Latest news with #publicServices
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
If ministers want to see how welfare reform can be done, come see us in Greater Manchester
One consequence of the recent debate on disability benefits should be the acceptance of a shared responsibility across the Labour family to support the government with alternative approaches to welfare reform. Here in Greater Manchester, where there was strong opposition to the cuts, we accept our responsibility entirely. As clear as the case is for some form of wealth taxation, it would be wrong to make that the only response. The Department for Work and Pensions system didn't work for people before last week's debate and it still doesn't now. What is needed is a unifying version of reform, and we think we can help with that. With a decade of devolution behind us, Greater Manchester is ready to step forward as the UK's first 'prevention demonstrator', showing how we can prevent poor outcomes for residents and rising costs of public services. We are proud to have received that official designation from the government in the 10-year health plan for England, and we are confident we can live up to it. The time has come to break with Whitehall business as usual and build an entirely new model of support. One of the many problems with Whitehall's approach to welfare reform is trying to solve the complex issue of getting more people into work from within the narrow policy silo of the DWP when, in truth, the answers are much more likely to lie outside. This is where Greater Manchester starts. We recognise that the barriers to work our residents face are often linked to issues like housing, personal debt and mental health. Consequently, a whole-person, whole-system approach is the only one that stands any chance of working. This is the philosophy upon which our prevention demonstrator is based – a bottom-up, names-not-numbers approach to supporting people with the essentials needed for a good life. At its heart are three big ideas which we believe, if carried out to their fullest extent, could together score the savings the Office for Budget Responsibility needs to see, as well as financing the removal of the two-child benefit cap. Whereas the Whitehall version of reform focuses on people, and crude cuts to headline rates of support, ours begins with bricks and mortar. I am stunned by the extent to which the media debate on benefits underplays the impact of the housing crisis. It inflates the benefits bill by multiple billions – but is also entirely fixable. The new Greater Manchester strategy, published today, is anchored on the idea of a 'housing first' city region. Without the foundation of a good home, everything in life becomes more difficult for our residents. From now on, housing will be recognised as pre-eminent in public policy. Freeing our city region from the grip of the housing crisis will be our number one priority. What does that mean in practice? It means, for instance, reaching a new tipping point within two to three years of building more social homes than we are losing, alongside a much tougher approach to improving standards in the private rented sector through our new good landlord charter. In an ideal world, we would go much further. The vast majority of the £39bn announced for housing at last month's spending review should be focused on a drive to build a new generation of council homes, rather than subsidise private housing. The evidence is compelling. A 2024 study for the National Housing Federation, carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, found that building 90,000 new social homes would save £3.3bn a year in universal credit over the long term. If the government worked with England's mayors and councils to scale that number up to 500,000, then the recurrent annual saving to the benefits system gets closer to £18bn. Building on this new approach to housing, the second part of our prevention demonstrator involves a paradigm shift in employment support, moving away from a distrustful, tick-box system and towards a more empowering Live Well approach. How is a system which people fear having contact with, and often leaves them feeling worse about themselves, ever going to help them into work? The answer is it won't. Years of tough-on-benefits rhetoric has created a system which people see as being there to trip them up rather than help them out. The only answer is to turn it on its head. We must start with places people trust at a local level, such as community and voluntary organisations, and with the issues in people's lives that are the true barriers to work. This is the essence of Live Well. We know there are thousands of people in Greater Manchester who have completely disengaged from the DWP but, if helped in a different way and particularly with issues that are destructive to their mental health like personal debt, could be supported into work. Our third focus is young people. The appalling statistic of 1 million people not in education, employment or training stands as a damning monument to an education system in England built for some young people but not all. The obsession with the university route, and the failure to provide equal technical paths, leaves many teenagers feeling lost in the middle years of secondary school. Our plan for the Greater Manchester baccalaureate, or Mbacc, seeks to fix that with the guarantee of a 45-day work placement for every young person who wants one. We are confident our prevention demonstrator, in its entirety, could significantly reduce reliance on the benefits system and other public services like the NHS. We have never truly tried prevention in this country. If there was ever a time to give it a proper go, surely it is now? Andy Burnham is the mayor of Greater Manchester. He served as the Labour MP for Leigh from 2001 until 2017
Zawya
07-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Oman: MoHT plans to develop Al Jabal Al Sharqi site
MUSCAT: The Ministry of Heritage and Tourism (MoHT) reiterated in a statement its keenness to address appeals and calls to improve and expand services in Al Jabal Al Sharqi in the Wilayat of Al Hamra, as part of its ongoing efforts to upgrade key tourism sites across the Sultanate of Oman. In coordination with the Governor's Office of Al Dakhiliyah Governorate and relevant authorities, the ministry confirmed that the Governorate recently floated a tender for the construction of Al Jabal Al Sharqi Oasis project. The initiative, which was announced in April this year, will help enhance basic public services in the area in line with the ministry's tourism development strategies. The ministry also stated that efforts are underway in collaboration with the Governorate to implement elements of the 11th Five-Year Development Plan. These include comprehensive service frameworks aimed at meeting the needs of major tourist sites and landmarks across the governorate, in parallel with the ministry's broader tourism development agenda. The ministry stressed its commitment to transforming Al Jabal Al Sharqi into a high-quality tourism destination with integrated tourism elements, while ensuring a delicate balance between tourism growth, environmental sustainability and preservation of the area's natural features. It also underlined the need for relevant stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of agreed-upon development projects, and noted that it would take the necessary legal steps, including land reclamation measures for investment plots that remain undeveloped or have failed to meet the intended development projects. 2022 © All right reserved for Oman Establishment for Press, Publication and Advertising (OEPPA) Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
BBC News
29-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Sharp fall in complaints about Warwickshire County Council
Complaints about Warwickshire County Council's services fell sharply in the last year, with 40% fewer than in the previous 12 months.A report to councillors said the number fell from 1520 in 2023-24, to 869 in the 12 months to fall has been put down to better staff training in handling contacts from members of the public.A new complaints process has also been in place at the authority for about 18 months. Wednesday's meeting of the Resources Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be told more customer contacts are now being classified as comments rather than complaints. But the overall total for both is still significantly fewer. There was also a rise in compliments about council report said that the new comments system had given managers "richer data" about how their services were perceived, enabling them to identify patterns in complaints and comments and use them to improve. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Zawya
27-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Top 10 highest-taxed countries in 2025
The world's highest-taxed countries in 2025 are primarily located in Europe, with Nordic nations dominating the list. These countries impose high personal income taxes to fund comprehensive public services, social security, and infrastructure. Here's a breakdown of the top 10 countries according to World Population Review: Rank Country Personal Income Tax (in 2025) Sales Tax (in 2025) (%)Corporate Tax (in 2025) (%) 1. Finland 57.65% 25.50 20 2. Japan 55.95% 10 30.62 3. Denmark 55.9% 25 22 4. Austria 55% 20 23 5. Sweden 52.3% 25 20.60 6. Aruba 52% 4 22 7. Belgium 50% 21 25 8. Israel 50% 17 23 9. Slovenia 50% 22 22 10. Netherlands 49.5% 21 25.80 Copyright © 2022 Nigerian Tribune Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Zawya
25-06-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Saudi: Absher carries out over 42mln e-transactions in May
RIYADH — The Ministry of Interior's electronic platform Absher carried out a total of 42,566,550 e-transactions for beneficiaries through Absher Individuals and Absher Business during the last month of May. The number of transactions completed through Absher Individuals, reached 39,427,170, including 31,660,070 document views via the digital wallet available to citizens, residents, and visitors through the Absher app. Absher Business recorded 3,139,380 transactions. The number of transactions related to the services of the General Directorate of Public Security reached 3,447,975, of which 3,376,852 were carried out through the General Department of Traffic. The General Directorate of Passports recorded 2,449,318 transactions, while the Agency of Civil Affairs at the Ministry of Interior processed 575,770 transactions. Under public services via Absher Individuals, 109,735 reports were issued through the Absher Reports service, 58,212 requests were made for document delivery by post, and 3,201 general fingerprint inquiries were processed. © Copyright 2022 The Saudi Gazette. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
