| Weekly summary - 8 October 2010 |  Before I get onto anything else - please don't read below until you have thought about this: I could really do with some examples of cost drivers and innovative approaches to service delivery in terms of: transport, education and libraries in rural England. I am sure you wont let me down!
Now onto our stories, mostly sourced by Jessica this week - current accounts, green deals, extinction, food and census costs all worthy of comment and set out below. I also got a really useful copy of the Landex response to the skills consultation (see below) last week and if you would like some insightful help with your own response let me know - I can send you a copy.
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| No interest paid on most current accounts |
According to this research, carried out by Moneyfacts.co.uk, approximately 55% of current accounts no longer pay interest to customers who are in credit.
The high street banks that have stopped paying interest include Barclays, HSBC, the Co-operative; and banks bailed out by the government such as Natwest and Lloyds TSB. Although the 0.10% of lost interest is likely to make little difference to individual customers [savings accounts are being recommended for those with significant deposits in their current account], for the banks it represents a significant cost saving.
This research follows the announcement in recent weeks from Charlie Bean, deputy governor at the Bank of England to hold interest rates down to discourage savers and promote spending to get the economy moving again. Further, the bank's figures show that five million retired people living in Britain rely upon savings interest a higher proportion of whom live in rural England.
All this leaves me rather confused as to whether we spend, save or cut but whichever route we take I have a yearning for a more local and mutual range of local options suited to rural dwellers. |
UK retailers in talks to join
government's 'green deal' |
In the words of David Cameron, the Liberal-Conservative Coalition Government has pledged to be "the greenest government ever". Quite what this means in practice is starting to emerge.
The Coalition's 'Programme for Government' included proposals for a 'green new deal' to promote energy efficiency improvements in homes, businesses and public sector buildings. The 'energy security and green economy bill' outlined in the Queen's Speech in May 2010 included proposals for a national programme of energy efficiency measures.
At the Conservative Party Conference this week a range of UK retailers have joined the government's green deal. These companies include Tesco, B&Q and M&S. With government ministers wanting 14 million of the country's 27 million homes to be fitted with energy saving measures in the next 10 years, we could soon see loft insulation and other energy products sold alongside frozen foods, potted plants and tins of paint.
Though initially welcomed by environment groups, including Friends of the Earth, the finer details of the green new deal are still awaited. We will of course need a sufficiently dynamic distribution grid in the context of investment in physical infrastructure in rural areas to really make this a viable and renewable option. |
| Four hundred jobs at wind farm factory |
 (Link: Daily Telegraph, 6 October)A study carried out by the University of Oxford and published in the journal 'Biological Conservation' has revealed that in the last two hundred years up to 5% of the country's 60,000 species have been lost every century. If this trend continues, it will mean that 26 species are lost in England every year - and this rate is even higher for the UK as a whole wherein 40 species are being lost each year. Similarly, figures compiled by Natural England show that 500 species have been lost from England since 1800. With the United Nations meeting in Japan later this month to discuss new targets to protect wildlife, the Oxford University study signals the importance of protecting ancient and wildlife rich habitats in England from the pressures that they currently face from demands for new housing and climate change. Last month an independent review of England's wildlife sites titled Making Space for Nature recommended the creation of 12 'ecological restoration zones' to improve key habitats and foster connections between them. To what extent these recommendations will be taken up will be disclosed in the Natural Environment White Paper due out next year. In the meantime, in July Defra published its discussion paper 'an invitation to shape the nature of England'. The closing date for written submissions is 30 October - so it's not too late to shape the future of England's wildlife and habitats. |
| Global food prices feed through to supermarket shelves |
In this piece, Stephen Robertson, British Retail Consortium (BRC) Director General describes how "food inflation is at a 15-month high as the effect of earlier rises in wheat and oil prices work through to things like bread and meat but these production costs appear to be stabilising now".
Apparently food prices are soaring at their fastest rate for 15 months, with annual food prices rising by 4% in August. Alongside this, the government has announced that food prices in Britain have risen at twice the rate compared with other European countries over the past three years. The cause of inflation on food is blamed on the rising cost of wheat (an ingredient in many consumer food products as well as obvious many wheat staples such as bread and pastries).
Wheat is also a feed grain and the increasing cost of feeding livestock is being passed on to consumers. Rising oil prices have also affected food price inflation as the cost to transport products to market has increased. On the one hand, this is a good news story with Mr Robertson confirming that production costs are stabilising and inflation has now spiked.
On the other hand, this piece raises questions about where our food comes from and how it is produced - opening up debates around the actual costs of production, food security and the role of supermarkets in the supply chain. |
| 2011 census creates 35,000 UK jobs - but government already counting cost |
The issue of the rising cost and therefore vulnerability of the census only really hit me very recently when I heard a news item on the radio.
This article reveals how "administration costs have spiralled to an estimated £480m, from £210m in 2001. Earlier this year, cabinet office minister Francis Maude announced plans to scrap the 2021 census altogether, assuming the Conservatives remain in power".
Now I don't seek to make a political point but from a practical point of view it seems madness to me to scrap the very thing which enables us to understand and model what is really going on. Census data is the bedrock of case we can make for pointing out the challenges and opportunities of living in types of place and neighbourhood and how we measure real change. What price do you put on that - oh and by the way if 35,000 temporary jobs in the public sector are created as a short term by-product, against the background of the sectoral "bashing" we have had over the last 6 months, I say hoorah |
| 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... | Beer bikes banned after German
court rules none for the road
The Guardian, 6 October 2010
This is a cracking story. I had never heard of these things but they are a glorified drinking rickshaw (have a look at this story its amazing) which enable you to have a beer whilst looking round your chosen stag or hen night venue. I wonder if they might be adapted to provide the ultimate green (pedal power) alternative to the loss of the rural pub? Pork scratching anyone?
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