As part of the coalition programme of quango reform, a Public Bodies Bill is to be introduced giving Whitehall departments the power to abolish or change the functions of bodies set up under statute. The legislation, hoped by the Government to get Royal Assent by next summer, will mean that the power is in place to axe quangos in future.
Deficit-busting budget cuts are likely to lead to fewer fire engines in years to come, a chief officer says. Andy Marles, of South Wales Fire Service, said of anticipated 25% cuts to services: "It will get extremely difficult.
North Wales fire chiefs are warning students not to plug in too many appliances to extension cables following an incident when a student building had to be cleared. The North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said it was also called out to three ‘false alarms’ at the halls of residence in Bangor was evacuated. A Facebook campaign is being extended to promote fire safety as part of students’ fresher’s week.
To mark this month’s increase, the Government announced that firms who deliberately flouted minimum wage laws will be ‘named and shamed’ under a new scheme. Employment relations minister Edward Davey said of this public policy: “Bad publicity can be a powerful weapon in the fight against employers who try to cheat their workers and their competitors.
TUC (Trades Union Congress) general secretary Brendan Barber highlighted Unions’ concern over wide-ranging measures to slash the deficit when told delegates at this week’s annual congress: "These are not temporary cuts, but a permanent rollback of public services and the welfare state.
Regulations have just been introduced regarding equal opportunities at work. The new law applies in Wales, and it also includes new powers for employment tribunals. The Equality Act covers many workplace areas and draws nine separate pieces of legislation into a single Act.
Packaging giant Tetra Pak hopes to keep 135 out of 265 jobs in part of the business and by creating a warehouse after it announced it plans to stop production at a cartons factory with the loss of 150 jobs in Wrexham. Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones is "very shocked" and wants to meet management. She said: "My key concern now will be to ensure that the local workforce receive the best possible terms."
Consultant Stephen Taylor, who has advised government agencies and the Cabinet Office, defended large salaries in the public sector after it emerged there were nearly 40,000 public employees earning above £100,000. Mr Taylor said for positions such as running a large local authority, there were not many people with the qualifications (especially at a time when the job would require implementation of deep cuts) and they commanded high wages.
The Merthyr Tydfil Football Club changing room was extensively damaged by a blaze at the weekend. The conflagration was confined to the two-storey room, emergency services said. Fire services attended the stadium at Penydarren Park at 0149 BST on Sunday.
Jobs hope to be created from a £23 million Bangor University marine project which has been given the go-ahead. It is hoped the investment will enable Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences to encourage hundreds of new businesses to grow. Project manager Dr Gay Mitchelson-Jacob said Wales had unrivalled academic expertise in coastal marine science, and the sector was of growing importance in the country. "It’s quite a large sector.