Survey
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Nottingham City Council Policy Digest dDdbriefing Issue 75: February 2014 Follow us on Twitter: @NCCPolicy Introduction Welcome to Issue 75 of the monthly Policy Digest. This Digest covers national policy developments of interest to the Local Government sector. Policy Alerts Since the previous edition we have published a Policy Alert on the Offender Rehabilitation Bill 2013/14 & Probation Reforms on Nottingham Insight. Local News Nottinghamshire - Local Alcohol Action Area The Home Office has announced that Nottinghamshire will be one of twenty Local Alcohol Action Areas across the UK. Each area will benefit from advice and support from both the Government and the alcohol industry to help reduce alcohol related crime and disorder, alcohol related harm and promote growth within the night-time economy. Council Tax Support Scheme (CTSS) 2014/15 Nottingham City Council will adopt a new CTSS for 2014/15 from April 2014. Following consultation, the Scheme for 2014/15 puts a maximum limit of 80% on the amount of council tax support that can be paid to all working age people, so these households will pay at least 20% of their Council Tax bill. Last year the Council's scheme gave help with up to 91.5% by using a one-off grant from the Government and finding an extra £1million from council funds. Unfortunately, further Government cuts mean that the Council cannot run such a generous scheme in the coming financial year. Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) allocation 2014/15 Nottingham City Council has been allocated £965,532 funding for DHPs in 2014/15. Government guidance recommends that DHPs should be targeted at the most vulnerable tenants affected by some of the key welfare reforms. Nottingham City Council have a DHP policy in place which takes account of this guidance. Near Neighbours Funding The Government has announced a £3 million extension of the Near Neighbours Programme to nine more areas, including Nottingham. The programme provides small grants to community groups in areas of significant religious diversity to help run projects which will bring together people of different faiths to improve their neighbourhoods. NATIONAL POLICY NEWS Click to jump to: Crime & Justice Economy & Business Education & Children Energy & Climate Change Health & Adult Social Care Housing & Planning Local Government Transport Welfare Note: This policy alert is for information only and does not constitute official Nottingham City Council policy Crime & Justice Female Genital Mutilation All NHS Acute Hospitals in England from September 2014 will be obliged to send information to the Department of Health (DfH) on all patients who have been victims of female genital mutilation (FGM). Hospitals will also be required to record any historic evidence of FGM within families and any incidences of FGM-related procedures. For more information click here. LGA Calls for Licensing Reform The Local Government Association (LGA) has published a paper calling for reforms within licensing. The report entitled Re-wiring Public Services – Licensing calls for a comprehensive review of licensing legislation, the devolution of licence fee setting to local authorities and the introduction of a Public Health licensing objective. New Regulations for Bailiffs From April 2014, all civil enforcement officers will be required to follow a new set of regulations designed to ensure better practice within the industry. The new regulations will revise the existing fee structure, put in place new mandatory training and certification requirements and impose new rules on how bailiffs can pursue debts. Economy & Business Business Rates and Business Rates Relief The Government has published guidance for local authorities in England about the operation and delivery of Business Rate relief for retail businesses. The Government has also published the Terms of Reference for its review of the administration of business rates. This looks to begin the reform of the administration of business rates post-2017. Bank of England’s Forecasts for the Economy raised as interest rates held The BoE expects the economy to grow by 3.4% in 2014, compared with its previous forecast of 2.8%. Changes in interest rates have been linked to a wider basket of indicators than the previous ‘forward guidance’ link solely to unemployment levels. Quick Links The Institute of Public Policy Research have published an industrial strategy for the creative industries. The report outlines how a more co-ordinated approach could help fulfil the UK’s potential as a world leader in creative content. Richard Holt of Capital Economics has said as much as £13.8bn could be knocked off the value of the economy if at-risk flood areas suffer a month’s loss of output – effectively reducing GDP by just over 1%. The Low Pay Commission has recommended a rise of 3% in the adult minimum wage – to £6.50 per hour. The second estimate of 2013’s final quarter GDP confirmed growth in that quarter as 0.7%, but modified 2013’s overall growth figure down slightly from 1.9% to 1.8%. Education & Children Maths in further education Up to £20 million will be made available to encourage graduates to teach maths in further education colleges. The funding will be channeled in 3 ways: 1. A golden hello; a bonus of £7,500 for graduates teaching maths in further education Note: This policy alert is for information only, and does not constitute official Nottingham City Council policy Page 2 of 6 2. A recruitment incentive scheme; a bonus payment of £20,000 to colleges and training providers who recruit a specialist graduate maths teacher and; 3. A Subject Knowledge Enhancement scheme; to enable highly qualified graduates to develop specific maths skills. Quick links Updated Government guidelines have been issued to schools regarding the development of school behaviour policies and explains the powers staff have to discipline pupils. The Future Scholar Award scheme is now available to year 9 pupils in all state funded schools in England. Nominated pupils can attend taster lectures or seminars at a Russell Group University. Sir Martin Narey publishes his report Making the education of social workers consistently effective. The report advises on the extent to which recent reforms years have impacted on basic training and whether improvements are still needed to be made. It makes 18 recommendations. The Government has published a response. The 23rd Report of the School Teachers’ Review Body has been published. Its recommendations cover issues including leadership pay; allowances; provisions relating to safeguarding; and teachers’ non-pay terms and conditions. £500,000 of new funding is available to train teachers in software coding. The Year of Code training campaign coincides with the new computing curriculum beginning in September 2014. Energy & Climate Change Storms and Floods in the UK The Met Office has published a report looking at whether climate change has been a contributing factor in the recent series of storms to hit the UK. Energy from Waste guide The Department Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has published an updated guide to inform discussions and decisions relating to energy from waste. It highlights key environmental, technical and economic issues and aims to raise the level of understanding and debate around energy from waste. It identifies options that could be considered and discusses the future direction of policy. Smart Grid vision and route-map The Smart Grid Forum has published its vision and route-map which sets out the benefits that smart grids will bring, such as minimising consumer bills; allowing consumers to play a more active role in managing the energy system; increasing energy security; helping to facilitate the integration of low carbon technologies; and supporting economic growth. The smart grid is a modernised electricity grid that uses information and communications technology to monitor and actively control power generation and demand in near real-time, which provides a more reliable and cost effective system for transporting electricity from generators to homes, business and industry. Health & Adult Social Care Children’s Public Health Commissioning The Government has announced that the responsibility for children's public health commissioning for 0-5 year olds will transfer from NHS England to local authorities on 1 October 2015. This will mark the final part of the public health transfer. Note: This policy alert is for information only, and does not constitute official Nottingham City Council policy Page 3 of 6 The NHS is not meeting the “Nicholson Challenge” The Health Select Committee’s annual inquiry into public expenditure on health and social care concluded that the health and care system needs fundamental change if it is to meet the needs of patients. The Nicholson Challenge requires the health and care system to deliver fundamental change so that services are joined up and focused on the needs of patients. The inquiry found that while many of the straightforward savings have been made, they have not seen the transformation of care on the scale which is needed to meet demand and improve care quality. The Committee also reiterated its recommendation that the current level of real terms funding for social care should be ring-fenced. Think tank Demos reports on the impact of the Care Bill and how to encourage people to consider their future care costs The report Unlocking the Potential examines how likely the Government is to succeed in fostering a new market in long-term care products and explores additional policy measures to facilitate more forward planning. The report suggests the Care Bill will not be enough on its own to produce a step change in the way people plan for social care and that policy must also draw on behavioural economics to spur people into action. Mental Illness costs UK £70bn Mental illness is costing the UK around £70bn a year, with approximately a million people on employment benefit suffering a common disorder such as depression or anxiety. An OECD report found that Britain had the highest claimant count for mental health conditions in the developed world, with a cost to the economy of 4.4% of GDP from welfare payments, lost productivity and healthcare. New research finds link between where children live and fast food outlets Children who reside near fast food outlets are more likely to be obese when compared to their peers from other neighbourhoods, according to a new study by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the Centre for Diet and Activity Research (CEDAR). They suggest findings should prompt the Government and local councils to look at preventing "high concentrations of fast food and other unhealthy food outlets" in a single area. The research indicates older children in particular are more likely to be overweight when living in close proximity to a wide range of unhealthy eating outlets. Turning the tide of inactivity A new report published by UKactive, provides a detailed analysis of physical inactivity at a national and local levels. It examines the rate of inactivity in each top tier local authority and analyses its relationship with deprivation, premature mortality, cost and spend, leisure facilities and green spaces. Nottingham is ranked 122nd out of 150 (no. 1 is the least inactive, no. 150 is the most inactive). The Government has also published Moving More, Living More which considers the promotion of physical activity as part of the legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Quick Links MPs have voted in favour to make it a criminal offence to smoke in cars in England when children are passengers, as part of an amendment to the Children and Families Bill. According to a report by Carers UK families looking after disabled relatives are facing a £1bn funding cut in the next four years due to changes to the benefits system and restrictions on Carer's Allowance. The figures are part of a year-long research. A report commissioned by Comic Relief provides an in-depth look at the experience of residents/patients, staff and organisations involved in care homes and hospitals. Note: This policy alert is for information only, and does not constitute official Nottingham City Council policy Page 4 of 6 The Mental Health Crisis Care agreement has been published. It is a joint statement about how public services should work together to respond to people who are in mental health crisis. The Health Select Committee published a report following an inquiry examining how Public Health England has set about establishing its policy priorities and programme of work. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published new guidance to raise awareness among health professionals coming into contact with domestic violence victims. Housing English Housing Survey The English Housing Survey for 2012/13 has been published. It is a national survey of people's housing circumstances and the condition and energy efficiency of housing in England. (This survey used to be run as two standalone surveys: the English House Condition Survey and the Survey of English Housing). Social housing mobility guidance The Government has published new guidance on promoting mobility through mutual exchange between social housing tenants. Mutual exchange or home swap can bring benefits for social landlords and tenants. It can help tenants who wish to move home, whether to take up employment, be closer to family and friends or to downsize. For landlords, it can help make best use of housing stock. The guidance draws on lessons from 12 pilot schemes. Local Government Council Tax Referendum kept at 2.0% On 12 February the House of Commons approved the council tax referendum principles and final local government finance settlement for 2014-15. This confirms the final distribution of around £23 billion to councils in England, announced on 5 February, and the requirement for councils to hold a referendum if they set a Band D council tax increase of 2% or more. Commission on Local Government Finance An independent commission into local government finance is to be undertaken by the Local Government Association and the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy . Quick Link The Local Audit and Accountability Act has passed Royal Assent and is now law. Transport Early warning system for bus networks to help tackle weather disruption The Government has agreed it will establish an early warning system, building on existing channels of communication between train companies and those running buses and coaches to ensure a quick response to emerging challenges, identifying areas where disruption could be minimised and additional services may be needed. Quick Link HS2: Consultation on the Environmental Statement closed on the 27 February, with key concerns arising around a lack of future flood assessments in light of the recent extreme weather. The Government has also published its response to the Transport Committee’s 14th special report ‘High Speed Rail: On track?’ focusing on costs, construction and the wider economic benefits. Note: This policy alert is for information only, and does not constitute official Nottingham City Council policy Page 5 of 6 Public finances National Audit Office: Most of Regional Growth Fund unspent More than three quarters of the Regional Growth Fund - set up to boost regional economies remains unspent, according to a new report. The NAO progress report says that of the £2.6bn allocated via the Regional Growth Fund, only £492m has so far reached projects. Tax Take Weak in January January saw a fall in the UK’s budget surplus to £4.7bn, down from the £6bn in the same month last year. Economists had forecast a surplus of £8.15bn. January's outturn was the smallest surplus for that month since 2010. Previous performance suggests the Government will still meet its borrowing target. Welfare Household Food Security DEFRA has published a report into Household Food Security in the UK: a Review of Food Aid. The research, carried out by Warwick University and the Food Ethics Council, provides a snapshot of the diversity of work currently being done to provide food aid, in the UK and elsewhere; an overview of the research evidence base available; and some key reflections on trends and trajectories in food aid provision and outcomes. Minimum earnings threshold for EEA migrants introduced From 1 March an EEA migrant will have to show that for 3 months they have been earning at the level at which employees start paying National Insurance (£150 a week) to gain access to a range of benefits. Quick Links DWP statistical releases can be found here: Sanctions statistics for claimants of Job Seekers Allowance and Employment Support Allowance between 22 October 2012 and 30 September 2013. Previously figures were available up to 30 June 2013. 3,610 people claimed Universal Credit up to November 2013. New jobseekers in Bath and Harrogate will be able to make a claim for Universal Credit from 24 February. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) new claims show that in December 2013, 50% of all new PIP claims led to an award. Benefits Cap: Numbers of households capped to December 2013. Looking ahead The Looking Ahead document gives an overview of the publications we expect in the coming months, until May 2014. Some of these will be the subject of Policy Alerts. All Policy Alerts and Policy Digests are prepared by Partnerships, Nottingham City Council, and are available on Nottingham Insight. Please send any feedback to Kerry Ferguson, 0115 87 63415. Note: This policy alert is for information only, and does not constitute official Nottingham City Council policy Page 6 of 6