Britain’s army of carers are being hard hit by the current economic situation according to research published today which shows a dramatic rise in the number who are struggling financially. The study from the campaigning organisation, Carers UK, also shows two thirds of carers are living in fuel poverty.

Today’s results reveal that 86 per cent of carers report their financial position has worsened in the last 12 months. By contrast, Carers UK says, they are providing vital support looking after elderly, sick or disabled relatives which is estimated to be worth 87 billion pounds a year to the UK economy.

The researchers found that half of all carers are cutting back on food to make ends meet, a figure which has more than doubled since last year. A third of carers reported problems meeting rent or mortgage payments and three quarters say they are struggling to pay utility bills. That has risen from just a third 12 months ago and now sees 65 per cent of carers in fuel poverty, that is with more than a tenth of their income going on fuel bills. There has also been a big rise in the number who report being unable to afford essential repairs to their homes and a quarter of respondents said fuel costs had led to their cutting down on essential journeys such as going food shopping or to visit a doctor. The findings are based on a survey of more than 1,700 carers.

Carers UK says that perhaps most worrying statistic is that more than half of those in the study are now in debt as a result of caring, up from a third last year. To make ends meet they are resorting to borrowing with a third making use of bank overdrafts, a slightly larger proportion using credit cards and 15 per cent turning to other loan sources. Almost a third of those who owe money have debts of more than ten thousand pounds.

Imelda Redmond, the organisation’s Chief Executive, said, “Rising costs and the economic downturn are turning what is already a bad situation for carers into a personal financial crisis.”

Local authorities in England have been accused of failing adults with autism. Research from the National Autistic Society shows that only one out of 149 local councils knew how many adults with autism were living in its area and the study also found that almost two thirds of authorities were not complying with a Government recommendation that councils should have a named staff member who was responsible for autism.

The Society said the London Borough of Merton was leading the way as the only authority to know how many local adults had autism and in having a named individual with responsibility for autism. The research represents the first time that all local authorities have been rated on their approach to adults with autism and includes an online table to track progress. The NAS has invited councils to keep it informed of developments and so improve their ratings.

The research found that 27 per cent of local authorities had plans to address the issue of not knowing the numbers of autistic adults and 11 per cent acknowledged the need for action in appointing a team or individual with responsibility for the area. Following the launch of the NAS ‘I Exist’ campaign earlier this year the Department of Health appointed a specialist advisor for autism and the Government announced measures to research how many adults have autism. Of the adults with autism surveyed for the earlier report, one in three were found to have experienced severe mental health difficulties because of a lack of support.

Mark Lever, chief executive of the Society said, “We strongly welcome the good practice of those local authorities who are working hard to transform the lives of adults with autism and their families. The results in our table, however, show there is a long way to go. It is simply unacceptable that many local authorities have no clear picture of how many adults with autism are in their area and there remains a lack of responsibility for meeting their needs.”

Human resources, as a function, has been criticised for not being able to raise its game to deliver a more strategic approach to the services it offers. This self-assessment framework developed by leading Human Resources professionals within the sector seeks to address the issue.

Managing human resources is a core function for all local authorities and should be leading the way in providing modern, accessible, transparent and joined-up services. Increasingly, the pace of change means that understanding, leveraging and creating capacity and competency is key. When HR practices are aligned with the needs of internal and external customers, organisations are more likely to succeed.

The document sets out a nationally defined set of criteria which seek to outline the skills, experience and qualities required to deliver strategic human resources in a local authority setting. Its purpose is to develop a national standard that supports individuals to make robust judgments about their capability to perform against a set of indicators reflecting customer and industry expectations.

The objectives are to deliver a nationally recognised set of indicators that will set an industry standard for HR professionals working in the sector and to design a framework from which HR professionals can determine appropriate and fit for purpose development opportunities. It also seeks to develop a person specification that is created, led by and supported by the sector. This will be done working in partnership with key industry stakeholders for a joined-up approach including the Public Sector People Managers’ Association, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and Investors in People.

The document is available from the PSPM. http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/aio/9056138

Giving prisoners the chance to open their own bank accounts while they are serving their sentences can help cut re-offending rates according to research released today. The report from Liverpool John Moores University is based on a project under which offenders opened accounts with the Co-operative Bank.

The study’s author, Paul Jones, says the move appears to be having an impact on the rate of re-offending and he is calling for other banks to follow the Co-Operative’s lead. That is echoed today by the banks Chief Executive who says his company cannot tackle the issue alone.

The study found that in the first two years of the project, which began at Forest Bank Prison, in Salford, 256 prisoners opened accounts. Of those 193 had been released and only 72 have returned to prison, which the research says, suggests that opening a bank account can positively impact on re-offending rates.

The bank has now accepted applications from 28 other prisons and the number of prisoners’ accounts has risen to 1,392 since the scheme began in 2006. Paul Jones said, “Bank accounts are not the panacea for reducing re-offending rates but the scheme at Forest Bank has important lessons for everyone involved in the prison service.” The report urges other banks to become involved but says prisons, banks, the National Offender Management Service, the Government, the voluntary sector and others all have a role to play.

The bank’s Chief Executive, David Anderson, said the company understood that access to employment and housing were extremely important factors in reducing the risk of re-offending but these were only possible where offenders had bank accounts. He went on, “The Co-operative Bank now has a relationship with 29 prisons, which represents nearly 20 per cent of all the prisons in the UK but we cannot tackle this important issue alone. Therefore, I would encourage other banks to play their part in providing accounts for prisoners so all inmates can have this opportunity.”

Wales is to put 350 million pounds into cross-cutting and strategic capital projects to help the country’s economy. The full value of the investment is likely to be more than doubled when funds from existing departmental capital budgets, local authorities and other parts of the public sector as well as the private and voluntary sectors is taken into account.

The Strategic Capital Investment Fund was announced by Andrew Davies, the Welsh Assembly Minister for Finance and Public Service Delivery, who said it marked a step change in the Welsh Government’s approach to planning and delivering capital investment. The projects will be spread across six strategic areas – regeneration, positive lifestyles, climate change, sustainable transport, resilience and skills.

Mr. Davies said the Fund would be overseen by a dedicated Cabinet Committee with advice from a new independent expert panel. “The members of the advisory panel bring a wealth of experience of planning, developing, financing and delivering large capital projects and programmes, and have already been able to add considerable value to the development of our investment agenda,” he said.

He said the Fund was an innovative and exciting way of investing in capital projects and would bring big benefits as a source of money that could be brought forward quickly to have a real impact. “It shows how Wales as a small country can respond rapidly to global economic difficulties,” he added.

This report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development uncovers the future focus for learning, training and development in UK organizations. It argues for a new definition of the trainer role to that of a facilitator of learning embedded specifically to the needs of employees and the organisation. 21st century trainers need a new mind-set as well as a new skill-set.

It argues that creating a new mind-set will in turn help to create a culture where learning is relevant to the needs of the learners, and more integrated in the day-to-day activities. You can make people sit in a training room, but you can’t make them learn. Still less can you make them apply what they have learned or share that learning with others. The challenge for trainers is to stop being trainer-centric and become business and learning-centric.

To embed learning, the line manager is crucial. The 2008 CIPD Learning and Development survey reported that there is a positive shift to line managers being involved in determining learning and development needs, with half predicting line managers will have greater responsibility in the next five years. The ‘embedded approach’ also needs to be applied to coaching, which is now practised in the majority of organisations.

The report is available from the CIPD. http://www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/lrnanddev/general/_sadlrng.htm

Councils say tough new powers that allow them to close premises that are a persistent nuisance to local communities will be used only as a last resort. English local authorities now have the right to shut down premises involved in persistent anti-social behaviour, bringing them into line with councils in Scotland who have been using a similar measure since 2004.

Under the new powers councils and the police can apply to magistrates’ courts to close privately owned, rented, commercial and local authority premises. The Premises Closure Order effectively extends powers which have been used successfully to close more than 1,000 so-called crack houses since 2004. In the same period councils north of the border have used their wider powers to shut down 26 premises, including a massage parlour in Strathclyde which was disrupting life for local people with constant visitors, kerb crawlers and harassment of women living nearby.

The Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, said anti-social behaviour had no place in people’s daily lives. “The new premise closure order power will enable police forces and local authorities to close any premises - privately owned or rented accommodation - that cause significant and persistent disorder in the local community. That means no-one will be able to hide from the law if they cause serious nuisance to their neighbours,” she said.

Councillor Hazel Harding, who chairs the Local Government Association’s Safer Communities Board, said councils worked hard to keep their residents safe and the closure orders would be a useful weapon in helping them to create the kinds of places where people wanted to live. She added, “It’s important to be clear though, councils will only ever use these orders as a last resort and after giving people every possible warning. Town halls will always be careful to consider the effect that a premises closure order could have on children and vulnerable adults.”

Some of Birmingham’s older councillors will be putting themselves through a ‘Health MOT’ today. Male councillors over 40 will be leading by example by undergoing a series of tests in the run up to the festive season,

In a link between the council and the South Birmingham Primary Care Trust, three groups of health workers from the city’s Healthy Heart Workers, Heart MOT staff and Fit 4 Life teams will put the elected members through their paces. All the professionals work with men aged over 40 in Birmingham to encourage them to lead healthier lives.

The event has been co-ordinated by Councillor Sue Anderson, Birmingham’s Cabinet Member for Adults and Communities, who said, “Men are sometimes reluctant to be involved in their own health. The groups we have brought in to do the health checks work across Birmingham giving practical health advice. They show how small changes in our lifestyle choices can have a really positive outcome with health results.”

The health professionals who will be involved work under the auspices of the Birmingham Health and Wellbeing Partnership which has been established to reduce health inequalities across the city. It stages quarterly ‘Summit Meetings’ bringing together NHS Trusts, City Council departments, Third Sector organisations and representatives from neighbourhoods and communities, including user and carer groups and the Birmingham Local Involvement Network. Since the Partnership was created more than 9,000 men have been screened for cardiovascular disease, more than 2,000 have had their blood pressure tested by staff on a Health Check Bus and a further 6,000 have been screened by Lloyds Pharmacy who are partners in the scheme. Average male life expectancy in Birmingham has increased faster than the national average over the last two years.

By Anthony Brand

This publication from the New Local Government Network calls for councils to be handed greater responsibility and more incentives to drive forward Local Area Agreements and argues that the current system is still too inflexible for many local authorities. In an evaluation of the latest wave of Local Area Agreements, NLGN highlights significant achievements through the process, including a more joined-up policy framework. It also warns that significant logjams are preventing the system working more effectively.

The NLGN argues that national indicators remain too ill-defined and top-down to support Local Area Agreements that are truly locally relevant and evidence-based. It also claims that some Government departments have not offered sufficient flexibility to their local arms to allow them to play a significant role in Local Area Agreement delivery. Without significant and transparent incentives or penalties, accountability for LAA success is obscure.

Published by NLGN. ISBN: 978 1 903 447 74 1. 15 pounds.

Countryside campaigners have set out their agenda for a new direction in housing policy, including local communities having the chance to identify and meet housing needs. The proposals from the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England coincides with the new Homes and Communities Agency, which comes into being today.

The CPRE has welcomed the new agency, which has been formed by the merger of English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation and the Academy for Sustainable Communities. It will be the largest regeneration agency in Europe and the CPRE says the early signs of its work are encouraging.
Kate Gordon, CPRE’s Senior Planner, said, “Even before being formally set up the Agency has engaged with a wide range of stakeholders and appears to recognise the importance of working with communities, and addressing environmental concerns.”

She said the market-driven approach that had dominated housing policy had proved disastrous but with its remit and resources, including valuable experience from predecessor bodies, the Homes and Communities Agency was well placed to alter this course.

Setting out its own agenda, the CPRE is calling for a commitment to a plan-led approach to housing supply to ensure that the level and location of house building is tested and agreed through local and regional plans. It also wants local communities to have a voice in identifying local housing needs and the best ways to meet them. It also wants to see the development of the National Land Use Database and the National Brownfield Strategy inherited from English Partnerships and a clear priority being given to urban brownfield development in suitable areas.

The campaigners are calling, too, for the greatest possible use to be made of existing property and empty homes and a higher priority for rural affordable housing. Finally the CPRE is calling on the new Agency not to use its available planning powers unless local planning authorities specifically request it to do so.