Agreement has been reached on the terms of reference for the commission which will examine pay and rewards for local government services staff. Setting up the body was one of the key proposals made by the Arbitration and Conciliation Service as part of the two-year pay proposals to settle the council workers’ dispute. 

By Trefor Lloyd Main stream systems do little to prepare underachieving young men in the final school years for the world of work. The author describes how a programme involving classroom work and visits overcame barriers and brought the participants back from the margins. He argues for a more flexible approach by schools and training across the professions involved in the problem.

Hospital consultants are setting up a round table meeting with other medical organisations to ensure they present a united professional view on the shape of a new contract for consultants in the National Health Service. The meeting being arranged by the BMA’s consultants committee will take place next Wednesday. 

The Survey found that average staff turnover has increased from 8.5% in 2001 to 10.7% in 2002. Resignations have risen to 7.5% compared with 4.7% in 2001. 91.2% of employers surveyed undertook some recruitment in the past year with 50% of them reporting problems in recruiting. These problems were most commonly encountered when recruiting Managers or Professional staff, while it was competition from other organisations which caused the greatest difficulty for the recruitment of other staff. 

More than 80 local councils have made it to the next stage of the Beacon Council Scheme - the Government’s initiative for identifying and spreading best practice in local government.The authorities, which have been selected from an initial field of 187, are judged to have shown evidence of excellence and a commitment to spreading best practice in a range of services under ten themes. 

Councils now have national guidance for making e-government a reality. The government and the Local Government Association have joined forces to launch the strategy.It sets out the issues it is believed councillors and chief executives need to consider to make the most of online technology. 

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s most recent annual absence survey revealed that stress is the most common cause of long-term absence for non-manual staff, cited by 44% of survey respondents. The guide is aimed at helping managers to gain a better understanding of what stress is and importantly, helping to enhance employee well-being. The focus of the guide is a positive and hands-on approach to improving the well-being of the workforce. 

The Health Service Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, has drawn attention to the need for independent clinical advice to be available to those managing the NHS complaints procedure.Reporting on 39 cases she investigated in the three months from April to July this year she also highlighted the issue of the medical care of people with a mental illness. She said complaints about the care of mentally ill people formed an increasing proportion of the cases looked into by her office. 

The Local Government Association has welcomed what it calls “the room to breathe” free from central government controls which councils have won for themselves.After extensive negotiations between the LGA and the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister a package of ‘freedoms and flexibilities’ has been launched alongside the publication of the Local Government Bill. The ODPM called it a ‘dramatic devolution of power to local government’. 

By David Henshaw - Liverpool City Council Chief Executive. Reproduced by permission of eGov Monitor Weekly. Liverpool is being transformed from sea port to e-port and investment in new technology is helping to drive the change. David Henshaw describes how customer access and customer relations have been revolutionized. He also explains how the know-how is being marketed to generate income for the council.