Adult social care services in England are continuing to improve but both local authorities and the sector’s watchdog are warning that financial pressures mean some people do not have access to services. The annual report of the Commission for Social Care Inspection pointed to growing improvement over the last two years with 28 councils getting better and only 11 deteriorating. 

Local councils are being urged to have their say in the debate on Digital Inclusion. The Department for Communities and Local Government has also developed some special tools to help local authorities and their partners to understand and deal with the issues of people being excluded from the advance of digital services. 

Poverty goes beyond a lack of money and financial security. It impacts on the physical and mental health of children, causes feelings of social isolation and reduces opportunities in employment and education. This report describes the experiences of women in poverty and outlines suggestions for involving them in policy development. 

The regeneration of England’s former coalfields has been a success, according to the Audit Commission, but in a report today it says the social legacy of pit closures still lingers. The report calls on local councils to address problems including poor health and low skill levels.
The report, “’A Mine of Opportunities’” says local authorities deserve much of the credit for what has been achieved in a decade of regeneration work in areas afflicted by pit closures. 

Councils are to have more freedom in the way they spend money allocated to them under the Supporting People Programme Grant. The 1.66 billion pounds, the biggest single grant in the financial settlement for local government, will no longer be ring fenced. 

By Naomi Langford-Wood and Brian Salter
Learning what makes difficult people behave in the way they do is the first step in being able to reduce your stress levels and to operate more successfully as a team. This is a step-by-step guide to encourage managers to look for the warning signs and to analyze what it is that makes others tick.
The authors explain the importance of understanding yourself, recognizing different styles of behaviour and coping with different problem people. 

Government inspectors say young people are keen to learn about business and economics but that too many lessons in the subject are uninspiring and lacking in any excitement. A new report from Ofsted recommends that schools and colleges give their students more opportunities to engage with real businesses. 

A new call is being made for local councils to be able to step in to help homeowners whose properties may be repossessed because of the current economic climate. The case is being put forward in a paper just published by the New Local Government Network which has also written to the Minister of Justice asking for requirements to be drawn up for lenders to work with councils to avoid repossessions. 

Social Networking Sites have become a global phenomenon, with communities such as MySpace, Facebook and Bebo reporting user figures in the hundreds of millions. Through networks it is possible to identify people who share common interests, professions and pastimes. This report from Communities and Local Government examines ways of using social networks to support digital equality. 

Local authorities and other bodies considering measures to cut people’s use of their cars are being urged to think again. An international conference will be told today that car reduction policies can have unforeseen economic and social consequences.