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Environment Module (South West Observatory)

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'Important decisions should be based on the best available evidence'

This is the website for the South West Observatory Environment Module with data, information and analysis about the natural environment and energy in and about South West England.

The Environment Module is coordinated by the South West Observatory Core Unit. Please let us know if you have any thoughts on how we could improve our site and, of course, email if you have any specific questions that you need answers to.
THE ENVIRONMENT MODULE IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING SOME RE-DEVELOPMENT.If you have ideas for suggestions or improvements please email enquiries@swo.org.uk

> Environment White Paper - This short briefing paper outlines the recently published Natural Environment White Paper and the context in which it sits, namely the National Ecosystem Assessment and Lawton Review.

> South West Local Profiles 2011 - a minimum of 25 topics covering a variety of environmental topics, from flooding to water quality, pollution to climate change. All data where possible has been published to the lowest level of government office (i.e. district council, unitary authority, and also county council level). All profiles can be viewed on-line, or the PDF can be downloaded. Read more. 

> The Environmental Theme pages are being updated currently. Some topics have been updated very recently. The Theme pages cover the environmental topics  in more detail, and give trends over recent years.
 
> Earth Chattering - An interactive map showing the South West, and the work which is being undertaken to improve the water bodies in the South West under the Water Framework Directive. Download the briefing papers on a river near you.
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News from the Environment Agency
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South West Observatory Update

NEW Health and Wellbeing: Implementing the Act - See new presentations from our latest event looking at the implications of the Health and Social Care Act 2012. See more. 

NEW SWO responds to claimant count statistics consultation. See more.

Welfare Reform: Challenges, Impacts, Evidence - See the presentations and resources from our latest event, looking at the challenges of welfare reform. See more.

Forecasting, Planning and Admissions: Getting Pupil Numbers Right - Access all the presentations from our pupil numbers forecasting event, looking at the policy context, funding education and lifelong learning plus the role of the Community Infrastructure Levy. See more.

Job Centre Plus Statistics - Read SWO's response to the consultation on changes to Job Centre Plus vacancies statistics. See more.

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News from the South West Observatory Network
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  • West of England Quarterly Reports & Survey
    Through the West of England LEP website you'll now find the Executive Summary to the West of England LEP Quarterly Economic Bulletin and the Barriers to Growth Survey Report. These documents are available to download from the LEP website at http://www.westofenglandlep.co.uk/about-us/economic-intelligence/reports-and-surveys 02 May 2013
  • Business West's Quarterly Economic Survey
    Access the latest Quarterly Economic Survey results for the South West, compiled by Business West. The Business West quarterly survey provides a regular assessment on the economic situation of local business and is a valuable source of intelligence for businesses, politicians and policy makers. On a national level, results from the survey feed into the British Chambers quarterly survey, recognised as the largest and most representative independent business survey. There were 537 responses to this quarter's survey - an increase of over 200 from the last survey. 24 April 2013
  • PMI Report highlights decline in business activity for second successive month
    Business activity in the South West private sector declined for the second successive month in March. However, the rate of reduction was fractional. New business also fell for the second month in a row, and at a modest pace. Backlogs of work declined solidly, while staff numbers fell only marginally. Output charges were raised at the strongest rate in 18 months. For more download the latest Markit / Lloyds TSB PMI Report for the South West. 15 April 2013
  • Latest Culture Module Finding the Dots
    Read the Culture Module's latest April edition of Finding the Dots, with lots on cultural research and policy developments. Please email any feedback or questions to culture@swo.org.uk. 14 April 2013
  • April Update - South West Business Tracker
    The South West Business Tracker has just been published providing 'real-time' information about the performance of some of the most significant publicly traded businesses in the region. The April 2013 update to the Business Tracker highlights the continued strong performance of the stock market over the first few months of the year reflected in SW Business Tracker companies. The consolidated price index continued to rise strongly during January and February, with a small downward adjustment taking place in March as the overall market paused for breath and digested contrasting events such as the Cypriot crisis and recovering US consumer expenditure. The period saw several of our companies announce strong trading figures. Hargreaves Lansdown, Supergroup and Unite all reported a healthy set of results. In contrast, Imperial Tobacco, Rotork and Kingfisher issued more cautious trading updates - all citing different reasons for weakness. This includes foreign exchange movements, inclement... 03 April 2013
  • Economic Survey highlights first quarter progress thanks to service sector
    The Q1 2013 British Chambers of Commerce's Quarterly Economic Survey (QES) shows that the economy has made progress, but there are still some mountains to climb before it is fully back on track. The new survey, made up of responses from more than 7,000 businesses, shows that most key balances in both the manufacturing and service sectors strengthened in the first quarter of 2013. Export balances in services are particularly strong, with deliveries and orders near the all time high in 1994. Business confidence and investment are also up, and cashflow, although still relatively weak, is now positive for both manufacturing and service sector businesses. 02 April 2013
  • Total and youth unemployment increases in the last month, but overall decline over the past year
    Please note that these figures, sourced from NOMISweb, are not seasonally adjusted, and so may differ from those published elsewhere. Last week's claimant count release highlights that the total number of working age people (16-64) claiming Job Seeker's Allowance in the South West increased from 88,817 to 90,670 between January and February 2013, (+1,853, or 2.0%). It also shows, however, how the total number of claimants in the South West is lower than this time last year -having fallen by 8,269 or 9.1%, Between February 2012 and February 2013, the number of claimants fell by 8,269 (-9.1%). Over the same period in England, the number of claimants also dropped by 5.1% over the same period. The number of 16-24 year olds claiming JSA increased from 24,685 to 25,830 between January and February 2013 – (+1,145 or 4.4%). Overall, over the past year, this number has however fallen by 5,230, (-21.1%). For all LEPs over the past year, claimant count has gone down– . However, all except... 28 March 2013
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With thanks to Free Images.co.uk and Dorset County Council (Lulworth Cove) for the photos above.