A new project could make Wales the first part of the United Kingdom where the public sector will buy all its goods and services on line. A ground-breaking scheme that it is estimated could bring savings of up to 200 million pounds over the next five years has been approved by the Welsh Assembly Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery, Andrew Davies. 

By Freada and Kapor Klein
The authors make the hurdles that women and minorities face in the workplace as personal to the reader as they are to those who face them. Giving Notice is filled with sensible approaches for solving the current imbalance and challenges us to rethink unconscious ideas about stereotypes and commonly accepted practices.
This book offers approaches for changing the hidden biases in the workplace. 

Plans have been unveiled that will give local people the chance to make their views known on the priorities they want local councils and other agencies to tackle. The plans, published by Local Government Minister John Healey, will see residents asked for their views on a range of issues in a new Place Survey. 

Local Government has a new brand. Called ‘My Council’ it has been launched by the Local Government Association and has been designed to show people the range of services that councils provide and how they offer value for money.
The new brand was initially developed as ‘My County Council’ by the authority in Northamptonshire, where it helped to make the council one of the most improved county authorities in terms of how informed residents felt. 

This agreement between Communities and Local Government and the Local Government Association is set to radically transform the relationship between councils and the government. It gives unprecedented new freedoms for local areas and communities, but the document is pitched at a high level and has nothing to say about the implications of what has been agreed. 

A London council is being criticised for a 14-month delay in making housing benefit payments to a woman after she won an appeal against its refusal of her claim. In a report today the Local Government Ombudsman says Ealing Council’s failure to monitor what was happening suggests a level of carelessness beyond its original error.
The Ombudsman, Tony Redmond, found the council had failed to take action for 10 months, and that an administrative error led to a further four-month wait. 

The public sector is being urged to lead the way in energy efficiency with the launch of a consultation document asking respondents to choose which measures linked to energy efficiency procurement should be implemented across the country. The Government will decide which of the measures contained in the EU Energy Services Directive will be introduced next spring. 

By Craig Hart, Chris Shane, Karen Spencer and Angela Still.
Getting the right balance between care and control in supporting people with learning difficulties leads to hard decisions. Because academic research can produce misleading findings the authors asked people with theses difficulties to do their own research. The findings highlight the importance of less control, more choices and greater independence to secure higher levels of inclusion. 

A report published today sets out the views of children and young people on the minimum standards of care they should receive. In it they call for respect between children and everyone living and working with them and say carers should do everything to keep children safe from harm.
The report, ‘Children on Care Standards’ has been produced by the Children’s Rights Director for England, Dr Roger Morgan. 

A local government think-tank is calling for councils to do more to balance their economic policies with the need to do more to protect the environment. In a new pamphlet the Local Government Information Unit urges authorities to work to integrate policies on economic growth and development with those that promote environmental sustainability.