‘National’ Archives
Pickles: councils need to give more help to voluntary sector
Eric Pickles has issued new guidelines designed to ensure local community groups receive greater support from councils. The communities and local government secretary unveiled proposals for a new "social responsibility deal", which will ask local authorities to give charities at least three months' notice of any funding reductions. Pickles [...]
Unemployment declines except for worrying rise for youngsters and women
The number of jobless 16 to 24-year-olds increased by 12,000 over the quarter to 963,000, while the total for 16 and 17-year-olds increased by 14,000 to 218,000, the highest since records began in 1992. The latest employment figures released this morning saw unemployment fall by 17,000 in the quarter to February, to 2.48 million, a [...]
Voluntary sector shares views on NHS modernisation
Amid grave concerns over the government's NHS reforms, representatives from the voluntary sector are to meet the prime minister, deputy prime minister and health secretary Andrew Lansley at Downing Street, as part of a listening exercise on NHS modernisation. The membership of the NHS Future Forum, which aims to drive engagement in the [...]
Cooper launches Labour’s review of antisocial behaviour
Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has launched a new Labour party review of antisocial behaviour policy on a visit to Blackpool, amid growing concerns that the coalition is weak on crime and antisocial behaviour. Launching the scheme, she said that the government was taking too many risks with crime and antisocial behaviour and local [...]
Under-18s banned from sunbed salons from today
Businesses will face fines of up to £20,000 if they allow under-18s to use sunbeds from today. Public health minister Anne Milton announced that the new Sunbeds (Regulation) Act aims to protect under-18s in search of a year-round tan from putting their health at risk. Overexposure to UV rays has become the main cause of skin cancer. Two [...]
Minimum wage is to go up in October by 15p per hour
The national minimum wage is to increase by 15p an hour to £6.08 in October, benefiting almost a million workers, the Government announced today. Ministers said they had accepted recommendations from the Low Pay Commission, giving a new adult rate of £6.08, while the statutory wage for 18-20-year-olds will increase by 6p to £4.98 an [...]
Denham: Government should rethink its growth strategy and invest in our regions
Hundreds of critical regional projects will not receive funding from the Regional Growth Fund, despite projects in the north west region having bid for nearly twice the available amount. Figures obtained by the Labour Party show have shown a huge regional oversubscription to the Regional Growth Fund, with one region bidding for almost twice the [...]
Clegg: “Birth has become destiny for many youngsters”
Launching the government's strategy to improve social mobility, deputy prime minister Nick Clegg yesterday claimed it was time to break down barriers preventing poorer children reaching their potential. "It just is not right that for too many young people, birth has become destiny, that the circumstances of someone's birth should shape, narrow [...]
Changes to tax and benefits come into force today
Wide-ranging changes to the tax and benefit systems come into effect from this morning. One of the main changes is the amount people can earn before they have to start paying income tax. The tax threshold will increase by £1,000 to £7,475. The move will lift 500,000 people out of the income tax net, according to government [...]
Shapps hits out at “cuts to hit poorest areas” claim
Housing minister Grant Shapps has hit out at reports that claim he admitted the poorest areas would be hit hardest by the government's "fair and progressive" local government finance settlement. In an interview with Channel 4 News, Shapps was reported to have said that the most deprived areas in England and Wales would inevitably face the [...]