Councils will today be urged to get rid of unnecessary signs, railings and advertising hoardings in a bid to make streets tidier and less confusing for motorists and pedestrians.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles and Transport Secretary Philip Hammond are concerned that the character of the country’s urban spaces is being damaged and have written to councils leaders calling on them to reduce the number of signs and other ‘street clutter’.

The future of transport at the local level will be discussed at a 2nd November Westminster Briefing Conference entitled Local Transport Under the New Government.

To view more details about this event please click here

NHS trusts in England spent more than £300m on external consultancy services last year, figures show. The money was used to pay for advice on a range of issues, from legal contracts to human resources and media work.

The government’s health White Paper, released last month, includes measures to abolish SHAs and PCTs and replace them with GP-led consortiums. Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said he was “staggered by the scale of the expenditure”, adding that he had asked PCTs and SHAs to reduce their management costs by 46% over the next four years.

Westminster Briefing’s forthcoming “Transforming the NHS Summit” will provide delegates with an invaluable opportunity to understand the implications of the changes and discuss how such a transition can be effectively managed.

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Almost 200,000 students are hoping to gain last-minute places at university, following yesterday’s record A-level results.

However, with only 18,000 course spaces available, experts are warning that many talented young people could miss out on the chance to move into higher education. Professor Les Ebdon, of university think tank Million+, said it would be a “tragic waste of talent” if thousands of applicants were left without places. 

Westminster Briefing’s forthcoming Participation in Higher Education Conference, featuring a keynote speech from Lord Browne of Madingely, will provide an opportunity for delegates to understand how fair and wider access to university will be maintained in light of the Browne Review.

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Three-quarters of Britons want smoking in cars carrying children to be banned, according to a poll. Many doctors already support such a ban. Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, last week caused controversy when he said that parents who smoked in front of their young children were “committing a form of child abuse”.

A forthcoming Westminster Briefing on the 14th December entitled “A Smokefree Future: New Approaches to Tobacco Reduction, Protection and Support” will provide participants with the opportunity to consider the coalition Government’s current thinking and future initiatives to tackle smoking in society.

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Ashwin Kumar, Passenger Focus rail director, said yesterday: “In the past, the average fare rise has masked increases on some routes of 10 or 11 per cent. We hope the Government continues to limit train companies’ flexibility so passengers on some routes don’t face double digit rises”.

The future of transport at the local level will be discussed at a 2nd November Westminster Briefing Conference entitled Local Transport Under the New Government.

To view more details about this event please click here

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has reacted to research showing that thousands of people are being forced to give up their homes due to financial difficulties, by stressing that households with debt problems must take early advice.

The message came on the day that national debt charity the CCCS warned that a rise in repossessions during the next 12 months is likely.

A forthcoming Westminster Briefing entitled “Supporting Homeowners Through Tough Times: Providing Accessible Advice & Finance, Preventing Repossessions,” will explore how RSLs, local authorities, advice agencies and lenders can work together to help households in arrears.

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The NHS in England faces a total bill of £65bn for new hospitals built under the private finance initiative (PFI). The so-called “NHS mortgage” means that for some trusts annual repayments take up more than 10% of their turnover. Economists said the fees, which rise each year, would make it harder to achieve savings while doctors said they would mean less money for patient care. But the government said the 103 schemes were providing value for money.

A forthcoming Westminster Briefing Summit entitled “Transforming the NHS Summit 2010: Building a 21st Century Health Service” will provide participants with the opportunity to consider the ongoing and future changes within the NHS to ensure that it can do more with less but still deliver quality healthcare.

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An announcement to MOJ staff has revealed that around £2 billion of the MoJ’s £9 billion budget will be cut.

The PCS Union responded by warning that about 15,000 of the MoJ’s 80,000 staff could be at risk of losing their jobs.

Changes to the Criminal Justice Sstem will be discussed at a 18th November Conference entitled Rehabilitating Offenders and Reducing Reoffending Under the New Government.

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Almost a quarter of the UK population will be aged over 65 in 20 years’ time, rising to over 40% in some areas of the country, government figures revealed today. Ministers published an Age Map they said showed that the country had a “real silver lining” and “graphically illustrated” how an ageing population would need more public finances.

A forthcoming Westminster Briefing entitled “Caring for Older People: New Approaches to Provision, Funding and Support” on 8th September will provide participants with the opportunity to consider the implications of an ageing society and the way ahead for delivering better care older people.

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Higher education institutions in the UK have increased the support they provide to undergraduates from the poorest backgrounds, although bursary applicants are receiving less money per head according to the Office of Fair Access (Offa).

Figures from Offa’s report showed that take-up of bursaries among the poorest students rose to 96 per cent, up from 92 per cent the previous year. But the average amount per applicant was down to £942, compared with £1,019 in 2007-8.

Westminster Briefing’s forthcoming “Participation in Higher Education” conference will examine how universities can protect and improve the drive for wider participation in light of potential reform to tuition fees and HE funding.

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Theresa May, the home secretary and equalities minister, warned the chancellor that cuts in the budget could widen inequality in Britain and ran a “real risk” of breaking the law. May wrote “there are real risks” that people ranging from ethnic minorities to women, to the disabled and the old, would be “disproportionately affected”. May urged that steps be taken to avoid breaking the equality laws, warning that “there is a real risk of successful legal challenge”.

Westminster Briefing are holding three Equality and Diversity events that will discuss the challenges of delivering a fairer and more equal society in the midst of tightening budgets, as well as other key issues for equality and diversity practitioners and providers.

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About 150 top schools in England have applied to become academies. The schools want to opt out of council control and become funded by central government. The government had previously said about 2,000 schools had expressed an interest. It is thought dozens of schools will convert in September.

A forthcoming Westminster Briefing entitled “Academy Status: What will it Really Mean?” on the 13th October will provide delegates with an opportunity to discuss the effect this reform will have on education in this country.

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All out-of-work benefits and tax credits could be scrapped and replaced with a single payment as part of a “radical” shake-up of the welfare system. The idea is one of three options being considered by Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith to make work pay

On 18th November Westminster Briefing will be discussing the  way ahead for welfare reform at a conference entitled ‘Welfare to Work Reform: Investigating the Implications for All Stakeholders’.

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The Home Office yesterday launched its ‘Policing in the 21st century: reconnecting police and the people‘ consultation.

The consultation sets out the government’s vision for policing and how it will:

- cut crime and protect the public
- be more directly accountable to the public
- offer value for money

The introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners in place of Police Authorities is one of the issues to be discussed at a 14th October Westminster Briefing Conference entitled Community Safety Partnerships Under the New Government.

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The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg confirmed yesterday during Prime Minister’s Question Time that the family wing at the controversial immigrant detainee centre Yarls Wood would be closed for good.

Subsequently a Home Office spokesperson stated “The new government has been clear in its commitment to end the detention of children and this includes those held in the family wing at Yarl’s Wood. We are currently working to find an alternative that protects the welfare of children, without undermining our immigration laws.”

The future of Child Asylum policy will be discussed at a forthcoming Westminster Briefing on 9th September entitled ‘Protecting Unaccompanied Child Asylum Seekers – Improving Local Provision Through Multi-Agency Working’.

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Public transport crime costs society £1.5 billion a year newly published DfT figures reveal.

Responding to the figures Transport Minister Norman Baker MP said:

“Passengers and staff rightly expect to travel safely and securely. Thankfully this research shows that crime on public transport is rare.  However one incident is obviously one incident too many, but at its worst it can lead to reduced patronage, damaged vehicles, high staff turnover, and ultimately the withdrawal of services.”

Tackling public transport crime will be discussed at a 15h September Westminster Briefing entitled Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour on Public Transport: Making Journeys Safer.

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The NHS in England has set aside nearly £1.7bn this year for reorganisation – more than seven times what it aims to save on management. The fund – held back from the front line – will help pave the way for GPs to take over budgets from managers. NHS boss Sir David Nicholson said it was there to kick-start the process. The government said significant savings would be made in the long term, but unions voiced concerns about the spending spiralling out of control.

Westminster Briefing is holding a Transforming the NHS Summit on October 19th, which will allow delegates to assess how the health service can overhaul itself in order to meet the reorganisation and savings challenge.

For further details on this event please click here

The Ministry of Justice’s Structural Reform Plan, launched yesterday, sets out the top five priorities for restructuring the criminal justice system:

• Reform of sentencing and penalties
• Rehabilitation revolution
• Courts and legal aid
• Reform of the prison estate
• Civil liberties

Issues surrounding the reform of sentencing and penalties and the rehabilitation revolution will be discussed at a 18th November Conference entitled Rehabilitating Offenders and Reducing Reoffending Under the New Government.

To view further details please click here

A leading Treasury minister has said that greater support for credit unions and mutuals will be at the forefront of plans to reform the financial services sector.

Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Mark Hoban MP, stressed that the coalition Government will build on last year’s Legislative Reform Order and do “whatever it can to help the credit union movement to prosper.”

A forthcoming Westminster Briefing Conference entitled “The Future for Financial Inclusion: Getting Advice & Affordable Finance to Those in Need” will provide delegates with an opportunity to see how new proposals will affect frontline efforts to tackle financial exclusion.

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Home Secretary Theresa May has announced that the policing pledge and public confidence target will be scrapped with immediate effect.

She has also announced that legislation to introduce a ‘directly-elected individual’ to oversee and hold police forces to account will be introduced later in the year.

On 14th October Westminster Briefing will be discussing these issues at a conference entitled Community Safety Partnerships Under the New Government.

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George Osborne has cut growth and borrowing forecasts in the coalition government’s emergency Budget which also raises VAT to 20 per cent from next year.

The chancellor announced that VAT is set to increase from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent, as part of the biggest package of tax increases and spending cuts in a generation

Westminster Briefing will be hosting a number of events where the impact of spending cuts outlined in the budget will be discussed.

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Big hikes in rail fares, more potholes and huge cuts in bus services could be the result of cuts in transport budgets, according to the campaign group Campaign for Better Transport. In the first in-depth look at the implications for transport of the Government’s deficit reduction programme, Campaign for Better Transport’s “Smarter Cuts” report sets out choices in transport spending.

To view the report please click here

Richard Hebditch, Campaigns Director at the Campaign for Better Transport, will be speaking at a 2nd November Westminster Briefing Conference entitled Local Transport Under the New Government.

To view more details about this event please click here

The coalition Government has intimated that integration between higher education and further education institutions will be at the heart of its plans to secure the future of post-16 learning.

In a speech at Oxford Brookes University, the Universities Minister David Willetts said that if “local providers opted for teaching highly-regarded degrees, it could improve students’ employability.”

Westminster Briefing will be providing an opportunity for stakeholders across the higher education and further education sectors to debate the Government’s plans in two separate conferences.

For further details on the forthcoming “Participation in Higher Education” conference please click here.   

For further details on the forthcoming “Reforming Further Education” conference please click here.

Richard Lambert, Director General of the CBI, has suggested the country’s worst univeristies could be closed. Speaking to the Government, he posed the question:

“Would it take the politically explosive but probably economically sensible decision to close or merge the worst run institutions? Or would it instead attempt to bail them out?”

Access to higher education and the the impact such a policy may have on the participation of non-traditional students will be disccued at a 25th November Westminster Briefing conference entitled “Participation in Higher Education: Protecting and Improving The Drive for Wider and Fairer Access“.

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A health watchdog has added its voice to calls for a minimum price per unit of alcohol in England. The recommendation from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is in guidance on reducing the harm from excess drinking.

NICE says about one in four adults is drinking too much and damaging, or at least risking, their health. The coalition government agrees that alcohol misuse is a problem, but does not support a minimum price.

Westminster Briefing is holding an event entitled “Action on Youth Alcohol: Progress So Far and The Next Steps To Be Taken” on the 12th October, giving attendees the opportunity to see the current and future challenges of alcohol policy.

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