WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
| Nearly 20 years since John Major; and EU membership is still top of the political agenda |
| Her Majesty’s most gracious speech to both Houses of Parliament at the State Opening of Parliament 2015. |
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Cabinet Office: Queen’s Speech 2015 – (Wales Office: Welsh Secretary - Queen’s Speech boosts engines of growth & rewards hard work FDA: Redundancy payment cap will have far wider impact than just so-called ‘fat cats’ JRF responds to the Queen's Speech Homeless Link: Welfare change could place more young people at risk of homelessness IFG: Statement in response to the Queen's Speech, May 2015 IEA: Government must continue to focus on the deficit LGA: Queen's Speech - Councils comment on schools plans LGA: Queen's Speech - Right-to-buy extension must see homes replaced one-for-one LGA call for devolution to all corners of England LGA: Queen's Speech - Legal highs ban will enable closure of 'head shops' LGA: Queen's Speech - Councils respond to apprenticeships plans |
Faced with a pressing need to find savings, the north east London Borough of Waltham Forest introduced new IVR technology and found that the system not only delivered tangible benefits across the organization, including an improved service, but had been one of the few ICT projects installed by a local authority to take money out through quantifiable savings! Click here to access this latest case-study. |
| Not just ‘Government’ that need ‘Localising’ |
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As the latest fuel poverty statistics are published, Citizens Advice is calling for programmes to help the fuel poor in England to be delivered by local authorities rather than energy suppliers. The number of households in fuel poverty in England in 2013 was estimated at 2.35m and with a new government in place, and findings from a major Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation into the energy industry due soon, the charity says this is an important time for the industry. Two reports published by CAB show how government & regulators could help tackle fuel poverty: In its report, Closer to home, Citizens Advice says giving local councils responsibility & resources for improving fuel poor homes would be more effective in tackling fuel poverty. Currently it is down to suppliers to deliver energy efficiency programmes. A second report, Energy tariff options for consumers in vulnerable situations, commissioned from the Centre for Sustainable Energy, assesses potential solutions. The report estimates just 12% of the lowest income consumers are on the cheapest tariffs, and that 74% of this group has never switched. The charity & consumer advocate believes exploring the introduction a backstop tariff, a low-priced option which eligible customers would be transferred to automatically, could help those struggling to afford their bills. |
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CAB: Funding & responsibility for tackling fuel poverty in England should be devolved to councils DECC: Fuel poverty, England 2013 - statistical release DECC: Fuel poverty report shows improvement Will budgetary restrictions extend the deadline? Ofgem encourages gas network companies to do more to tackle fuel poverty The heat is on to ensure warmer, healthy homes for everyone Nest proving energy bills don’t have to cost the earth ‘Hidden army’ could help tackle cold home deaths & illnesses, says NICE |
| That’s worse than the make-up of Cabinet |
| As of mid-May 2015 more than half of FTSE 100 companies had less than 25% female representation in the boardroom according to analysis from the Professional Boards Forum. 7 out of 10 mid-cap companies listed on the FTSE 250 had less than a quarter female directors and 20 of them were made up of all-male boards. |
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techUK: UK boards miss 25% target for women directors By investing in women, you invest in business: Nicky Morgan Women on boards numbers almost doubled in last 4 years One notes that most ‘top bankers’ are male, which illustrates the point being made rather nicely Old Boys Club or family responsibilities to blame? Women on boards numbers almost doubled in last 4 years Business leaders urged to ensure women can fully contribute to economic growth NHS Confederation challenges health service to act on under-representation of women in leadership Business Secretary urges headhunters to seek out new female talent |
| Just the sort of thing we want to be able to opt out of |
| The College of Commissioners has held an orientation debate on measures to make corporate taxation fairer, more growth-friendly and transparent. It was agreed that a new EU approach to corporate taxation is needed to successfully address tax abuse, ensure sustainable revenues and foster a better business environment in the internal market. |
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EC prepares an Action Plan for fairer and more growth-friendly tax systems in Europe Commission proposes draft EU budget 2016: focus on jobs, growth, migration and global action 10 DS: Government publishes EU Referendum Bill |
| Armed Forces Day |
| This year’s national event will be hosted by the historic Surrey county town of Guildford on Saturday 27 June. The day will start with a special service at Guildford Cathedral, followed by a parade along the High Street and fly-past of current & historic aircraft. In the parade will be tri-Service personnel supported by bands, veterans and the Cadet Forces. |
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| Care at home is not only preferred, its more cost effective as well |
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£6m investment to help older people in Wales live independently in their own home, has been announced. The continued Welsh Government funding supports the essential work of the Care and Repair service, which provides adaptations, such as ramps, handrails, and safety alarms, to enable older people to live safely in their own homes. £2m of the funding is for the Rapid Response Adaptations Programme, which provides minor adaptations to help prevent many people from having to be admitted to hospital and enable those who are in hospital to be discharged earlier, helping alleviate pressure on the NHS. Estimates show every pound invested in the programme creates a significant £7.50 saving for our health and social services. |
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WAG: £6m to help older people live independently in their home Rapid Response Adaptations Programme (RRAP) £2m to help older people out of hospital New £20m fund to support 1,600 severely disabled people in Wales £8m boost for services to support older people in South East Wales £50m care fund to support older people and help reduce pressure on the NHS |
| Claim it NOW! |
| Latest details of support available for BPS 2015 as deadline approaches. Over 30,000 completed Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) applications have now been received by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) - but with 2 weeks remaining farmers are urged to submit their BPS 2015 applications as soon as possible. Any farmer who has not received their BP5 application form should contact the Rural Payments helpline on 03000 200 301. If an agent has permission to act on their behalf farmers should check if forms have been sent to them first. |
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| A better night’s sleep for thousands of men? |
| A new device that aims to relieve the urinary tract problems caused by enlarged prostate glands in men is the focus of NICE draft guidance that has opened for (restricted) consultation. |
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| NICE consults on plans to support new device which avoids surgery for enlarged prostate glands |
| A Patient Safety Alert |
| has been issued by NHS England to raise awareness of the risk of death or severe harm due to inadvertent injection of skin preparation solution. The alert has been issued as a result of incidents being reported to the National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). The alert reiterates previous guidance & advices organisations to take all appropriate local actions to improve safety, including ensuring that any skin preparation solutions are removed from the environment before an invasive procedure begins. |
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More news, opinions, documents, claims & counter-claims; |
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ScotGov: Scotland Bill sells Scotland short Law Society of Scotland welcomes introduction of Scotland Bill |
