The Government is being warned today that continued complacency over investment in Britain ’s roads is not good enough, especially at a time of rising motoring costs. But in a report today the RAC Foundation says rising fuel prices could reduce road use and offer an opportunity to plan improvements.
Today’s analysis from the Foundation concludes that the combination of the present ‘high tax - low investment’ economy for drivers means they are getting poor value for money. 

Social services directors say they accept fully the implications of a report predicting that the costs of mental health services in England could double in the next 20 years unless savings can be made. The King’s Fund report warned that more cases of dementia and health and social care costs that were rising in excess of inflation, could see the annual bill for services reaching 47 billion pounds compared with the current 22 billion. 

By Esa Tihilä.
eProcurement made slow progress in the early period following its launch ten years ago. As well as user unfriendly and not very reliable technology it called for substantial investment in time and money. There was also a skills shortage in using the systems. All this has changed and eProcurement is starting to deliver on its long-standing promise of more streamlined supply chains, better relationships with the right suppliers, and significant savings on spend. 

Parents are being warned today not to rely on school league tables to judge how good or bad a school maybe. In an article published in ‘Significance’, the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society, researchers from the University of Bristol conclude that Government use of league tables is unjustified.
Statisticians from the University looked at GSCE scores from secondary schools in England and compared the value added scores with straight forward GCSE averages. 

People with vocational qualifications are half as likely to spend a long time looking for work as those with a degree according to a survey published today. The study has been conducted by YouGov, ahead of the first national celebration of vocational qualifications in July. The study shows that holders of vocational qualifications report that they are 23 per cent more likely to feel ready for work from day one compared
with graduates. 

This report to Ministers by the Futurebuilders Advisory Panel describes the progress made in making finance available to third sector organizations and recommends improvements to the way the Futurebuilders Fund operates.
The Futurebuilders Fund was set up to test the theory that if third sector organisations can access investment finance at reasonable cost, they can then compete for and win public service delivery contracts. 

England’s most important historical sites will be given greater protection under proposals which have been put out to consulation. Under the plans all 17 World Heritage Sites would be included in national planning protection rules, putting them for the first time on the same footing as conservation areas, national parks and areas of outstanding beauty. 

Local authority regulators are calling for an overhaul of food and alcohol labelling as a way to tackle rising obesity levels and to give consumers more accurate information about what they are eating and drinking. 

This publication from Communities and Local Government is a part of the government’s commitment to provide local areas with the support they need to respond to their own particular cohesion challenges. It focuses on what councils could do to both prevent and respond to local issues. It seeks to encourage local authorities to be aware of who is living in their area and how they interact and get on. 

A former senior police officer has been given the job of driving forward measures to protect NHS staff in Wales from violence and aggression. David Francis, who was Deputy Chief Constable of South Wales Police, is currently chair of Cwm Taf NHS Trust.
His new role, which was announced by the Assembly Government’s Health Minister, Edwina Hart, follows the publication of a report looking at effective measures to tackle violence and aggressive behaviour towards health professionals.