Two young foster children will be climbing Mount Snowdon on 22nd July to raise funds for fostering and adoption charity The Adolescent and Children’s Trust TACT Cymru. Foster siblings from Aberdare set themselves a challenge to walk up the highest mountain in Wales in support of TACT Cymru. A boy, 8 and a girl, 10 have been in care for five…
The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) is to undertake a review of local government standards during 2017/18. In its Annual Report and Forward Plan 2017/18, published this week, the watchdog said it “maintains a longstanding interest in local government standards, and regularly receives correspondence from members of the public expressing their concern about this…
Aggravated damages have been awarded against the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman over its treatment of an applicant. Leeds County Court awarded claimant Jeanine Blamires £7,500 for discrimination, £2,500 for data protection breaches and £2,500 for aggravated damages over the way the ombudsman service handled her case. Ms Blamires has a disability but systems…
As local authorities continue to face pressures on their budgets, some may try to cut costs by reducing services to provide only those which they have an absolute legal obligation to provide. However, it requires careful thought to establish exactly which services are essential and the extent of service provision which is required. And is…
Fewer than half of revamped council websites pass usability test, digital experts find. Socitm’s Better Connected survey assessed 91 council websites which were re-designed between April 2016 and March 2017. Fewer than half achieved a pass mark. The analysis focused on two tests: the usability of the site when accessed from a mobile device, and…
It’s been 6 years since the Welsh hills first came alive with the sound of Classic Rock. And like the towering, solid piece of stone it’s perched on, the Steelhouse Festival stands resolute – a seemingly immovable object on the festival landscape. Steelhouse 2016 looks set to be the biggest and best yet with rock…
