New housing programme aims to keep skills needed in key public services

Mar 23: A new £ 690 million 'Key Worker Living' programme to help keep the skills needed in key front line public services, such as in education, health, and community safety, has been launched by the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott today.The announcement was supported by Secretary of State for Education, Charles Clarke and Secretary of State for Health, John Reid.

The new programme builds on the success of the Starter Home Initiative, which is on track to place over 9,000 key workers into home ownership by 31 March 2004, with a further 1200 expected to complete purchases in the first few weeks of the new financial year.'Key Worker Living' offers four simple options, including home ownership packages and intermediate rental solutions and will be marketed by one-stop-shops located in London, the South East and the East of England, where house prices are high and recruitment and retention is difficult. Eligibility varies across the regions depending on local recruitment and retention priorities.

The Deputy Prime Minister said housing is at the top of this Government's agenda, along with jobs, schools, health and the fight against crime."We are determined to make a difference in the performance of our schools and hospitals and help those working in community safety. The 'Key Worker Living' programme offers housing solutions to those in front line roles in key public services in London, the South East and the East where recruitment and retention is particularly difficult."

Those eligible for help include nurses and other NHS clinical staff, teachers in schools and in further education and sixth form colleges, police officers, prison service and probation service staff and social workers and in London, local authority planners will be trialed on a pilot basis.Education Secretary, Charles Clarke said he was delighted that workers in the education sector are included in the 'Key Worker
Living' programme. "We know that housing costs are a significant reason why school and FE teachers and children's social workers leave London and the South East. This threatens our commitment to raising educational standards and improving public services. We need to retain experienced staff in London and the South East to provide high quality services and ensure young people fulfil their potential. I hope key workers in education will take advantage of this scheme."

Health Secretary John Reid said, "This new scheme will ensure that much needed NHS staff in London and the South East are able to get a foot on the property ladder. These areas do have greater problems attracting staff to the NHS and this is in part due to the high cost of property. This new scheme will help the health service to attract and retain staff. We have already started to turn the corner and now have more staff in the NHS than ever before, but we need to work harder to recruit even more and this is just one of the ways that we are able to do this." The Deputy Prime Minister has also unveiled today the unique website address www.odpm.gov.uk/keyworkerliving and regional telephone numbers. -Keralamonitor.com

South east police forces to benefit from new key worker housing scheme

Mar 23: Police officers in six south east forces are set to benefit from a share of a £690 million Government cash boost to help with the housing costs of key workers, Home Office Minister, Hazel Blears, announced today. Police forces in Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, and Surrey, as well as Thames Valley Police and the Met, will benefit from more funding over the next two years to help hold onto officers who can so often be priced out of the housing market due to high property costs in the South East.

The Key Worker Living scheme is funded by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and participating police forces, ensuring that officers can afford to stay in the job they trained for. It will also provide assistance to other key workers, including prisons and probation staff, who want to buy or rent property in high demand areas at affordable prices.

Ms Blears said:

"Increased funding for the police service by more than £2.3 billion since 2000/01 and the Home Office's award winning Could You? campaign have resulted in more police officers than ever before. But the high cost of living in the South East has led to difficulties in retaining officers in some forces. "We recognise the need to keep experienced staff in their local areas, rather than see them forced to move because of housing costs.

"The Key Worker initiative will ensure that essential workers from our key public services, including the police, prisons and probation services, will be able to buy or rent first time or family homes at affordable prices, enabling officers to live in high demand areas where retention is traditionally a problem. "Funding is being given to forces in the South East to help them overcome their particular staffing difficulties and follows the announcement last year of £10 million pounds to assist forces with the most acute retention problems.

"We are determined that the police be given the tools to deliver the modern and effective service which the public rightly expects." Home Office Minister for Correctional Services, Paul Goggins said:"Prisons and Probation staff perform a vital and challenging role, in protecting the public, reducing reoffending and cutting crime. The pressures on the housing market in the South East are well
documented. I am pleased that this money has been allocated to help these essential staff in securing accommodation. This measure will alleviate problems faced by some staff and cut rates of turnover."-Keralamonitor.com

 

More government grants to benefit farmers

More government grants to help farmers increase efficiency and worktogether to share best practice were awarded today

 

Mar 23: Food and Farming Minister Lord Whitty announced new grants under the Agriculture Development Scheme (ADS), designed to help farmers and the food chain to achieve improvements in line with the government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food.The grants were awarded to English Farming and Food Partnerships, The Plunkett Foundation and CST Recorded Ram Marketing Group. One grant will enable English Farming and Food Partnerships (EFFP) to promote and support co-operation and collaboration in the agriculture sector in England. A second grant will fund various initiatives to help farmer controlled businesses review key aspects such as how they run their businesses, how they lead them and what financial arrangements they put in place.

The Plunkett Foundation was awarded a grant for a project to promote best practice in setting up agricultural marketing co-operatives. It will identify key success factors from case studies and build them into models for other co-operatives to adopt in a best practice manual. CST Recorded Ram Marketing Group received funds for a project to bring different parts of the food chain together to demonstrate the economic benefits of using improved sheep breeding techniques. The latest awards take the total amount in ADS grants since 2000 to more than £13.9 million.Lord Whitty said:"These projects will help farm businesses secure a long term future. They will also help farmers work together more effectively and find new ways of adding value to their products. I wish them every success. -Keralamonitor.com

 

Miliband's help to future 'Billy Eliots'

Mar 23: New national grants in music and dance for exceptionally talented children, allowing them to gain access locally to specialist training, were announced today by School Standards Minister David Miliband.He announced that there would be four new centres for advanced training from September 2004 based in Newcastle, Leeds and London with the aim of establishing one in every region over the next few years.Speaking at a music conference at the Purcell School in Hertfordshire, Mr Miliband said:

"High standards and creativity go hand-in-hand. Creativity stimulates high standards and music, with other performing arts, can make a special contribution to education. "Not only do we want to give all children the opportunity to enjoy and participate in music but we also need to identify and nurture those with a real desire and the dedication required to make music or dance a career. "We all remember the character of Billy Elliot leaving his home-townto train in London. I want to extend these opportunities to children similar to the character of Billy so they can enjoy the benefit ofexcellent training but still go to their local school and remain active participants in local artistic communities, without having to leave home." -Keralamonitor.com

Draft guidance on licensing reform laid before parliament

 

Mar 23: A key step towards the modernisation of England and Wales' archaiclicensing laws has been made today with the laying before Parliamentof draft Guidance to licensing authorities. The draft Guidance supports the Licensing Act 2003, which paves the way for a more responsive and flexible system of licensing the supply of alcohol, the provision of regulated entertainment and the provision of late night refreshment. The draft Guidance requires the approval of Parliament. Once it is approved it will assist licensing authorities in carrying out their functions to promote the four main aims of the Act.

* the prevention of crime and disorder;
* public safety;
* the prevention of public nuisance; and
* the protection of children from harm.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said: "The Guidance makes clear our determination to enable licensing authorities and the police to bring the minority of badly run premises into line with the best. "The police and other responsible authorities should make full use of existing, and new powers under the Act, proactively tackling alcohol-related crime and disorder and badly run premises."In carrying out their functions under the Act, licensing authorities have a clear responsibility to promote the prevention of crime and disorder, and the prevention of public nuisance, as well as promote public safety, and protect children from harm." -Keralamonitor.com