WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
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Traumatic enough for an adult male |
The CEO of Porchlight, tells us why their research into women who are rough sleeping in Kent has prompted the charity to do more to meet the very specific needs of this vulnerable group. Kent, South East England has one of the highest percentages of people sleeping rough who are female in the country. Last year, 1 in 5 of the people we found sleeping on our streets were women. We spoke to 40 women who were either sleeping rough or had experience of rough sleeping to gain more understanding about the needs of this very vulnerable group and what we can do to better support them. Our findings showed very high levels of vulnerability:
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Researched Links: |
Homeless Link: We’re missing opportunities to help the most vulnerable Read Porchlight’s research: ‘Seeing the unseen: Meeting the needs of women sleeping rough in Kent’ Mordaunt launches fund to help isolated and marginalised women return to work First national conference on women’s homelessness James Brokenshire announces £5m for new network of rough sleeping hubs |
No time to waste |
The government launches a series of consultations to overhaul the waste system.
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Defra: Government sets out plans to overhaul waste system NIC: Welcome move towards standard recycling rules Defra: Smart tracking of waste across the UK: GovTech Catalyst competition winners announced LGA responds to plans to overhaul waste system WAG: New measures to help tackle waste crime come into force PC&PE: Government must end era of throwaway fashion IPPR: We are entering an age of unprecedented environmental breakdown EU: Persistent organic pollutants - Provisional agreement on the world's most dangerous pollutants Become aware of a problem, fund the research, find a solution |
SME Supplier Locator update... | ||
UK Government and public sector spend with SME’s is continually on the increase and by 2020, it is the stated intent of Cabinet Office that £1 of every £3 spent on government contracts goes to SME’s. Against this ambitious backdrop, the WiredGov Supplier Locator service has been developed specifically to embrace the SME Agenda and provide the ideal platform for SME’s to promote their services, solutions, accreditation and success stories directly to our ever increasing audience across all government and public sector verticals and Tier 1 suppliers. Recent arrivals to the SME Supplier Locator service include:
Click here to find out more. |
An evolving ‘terror’ threat |
New drone safety partnership with business launched as government sets out plans to limit drone misuse.
The CAA’s Dronecode provides advice on how to fly your drone safely & follow the rules. (www.dronesafe.uk). The Home Office is also reviewing the UK’s approach to countering the malicious use of drones, and will consider how best to protect the full range of the UK’s critical national infrastructure — including testing & evaluating technology to counter drones. |
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DfT: New drone safety partnership with business launched as government sets out plans to limit drone misuse DfT: Drones - national campaign & extended ‘no fly’ zone around airports Dstl: Countering Drones: finding & neutralising small UAS threats |
Editorial Commentary; It all comes down to money in the end! |
It’s time for the Government (preferably by means of a properly ‘independent’ evaluation) to make clear by just how much the taxpayers of England subsidise Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland. A common theme of many press releases since the Brexit referendum issued by ScotGov & WAG has been ‘Promise to keep giving us the same (or more) EU grants, Barnett formula revenue, Support for North Sea Oil industry, etc. after Brexit.’ PC&PE: Scottish Affairs Committee demands a future deal to support oil & gas industry ScotGov: Brexit farm compensation WAG: Devolved administrations call for clarity on future funding post-Brexit Now there is nothing wrong with these ‘demands’ while the UK remains one entity, sharing the ‘wealth of the Union to support the less ‘well off’ areas of the UK. But during the same period we have also seen (from some vociferous sections of those communities) demands for increased ‘independence’. Currently the UK as a whole pays the EU £bns per year to be a full member of the EU, of which we get less than 50% ‘back’ in grants, CAP payment, University research grants, etc. and (in the short/medium at least) the UK government can (following an eventual) clean break continue that funding, until different UK arrangements are made, which better suit the UK (rather than EU) priorities. However, if in the future, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland vote to leave the UK, they will ‘lose their entitlement’ to that funding, so one wonders how they will manage their budgets. For example, Scotland has seen the oil price effectively half since their last independence referendum and ScotGov would also do well to remember that Venezuela (which has the world’s largest reserves) is currently producing about 1% of its potential output, but if a proper democratic government is elected it may soon be in a position to resume a much higher production rate. What price North Sea oil then? As for a ‘Border Vote’ in NI, would English voters even consider contemplating an Irish ‘Backstop’ if they realised just how much they were subsiding NI by each year? A December 2018 article in the Irish Times concluded with the following possible ‘side of a bus’ slogan; “We (the UK) send NI £204 million a week. Let’s fund our NHS instead. Vote Leave”? Post-Brexit Britain may not want to pay for Northern Ireland While an item in the Belfast Telegraph raised the question of whether the RoI could afford to absorb NI into a United Ireland and whether the ‘Backstop’ is really just their way of getting the UK to fund a 20-30 year transition period to unity and nothing to do with maintaining the Peace Process. 'Republic can't really afford united Ireland now, but if they could get ... ScotGov and WAG (with no ‘sitting NI Assembly, they have not had a ‘united voice’ for the last 2 years) have proposed an ‘interim’ alternative to independence which is an overall ‘Federal’ governing body which gives them an ‘equal combined say’ over how England’s revenue is disbursed over the UK and what ‘UK-wide’ policies should be implemented. But why should England agree to that even if they can ‘agree’ on how a voting balance could be achieved? Edit. Commentary; By how much should England ‘subsidise’ Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland? Edit commentary; Some questions to ‘Remoaners’ and the SNP to inform voters before a 2nd Referendum They want all the powers and for England to provide most of the subsidies But do they expect English taxpayers to subsidise their plans? One wonders how the SNP would finance an independent Scotland without Barnett formula One final thought; if we are going to become an ‘Atlantic Singapore’ following a WTO Brexit on 29 March 2019, perhaps England should unilaterally ‘discard’ the ‘independence seeking’ ScotGov and WAG who keep demanding ever increasing English taxpayer subsidies? They would then be free to re-join the EU, which they claim is what they want and England could flourish as a low tax Free Trade area! B4B: Singapore wouldn’t accept EU vassalage, and neither should we |
Editorial Commentary; In this case ‘No Deal’ is far better than the ‘agreed Deal’ |
This week MP’s vote on the EU’s Withdrawal Agreement. For those of you who haven’t read the 500+ pages of the EU’s ‘offer of Vassalage’, Briefings for Brexit explains why it would create a trading environment worse than a UK exit based on WTO rules. |
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