PLC Public Sector reports:
The decision in a recent Scottish case highlights the need for schools to act quickly to assess and take account of the health and safety risks following incidents with pupils that could put staff in danger.
In this case, the failure of the school to act immediately following a violent incident led to the local authority responsible for the school having to pay a teacher in excess of £70,000 in damages.
PLC Public Sector reports:
The Heyday case, patient confidentiality, the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and data security all feature on this week’s list of recommended actions.
PLC Public Sector reports:
“I am determined to find the right savings necessary to protect frontline services but every taxpayer pound must be made to work as hard as the person who earned it did.”
(John Denham, Communities Secretary, 24 September 2009)
Worthy sounding words indeed, but is it time to let procurement officers concentrate on securing value-for-money goods and services for the public sector, without constantly placing demands on them to “shape” markets and places, and deliver, and in some cases even develop, government policy?
PLC Public Sector reports:
Allocation of housing, TUPE, the EU Services Directive, direct discrimination and procurement all feature on this week’s need to know list.
PLC Public Sector reports:
The results received by the Law Society and Solicitors in Local Government to their recent consultation on whether it should be a statutory requirement for local authorities to appoint a chief legal officer to take on the monitoring officer’s duties makes interesting reading.
PLC Public Sector reports:
Education, housing benefit, adult social services, housing, employement and public procurement all feature on this week’s need to know list.
PLC Public Sector reports:
With the high level of publicity and debate surrounding the Government’s decision to put public money into the private finance initiative, we should not be surprised to hear that the first project supported by the Government’s Infrastructure Finance Unit, the £3.8 billion Greater Manchester waste PFI, is set to end up in the courts.
The challenge is not however to the Government’s policy, but rather another example of an unsuccessful bidder exploring the options available to compensate them for their failure to secure a tender.
PLC Public Sector reports:
Education, data protection, landfill tax, housing benefit, local government trading, abandoned vehicles and health and safety all feature on this week’s need to know list.
PLC Public Sector reports:
After the Government’s recent announcement that it was to crack down on boomerang bosses, the Audit Commission has started its inquiry into chief executive pay-offs in local government by publishing a call for evidence.
PLC Public Sector reports:
This week, we have actions for lawyers advising on procurement and school admissions, as well as details of where you can find our guidance on the introduction of drinking banning orders.