Archives for March 2011

WHY LIQUIDITY ISN’T JUST AN ISSUE FOR BANKS

Features, PublicNet: 11 March, 2011

Budget cuts across the public sector are having a significant effect on IT companies and an increasing number are going to the wall. Ewen Anderson sounds a warning to organisations outsourcing any IT activities. He outlines the risks that have emerged from this fast evolving situation and the precautions that can be taken to make sure that standards are maintained and the service continues.

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EXTRA FUNDING TO HELP DISABLED STAY IN OWN HOMES

Headlines, PublicNet: 10 March, 2011

The Disabled Facilities Grant programme will receive an extra £11m, bringing it up to £180m for the year starting in April 2011.

The funding is allocated through councils, and the 150 with the highest level of relative need will see the amount they receive go up next year, with other areas continuing to be funded by the same amount.

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LONDON BOROUGH PARTNERSHIP FILLS SKILLS GAP

Headlines, PublicNet: 10 March, 2011

The London Borough of Hackney has partnered with the REDS10 consultancy, the Southern Housing Group and Hackney Homes to provide a sustainable training and employment pathway. The partnership identifies the skills gaps in the local area, finds people with the potential to fill the gaps, trains them up and monitors their progress.

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COMMUNITY LED REGENERATION

Book News, PublicNet: 9 March, 2011

With the country facing a record Budget deficit and less money available for investment in regeneration, a new approach is needed to ensure that local economies prosper, parts of the country previously over-reliant on public funding see a resurgence in private sector enterprise and employment, and that everyone gets to share in the resulting growth.

This guide describes a different approach to regeneration which is localist, putting residents, local businesses, civil society organisations and civic leaders in the driving seat and providing them with local rewards and incentives to drive growth and improve the social and physical quality of the area.

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MINISTERS OFFER PAIN RELIEF FROM BUDGET CUTS

Headlines, PublicNet: 8 March, 2011

Accounting rules for councils will be relaxed by allowing additional capital receipts to be used for running costs. They will also be allowed to use borrowing powers in a similar way to meet current costs. This will be achieved through the capitalisation process by which the Government permits councils, in special circumstances, to treat revenue costs as capital costs.

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WOMEN THE BIGGEST LOSERS IN BUDGET CUTS

Headlines, PublicNet: 8 March, 2011

Women will be more negatively affected by this year’s public sector budget cuts than men, according to a report by Edinburgh Napier University.

The research findings show that while both sexes will be affected, women are likely to be disproportionately impacted as they are currently so well represented in the public sector. Women make up significantly more of the UK public sector workforce than men, around 65 per cent. The report found that the north east of England and Scotland have the highest proportion of women working in the public sector.

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CHILD POVERTY INNOVATION PILOT

Abstracts, PublicNet: 7 March, 2011

This evaluation report from the Local Authority Child Poverty Innovation Pilot describes the effect of innovative ways of addressing child poverty. It informs local and national learning.

The report finds that a combination of approaches is required including: publicity; outreach; data-led approaches; persistence; and, work with partners to develop referral routes. Once parents and families are engaged, needs assessment is an ongoing process for support that goes beyond signposting.

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LOCALISM BILL – IMPACT ON PLANNING AND DEVELOIPMENT

Features, PublicNet: 4 March, 2011

The Localism Bill redefines the relationship between central and local government and has implications for communities and the public and private organisations that serve them. Planning and development is a major area of change. Christine Hereward explains the planning implications which include the need for public bodies and business organisations to work across council boundaries and co-operate on planning issues.

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DON’T SCARE THE PUBLIC WARNS COMMONS COMMITTEE

Headlines, PublicNet: 3 March, 2011

Presenting worst case scenarios when handling disasters is not helpful because the public can be misled into thinking that the picture presented is likely to happen. This is one of the main findings from a report on the use of scientific advice and evidence in emergencies from the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee.

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OFSTED DISCOVERS CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS FOR CHILDREN’S HOMES

Headlines, PublicNet: 3 March, 2011

Excellent leadership, recruiting and keeping the right people, getting feedback from the children and having high expectations for their future, are the critical success factors Ofsted inspectors found in excellent children’s homes. But out of more than 1400 homes inspected only 35 were considered to be excellent.

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