Policy Statements and Initiatives

CLG: Housing Minister Grant, Shapps, has set out how a ‘new era of regulating social housing at the local level will deliver better homes for tenants, whilst at the same time ensuring lenders continue to invest in the sector’.
 
Following the announcement last week that the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) would be abolished, a new report explains ‘how stronger powers for tenants will drive up the quality of their homes’.  

Tenants can now expect local solutions to local problems - they will be able to set up local panels and call on their councillors & MPs to hold landlords to account to help resolve disputes.
Press release ~ Review of social housing regulation
 
CLG: Councils should look to amend their existing planning policies to make it easier for disused farm buildings to be converted into affordable homes Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell, said last week. The average house price in rural England has more than doubled over the past decade to over £250,000, but the average salary is still £21,000.  The numbers of people on social housing waiting lists in rural areas has risen to 750,000.

So Mr Stunell has called on farmers to identify disused farm buildings that could be converted into new affordable homes for local people and for councils to look favourably on their planning applications.
Press release
 
DH: A new initiative to empower pioneering GPs who want to press ahead with commissioning care for patients has been announced by Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley. The new pathfinder programme will identify & support groups of practices who are keen to make faster progress in taking on the new roles set out in the NHS White Paper 'Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS' earlier this year.

It will enable GPs to test different design concepts of GP Consortia and identify any issues & areas of learning early on so that these can be shared across the GP community. 

To kick-start the programme the Department has made £1m available from central funding to support regional learning programmes across England.  GP practices keen to participate in the pathfinder programme will need to put themselves forward to their PCT & SHA from the end of October 2010.
Press release
 
ScotGov: The Scottish Government has expressed its ambitions for Scotland's digital future, aiming for availability of superfast broadband throughout the whole of Scotland by 2020

Its position paper - 'A Digital Ambition for Scotland' - also sets out an ambition that the rate of broadband uptake in Scotland should at least match the UK average by 2013 and should be the highest among the UK nations by 2015.
Press release ~ A Digital Ambition for Scotland ~ National Get Online Week
Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story