Government plans to empower communities
This White Paper from the Department for Communities and Local Government, 'Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power'
(Cm. 7427), sets out an agenda to enhance the power of communities and help people to meet their own priorities.
A number of proposals are put forward seeking to devolve more power to citizens and away from both central and local government.
The future of Scottish devolution considered
'Scotland's Future in the United Kingdom’ (Cm. 7738) sets out the Government's plans for the next stage of devolution in Scotland, ten years on. It places particular emphasis on strengthening the financial accountability of the Scottish Parliament and responds primarily to the Commission on Scottish Devolution's report presented in June 2009.
Post Office closure programme examined
'Post Office Closure Programme'
(HC 292-I), a Report from the Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Committee, examines how the Post Office closure programme is being implemented and considers areas in which it could be improved.
Local refuse collections examined
Responsibility for household refuse collection and disposal
belongs to around 400 local authorities in England and the historical
development of such a disparate system means practice varies widely on timing
and frequency and the types of materials collected and recycled.
EU
landfill restrictions, designed to combat climate change, have driven a shift
towards greater recycling as councils seek to avoid paying substantial fines.
Local road pricing proposed
Rising demand for transport is a consequence of a strong
and prosperous economy, as well as increasing globalisation of markets for
goods and services.
'Strengthening
Local Delivery: Draft Local Transport Bill' (Cm. 7043) aims to tackle
congestion and improve public transport.
Proposals to reduce landfill waste announced
Each year about 100 million tonnes of waste are generated
by UK households, commerce, and industry; it has been estimated that if every
country consumed natural resources at this rate, we would need three planets to
live on.
Most of this waste ends up in landfill where the biodegradable
part generates potent greenhouse gases, while valuable energy is used in
extracting and processing new raw materials.
Thames Gateway regeneration reviewed
The Thames Gateway stretches from Canary Wharf to the mouth
of the Thames Estuary and is the most ambitious regeneration programme in
Western Europe.
By 2016 the Government wants there to be 160,000 new
homes and 180,000 new jobs, all provided in an environmentally sustainable
fashion.
New deadline for restoration of devolved government
in Northern Ireland
This Act of Parliament
‘Northern
Ireland (St Andrews Agreement) Act 2007’ modifies the ‘Northern Ireland
(St Andrews Agreement) Act 2006’.
Strong and Prosperous Communities: the White Paper
on Local Government
The Paper examines ways of creating and sustaining strong
local communities, emphasising the key role of local government in strategic
leadership and new powers for local councils.
The Paper discusses
effective, accountable and responsive local government seeking to position
local government as a strategic leader in transforming local services and
creating community cohesion.
Local bus services across the UK
Buses are a key local service, but usage has been in
decline since the 1950s. The Report examines the particular problems local
authorities face in developing and implementing effective bus strategies.
IRA set on political strategy
This assessment, part of the Independent Monitoring
Commission's (IMC) six-monthly cycle of reporting on paramilitary activity,
concludes that the IRA has undergone substantial changes and is firmly set on a
political strategy.
Thames Gateway regeneration examined
This publication, 'The Thames Gateway: Laying
the Foundations' (HC 693), examines the Thames Gateway regeneration
programme covering the area between Canary Wharf in London and the mouth of the
River Thames, one of the most deprived areas in the Greater South East.
Government information websites to close
The Transformational Government strategy was laid out in
the 2005 publication
"Transformational
government: enabled by technology" (Cm. 6683), outlining a six year
improvement journey for public services.
This is the first
Transformational Government Annual Report, covering progress across the three
main themes of the strategy: customer-centric services, shared services and
professionalism.