Yesterday, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt put an end to months of speculation when he revealed the Government’s response to the 2011 Dilnot Commission report Fairer Care Funding. Hunt has proposed a £75,000 cap on the total costs of care that any individual will incur and an increase in the total assets an individual can...
Ensuring our nearest and dearest have access to professional and dignified care in the final years of their life is clearly extremely important. It can also be a distressing time for families and those in need of care so clear, reliable information on the quality of different care homes is crucial. Unfortunately, it appears...
In December last year the Cities Policy Unit announced a range of powers which they were considering giving away to cities. The Government was however, careful to explain that “the ‘deal’ must be a genuine transaction – with both parties willing to offer up and demand things in return.” Did the deals actually involve...
Kellner criticised the quality of the debate in the run up to the AV referendum, describing it as ‘frankly pathetic.’ Perhaps most disappointing was the extent to which the arguments on AV centred around cost. Disappointingly, cost issues have also taken on a disproportionate prominence in the mayoral debates. Claims and counter-claims about million...
In June 2010 the Chancellor set up the Banking Commission, with Sir John Vickers as Chair, to solve the ‘too big to fail/too big to save’ conundrum while taking into account the need to maintain economic growth. They were given just over a year to prepare their report. The complex nature of banking regulation...
The Cities Policy Unit’s new paper, Unlocking growth in cities, outlines plans to work with the eight core city-regions (as defined by the boundaries of the Local Enterprise Partnerships) to create ‘bespoke’ deals in which powers will be devolved in return for changes in the way cities are governed. Amongst the most significant powers...
In May next year around five million people, across eleven cities, will get the opportunity to vote on whether or not they want a mayor to run their city. Up until now the only people involved in the debate have been government employees and enthusiasts. Big debates within seven days in Liverpool, Birmingham and...
Grand ambitions This week saw their first success as they handed in a petition, signed by 10,500 Salford residents and triggered a referendum on the mayoral model. Stephen Morris, the campaign organiser, believes they are also on the brink of collecting the requisite number of signatures in Brentford, Essex. Salford, a city in Greater...