General Reports and Other Publications
NO: East Council misled the public on a planning application to change the use of some agricultural land. A report by the Local Government Ombudsman has upheld a complaint that the council withheld important information to the public during the consultation period – but later made it available on its website and backdated it.
The Ombudsman has recommended the council take professional advice on what options are now available in relation to the granted application – and consider revoking the approval if it is an option.
NO: Shropshire Council failed to offer effective support for a man who was providing 24 hour care for his wife. The Local Government Ombudsman, in a report issued recently, has recommended that the council apologise to the couple for not properly considering their needs, and make a payment of over £60,000.
IPCC: The Independent Police Complaints Commission has published its response to the Home Secretary’s proposal to transfer resources from individual police forces to the IPCC to allow it to expand its work & undertake more independent investigations.
The IPCC’s response focuses on 2 areas: more independent investigations in serious & sensitive cases and greater oversight of the complaints system. It also sets out 5 key principles for its work
NAO: The BBC relocated to Salford on time & maintained broadcast continuity, according to a report published by the National Audit Office for the BBC Trust. Moreover, the latest estimates show that the final cost of the move phase should be below the £233m budget approved by the BBC Trust.
However, it is too early to judge the long-term impact & value for money of the move for licence fee payers.
However, it is too early to judge the long-term impact & value for money of the move for licence fee payers.
TUC: The Pensions Commission has given the UK the opportunity to build a new progressive pensions consensus, but contribution levels need to increase and structures need to work more in the interest of consumers so that they receive adequate retirement outcomes, according to a new TUC report (The TUC Touchstone Extra pamphlet Third Time Lucky).
CO: Deloitte were commissioned by BIS to undertake an independent assessment of the market for public sector information (PSI), as part of the ‘Shakespeare Review of Public Sector Information’. The report looks at the value of information collected by public sector organisations and how this information could be further utilised.
NIA: The Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for the Environment recently called for further action to ensure the safe & effective disposal of used tyres in its final report on its Inquiry into Used Tyre Disposal. This is following interim recommendations that the Committee published last year on the disposal of used tyres.
Ofcom: Ofcom has published a report outlining the availability of different communications services across the UK, examining how coverage varies between areas and might be improved. The report looks at access to seven services: fixed voice telephony, fixed broadband, mobile voice telephony, mobile broadband, digital television, radio and post.
HL: Last year, the Government made a change to the Shared Accommodation Rate (SAR) – the level of Housing Benefit that applies to single people in the private rented sector – that placed restrictions on claimants under the age of 35. Homeless Link’s report, Nowhere To Move, examines data taken from 55,537 property listings in London to assess the impact of this change.
AC: The Airports Commission has published Airport Operational Models the fourth in a series of discussion papers to build the evidence base to inform its assessment of the UK’s airport capacity needs.
The paper considers the distinguishing features of a hub or ‘focal’ airport and what enables an airport to assume this role, alongside other possible models for structuring airport capacity. It discusses current trends in the global aviation sector, how they might develop in the future, and considers the potential implications for aviation capacity and connectivity in the UK.
