15Th May 2015
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Weekly e Briefing: 15 May 2015 Welcome to the Commissioner’s weekly horizon scanning brief: 1. Legislation (Legislation, Home Office, APCC, press comments, reports and campaigns relating to strategy, policy and programmes) 2. Strategic policing and crime news (relevant crime and criminal justice information and partners’ policy/reports/campaigns) 3. Developments and reports (covering research across political, economic, social, technological, environmental and organisations) 4. Consultations (police and crime bulletins, research, consultations and press releases) 5. Reviews and Inspections (covering various reviews, inspections and audits across policing) Contact Officer: [email protected] 1. Legislation General Election 2015 Completed update on the new MPs. Immigration Act 2014: appeals 'Legal highs' to be banned under temporary power Historic law to end Modern Slavery passed The Counter-Terrorism and Security Act 2015 (Risk of Being Drawn into Terrorism) (Amendment and Guidance) Regulations 2015 Serious Crime Bill: overarching documents New rules to crackdown on violent prisoners comes into force Bill on PCC recall Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 2. Strategic policing and crime news Her Majesty's Government: May 2015 The government appointments have been confirmed as at 14 May 2015. Counter-Extremism Bill - National Security Council meeting 15 May 2015 Weekly e Briefing: At the first meeting of the new National Security Council (NSC) plans for a new Counter- Extremism Bill will be discussed. Circular 017/2015: Employee and employer contribution rates 2015 to 2016 This circular is intended to clarify for police forces the employee and employer contribution rates for the police pension schemes. 3. Developments and reports George Osborne’s first speech on creating a ‘Northern Powerhouse’ Codes of practice for the acquisition, disclosure and retention of communications data Guidance on the procedures that should be followed when the communications data is accessed or disclosed under RIPA, or retained under DRIPA or the ATCSA. Crime news: Crown Court fees now paid directly to trial advocates Payments are now being made to advocates attending the main hearing in Crown Court cases. Crime news: Professional Court User wi-fi now in 32 courts Wi-fi rollout has now been completed in 24 magistrates’ and 8 Crown Court buildings. The system being used is ‘Professional Court User (PCU) wi-fi’. There are 302 sites across the court estate. Making crime pay? Proceeds of crime is not a topic that you would expect to read about in a property context. The phrase conjures up images of drug dealers, fast cars and money laundering, but surprisingly the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 can apply in a property context. Local authorities can and do rely upon this legislation to penalise breaches of the planning rules, with serious consequences for property owners. County says ‘sorry’ to local children after third critical inspection A county has apologised to local children after its services were rated ‘inadequate’ for the third time in five years by inspectors. Cumbria County Council has pledged to rapidly improve its children’s services following a damning report by Ofsted that warned children in care were not being sufficiently prioritised. Osborne to unveil ‘radical’ devolution plan Chancellor George Osborne is expected to offer cities more power over housing, planning and transport today, if they agree to be governed by a directly elected mayor. 'One size does not fit all' for devolution plans The Government has been warned against adopting a ‘one size fits all’ devolution model, with the sector highlighting the needs of local areas in response to the Cities Devolution Bill. Three groups agree power-sharing deal at Stoke-on-Trent 2 15 May 2015 Weekly e Briefing: Three parties have agreed to form a coalition to take control of Stoke-on-Trent City Council. The deal will see Conservative, UKIP and independent councillors form a majority at the council after labour failed to gain overall control in last week’s election. Preparing the Commission for future opportunities - Foresight network fiches 2030 What will the future bring when it comes to digital technologies, for example in the field of health and wellbeing? This new report tells us what to expect for 2030. County leader pushes for town hall merger The outgoing leader of North Yorkshire CC has called for his county to be merged with districts to form a unitary. Labour market statistics: May 2015 The main findings of this release are that employment continued to rise and unemployment continued to fall. These changes continue the general direction of movement since late 2011 to early 2012. For January to March 2015, 73.5% of people aged from 16 to 64 were in work, up from 72.5% for a year earlier. The unemployment rate for January to March 2015 was 5.5%, down from 6.8% for a year earlier. IoD – Strong jobs figures show businesses continuing to power the recovery Responding to employment and wage figures released by the Office for National Statistics which showed the unemployment rate falling to 5.5% and wages including bonuses growing at 1.9% over the past year, James Sproule, the IoD’s Chief Economist said: “These figures are welcome evidence that British businesses continue to power the economic recovery. Employment continues to grow, unemployment continues to fall, and wages continue to rise.” Public sector employment expectations rise for Q2 but pay remains subdued Employment prospects in the public sector have continued to improve marginally for Q2 but wage growth remains subdued, according to a new report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). Cameron will deliver devolution promises ‘as fast as he can’ David Cameron says he will lead a government for “one nation” but will implement as fast as he can the devolution deals that all parties agreed for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Pickles: Still ‘awful lot’ of money to be saved in councils Eric Pickles has said there is still an ‘awful lot’ of money to be saved in local government that would not impact on frontline services. A political, long-term housing strategy needed – KPMG With the gap between house prices and wages still growing, the next government needs an apolitical, long-term housing strategy, engaging both public and private sectors, research from KPMG has reiterated. A model approach to transforming public services 3 15 May 2015 Weekly e Briefing: Andrew Grant, chief executive of Aylesbury Vale District Council, explains how his authority is tackling central government cuts by operating in a more businesslike way. Shared services save councils nearly £500m since 2012 Councils have saved more than £100m through sharing services in the past year, according to new figures from the Local Government Association (LGA). Iain Duncan Smith returns to manage £12bn welfare cuts Iain Duncan Smith will continue to oversee the Conservative’s sweeping welfare reform as work and pensions secretary, David Cameron has announced. Local leaders need ‘space and stability’ from Tories, says health body Organisations from across the NHS have urged the new Conservative government to boost care funding and help local leaders transform care. Landmark ruling to change how councils assess vulnerability of homeless Councils will be obliged to house more single homeless people following a landmark judgement regarding how they assess someone’s vulnerability. Most councils failing to offer core services online finds research Only a quarter of councils offer more than half of their core services online, according to new research into the progress of digital transformation. Local Authorities Manage Budget Cuts with Digital Strategy Recent survey of hundreds of UK local authorities to see how they’ve been adjusting to the latest round of budget cuts—and the results have been striking. Councils need to do more to tackle housing benefit fraud says new survey The illegal claiming of housing benefit is the biggest tenancy fraud problem facing councils, according to the results of a new survey. Abolish council tax bands, argues think tank Council tax bands should be abolished, giving local authorities the freedom to set their own flat rate levy, according to a report from a think tank. Tenants 'living in fear' as evictions hit record high The number of tenants evicted from their homes has climbed to a six-year high, as rising rents and welfare cuts leave families 'living in fear'. Combined authority to consult public on elected mayor West Yorkshire Combined Authority has confirmed it will consult local people on introducing a directly elected mayor in exchange for extra powers from Whitehall. Historic £157m council investment brings 12k homes up to scratch Over 12,000 council homes have been bought up to government quality standards after a £157m town hall investment. 4 15 May 2015 Weekly e Briefing: 4. Consultations Local Government Association Remodelling public protection: The future of councils' regulatory services. Department for Communities and Local Government Parking reform: tackling unfair practices. Closes 27 May 2015. Cabinet Office Public service ombudsman. Closes 16 June 2015. Department for Communities and Local Government Extending the remit of the Local Government Ombudsman to larger parish and town councils. Closes 30 June 2015. Strengthening rights for people with learning disabilities Consultation to seek the views to strengthen rights of people with learning disabilities, autism and mental health issues to enable them to live independently. Closes on the 29 May 2015. Sentencing Council tackles dangerous dogs The Sentencing Council has published proposals for how courts should sentence people convicted of dangerous dog offences. The consultation is open until 9th June 2015. Nice Domestic Violence Quality Standard Upcoming Consultation Nice are seeking views and comments on the draft guidance and guidelines for Domestic Violent from the Quality standards programme. The Consultation will run from 11 May to 9 June.