General Reports and Other Publications
TfL: If you're new to cycling or want to build up your confidence in the saddle, order a London Cycle Guide from Transport for London. There are 14 guides containing cycling leisure routes running through parks, forests, waterways & quiet residential streets. They are perfect for pleasant pedalling rather than speed riding, many are car-free and several take you through the open spaces of the Royal Parks.
NO: LB of Southwark Council left a vulnerable family in cramped, temporary accommodation for 18 months with little contact – then tried to evict them with only 9 days’ notice. The finding comes after an investigation by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), which upholds a complaint from the mother of the family.
The investigation also uncovered that Southwark Council took 15 months to respond to the mother’s complaint she made to the council about its decision that the family should return to its permanent address. The complainant and her 4 children fled her council flat in September 2010 after threats of violence and fear for the safety of her sons from being recruited by local gangs.
IEA: New research published recently by the Institute of Economic Affairs finds that the introduction of a voluntary pricing mechanism for road usage would have a sizeable impact on traffic & congestion. In this new report, Moving the Road Sector into the Market Economy, leading transport economist Gabriel Roth highlights important lessons for UK policymakers in tackling chronic road congestion through the introduction of road pricing.
The research calls for customers, not governments, to determine the amounts and locations of infrastructure expansion.
The research calls for customers, not governments, to determine the amounts and locations of infrastructure expansion.
PX: The government has been urged to shut more than 30 run-down & poorly-located prisons and replace them with 12 state of the art ‘Hub Prisons’, containing up to 3,000 inmates. The new prisons would lead to huge costs savings, a reduction in re-offending rates and a better quality of life for prisoners & prison staff.
A new report, Future Prisons, by think tank Policy Exchange says that the Ministry of Justice could meet its entire 2015/16 spending commitment by ‘swapping old for new’ and financing the construction of new, large prisons to replace expensive, hard-to-maintain and poorly-located older prisons.
In operational costs alone, this plan would save more than £600million a year on completion – fully 20% of the prison budget. This is equivalent to around 9% of the MoJ’s entire departmental budget.
A new report, Future Prisons, by think tank Policy Exchange says that the Ministry of Justice could meet its entire 2015/16 spending commitment by ‘swapping old for new’ and financing the construction of new, large prisons to replace expensive, hard-to-maintain and poorly-located older prisons.
In operational costs alone, this plan would save more than £600million a year on completion – fully 20% of the prison budget. This is equivalent to around 9% of the MoJ’s entire departmental budget.
PC&PE: In a report published recently the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee calls for fewer ministerial reshuffles.
HMIC&P: HM Inspectorates of Constabulary & Prisons, the Care Quality Commission, and the Healthcare Inspectorate Wales call for changes to ensure fewer people with mental disorders are detained in police custody.
UKOC: New research from OCF - the organisation behind the national network of UK online centres - shows the huge power technology can have in opening up non-formal learning to those traditionally reluctant to engage with it. The report evaluates the unique eReading Rooms pilot - funded by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills - and is helping to shape the future of community learning.
Nef: New Economics Foundation research finds the £33bn earmarked for HS2 would be better spent elsewhere on the rail network, including:
* £10bn – could transform rail infrastructure in the North & Midlands, creating new & faster east-West rail links, redeveloping stations and electrifying regional rail lines
* £10bn - could overhaul the East & West coast mainlines, increasing the speed, capacity & reliability of North-South rail travel with less environmental damage than HS2
* £6bn – could upgrade mass transport in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester & Liverpool, including investments in large light rail schemes and bus networks
Socitm: With public service organisations under huge pressure to do more things more quickly and at less cost, Agile methodologies cannot be ignored says Socitm's new guide. Planting the Flag: pocket guide 6 - Agile is the final guide in the Socitm series covering strategic capabilities required for public service reform.
The 5 other capabilities - leadership, governance, shared services, strategic commissioning and organisational change - have already been covered by similar guides.
The 5 other capabilities - leadership, governance, shared services, strategic commissioning and organisational change - have already been covered by similar guides.
