By Leonora Cordon Getting messages through to the public is a major challenge for public service organisations. Private sector marketing usually has a fairly tight target audience, but the public sector’s audience is diverse, embracing factors such as different languages and cultures. The author describes how Royal Mail used a whole range of channels and techniques to get across the message about changes in the way in which postal charges are calculated.

WATCHDOG SAYS WATER COMPANIES ARE TOO SLOW TO INVEST

Water companies have been criticised for being too slow in getting started on their 16.8 billion pound five-year investment programme. A consumer group has also urged the companies to get back on track in giving consumers what they have paid for.

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DOCTORS WARNED TO GUARD AGAINST BIAS TOWARDS AFFLUENT PATIENTS

Better off patients are seen as more attractive by family doctors than those that come from deprived backgrounds and, new research today says, that could be one reason why they get better treatment from their GPs. The study is published in the Royal Society of Medicine’s “Journal of Health Services Research & Policy”.

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By Duncan Angwin, Stephen Cummings and Chris Smith.The book is built around micro-cases of real-life problems faced by organisations. These micro-cases help readers to engage with the kinds of situations they will encounter in their working lives while provoking discussions about key theoretical themes. The Strategy Pathfinder brings experienced and potential executives alike an instant guide to the concepts and techniques they need to know.

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LAWYERS TO GET FEES FOR LEGAL AID FORM FILLING UNDER NEW SYSTEM

It has been announced that solicitors will be paid for any extra work they do to help their clients apply for legal aid under new legislation which comes into force next week. Under the Criminal Defence Service Act anyone charged with a criminal offence and applying for legal aid in a magistrates’ court will qualify for help only if they cannot afford to pay for a lawyer.

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COUNCILS WELCOME PLANS TO EXPAND RENEWABLE ENERGY

Local authorities have welcomed plans to boost the use of renewable energy. Environment Secretary David Miliband has announced that 10 million pounds is to be put into moves designed to ensure that 500 megawatts of renewable energy projects are built or under development within the next five years by levering up to half a billion pounds in private sector investment.

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This Good Practice Guide from the Department for Communities and Local Government sets out lessons about how councils can improve their performance. It draws on evidence gathered from the rapid improvements made by councils designated as poorly performing in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment . Their process has been tracked by INLOGOV at the University of Birmingham.It has been produced to help councils maintain improvements and to prevent performance decline. It also looks at what can be done to bring a council back on course when performance has declined.

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POSITIVE MESSAGES ON HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT MORE LIKELY TO BRING CHANGE

New research shows that initiatives to promote recycling or healthier lifestyles are more likely to succeed if they use positive, informative strategies which help people set specific health and environmental goals rather than negative strategies using fear, guilt or regret. The study by the Economic and Social Research Council has looked at the increasing number of efforts to encourage people to do more for their health and for the environment to assess which have been successful, and why.

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STUDY FINDS BEACON COUNCILS WORK MORE CLOSELY WITH GOVERNMENT

The effects of the Beacon Scheme, which recognises excellence and innovation in local authorities, includes councils working more closely with government, according to a new report from the Improvement and Development Agency which assesses the scheme in detail. In addition to offering evidence of the impact that 2005-06 Beacon authorities have had on local government improvement, it includes plans for further development of the scheme.

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By Terry L. CooperThose who serve the public must take special care to ensure they make ethical and responsible decisions. Yet the realities of bureaucracies, deadlines, budgets, and demands for quick results make the payoffs for dealing formally with ethics seem unclear.

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