Visit http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com for more rss feeds. http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/CoreCode/rss/rssdisplay.aspx en-gb Copyright http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com, 2020 Tue, 25 Aug 2020 12:19:19 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ 15  Councillors are elected by people on the street, not some council official, so they should be able to represent, freely, their electorate. Another restriction is where you have a political party using the whip on councillors.  1984 has long been here I am afraid. Re: Councillors should ignore ‘Stalinist’ ban on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/councillors-must-be-free-to-represent-their-electorate 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/councillors-must-be-free-to-represent-their-electorate Mon, 02 Nov 2015 10:45:00 GMT By capping pay increases, whilst the cost of living is still rising, will drive increasing numbers on lower pay scales into the poverty bracket, meaning that they will have to claim tax credits and other benefits just to keep themselves within an adequate income level. What benefit then is there in freezing pay increases, if this just has to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pay-caps-are-robbing-peter-to-pay-paul 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pay-caps-are-robbing-peter-to-pay-paul Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:30:00 GMT There seems to be another option, which would be that trade unions actually pay for the service to support direct deductions from pay. There would be income generation for employers as well as a simple way to make union payments. Why aren't the unions campaigning to get this type of amendment into the Bill? Re: Controversial law... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/check-off-abolition 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/check-off-abolition Mon, 10 Aug 2015 08:45:00 GMT Here in Cornwall, the unitary authority has made the decision to introduce charges to all at waste sites, on the grounds that the revenue generated exceeds the cost of responding to fly-tipping incidents. Needless to say, it is not an attitude which has been well received: however, every decision made is about money these... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/charging-at-waste-sites-increases-fly-tipping 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/charging-at-waste-sites-increases-fly-tipping Mon, 03 Aug 2015 08:45:00 GMT I can’t speak for all departments, but consumer protection nationally is way past the ‘pips squeaking’ phase, and in many authorities is essentially non-existent, leaving the most vulnerable consumers with no protection at all, and the risk of serious harm increasing across the board. Re: Councils face £7bn... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/whats-left-for-councils-to-cut 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/whats-left-for-councils-to-cut Mon, 27 Jul 2015 08:45:00 GMT I guess you're not alone. Here in the village of Robertsbridge 155 new homes have been imposed on us. Inevitably this means green field development and we are in an AONB! The only way forward it seems is to get a Neighbourhood Plan for your parish. This is a method of allowing residents to have their say and select the least worst result.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/inappropriate-housing-developments 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/inappropriate-housing-developments Mon, 20 Jul 2015 12:30:00 GMT I have read your article and hope you can help. We live in Staffordshire Moorlands in Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook Parish. Staffordshire Moorlands District Council have proposed sites on green belt land for housing development and we are in the consultation period at present. There is an action group and information is online but many... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/green-belt-land-is-meant-to-stop-urban-sprawl 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/green-belt-land-is-meant-to-stop-urban-sprawl Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:30:00 GMT It's not just financial cost that matters. When an outsourced supplier goes bust or has a business interruption then the public sector *still* has to pick up the pieces (despite having reduced capability and capacity due to being cut). In the case of commissioned care providers, I strongly suspect that many have woeful plans for looking after... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/outsourcing-public-services-is-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/outsourcing-public-services-is-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen Sun, 05 Jul 2015 10:45:00 GMT Until the NHS is able to control its staffing costs, additional funding will not help, and pooling health and social care budgets will only transfer spending from social care into health care. Re: LGA calls for £5.2bn transformation fund for health and social care http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pooling-health-and-care-budgets-will-just-transfer-cash-to-nhs 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pooling-health-and-care-budgets-will-just-transfer-cash-to-nhs Mon, 29 Jun 2015 10:00:00 GMT Isn't this a case of 'after the horse has bolted'? CIPFA have been 'banging on' about fraud for years but never 'grasped the nettle' until now. I can remember going to any number of events, organised by CIPFA, where fraud was the feature subject, there were interesting, experienced & knowledgeable speakers with an audience of senior... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/the-value-of-counter-fraud-training 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/the-value-of-counter-fraud-training Mon, 22 Jun 2015 10:00:00 GMT This is absolutely correct. Libraries have to move forward into a digital age and have the competitive advantage by being at the heart of the community, already in a position of trust and responsibility. They can be innovative in their thinking in order to become a national treasure. Re: Libraries must become more... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/libraries-have-to-move-forward-into-a-digital-age 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/libraries-have-to-move-forward-into-a-digital-age Mon, 15 Jun 2015 09:30:00 GMT The case for proportional representation is overwhelming in a supposedly fair and democratic country. I speak as a Labour councillor in south-west England, sitting on a unitary authority where Labour polled in the high teens percentage vote across the district, but got just three seats (6%) out of 50. The Tories meanwhile polled just over... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/the-case-for-proportional-representation-is-overwhelming 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/the-case-for-proportional-representation-is-overwhelming Mon, 08 Jun 2015 09:15:00 GMT  What a really interesting article. It is good to see such innovation from the public sector. I look forward to seeing more examples of council owned business models. Re: In business http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/business-minded-councils 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/business-minded-councils Mon, 01 Jun 2015 09:15:00 GMT Source: Catherine Absolutely not! The pension is an entitlement for your old age for yourself, earned after years of hard work and paying national insurance and tax. The Carer's allowance, pitiful as it is, is to cover for the job you are doing caring for someone else in your retirement, something you shouldn’t have to do at that... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/carers-allowance-and-pension-not-the-same 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/carers-allowance-and-pension-not-the-same Tue, 26 May 2015 14:30:00 GMT Carer's Allowance and pension are both replacement for work benefits. You would effectively be claiming twice to receive both. Re: New online Carer’s Allowance application system http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/carers-allowance 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/carers-allowance Mon, 18 May 2015 11:00:00 GMT It is clear from your chart that under current lending rules, the market is over-priced. The question remains as to how the London and south-east market can be damped down. In the northern areas, the cost of new housing should in theory be affordable if labour costs are lower. But they are still not affordable. Politicians have said... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/solutions-to-the-cost-of-housing-crisis 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/solutions-to-the-cost-of-housing-crisis Mon, 11 May 2015 10:15:00 GMT Interesting article which highlights people's distrust of managers' ability to monitor performance fairly. This is not surprising as my view is that 'all performance measures and targets are flawed, some are useful'. Also disappointing is the finding that many employees feel their organisations are not doing a good job and that they get... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/performance-and-feedback-in-the-public-sector 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/performance-and-feedback-in-the-public-sector Tue, 05 May 2015 09:45:00 GMT Seems a tad unreasonable to win a case AND then face costs! Surely North Somerset will bite the bullet and accept they didn't do what they should and let it ride before wasting even more public money on another court session. Re: Council taken to Supreme Court over youth services cuts http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/court-costs-after-youth-service-cuts 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/court-costs-after-youth-service-cuts Mon, 27 Apr 2015 10:45:00 GMT It is interesting that the Civil Service cuts affect predominantly the most junior grades. In the social services department I work for, the biggest percentage decrease is in senior managerial posts. Re: A further 25,000 job cuts needed to meet Civil Service reform plans – IfG http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/cuts-affecting-junior-civil-service-grades 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/cuts-affecting-junior-civil-service-grades Mon, 20 Apr 2015 11:15:00 GMT So let’s hand over a terms and conditions of employment matter to a group of politically motivated councillors seeking revenge for some issue they felt wasn’t dealt with the way they wanted. You couldn’t make it up if you tried. Another Pickles irrelevance. Re: Councils gain power to dismiss senior officers through... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/scrapping-of-designated-independent-person-protections-for-senior-council-officers 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/scrapping-of-designated-independent-person-protections-for-senior-council-officers Mon, 13 Apr 2015 09:30:00 GMT The housing shortage is a myth! If you care to take a  survey of all the recent housing projects  you will find that the majority are for second/holiday homes. Most of these stand empty for 50 weeks a year. It is a scandal when working people cannot get a house. This area of North Norfolk is a developer's paradise. Every tiny... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/the-housing-shortage-is-a-myth 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/the-housing-shortage-is-a-myth Mon, 30 Mar 2015 11:45:00 GMT The evidence is clear that our high streets are doomed and no more so than in the suburbs where parking is prohibitive and public transport is slow or limited. The added burden of a business rate that is based on a theoretical ideal can only become the death knell for the remaining retailers, with the exception of charity shops. Footfall... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/business-rates-are-an-added-burden-for-struggling-high-streets 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/business-rates-are-an-added-burden-for-struggling-high-streets Mon, 23 Mar 2015 11:00:00 GMT The concern I have, when considering how we build sufficient new homes to alleviate the current shortage, is how the inhabitants of new homes in rural areas get to work, get to school, get to hospital, get to the doctors, dentist, opticians, get to shops, get to the motorways, get to the airport, etc. Most rural areas are connected by... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/housing-and-public-services-in-rural-areas 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/housing-and-public-services-in-rural-areas Mon, 16 Mar 2015 09:00:00 GMT I have read your article about the shortage of paramedics in the UK. I am a British citizen who lived and worked in the USA for the last 15 years and I received my paramedic qualifications over in the USA, but found that transferring it for use in the UK is difficult. Due to it not being seen by the HCPC, it requires up to 16 weeks and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/getting-a-job-as-a-paramedic-is-tough-despite-shortage 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/getting-a-job-as-a-paramedic-is-tough-despite-shortage Mon, 09 Mar 2015 10:15:00 GMT I welcome any attempt to improve disability training of course, but sometimes I wish that people would just look around them and see all the barriers that exist. Then maybe they could actually work to remove them instead of writing more well-intentioned articles. Re: Calls for enhanced disability training to tackle negative attitudes http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/disability-training 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/disability-training Mon, 02 Mar 2015 08:45:00 GMT 'Dynamic Benefits', the report which first proposed a more generous Universal Credit than the present scheme, actually makes mores sense as the case for the Green Party's Citizens' Universal INCOME. Persuasion, not force. UC is a mean-spirited, partial UI, totally unsuited to compulsion. Re: Concerns about Universal Credit support... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/universal-credit-is-a-mean-spirited-and-partial-version-of-universal-income 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/universal-credit-is-a-mean-spirited-and-partial-version-of-universal-income Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:30:00 GMT Well said Christine Blower. I have said for years that class intakes differ from year to year, thus performance-related pay is a non-starter. To monitor progress in simplistic terms is almost impossible. Children are not little pots where education is poured into them. They are all individuals with many differing needs and are taught... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/payment-by-results-in-education 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/payment-by-results-in-education Mon, 16 Feb 2015 09:00:00 GMT Thank you for this information, it is interesting to see how other LAs are managing these budget reductions. Newcastle City Council has had to take a 36% cut to Sure Start and related services. After many months of deliberation and extensive consultations we have agreed a new model of investment of £7.5m, which includes £400k... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/childrens-centre-closures-and-budget-cuts 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/childrens-centre-closures-and-budget-cuts Mon, 09 Feb 2015 11:30:00 GMT Well done Mr Justice Gilbart, I agree with your judgement re: the breach of human rights and equality laws by this government in the case of two Romany Gypsy ladies. Eric Pickles can make decisions about the green belt just to suit himself without any thought for how it affects people. I do hope some of the Gypsy and Traveller planning... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/traveller-sites-and-equality 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/traveller-sites-and-equality Mon, 02 Feb 2015 09:00:00 GMT Our new-build village in Lincolnshire has missed out on up to £5,000 p.a. from an average 100 new houses each year over the past 10 years because the district council do not pass on council tax for new residents until the following April. The portion of council tax due is paid in advance and then only for residents on the Electoral... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/passing-on-council-tax-to-parishes 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/passing-on-council-tax-to-parishes Mon, 26 Jan 2015 10:45:00 GMT A surprising article in that implementation of change is usually done at a much lower level than Permanent Secretary or the Senior Civil Service. I can't think of a time when a Permanent Secretary has been instrumental and linked in to change to the extent that if they moved departments it would make a difference. Re: Senior civil... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/the-importance-of-permanent-secretaries-in-whitehall 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/the-importance-of-permanent-secretaries-in-whitehall Mon, 19 Jan 2015 09:00:00 GMT The analogy with Tesco, with all the problems it is having currently, is to say the least, unfortunate. It sounds like efficiency savings by another name. More human and community contact, not less, surely has to be the way forward to ensure accountability, transparency and community buy-in to council policies? I thought local communities... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/cuts-at-edinburgh-council 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/cuts-at-edinburgh-council Mon, 12 Jan 2015 10:00:00 GMT A complete lack of leadership is especially evident in the Revenues & Benefits department, where redundancies have neutered the capacity to deal with the public effectively. Thousands of pounds have been squandered on unnecessary and premature redundancies in benefits, while a team of agency staff (15 I believe) are being paid to plug the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/lack-of-leadership-in-key-birmingham-council-departments 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/lack-of-leadership-in-key-birmingham-council-departments Mon, 05 Jan 2015 09:00:00 GMT I find it totally unacceptable how senior officers, Assistant Directors and Directors appear to move from authority to authority with these high five- and six-figure pay-offs and pension contributions, loss of office payments, without being individually identified to the public due to their employment contracts – even when it could quite... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pay-offs-for-senior-council-staff 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pay-offs-for-senior-council-staff Mon, 22 Dec 2014 09:15:00 GMT Empowering local communities to take greater responsibility for their day-to-day affairs can only be welcomed, particularly in Scotland, which lags behind the English model. However, as positive as the Letwin speech is, I won't be holding my breath north of the border where there seems to be a distinct reluctance to share any real power... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/-a-distinct-reluctance-to-share-real-power-with-communities 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/-a-distinct-reluctance-to-share-real-power-with-communities Mon, 15 Dec 2014 11:00:00 GMT The proposed 'improvement' affecting the Manchester to Sheffield link will only affect a short distance and bring relief to one of the three communities that have been blighted by traffic for 60 years. The previous plan (preparations cost £6 million in 2008!) that linked the M67 to the A628 east of Tintwistle brought relief to three... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/new-roads-investment 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/new-roads-investment Mon, 08 Dec 2014 10:30:00 GMT Potentially tens of thousands spent on bidding for a share of a measly £5m fund! Why bother? Re: Developing a bid for Pickles’ recycling rewards fund http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/recycling-rewards-fund 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/recycling-rewards-fund Mon, 01 Dec 2014 08:45:00 GMT Many district authorities fought hard to break away from counties to become unitary. If the powers of ‘super counties’ are taking decision-making up a notch and away from neighbourhoods, then this cannot be good for local people, nor properly accountable and democratic local government. If, on the other hand, the new counties... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/council-merger-proposals 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/council-merger-proposals Mon, 24 Nov 2014 09:30:00 GMT The government-supported childcare scheme provides invaluable support to working parents struggling with the spiralling costs of childcare, but with so many children eligible for this scheme, it is in danger of becoming a victim of its own success. With childcare now regularly outstripping even mortgage expenditure as the biggest strain... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/governments-free-childcare-scheme-is-facing-chronic-underfunding 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/governments-free-childcare-scheme-is-facing-chronic-underfunding Mon, 17 Nov 2014 08:45:00 GMT What a crazy world we live in. Maggie Thatcher got rid of the Greater Manchester Council, the people voted against having a mayor. What sort of democracy do we have? Re: Greater Manchester to get a mayor in return for devolution package http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/mayoral-referendums 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/mayoral-referendums Mon, 10 Nov 2014 09:30:00 GMT Well done Cambridge. If there is a problem and there is now legislation that can fix it quickly without a complicated process that's brilliant. It's unfortunate that having ASBOs became a badge of honour; let's hope the new scheme is more effective, quickly, to bring about a culture change and progress. Re: Cambridge council... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/use-of-community-protection-notice-against-a-tesco 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/use-of-community-protection-notice-against-a-tesco Mon, 03 Nov 2014 09:00:00 GMT I was one of the 23 Pembrokeshire opposition councillors who voted against giving our chief executive Bryn Parry Jones a ‘golden goodbye’. Your necessarily brief report didn’t mention the many reasons councillors lost confidence in our chief executive. Not least, that in the wake of the pension fiasco, allegations were... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/chief-executive-pay-off 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/chief-executive-pay-off Mon, 27 Oct 2014 08:45:00 GMT I think on-the-spot fines are well overdue. Most of the problems faced in my ward are during the annual student change-over. They place their unwanted items next to refuse bins; this results in bin scavengers ripping open their sacks and rifling the contents, scattering the rest over the public highways. Also, some unscrupulous... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/fly-tipping-powers 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/fly-tipping-powers Mon, 20 Oct 2014 09:15:00 GMT The number of Underground stations, particularly in central London, with step-free access is still pitifully low. How many of the rail and Underground stations that have been made step-free have nothing to do with TfL but more to do with DfT? Re: LU confirms £75m fund for step-free access http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/step-free-access-in-london 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/step-free-access-in-london Mon, 13 Oct 2014 08:45:00 GMT  It is important that government realise that the swingeing local government cuts are dramatically affecting leisure service provision. Leisure services are at the forefront locally in the fight against obesity and other physical-inactivity related conditions. Many local authorities are running GP referral schemes, physical activity... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/obesity-and-leisure-services 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/obesity-and-leisure-services Mon, 06 Oct 2014 09:30:00 GMT Conflating local government reform with the national issues which arise from devolution to Scotland and Wales is not helpful to either. Local government reform should stand (or fall) on its own. It is neither credible nor desirable that either existing or new local government authorities in England should enjoy powers equal to the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/local-government-reform-should-stand-on-its-own 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/local-government-reform-should-stand-on-its-own Mon, 29 Sep 2014 10:00:00 GMT I find it interesting that the Home Office and Ministry of Justice have such low numbers of BME staff in senior positons. They have spent probably millions of pounds on staff development programmes to ‘equip’ BME staff to move up in the organisations. It is clear that these programmes are not effective and the same old... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/more-ethnic-diversity-in-private-sector-management-than-public 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/more-ethnic-diversity-in-private-sector-management-than-public Mon, 22 Sep 2014 12:15:00 GMT Our council, of which I am a councillor, has approved the building of a waste transfer station within a few hundred metres of houses and I would be failing in my position as a ward councillor not to inform the people of our ward of the disaster of living near to this site. I was elected to represent the people of my ward and will continue... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/parish-councillors-being-stopped-from-speaking-to-the-media 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/parish-councillors-being-stopped-from-speaking-to-the-media Mon, 15 Sep 2014 09:00:00 GMT I don’t think this had anything really to do with multiculturalism. That was just a convenient excuse to hide behind. Both the council and police are still hiding. This could do with a full public inquiry. Of course, South Yorkshire Police don’t usually behave like this…oh wait, yes they do, as any football fan can... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/rotherham-inquiry 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/rotherham-inquiry Mon, 08 Sep 2014 11:00:00 GMT This is not about selling the open register to companies (not all of whom require it for marketing purposes) but denying a right of access granted by Parliament. Information from the electoral register is used to prevent fraud and pursue people who fail to pay their debts to others. It will allow debtors to proliferate and help deny redress to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/junk-mail-and-the-open-register 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/junk-mail-and-the-open-register Mon, 01 Sep 2014 11:00:00 GMT This is interesting, as much of the work appears to be what I used to call prevention; when I was a social worker, this was the task of our specialist family teams, who have been scrapped and replaced with social care staff who only deal with statutory work. It's amazing what goes around comes around! Re: How Surrey’s Family... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/the-family-support-programme-in-surrey 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/the-family-support-programme-in-surrey Tue, 26 Aug 2014 11:30:00 GMT The Hertfordshire CC Locality Budget scheme gives each of 77 county councillors £100,000/year (£10k for community projects and £90k for highways local schemes) with strong emphasis on local member involvement – including with parish/town Councils. What member involvement would there be with the BCC proposed... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/buckinghamshire-cc-services-to-be-devolved-to-parishes 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/buckinghamshire-cc-services-to-be-devolved-to-parishes Mon, 18 Aug 2014 12:15:00 GMT Since it is an international requirement for all vehicles and drivers to be legally registered in their home countries, and for such documents to be carried whenever abroad, why couldn't the immigration authorities at car ferries and docks require ‘visitors’ to simply complete a basic vehicle visitor form (VVF) that identifies the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/unpaid-parking-fines-by-foreign-drivers 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/unpaid-parking-fines-by-foreign-drivers Mon, 11 Aug 2014 11:45:00 GMT Our district is largely on shifting sand beds, with water supply underneath. The thought that the frackers could be let loose on us by a county council who will only see the pound signs not the danger, scares the hell out of me. Re: Energy companies bid for fracking licences http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/fracking-licensing 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/fracking-licensing Mon, 04 Aug 2014 11:30:00 GMT As someone who rides to/from work each day and has suffered two accidents, one of which was a hit and run, I can definitely say that it is more than infrastructure we need, though this is obviously welcome. Drivers’ attitudes have to change. Driving too close to cyclists – or overtaking then braking violently in front of a cyclist... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/cycling-safety 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/cycling-safety Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:45:00 GMT I've been a town councillor for 31 years and a district councillor for 20 years. No-one has ever, and will never, stop me talking to the press if I want to. Over the years I have had very good relationships with the various reporters we have had in our area. Along with others, I think Eric Pickles is a clown – but he is right on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/we-should-not-stop-councillors-talking-to-the-press 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/we-should-not-stop-councillors-talking-to-the-press Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:45:00 GMT Various key players have been forecasting this monetary shortfall for some years. The people who run care services have been saying the same thing for years before that. Yet successive governments have introduced various initiatives which, although intending to drive up standards, merely do the opposite. One of the most annoying things... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/adult-social-care-crisis 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/adult-social-care-crisis Mon, 14 Jul 2014 12:00:00 GMT I wouldn't want to return to weekly collections. I don't always need them fortnightly for my recycling and often for the general waste. Wheelie bins are huge and if you wash and squash, they don't fill up so fast. What happened to localism Eric? Let the people decide this, locally. Re: Pickles drawing up plans to force councils... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/bin-collections 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/bin-collections Mon, 07 Jul 2014 08:45:00 GMT How interesting that the support for this nonsense seems to come from clerks. There seems to be a breed of parish and town council clerks (a minority fortunately) who think it is their job to run the show. And what about councillors (at any level) issuing newsletters to residents? Or publishing a website? Or posting on Facebook (or even... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/backlash-over-guidance-on-parish-councillors-speaking-to-press 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/backlash-over-guidance-on-parish-councillors-speaking-to-press Mon, 30 Jun 2014 10:30:00 GMT Well it’s taken a long time for officialdom to conclude that someone has to be held accountable for their actions. If it has to be this drastic to be an effective deterrent, so be it. However, my main fear is that this will become a witch hunt of NHS staff. [With] many failures we have heard about in recent headlines, blame falls... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/criminal-offence-of-wilful-neglect 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/criminal-offence-of-wilful-neglect Mon, 23 Jun 2014 09:45:00 GMT There are places such as ATM machines and local supermarkets for example where the need to observe for 5-10 minutes to determine loading gives drivers all the time they need. Enforcement officers cannot be everywhere, so realistically much longer. A continuous stream of people stopping is, in effect, parking – despite double yellow... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/parking-enforcement 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/parking-enforcement Mon, 16 Jun 2014 11:15:00 GMT I am not surprised. Councils are having to do far more with far less. With the drop in funding and the increase of newer and more expensive medicines and procedures, coupled with an increasing aging population, it is no wonder that there are more complaints. I am just surprised that it hasn’t been much higher than 14%. The tipping... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/social-care-complaints 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/social-care-complaints Mon, 09 Jun 2014 10:00:00 GMT Some European powers back to National; some National powers back to Local Government. Trust the people – or at least give us a chance. Local government (including councillors) in 2014 is not the same as local government in 1984, when powers were being taken away and SOLACE banned from speaking out. Re: Greater devolution to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/devolution-of-powers 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/devolution-of-powers Mon, 02 Jun 2014 09:15:00 GMT At last some common sense has prevailed (I hope). For some years, we in the care industry have been waiting with empty beds for those in hospital we know shouldn't be there and who would benefit from a little more TLC, whether it be permanent or temporary. However, one of the things that concerns me is that the government are setting... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/care-act 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/care-act Fri, 23 May 2014 16:30:00 GMT It seems strange that in these times where working together with other agencies is seen as best practice, discussions on safeguarding are not undertaken with the providers of care to vulnerable people, only the inspecting and regulatory bodies.  Do these bodies really believe that the providers with their wealth of experience and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/safeguarding-vulnerable-adults 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/safeguarding-vulnerable-adults Mon, 19 May 2014 11:15:00 GMT Sir Merrick is correct that greater awareness is needed. And there are so many more ways of raising dementia among young people beyond the excellent 'Dementia Diaries' from Kent and 'Tuned into Dementia' from York. Check out also the work in Liverpool and Plymouth – more details at www.dementia4schools.org.uk Re: LGA chief... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/raising-awareness-of-dementia 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/raising-awareness-of-dementia Mon, 12 May 2014 08:30:00 GMT The public sector, if it does not lose too much capacity, is in an ideal position to broker and create innovative solutions across the three sectors of the economy. There are many within the public sector who can see the clear connection between social purpose / social enterprise bringing economic 'growth' and dynamism whilst addressing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/ipcc-and-the-public-sector 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/ipcc-and-the-public-sector Mon, 14 Apr 2014 10:05:00 GMT After not receiving a pay rise for four years, I received a 1% rise in January, backdated to September 2013. This gave me an additional £60 in my pocket in January, with all of the back-pay. I am not bowled over with the generosity shown to me by managers on wages of £100k-plus. I must say that 1% pay rise makes little... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-sector-pay 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-sector-pay Mon, 07 Apr 2014 10:30:00 GMT Wow, I can't believe my pay is going to go up by £1.16 a week! Of course, I won't see any of that until September, and since that represents about the price of a loaf of bread these days, it won't exactly put me in the supertax bracket. And, as I work for library services and won't actually have a job much beyond that anyway, I probably... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-sector-pay 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-sector-pay Mon, 31 Mar 2014 10:03:00 GMT It seems to me that those people who are lucky enough to have a house whose value has risen through no doing of their own should be prepared to sell it at the end of their life to pay for their own care. I would certainly expect to do precisely that, having helped the children as much as possible in the past. This would release more... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/care-costs 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/care-costs Mon, 24 Mar 2014 09:15:00 GMT I am very disappointed by the possibility that the plans for an HS1-HS2 link will be shelved. I suspect that this has less to do with cost savings and more to do with caving in to pressure from well-connected Camden residents using phoney business case arguments as a smokescreen for NIMBYism. HS2 has expended very little apparent effort... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/scrapping-the-hs1-hs2-link 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/scrapping-the-hs1-hs2-link Mon, 17 Mar 2014 09:35:00 GMT I have been working in the community for over 25 years, especially in the third sector, looking at ways to undo terrible damage to blighted young lives as a result of people receiving care orders in the 70s & 80s (responsible for the revolving door of crime and punishment) – especially enforcement and the criminal justice... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/crime-and-recidivism 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/crime-and-recidivism Mon, 10 Mar 2014 09:55:00 GMT If HS2 started with the construction of an express commuter link between Manchester Victoria and Leeds, to follow the M62 eastwards from Rochdale, it would halve the one hour rail time between the two city centres (only forty miles) and at the same time fast-connect the rail networks of Lancashire east of Liverpool to those of Yorkshire, west... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/hs2 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/hs2 Mon, 24 Feb 2014 10:05:00 GMT Makes a lot of sense. The building of the southern section will be stymied by public enquiries and many other protests for at least ten years. It would be a good idea for the northern and midlands cities and towns to review and confirm the most appropriate route and secure government support to get on with it. It is possible that more use can... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/hs2 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/hs2 Mon, 17 Feb 2014 10:05:00 GMT It’s the pricing on purchase that’s the problem. The limitations on range and speed of electric cars mean that they are not a viable first family car for most people. They are however a viable second car for some, but only if the purchase price makes them irresistible and at the moment an electric car wouldn’t compete on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/electric-cars 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/electric-cars Mon, 10 Feb 2014 11:00:00 GMT As a Conservative councillor I find an increase in MPs’ salaries totally unacceptable at a time of such enormous cuts. They should be setting an example to show their people just how bad things are! How many also have other jobs or incomes? It is sending out the wrong message. If there is little in the national pot and more cuts are... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pay-and-allowances 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pay-and-allowances Mon, 03 Feb 2014 10:06:00 GMT Those pensioners that paid into private pensions had their expected returns cut when HMG taxed interest on private pension funds. This was on John Major's watch and probably in an attempt to balance the books after 'Black Tuesday'. The same pensioners faced mortgage rates of 15% under Labour's 'winter of discontent'. It would be... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/ian-george-sams 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/ian-george-sams Mon, 27 Jan 2014 10:30:00 GMT “Any surplus goes on essential transport projects such as bringing our dilapidated road network up to scratch and providing subsidised bus travel for children or elderly residents” [Cllr Peter Box, LGA]. Well, our local buses have all increased their charges this year and very few of the huge backlog of potholes seem to be... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/councils-profiting-from-parking 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/councils-profiting-from-parking Mon, 20 Jan 2014 09:35:00 GMT This is no surprise. It really hurts that the government are to make further cuts as many of my colleagues will find themselves looking for work in a virtually non-existent public sector job market, but we knew that almost 80% of the cuts were to come from 2014 onwards. Once we get past that reality, this is an opportunity for the public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/dealing-with-further-public-spending-cuts 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/dealing-with-further-public-spending-cuts Mon, 13 Jan 2014 09:45:00 GMT I understood the previous and current coalition governments strongly supported the concept of ‘localism’! If this be so, why do Mr Pickles and his department so frequently ignore and overturn locally made decisions? Is he working toward an office within an EU commission? Re: Council spending settlement –... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/localism 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/localism Mon, 06 Jan 2014 10:07:00 GMT This is unbelieveable!! and unthinkable!! An 11% pay increase for withdrawing public services to the vulnerable and only a 1% pay increase for local government workers in the past 5 years? I am in the private sector and have seen my pay decrease by over £10k in the last few years. This is despicable. No wonder people do not trusts... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pay-rise-for-mps-is-despicable 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pay-rise-for-mps-is-despicable Mon, 16 Dec 2013 09:00:00 GMT After unleashing a volley of upbeat economic statistics, the Chancellor can justifiably feel that he has won the austerity argument. Three lean years have left the country’s books in better shape and the prospect of Britain running a budget surplus within five years is truly impressive. But austerity has served its purpose.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/the-chancellors-autumn-statement 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/the-chancellors-autumn-statement Mon, 09 Dec 2013 10:06:00 GMT It is ridiculous that people are being forced to go online [to access universal credit]. Many do not own a computer and for many it is not for them, it would be like trying to teach me how to knit, it is probably simple but I would never be able to get my head round it. If the forms are like the Inland Revenue forms then even the more... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/universal-credit 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/universal-credit Mon, 02 Dec 2013 11:15:00 GMT The large amount of global food waste is a lose-lose situation for the environment, the struggling families in today’s tough economy and for the food retailers. We should address the food waste problem in every link in our fresh food supply chain. For example, the excess inventory of perishable food items close to their expiration... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/food-waste 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/food-waste Mon, 25 Nov 2013 10:10:00 GMT Some people are trapped in houses that are too expensive and the minimum wage will not cover the rent. It's nearly impossible to get a council house; there needs to be a proper council house building programme – with reasonable rents so people can get back to normality. Re: Long-term unemployed to work six months for free http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/council-housing 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/council-housing Mon, 11 Nov 2013 09:15:00 GMT The police service is facing massive challenges over funding – the government has cut Home Office budgets, which means the police are having to make some difficult and hard decisions regarding neighbourhood policing, which has inevitably affected crime levels.  Neighbourhood policing teams play a key part in crime prevention... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pcsos-are-a-key-part-of-crime-prevention 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pcsos-are-a-key-part-of-crime-prevention Sun, 03 Nov 2013 12:00:00 GMT I would like to thank all those involved in the new scrap law – do you really think this is going to stop theft of wire? If you do, you have got to be a thick as the greedy Government is. I work in the scrap industry and I am going to suffer badly. This will push unemployment up and just make wire worth more. How can the government... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/scrap-metal-law-to-stop-cable-theft 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/scrap-metal-law-to-stop-cable-theft Mon, 28 Oct 2013 08:45:00 GMT Another piece of great research from The Work Foundation. Early intervention is clearly the key, supporting the old adage that prevention is better than cure. Hopefully the Government will identify both the health and fiscal benefits of this work and introduce [evidence based] policy to address the recommendations. Re: Early... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/sickness-absence-rates 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/sickness-absence-rates Mon, 21 Oct 2013 10:05:00 GMT This commitment to The Procurement Pledge is something which should be applauded! In our experience, business leaders are failing to understand the evolution and impact of the sustainability movement across the globe. They either 'get it' or choose it ignore it completely! To put it into some context, the UK construction industry (of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-procurement 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-procurement Mon, 14 Oct 2013 10:06:00 GMT During the Thatcher/Major years there was clear polarisation between the need for UK investment, to modernise and re-equip UK industry, and the greed-driven investment in low-wage economies abroad that would compete with UK industry. The flight of investment capital resulted in UK industry becoming increasingly antiquated and therefore... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/uk-labour-market 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/uk-labour-market Mon, 07 Oct 2013 10:45:00 GMT As a Conservative councillor, I am obliged to register my membership of organisations that have no political affiliations whatsoever. I cannot see that this move will make a scrap of difference to anything. RE: Councillors must disclose trade union links – DCLG http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/trade-union-links-with-councils 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/trade-union-links-with-councils Mon, 30 Sep 2013 10:35:00 GMT Zero-hours contracts have a role to play, the same as any other type of contract. They offer flexibility to the employer and the employee, and they benefit working mums/dads who only want a few hours a week but keep the flexibility. But we have to be careful that we do not exploit this, if a FTC is more appropriate then they should... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/zero-hours-contracts 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/zero-hours-contracts Mon, 23 Sep 2013 10:36:00 GMT I live in a part of the country that is swarming with badgers. They invade our gardens and steal our fruits and vegetables. They will also take a chicken. But the worst thing about badgers is that they have decimated the hedgehog population. Unless you have heard a badger killing a hedgehog, you will have little idea of the agony. They... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/badger-cull 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/badger-cull Mon, 16 Sep 2013 10:35:00 GMT The start of the badger cull during the breeding season is totally inhumane. Many pregnant females will be killed and their cubs will starve to death due to the loss of their mothers. The badgers are a protected species for a reason. This cull could see us lose one of our most precious forms of wildlife from the countryside. We... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/badger-cull-begins 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/badger-cull-begins Mon, 09 Sep 2013 10:06:00 GMT I think this is a very ineffective way of coping with the problem. The long term solution is a vaccine for both cattle and badgers. For the present it would make more sense to trap and test all the badgers in these areas. Then kill only those who are infected and releasing to disinfected or cleaned setts those that are not... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/badger-cull 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/badger-cull Mon, 02 Sep 2013 10:06:00 GMT I became increasingly saddened by the number of cases that appeared on the court list and we were told that a disposal of ‘caution’ was still being considered by the police. Cautions were never meant for repeat offences or serious matters of common assault. Even more worrying are the assaults etc. that have a victim and other... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/magistrates-and-cautions 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/magistrates-and-cautions Tue, 27 Aug 2013 10:06:00 GMT I still have massive reservations about the environmental safety of fracking. Our water supplies have to be protected, as does our wildlife. There remains far too much doubt and suspicion about the potential environmental damage created by fracking, despite the promise of cheaper fuel. Where is the independent evidence that the process is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/fracking 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/fracking Mon, 19 Aug 2013 11:05:00 GMT Contractors must recognise they cannot be given the privilege of getting on a short list without demonstrating clearly they have the experience and ability to deliver what's required. Big contracts require evidence of capability before selection. There are too many examples of poor contracting most of which falls on public sector employees... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-sector-contracts 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-sector-contracts Mon, 12 Aug 2013 11:45:00 GMT As someone who has worked in energy efficiency for many years and mostly with local authorities, the 'incentives' that DECC are offering will not change the fact that Green Deal loans are a long-term burden on a property, at interest rates that do not reflect the current 'real world' markets.  When residents come sell their... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/green-deal 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/green-deal Mon, 05 Aug 2013 11:05:00 GMT Live in an area of council estates as I do and you will realise how much grassroots support there is for this policy. It's always possible to find specific cases who will be negatively affected, and we should do our best to help where we can (something many councils are doing a competent job of). But for every one of these, there are... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/bedroom-tax 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/bedroom-tax Mon, 29 Jul 2013 10:06:00 GMT I would like to see the benefit figures with the housing benefit element removed. With a shortage of affordable housing private landlords are able to charge inflated rents knowing that local government will have to pay. When the misinformed hear the sum of £26.00O they think this is a cash amount and this is misleading. The majority of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/benefit-cap 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/benefit-cap Mon, 22 Jul 2013 10:20:00 GMT My first question would be, what was the margin? How near were people allowed to be, or conversely how far off were people allowed to be, before they qualified as 'in touch'? Now, don't misunderstand me – I have no intention of disputing that the results are very far out. However, it is worth noting that like all statistics, these... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/british-public-wrong 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/british-public-wrong Mon, 15 Jul 2013 10:50:00 GMT One may applaud the development of minimum standards, who wouldn't, but how does one get more from less? And if one could do so, doesn't Mr Lamb think it would already have been done – or is this simply perpetuating the discourse of ‘wasteful public services’? Re: New national minimum standards on social care... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/national-minimum-care-standards 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/national-minimum-care-standards Mon, 08 Jul 2013 10:20:00 GMT Given that young people can't get work, people at the other end of the scale have to work longer and public sector workers are being axed every day, I cannot see how it all adds up – there just isn't enough work for everyone. What if receiving benefits was actually regarded as a career choice, instead of making it sound like people... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/worklessness-and-stigma 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/worklessness-and-stigma Mon, 01 Jul 2013 11:19:00 GMT How dare these unelected people declare war on pensions of the people that serve us all? Council employees do not have massive pensions so let’s put that one to bed. Secondly the pensions that they do receive are in fact deferred payments and are a part of the terms and conditions they are employed under. http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pensions 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pensions Mon, 24 Jun 2013 10:39:00 GMT If this reform goes the same way as all the other Coalition welfare reforms we are looking at another slap in the face for the most vulnerable members of our society. The disabled are already being disadvantaged and marginalised by vindictive and short-sighted decisions made by those who have no understanding of the challenges they face.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/personal-independence-payments 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/personal-independence-payments Mon, 17 Jun 2013 11:36:00 GMT This would be so wrong! Given the state of public finances and the attack by this Government on public services, many public sector workers have lost their jobs through no fault of their own, nothing has happened to the bankers who caused this. This Government are going too far, too fast with many more cuts to the public sector to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/mps-salary-increase 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/mps-salary-increase Mon, 10 Jun 2013 11:10:00 GMT North Devon District Council will have to reduce its spending from £15.5m in 2011/12 to £10.5m in 2015/17 – a reduction of 26%, and if one takes inflation into account at 3%, that reduction reaches 40%. Has dear Eric Pickles forgotten his time as a council leader and gone native in the Westminster bubble like so many of our... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/the-future-of-local-government 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/the-future-of-local-government Mon, 03 Jun 2013 11:10:00 GMT As a city councillor, my allowance (which has remained frozen for the past few years) is such that I am effectively in a worse financial position as a councillor than I was before being elected into office. I receive unpaid leave, which means I lose salary and pension, which is probably about 50% more than the allowance I receive. To... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pay-rise-for-mps-is-ridiculous 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pay-rise-for-mps-is-ridiculous Tue, 28 May 2013 10:00:00 GMT Please could someone advise: I have just heard that EU directives for proposed 2014 supply of good services that the threshold may change to 500k? Can anyone shed any light on this as this is a huge jump? Thanks in advance. Re: The EU Public Procurement Directive http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-procurement 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-procurement Mon, 20 May 2013 11:23:00 GMT As Denise [Chevin] says, it is a challenging time for housing associations.  The waiting list for social housing properties is a key concern for housing associations along with the need to reduce costs. The provision of decorating vouchers goes a long way towards helping these organisations. It means they are not dependent on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/decorating-vouchers-in-social-housing 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/decorating-vouchers-in-social-housing Mon, 13 May 2013 10:57:00 GMT Would not the creation of an entire new government department entail significant bureaucracy, cost, set-up delays (with knock-on effects on potential projects) and inevitable politiking? Would it not, instead, be less costly and have more impact, and quicker impact, to instead re-visit and strengthen the remit of the existing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/new-department-for-infrastructure 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/new-department-for-infrastructure Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:30:00 GMT What this does not address is the variance between senior and junior staff leaving and the way media publicity is used to circumvent confidentiality. We are told the costs of legal action which can be brought by those leaving is higher than the amount they leave with. There is a financial logic applied which ensures senior staff leave... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/council-gagging-clauses-and-pay-offs 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/council-gagging-clauses-and-pay-offs Mon, 22 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT With reference to Iain Duncan Smith's offensive comments that “70% of people on [DLA] have lifetime awards, which means no-one sees you ever again. It doesn't matter if you get better or your condition worsens – it's quite ridiculous.” Our two sons both have the same progressive genetic disease. They will not ‘get... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/end-of-disability-living-allowance 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/end-of-disability-living-allowance Mon, 15 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The report in my view is very fair, honest and I believe mirrors the real facts of a department out of control, led by someone who I also believe to be divorced from reality. The truth may hurt but if it is, it strikes hard! Like the [home affairs select committee], I have been astonished as to Homer’s advance! Re: Lin... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/catastrophic-leadership-failure-at-the-uk-border-agency 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/catastrophic-leadership-failure-at-the-uk-border-agency Mon, 08 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The civil service pay structure is bust, even non-compliant with equal pay and age discrimination legislation under the Equality Act 2010. In my industry, forestry, the FC pay is well below the private sector for experienced managers, up to 20%. But if you get promoted you go to the top of the pay scale with no management experience, meanwhile... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/civil-service-strike 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/civil-service-strike Mon, 25 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT My local MP recently defended the bedroom tax in the local newspaper in an article that reads like a press statement from Conservative Central Office. Now that the National Housing Federation has come out with a cogent critique of the tax, now is the time to smoke out pro-bedroom-tax MPs' views and to challenge them in letters to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/bedroom-tax 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/bedroom-tax Mon, 18 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT As already noted, this is a regressive move. It begs so many questions on an individual basis. Today I had a phone call from a resident, who will be hit by this tax and her extra bedroom is no more than a box room. Her son in two years' time will reach 16 when he qualifies for his own room. What does she do meanwhile? Re:... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/bedroom-tax 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/bedroom-tax Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT Your otherwise excellent comment on the Electoral Reform Society’s recent report on last November’s elections for police and crime commissioners and the appallingly low turnout (15.1%) for the elections overlooks a couple of points, but that may be because they did not feature in the Society’s summary of its report. 19% of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/police--crime-commissioner-elections 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/police--crime-commissioner-elections Mon, 04 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT I thought his comments were disgraceful. I have been involved with local government contracting for many years. We always do a capability and quality assessment before selecting suitable firms to tender. This is in the form of a pre-tender work. You can then award on price only. I was not impressed with the LGA response which failed to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/blaming-councils-for-horsemeat-fiasco 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/blaming-councils-for-horsemeat-fiasco Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Well that’s OK then, and the £75k does not include accommodation and food costs! The Government suggests that people should 'save up' so that they will be able to afford these costs without selling their homes. BUT if you don't save, don't buy a house, but simply 'live the good life' you will have to pay absolutely nothing for your... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/ocial-care-costs-to-be-capped-at-75000 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/ocial-care-costs-to-be-capped-at-75000 Mon, 18 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Having noted the suggested life expectancies, I searched for other similar projections. An article in the Mail Online dated 14 Jan 2013, ‘How Long Will You Live’, suggested the UK data for men is 78.05 years and women 82.4 years. These are about six years less than NAPF data. Conclusion: read the Mail and have a relatively... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/life-expectancy 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/life-expectancy Mon, 11 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT I suppose the old adage ‘there is no honour among thieves’ should be applied here.  Over the last couple of years many of the councils have been stuffing their reserves to the gunnels – with, let me say, taxpayers’ money – and then claiming foul. Again, many of these councils are those receiving the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/council-tax-and-council-reserves 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/council-tax-and-council-reserves Mon, 04 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT The proposed scheme to make long term unemployed people work if they have been out of work for more than three years is unlikely to have any material impact on unemployment for these people. When you have been unemployed for so long it becomes almost impossible to adjust quickly to a working life. They will almost certainly have lost any... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/long-term-unemployment 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/long-term-unemployment Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT When has Eric Pickles ever said anything concerning local regulators which was based on factual evidence? Most of his pronouncements have been to grab headlines and promote his or his party’s political agenda. I am sure there are examples of where local authorities have prosecuted when perhaps not all other avenues have been... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/bin-police 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/bin-police Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT The removal of child benefit is age discriminatory. The families likely to be on higher salaries are older parents of older children. The policy has a disproportionate effect on this group of people. These people are more likely to be those that have struggled to work through their child’s younger years and avoid a career break to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/child-benefit-cuts 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/child-benefit-cuts Mon, 14 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT It beggars belief that someone who works hard and attempts to do something with their life, support their family and contribute to society, should then need to claim housing benefit from the state. Would it not be economical sense to pay them a decent wage in the first instance? The cost of processing their HB claim alone would probably... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/benefit-recipients-on-the-rise 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/benefit-recipients-on-the-rise Mon, 07 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT Re: www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Public-Sector-News/mps-say-it-is-now-or-never-for-drugs-reform The only common-sense approach to dealing with drugs is for the Government to actually take control. Not simply to legalise, but to regulate and tax drug sales in the UK. When the supply is Government-controlled then users will know that what... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/drug-legalisation 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/drug-legalisation Mon, 17 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Public-Sector-News/77m-funding-for-hmrc-tax-crackdown One commentator described this as hiring more police to prevent people doing 70mph on motorways: it won't work because the people involved are doing nothing illegal. These new staff will bring in more tax because tax officers always yield more in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/more-hmrc-resources-for-tax-crackdown 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/more-hmrc-resources-for-tax-crackdown Mon, 10 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Article: http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/News/long-term-unemployed-to-work-six-months-for-free This could be useful if managed properly with support for people into employment and financial support for travel to work and lunches – some of the unpaid intern schemes run by voluntary organisations provide a good model where the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/unemployed-working-six-months-for-free 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/unemployed-working-six-months-for-free Mon, 03 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT I’m happy to hear that there are plans to encourage young people in the greater use of local libraries and reading for pleasure, but I wonder how effective these efforts will be in a market requiring quick gratification and (probably) vampires. Not to mention that book reading for any purpose is fast becoming a lost art. Although... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/libraries 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/libraries Mon, 26 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Privatisations in the vast majority of cases have been a huge success. I well remember the service – and the bills – one used to get for the telephone for example. It took 12 months to get an extra phone put in, and essentially no choice of handset. With such a monopoly it was a question of take it or leave it. I also remember very... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/privatisation 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/privatisation Mon, 19 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT I have yet to see a credible explanation of how the private sector can put the public good ahead of private interest; and the record of successive privatisations is pretty miserable.  In particular, regardless of the G4S mess over the Olympics, the way they ran the Oakington Detention Centre for asylum deportees was an absolute... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/privatisation 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/privatisation Mon, 12 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT This week’s announcements – the report from Michael Heseltine and the next tier of City Deals – confirm to me that that the concept of ‘localism’ is finally emerging from the ‘Whitehall bubble’ into the real world, and onto city streets. Regions and communities have a role, but there is now... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/localism-and-city-deals 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/localism-and-city-deals Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re:  ‘Private sector could run £278bn of public services – CBI’ They would say that wouldn't they? Look at the source of the report. Private industry is there to make money. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not in their interests to look at ways of reducing duplication and fragmentation from public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/private-sector-running-public-services 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/private-sector-running-public-services Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: ‘Private sector could run £278bn of public services – CBI’ Doing the same cheaper is not the answer. Whoever delivers whether it be public, private or third sector, new solutions are needed to reduce spend whilst maintaining or improving quality. Tell us what you think - have your say below, or email us... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/private-sector-running-public-services 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/private-sector-running-public-services Mon, 22 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: Long-term unemployed to work six months for free I agree with any scheme that will allow people to return to (or even experience for the first time) work. Seems to me however that the more governments tinker with changes to the age for retirement, the less work opportunities will be available. Perhaps we need some joined-up... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/work-programmes 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/work-programmes Mon, 15 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Undeniably the UK needs higher investment in infrastructure and undeniably investment in infrastructure offers the potential of long term enhanced economic performance in national economies. It should not, however, be promoted as a recession recovery play – there's no reputable, robust and widely accepted evidence from modern... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/investing-in-infrastructure 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/investing-in-infrastructure Mon, 08 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT There are a number of obvious and significant cost saving benefits in passing traditional public sector roles to the private sector including: Removal of the over-embellished high-cost senior management structures that are synonymous with ALL public sector institutions/organisations. Removal of the over-indulged and grossly expensive... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-sector-privatisation 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-sector-privatisation Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: ‘Academics call for end to national pay bargaining in the public sector’ (19 September) I don’t doubt these professors can support their proposal with lots of theory – economists always can, and usually find at least two completely contradictory theories to tell us what we should do at any time. That’s... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/national-pay 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/national-pay Mon, 24 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: ‘Number crunching’ http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Interviews/Number-crunching I think that they are confused about definitions of shared services. A good definition of shared services is: ‘Act of sharing services or assets within an organisation or with other organisations (private or public) to achieve... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/network-rail-shared-services 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/network-rail-shared-services Mon, 17 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: ‘Security screening considered on railways’, PSE, 20/8/12 I'm reluctant to read too much into a ‘research brief’. But hasn’t anyone run the numbers? Just one Tube station can have more passengers per year than Heathrow, and a quarter of Heathrow’s daily traffic in three hours. Even if the new... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/security-screening-at-railway-stations 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/security-screening-at-railway-stations Mon, 10 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT 31.08.12 ‘Law change over squatting due tomorrow’ Common sense at last, and only feather-bedded Public Service bodies can have sympathy with the system that allowed hard working families to worry about their property while they were out. Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/squatting 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/squatting Mon, 03 Sep 2012 00:00:00 GMT I totally agree with the Olympics article (6/08/2012, ‘Olympics call for sporting opportunities in the UK’, PSE). In my child’s junior school, PE is just an add-on with various teachers, who aren’t actually skilled/trained PE teachers, and it seems to be ‘seasonal’; they only get one swimming... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/sport-in-schools 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/sport-in-schools Mon, 20 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Having read the article (6/08/2012, Olympics call for sporting opportunities in the UK), I strongly believe more should be done with our schools not just in primary, as these schools tend to have far better facilities than the high schools.  My son attended a school here in Lincoln that did not even have a proper long jump... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/olympics-call-for-sporting-opportunities-in-the-uk2 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/olympics-call-for-sporting-opportunities-in-the-uk2 Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT I concur entirely with the thesis that retired folk should be regarded as an asset. What a pity it has taken so long for such view to be voiced. B&Q were pioneers in recognising that there was a vast reserve of know-how on DIY, far beyond official operating instructions and manuals, so offered employment to older people. Unfortunately... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/the-wisdom-and-know-how-of-older-folk 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/the-wisdom-and-know-how-of-older-folk Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/southampton-vs-liverpool-in-state-aid-row/28153 Southampton conveniently forgets about all the public money it received for the roads built directly into the port. The truth is, the port of Southampton wants the whole of the cruise market and in reality it’s running scared by... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/letter-southampton-vs-liverpool-in-state-aid-row 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/letter-southampton-vs-liverpool-in-state-aid-row Mon, 30 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Eternal optimists have been saying that growth will return ‘next year’ – and they’ve been saying it since 2008.  This is just more of the same. Tell us what you think – have your say below, or email us directly at opinion@publicsectorexecutive.com http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/squeeze-almost-over-for-uk-economy-item-club 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/squeeze-almost-over-for-uk-economy-item-club Thu, 19 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Government is perhaps missing the point with its plans for care loans for those who can’t afford to support themselves at home. The real focus should be on safeguarding those services that keep the elderly out of the care system in the first place. Take for example meals on wheels, a service that is conspicuous by its absence... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/social-care-white-paper 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/social-care-white-paper Mon, 16 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Now that the minister has confirmed that the DVLA local offices will close in 2013 the Agency has now got to deliver an alternative which is fit for purpose and benefit business, we see this as being a radical improvement to the Agencies online systems, and a payment structure which is recognised by business and not complicated by Treasury... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/closure-of-dvla-regional-offices- 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/closure-of-dvla-regional-offices- Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: Government has ‘compromised’ localism and growth agendas – Stephen Hughes (June 28 2012) A very interesting article indeed, and it is true to say that the government has damaged the possibilities for growth through its cuts agenda. Cuts to local authority funding implemented by this government have been targeted at... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/cuts-and-the-economy 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/cuts-and-the-economy Mon, 02 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT Good to hear more money is being spent on health visitors, however I feel that the school nurse service is being missed out here as school nurses are in a valuable position to deliver parenting classes/ advice and generally follow on from the health visitor. Currently in school nursing, most of our time is spent in child protection issues... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/parenting-classes 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/parenting-classes Mon, 25 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Government Procurement Service (GPS) announcement of measures designed to speed up the payments to recruitment suppliers and especially SMEs through “a dynamic and transparent supply chain, with no barriers to entry” is welcome and in my opinion very much needed. The lifeline of any business is cash flow but SMEs often... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/gps-outlines-measures-to-revitalise-supply-chain 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/gps-outlines-measures-to-revitalise-supply-chain Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT I for one am happy to see that fair treatment is making its way into the public sector. I am self employed and can’t even afford to pay into a pension. Why should I pick up the tab for such huge pensions? Even cleaners in the public sector retire on more favourable terms than private sector middle managers. It is ridiculous and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-sector-pensions-reforms 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-sector-pensions-reforms Mon, 11 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Railway Children fully supports today’s relaunch of CEOP’s Missing Children website and a new 116000 hotline number by the charity Missing People. Both initiatives reflect the genuine need for additional layers of support as vulnerable children face an increasingly inhospitable landscape. International Missing Children’s... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/international-missing-childrens-day 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/international-missing-childrens-day Mon, 28 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT This is all very well as far as it goes but the public are going to be resistant to ‘nannying’ and miss the opportunity, blinded by this prejudice, to absorb the message. As a parent – a successful one of three and guru to my many friends too, and a professional... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/parenting-classes 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/parenting-classes Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT Re: 'MyCSP becomes first Whitehall mutual', publicsectorexecutive.com 30/04/2012) What a fantastic idea! This model could be applied to so many areas of public service. Public services are just that, public services and not an excuse to employ people unnecessarily. It will also mean the people involved in delivering these services... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/whitehall-mutuals 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/whitehall-mutuals Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT If we are not careful we will end up with a public sector run by people who can't make it to the top in the private sector. For all public-owned companies, we should be striving for the best calibre individuals for the job. This means that you have to compete against the private sector in attracting the high achievers and above all else, money... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/network-rail-bonuses-unacceptable 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/network-rail-bonuses-unacceptable Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT So another UK public body has chosen to operate the heaviest vehicles in the European tram market on its streets. How does this reduce either carbon footprint or disruption and cost associated with repair and maintenance? Once the Midland Metro extension opens these trams will be operating on some of the most pedestrian busy sections of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/40m-deal-for-25-new-west-midlands-trams 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/40m-deal-for-25-new-west-midlands-trams Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Court of Appeal has ruled that the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) acted illegally when it cut the feed-in tariff (FIT) rates on 12 December last year in a botched consultation exercise. The DECC has been given leave to appeal to the Supreme Court and, should they decide to do so, the solar industry faces yet more... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/court-of-appeal-decision-on-feed-in-tariff 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/court-of-appeal-decision-on-feed-in-tariff Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT Surely it doesn't take an Environmental Science Masters degree or detailed data logging of this (but have got and did do) to figure out that when the winds are high, it's often cloudy so less solar power generated and when it's more sunny there tends to be less wind power available? However, put the two together as complimentary systems... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/wind-power 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/wind-power Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT There are a number of very significant flaws in the Civitas report on wind power which merit further comment. Wind power can never be predictable, as like most renewable sources of energy, they are only as good as the vagaries of Mother Nature. To assume that they can be predictable is misguided. What output they do produce is a useful... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/civitas-wind-power-report 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/civitas-wind-power-report Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT That mental health problems are widespread among the prison population in England and Wales has been known for some time. Mental ill-health, combined with a range of related disadvantages in life, is the norm rather than the exception among people of all ages in custody. Nine out of ten prisoners have at least one mental health problem, whilst... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/redressing-inequalities-in-the-criminal-justice-system 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/redressing-inequalities-in-the-criminal-justice-system Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT This is code for work for nothing. There are no jobs – there is no money to fund big projects, the private sector and the public sector are shrinking and opportunities especially for people on low incomes and from disadvantaged backgrounds are getting fewer and fewer. Instead of this ridiculous idea ('Civic contract proposals... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/westminster-city-councils-civic-contract 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/westminster-city-councils-civic-contract Mon, 19 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT It's quite simple. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. The politicians know it but they and the media continue to spin lies such as "it's plain criminality" to cover up their real motives for social change which will keep themselves and their mates rich. To find out why the riots happened, they need to analyse who was... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/cause-of-the-riots 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/cause-of-the-riots Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT The number of teachers on strike on Wednesday meant many parents were left with no other choice than to work from home in order to look after their children. This puts unnecessary pressure on many organisations across the country as staff were unable to come into work. Also many patients suffered from the lack of hospital and nursing staff... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-sector-strikes 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-sector-strikes Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT I just wanted to point out that if this is a serious suggestion then this could affect the whole voting and democratic system within this country. From working on an annual basis for my local Elections Office, the turnouts certainly for local and European elections in some areas are well below 40% and sometimes struggle to reach 30%. It... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/strike-legislation-reform-and-minimum-turnout-thresholds 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/strike-legislation-reform-and-minimum-turnout-thresholds Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT The CQC is damned if it does and damned if it does not (inspect!). However, it has responded positively to criticism recently by recruiting more inspectors and according to local intelligence, inspections (both planned and unannounced) have also increased. I think it is important to keep in mind, though, that CQC inspections are just one... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/care-quality-commission-cqc 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/care-quality-commission-cqc Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT Cutting front line services is not the answer… Recent reports of the police having to take yet another long hard look at their resources in the back office and on the front line is just the latest high profile example of on-going attempts to reduce the staffing of an organisation in a bid to save money. Though most people accept... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/public-sector-cuts 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/public-sector-cuts Mon, 14 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT These latest allegations of poor management, added to recent criticism of backlogs in casework, are symptomatic of a much wider malaise at an agency in disarray. The UK Border Agency seems to operate a culture of no dissent, with staff afraid to speak out about the damaging impact of politically-motivated cuts and the problems they're... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/border-checks-allegations 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/border-checks-allegations Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT Growth of 0.5% is an unexpected piece of goods news for the economy. It is particularly encouraging to see growth in business services, which will be key to the recovery, although growth in the production sector of the economy remains relatively slow. But this good news does not disguise a labour market which has been in freefall over... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/05-growth 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/05-growth Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT In High Wycombe we have been offering peer-led parenting courses for years. We have a pack of acetates that the trainers use from Positive Parenting, which has been in existence for 25 years, and refine their materials regularly. We train interested parents to use the pack and have amazing feedback from the parents who attend the six week... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/parenting-classes 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/parenting-classes Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT A fair pension with contributions from both sides. For long term commitment, with loyalty and continued good will (on both sides), a good pension is essential. A pension is deferred pay. This Government seems intent on changing society forever, back to us and them, those that have and those that have not! The pension... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/pensions 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/pensions Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT The news that the public accounts committee has expressed concern over how the Department of Work and Pensions will cut running costs comes as no surprise. This is a hard enough task by itself, let alone when the organisation is as complex as the DWP and the costs run into billions of pounds. However, announcing the amount that will be cut... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/dwp-budget 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/dwp-budget Mon, 10 Oct 2011 00:00:00 GMT The news that the public accounts committee has expressed concern over how the Department of Work and Pensions will cut running costs comes as no surprise. This is a hard enough task by itself, let alone when the organisation is as complex as the DWP and the costs run into billions of pounds. However, announcing the amount that will be cut... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/cost-cutting 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/cost-cutting Mon, 26 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT I feel I have to make a point on the above article ('Change is hard', Blog, September 13). MPs are angry that some of them will lose their £65K a year jobs and make the remaining jobs harder? It's a shame they didn't think this way when they approved the Government's plans to make 400,000 valuable public sector employees... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/cutting-the-number-of-mps 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/cutting-the-number-of-mps Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT The blog is interesting and raises some important issues. The "health and safety gone mad" issue is much quoted and much misunderstood in that what I do as a professional health and safety adviser, namely assist my employer to meet their legal obligations and protect people from being harmed because of work activities, and the rampant fear of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/health-and-safety-in-schools 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/health-and-safety-in-schools Mon, 12 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT Instead of Cameron and Miliband attempting to come over as hard men to satisfy the average Middle England Daily Mail reader, suggesting that benefits are stopped and evictions from homes are what is required for those that rebel against an unjust state, they should focus what intellect they have on the root causes. It is the very fact... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/policy-response-to-the-riots 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/policy-response-to-the-riots Mon, 05 Sep 2011 00:00:00 GMT Notwithstanding the Taxpayers' Alliance, the argument that extra capacity is needed is the case for building a new conventional speed railway, not that the new railway should be a high speed line. But a conventional speed railway could provide the same additional capacity, without disrupting existing services, through a rolling programme... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Inbox/hs2 459 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Inbox/hs2 Sun, 03 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT