Making a better future for people and the environment in mining areas is at the heart of everything the Coal Authority does. So much of the history of the 3 nations we serve was influenced by the natural minerals under our soil. This shaped our communities across the coalfield and we recognise how important this mining heritage is. We work with partners, communities and customers to listen, to learn and to deliver the best outcomes for people, making them safer, cleaner and greener.
The Coal Authority exists to manage the legacy from Great Britain’s coal mining past. We are a 24/7/365 emergency response organisation. Our work and expertise protects life, protects drinking water and protects the environment. Extensive coalfields exist across Great Britain, while the vast majority of people will never experience issues from our mining legacy, for those that do we are here and ready to provide support and deliver solutions. Last year we carried out 10,148 mine entry inspections. We investigated and supported people through 823 subsidence and other incidents. We treated 128 billion litres of mine water to prevent pollution. We delivered 196,332 mining reports to allow people to buy and sell coalfield homes with confidence and we provided 10,292 planning responses and worked with a range of infrastructure providers and developers to inform their decisions.
Our actions keep people safe and provide peace of mind. The Coal Authority’s partnership working with government departments and agencies, the devolved governments, local councils and commercial partners help people make informed decisions across the coalfield, create value for the taxpayer and contribute to a more sustainable vision for Great Britain. We take immense pride in the important and broad work we do, where our expertise and skills give confidence to developments and infrastructure projects that are on or pass through former mining areas. This work helps unlock, enable and deliver economic growth for communities across the coalfield.
None of our success would be achievable without the dedication, commitment and passion of the people at the Coal Authority. We are really proud that ‘Create a great place to work’ is a key pillar in our current Business Plan. We recognise that our values of being Trusted, Progressive and Inclusive can only really be achieved when we create an environment where colleagues are empowered to thrive. This means at the Coal Authority we prioritise a culture of mutual respect. We know that our differences make us stronger. We are open minded and give ourselves space to innovate. We listen and learn. We act with integrity, transparency and openness. And we deliver. We rightly aim to be an employer of choice where our people feel they can belong, with an inclusive culture and a strong focus on wellbeing, learning and development.
The Coal Authority has a clear vision for our future and we recognise the challenges we face. We have a crucial role to act on the impacts of climate change, support the UK transition to net zero and to leave nature in a better state than we found it. Mine water heat is our most exciting opportunity with the potential to provide stable-priced, low carbon and Great British generated heat for homes. We are also working to develop our sustainability plans and nature recovery plans so that we can enhance nature and the environment through our work. As an organisation we have to act now and to innovate now to ensure we are fit for the future, so we can deliver on our commitments to be sustainable and serves coalfield communities. We are really excited about our future and what we can achieve together.