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Local government plays an important role in all our lives: it provides vital care and social services, influences economic development in our neighbourhoods and is a vital part of the UK’s democratic system. • Local councils spend around £95bn a year • Women make up over 75% of the local government workforce • Women are only 33% of local councillors, 19% of elected mayors and 13% of council leaders. (as of 2016) 'Local and Equal – does local government work for women?' is a year long commission by the Fawcett Society and Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) to answer this question. The commission is jointly chaired by Dame Margaret Hodge MP and Cllr Gillian Keegan, Director of Women2Win, alongside a host…

Integrating music with supportive care of the dying is becoming more common in hospice and palliative care programs. The conscious use of music as an adjunct support service is good example of how the multidisciplinary approach to hospice care seeks to address the total person and their family. There are several ways that music can be of help. This overview will cover the most common uses of music at different stages of the support continuum, ranging from stress relief for the relatively healthy, to bedside support for the acutely dying, the use of music in funerals and memorial services, and as part of supportive care for grief recovery. Because music reaches a deep, non-rational part of the human spirit, it is…

Most employers will at some point have to confront allegations of bullying at work. Putting procedures in place as well as managing difficult conversations with the individuals involved is beneficial, not just in the short-term by resolving conflicts, but also by helping create a more harmonious workplace. Employers can be hit by serious financial, legal and reputational issues if they fail to deal properly with allegations of bullying, from discrimination claims under the Equality Act (if related to a protected characteristic such as sex or age) to claims for breach of contract, constructive dismissal and negligence (if the bullying has caused a psychiatric injury to the individual). Click here to read more

Britain is becoming more segregated due to high house prices, a report reveals, as it emerged that the number of new “social rent” homes funded by the government fell to fewer than 10,000 last year. Official figures show that 70% fewer social rent homes, where rents are capped, came on to the market in 2014-15 compared with five years earlier at the end of the Labour government. An additional 40,000 “affordable rent” properties also became available, but at up to 80% of the market rate – considerably higher than for social housing. The consequence of escalating rents and the lack of discounted homes has been greater segregation in society, according to a new report from theIntergenerational Foundation (IF). The number of…