COUNCILS TOLD TO ‘RAISE THEIR GAME’ TO CUT TEENAGE PREGNANCY RATES

The local delivery of services designed to cut the rate of teenage pregnancies is crucial to their success according to the Minister for Children, Young People and Families, Beverley Hughes, but she is also calling on all local authorities to do more to reduce the figures by 2010. New figures from the Office of National Statistics show that the overall conception rate for under 18s remained virtually stable from 42,198 in 2004 to 42,187 in 2005, but with more girls under 16 becoming pregnant. That figure was up by four per cent.

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CALL FOR AUTHORITIES TO LIFT LIMITS ON TAXI NUMBERS

Local authorities are being criticised today for imposing limits on the numbers of licensed taxis. The National Consumer Council says almost a third of councils in England are ignoring government advice by restricting the number of taxis and it claims their action is having damaging effects on their local communities.

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By Cheryl Miller The party political environment has an enormous impact on managing in government. The author looks at the problems and some solutions across both central and local government. She explores success in a political environment and concludes that local government is out-performing other parts of the public sector because it has got the appropriate balance between the political and managerial leader. This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm