Communities will get new homes, better transport and cleaner energy sooner, thanks to a more dynamic, modern approach to regulation.  New guidelines in the form of Strategic Policy Statements will give Natural England and the Environment Agency – the two most powerful environmental regulators – a mandate to prioritise outcomes over process, speeding up decision-making while maintaining high environmental standards. This will be backed by £100 million, spread over three years, to fund specialist staff and modern…

Animal welfare campaigners are urging EU leaders to seek new approaches to exploding rat populations, as growing resistance to traditional poisons leads to the use of ever more toxic chemicals. The pesky rodents are estimated to number around seven million in Rome, between three and six million in Paris, and nearly two million in Brussels….