Councils are being given help to deal with waste recycling problems arising from the fall in the price of recycled materials Because of the worldwide economic downturn. The Local Government Association has produced an action plan and has written to all council leaders to detail ways in which local authorities can tackle problems caused by a dramatic drop in demand.
Read more on AUTHORITIES GET ACTION PLAN AS RECYCLED MATERIAL PRICES TUMBLE…
This report from the Sustainable Development Commission describes the key responsibilities of local authorities and their local strategic partnership partners in relation to sustainable development. It also outlines some of the opportunities and challenges that they face and highlights some of the ‘key ingredients’ for delivering sustainable development at the local level.
Read more on LOCAL DECISION MAKING AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT…
New initiatives have been launched across Government departments to promote the development of social enterprise as a business model which holds social and environmental value as important as financial gain. There is also an initiative to support health and care professionals in setting up social enterprise companies.
Ensuring high quality service levels is at the heart of efficiency whether the organisation makes heavy machinery or collects council tax. The Society of IT Management plans to introduce a service that will allow councils to measure how well they are doing at ‘getting it right first time’, a key indicator of quality.
Read more on BETTER QUALITY CONTROL DATA COMING TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT…
This programme is now available to view on egovtv.tv, the online television channel for public service modernisation. It describes the way in which Birmingham City Council has implemented a sustainable printing solution by converting to multi-functional printers from Kyocera. This reduced the total number of printers needed, saved energy, reduced running costs and freed up floor space.
An increasing number of communities are becoming involved in the fight against crime as police forces implement policing pledges. A key feature of the pledge is that it allows people to have a stronger voice on local crime priorities.
Read more on COMMUNITIES GET THEIR SAY ON PRIORITIES FOR TACKLING CRIME…
A second wave of Pacesetter schemes has been launched to implement innovative new ways of helping people from marginalized communities cope with diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
The overall aim of the programme is to deliver equality and diversity improvements and innovations resulting in patient and user involvement in the design and delivery of services. The programme is designed to reduce health inequalities for patients and service users and to promote working environments that are fair and free of discrimination
Read more on MORE SCHEMES TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND WELLBEING OF PEOPLE IN DEPRIVED AREAS…
By Ossie Hopkins
This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm
Attitudes to customer service are changing. The customer is no longer passive and grateful for what is received, but demanding with a growing sense of empowerment. In the midst of this fundamental social change it is not sufficient to simply ‘improve’ customer service. A more radical approach has to be adopted. The author describes the role of the Institute of Customer Service in fostering skills and promoting innovation in developing new models of service delivery.
Changes in legislation and new funding arrangements have opened the door for parish councils to be set up in cities, including London.
A parish council is the smallest unit of electoral democracy and they play an effective role in putting power in the hands of local people mainly in rural and some urban areas. The National Association of Local Councils will now help communities create new parish councils in urban areas.
Read more on MORE POWER TO THE PEOPLE WITH PARISH COUNCILS IN CITIES…
Almost a quarter less waste was sent to landfill in 2007 compared to 2001, a new report from the Environment Agency reveals.
In 2001, the year before the EU Landfill Directive came into effect in England and Wales, around 84 million tonnes of waste was sent to landfill, last year the figure stood at 65 M tonnes, a drop of 23 per cent. This equates to about 500 million wheelie bins. The amount of waste landfilled in 2006 was 69 M tonnes, with the 2007 figure showing a drop of more than 5 per cent.
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