incredible stuff.

We know there have been long waits on some occasions and it’s been baking hot this week as well, so your patience has been very much appreciated.

We now need to review how the trial has gone and consider what we do next.

This will cover a whole range of issues – the route, the stops, timings, pricing and its success in supporting the town’s businesses. And that’s far from an exhaustive list!

We are also very aware of the accessibility issue. As we’ve made clear throughout, an accessible carriage was not available to us for the trial, but it is a key consideration for us in any future plans.

We’ve had a few people ask why it’s only been for six days.

This was simply down to the availability of the land train. They are in high demand across the country and we turned round this trial at very short notice.

We felt having it for this period, during the Herne Bay Festival, would allow us to test it out and assess the interest.

So now it will all go quiet as we beaver away behind the scenes and work out where we go from here.

But from everyone involved here, thank you for the support and we are pleased it brought enjoyment to so many people.

And thanks also go to Stagecoach who have looked after the land train overnight for us at their depot in Herne Bay.

Published: 31 July 2026

Source: City of Oxford

An Oxford landlord has been fined a total of £23,138 after being found guilty of failing to licence a rented property and non-compliance with a Prohibition Order at a property in Headington.

Source: City of Derby

As part of World Breastfeeding Week 2026, Council-managed green spaces will begin displaying “Breastfeeding Welcome Here” signs as the city continues to expand its support for breastfeeding in public spaces.

World Breastfeeding Week, which runs from Saturday 1 August to Friday 7 August, aims to promote, protect and support breastfeeding as an essential start in life for babies. This year’s theme is “Breastfeeding for a sustainable start in life: Strengthen what works.” 

To mark the week, Osmaston Park has become the first location to join the Breastfeeding Welcome Here initiative which was launched in 2023 to help parents and families feel more confident about breastfeeding in the city’s public spaces. Derby Parks aim to install these at all Council-managed parks when welcome boards are due to be replaced, ensuring that women feel welcome to breastfeed their babies and young children when enjoying the city’s green spaces. 

Since the scheme launched, 155 venues across Derby have signed up, including shops, cafés, community venues and other public spaces, helping to create a more breastfeeding-friendly city.

Councillor Alison Martin, Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Care, said:

While the right to breastfeed in public is protected by law, many women still feel anxious about feeding their baby outside the home. The Breastfeeding Welcome Here initiative is a fantastic way to support women to feel confident about breastfeeding in public spaces.

World Breastfeeding Week is an ideal time to celebrate the progress we have made through the scheme. By displaying these signs in our parks and other public spaces, we want to send a clear message that breastfeeding is welcome in our city. I encourage all businesses and organisations to sign up to the scheme.

The announcement comes as Derby’s popular Superhero Picnic in the Park events return for the summer holidays. Family Hubs teams will be at each event, offering support and information about breastfeeding for parents. More information about Superhero Picnic in the Park can be found on the InDerby website.

To find out more about breastfeeding support, including the Breastfeeding Welcome Here campaign, visit the website.

By signing up to the Breastfeeding Welcome scheme, venues are committing to providing a welcoming environment where women feel comfortable breastfeeding their babies and young children when they are out and about. The scheme helps to build confidence among families and promote a more supportive and inclusive city for everyone.

To sign up for the Breastfeeding Welcome Here Scheme, visit the website.  

For direct support from the Infant Feeding Team, parents can text the Chat Health service on 07507 327754.

Source: City of Leeds

Source: Scottish Government

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release
Recycling operator’s fleet halved after widespread tachograph and driver management failures

A West Midlands recycling operator has had its HGV fleet authorisation cut by 50% after a Traffic Commissioner found serious failings in driver management, tachograph compliance and operational oversight.

Deputy Traffic Commissioner Dr Paul Stookes curtailed the operator’s licence held by Kingpin Recycling Ltd from 12 vehicles to six vehicles indefinitely following a public inquiry held on 24 June 2026.


The Shropshire-based company, which specialises in the reuse and recycling of used tyres, came to the attention of DVSA following a roadside encounter in July 2025.

A subsequent investigation identified 28 occasions where vehicles were driven without a driver card inserted, covering a total of 3,323 kilometres and involving multiple drivers.

Investigators also found failures to produce complete tachograph and driver card records.


According to the Commissioner’s written decision, interviews with drivers revealed varying levels of understanding of drivers’ hours requirements, while some admitted that driver cards had been removed to avoid recording excessive duty time.

Investigators concluded there had been a serious breakdown in record-keeping, driver management and operational control.


The public inquiry heard that the non-compliance occurred between May and August 2025, during a period when drivers were “largely unregulated and unmanaged” by the operator.

Kingpin Recycling accepted that the failings were serious and warranted regulatory action.

The company told the inquiry that the period coincided with internal management difficulties, although responsibility for the failings was disputed between the business and its former managing director.

The operator nevertheless accepted collective responsibility for compliance under the licence.


The Commissioner noted that, once the scale of the issues became apparent, the company took substantial steps to improve compliance.

These included appointing new operational management staff, restructuring work allocation, increasing driver training, investing in technology to improve oversight and arranging operator licensing training for directors.

A dedicated transport manager was also due to be appointed.


In his decision, Dr Stookes concluded that the company had breached its operator licence undertakings relating to drivers’ hours and tachograph compliance and that there had been a material change in circumstances following the DVSA intervention.


However, having weighed the serious non-compliance against the improvements made by the operator, the Commissioner decided that revocation would be disproportionate.

Referring to the key question of whether the operator could be trusted to comply in future, he concluded that this was more likely than not.


The licence was therefore curtailed indefinitely from 12 vehicles to six, a measure intended to allow the operator to focus on achieving and maintaining compliance with a more manageable fleet size.


As part of the regulatory outcome, Kingpin Recycling must commission an independent audit of its transport compliance systems and continue to engage specialist transport consultants until at least June 2027.


For full details of the decision, visit the Traffic Commissioner Regulatory Decisions page
For any further details or enquiries, please contact:
Email : pressoffice@otc.

gov.

uk