The devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales have already established strong bargaining positions for their territorial interests in the development of European policy, according to a study by researchers from the Universities of Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.The study shows the new administrations have already created a strong position, particularly in agriculture, which is likely to affect how the United Kingdom handles areas such as rural development and the approach to reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

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Political parties are being told today they should listen to voters who are over 55, two thirds of whom say they are absolutely certain to go to the polls in the General Election compared with just 39 per cent of 18-54 year olds who will do so, according to new research by Age Concern and ICM.The research shows there are about 2.6 million voters aged 55 or over who are still undecided about which way they will vote so politicians face a fierce battle to win the support of the older vote. Age Concern says it could be those over 55 who will decide the outcome of the election, definitely not the one in four people under the age of 34 who say they certainly will not vote.

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This new publication addresses how New Localist thinking is impacting upon front-line delivery of public services and features a range of essays from key practitioners and thinkers working in transport, education, the tackling of anti-social behavour and housing for sustainable communities.Public service policy generally is undergoing a process of transformation, with autonomy from central control being increasingly desired. In transport and housing for sustainable communities, the centre of gravity is shifting towards the strategic regional tier. In education, the move is towards more autonomy for schools and less financial clout with Local Education Authorities. In the world of crime, anti-social behaviour and policing the move is now towards increasing community accountability and responsiveness. The authors explore how the plates are shifting in different ways in different policy areas. They conclude that New Localism is both a philosophy for decentralisation and an architecture for delivering improved public services. Contributors include transport experts David Begg and Stephen Joseph, Schools adviser David Woods, anti-social behaviour supremo Louise Casey and the ODPM’s sustainable communities director Richard McCarthy.

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