News round-up September 7

6 Sep 07
Prime Minister Gordon Brown has asked Conservative MPs John Bercow and Patrick Mercer and Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor to provide policy advice to the government.

07 September 2007

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has asked Conservative MPs John Bercow and Patrick Mercer and Liberal Democrat MP Matthew Taylor to provide policy advice to the government. In a speech to voluntary organisations on September 3, Brown vaunted consensus politics and revealed that Mercer — who resigned as Tory spokesman for homeland security earlier this year — would assist security minister Lord West and Bercow would head a review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs. Taylor is to advise on planning in rural communities.

The new head of the Criminal Bar Association has called for a review of the way young people are treated in the criminal justice system. Sally O'Neill said on September 3: 'At a time of heightened public concern over youth crime, we need to look again at the way in which the system treats witnesses, victims and defendants, an increasing number of whom are not even teenagers.' Crown courts were inappropriate for trying young people, she added.

A survey by the charity Help the Aged revealed that two-thirds of people over 60 believe that the government is not doing enough to combat ageism. The survey, of 1,321 adults, showed that a majority wanted a ban on age discrimination. Kate Jopling, head of public affairs at the charity, said: 'It's high time the government stopped dragging its heels and took an active role in fighting age discrimination. We live in a society where racism and sexism are not tolerated, yet age prejudice is tolerated and even accepted in goods, facilities and services.'

Edinburgh City Council has pulled back from plans to close more than 20 schools after a campaign by parents. Up to 13 primary schools, three secondary schools and six nurseries were threatened with closure. Now the Scottish National Party — which runs the council in coalition with Liberal Democrats — wants to reconsider. Steve Cardownie, the SNP deputy leader of the council, said: 'We have said this is not about savings and not about money. If that's the case, the council can afford to take its time.'

Workers in London should benefit from a higher minimum wage, says the Institute for Public Policy Research, after a study by the think-tank showed that the gap between the lowest paid and the average is wider in the capital than elsewhere in the UK. The IPPR says that an effective minimum wage of £6.50 an hour — compared with the current £5.35 — could benefit around 300,000 workers. 'If the government is serious about tackling the gap between rich and poor but reluctant to tax higher earners, a higher minimum wage in London must be part of the solution,' said Kate Stanley, the IPPR's head of social policy.

Future elections for the Scottish Parliament and local government are likely to be held on separate days, following a plea by council leaders. The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has called on Finance Secretary John Swinney to separate the elections, with a gap of at least a year between the two polls. The move is aimed at avoiding a repetition of the chaos that developed at the May 3 elections this year, following the introduction of proportional representation for the council polls and electronic voting. Thousands of votes were declared invalid.

Three Welsh universities have become independent from the University of Wales umbrella as part of a modernisation of the higher education system, with the aim of helping them to compete for students. But Aberystwyth, Bangor and Swansea will still award University of Wales degrees. Cardiff University dropped out two years ago but remains an affiliated institution.

PFsep2007

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