The Local Directgov Programme will seamlessly connect the Directgov website to Local Authority websites.This will create a single point of entry into both Central Government and Local Government services. Almost 80% of public services are provided by local government and the voluntary sector and the programme is designed to increase take up of local services.The programme will deliver improved content relating to local authority services on the Directgov website, providing the customer with more information at the first point of contact. It will reduce confusion as to which tier of government provides the service required by the customer, and offer improved online experience by routing customers to the appropriate web page.

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This White Paper on health and social care from the Local Government Association describes an opportunity to meet the needs of local communities by building strong local partnerships between adult social care and health. The approach is based on key strategic developments currently taking place at a national level around partnerships, neighbourhoods and governance. The White paper describes how Local Area Agreements could foster an effective partnership approach for the future.It describes a vision of an environment which supports choice and control through the delivery of services that are built around what each person actually wants, not only to meet their health and care needs but also to improve their well-being. It argues that using this approach could ensure that the delivery of health and social care is tailored to the needs of the community and responsive to local circumstances. It also envisages joined-up health care, social care and health improvement strategies in a stronger and more cohesive way, making these services more reflective of local needs, whether at a local authority or neighbourhood level. The emphasis in the approach on local engagement and consultation reflects national commitments to devolve power to neighbourhoods and the wish for a more patient focused NHS.

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Research on age discrimination by the Chartered Management Institute and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development shows that six in ten respondents reported that they have been personally disadvantaged at work because of their age and nearly a quarter of those surveyed admitted that age has an impact on their own recruitment decisions.The research also revealed that almost half of those surveyed had suffered age discrimination through job applications while 39 per cent believe their chances of promotion have been hindered by age discrimination. This claim is backed up by individual perceptions of age where over half of respondents believed that workers between the ages of 30-39 years old had the best promotion prospects, with only 2 per cent citing 50 year-olds or above.

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This publication from the DfES Innovation Unit, NCSL’s Networked Learning Group and IDeA, identifies the key challenges facing local authorities in developing the potential of school-based networks. It illustrates how different local authorities are seeking to resolve them. It shows that the common element is partnerships and networks, rather than individual institutions and that the current challenges offer real opportunities to profoundly reshape the relationship between local authorities and their schools.Working across social care, education, health and other agencies boundaries makes sure that competing priorities no longer get in the way of the best deal for children. For reshaping provision for 14 19 year olds it is crucial to bring together secondary schools, colleges and other training providers to offer both more integrated and more differentiated learning pathways.

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This programme is now available to view on egovtv.tv, the online television channel for public service modernisation. It reviews GovernmentConnect, the national programme sponsored by the ODPM, which will facilitate one of the biggest changes in the way that Local Authorities operate and deliver services to the citizen. It will enable them to connect securely with each other and with Central Government to facilitate a new level of integration of operations and secure online service delivery.The programme highlights the opportunities that GovernmentConnect will provide authorities for meeting eGovernment and Efficiency targets and looks at the roll-out for the programme. It describes what is being developed and how local authorities can realise the service benefits.

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This survey from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development was designed to highlight the issues that need to be addressed in tackling age discrimination in the workplace. It sets out an in-depth benchmarking study on ageism and retirement. The research was undertaken against the background of efforts made by Government in the past decade to persuade organisations not to discriminate on the basis of age. The report looks at all dimensions of ageism, ranging from individual attitudes to organisational policies.It shows that part-time working, more flexible pensions and grandparental leave are key to improving the participation rates of older workers. Promotion prospects are greatly reduced for those who are past 50, but older workers are more productive than the rest of the workforce. The report refutes the claim that older workers are more costly and don’t need employment rights, but notes that they need to develop their IT skills.

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The Value For Money Benchmarking exercise was originally initiated by the West Yorkshire Supporting People Cross Authority Group. The aims were to get data for client groups of homeless families and compare like for like services. The exercise focused on weekly unit cost, support hours per unit per week and cost per hour of service.The weekly unit costs range significantly, across all services and within all the support type categories. Unit costs range from 11 to 832 pounds across all services. Weekly unit costs of 24 hour waking cover range from 46 to 832 pounds. The average weekly unit cost across all service types and all authorities is 139.17 pounds.

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This programme is now available to view on egovtv.tv, the online television channel for public service modernisation. It describes how Suffolk County and Mid Suffolk District Councils have established a shared services capability, “Customer Service Direct” to provide Suffolk citizens with a single point of access to all local Government services, whether traditionally provided at county or district level. The case study considers the strategic objectives of the two councils in coming together and the means of establishing and operating the CSD shared services capability together with private sector partner, BT.The case study is part of the programme “Shared Services – Increasing Efficiency & Improving Service”. The programme examines the potential for authorities to share services and resources to achieve efficiencies and service quality improvements.

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Speaking to the North West Improvement Network in Manchester David Miliband, Minister of Communities and Local Government, set out the Government’s view of ‘community’. Polls indicate that confidence about the future of communities is not high and many people have identified a growing sense of powerlessness in the face of rapid change. The belief that individuals can act with others to achieve societal change is not strong.’People say they want to live in a place where you can trust others, and feel a sense of pride and belonging. But these are things that consumers cannot buy and for which MPs cannot legislate. They exist in a space between the state and the individual – a space often called civic society, or community. It is a space defined by shared values, interests, activities, institutions and spaces. And the politics of community is about how we nurture those things we share. Success will be measured in tangible differences – less crime, better health, and better education. But there are also the intangible benefits – higher aspirations, clearer expectations of how to behave, trust in other citizens and institutions, and a sense of belonging and ownership, with citizens feeling pride in their neighbourhood, and a sense that local services – the police, schools, childcare, GPs – are run by us rather than them.’

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The Audit Commission has analysed the performance of the smaller district councils in the year ending December 2004 and identified breakthrough areas for councils to focus to meet the challenge of performance improvement. The areas are:*    Lead and manage effectively
*    Pull together
*    Make time to listen and learn
*    Look outwards
*    Take a long-term view
*    Embed performance management and other systems
*    Stick with change and improvement
*    Prepare for the future and reach for new heights for continuous
improvement

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