ODPM: Award for Sustainable Communities - Four local projects have been recognised in the ODPM’s Award for Sustainable Communities, which recognises projects & initiatives that contribute to making towns, cities & communities, including those in rural areas, better places in which to live & work.
The four finalists are:
· The Regeneration of Attwood Green,
· Springhill Co-housing Community, Stroud, Gloucestershire
· A New Deal for Braunstone, Leicester
· From Survival to Sustainability: Taking Pride In Gravesham (part of the Thames Gateway),
John Prescott will announce the overall winner at an award ceremony at the LGA Delivering Sustainable Communities Conference on 14 February, while last year's winner and finalists will be sharing their expertise at a one day national conference - Sustainable Communities: Vision Into Reality at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Westminster on Friday 31 March 2006.
Press release ~ Award for Sustainable Communities ~ Optima Community Association ~ Estate Renewal Challenge Fund ~ Springhill Co-housing Community, Stroud ~ Architype ~ Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) ~ New Deal for Communities Fund ~ Braunstone Community Association (BCA) ~ FAB Fit and Active Braunstone project ~ 'Taking Pride in Gravesham' project
Defra: The government ‘gives a 4x’ - The government has published two documents that provide advice on the maintenance of byways and the illegal use of motor vehicles on rights of way.
The first document - 'Regulating the use of motor vehicles on public rights of way and off road' - is the first step in providing information to Local Authorities, the Police and Community Safety Partnerships on getting the most out of existing legislation, and to encourage the formation of local partnerships to tackle the continuing abuse.
The second document - 'Making the Best of Byways' - provides a practical reference manual for those involved in the maintenance of unsurfaced vehicular routes. Among other things, it provides advice on dealing with:
· conflicts between users
· poor surface conditions, and
· increasing pressure of use
Press release ~ Relevant documents ~ Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill ~ Ramblers Association view ~ National Federation of Bridleway Associations ~ Yorkshire Dales Green Lanes Alliance ~ Trail Riders Fellowship ~ National Trust
DTI: Providing an economic edge - The government launched a new partnership between businesses, research & technology organisations and universities, which is intended to help give UK manufacturing an edge as global markets become ever more competitive.
The Department of Trade and Industry will provide more than £11 million, over the next three years, for the Materials Knowledge Transfer Network, an organisation aimed at making cutting-edge science available on the factory floor. The network will have sections dedicated to each class of material, for example, metals, composites, plastics, ceramics, minerals and smart materials.
Press release ~ Materials Knowledge Transfer Network ~ National Composites Network ~ National Metals ~ Technology Centre ~ DTI – Knowledge transfer networks ~ Technology Strategy
DH: Re-branding Social Care - According to a government statement, brand new roles in social care could be created as part of a government review of the social care workforce called Options for Excellence. The review's aim is to develop a workforce that can deliver personalised, user-led services and safeguard the well-being of vulnerable people.
The social care workforce is around one million people, approaching 5% of the working population of
The Review will work in three linked phases:
· By contributing to the DH's White Paper on care outside of hospitals & the DfES Children's Workforce Strategy.
· Secondly, in spring 2006 it will produce proposals that will best tackle current short term problems and workforce reforms ahead of the Government CSR spending rounds.
· Thirdly, it will model the social care workforce of the future & draft proposals to help employers change over the next 15 years. This work will be completed in Autumn 2006.
Press release ~ Skills for Care ~ Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) ~ British Assoc. of Social Workers (BASW) ~ DH Social Care website ~ DfES Children's Workforce Strategy ~ Your Health, your care, your say
Defra: Cute but deadly - Biodiversity Minister, Jim Knight, has announced a new 3-year action plan to control grey squirrels, focusing on areas where they are damaging woodland and preventing red squirrels from becoming established, saying: "Many people love grey squirrels, but the reality is that they are a real problem for some of our most threatened native species, like the red squirrel and dormouse.
It is not realistic, practical or even desirable to completely eradicate grey squirrels - but we must control them effectively now or there will be serious consequences”.
Grey squirrels are estimated to outnumber reds by approximately 66:1, with the majority of the red population confined to larger conifer woods in
Press release ~ Forestry Commission Grey Squirrel website ~ Red Alert North England project ~ Defra Non-native species website ~ Related article: Red squirrel week ~ Wight Squirrel Project ~ Squirrelpox virus ~ Audit of non-native species in England ~ UK Biodiversity Action Plan Website
Industry news: Monitoring not snooping - Royal
Nick Harwood, Group IT Security Manager, said: "Let's be clear: although the system will let us, we do not sit and secretly watch what people are doing day-to-day, but we do consider it our responsibility to be able to check, if we need to, how our IT is being used. MAS is a non-intrusive system that complements existing security and enables us, in the case of a well-grounded allegation, to see what the reality was."
The real advantages of the system are in its application in monitoring actions undertaken by each PC and storing these so that its database can be interrogated, either on a daily basis or over a longer period of time.
Staff know (and are reminded when they connect that the system), that it is there to discourage:
· theft of data files, including by emailing to a third party
· bycopying, printing or deleting; and by saving to CD, floppy disk, USB memory stick or flash card
· uploading/downloading of confidential files, pornography or other illegal images
· use of racist, libellous, sexist, discriminatory, bullying or abusive language in emails or other documents
· theft by copying applications for personal use
The result is a system that, whilst not actually preventing acts of misconduct, does offer an efficient means for organisations to respond. Investigations can produce results in a few mouse clicks, rather than the average of 2-3 man-days.
This, when coupled with the clear communication of an organisation's security policy, provides strong controls against computer & systems misuse; and where such misuse does occur, provides clear and accurate evidence.
Full article ~ Information Commissioner EPC and Supplementary (see Part 3) ~ News article ~ Business Link – Laws & penalties for improper monitoring ~ DTI - Lawful Business Practice Regulations
Forthcoming event: Mitigating the impact - Long-term sickness absence can have devastating effects on the productivity and the health & well being of employees. The statistics are clear, long-term sickness absence represents only 5% of absence cases, but accounts for 33% of working days lost due to sickness.
The HSE is running an event on 09 March 2006, which aims to provide delegates with examples to adapt & apply in their own sectors.
Benfits of properly managing sickness absence include holding on to valued staff, reducing unnecessary overheads, avoiding penalties for discriminating against disabled workers, maintaining service levels and improve workplace relations.
Specific issues, unions such as UNISON wants employers to address, include:
· Reducing work-related injury, ill health and stress
· Tackling workplace bullying
· Providing measures to relieve pressures outside work, such as childcare and carers' leave
· Providing an independent telephone help & counselling service which can provide financial & legal advice as well as stress counselling (Employee Assistance Programme)
· Providing rehabilitation programmes following more serious illness, including phased returns to work, adapting work and the workplace environment, or redeployment with training if necessary
· Providing properly resourced, independent occupational health services
Further details ~ HSE – Managing sickness & absence from work ~ HSE – Back pain in workplace ~ HSE – case study ~ Managing sickness absence in the public sector ~ Health, work and well-being – Caring for our future ~ Lone Parents, Health and Work (report series number 214) ~ Example policy & procedure ~ Seven steps to managing absence in the workplace ~ New approaches to cutting staff absence ~ Rehabilitation: the missing link in workplace safety and sickness absence ~ Outline report from the Chief Medical Officer for Wales on workplace health promotion ~ Stress-related absenteeism ~ Managing absence ~ Dos and don'ts for employers ~ The continuing cost of absenteeism
FSA: The UK's financial watchdog, the Financial Services Authority (FSA), is
urging consumers to review their pensions arrangements and ensure they
understand what the changes taking effect from April 6 2006 (A-day) could mean for
them.
To help
consumers understand the changes and take stock before A-day, the FSA is
running a national campaign promoting a dedicated
website.
Press release ~ FSA Pensions
website ~ Consumer Pensions information ~ FSA Website ~ Pensions
Service ~ DirectGov
NSoG: The National School of Government has announced the appointment of the
first Fellows to its Sunningdale
Institute - a group (including internationally rated academics &
industry figures) offering development to government & public service
organisations on operational & delivery issues.
The new
'virtual academy' has been established within the
Press release ~ List of fellows ~ National
School of Government ~ Lancaster University Management School ~ Civil Service reform
website
DH: NHS Chief
Executive Sir Nigel Crisp has announced details of transition arrangements
to oversee the creation of the new system over the next few months.
These arrangements include the appointment of eleven
transitional leads for clusters of Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) as an
interim measure pending the outcome of consultations on proposed changes to SHA
areas.
A number of changes will be made to the Departmental
Board with some transitional changes from 1 February and a fully
reshaped Board by July.
At which time two new posts will also be created:
·
Director
of Commissioning, which will cover commissioning &
performance
·
Director
of Provider Development, to replace our current posts in the Delivery Group.
Home
Office: The
Government has announced its long-term strategy for reducing street
prostitution, which rules out the idea of "managed zones" for prostitution and
promises better enforcement of laws against kerb-crawling and those who exploit
prostitutes; more opportunities for women to leave prostitution, including
better links between police and projects that work with prostitutes; an
increased focus on preventing children, particularly vulnerable children, from
being lured into prostitution.
The Strategy
proposes creating a new
penalty for the offence of loitering or soliciting for
prostitution, so that courts can direct women into services to
help deal with drug or alcohol dependency treatment.
To prevent children entering
prostitution, the Government will tighten up child protection
guidance for social workers, focusing on those children who are most at risk of
being lured into prostitution. It will also create a guide for schools to be aware
of the risks & early signs of prostitution, and help devise training for
police officers, teachers & nurses to spot the signs & risks of sexual
exploitation.
Press release ~ The Prostitution Strategy ~
UK Action Plan on Trafficking ~ LGA – Ahead of the
game ~ Street Problems ~ Amnesty
International – Sex trafficking ~ Strange situation in Germany ~ A Report of the Expert Group on Prostitution in
Scotland ~ DH - Safeguarding children involved in prostitution: supplementary guidance
to Working Together to Safeguard Children ~ Manchester prostitution forum ~ Barnardos ~ Capital Care project
HM Treasury: Gordon
Brown, has set out the details of his plans to increase the range of financial
support & assistance from the Government to help older people keep warm,
healthy & safe through the winter, that he had previously announced in
December's Pre-Budget Report.
Press release ~ Defra - Warm
Front ~ Applying for grants ~ DH - Keep Warm, Keep
Well ~ Age Concern – Stop winter deaths ~ Heat
project ~ Energy
Saving Trust ~ CAB advice ~ Met Office ~ UK fuel poverty strategy ~ ACE
website ~ Fuel Poverty Strategy for South
Ayrshire
HSC: The Health and Safety Commission is reminding the public
& businesses that there is only just over one week left of the public
consultation period on possible amendments to asbestos legislation. The
consultation ends on
The draft
package implements changes to the european asbestos worker protection directive
and tightens statutory protections for those working with asbestos, by
introducing a single, lower control limit for worker exposure to all types of
asbestos and requiring specified training for all employees who are liable to
be exposed to asbestos.
The
consultation takes into account new research, which research shows that the
risk from asbestos-containing textured decorative coatings is comparable to the
risks from work with asbestos cement, something that already does not require a
licence. It is proposed that work with such textured coatings will no longer
require a licence.
Press release ~ Proposals for revised Asbestos Regulations and an Approved Code
of Practice ~ HSE
Asbestos website ~ HSL/2005/32 - An
Investigation into the airborne fibre releases during the removal of textured
coating from Domestic Premises (VLF 2Mb) ~ Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002
(CAWR)
DCA: The government has published a
consultation
(closes
In addition
to property & affairs, donors
will be able to delegate decisions affecting their personal welfare, including
healthcare.
Press release ~ Consultation paper: Lasting Powers of Attorney - forms and guidance ~ DCA Mental
Capacity Act website ~ FAQs on Lasting Powers of Attorney, etc. ~ Planning ahead - a guide for people who wish to prepare for
possible future incapacity ~ The Public
Guardianship Office
Home Office:
Launching the second annual SAFE
national anti-robbery week, Hazel Blears said that young people need to
keep mobile phones and MP3 players safe at this time of year.
She unveiled an educational pack for use by
schools, which includes interactive lesson and assembly plans aimed at giving
young people the information & tips they need to stay safe, plus posters
and leaflets.
Press release ~ SAFE
national anti-robbery week (includes educational pack) ~ Crimestoppers ~ www.immobilise.com ~ Mobile Industry Crime Action Forum
(MICAF)
WG Newswire: News from the Government Office for the east of England,
who have announced that there are
a growing number of projects funded by the East of England European funding programmes, which
demonstrate good practice in a number of themes.
This is an important element of the European
funding programmes - to encourage,
identify and disseminate innovative forms of project design & delivery –
and their website presents case study documents describing how some
projects have demonstrated good practice in their design and/or
delivery.
Press release ~
DCA: Do you know how to get yourself the best possible deal from
a lawyer? Market research shows that most people don't, but consumers of
legal services can now obtain guidance on how to secure the deal that's
best for them.
Press release ~
Welsh Assembly Govt: Mothers whose babies were adopted at
birth, and other relatives of adopted people, are now able to receive help in
seeking to contact these children, while adopted adults will also be able to
receive help in tracking down their birth parents.
New Welsh
Assembly Government regulations & guidelines came into force on
Under
Freedom of Information and Data Protection laws adopted persons will first have
to be contacted by an agency providing this contact service, unless the adopted
person has registered a wish not to be contacted. If the adopted person has not registered such a wish the
agency will seek to contact them and then, only with their permission, can
their details be passed on to the parent or other relative, in most cases the
mother. The adopted person has the
right to veto any contact or disclosure of
information.
Press release (includes guide) ~ After
Adoption ~ The Fostering Network ~ Related
links ~ Adoption Training - Every child
matters ~ DfES Adoption website
DWP:
Research
published by the Department for Work and Pensions sets out findings from
research which investigates how & when differences in work behaviour
between men and women develop. It focuses on the evolution of gender gaps
immediately after childbirth and during the initial years of family
development.
The key findings are that childbirth and school entry
are critical times for women relative to men in terms of a:
·
decline
in relative participation level
·
reduction in wages
·
reduction in weekly hours of work
·
movement
away from permanent positions
·
movement
away from supervisory positions, and
·
movement
towards working at home
Press release ~ Newborns and New
Schools: Critical Times in Women's Employment - Report (VLF
2MB) ~ Summary (1Mb) ~ Institute for Fiscal Studies ~ Families and Children
Study (FACS) ~ British Household Panel Survey (BHPS)
DfES : Education Secretary Ruth Kelly has
announced an overhaul of the current system by which schools, supply agencies
and other employers vet & approve staff working in schools - to ensure that
it is ‘immeasurably strengthened and
fundamentally rebalanced to ensure that child safety is always the most
important factor’.
A new Bill
to be introduced next
month is intended to integrate & upgrade the
current List 99 and Protection of Children Act lists of
individuals deemed unsuitable to work with children, with a centralised vetting & barring system
run by a statutory body.
Any individual working with children who is
convicted or cautioned for sex offences against children will be automatically entered on
List 99 and barred
from working in schools.
It will also
be mandatory for all
schools, supply agencies and other employers in the education sector to perform
Criminal Records Bureau checks on all newly-appointed teachers and school
workers.
Furthermore, ahead of new
legislation to remove Ministers entirely from the barring process, a high level
panel of police, child protection workers and medical practitioners led by the
former head of Barnados, Sir Roger Singleton, will give expert advice on every
barring decision.
Press release ~ Every Child Matters website – Vetting and Barring
scheme (Scroll down for Post - Bichard Inquiry progress reports) ~
Criminal Records
Bureau ~
DTI: New government proposals that aim to improve payments to
firms in the construction industry have been published by Minister of State for
Industry and the Regions, Rt Hon Alun Michael MP and Edwina Hart, the Welsh
Assembly Government Minister for Social Justice and
Regeneration.
In total 356 responses were submitted in the 2005
consultation and the document outlines the Government’s proposals in the light
of those responses and announces the Government’s planned next steps towards
amending the legislation.
Press release ~ 2005 consultation analysis
Home Office: The government has announced that it is
introducing a ‘robust’ set of standard powers for Community Support Officers
(CSOs) to help tackle low level crime and anti-social behaviour. The proposed standard set is intended
to ensure that ‘CSOs in all areas have
the powers necessary to deal with issues they are likely to encounter on the
street while leaving the designation of a number of powers to the discretion of
Chief Officers’.
In addition
to (but not included in) the standard set of powers, it is proposed to extend the power to take part in
truancy sweeps to CSOs. The
Government believes that CSOs are well placed to undertake this activity given
their local knowledge of children in their area.
Press release ~ Public & government responses to consultation ~ White Paper 'Building
Communities, Beating Crime' ~ Respect Action plan ~ List of powers
currently available for designation by a Chief Officer ~ Home Office CSO website ~ CSOs – the
job
Defra: Environment
Secretary, Margaret Beckett opened a new Defra and EU funded winery when she
visited the award-winning Bookers
Vineyard on the Bolney Wine Estate, in the heart of rural
Bookers Vineyard has benefited from a Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG)
award of £62,000 under the England
Rural Development Scheme (ERDP) [jointly funded by Defra and the EU], which
is designed to improve the agricultural processing and marketing infrastructure
in
Press release ~ Bookers
Vineyard ~ Processing and Marketing Grant (PMG) ~ England Rural Development Scheme (ERDP) ~ Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food ~ Rural
Development Service (RDS) ~ English-wine.com ~ English wine
producers
Defra: Work to
reduce poverty in developing countries, by creating sustainable access to clean
water and adequate sanitation, is delivering on-the-ground results, a
The partnership was set up in response to the Millennium Development Goals for Water and
Sanitation and has initially focussed on
Press release ~ Partners for Water
and Sanitation (PAWS) ~ WaterAid ~ Tearfund ~ Millennium
Development Goals for Water and Sanitation ~ Monitoring
the Goals ~ World water assessment programme ~ Millennium indicators
HMRC: VAT Business Brief 01/06
Contents:
·
VAT:
Judgment of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in the joined cases of Optigen
Ltd, Fulcrum Electronics Ltd and Bond House Systems Ltd
·
VAT:
Company formation services with ancillary printed matter- clarification of
treatment post-CPP
·
VAT:
Hotel conference / function facilities - revised interpretation of law on VAT
treatment
Press release ~ Business Briefs 2006 (it
sometimes takes time to appear here)
Virtual
world delivers savings - Your Communications was
approached by four of the
The solution provided - a sophisticated Virtual
Private Network (VPN) using a fibre-optic infrastructure as a backbone for
voice traffic - delivers a totally secure 'members only' service
transmitting high-speed voice traffic, with calls between sites (originally 4, but now 30 in total) all
being free.
TRUSTnet has proved to be such a success that it has
increased in size from 4 sites in 1997 to over 30 in 2001. The network now
links hospital and university sites across Merseyside,
Chris Collins, clinical engineer at George Eliot,
NHS Trust, said: "Were aiming to save more than 20%
a year on our current phone bills.
Date:
Venue:
Organiser: CIPFA - Introduction to Central Government
Finance
The event will provide up-to-date information for
those new to finance in Central Government. The course gives a clear
introduction to the main issues impacting on the finance manager in Government
Departments, Agencies and NDPBs.
Delegates will gain knowledge of essential tools and techniques useful
for their everyday practice and have the opportunity to network with colleagues
and other stakeholders.
Presentations and workshops will cover the following
issues:
·
Financial management in
government: - Scope & funding, Financial reporting & accounting
arrangements, Resource accounting & Budgeting, Statutory & regulatory
requirements and ‘Professionalising’ the Central Government finance function
·
The Financial Accounting
Framework: - Accounting concepts, Resource accounting, Whole of Government
Accounts and Internal & External audit
·
Financial
Planning:
- The role of finance in ensuring
efficiency, Expenditure planning & control, The role of Her Majesty’s
Treasury, The control framework for planning & control and The resource
budget
·
Performance
Management: - Public Service Agreements, Department Capability Reviews,
Efficiency, Targets & Measures and Agency Performance Frameworks
·
Streamed workshops covering the format of accounts and financial
reporting arrangement in Departments, Agencies and NDPBs
Full details ~ CIPFA central government panel ~ Newsletters ~ HM Treasury ~ IMF government
finance statistics ~ KPMG – Government’s
finance agenda ~ Government Accountancy
Service ~ National Statistics
Economic update ~ Bank of
England
WGPlus would like to make it
clear that the commentary & links provided, in
respect of any particular item, are published in its capacity as an
independent non-government funded organisation and reflect the editorial
team’s need to both précis & re‑format the content of news
releases.
Any views
expressed are therefore entirely those of the WGPlus
editorial team and independent of any sponsor, government organisation or
political party.
For the
official view of a source organisation, readers should click
on the ‘press release’ that is the first link attached to each
item.
While every care is
taken to ensure that all links ’work’ in the newsletter (including checking
just before publication), WGPlus cannot guarantee that websites will not make changes that
will nullify individual links, especially over a period of
time.