Corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects which are genuinely innovative are more likely to have a beneficial impact on their community. The freedom to experiment is one of the biggest social contributions that an organization can make, and it is vital that the public sector is able to learn from successful CSR projects. This report analyses three such projects and concludes that innovation is the real corporate social responsibility.Published by Demos http://www.demos.co.uk

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Two thirds of human resource professionals in local government believe they do not have the know-how to help their authorities reduce stress in the workplace. One in five feel that their authorities do not have the structures and procedures in place to deal adequately with stress. More than one third of respondents expect the number of stress related claims to rise. These findings come from a survey by Zurich Municipal following an appeal court hearing that upheld rulings on the liability of councils.Health and Safety Executive research supports the call to action asserting that stress is the second biggest cause of work-related illness in the UK with one in five workers reporting they have been affected by it. Stress in the workplace accounts for a large number of employee absences in the public sector.

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Local government will look very different on 1st January 2006 compared to today. Public services will be joined up and seamless, delivered jointly by local and regional partnership, accessible at times and places most convenient to customers. They will be open and accountable so that information about the objectives, standards and performance of local service providers and their elected representatives will be freely available. They will also be delivered faster, be more reliable and give better value by using electronic support. This is the vision that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has put to local councils. If they can compile a 20 page document setting out a complementary vision for their council on 1st January 2006 they will qualify for a grant of 200,000 pounds.The invitation to councils to provide a vision statement and an action plan to deliver the vision and implement e-government contains a warning that the document is more than simply a means to attract further government funding. The ODPM wants evidence of action, not just words, in taking the e-government agenda forward. Councils must demonstrate that they have a realistic plan of action and expenditure to meet targets for e-government by the 31 December 2005 deadline.

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