Coalition Government | law, less ordinary - legal opinions from Browne Jacobson

Posts Tagged ‘coalition government’

Overhaul could result in 10% increase in some school budgets

Monday, November 21st, 2011

A report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) says that though plans to implement a single national funding formula for schools will create winners and losers, the system needs to be more consistent, transparent and responsive. The IFS acknowledges that at present “formulae can be myriad and complex: different local authorities take into account different factors and fund particular types of schools differently”.

The formula must be carefully thought out, with a fair adjustment of secondary to primary school funding, recognition that current deprivation funding (i.e. the pupil premium) is geared strongly towards secondary schools and recognise that some of the most deprived parts of the country ought to receive extra funds.

IFS asserts that any transitional period of less than a decade will involve significant, sustained losses for some schools. With the coalition’s reputation for rapid change in the education system it will be interesting to see whether they follow the IFS’s recommendations on the transitional period.

Hayley Roberts

Hayley Roberts
0115 908 4862
hroberts@brownejacobson.com

Rating: 10.0/10 (1 vote cast)

Tags: coalition government, coalition reform of education funding, Education, government, ifs, institute of fiscal studies, school funding, schools
Posted in Education, Government bodies | No Comments »

Tightening our belts

Friday, September 16th, 2011

The report on Green Belt Policy by the House of Commons Library which was released this week has re-ignited the debate in the national press about the protection that Green Belt land will be given under the Coalition’s new planning regime.

The draft National Planning Policy Framework’s (“NPPF”) presumption in favour of sustainable development has raised fears as it makes no reference to Green Belt land, and only contains an exception in relation to the effects on sites protected by the Birds and Habitats Directives.

The coalition has stated on previous occasions its commitment to maintaining the protection of Green Belt land, and paragraph 142 of the NPPF sets out that ‘Inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances’.

But with a ‘crisis’ as a result of the lack of new homes, we may have to wait for the final version of the NPPF before we , NPPF, Browne Jacobson, Johnathan Allensee whether Green Belt land will truly be protected.

Jonathan Allen

Jonathan Allen
0115 976 6572
jallen@brownejacobson.com

Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)

Tags: browne jacobson, coalition government, green belt land, green belt policy, Johnathan Allen, national planning policy, NPPF
Posted in Property, Waste & Environmental | No Comments »

The future is white for education

Thursday, November 25th, 2010

The Government’s eagerly awaited Schools White Paper 2010 ‘The Importance of Teaching’ was published yesterday with an array of promises and policy decisions paving the way for a new education landscape which re-focuses power back into the hands of teachers.

The reduction of bureaucracy, modernisation and simplified and shortened guidance on duties (such as anti-bullying and the use of force) are key themes that run through almost every section of the paper.

The proposed changes include: improving training for teachers and leaders, introducing new powers and protections for teachers dealing with poor pupil behaviour, reforming curriculum assessment and qualifications, advancing a more autonomous school system, publicising how much money is spent on each pupil to ensure accountability, reforming school improvement processes and clarifying school funding arrangements.

The coalition’s pace of change for the education sector shows no sign of slowing.

Posted by Dai Durbridge, who specialises safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults in education, social care and health settings; defending claims against education, social care and health providers.

Dai Durbridge

Dai Durbridge
0115 976 6578
ddurbridge@brownejacobson.com

Rating: 8.7/10 (3 votes cast)

Tags: coalition, coalition government, Education, education law, education lawyers, importance of teaching, schools, schools white paper
Posted in Education | No Comments »

Striking the right balance

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Much has been made of the Conservatives views on localism. The only problem is to many of us localism brings to mind The League of Gentleman’s horrific Royston Vasey with all of the prejudice and small minded self interest that goes with a society so wrapped up in its own interests.

One of the potentially most powerful tools to give a local community the ability to really change their environment is Total Place, an idea launched by the outgoing Labour government.

Some will see Total Place as a vehicle for making necessary cuts in public spending but it could be so much more, allowing communities greater control in how services can be delivered more effectively and efficiently.

Before the election the Conservatives endorsed Total Place. Last week the full coalition agreement outlined a commitment to greater decentralisation. To achieve effective devolution of budgets and power at the same time as developing the Total Place initiative will require the Coalition to ensure it strikes the right balance between giving local communities a real say in their region and ensuring that the right decisions are made even if they may be unpopular.

Dominic Swift

Posted by Dominic Swift
0115 976 6148
dswift@brownejacobson.com

Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)

Tags: coalition government, Public Sector, Total Place
Posted in Public Sector | No Comments »

Posts Tagged ‘coalition government’