BEIS Bulletin – 4 February

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Welcome to the BEIS Bulletin from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Levelling Up White Paper published

The government has announced its plan to improve opportunity and prosperity across the UK in the Levelling Up White Paper.

The paper sets out 12 ‘missions’ to increase productivity, improve skills and training, and regenerate town centres. To support those aims, BEIS has committed to invest at least 55% of domestic R&D funding outside the Greater South East by 2024/5. The White Paper also announces three new Innovation Accelerators in Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Glasgow. These clusters of innovation will see local businesses and researchers backed by £100m of government funding.

Full details are in the White Paper on GOV.UK

Energy price cap rise

Ofgem announced this week that the Energy Price Cap will rise by £693 from April. This will affect default tariff customers who haven’t switched to a fixed deal and those who remain with their new supplier after their previous supplier exited the market.

In response, the Government has announced support including an Energy Bills Rebate to provide around 28 million households with an upfront loan towards bills worth £200. Energy suppliers will apply the reduction to domestic electricity customers from October, and the sum will then be automatically recovered from people’s bills in equal £40 instalments over the next five years.

Households in England in council tax bands A-D will also receive a one-off £150 rebate. The rebate will be made directly by local authorities from April and will not need to be repaid.

New partnership with employers to help jobseekers

DWP has launched Way to Work, a new campaign aiming to get 500,000 jobseekers into work by the end of June.

Way to Work will offer jobseekers tailored support from work coaches to help their chances of finding work, and give employers named advisers in local jobcentres to help fill vacancies.

DWP is also engaging directly with employers across sectors such as construction, social care, and transport and logistics to organise over 350 jobs fairs across every region in the coming months.

Full details are in the press release on GOV.UK.

Other news:

  • The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has updated cyber security guidance in response to the malicious cyber incidents in and around Ukraine. UK businesses are urged to bolster their cyber security resilience and to take steps that reduce their risk of falling victim to an attack.
  • Dr Peter Highnam has been announced as the first Chief Executive of the UK’s new Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). ARIA has been set up to ensure the UK remains at the forefront of discovery and innovation.
  • The government has launched a new Skills for Life campaign to highlight the range of training and employment schemes available for businesses wanting to boost their workforce capabilities, including apprenticeships, traineeships and T-Levels.

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