06 June 2008
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears has announced more cash for Planning Aid, to enable people to have a voice in the planning process. Blears said on June 2: 'The Planning Reform Bill currently going through Parliament will give people a fairer say through public consultation, and at planning inquiries. But creating opportunities for public participation is not enough by itself. We need also to do more to support local communities and individuals, particularly those least able to put forward their case, with the advice and skills they need to engage effectively, which is where this new funding will provide direct help.' She said funding would increase to £4.1m in 2009/10 and £4.5m in 2010/11.
Up to 38% of the packaging in a regular shopping basket cannot be recycled, according to search from the Local Government Association. The LGA's second investigation into retailer packaging found that items bought from local retailers and market traders produced less packaging that those bought from supermarkets. Most retailers had reduced the volume of their packaging since the LGA's first survey, published in October 2007, but the association said there was still a long way to go to reduce the amount of waste going into landfill.
Employers are increasingly choosing to fill in their tax returns online. Revenue &ustoms last week announced that 80% of employers have filed their end-of-year returns online — a rise of 10% on last year. By May 19 each year, 1.8 million employers are required to inform R&C of their employees' tax and national insurance payments. Mike Shipp, R&C director of PAYE, SA and NICs, said: 'We were determined to make the experience as customer-friendly as possible and these figures suggest we've gone a long way to achieving this.'
The Ministry of Justice has launched the first national service framework for female offenders. Published on May 30, it sets out the government's strategy for dealing with the needs of female offenders. It will be used by all commissioners and providers who have a responsibility for delivering these services. Justice minister Maria Eagle said: 'It is essential that we design and deliver services to ensure women have equal opportunities to address their offending. The vulnerabilities experienced by many women in the criminal justice system, including mental health problems, drug misuse, sexual and domestic abuse and concerns about their children, cannot be ignored.'
The government is to inaugurate a National School for Social Care Research as part of its fort to improve care services. The new school is to be part of the National Institute for Health Research and will receive funding of £3m a year, care services minister Ivan Lewis said on May 30. 'We want to improve the evidence for social care practice so we can be sure that people in this country are provided with better and more effective services in the future,' he added.
A new procurement strategy is to be established that aims to secure better value for the £2bn spent each year across the police service on goods and services, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers. David Horne, Acpo lead on procurement and director of resources for Sussex Police, said: 'The service must make better use of what it has at its disposal now and look at what can be done in partnership with others. Acpo is committed to a collaborative approach supported by chief constables. Benefits to the service can be made through procuring at a national and regional level through common specifications that address specific requirements of the police service.'
PFjun2008
