There is no obvious link between billions of pounds of NHS funding spent in England and improvement in tackling health inequalities, according to the Audit Commission.
Its review of public health performance and spending says it is also hard to get ‘any clear view of value for money’.
The Healthy balance briefing estimates that more than £20bn was allocated in 2009/10 on the basis of health inequalities.
But despite the health of the nation improving overall over the last decade, the commission concludes that, ‘if the big picture is positive, stark problems remain’.
Inequalities in the health of people from certain areas and social background has ‘stubbornly resisted improvement’, and has, in some cases, even increased.
The gap in death rates between the England average and the 20% of areas with the worst rates of deprivation and early death rose between 1998 and 2007 for both men and women. The gap in infant mortality at first narrowed and had been on course to meet the government’s target of a 10% reduction by 2010, but the figures show ‘little improvement’ during the past four years.
Despite the sums of money allocated, said the commission, ‘it is not always clear how much has been spent on improving health inequalities and what the impact has been’.
It also called for ‘more ruthless targeting of money and services and close attention to outcomes’.
Plans to deliver a high-speed rail network will not cut the use of cars and planes, according to the leading UK authority on sustainable transport.
Transport secretary Andrew Adonis today announced proposals for an initial core high-speed rail network linking London to Birmingham, Manchester, the east midlands, Sheffield and Leeds, with train speeds of up to 250mph.
The development of a 335-mile 'Y'-shaped network would ‘revolutionise Britain's rail network’, according to the government.
But the Campaign for Better Transport (CBT) said the government had ‘failed to prove its high-speed rail plan would be green’.
CBT executive director Stephen Joseph said: ‘The danger is that a high-speed line will suck money out of the current transport network.
‘The last thing people want is service cuts, higher fares and more potholes, while the executive classes are treated to gleaming new high-speed trains.
‘Even with extra money on the table, there must be a strategy to get people onto rail. The government’s plan is high-speed rail plus business as usual. It will make no difference to carbon emissions, and could even make things worse. Fares must be cheaper than flying and driving and high speed rail must be an alternative to new motorways and airports.’
Ralph Smyth, senior transport campaigner for the Campaign to Protect Rural England commented: ‘By using existing and disused transport corridors as well as tunnelling, the impact on the Chilterns is less than feared. But the impact on the Warwickshire, where the line is proposed to run through open countryside, is a major concern.
‘There is a strong need for more than just fine-tuning. The firm commitment to community consultation made by Lord Adonis must be backed up by real engagement and flexibility. As with the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, local people’s contribution can help turn a contentious route into something that works both national and locally.’
Neil Darwin, Regional Cities East director, described the decision to ‘completely bypass the east of England’ as ‘a big disappointment’, adding: ‘There’s also a danger that the huge costs of high-speed rail will drain investment from other parts of the rail network. Routes like the Great Eastern Mainline, which connects Norwich, Ipswich and Colchester to London, are in desperate need of upgrades.
‘Important though high-speed rail is, we can’t afford to leave other areas lagging behind.’
The announcement was welcomed more positively by the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). Interim chief executive, Kate Henderson said high-speed rail had a ‘big part to play in delivering a sustainable future for the nation’.
‘Large infrastructure projects such as this, which will span over several electoral cycles, are vital to Britain’s economic viability and competitiveness, as well as being part of the route to a low carbon economy with less dependency on short haul flights and car travel.’
‘High-speed rail must also fit in with a larger integrated transport investment strategy in which each piece of the system makes its own optimal contribution, linking together into a seamless web of efficient and sustainable connections.’
The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) also declared support for the rail proposals. David Frost, director general, said: ‘Continued investment in Britain's transport infrastructure will underpin economic growth, support business in driving recovery and create jobs.
‘That is why the BCC supports a comprehensive high-speed rail network that provides vital extra capacity and helps British companies compete on a global scale.
‘With the public finances in such a poor state, the budget for this important project needs to be carefully considered. High-speed rail is a long-term investment but it cannot be built at the expense of the current rail network.
‘There must now be a binding, cross-party political consensus to ensure that both HSR and upgrades to the existing rail system proceed over the next two decades.’
Merton will this week launch its Low Carbon Zone with the first in a series of advice surgeries for residents. The Wandle Valley Low Carbon Zone is made up of 1,000 properties across 12 streets, including schools, businesses and community groups. Two ‘green doctors’ have also been recruited to provide free energy saving equipment and advice to homeowners.
Public spending cuts would lead to heavy job losses for women and substantially reduce their income in retirement, according to a TUC report. It warns female employment would be hit hardest as approximately four in ten women work in public sector occupations, compared with less than a fifth of men.
Vital Regeneration has received a Microsoft Britain Works grant. The grant, to promote innovation, digital learning and employment opportunities within socially excluded communities in Westminster, will help the London charity fund a makeover of a digital learning centre and provide state-of-the art IT facilities to the local community.
Public awareness of social enterprises in Scotland has risen by 11% in six months, according to a Mori poll. Commissioned by the Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition, the findings revealed 65% know about the sector and the majority want the UK government to do more to encourage investment in social enterprises.
Property developer Places for People has instructed Birmingham law firm Shakespeare Putsman to advise on the creation of two new communities. Once completed, Brooklands in Milton Keynes will provide a new 2,500 home community including three new schools, offices, shops and leisure facilities. The Marlborough Park development in Swindon will comprise 616 homes with a small local commercial centre.
Businesses are increasingly aware of the benefits of adopting environmental strategies, according to EEF’s latest research. The manufacturing organisation’s survey discovered ‘engagement and commitment’ from businesses and described the notion of the environmental agenda detracting from profitability as ‘outmoded’.
Entries are now open for this year’s Prime Minister’s Better Public Building Award recognising new buildings, places and spaces that improve public service delivery and offer a sense of identity and community. Entrants will be judged on areas including economic and social value and sustainability. The closing date is 15 April.
Urban regeneration company New East Manchester has completed its senior management team with the appointment of Ian Slater as deputy chief executive, responsible for the regeneration arm of the organisation. Mr Slater has worked for Manchester Council for more than 20 years, initially in the housing department and more recently in regeneration, as director of the Manchester-Salford housing market renewal pathfinder.
The Olympic Park Legacy Company has appointed three leading figures in real estate and planning to its executive management team to help lead the development of a new metropolitan centre on the site after the 2012 games. The appointments of Duncan Innes as executive director of real estate, Niall McNevin as director of planning and John Anderson as chief adviser of major projects and infrastructure, follow the team’s first three appointments in January.
Tracey Walker is the new associate director of business development for Countryside Properties’ partnership division, the company’s affordable housing arm. She brings with her experience working with both construction consultants and major house building companies.
Hanover has appointed Rona Nicholson as chief operations officer to help the provider deliver housing for older people. Prior to joining Hanover, Ms Nicholson was London regional director at the Housing Corporation, responsible for a £1.75bn development programme and regulation of some of the largest housing associations, and also helped organise the 'national conversation' with tenants as part of the transition to the Tenant Services Authority.
Midlands Housing Association Nehemiah UCHA has appointed a tenant to the main board following two successful years serving as a committee member on the association’s operations committee. Jamil Bakhsh, who lives in Hockley and has been a Nehemiah tenant for six years, will now have a wider remit of representing the voice of fellow tenants in decision-making.
Wolverhampton based loans company Black Country Reinvestment Society (BCRS) has co-opted Wolverhampton University’s pro vice-chancellor of research and enterprise Ian Oakes and Adrian Wilkinson, superintendent pharmacist at the Midcounties Co-operative, onto the board.
Despite targets to reduce reoffending, half of prisoners serving short custodial sentences are not involved in work or courses and spend almost all day in their cells.
A National Audit Office (NAO) report into managing offenders serving sentences of under 12 months deemed the provision of daytime activity to be ‘generally inadequate to meet HM Inspectorate of Prisons’ standards for a healthy prison’ and said ‘more could be done’ to rehabilitate and reduce the risk of reoffending.
The National Offender Management Service (Noms) was judged to be keeping prisoners secure, safe and well, but the NAO also found only a small proportion of budget was spent on activity intended to reduce reoffending among those on short sentences.
Overcrowding and a lack of activity spaces for all prisoners were partly to blame, it said.
Some 60% of short-term prisoners are reconvicted within a year of release, at an estimated economic and social cost of between £7bn to £10bn a year.
NAO head Amyas Morse said: ‘Achieving Noms’ goal of reducing reoffending by short-sentenced prisoners is challenging both because there are so many prisoners and because of the few weeks they have in custody.
‘However, it is reasonable to expect progress towards that goal. More coherent plans for prisoners, tailored to reducing their risk of reoffending would be a good first step.’
The Ministry of Justice and Noms are developing a new strategy to improve the management of prisoners sentenced to less than 12 months, but pilots are yet to be completed.
A national charity has called for more inclusive schools and less ‘interfaith’ work within local authorities.
In its local and general election manifestos, the British Humanist Association (BHA) claims faith and sectarian schools ‘run contrary to community cohesion’ and says councils should stop their expansion and support local community schools.
It also wants the government not to pay ‘undue attention’ to panels of faith advisers or give specialist grants to faith groups.
As a result of the government’s current focus on contracting public services to the voluntary and community sector, the non-religious charity also wants to see councils strengthen contractual obligations on religious providers to ‘mitigate the risk’ of discrimination to staff and users.
The general election manifesto says: ‘We want local authorities not to champion exclusive “interfaith” work or to privilege religious groups over the rest of the voluntary sector…in access to policy making.’
The documents set out the BHA’s vision on a number of core areas, including local issues, human rights, ethics and equality, and also raise questions for political candidates on issues including assisted dying for the terminally ill and removing bishops from the House of Lords.
Pepper Harow, BHA campaigns officer, said non-religious voices and concerns could trigger real changes to policies.
‘Support for democracy and political participation at local and national levels is core to humanist thinking and we have a lot of issues where we need to make our voices heard,’ she said.
Novas Scarman Group (NSG) has settled its dispute with Marsh Farm Outreach, agreeing to repay almost £125,000 to the social enterprise.
The disagreement arose when NSG was given £130,000 by the Learning and Skills Council to act as the accountable body for a Marsh Farm organizational development programme.
The local government office later objected to NSG taking up the role, but NSG initially offered to repay only £80,000 of the funds.
Following a meeting last week the dispute has now been settled and NSG has agreed to repay £123,174.69 to Marsh Farm Outreach, after taking deductions for costs.
In a statement interim chief executive of NSG Susie Parsons said: ‘We are pleased to be able to have reached an agreement on this long standing issue and wish Marsh Farm Outreach every success in the future.’
Glenn Jenkins, spokesperson at Marsh Farm Outreach, said the decision ‘clears the way for us to deliver the UK’s first Organisational Workshop and everyone will see why we were so eager to resolve the issue.’
The workshop will take place in July and August this year. Based on a Brazilian technique of social scale business start-ups, it will create seven or eight local social enterprises to help generate and lock-in local wealth.
A parliamentary watchdog has expressed ‘serious concerns’ over the value for money of initiatives designed to regenerate England’s former coal mining areas.
Thirteen years after they were set up, the three initiatives overseen by the DCLG have cost the taxpayer considerably more than originally expected and taken far longer than planned, according to the public accounts committee.
Speaking as the committee published its latest report, chair Edward Leigh said it was ‘extremely doubtful’ whether the work of the National Coalfields Programme, Coalfield Regeneration Trust and Coalfield Enterprise Fund to regenerate former coal mining areas was achieving value for money.
MPs also found the DCLG did not act quickly enough to support enterprise in coalfield areas and ‘lacked clarity’ as to how its initiatives could best help the local communities in which it is investing.
Mr Leigh said: ‘The department does not know what improvement the initiatives had made to the lives of people living in the coalfield areas, as it does not have a robust assessment to prove to us the true number of additional jobs created. Nor does it know the business occupancy rates for employment space on the redeveloped sites, or the number of people from former coalfield communities who have benefited.’
The government originally developed the schemes – involving a commitment of more than £1bn – in response to the severe economic, social and environmental deprivation many communities faced in the aftermath of the pit closures.
By July last year, the initiatives had brought 54 former coalfield sites back into working use, enabled private development of 2,700 houses and provided financial support to around 3,000 community projects at a cost of £630m. But more than a third of coalfield areas were still ranked among the most deprived in England in 2007.
Acknowledging that the scale of the challenge facing the DCLG was ‘undoubtedly enormous’, Mr Leigh concluded it ‘must start afresh, with a proper assessment of the needs of the former coalfield areas in 2010 and the articulation of a clear and time-bound objective, with sophisticated means of measuring progress, and an overarching strategy’.
He added: ‘It must also start to do what it has failed to do so far and take the lead in coordinating the efforts of all government departments to ensure a concerted approach to revitalising coalfield communities.’
Planning for climate change took a step forward today with the announcement of three new planning policy statements.
Housing minister John Healey said the overhaul of planning rules - on climate change, the natural environment and coastal change - would give councils a ‘green planning handbook’.
He also announced two new areas – in east Devon and Fareham – that have been added to the second wave of eco-town developments, and gave details of a £10m ‘green skills’ package for eco-towns sites announced in December.
Planning and environmental groups called the announcements a ‘historic moment for planning’.
Hugh Ellis, chief planner at the Town and Country Planning Association, said: ‘This policy is one of the most dramatic and significant steps forward in the development of spatial planning. The profession has to step up to the challenge of taking communities to a low carbon future.’
A consultation has been launched today on the new climate change planning policy, details of which can be found here: http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1499863
The Conservatives have confirmed local areas will be asked whether they want to scrap regional development agencies (RDAs) in favour of new bodies if the party is elected.
In an open letter, shadow communities secretary Caroline Spelman and shadow business secretary Ken Clarke said local authorities and businesses would be invited to come forward with proposals for local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) to replace RDAs.
The move clarifies the policy position outlined in New Start last month, when the Conservatives said RDAs would be stripped of all functions not related to business growth and replaced by more focused LEPs. It also said at the time that councils would be left to decide whether they wanted to keep their RDA, leaving the door open for different models in different regions.
In this week’s letter, the two MPs labelled RDAs the ‘remains of John Prescott’s failed experiment of regional government’ and said the Conservatives were in the process of drawing up detailed plans to ensure a ‘smooth transition’ to LEPs.
The party has recently faced criticism that its policy on the fate of RDAs was unclear. A spokesperson insisted the party’s position had not altered and that the letter was intended to ‘enunciate’ its stance on RDAs.
In the letter’s introduction the authors said they felt it would be ‘helpful to confirm the key elements of our policy’ following the 2009 publication of the party’s green paper Control shift: returning power to local communities.
Young people from across the five host boroughs of London have been chosen to help decide the future legacy of the Olympic games.
The Legacy Youth Panel is made up of 22 young people between the ages of 13 and 21.
Over the coming months they will visit the Olympic site, work with planners and help shape future plans for the Olympic Park.
Chief executive of the Olympic Park Legacy Company, Andrew Altman, said: ‘We want young people to feel a sense of ownership towards the Olympic Park because they will be the generation that will most experience the change the east London over the next 24 years.’
The youth panel is run by Fundamental Architectural Inclusion, an architecture centre based in Stratford which helps communities participate in the design of their neighbourhoods.
In the next five months the panel will work with masterplanners, visit schools and take part in a photography project. Their work will culminate in a summer event at which they will present their experience to other teenagers from the host Olympic boroughs.
Yuan Chen, one of the youth panel members, said: ‘I think it will be an amazing opportunity to be part of the Olympics coming to London and help create a lasting legacy that will benefit all the different communities that live on the doorstep of the Olympic Park.’
A recent report advised the Olympic Park Legacy Company to focus on the goal of improving the lives of people in east London
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Resident-led self-regulation has the potential to change social housing for the better by giving real power to customers who have little consumer choice or voice, according to a new report.
The approach is outlined in a paper commissioned by the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) and written by the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH), which claims involvement in performance management offers tenants the power to challenge their housing organisation, driving up performance and cutting down on external intervention.
It follows three years of work by CIH on a model that helps residents influence decisions. The approach draws on existing practice where tenants pioneered schemes that saw them call landlords to account, take a lead role in improving frontline services, scrutinise performance and ensure their housing organisation was well-governed.
Aldwyck Housing Group established a Customer Scrutiny Panel in 2008 which meets the board twice a year to question them on performance. Concerns raised over vacant properties led to a re-examination of the process. The time a property is now left empty was subsequently cut and savings made.
CIH head of policy Abigail Davies, who co-authored the report, said: ‘The early adopters of resident-led self-regulation have done some great work and have paved the way for others to follow.
‘If it becomes widespread in the housing sector, it will bring clear benefits to tenants, housing providers and the regulator.’
Replacing the current ‘bloated’ inward investment system with a localist approach would help the UK regain its global competitive edge, according to a new report.
Inward investment begins at home says diverting the millions spent on branding the UK overseas to local initiatives would help attract jobs and investment.
Produced by consultancy Breeze Strategy - an adviser to governments, regions and local authorities - it calls for a five-pronged approach that is localised, business-led, transparent, efficient and effective.
Recommendations include creating an ‘investment attraction fund’ by removing the direct funding link between UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) and regional development agencies (RDAs) to encourage competitive bids.
The report says the creation of RDAs imposed on the whole country a particular structural model, but argues that the ‘complex nature’ of investment attraction means some areas would be better served by a regional approach, while others may favour more of a city-region model.
Other ideas for reform called for include a new eBay-style UK inquiry portal and simplifying measures and scrapping targets to help avoid ‘red herring’ headline figures and misleading statistics on jobs and projects.
Breeze Strategy founder Adam Breeze, a former head of inward investment for government regeneration agency English Partnerships, said: ‘The organisation and funding arrangements in place are outdated, inefficient and ineffective. If nothing is done to change this system, the UK risks losing more jobs and companies to global competitors that have more professional and efficient investment promotion structures.
‘The structure of investment promotion has become bloated with a profusion of quangos which have presided over a damaging shift from local needs to regional and national diktat. This has caused increased bureaucracy and Whitehall control at the expense of private sector and local involvement.’
Councils could double their money as well as strengthen local economies and communities by using ‘progressive procurement’, according to a new report.
By building economic, social and environmental benefits into contracts, councils could yield £2 for every £1 spent, says the Association for Public Service Excellence (Apse).
Its guide considers the barriers preventing councils getting the most from their procurement and draws upon best practice examples.
The research, in partnership with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies, also highlights measures including:
• Introducing specific ‘community benefits’ clauses in contract evaluation
• Building strong relationships with local suppliers
• ‘Contract unbundling’ to enable smaller suppliers to compete
• Advertising locally through a procurement portal
Apse chief executive, Paul O’Brien, said: ‘Our previous work analysing the ‘local economic footprint’ shows how £1 of public spending can generate £1.64 in the local economy through strong employment and supply chains. If councils considered how to deliver community benefits through their procurement processes, that figure could rise to £2.
‘Achieving community benefits is not just about the money. By looking carefully at how we procure goods and services, we can start to have a real impact on the environment and well-being of communities.’
A revamped waterway and a new bridge are to form part of a £4.4m boost to the New Islington area of Manchester.
Boaters will be able to moor in the area for the first time and a bridge and new paths and canal walkways will connect it to the neighbouring areas of Ancoats and Manchester city centre.
Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) is hoping that the revamp will help attract more than £250m of investment to allow the broader development of New Islington.
Steve Broomhead, chief executive of NWDA, said: ‘New Islington is a major regeneration scheme but was at risk of delay due to current market conditions. Our aim is to bring new life, activity and revenue into the area.’
The wider New Islington project will include a new primary school, health centre, shops and almost 1,500 new homes. Three residential developments have been completed including an Urban Splash development called Chips. Partners in the project include urban regeneration company New East Manchester (NEM) and the Homes and Communities Agency.
The new investment from NWDA will include start up costs for the canal marina, a new major footbridge and canal connections.
Work is expected to be complete by the end of 2010.