NEWS
Electoral Commission seeks to standardise elections
The Electoral Commission is trying to stamp out inconsistencies and loopholes in the process of standing for election.
It has launched a consultation to get views on the varying size of deposits that need to be put down on different types of election, access to election broadcasts, and the rules on disqualifications.
The Commission has flagged
up widely differing rules for the elections of MPs, councillors, PCCs, MSPs, MEP and those standing for the Welsh Assembly.
Jenny Watson, chair of the Electoral Commission, said: “It’s now a decade since we reviewed this area of the law, and despite our last review leading to changes that improved the system, there are still inconsistencies which can cause confusion for candidates
New Homes Bonus diversion ‘hugely disappointing’, argues LGA
Diverting funds from a housing programme to LEPs’ Local Growth Fund could risk progress on housing development, the Local Government Association has warned.
The Government announced that £400m of the New Homes Bonus, an incentive for local authorities to accept new homes into their area, will be pooled within LEP areas in 2015/16.
The LGA said this could reduce
the effectiveness of the housing incentive. Cllr Mike Jones, chair of the LGA’s Environment and Housing Board, said: “The removal of funding breaks the promise Government made to give councils freedom over how funding could be used. This threatens councils’ plans to devolve funds to local communities, support local services and invest in housing and regeneration projects.
“Councils have already committed
income expected from the New Homes Bonus to vital long-term investment projects to pay for local services and support new housing and economic growth.
“It is hugely disappointing that Government fails to recognise that redistributing this money will make it more difficult for councils to keep paying for local services and significantly undermine the reward to communities who accept new housing developments.”
Councillors must disclose trade union links under new DCLG ruling
Councillors are being forced to disclose their trade union ‘dealings’ under new Government rules.
The Department for Communities & Local Government’s guidance on openness and transparency of councillors’ personal interests has been revised to specifically include registering union memberships.
Local government minister Brandon Lewis said: “Given the public debate about ‘facility time’ and ‘pilgrims’ in local government, it’s vital that conflicts of interest are avoided. These transparency reforms will give local people the confidence that their councillors are putting residents’ interests before their own.”
The DCLG said an example of a conflict of interest would be a review of taxpayer-funded subsidies for trade unions being de- cided upon by a trade union mem- ber.
It is part of the 10 | public sector executive Sep/Oct 13
wider changes to local authority standards, replacing the old Standards Board, which require councils to adopt a code of conduct based on ‘Nolan principles’: the involvement of an independent person in allegations of misconduct, a register of members’ pecuniary interests, and a new criminal offence for failing to declare or register pecuniary interests.
Brian Strutton, national secretary for public services for the GMB union, called the new policy “a damp squib that I don’t think anyone will be too worried about”. He said councillors of all political parties are proud of their union membership and happy to declare it.
and agents alike.”
The consultation will run until Wednesday 18 December.
Councils ‘need to improve websites’
Socitm has published the latest figures on the best and worst performing local authority websites.
The best performing services were council tax, libraries, leisure and housing, while those with the most ‘failed visits’ included social care, environmental health, parking and planning. In August 2013, 42.8 million visits were made to UK council websites, up from 27.6 million visits in August 2012.
Martin Greenwood, who runs Socitm Insight, said: “Councils need to improve their websites continuously just to keep up with customer expectations.”
Serious case review ‘library’ launched
A new central repository will allow child care professionals to learn from serious case reviews (SCRs), the NSPCC has announced.
In collaboration with the Association of Independent LSCB (Local Safeguarding Children Board) Chairs,
the NSPCC
will make the reviews publicly available
to increase learning.
Sue Woolmore, who chairs the Association, said it would be an “invaluable asset”.
First Social Enterprise Cities announced
Bristol and Plymouth have won Social Enterprise City status under a scheme run by Social Enterprise UK.
Peter Holbrook, Social Enterprise UK’s chief executive, said: “Continued austerity is dismantling communities and local amenities, deepening the UK’s social problems and leaving many people out in the cold. Social enterprise cities are taking matters into their own hands, re- injecting life into their local area and protecting local economies using social enterprise.
“Bristol and Plymouth are prime examples of what enterprising communities can achieve in times of hardship.”
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