A new document has been launched to highlight best practice in promoting the work of local councils and partner agencies in fighting crime and disorder. “Spreading the Word” has been produced by the Local Government Information Unit in association with the Home Office.The LGIU says making neighbourhoods safer is a key priority for many local authorities because the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 imposes on them and police authorities a statutory duty to establish local Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships. It says strategies being developed locally rely on effective communications between all the organisations involved in partnership work and with the public.

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The Commission for Architecture and Built Environment has issued a challenge to all public service providers who are affected by the new Disability Discrimination Act, the final phase of which came into force this month, to follow the example of some of Britain’s leading architects in tackling the issue of ‘inclusive’ buildings.The terms of the Act mean that organisations providing a service to the public have to make reasonable adjustments to their premises. That might include providing level access, widening aisles or changing management practices so that no disabled person is prevented from accessing their service.

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This report from the e-Government Strategic Support Unit in the Local Government Improvement and Development Agency was commissioned by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister as a contribution to thinking about the nature of ‘people issues’ and the capacity building challenges facing local councils. Earlier research had identified the critical relationship between business improvement and technology and found that many councils lacked skills in understanding business processes and in being able to map them and redesign service processes. This report reveals that most heads of ICT in councils moved into the role because they already headed the technology division. The result is that there are deficits in generic leadership and change management competencies.The report identifies a number of e-government progress blockers. They include a lack of understanding and awareness of the potential of e-government agenda and the role of technology in business improvement, lack of agreed corporate vision or strategy, inadequate change management, initiative overload and poor programme management. It suggests approaches for overcoming the blockages.

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