(Link: BBC Online, 13 December)
On 13 December, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles made a statement to MPs on finance for local authorities covering the period 2011 to 2013.
    This included a reassurance that no authority would face more than an 8.9% reduction in spending power during this period - with the average reduction in spending power for 2011-2012 set at 4.4% (through transferring an additional £30 million from CLGs budget to local authorities).
    Baroness Margaret Eaton, chairman of the Local Government Association, described the figures as "the toughest local government finance settlement in living memory. A few councils have seen a reduction in the money they receive from the Government of up to 17% in the first year. As a result councils face a total funding shortfall of £6.5 billion over the next year."
    At the Rural Services Network, Dan Bates has analysed the rural implications of the funding formula. This shows that rural districts face larger funding reductions in 2011-2012 compared with urban authorities: an average reduction of 15.87% for rural-50 authorities and 15.67% for significantly rural authorities (compared to the average figure of 15.6%).
    Indeed, West Somerset District Council's Leader, Tim Taylor, described their settlement as "shocking" and a "huge hit" that could lead to the closure of the authority.
    On the same day, Eric Pickles unveiled the Localism Bill. This includes greater powers for local people to hold their local authorities to account and to shape their local area through a new right to challenge to take over services; a new right to bid to buy assets of community value such as libraries, public houses and shops; and a new right to veto excessive council tax rises through a referendum.
    With a move towards ending grant ring-fencing and greater freedoms for communities, Mr Pickles hopes councils will use their initiative and creativity to improve service delivery. For those of us who work on the frontline of service delivery, and are already creative and imaginative in how we deliver services, to what extent we can continue to deliver more for even less will inevitably lead to more cuts or closures in services.
    The Rural Services Network remains committed to representing the case for a better deal for rural service provision in the difficult times ahead.

(Link: The Guardian, 15 December)
This article announces that taxpayers may need to pour billions more into bailed out banks before the government can start to sell its shares in them.
    A report by the National Audit Office describes how the scale of the support currently provided to UK banks may have fallen from a peak of £955 billion to £512 billion but the amount of cash currently borrowed by the Government to support banks has risen by £7 billion since December 2009.
    The report comes at a time when plans to set up a new state-backed Post Office Bank have been axed because it would be too expensive and time consuming. Although many current account holders can indeed access their money through the Post Office network; what does this mean for the 300,000 people in rural areas who do not have a bank account?

(Link: Daily Telegraph, 15 December)
This article highlights a report published by the NHS Confederation, a charity which represents health service organisations. The report, Clinical responses to the downturn, looks at how NHS resources can be released whilst maintaining and enhancing clinical quality. The answers apparently lie in tackling issues with referrals, discharge, follow-up, procedures of low or questionable value, workforce profiles, commissioning, waste and productivity.
    In practice, some of the recommendations would mean operating theatres being used until 7pm instead of 4pm; throwing away fewer surgical instruments; discharging premature babies earlier and stopping surgical procedures for minor conditions such as varicose veins. With the Health Secretary Andrew Lansley pressing ahead to make £20 billion of savings in the next four years, and GPs being given greater powers to buy care for their patients, what this means for the healthcare of rural residents is yet to emerge.
    Meeting the health and well-being needs of rural residents requires a joined-up approach where as many services as possible are delivered locally - from 'First Responder Teams' and the ambulance service, to hospitals, GP surgeries and dental practices. With this comes a specific set of challenges around providing (Government/public) funding for effective out of hours GP services, maintenance of community hospitals, air ambulance services and dispensaries in GP surgeries. It will be interesting to see to what extent this approach is deliverable in these austere times. 

(Link: The Independent, 15 December)
The nationwide gamble on a white Christmas shows no sign of slowing with some forecasters predicting a good chance of the cold weather persisting for the rest of December and an increased chance of snowflakes falling on Christmas Day itself.
    The bookmakers William Hill have cut odds against a white Christmas everywhere: Aberdeen is at 9/4; followed by Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle at 3/1; and Leeds, Liverpool and London at 4/1. In last week's Hinterland I highlighted the cancellation of the Lincoln Christmas Market, a 4-day event which usually generates £10m for the local economy. This piece in the Guardian illuminates broader socio-economic impacts of the continuing unsettled weather across the country.
    Rail companies are preparing to use de-icing 'ghost trains' to keep the network running; Royal Mail is to spend an extra £20m on speeding up the Christmas mail and retailers are reporting disappointing sales figures compounded by some, especially in Scotland, having to suspend home deliveries due to the treacherous weather. In my experience, this demonstrates the informal support networks that exist in rural communities, including the Big Rural Society.  

The Independent, 15 December
This article is all about "hangoverville".  Did you know that one 250ml glass of wine (or other alcohol) causes the body to expel 800 to 1,000ml of water (that's four times as much liquid lost as gained)? And that darker drinks (i.e., red wine and whisky) contain higher levels of toxins than white wine and clear spirits?
    For those of you who may end up a little bit tipsy over the festive period, hints and tips include drinking plenty of water; taking ingredients such as milk thistle, guava leaf and ginseng; and eating eggs, bananas and kiwi fruit (although not all at the same time!) Apparently you should avoid coffee at all costs as it dehydrates you and prolongs the symptoms!