Mary Portas has set out a vision for town centres and called for joint action to put the heart back into the centre of high streets.
The Review makes ambitious recommendations on what can be done by government, councils and business to help high streets deliver something new. The focus is on re-imagining the high streets as exciting social hubs for shopping, learning socialising and having fun.
Collaborations with private sector is expected to double, but almost half of leaders do not believe public-private collaboration will succeed. The risks include potential damage to public service delivery and opposition and resentment towards the trend among public sector leaders.
Read more on PUBLIC SECTOR LEADERS VOICE RISKS IN COLLABORATION WITH PRIVATE SECTOR…
Local government will shrink by a quarter by 2015. Advice on how to manage shrinkage has come from the Audit Commission working with the Local Government Association.
Planned budget cuts mean that councils need to reduce their workforce costs substantially while still providing much needed services. This joint report ‘Work in progress: meeting local needs with lower workforce costs’ is aimed at councils as employers, it shows how local authorities across England are reducing their workforce costs, with some finding creative solutions.
A Mutuals Information Service has been launched to give public sector workers information about mutual models and signpost to help them set up mutuals to deliver public services. It is funded by the Cabinet Office.
The Home Office has set up a metal theft task force to co-ordinate action across departments and law enforcement agencies. It will target metal thieves and scrap metal dealers who trade in stolen goods.
Sharing back office and frontline services is a proven way to make efficiency savings, but many councils have not made any commitment to do so.
Research by the Local Government Association has revealed that out of more than 400 councils only 219 are involved in any form of sharing. Many of these councils are only sharing across quite narrow areas.
The Löfstedt Report recommendation that direction of health and safety enforcement should be taken over by the Health and Safety Executive has been rejected. Councils will continue to exercise this role. The Government argues that the same objectives of better targeted inspections and greater consistency for business can be achieved by giving the HSE a stronger policy role.
A central London Business Improvement District and the Metropolitan Police have teamed up in a pioneering partnership. ‘Operation Sting’ aims to deter crime in Holborn, Bloomsbury and St Giles, which has some of the highest incidence levels of petty, non-violent theft crimes.
Read more on BUSINESS AND POLICE PARTNERSHIP CRACKS DOWN ON LONDON CRIME…
With one year to go before Police and Crime Commissioners take office, the call has gone out for dynamic and driven individuals to come forward as candidates.
The Home Office publicity describes the need for ‘Police and Crime Commissioners to be outstanding leaders. They will be hugely important figures and the role will be demanding and challenging. The first set of elected PCCs will be pioneers, driving through changes in relatively uncharted territory. They will need a firm resolve and commitment to engage with the public, listen and respond to their needs.
The longer people remain on sick leave the harder it becomes to get back into work. Work is good for health and it can aid recovery. These are the major findings from an independent review by health and business experts Dame Carol Black and David Frost.
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