Local Government Chronicle
7 December 2000
View all stories from this issue.
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A VICTORY FOR CHILDREN IN WALES
A new Bill to extend the functions of the children's commissioner for Wales was announced today in the Queen's Spee... -
ACCESS TO VITAL PAPERS BLOCKED BY ANGLESEY
Staff at Isle of Anglesey CC are misleading members by not revealing vital documents, according to Opposition Labou... -
AIRPORT UNDER SIEGE AFTER PAY DISPUTE
Workers at council-owned Luton Airport are threatening strike action during the Christmas period following changes ... -
ALL COUNCILS TO BENEFIT FROM RECORD LEVELS OF GRANT SUPPORT: MACKAY
Angus MacKay, Minister for Finance and Local Government, today announced record levels of central government grant ... -
BEST VALUE - BEST WAY TO BUY
Part II of best value in building, by Glenn Steel and Bill Tindale ... -
BEST VALUE - INSPECTORS HAIL PROGRESS
Best value inspectors have praised 'significant improvement' in Camden LBC's capital programme since a damning repo... -
BEST VALUE HOUSING INSPECTION REPORT ON LONDON BOROUGH OF CAMDEN'S CAPITAL PROGRAMME SERVICES
Camden's Capital Programme Service is good and will probably improve according to a new report out today. ... -
BLAIR'S QUANGO PLEDGE EXPOSED AS A 'SHAM' - LOUGHTON
Tim Loughton MP, Conservative Spokesman for the Regions, today attacked Labour's failure to fulfil its election pro... -
BLUNKETT DETAILS£82M TO IMPROVE SUPPORT FOR SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN
Children with special educational needs received a boost today when education and employment secretary, David Blunk... -
BLUNKETT WELCOMES QUEEN'S SPEECH ANNOUNCEMENT OF SEN AND DISABILITY BILL
Education and employment secretary David Blunkett today welcomed the formal announcement in the Queen's Speech of t... -
BOROUGH UDPS MUST WORK FOR ALL OF LONDON
The London assembly has approved a report on Ken Livingstone's spatial development strategy and its implications fo... -
BT CONNECTS NOTTINGHAM
Nottingham City Council has struck a£4.5m IT deal with BT to network its major sites across the city. ... -
BYERS UNVEILS NEW APPROACH TO SUPPORT WORKING PARENTS
Ground-breaking proposals to give more help to new parents and greater support to the businesses employing them wer... -
CAPITA SIGNS DOCUMENT DEAL
Capita Business Services has signed a deal with Valid Information Systems to ... -
CARE STAFF FACE THREAT OF MOVE TO IMPOSED TRUSTS
Community care staff face transfer out of local government and into new stand-alone care trusts, ministers have con... -
CHARITY COMMISSION ANNUAL REPORT
With over 185,000 registered charities sharing a combined income of over£24bn, regulating and advising the charita... -
CHATROOM - JAGDISH JETHWA ON BRENT'S AWARD-WINNING HOUSING SITE
Brent LBC housing service has been short-listed in a prestigious national competition for its website design. ... -
CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONER FOR WALES IS ANNOUNCED
First minister, Rhodri Morgan, yesterday announced to a plenary session of the national assembly the selection of t... -
CIH WARNS LOCAL AUTHORITY INVESTMENT IN HOUSING COULD FALL
In a response to the government's green paper, 'Modernising local government finance' the Chartered Institute of Ho... -
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP - TIMMS CONFIRMS QUANGO CULTURE
The government has indicated it will not cut its use of quangos, just days ... -
CONDUCT - LGIB PLANS OFFICIAL VISITS GUIDE
The Local Government International Bureau is planning to issue draft guidelines to stem the growing criticism of co... -
COSLA CALLS FOR REVIEW OF URBAN POLICY
COSLA will today call for a joint review of urban policy in Scotland to be undertaken with the Scottish executive.... -
COSLA REFUSES TO PLAY BALL WITH UNION OVER PAY DEAL
Talks to halt the Scottish pay dispute ended in deadlock this week as employers refused to enter into further negot... -
COSLA WELCOME FOR EARLY GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT
COSLA has welcomed the announcement of council grant figures for the next three years. ... -
COSLA WELCOME FOR NEW EDUCATION MONEY
COSLA has warmly welcomed the additional£17.2m for schools from the executive and the recognition that it should b... -
COUNCIL TAX - BOBBIES COST A BOB OR TWO
Proposals to combat falling police numbers are set to push up council tax bills in the capital. A£60m increase in ... -
COUNTY'S CASH ALLOCATION BOTTOM OF THE LEAGUE - FOR FOURTH YEAR RUNNING!
Just days after the local government minister Hilary Armstrong refused to meet county council leaders to discuss th... -
CRE LOSES PATIENCE WITH HACKNEY
Hackney LBC will have to report to the Commission for Racial Equality for the next five years after a non-discrimin... -
CRIME - YOUTH TEAMWORK PROVES HUGE SUCCESS
Youth offending teams of social workers, police officers and other professionals working together to reduce offendi... -
DAVID BLUNKETT ANNOUNCES EXTRA FUNDING ON NUMBER DAY TO COUNT ON MATHS YEAR WORK IN THE FUTURE
Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett has announced an extra£250,000 to continue the work of Maths Yea... -
DEVON CC AIDS FLOOD-HIT RESIDENTS
With severe floods now affecting the south west, BBC Radio Four's Today programme reported that Devon CC is helping... -
EDUCATION - FLAK FLIES AT MINIMALIST LEA MODEL
The government should abandon its drive towards maximum delegation of funds to schools, an Education Network report... -
EDUCATION - REACHING FOR IDEAS
The ideas generated by quangos and consultants to improve schooling should come from the staff themselves, says Ala... -
EDUCATION IS MADE IN WALES FOR WALES
Minister for education and lifelong learning, Jane Davidson, stressed today that Wales needs solutions which suit t... -
E-GOV.UK - BONUS FOR CALL CENTRE STAFF
Rewarding individual performance is the key pay strategy for managing call centres, according to a study by Industr... -
E-GOV.UK - DETR DOES THE HOUSEKEEPING
The DETR has refurbished its housing website. New features include pages dedicated to local government housing offi... -
E-GOVERNMENT - UNIONS ATTACK LACK OF TRAINING
Unions have attacked Salford City Council for not including a tangible training element in its latest IT contract.... -
E-IGNORANCE THREATENS ONLINE VISION
Prime minister Tony Blair's e-government plans are poorly understood in most councils, according to the Society of ... -
EXECUTIVE CONSULTATION INFORMATION AGE GOVERNMENT
Peter Peacock, deputy minister for finance and local government, today launched consultation on the Scottish Execut... -
EXECUTIVE WELCOMES TENANTS' VIEWS ON GLASGOW HOUSING
Deputy social justice minister Margaret Curran has welcomed the results of the tenant opinion survey of Glasgow hou... -
'FAIRER TAXES FOR A BETTER SOCIETY' SAYS UNISON
Unison is calling for a fresh debate about taxation in a new report, 'Taxation and Public Services'. The report ... -
FEDERATION BACKS 'HOMES BILL'
Commenting on the announcement of the 'Homes Bill' in the Queens Speech this morning, Jim Coulter, chief executive... -
FINANCE - RING THE CHANGES
Fences are going up all over, says Adrian Sanders ... -
FINANCE - TORIES PROMISE TO PULL DOWN FENCES
The Opposition has attacked the increased use of specific grants revealed in last week's revenue support grant sett... -
FIREWORKS FIASCO PROVES A WINNER
Sixteen London boroughs will get a share of the£1.5m that had been allocated to a single London new year's eve cel... -
FIRST BILLS OF NEW PARLIAMENTARY SESSION INTRODUCED
By Robert Hedley, LGCnet political correspondant ... -
FULL TEXT OF THE QUEEN'S SPEECH ON THE OPENING OF PARLIAMENT
My lords and members of the house of commons ... -
FUNDING -£150M OF PFI CASH AGREED FOR SCHEMES
The government has given the go-ahead for 10 council private finance initiative schemes. ... -
GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES TEACHER TRAINING TARGETS FOR 2001/02
Over 31,500 teacher training places will be funded by the government next year - around 30,000 undergraduate and po... -
GOVERNMENT PLEDGE TO PROTECT HOMELESS MUST BE BACKED WITH FUNDING; HOUSING NEEDS MORE THAN QUEEN'S SPEECH OFFERS
The Chartered Institute of Housing has welcomed the inclusion of a Homes Bill focusing on homelessness in today's Q... -
GOVERNMENT'S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY OUTLINED IN QUEEN'S SPEECH
New powers to make transport operators and employers more responsible for the safety of their workers and the trave... -
HACKNEY RESPONDS TO CRE'S USE OF ENFORCEMENT POWERS
Race discrimination is an issue which is taken very seriously here in Hackney. We have been in dialogue with the Co... -
HARDLINER SEES MAYORAL CHANCE
'Zero tolerance' cop Ray Mallon may stand to be an elected mayor in his native north-east. ... -
HEADLAMP SITE IS BEST HOME FOR GLA
The London Assembly's Budget Committee has concluded that the building nicknamed The Headlamp is the best option as... -
HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES - BLEAK WINTER AHEAD WARNS BLAIR
Prime minister Tony Blair has warned that despite extra resources the next few months will be difficult for social ... -
HIGH COURT REFUSES TO OUTLAW BUMPS IN THE ROAD
A former Sheffield cabbie today lost a high court fight to have every road hump in the country declared illegal. ... -
HOMELESS PEOPLE GET THEIR BILL
The Homeless Bill, announced in today's Queen's Speech, could dramatically reduce the number of vulnerable people b... -
HOMES BILL IS LOBBYING SUCCESS FOR LGA, SAY HOUSING LEADERS
LGA housing leaders have been celebrating successes on several key housing issues following the announcement of the... -
HORSHAM DISTRICT TENANTS IN HOUSING TRANSFER
Horsham DC will next week transfer all of its 4,650 dwellings to a new local housing company, Saxon Weald Homes Lim... -
HOUSEBUILDING: OCTOBER 2000
In October 2000, it is provisionally estimated that 13,400 dwellings were started in Great Britain compared with 15... -
HOUSING - PAPER DEMANDS STRONGER LINKS
Councils must forge closer ties with registered social landlords and strengthen links between departments to meet t... -
HOUSING - SUNDERLAND SETS TRANSFER RECORD
Sunderland City Council's entire housing stock is being transferred after nearly 90% of tenants voted in favour of ... -
HOUSING NEEDS MORE THAN QUEEN'S SPEECH OFFERS
HOUSING NEEDS MORE THAN QUEEN'S SPEECH OFFERS ... -
'I SMACKED MY CHILDREN AND IT WORKED', SAYS BLUNKETT
Education secretary David Blunkett told The Sunday Telegraph (p1) that he had smacked his children when they were n... -
IMPROVING HOMEBUYING AND HELPING THE UNINTENTIONALLY HOMELESS OUTLINED IN QUEEN'S SPEECH
Proposals to speed-up the homebuying process in England and Wales by making it more transparent and consumer friend... -
IN PRACTICE - TONY ELLISTON GETS UNDER INSPECTORATES
The intensity of the gleefest occasioned by the departure of former chief inspector of schools Chris Woodhead has o... -
INCOME RELATED BENEFITS TAKE-UP IN 1998/99
The department of social security today published the latest estimates of the take-up of the main income related be... -
INSPECTIONS - TEST VALLEY IS IDEAL, SAYS IDeA
Test Valley BC is one of the best in the country, according to an Improvement and Development Agency review. ... -
ITNET WINS CROYDON CONTRACT
A contract to manage 2,500 PCs and 40 servers at London Borough of Croydon has been won by ITNET. The contract prov... -
KEITH SONNET NEW UNISON DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY
Keith Sonnet has been appointed deputy general secretary of public service union Unison. He will take over his new ... -
LAW - GET ORF MOI LAND...
Councils cannot act like private landowners, says Charles Ward ... -
LEEDS CASTLE SUMMIT HERALDS NEW PHASE IN CENTRAL LOCAL RELATIONS
Full, frank and open was how LGA leaders described talks with the deputy prime minister and cabinet colleagues at a... -
LGA FORCES AGREEMENT WITH PUBLIC SCHOOLS
The Local Government Association and the Independent Schools Council have reached an agreement to explore areas for... -
LGA GENERAL ASSEMBLY - FUNDING TROUBLES HIKE UP FEES
Subscriptions to the Local Government Association are set to rise by up to three times the rate of inflation, after... -
LGA GENERAL ASSEMBLY - LGA CARROT LOST ON LABOUR MPs
Local Government Association representatives found it difficult to woo Labour MPs during the recent lobbying exerci... -
LGA GENERAL ASSEMBLY - TORY COMPETITION FREEDOM
Councils in urban areas will compete to provide services under the Conservatives' free schools policy, according to... -
LGA RESPONSE TO SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS BILL
The LGA has welcomed the Special Educational Needs and Disability Bill and has asked for assurances that the new du... -
LGC FEATURE - ART OF THE MATTER
The funding of the arts debate rages on in Scotland. Do small, locally effective projects lose out to national flag... -
LGC FEATURE - AUSSIE RULES
The lack of interest in local politics could not, it seems, get any worse, but the government seems unwilling to pu... -
LGC FEATURE - DEFYING THE GRIM REAPER
As leader of IdeA's peer review team in Hackney LBC, Ted Cantle had a ground-level view of the troubled borough. H... -
LGC FEATURE - LANDLORDING IT
Liverpool has developed a new way of working with registered social landlords which is working to everyone's benefi... -
LGC NEWS IN BRIEF
-Manchester blues ... -
LGC OPINION - QUANGO-FEVER MAKES LOCAL GOVERNMENT ILL
IT IS BECOMING A TRUTH universally acknowledged that political parties fall out of love with local government prett... -
LGC PROFILE - KEITH RILEY, MANAGING DIRECTOR, ONYX
What does Onyx do? ... -
LGC PROFILE - SANDY WATSON, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ANGUS COUNCIL
How much progress is best value making in Scotland? ... -
LOCAL AUTHORITIES WILL ENCOUNTER LEGAL MINEFIELD ON THE WAY TO E-GOVERNMENT
A report published this week by SOCITM, commissioned by the Society from ... -
LOCAL ENTERPRISE FORUMS CAN HELP SUPPORT
COSLA says that the new local enterprise forums unveiled today by Wendy Alexander, minister for enterprise and life... -
LOCAL GOVERNMENT PAY DISPUTE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY
Unison's national disputes committee meeting in London yesterday decided to defer a decision to escalate its progra... -
LONDON'S FIRST INDEX OF SUSTAINABILITY
The Sustainability Unit of leading business organisation London First today launched the Triple Bottom Line for Lon... -
MACCLESFIELD PAYS FOR HURT FEELINGS
Macclesfield BC has compensated three highways staff£100 each after they were followed, 'arrested' and 'interrogat... -
MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL CRACKS DOWN ON TRUANCY
MANCHESTER CITY COUNCIL CRACKS DOWN ON ... -
MARKET FORCES - ART DECO DEAL STRUCK IN BRISTOL
Bristol City Council has signed a deal with Beazer Partnerships and Signpost Homes to develop 55 art deco style apa... -
MARKET FORCES - TOON TOWN TAKES OFF
More than 20 groups have expressed their interest in purchasing a 49% stake in Newcastle Airport, the second larges... -
MASSIVE GROWTH OF UK AIRPORTS PLANNED
Faced with a near trebling of passenger numbers over the next 20 years, the government will this week announce prop... -
MAYOR WELCOMES ASSEMBLY'S OPPOSITION TO PARTIAL PRIVATISATION OF TUBE
Ken Livingstone, mayor of London, has welcomed a vote by London assembly members showing their opposition to the go... -
MCCONNELL ANNOUNCES BONUS FOR SCOTTISH SCHOOLS. NATIONAL PRIORITIES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
State schools in Scotland are to benefit from an extra£17.2m, education minister Jack McConnell MSP announced toda... -
MINISTER CALLS ON LOCAL AUTHORITY LEADERS TO SIGN UP TO NEW DEAL
Employment minister Tessa Jowell today urged local authorities to get behind the government's new deal programme, s... -
MODERNISATION - CABINET PROTEST U-TURN
A hung district protested against forced modernisation by voting against a leader with cabinet model, only to rever... -
MORE POWERS FOR CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONER
Government legislation to extend widely the functions of the children's commissioner for Wales will be published sh... -
MORRIS DETAILS ALLOCATIONS OF£192M TO CONTINUE DRIVE TO BOOST READING, WRITING AND MATHS
School standards minister Estelle Morris today gave details of allocations for education authorities across England... -
NATIONAL CURRICULUM RESULTS SHOW ENCOURAGING PROGRESS IN RAISING STANDARDS IN SCHOOLS
Jane Davidson, Minister for Education and Lifelong Learning welcomed the publication of booklets which show encoura... -
NEW MAN AT THE TOP FOR DONCASTER COUNCIL
NEW MAN AT THE TOP FOR DONCASTER COUNCIL ... -
NEW MOVES TO SAVE LOCAL AUTHORITIES MONEY DEALING WITH STRAY DOGS
A new report published today proposes the introduction of the permanent identification of dogs in order to slash th... -
NEW REGULATIONS CUT LEAD LEVELS IN DRINKING WATER
The maximum amount of lead permitted in drinking water will be cut by 80% by 2013, said environment minister Michae... -
NO PLANS TO HALT NEW MOBILE PHONE MASTS, SAYS MINISTER
By LGCnet political correspondent Robert Hedley ... -
OFSTED - LIVERPOOL CHANGES TOASTED
Ofsted has praised Liverpool City Council for making 'fundamental changes'. An unfavourable report in June 1999 had... -
OFSTED - WOODHEAD'S SUCCESSOR IS A SUCCESS
New Ofsted chief inspector Mike Tomlinson has impressed education directors with 'an openness and sense of humour' ... -
OFSTED ANNOUNCES FRAMEWORK AND PROGRAMME FOR INSPECTION OF EDUCATION ACTION ZONES
The inspection framework under which the Office for Standards in Education will evaluate the progress of education ... -
OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL THE KEY TO BEATING DRUGS
Scotland's drugs problem will only be beaten by making sure everyone can get access to high-quality education, trai... -
PARLIAMENT COMMITTEE PUBLISHES HARD-HITTING REPORT ON DRUG MISUSE AND DEPRIVED COMMUNITIES
Problem drug use in Scotland is inextricably linked to extreme forms of social exclusion, including homelessness, p... -
PERFORMANCE TABLES SHOW NUMERACY AND LITERACY BOOST IN PRIMARY
Education and Employment Secretary David Blunkett today congratulated teachers, heads, support staff and pupils on ... -
PLENARY SESSION OF COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS
The Committee of the Regions will hold its next plenary session on 13 and 14 December, to be chaired by its preside... -
PUBLIC SERVICE AGREEMENTS - PILOTS FLY FLAT OUT FOR DEADLINE
Council chiefs have admitted they are working flat out to meet the April 2001 timetable for signing public service ... -
PUPILS TAUGHT TO BE MODEL CITIZENS AT SEVEN
Children as young as seven are to be taught the civic values of new Labour, prompting accusations that the governme... -
QUANGOS ARE STIFLING LOCAL DEMOCRACY
Quangos are stifling local democracy and preventing Councils from fulfilling their new 'community leadership' role,... -
QUEEN'S SPEECH PREVIEW: COUNCILS WILL HAVE TO FIND HOMES FOR TEENAGERS LEAVING CARE
A duty for local authorities to find homes for teenagers leaving care will be one of the measures announced in the ... -
REFORMING LOCAL PLANNING
Is our current development planning system able to cope with the rapid pace ... -
REGIONAL PRESS NEWS ROUNDUP - UPDATED 11.26AM
PLAIN ENGLISH CAMPAIGN AWARDS BOOBY PRIZE TO LUTON EDUCATION AUTHORITY ... -
RESPONSIVE HOUSING REPAIRS 'AMONGST THE BEST' IN LONDON
Inspectors have completed a report on Barnet Council's Housing Repairs and maintenance service, which highlights th... -
RICH TOWNS TO GET FLOOD MONEY FIRST.....
The Environment Agency formula for defending flood-prone areas from further inundation is directing most of its bud... -
SCHOOLS' CRISIS LOOMS AS POST STAY UNFILLED
An emergency meeting will take place behind closed doors in Whitehall today to try to avert a winter crisis in Brit... -
SCOTS POLICE TO GET RECORD FUNDING
Police forces will benefit from record levels of funding, allowing officer numbers to reach their highest ever leve... -
SEVERE WEATHER HEADING FOR SCOTLAND AND NORTHERN IRELAND
The storms which have been causing chaos in the West Country and Wales are on the move today, with heavy rains pred... -
SOCIAL EXCLUSION - INCLUSION PLANS HAVE NO EFFECT AS PLIGHT WORSENS
Residents of run-down council estates have yet to see signs of improvement despite government policies to tackle so... -
SOCIAL SERVICES - CHECK UP ON TRUSTS
Will the plans to create care trusts really ensure local problems are tackled by local solutions? John Ransford urg... -
SOUTHWARK REPELS LOCAL COMPLAINTS
Southwark LBC has hit back at residents' complaints reported in the media following the murder of 10-year-old Damil... -
STATEMENT BY EXETER CITY COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVE ON AUDIT COMMISSION BEST VALUE INSPECTION OF HOUSING SERVICE
'We welcomed the opportunity to be inspected as we know there are always new things we can learn as we strive to ma... -
STAYING AHEAD OF THE GAME: WENDY ALEXANDER STREAMLINES LOCAL ECONOMIC DELIVERY
A major drive to streamline local economic service in Scotland was unveiled by minister for enterprise and lifelong... -
SUFFOLK FUNDING FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES
SUFFOLK FUNDING FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES ... -
T&G TRUMPETS DIRECT LABOUR ROLE
The T&G has launched a nationwide campaign to protect and promote the role of direct labour organisations in local ... -
TRANSPORT - CPRE ATTACKS LOCAL ROAD PLANS
The Council for the Protection of Rural England has condemned plans for a raft of council road-building schemes. ... -
TWO NEW ASSISTANT DIRECTORS FOR CAMBRIDGESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL
Cambridgeshire CC has appointed two new assistant directors of resources in a pioneering move which will see them w... -
UNISON - SONNET GAINS DEPUTY'S POST
Keith Sonnet has become deputy general secretary of Unison. He takes up the post on 1 January 2001. ... -
WELCOME FOR SCOTS WORKING GROUP REPORT ON PRE-SCHOOL FOR DEFERRED CHILDREN
The final report of the working group on pre-school education for children deferring entry to primary school was pu... -
WESTMINSTER WATCH - ARMSTRONG SHARES SPECIFIC GRANT FEARS
Local government minister Hilary Armstrong has admitted she has qualms about the steep increase in specific grants ... -
WESTMINSTER WATCH - PRESCOTT AND BEECHAM TRUMPET NEW RELATIONS
The DETR believes the central/local partnership has achieved its aim of bringing the two tiers of government togeth...
