Annual Reports

SMCPCNew light has been shed on what the public thinks about fairness in Britain by polling carried out on behalf of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission

Key findings include:
* 65% of the public thought ‘who you know’ matters more than ‘what you know’;
* 75% of people said family background has significant influence on life chances in Britain today
* 70% 0f people thought a good education was the key to getting a good job
Press release & links
 
PC&PE: The Environmental Audit Committee has published its report on transport & accessibility to public services. Tight budgets, reductions in bus services, increases in fares and a further concentration of public services are worsening transport accessibility for vulnerable groups within society, the MPs warn.
 
Accessibility statistics show travel times to key services steadily increasing over time, particularly for access to hospitals — with nearly half of the population not having reasonable access.
Press release & links
 
TKF: London's NHS faces growing pressures, with services in urgent need of change, according to a new report published by The King's Fund. The report, Leading health care in London: Time for a radical response highlights that 4 out of the 5 most financially challenged NHS trusts in England are located in the capital and that the majority of its hospitals are struggling to meet new standards for the quality of care.

It warns that, without major changes to reorganise hospital services, improve primary care and move more services into the community, London's NHS could become financially unsustainable and may not be able to guarantee consistently high standards of patient care.
Press release & links
 
HL: Published recently, No Excuses, explores the causes of homelessness amongst 16 & 17 year olds, its long-term impact on young adults and whether they are being effectively looked after & safeguarded by local authorities.
Press release & links ~ No Excuses
 
CCC: There has been good progress in 2012 implementing some of the measures required to meet carbon budgets said the Committee on Climate Change in its latest annual progress report to Parliament.   However, there are significant risks that progress will not be sustained, particularly as regards insulation and investment in renewable power generation.
Press release & links ~ 'No room for complacency' on carbon budgets - CBI
 
CO: The latest Business Plans for government departments were published last week. The plans set out departments’ priorities for the remainder of this Parliament, the specific actions they will take, including start & end dates, and the expenditure for each remaining year of the current spending review period.
Press release & links
 
Ofsted: Following the recent inspections of 15 schools in East Riding in May 2013, Ofsted has written to the East Riding of Yorkshire local authority to advise it of the findings.
Press release & links
 
OFT: The OFT has published its Annual Report, including an estimate of the financial benefits of its activities to consumers. The report shows that last fiscal year, on its competition and consumer work the OFT achieved an estimated benefit to consumers of £422m, over 8 times its cost to the taxpayer.
Press release & links
 
JRF: The minimum cost of living has soared by a quarter since the start of the economic downturn, according to a report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which details the true inflationary pressures facing low income households.
Press release & links
Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story