Following publication of a report on wellbeing in the NHS, the Charted Institute of Personnel and Development has called on all public sector employers to find out how much working time is lost to absence and how much it costs. “Unless you have good data on employee absence it is impossible to identify if you have a problem and how to address it.”

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Poor families in rural areas are missing out on services that families in towns and cities take for granted, including primary healthcare, continuing education, childcare and employment. The Commission for Rural Communities, the Government’s adviser on rural affairs, has called for action.

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This publication from the think tank Localis suggests that councils should set self-imposed targets to reduce expenditure by around 20 per cent by 2011. They are urged to reassess their priorities against cost and innovate if they are to achieve much needed expenditure reductions.

Read more on THE BOTTOM LINE: A VISION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT…