Third sector involvement in public services is seen by government as an essential part of achieving the transformation of service delivery. But third sector oganisations believe that those responsible for commissioning services in central and local government expect additional social, economic or environmental benefits to be provided as free extras. The Performance Hub, which is funded by Capacity builders and the Home Office, wants to level the playing field for contracts by sharpening up thinking about what third sector organisations provide so that all benefits can be costed in when bids are evaluated.

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Tram-trains bringing quicker journeys and offering a greener travel option for passengers will start running in Yorkshire in 2010. Five tram-trains running on both railway tracks and tram lines, will replace conventional trains currently used on the 37-mile Penistone Line between Huddersfield, Barnsley and Sheffield.

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The benefits of electronic document management are readily recognized,but the ongoing costs of scanning documents into electronic format are often overlooked. This white paper from Cave Tab Ltd compares the set-up and operating costs of an outsourced scanning service versus an in-house service ina local government benefit claims department, a planning and building control department and an organisation which has a large number of staff required to complete hand-written time sheets.

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