A survey of young councillors indicates that the majority would like to see salaries, childcare and pension support introduced.

More than eight in ten councillors around the country, aged between 18 and 40, struggle to hold down a full-time job while continuing to fulfil their duties as a local councillor, the survey by independent think-tank New Local Government Network (NLGN) reveals.

Eighty-four per cent agree that executive councillors are entitled to a salary, while over two-thirds of those surveyed feel that child support and a pension scheme is essential.

The NLGN has published the results in its new pamphlet entitled Local Government: Young at Heart?, which warns that councils will fail to represent their constituents unless younger people are encouraged to become councillors.

“Young councillors are the lifeblood of local government and local government needs to retain their talents to give it a future,” commented Anthony Brand, author of the publication.

“However, too often young councillors are forced to choose between staying in local government or forwarding their career or starting a family,” he continued.

“Better conditions for young councillors will not solve the problem in itself but will make a bold statement that society wants to keep the brightest and best young candidates in local government.”

The NLGN pamphlet can be downloaded via the think-tank’s website.

© Adfero Ltd

Investment in communications technology has fuelled the growth of local authorities across the UK, a new survey has found.

Due to be published on January 11, the annual IT Trends survey from the Society of IT Management will reveal that successful e-government programmes have paved the way for the modernisation of local public services.

Information and communications technology (ICT) departments in councils around the country now have the extra capacity to make significant progress, Socitm’s IT Trends 2006/07 - the Modernisation of Public Services will conclude.

Local authorities will spend an estimated £2.7 billion on ICT in 2006/07, which is less than in 2004, but enough to ensure that Britain receives modern public services that are fit for purpose.

The figures demonstrate that “ICT departments have the capacity and capability to deliver what is required to meet the transformation agenda in local government”, according to Peter Ryder, president of Socitm, the firm that collected the data.

“Moreover, on key transformational issues like customer-centricity and shared services, IT Trends shows that ICT managers have a demonstrably positive and open-minded approach,” he added.

Socitm has been compiling the IT Trends in Local Government survey - which involves all 475 local authorities in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales - each year since 1987.

© Adfero Ltd

Sheffield City Council is set to reinvest £21 million in local services, from school improvements to street lighting, over the next three years.

In its next meeting on January 10th, the local authority’s cabinet is expected to allocate the funds to priority projects that lack access to alternative funding.

The £21 million sum is the figure made available by the sale of surplus assets, but represents just a fraction of the £1 billion due to be spent over the next three years on key public services as part of its Capital Programme.

Councillor Steve Jones, deputy leader of the council and cabinet member for finance and performance, explained that the process of reinvesting money into projects that would not otherwise have access to funding was a part of the local authority’s job.

“The Capital Programme is a massive investment which will include a major building and refurbishment programme for Sheffield’s schools and council housing and spending on the city’s parks, highways and the environment,” he said.

“It also ensures that we reinvest monies from the disposal of council assets into existing facilities, which may not have access to capital funding from elsewhere.”

Local cabinet decision-makers will set aside the £21 million in their bid to make Sheffield safer, greener and cleaner, spending on health and safety improvements, tree planting, public toilet renewal, new school infrastructure and highway maintenance, among other projects.

© Adfero Ltd

A survey published today shows that almost two-thirds of Cornish residents are in favour of a single council for the county.

Many of those asked said they found the current system of local government in Cornwall, which consists of the county council and six district councils, confusing.

Of those in favour of the single council method, 71 per cent felt it would make clear who was responsible for providing services.

Some 88 per cent said they would prefer to have one point of contact where all their questions could be answered and almost three-quarters were unconcerned as to where the main offices would be located.

Adam Paynter, deputy leader of Cornwall County Council, welcomed the results. He said: “This is the strongest indication yet that the ‘one council’ option enjoys the greatest public support.

“It is important to remind people that this would be neither a county nor a district council, but a completely new structure to deliver the full range of services more efficiently and give Cornwall a stronger unified voice.”

The news in Cornwall follows similar proposals in west Cumbria, where residents are being encouraged to vote online.

The poll in Cornwall was conducted via telephone and 1,000 people were surveyed.

© Adfero Ltd

A £7.4 million government scheme designed to improve public sector efficiency has come under fire.

The working practice programme known as Lean, being piloted at an HM Revenue and Customs office in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, is said to improve worker efficiency by assigning the optimum positions for keyboards, mice, telephones and stationery.

Black tape has been placed on desks at the Longbenton complex to mark the optimal positions for objects from monitors to staplers, while staff have been forced to clear clutter.

The system was originally pioneered by the car manufacturer Toyota.

“Part of Lean processing is to clear the workplace and only keep essential items to hand,” a spokesperson for HM Revenue and Customs said. “This is in line with the workstation ergonomics training that all of our staff receive.”

But officials from the Public and Commercial Services union insist the scheme is “trying to turn people into robots” and note that some desks at Longbenton are ‘hot-desks’ used two employees on different shifts - meaning the black tape is defunct.

“It is absurd that millions of pounds of public money is being spent on this when staff are quite capable of deciding how their desks should be organised,” said one employee involved in the Lean pilot.

© Adfero Ltd