Collaborative Procurement, part of the Treasury’s Operational Efficiency Programme is expected to deliver savings of £7.7 billion by 2013-14. Publicnet provides an overview of the Programme. This figure is credible using arithmetic as the basis for calculation, but there is concern that reality has not been properly factored into the equation.

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More than six out of ten people providing unpaid care for someone who is ill, frail or disabled have not had a break for more than a year and a third of them have not taken time off since they started caring. Research issued today to mark the start of Carers Week, has found that almost three-quarters of those surveyed say they have reached breaking point.

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The Government is being told today that it needs to listen to local people if the planning process is to be democratic. The call comes from the Campaign to Protect Rural England as the Government prepares to publish its plans for the future of the South West region.

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Changes in crime and disorder legislation now give councillors extended powers to scrutinise the functions of crime and disorder partnerships. Guidance from the Home Office describes the unique role councilors play in local decision making and in providing a clear line of democratic accountability between decision-making and the people they serve.

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