27 June 2008
The government has announced a package of initiatives aimed at lifting children out of poverty. It follows a speech by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on June 23 on social mobility. A new 'child development grant' of £200 will be offered to low-income parents who work with children's care staff to support their children. In-work credit pilots to provide financial incentives for both parents to work will be expanded, and £7.6m will be provided from 30 children's centres across ten local authorities to offer 'work-focused services' for parents.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has urged that more be done to enable new migrant communities to be heard and to ensure resources are allocated openly and fairly. In a report published on June 25, Community engagement and community cohesion, the charity urges more joined-up policies at local and national level. One of its authors, Marjorie Mayo, said: 'Policies to involve communities urgently need to take more account of the growing diversity of Britain's population. New arrivals do want to have their voices heard, too. This can be done in ways that promote social cohesion rather than increasing competition between new arrivals and established communities.'
The New Local Government Network and the Institute for Public Policy Research have called for the extension of directly elected mayors to solve what they call the constitutional imbalance in the UK. In an article by NLGN director Chris Leslie and IPPR senior research fellow Guy Lodge, the two think-tanks contend that more elected mayors could 'represent a powerful indication from the government that they are serious about devolving power within England'. They argue: 'By presenting mayors as a decentralising measure, Gordon Brown would have a substantive policy response to the English Question.'
The managing director of private equity firm Terra Firma Capital Partners and former chief executive of airport operator BAA, Mike Clasper, has been appointed chair of Revenue and Customs. Clasper takes over on August 1 in succession to Paul Gray, who resigned in November after the loss of two disks containing information on child benefit claimants. Chancellor Alistair Darling said: 'Mike will bring the leadership and vision needed to deliver on HMRC's goals of providing an enhanced service to all of its customers across the UK.'
Rod Clark, formerly director general of strategy at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Constitutional Affairs, has been named new principal and chief executive of the National School of Government. Clark, who played a major part in setting up the MoJ, has been on secondment to PA Consulting and was a team member for the capability review of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He said: 'The National School has a vital role in developing the skills and approaches required of public service leaders and managers in transforming public services. This is an exciting time to build on the National School's reputation.'
The Ministry of Defence has become the largest organisation ever to be recognised as meeting the Investors in People standard. The assessors singled out excellent examples of good practice, including a sound approach to flexible working, giving staff freedom to work autonomously and identifying talent and encouraging its development. Defence minister Bill Jeffrey said the award was 'a fantastic achievement, particularly as it has been attained against a backdrop of change programmes and intense operational demands'.
PFjun2008
