Bridging the gap - essential military bridging contract secures 300 UK jobs

THE British Army battlefield mobility will be bolstered in a new £150 million contract for military grade general support bridges which will secure 300 UK jobs.

Stockport based company KNDS UK (Krauss-Maffei Wegmann and Nexter), which has a long history of manufacturing military bridge systems, will deliver the support bridges based on their Dry Support Bridge design.

Extending up to 46 meters; the length of 5 buses; and able to carry the weight of the Army's future tank, the Challenger 3, the bridges can be used to cross both wet and dry gaps.

Enabling the safe movement of personnel and equipment across the battlefield, the bridges will also ensure the resupply of forward fighting elements and humanitarian aid in disaster relief situations.

Replacing the BR90 ABLE system previously in service with the British Army, the new capability will be interoperable with other NATO partners' bridge systems, meaning that resources can be shared between nations during joint exercises and deployments.

Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge said:- "This is a fantastic example of this Government delivering on our Land Industrial Strategy; investing in UK industry and delivering world class bridging capabilities to our Armed Forces. Securing hundreds of jobs in Stockport, this contract is a crucial step forward in our military capability, improving interoperability with our NATO allies as we work closer together."

The £150 million contract for General Support Bridges has been placed by Defence Equipment and Support as part of Project TYRO. TYRO will provide a significant capability improvement for the British Army, facilitating the mobility of future Armoured Brigade Combat Teams, and equipment across gaps in the terrain.

Defence Equipment and Support Fires, Infrastructure and Manoeuvre Support (FIMS) Portfolio Lead Mr Mark Bunyan said:- "Military Equipment Bridging is the bedrock of successful operations and is vital to ensuring that our personnel can move around a battlefield in the safest and quickest way. Project TYRO GSB will enable the UK to maintain an operational advantage and is a great example of British Industry supporting UK Defence Capability."

The TYRO general support bridge system will be 1 of the world's most technically advanced, rapidly deployable military bridges and will be mounted on Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicle (RMMV) HX2 tactical trucks.

AHQ DProgs - Col Adam Foley, SRO for Military Engineering Capability said:- "Project TYRO GSB has been an excellent example of close collaboration with industry and our NATO and ABCANZ partners to meet our bridging requirements now and into the future."

Managing Director, KNDS UK - Ian Anderton said:- "We are delighted that the British Army will join the ever-growing community of Dry Support Bridge users. The Dry Support Bridge is a proven capability that is manufactured in the UK and exported globally. Project TYRO also marks over 50 years as a prime contractor to the UK MoD and we remain very proud to support the UK Defence Capability."

LGA responds to new childhood obesity figures

THE Chairman of the Local Government Association's Community Wellbeing Board, Cllr David Fothergill, has issued a comment on a study by the National Institute for Health and Care Research showing a rise in childhood obesity levels from pre-pandemic levels. In the release sent to the medis he said:- "Childhood obesity is 1 of the greatest public health challenges we face. Across the country, councils are working hard to make an impact locally but the challenge is significant because the causes of unhealthy weight are complex, long term and interlinked. Councils spend significant amounts of time, effort and funding into a range of measures to combat the problem. An unhealthy weight is not just a public health problem, it is everyone's problem, and cuts across all areas of council responsibility."

LGA responds to Joseph Rowntree Foundation UK Poverty report

RESPONDING to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation's annual UK Poverty report, which finds that millions of people on the lowest incomes would need to double their income just to escape poverty, Cllr Pete Marland, Chair of the Local Government Association's Economy and Resources Board, said:- "We have long called for a sufficiently resourced national safety net for low-income households and those who cannot work, as this report recommends, allowing councils to target vital local welfare support to the most vulnerable. The Household Support Fund has enabled councils to significantly expand local support for people facing hardship. This includes providing grants for energy and food, supplying essential furniture and white goods, paying for energy efficiency improvements, funding food banks and offering food vouchers for children during School holidays. Given demand for this support remains at record levels, councils are united in the view that the Household Support Fund, which is currently due to end in March, must be extended for at least another year. Ultimately, councils want to shift the focus from providing crisis support to investing in preventative services which improve residents' financial resilience and life chances. However, without an urgent extension of the Household Support Fund, there is an immediate risk of more households falling into financial crisis, homelessness and poverty."

The UK Government social care announcement is a sort term solution to a long term problem

ON 24 January 2024, Care England, the largest representative body of independent providers of adult social care within England, has welcomed the Government announcement of a £500m social care bot.

It is understood that the £500m will be designated to social care authorities to be spent on children and adult services, distributed through the Social Care Grant. Further details on the exceptional provision of this funding will be set out at the upcoming Budget.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, says:- "This injection of funding is a welcome recognition of the challenges faced by local authorities and care providers alike. However, the Government must move away from short-term sticking plasters and towards strategic allocations of money that will truly benefit the sector.""

The 2023 Sector Pulse Check found that 84% of care providers felt Government funding made no difference to their sustainability, the ambition to manage service performance and reduce wasteful expenditure is to be welcomed.

The National Audit Office report, Reforming Adult Social Care in England, showed significant inadequacies and delays in the Department of Health and Social Care's delivery of reform plans. Care England has called on the Government to mirror their request to local authorities and publish their own:- 'productivity plans,' with tangible success measures.

The new money announced today still falls shy of mitigating the 10.4% impact that the rise in NLW will cost providers. With 39% of providers considering exiting the market, according to the 2023 Sector Pulse Check, there is still more to be done.

Professor Martin Green continues:- "Against the backdrop of the rises in the National Living Wage, rising utility costs, and the gap from the 'Fair Cost of Care' being largely unaddressed, this new money in isolation runs the risk of being another short-term solution of money in the face of a problem that needs long term funding to resolve."