General Reports and Other Publications

CLG: An Audit Commission report - By Mutual Agreement - states that Councils should have the power to claw back taxpayers’ money paid out to cut ties with their town hall chief, if they later get re-hired to another local government job. Communities Secretary John Denham welcomed the report and made clear taxpayers’ money should not be used by councils to resolve personal differences.
 
It found that pay-offs for 37 chief executives cost £9.5m.  The average was £250k+, but a few cases exceeded £500,000.  It called for publication of pay-off details; recouping where necessary; ending pay-offs to remove poor performers; formal appraisals for chief executives; and management training for councillors.
 
Mr Denham said every council needed to set up remuneration committees with some outside representation to set pay levels & structures for senior posts that also decided severance & discretionary payments.
Press release ~ By Mutual Agreement
 
ESRC: Why will a record number of more than 500 music festivals take place in 2010?  Some of the reasons for the rapid growth in the music festival & free party scene were showcased at an exciting, interactive multimedia exhibition organised in Bristol as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s (ESRC) Festival of Social Science last week.
Press release ~ Negotiating managed consumption: young people, branding and social identification processes ~ Festival of Social Science
 
Ofsted: While the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs) continues to rise, a report published by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, shows that local authorities can make a big impact on reducing the number of young people in this category.
 
The report highlights the strategies, partnerships & activities, which 12 local authorities have successfully employed to attract some of the most difficult to reach young people into work or learning.
 
The voice of young people echoes throughout the report, with inspectors having spoken to over 700 young people and made visits to 28 schools, 18 colleges & 84 voluntary sector, training & other providers from across the country between May and October 2009.
Press release ~ Tackling the NEET problem – how local authorities are getting young people back into education, employment & training ~ Every Child matters: NEET ~ IDeA: Rise of the NEETs
 
NAO: The service provided to students applying for finance in 2009 did not achieve value for money, according to a report by the National Audit Office.  There were major problems in the processing of applications - with fewer than half new applications being fully processed by the start of term - and in communications with applicants.
 
Substantial risks remain to the successful delivery of the service in 2010, which provides a focus for the NAO recommendations.  While the Department and Company still expect to secure savings of around £20m a year from 2011-12, this benefit would be outweighed greatly by continued poor service in administering over £5bn of loans, grants & allowances.
Press release ~ The Customer First Programme: Delivery of student finance ~ Student Loans Company
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