Policy Statements and Initiatives
ScotGov: A plan to create new green jobs & capture the opportunities of the low carbon economy has been published. It is estimated around 60,000 new Scottish green jobs could be created by 2020 and the Low Carbon Economic Strategy crystallises the Scottish Government's approach to utilise Scotland's vast natural resources & competitive advantages to grow the economy and cut emissions.
DfE: Michael Gove has announced the decision to scrap the complex & burdensome Financial Management Standard in Schools (FMSiS)with immediate effect. Following discussions with local authorities & schools, there was an overwhelming consensus to scrap FMSiS and develop a simpler standard.
Last year the Audit Commission said FMSiS focuses on processes rather than achievement of economy & efficiency and that schools have not drawn an explicit link between its introduction and value for money.
BIS: Secretary of State for Business Vince Cable and Skills Minister John Hayes have launched the Government’s strategy for skills (Skills for Sustainable Growth) and its parallel publication, Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth.
The strategy sets out the Government’s vision for reform of the Further Education & skills system in order to improve the skills of the workforce, the performance of the economy and engagement in learning. Investing in Sustainable Growth sets out how Government seeks to achieve its objectives through investing strategically in FE and skills over this Spending Review period.
Press release ~ Skills for Sustainable Growth (scroll down for: Investment for Sustainable Growth)
Defra: The Government has confirmed the details of spending on Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) until 2014. Further changes to the scheme will focus its role on safeguarding the environment. More money will go to protecting wildlife & reducing water pollution and less spent on farm renovations and access to the countryside.
HO: Inspirational community activists who help keep neighbourhoods safe are being called on to spread their good work by the Government's champion for active, safer communities, Baroness Newlove. Outlining her programme of work with a 'call to action', Baroness Newlove is working with ministers to encourage local people, businesses and frontline workers, like the police, on what more they can do to make their communities safer.
The neighbourhoods chosen by Baroness Newlove as 'test beds' of community activism will be identified in the coming weeks. A study from 2009, Measuring Neighbourhood Watch: Views of Effectiveness, found that Neighbourhood Watch is reported as reducing crime in 79% of cases in the UK.
DH: Thousands of frontline NHS staff are ‘taking control of the services they deliver in a drive to transform patient care and improve health outcomes’, Secretary of State for Health Andrew Lansley announced last week.
32 projects will form the third wave of NHS organisations that want to set up social enterprises, through the NHS 'Right to Request' scheme that gives public sector workers the opportunity to become their own bosses (The scheme has now closed for applications in line with the requirement that PCTs must separate commissioning & provision of community services by April 2011).
32 projects will form the third wave of NHS organisations that want to set up social enterprises, through the NHS 'Right to Request' scheme that gives public sector workers the opportunity to become their own bosses (The scheme has now closed for applications in line with the requirement that PCTs must separate commissioning & provision of community services by April 2011).
Press release ~ Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF) ~ NHS 'Right to Request' scheme ~ DH: Social Enterprise ~ Related Unite union press release
HO: The first steps to scrap the stop & account form used by police – and save an estimated 450,000 hours of time each year – have been taken. New proposals could also reduce the amount of information (7 items recorded rather than 12) officers are required to take as part of the stop & search process, saving around 350,000 hours of time each year.
GEO: Home Secretary and Minister for Women & Equality, Theresa May has announced that the socio-economic duty, which was created as part of the 2010 Equality Act, will be scrapped. The announcement came as the Home Secretary outlined a new approach to equalities that ‘rejects political correctness and social engineering’.
DH: A new drive to raise antibiotics awareness was launched last week to remind the public that antibiotics do not work in treating viral infections such as coughs & colds. The inappropriate use of antibiotics has become a serious problem in Europe which is why there is now an annual European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD).
Press release ~ DH: Antibiotic Resistance ~
DfE: Education Secretary Michael Gove last week announced the opening up of the route to academy status so that every school can become an academy, by allowing existing schools that are strong performers to work in partnership with weaker schools. In addition, for the first time, the DfE will be opening up applications to outstanding maintained special schools in January 2011, to allow them to open from September 2011.
Press release ~ Further information for schools interested in becoming an academy ~ Academies Act 2010 ~ Foundation, Aided Schools and Academies National Association (FASNA) ~ Academies Enterprise Trust
Defra: The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced a total of £2m to improve flood rescue capability. Grants totalling approximately £650,000 were awarded from the fund last week. The money will help local flood resilience teams’ efforts to raise money to buy everything from boats & flood barriers to training sessions for flood rescue volunteers.
All the equipment bought with the new money will be added to the National Asset Register of emergency resources that others can call upon in the event of a major flood. Applications for the remaining funding can be made to Defra until 31 January 2011.
Press release ~ Defra: Flood Rescue National Enhancement ~ Exercise Watermark ~ UK Resilience: Severe Weather, Flooding, Drought
DfE: Children's Minister, Sarah Teather, has outlined the first steps in the Government's reform of early education. At the recent Daycare Trust conference, the minister confirmed plans to increase flexibility, improve access to high-quality provision and reduce bureaucracy in early education.
The new approach will improve the life chances of disadvantaged children by freeing up children's centres so they focus their services on families that will benefit the most. The reforms include intending to legislate so that disadvantaged 2-year-olds receive 15 hours of free early education a week starting from 2013.
The new approach will improve the life chances of disadvantaged children by freeing up children's centres so they focus their services on families that will benefit the most. The reforms include intending to legislate so that disadvantaged 2-year-olds receive 15 hours of free early education a week starting from 2013.
Michael Gove has confirmed in a letter that the Department's staff will work closely with CWDC on a detailed plan for the transfer of work, to ensure that current business continues to be delivered and essential business maintained. DfE officials will work with CWDC to continue to secure employers' engagement in workforce development.
Press release ~ Letter Michael Gove sent to Sir Paul Ennals ~ Children's Minister Tim Loughton's written ministerial statement about funding decision
CLG: New reforms will give more of the benefits of development to communities, while providing more certainty for industry, Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark announced last week. He confirmed the Community Infrastructure Levy would be continued, however it will be reformed to ensure neighbourhoods share the advantages of development, by receiving a proportion of the funds councils raise from developers.
The new system will be more transparent with levy rates set in consultation with local communities & developers, unlike planning obligations that are negotiated behind closed doors. The report, Valuing Planning Obligations in England: Update Study for 2005-06 showed that only 6% of developments made any contribution to the cost of new infrastructure via planning obligations.
