| Weekly summary - 1 October 2010 |  Have you noticed how
institutional heating systems all seem to go on in the beginning of October,
whatever the weather? At Rose we have a September "Office Jumper" - being a
small business we can only stretch to one and Jessica seems to have taken
permanent custodianship of it although it is 3 sizes too large for her.
On a
more serious note on this theme we have just finished a really comprehensive
report for the Commission for Rural Communities on fuel poverty with really interesting case studies linked to
Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire and Shropshire. The survey points to links between rural fuel poverty and
ill health. You can read about it here.
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Return to
weekly rubbish collection
'would damage UK recycling' |
For a range of domestic reasons I wont go into, we missed putting the recycling
bin out yesterday. This means when it is emptied it will have four weeks recycling
crushed into it.
You might think this means I am in favour of the return to a
weekly bin emptying regime. The opposite is actually the case. I have felt
increasingly good about recycling more of our rubbish and if the reversion to a
weekly collection would have the effect of 1.5 million additional tonnes of
recyclables going to landfill I am against going back to the old way of doing
things.
According to this article: "More than 170 English councils (48%) have
fortnightly collections of "black bag" rubbish, which have been
hailed for increasing recycling rates. Evidence shows that less frequent
rubbish collections encourage people to recycle more in order to avoid over-filling
their bins." A change now would also cost councils over £530 million extra.
I
know people get anxious about rats and things but on the basis that you are
never more than a few feet from one anyway and that Bubonic Plague is yet to
reach many sites in rural England I think we should stick with the current
arrangements. I am sure you will have views.
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UK grew at
fastest pace in nine years
in second quarter, ONS confirms |
According to this article, the annual rate of growth for the
second quarter was also unrevised at 1.7pc, as expected. Construction output
surged 9.5pc during the second quarter, its fastest rate of expansion since
1963 as it caught up after winter disruption.
"The figures suggest Britain's
economy bounced back strongly from its deepest recession since World War Two
but most economists expect growth to slow sharply due to impending government
spending cuts and weak overseas demand."
Now I have been warning for
some time of the perils of cutting too many public sector jobs in rural England
which is proportionately most dependent on them. Lets hope there is some
careful thinking in county and town halls after the Comprehensive Spending Review of the implications for "Shire England"
of local authorities wielding the knife too vigorously.
The
Public Sector Borrowing Requirement may well be tackled more effectively than
previously anticipated by economic growth - that is unless in some parts of
rural England we start our own local "double dip" recession.
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| Charity
should begin with worthiness league table, says philanthropy adviser |
This article tells how "Would-be donors should
have access to a "taxonomy" of charities which classifies the most
and least worthwhile causes" according to Martin Brookes CEO of Charity
Advisory organisation New Philanthropy Capital.
In all the discuss about the
retreat of the state and the genuine and exciting opportunities for voluntary
and community solutions to some social provision in rural areas I wonder if he
has got the wrong end of the stick?
Brookes will explain how - " In 1998, 68%
of the population gave and by 2008/09 the figure had dropped to 54% -
equivalent to one in eight of the population stopping giving altogether.
Britons gave £9.9bn in 2008/09, less than 1% of national income."
It seems to
me in the current climate that the challenge is not to get people to give more
per se but to get them to think more creatively about the voluntary and
community sector as a whole. They could think about its role as vehicle for
doing socially useful things, giving their time rather than simply their cash,
to help make things happen through volunteering and supporting the employment
of others.
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| Four hundred jobs at wind farm factory |
 (Link: Independent, 28 September)There has been significant talk about the scope for environmental technologies
to signal a new rural friendly way forward in terms of employment. This
opportunity is now confirmed in Teeside at least the announcement of this major
new investment at Billingham. The initial phase of development will create 100
new jobs, with a further 300 jobs expected to follow. David Eason, chairman of
TAG Energy Solutions, said: "This is a major step forward in positioning
UK manufacturing as a serious player in the creation of offshore wind farms." This
is really good news not just because it provides credible evidence of the scope
for employment in this sector but also because it is a ray of light at least in
the development of the north-east an area highly vulnerable to public sector
job cuts. |
Council makes 'fine mess' getting
Stan Laurel birthplace wrong |
Poor old
Durham - I have made these sort of minor mistakes in the past but never hit the
national newspapers in quite this way. The brochure they have produced cannot
be re-printed due to funding pressures - I suspect this will become an
increasingly persistent theme in terms of any minor slip up.
Although Stan was
born in Ulverston - a great place in its own right, there is much to commend
Bishop Auckland in particular and Durham in general. I am sure it will turn out
for the best as both places have got some useful publicity out of it.
To quote
the Visit Durham spokesman - "We're obviously both trying to lay claim to some
of the Laurel and Hardy magic. Hopefully this will allow us to make it clearer
about Stan's early years and allow both Ulverston and Bishop Auckland to share
some of Stan's limelight."
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| Consultations | Here are some new ones:
Consultation on Reimbursement Arrangements for the Concessionary Bus Travel Scheme in England
This is a technical consultation on the reimbursement arrangements for concessionary travel. It is the country cousin of consultation on the arrangements for the moving of concessionary fare administration from Districts to Counties. Approaches to the implementation of the latter could have major impacts on rural authorities. To respond to the former, click here. To respond and lobbying in relation to the latter, contact Dan Bates at the RSN direct. Closes 11 November.
Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2010 - draft regulations
The consultation paper covers the consolidation of the 1999 Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, as amended, and explains amendments for screening changes and extensions. It also explains the requirement for the competent authority to provide reasons for screening decisions. A bit technical but important - click here for more information.
Closes 25 October.
A Simplified Further Education and
Skills Funding System and Methodology
The consultation examines ways in which the funding system and methodology for post-19 further education and skills can be simplified to ensure greater transparency for learners and employers and reduce burdens on Further Education colleges and training organisations aiding them to deliver high quality further education and skills training. Tthis is a big deal for rural England. I am happy to offer my views if it helps with your response. Read more here. Closes 14 October.
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| And finally... | Thatched cottages: when homeowners
enjoy clutching at straws
Daily Telegraph, 27 September 2010
According to this article, it takes a year to tee up a thatcher and then
your roof comes in at around £25,000 - all of which helps me reflect on the sun-kissed
charm of pantiles.
I was talking however to a colleague about a 400 year old
Italian straw house in Padua from which the University had germinated some
wheat. Makes you think.
On a more serious note there is definitely potential to
do new and interesting things around modern environmental approaches to
buildings made out of things you grow - perhaps the wicked witch in Hansel and
Gretel and her edible house was a complex future gazing analogy rather than
just a scary element of a kids story...
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