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Natural England

Natural England is the UK government's statutory adviser on nature conservation, overseeing wildlife, habitats and environmental licensing in England.

Current stories

leadershipOne report1 publisher

Badenoch's future homes pledge swaps a £5,000-£8,000 build cost for a retrofit above £20,000

Kemi Badenoch would scrap the future homes standard, whose energy measures cost £5,000-£8,000 a home at build but over £20,000 to retrofit. Buyers of homes built without them would carry that gap, in a country the Guardian says needs about 6m new homes.

Publishers:theguardian.com

Reality

Evidence35
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap
Not scored
Incentives55
Confidence30
leadershipConfirmed3 publishers

Conservatives would scrap Natural England and the Environment Agency under Griffith's plan

Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith wants Natural England and the Environment Agency abolished in a package the Tories say cuts up to £50,000 off a new home. Until an election, firms still plan against the government's rules and its 28 October Budget.

Perspective Coverage

3 publishers
Builder
Builder 12%
Operator
Operator 53%
Investor
Investor 35%

Reality

Evidence55
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+30
Incentives70
Confidence55
leadershipOne report1 publisher

Griffith makes his pledge to scrap a tax every budget depend on a savings rule

Andrew Griffith said a Tory government would aim to scrap at least one tax every budget and would abolish the £2m-plus mansion tax due in 2028. The specific taxes he named, including a packaging scheme that firms pay for, are firmer promises than the per-budget goal, which he made conditional on affordability.

Publishers:bbc.co.uk

Reality

Evidence58
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+20
Incentives70
Confidence60
scienceOne report1 publisher

Stanlow refinery breached its pollution permit 58 times in 2023 and 2024, regulator's reports show

Environment Agency reports say Stanlow refinery, which makes about 18% of UK road fuel, broke its permit 58 times across 2023 and 2024. The agency is now investigating breaches that came after the 2018-20 offences operator EET Fuels pleaded guilty to this year.

Publishers:bbc.co.uk

Reality

Evidence70
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+5
Incentives45
Confidence65
scienceOne report1 publisher

Ecologists doubt Norfolk's £2,675-per-home nature levy will cut chalk stream pollution

England's first Environmental Delivery Plan would charge Norfolk housebuilders £2,675 per home, a levy the government says frees 15,780 stalled homes. Ecologists say the habitat work it funds would not necessarily cut the pollution reaching the county's chalk streams.

Publishers:bbc.co.uk

Reality

Evidence40
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+30
Incentives60
Confidence45
leadershipOne report1 publisher

Third-placed Conservatives would fold the Environment Agency and Natural England into Defra

Tory shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith will pledge to scrap the Environment Agency and Natural England and replace two developer obligations with one levy. With the party polling third, the pledges bind no one yet but name the rules a Conservative government would remove.

Publishers:theguardian.com

Reality

Evidence45
Adoption
Not scored
Hype gap+40
Incentives70
Confidence50
scienceOne report1 publisher

Farmland feed stations concentrate the Trichomonas strain tied to greenfinch declines

A Leeds-led team sequenced 363 birds and 51 shared food and water resources at 12 farmland sites, and found the more virulent Type A strain over twice as prevalent in birds feeding at dense stations as at wild seed.

Publishers:phys.org

Reality

Evidence68
Adoption45
Hype gap+22
Incentives48
Confidence62