Central and local government and the NHS are at the bottom of the league table for marketing multi-channels according to a survey by Marketing UK sponsored by CDMS.

Public bodies have invested heavily in developing new access channels for their services, particularly by providing online facilities to allow customers to download information, submit forms and carry out financial transactions. There has only been a modest investment in encouraging people to use the new channels.

Read more on MULTI CHANNEL MARKETING RATINGS…

This report from the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations assess the current third sector- trade union relationship and outlines the potential for a step-change in dialogue.

The report highlights the win-win situation that can be gained by trade unions and the third sector working more closely together, and sets out some practical proposals to make that happen. With both sets of organisations such important components in promoting the interests of the mutual not-for-profit sector, there is already a lot of common interest.

Read more on THE WAY AHEAD: TRADE UNIONS AND THE THIRD SECTOR…

This report from the Institute for Public Policy Research argues that the police service in England and Wales suffers from an accountability deficit. At the national level fragmented governance means that no actor in the system has the power to effectively incentivise performance improvement or drive through change and reform. Recent attempts by the Government to increase control from the centre through target setting and top-down initiatives have had limited success and have made policing even less responsive to local needs and circumstances. At the local level there is no real democratic accountability: police authorities are weak, unaccountable and remote, while elected local governmen thas no effective say over local policing priorities.

Read more on A NEW BEAT: OPTIONS FOR MORE ACCOUNTABLE POLICING…

This document sets out the Government’s strategy for a new phase of public service reform. The introduction is written by the Prime Minster, Gordon Brown.

The creation of a world class public service is a key priority for the Government. While many public sector organizations are already world class, some are not. Many services, when taken as a whole, are not yet able to offer the world class service that the public increasingly expect.

Read more on EXCELLENCE AND FAIRNESS: ACHIEVING WORLD CLASS PUBLIC SERVICES…

Research funded by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the Health and Safety Executive and Investors in People has led to the development of a competency framework setting out the key management behaviours for managing stress at work.

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This article describes a project in the United States designed to allow the public to assess how well local councils are performing.

The general public assesses the performance of councils by indicators that differ from those used by councils themselves. They are not concerned about throughput or operational statistics, which councils and central government consider vital. Their concern is the outcome and this is the measure of success. The gap in information flow and communication between the public and local councils probably accounts for the feeling expressed frequently about powerlessness to affect changes in services.

Read more on INVOLVING THE PUBLIC IN MEASURING AND REPORTING LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE…

This guide from the Home office provides a range of key approaches to tackling violent street gangs. The approaches have been used successfully in pilot project areas. The guide supports local partnership in devising a gangs strategy and in understanding the range of tools available to deliver the strategy.

Read more on TACKLING GANGS…

This document from the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform seeks to help Local Authorities and Local Strategic Partnerships interested in promoting enterprise and business growth to understand the implications of the Government’s Business Support Simplification Programme.

Read more on BUSINESS SUPPORT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL…

This report from the Department for Work and Pensions sets out findings from independent research on the effectiveness of the Pathways to Work package of reforms. The aim of the package is to encourage employment among people claiming incapacity benefits.

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This survey of UK employers from the Charted Institute of Personnel and Development finds that more than two thirds of employers never or occasionally accept employee requests to work from home. This is despite the fact that of the employers who offer home-working, only 8% believe home-workers are less productive than their office-bound colleagues, while 30% say they are more productive. The remainder of employers say home-working makes no difference to productivity. The report describes how the slow increase in the take-up of home-working defies the evidence.

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