The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has called for greater transparency from Westminster parties around their spending reduction plans. The call comes as a YouGov survey for the institute showed the stark lack of trust in Westminster’s politicians.

The survey showed that while trust in politicians was low across the board, local politicians were twice as likely to be trusted as national figures and revealing that just 16% of the UK population trust politicians based in Westminster to allocate spending of budgets within regions while 32% trust local elected politicians to do this.

The survey also showed that over three quarters of the UK population said that accountability for local expenditure on public services should be placed at a local level rather than central government with 77% of the UK population believing that regions and local areas should be in control of their own budget and spending.

Responding to the survey results Rob Whiteman, the Institute’s CEO, said: “It is worrying that trust in Westminster’s political class is quite so low. However given the paucity of financial information behind so many of the parties’ manifesto commitments and how lacking in detail their spending plans are, it is scarcely surprising that most people in the UK want decisions on spending made as close to the people they affect as possible.

“This survey also demonstrates why CIPFA has been calling for greater devolution of financial powers from Westminster to local areas. The public want it and it now must fall to Westminster politicians to deliver this devolution if they are to restore the trust of people and communities up and down the country.

“Importantly this devolution must not only be over spending, in effect the power to decide where to cut, but also the power over how to raise funds to be used locally. If we are to address the trust deficit in UK politics we need to empower local leaders to make the decisions communities want and to be held accountable for their choices.”

Read more on PUBLIC SERVICE ACCOUNTANTS WANT MORE HONESTY IN ELECTION DEBATE…

As the Government embarks on an £11 billion road revolution Graham Bradley discusses how Smart Motorways can significantly reduce congestion on our roads.

In 2014, the average British driver spent 124 hours stuck in gridlock, according to research carried out by INRIX and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). And as populations and global urbanisation continue to grow these figures are only set to get worse. In fact, London alone is set to see a 20 per cent population increase, rising from 8.4 million people in 2013 to 10.1 million in 2030, and the UK population as a whole predicted to grow by 12 per cent in 2030.

Read more on DE-CONGESTION BRITAIN: SMARTER SOLUTIONS TO EASE THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM…

Attacks on critical infrastructure systems are becoming more sophisticated and digital control systems are becoming more complicated. In this article Tony Berning discusses how security policies can address the inclusion of portable media.

Read more on PROTECTING CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FROM THREATS…

Techniques for documenting ancient footprints are to be used to help forensic scientists understand modern-day crime scenes.

Bournemouth University’s Institute for Studies in Landscape and Human Evolution has been awarded a significant grant from the Natural Environment Research Council to explore how research relating to documenting ancient footprints can be applied today.

Read more on ANCIENT FOOTPRINT RESEARCH MOVES TO MODERN CRIME SCENE…

As the first in a series of new guidance is released to help frontline staff identify families in need of early intervention, Phil Neal shares the thoughts of senior leaders in the children’s services arena on the challenges and opportunities delivering the early help agenda presents.

Read more on PUTTING FRESH THINKING INTO THE EARLY HELP AGENDA…

Interpersonal conflict at work is widespread, but managers can avoid workplace ‘fracas’ by diffusing tension early on.

Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the professional body for HR and people development, highlights that one in three UK employees have experienced some form of interpersonal conflict at work in the last year. This includes one in four who have had isolated disputes or clashes and a further one in four who report ongoing difficult relationships.

Read more on CALL FOR MANAGERS TO DEFUSE TENSIONS AT WORK…

In this feature John Cameron explain how mobile technology is changing the role of those who work away from the base whether in the private or public sectors.

Mobile technology is redefining the workday as field technicians increasingly leverage mobile devices for tasks that previously required time-intensive phone calls and paperwork. Today this technology is helping to streamline workflow by mitigating daily challenges that used to derail even the best laid plans. In a recent Aberdeen study, 82 per cent of organisations identified mobility as a strategic initiative to gather real-time intelligence for issue resolution. Clearly, this technology offers significant benefits in enhancing end-to-end processes. The following are five ways we see mobility transforming the workday:

1. Operational Efficiency

Read more on ENHANCING YOUR END-TO-END WORKFLOW WITH MOBILE TECHNOLOGY…

This report describes progress in installing rural broadband and responds to criticisms relating to the cost of the project.

The report from Broadband Delivery UK, a unit within the Department for Culture, Media & Sport, predicts that the initial Phase 1 target of extending superfast broadband to 90% of premises in the UK by December 2016 will be achieved early in 2016. Phase 2 of the programme is on course to reach 95% of premises by 2017.

Read more on RURAL BROADBAND PROGRESS…

New measures are being brought in by the Cabinet Office to ensure that civil servants from under-represented or disadvantaged groups can succeed in the civil service.

An updated version of the September 2014 Talent Action Plan sets out measures to remove barriers and ensure that the most talented people succeed and reach the top positions, regardless of who they are and what their background is.

Read more on DISADVANTAGED GROUPS GET HELP WITH CIVIL SERVICE CAREER…

A new training initiative to boost sustainable employment opportunities in the North West has been launched by Trafford-based Procure Plus.

The ‘Standards Programme’, introduced by the social housing regeneration consortium, is designed to help individuals distant from the labour market secure sustainable employment in a variety of sectors.

The programme has been developed to help frontline workers from local employment and support groups better advise their clients in the search for employment and covers a wide range of skills. Sessions include topics such as assessing the work readiness of job seekers and helping candidates understand what it means to be responsible employees.

The Procure Plus Standards Programme is being delivered by Back on Track, a Manchester based charity experienced in providing education and advice around gaining employment, and has been independently accredited, meaning attendees will benefit from industry leading best practice.

Clare Meachem, regeneration manager at Procure Plus, commented: “There’s a real need for more investment in employment in the North West, so we decided to apply our experience in supporting candidates into work in the housing and construction industries to other sectors, so more people can benefit from our support.

“Through this initiative, Procure Plus is increasing the capacity of local support networks to deliver quality realistic employment and training outcomes, while improving the outlook for the job market across the region.”

Read more on LANDLORDS HELP TENANTS GET EMPLOYMENT…