July 2nd, 2009
Communities secretary John Denham MP said the Equality Bill concentrated on narrowing the class divide but was outdated and risked alienating ‘middle England’. He commented further saying Labour should “stop holding up egalitarianism as the ideal”.
A forthcoming Conference entitled From Equality Bill to Act: Towards a Framework for a Fairer Future for All on the 19th November will be a timely opportunity to review the progress of the Bill and what it means not only for all diversity and equality practitioners but for the whole of society as well.
For more information please click here
July 2nd, 2009
Commenting on a recent poll that stated one in four young drinkers consume dangerous quantities of alcohol Dr Ruth Hussey, regional director of Public Health, said: “Not only does it pose a significant threat to their health, it puts them at greater risk of violence and unplanned pregnancy”.
On 16th July Westminster Briefing will be holding a conference entitled “The Policing and Crime Bill: New Measures to Protect the Public“ in which tackling alcohol misuse amongst young people and other important issues will be discussed.
For more details about this event please click here
July 1st, 2009
The Baby P tragedy has caused a damaging plunge in morale among social workers that is threatening the safety of children, a new survey of councillors has found.
The Local Government Association (LGA) said that 93% of children’s services lead members at English councils believed public perceptions of social workers had been negatively affected by the reporting of the circumstances of the 17-month-old’s death. Meanwhile 88% said that the case had worsened staff morale.
For further details on the forthcoming Westminster Briefing entitled: Children’s Social Services: Establishing the Way Forward, please click here.
June 30th, 2009
The impact of the Government’s “Digital Britain” report on local communities is to be scrutinised by a Commons Select Committee, it has been announced.
The Committee has been asked to investigate if a faster universal broadband speed will be needed to support small businesses and will launch a public consultation to find the best way of rolling out broadband access to remote, rural areas.
For further details on the forthcoming Westminster Briefing entitled A Digital Britain for Everyone: Innovating Public Services and New Business Opportunities through Access and Skills for All, please click here.
June 24th, 2009
Law student Riam Dean, 22, who was born with her left forearm missing, is suing for disability discrimination and is seeking up to £20,000 in damages from the clothes store Abercrombie & Fitch.
She claims the clothing firm made her work in the stockroom because her prosthetic arm did not fit the shop’s image.
A forthcoming Briefing entitled Progressing from the DDA to the Equality Bill: New Ways Forward for Equality Disability on the 27th August will be a timely opportunity to discuss how disability legislation is changing and its implications for all disabled people.
For more information please click here
