EMC POLICY BRIEF A weekly round up of local government news in the East Midlands brought to you by East Midlands Councils

Top items this week 18 SEPTEMBER 2015

Immigration Bill Employment Law Shadow Cabinet named EMC Events

Regional campaign to electrify the Midland Mainline EMC organised a Parliamentary Meeting on Wednesday of MPs, Council Leaders, and Business Representatives to progress the current campaign for electrification of the Midland Mainline. Delegates supported the clear benefits of electrification to the region which include faster, more frequent and more reliable services to , creating jobs and serving as a huge economic boost. Delegates will now meet with Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin and Network Rail chairman Sir Peter Hendy on 4th November in talks which are likely to influence whether the scheme will be carried out. A petition to Government in support of the upgrade can be signed here

EMC News Councillor Development Activity -This week EMC has delivered 3 development sessions for Councillors on Chairing Skills and Scrutiny. Across the sessions 70 Councillors from 21 different local authorities participated and the feedback has been great. EU Energy and Environment Event, 2 October - EMC is holding an event on EU Policy towards Energy and the Environment. The event will explore current EU policy towards Energy and the Environment and will provide an opportunity for delegates to discuss and share views on the impact. This is the final event in a wider programme of events EMC has delivered in 2015 on behalf of the UK Representation of the EU. Further information available here. EMC Boards Activity EMC Executive Board- The Board is to meet next week; items for the agenda include: Devolution and developments in the East Midlands, Midland Mainline Electrification and High Speed 2 and Infrastructure Priorities—Midlands Connect/Engine.

EMC Support Work Recruitment and Selection Training and Managing a Remote Workforce - EMC colleagues are delivering training next week to officers at member local authorities around recruitment and selection training and Managing a Remote Workforce. EMC Councillor Events Key Policy Issues for Local Government, 23 September 2015 - EMC is holding a policy overview seminar for Councillors in the East Midlands. The event has been designed to support new Councillors by providing an overview of key policy issues for local government, covering Welfare Reform, Housing Policy, Planning and Devolution in the East Midlands. For further information visit here Facing the Media Confidently, 26 November 2015 - This half-day seminar is designed to give a good overview of the workings of the media, show how to use the media proactively and will highlight any areas where further training would be beneficial. For further information visit here Infrastructure, Planning & Housing Planning Masterclass: Preparing for EIPs into Local Plans - East Midlands Councils is pleased to once again be teaming up with Timothy Leader from 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square Chambers to deliver a one day Planning Masterclass on 14 March 2016 at our offices in Melton Mowbray. The Masterclass will aim to help local planning offices prepare for and perform well at EIPs into local plans. For further information or to book a place please click here Local authorities urged to bid for a share of £5m to retrofit buses with emission-cutting technology— The Clean Bus Technology Fund 2015 will be open for bids until the end of October, and will provide successful local authorities with up to £500,000 to help tackle air pollution. Click here for details of how to apply. Pylons to be removed from Protective Landscapes—Part of the Peak District National Park has been selected, along with the New Forest, Snowdonia and Dorset, to have overhead power lines replaces by underground cables. The National Grid has set aside £500m for the project. Experts to consider speeding up local plans—DCLG has announced details of an eight-strong panel which will consider how the local plan-making process can be simplified "with the aim of slashing the amount of time it takes for local authorities to get them in place". Special measures memorandum published—DCLG has formally published a memorandum setting out its criteria and justification for changing the threshold for so-called under-performing planning authorities. The criteria involve speed of decision-making and quality, measured by decisions which go to appeal and how they fare.

Economic Development, Skills & Education £8m funding for Rural Businesses - Farming Minister George Eustice has announced that rural businesses across the country looking to expand will be able to benefit from new funding worth over £8 million which will help unlock the huge potential for growth in the countryside.

Health & Social Care Ex-addicts should be at the heart of service design - Local authorities have been urged to involve recovering alcohol and drug users in developing treatment services in a new guide from Public Health England (PHE). The guide can be found here ‘Must knows’ for lead members for children’s services 2015/16—The LGA has revised its 'Must knows'; a long-standing source of information and support for lead members for children's services (LMCS). The suite of information can be downloaded from this link Improving Health Outcomes and Experience Partnership Event —The East Midlands Partner Organisations (EMPO) are holding an interactive one day event on Tuesday 22nd September 2015 to explore how partners will be moving forward in the delivery of the Five Year Forward View (FYFV) and new NHS challenges. Click here for details.

Employers’ Issues EMC launch monthly HR Bulletin- EMC launched their monthly HR Bulletin on 18 September at a meeting of HR Leads across member authorities. The Bulletin will include a feature article written by Darren Newman, a top Employment Law specialist. His first article covers Employment Law and Social Media and offers analysis and advice to local authorities. CEEP UK News Alert - 11 September 2015 - CEEP UK’s newsletters provide an update on recent developments at European level which are of interest to the public sector. The 11 September newsletter can be downloaded here. It contains a range of articles including: State aid/Almunia package - Commission publishes Member State reports on public services compensations; CEEP Transport Task Force update; and Social Europe e-newsletter . Employment Law Update—The LGA’s latest employment bulletin contains case reports on indirect discrimination and holiday pay, plus a consultation on proposed changes to the taxation of termination payments, news on the Government announcement that it will require front line public sector workers to be fluent in English, the LGA response to the Government consultation on the proposed cap on exit payments in the public sector and the employment law timetable.

Jeremy Corbyn names Shadow Cabinet The new Labour leader appointed his Shadow Cabinet this week - Those of particular relevance to local government and the East Midlands include:  Shadow Communities Secretary—  Shadow Secretary of State for Transport— (MP for Nottingham South)  Shadow Secretary of State for Environment—Kerry McCarthy  Shadow Minister for Housing and Planning—  Shadow Minister for Young People and Voter Registration— (MP for Ashfield)  Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary—Vernon Coaker (MP for Gedling)  Shadow Minister without Portfolio—Jon Ashworth (MP for Leicester South) A full list of Shadow Cabinet appointments can be found here

Local Government Policy Refugee Resettlement Latest—EMC’s website contains up to date information for local authori- ties, including information on the new Red Cross helpline. East Midlands’ local authorities who are interested in participating in the scheme or require further information should contact sa- [email protected] Guidance on how individuals and local councils can help can be found here . The Immigration Bill 2015 was also published this week. The Bill includes a range of measures which will have a di- rect impact on local authorities including housing, regulatory services and social care. The Bill can be found here The East Midlands Strategic Migration Partnership has responded to the recent consultation on changes to support for failed asylum seekers and other illegal migrants. This dialogue is ongoing with the and the local government sector. £775,000 boost for re-use and recycling of old electricals - Local authorities arebeing urged to bid for support from a new scheme to help increase the collection, re-use and recycling of unwanted electrical items. Single project bids of up to £40,000 are sought from individual local authorities, with up to £100,000 available for consortia bids. All project proposals must be submitted by 30 October 2015.

EMC Events Executive PA Skills, 18 November 2015 - EMC is holding a one day programme for Executive sec- retaries, this is a very interactive, developmental programme with lots of opportunities to get to meet and share ideas with colleagues. For further information about this event visit here

ILM Level 5 Award in Leadership and Management - EMC is offering an exciting opportunity to join an ILM 5 Award in Leadership and Management, starting in November 2015. As an open pro- gramme those involved will have the opportunity to learn from and with others across the East Midlands. For fur- ther information about this event visit here

EMC Leadership East Midlands Councils

Chair: Cllr Martin Hill OBE First Floor Offices, South Annexe Vice Chair: Cllr Jon Collins Pera Business Park Vice Chair: Cllr Neil Clarke MBE Nottingham Road Conservative Group: Cllr Chris Millar Melton Mowbray Labour Group: Cllr Robert Parker . Leicestershire Lib Dem Group: Cllr David Bill MBE LE13 0PB Independent Group: Cllr Alan Walters Click on our Twitter & YouTube ac- Executive Director: Stuart Young counts for further information.