General Reports and Other Publications
Demos: New research by Demos, funded by Scope and the Barrow Cadbury Trust, shows disabled people will be caught in the cross-fire of Government cuts. It claims that the Government’s proposed welfare reforms will see 3.5m disabled people lose over £9.2bn of critical support by 2015 pushing them further into poverty and closer to the fringes of society. Plans to move disabled people onto Job Seekers Allowance will account for half (£4.87bn) of these losses.
The report, Destination Unknown, also questions Government claims that the proposals will result in more disabled people moving into work, arguing that, in fact, they are likely to result in more disabled people ending up trapped in long-term unemployment and a low pay no pay cycle – ultimately costing the tax-payer far more.
IfG: Senior Researcher, Michael Hallsworth, from the Institute for Government, spoke recently at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) about how social marketing relates to the current government’s agenda. In a speech to the CIM's Social Marketing Interest Group, he argued that social marketing carried out by government faced challenging times.
Michael suggested 3 main ways that public sector social marketing could market itself:
* Make its theoretical basis clear - tap into the interest around ‘nudging’
* Link social marketing with the decentralisation agenda - many of the most effective campaigns take place at a local level
* Show how social marketing can help achieve the ‘Big Society’ - government can help community groups carry out their own campaigns.
Finally, he noted that that social marketing by private companies plays a big part in the government's agenda: business is seen as a key partner in the fight against obesity. But how far can government hold companies to account for their promises? Can this just be done by creating public expectations, or is something stronger needed? Michael pointed out that the EU Platform on Diet, Physical Activity and Health may offer valuable lessons on the way forward.
CO: Lord Young of Graffham, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Health & Safety Law and Practice, has published his report Common Sense, Common Safety, examining the country’s perceived compensation culture and the impact of health & safety regulations on businesses & personal freedom.
The PM and the Cabinet have accepted all of the recommendations put forward by Lord Young, who will continue to work across departments to ensure his recommendations are carried through.
Newswire – PWC: Almost half a million private sector jobs could be lost as a result of the upcoming public sector spending cuts and private sector gross output could be reduced by around £46bn p.a. by 2014/15 due to the impact on suppliers to the public sector, according to a new PwC report; Sectoral and regional impact of the fiscal squeeze.
When combined with OBR public sector job loss forecasts, nearly 1m could face unemployment due to public sector cuts. However, the report also highlights the potential for job creation in the private sector resulting from more employment opportunities coming from increased activity in areas such as the outsourcing market and interest rates staying lower for longer due to the fiscal consolidation.
Newswire – NHSC: The NHS Confederation has called for action to reduce the risks associated with the design & implementation of the government’s healthcare reforms. It is publishing its response to the white paper (Equity and Excellence – Liberating the NHS) on behalf of 95% of organisations in all parts of the NHS - the result of a major consultation exercise.
The NHSC makes clear that its members support the government’s objectives of empowering patients and involving clinicians more closely in decision making. But the NHSC also identifies ‘significant risks, worrying uncertainties and unexploited opportunities’ that need addressing if the plans are to work as intended.
NAO: HM Revenue & Customs might be able to increase tax revenues by providing more support to professional tax agents (third parties paid by taxpayers to act on their behalf in their dealings with the Department). The report suggests that a 3% reduction in the average amount of tax under-declared by represented taxpayers could lead to over £100m extra revenue each year.
Newswire – CBI: The CBI says opening up social housing to greater competition could lead to better quality homes for tenants and considerable savings for taxpayers, as well delivering other social & economic benefits.
Launching a new report (Improving homes, improving lives: using competition for better social housing) the CBI said that £1.5bn could be saved in England alone by allowing local councils & housing associations to choose the best provider of services, whether they are from the private, voluntary or charity sectors.
The report features in-depth case studies of where the private sector is already providing high-quality social housing and shows the benefits of their involvement, which include better property maintenance and related social & economic improvements such as higher GCSE pass rates.
PX: Policy Exchange last week published 2 new research notes on the Alternative Vote and proposed changes to constituency boundaries. The author of Local Seats for Local People, Dr Robert McIlveen, finds that proposed reforms of constituencies should go further, deeper and faster.
The note also calls for public representations to be limited to a 30-day window, instead of the current 12-week period. The latest boundary review took 7 years, whereas in New Zealand & Australia the process took 6 months. Dr McIlveen says the review process should be cut down to one year.
NO: Ann Abraham, the Health Service Ombudsman and Tony Redmond, the Local Government Ombudsman, have welcomed the publication of the ‘Six Lives’ Progress Report. Speaking about the report Ms Abraham said: “This open and honest report makes clear the extent of the work which remains to be done and identifies ways of doing this. There is still a long way to go. It is disappointing particularly that local authorities have not focused as closely on the issues as the NHS, given the importance of joint work”.
Press release ~ Six Lives: The provision of public services to people with learning disabilities ~ www.lgo.org.uk ~ www.ombudsman.org.uk
Ofsted: More apprentices are completing their training programmes (and finishing them more quickly) when they have been carefully screened & tested for selection and given taster courses at school, according to an Ofsted report.
HEFCE: A study highlights the need for universities & colleges to improve information available to students about online courses. The report, 'Study of UK Online Learning', was carried out by the technology-assisted lifelong learning team at the University of Oxford. It provides an up-to-date overview of UK provision of online distance learning that is at higher education (HE) level.
Newswire – AC: Financial performance across the NHS was mostly encouraging over the last financial year and health service bodies are in good shape to face the leaner years to come. A new report from the Audit Commission - Auditors' Local Evaluation and Use of Resources: Summary Results for NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts 2009/10 - shows that an overall surplus of £1.5bn was recorded by NHS trusts, primary care trusts (PCTs) and strategic health authorities.
Problems persist at a small percentage of NHS bodies: out of 260 bodies assessed, 6 trusts and 4 PCTs failed to achieve financial balance in 2009/10. No organisation had its accounts qualified on grounds of truth & fairness and there was no difference overall between draft and final accounts.
Press release ~ Auditors' Local Evaluation & Use of Resources: Summary Results for NHS Trusts and Primary Care Trusts 2009/10 ~ Full list of ALE scores for NHS Trusts and Use of Resources scores for PCTs ~ Monitor
ESRC: There is a great deal of uncertainty & speculation about the direction of the housing market in the UK & the USA - both for home-owners and renters. Social Scientists funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) have devised a mathematical model to provide some foresight into changes into the housing market. The model could be beneficial to central banks & ministries of finance that have an interest in the effects of the housing market on their economies.
