Archives for January 2008

CAMPAIGN ECHOES COUNCILS’ CALLS FOR FAIRER CARE SYSTEM

Headlines, PublicNet: 28 January, 2008

A campaign by a group of charities to raise awareness of the need for new approaches to social care has been welcomed as a step in the right direction by local government leaders. ‘Right care Right deal’, has been launched under the Carers UK umbrella to support calls for what the charities call ‘brave and innovative solutions for the social care system.

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CALL FOR LEVY ON HIGH EARNERS TO CUT COUNCIL TAX BILLS

Headlines, PublicNet: 28 January, 2008

A tax on high earners could cut council tax bills by 200 pounds for each household according to a report from the New Local Government Network. It argues that levying a small supplement in income tax on people earning more than 200 thousand pounds a year would take the pressure off council tax bills and allow reforms to take place without penalising householders.

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REPORT POINTS TO ‘HOLLOW RING’ OF INFORMATION SHARING STRATEGY

Headlines, PublicNet: 25 January, 2008

Government plans to personalise public services, which would involve greater sharing of information about people, should be resisted says a report published today. In ‘Who do they think we are? Government’s hidden agenda to control our lives’, Jill Kirby, Director of the Centre for Policy Studies, says the Government’s Information Sharing vision statement set out in September 2006 now has a hollow ring to it.

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COUNCILS TO PILOT PUPILS’ MENTAL HEALTH SCHEME

Headlines, PublicNet: 25 January, 2008

Twenty-five local authorities are to pilot a scheme to give better support to children whose mental health is at risk. The councils will take part in the Targeted Mental Health in Schools project and try new ways of improving services to vulnerable pupils.

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COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION – WHO BENEFITS?

Features, PublicNet: 25 January, 2008

By Paul Skidmore, Kirsten Bound and Hannah Lownsbrough

Social networks enable citizens and communities to access social capital which in turn provides people with the resources to work together and tackle problems for themselves. Improving social outcomes in this way is more effective, more legitimate and cheaper, than traditional public service delivery. The authors look at the problems of engaging people in governance and developing relationships. They offer suggestions for promoting civic engagement and linking social capital.
The researchers designed an intensive case-study process, focusing on two demographically similar wards – Ely and Careau in Cardiff, and Benchill in Wythenshawe, Manchester. They spoke to people involved in community projects in a range of different ways, drawing out the key themes affecting governance in each area. The two wards are amongst the poorest in the UK, according to the EU Indices of Deprivation. Both have high levels of economic and social deprivation and have been the target of initiatives aiming to tackle the resulting challenges.

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PLANNING LAW ‘NO SILVER BULLET’ IN STOPPING SPREAD OF FAST FOOD OUTLETS

Headlines, PublicNet: 24 January, 2008

Council leaders have warned that using planning powers to control the spread of fast food outlets will not be a silver bullet in the Government’s fight against increasing obesity. Promoting local authority planning powers to limit the spread of outlets in certain areas, such as close to schools, is one element of a 372-million pound cross-Government strategy to deal with the problem.

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NEW CODE URGES COUNCILS TO EMPOWER MUSLIM WOMEN

Headlines, PublicNet: 24 January, 2008

Every local authority in England is to get a copy of the first ever code of practice on working with Muslim women. It is being sent out by the Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, who is calling on communities and councils to look at what more they can do to give the women a chance to take a greater part in civic society as well as tackling violent extremism.

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BEACON SCHEME – ANALYSIS OF IMPACT

Book News, PublicNet: 24 January, 2008

The Beacon Scheme, introduced in 1999 for councils and in 2003 extended to other bodies including police and fire authorities, is designed to improve performance. The scheme aims to share good practice on improvement across local Government and provides for awards to authorities that demonstrate excellence or innovation in specified service themes.

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STUDY FINDS PUBLIC SERVICE ETHOS IS ALIVE AND GROWING

Headlines, PublicNet: 23 January, 2008

The public service ethos is alive and well with younger workers in the
public sector feeling particularly strongly that their jobs are useful to
society. The findings are contained in ‘Is there still a public service
ethos?’ by Peter John and Mark Johnson, in ‘British Social Attitudes: the
24th Report’, published today by NatCen.

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OFSTED WANTS MORE EVALUATION OF IMPACT OF CHILDREN’S CENTRES

Headlines, PublicNet: 23 January, 2008

Local authorities and central Government need to do more to monitor and
evaluate the impact of children’s centres according to a new report. The
study “How well are they doing: the impact of children’s centres and
extended schools”, is published today by the Office for Standards in
Education, Children’s Services and Skills.

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