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LEADING LIGHT SWITCH ON TO TACKLE LIVERPOOL’S GROWING POPULATION
ACCORDING to figures release this
week by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the UK population
is set to rise by 4.4 million by 2016 and public services in big
urban centres like Liverpool could find their resources severely
stretched. As budgets struggle to cope, effective training could be
the answer to raising productivity levels to take the strain.
That’s the thinking behind the launch of Leading Light, a new arm of
organisational and personal development consultancy, Advance
Performance, created specifically to maximise the performance of
public sector workers.
“Figures published recently by the Office for National
Statistics indicate that increased numbers of migrant workers, a
higher birth rate and an aging population will cause the population
of England to grow by 8% per year over the next few years and cities like Liverpool will carry the brunt of those
increases.
For the public sector, this means the same
resources will need to deliver increased public services, and using
training to improve motivation and increase productivity is the most
cost-effective way to do that.” explains Heather Wright,
Founding Director of Advance Performance.
Advance Performance has already worked with some of the UK’s top
businesses such as Alliance and Leicester, since it was founded 11
years ago, transforming the efficiency, enthusiasm and productivity
of thousands of employees. With a 5th of the North West workforce
employed in the public sector, the renowned consultancy has
recognised that the training methods applied to private companies
could also transform working practices in the public sector.
Harnessing Advance’s experience and expertise in working with
organisations such as schools, the emergency services and local
authorities, Leading Light’s unique style entertains, educates and
inspires individuals. The aim is to equip them with real tools and
techniques to enable them to achieve their full potential and
contribute to organisational goals.
Over £55 billion is invested in the region’s public sector each year
and Leading Light believes that by improving the productivity of the
workforce, the return on this investment will be significantly
increased. Improvements in performance will have a direct impact on
our day-to-day lives – on children’s education, safety and the
health of the North West. To date, the impact of Leading
Light’s work has enabled clients to improve productivity, drive up
customer and employee satisfaction, help people to ‘buy in’
to organisational vision and values, cut rates of staff attrition
and above all, attain higher levels of efficiency.
Heather Wright, commented:- “The launch of Leading Light could
have a profound effect on the region’s public bodies. We believe
that through addressing and breaking through the self-imposed limits
we place on ourselves, people can achieve their true potential. In
the context of the public sector, where organisations can be large
and multi-layered, individuals often struggle to clearly see their
own sense of self value and the impact they can have – which affects
day-to-day performance.
Our vision is to create a better world for this and future
generations and by working with public sector organisations as well
as private companies, we are able to move a step further towards
achieving this. The launch of Leading Light will enable us to
specifically address the challenges that the public sector is
currently facing and will allow us to reach a wider spectrum of
people, from disengaged young learners in schools to senior managers
in public sector bodies.
We look forward to bringing continued success and results to the
public sector that will have an impact on the performance of
thousands of North West workers.” |
MEPS
CALL ON CAR INDUSTRY TO TAKE EMISSIONS ACTION
EUROPEAN MPs
have voted in favour of a report calling on car manufacturers to be
forced to pay financial penalties if their new vehicles exceed C02
reduction targets. Chris Davies, the Southport Liberal
Democrat MEP who had the task of steering the proposals through the
European Parliament, said that the measures would be good for the
consumer, good for the environment, and good for the future of car
making in Europe. Some 13% of all Europe's carbon emissions
stem from passenger cars. Absolute volumes of CO2 continue to rise
because of the growing number of cars on the roads and a shift
towards the sale of larger and more powerful vehicles, including
4WDs.
The call for regulation follows the failure of European car
manufacturers to meet the reductions promised in a voluntary
agreement made 10 years ago. Average emissions from new cars are
thought at present still to be close to 160g C02/km. The
Commission originally wanted a less stringent reduction of 130g
CO2/km to be made by 2012. But the Parliament has adopted a
compromise proposal from Chris Davies for the setting of a 125g
target to be achieved by 2015 by technical means alone. Savings
achieved through other measures should be treated separately he
argues.
Mr Davies said:- "Many MEPs would like to punish the car
makers for failing to reduce carbon emissions, but that's not an
acceptable approach. We are where we are. The technology
exists to bring about significant improvements. We need now to set
ambitious targets but also to give the industry sufficient time to
make the design changes at least possible cost."
The MEP claims that any increase in the cost of low emission
vehicles will be largely offset by the savings that drivers will
make from their improved fuel economy. The report
to Parliament called for tough financial penalties to be imposed on
manufacturers that fail to reduce average emissions by 2015, and for
the creation of a closed trading scheme to provide business
decision-makers with more flexibility and to give incentives to
manufacturers of low emission vehicles. The MEPs have also
backed calls for 20% of the space used to advertise new cars to be
devoted to providing consumers with information about the vehicles'
fuel economy and carbon emissions.
Mr Davies claims changes to car advertising are an important part of
the package. He said:- "Car manufacturers claim they simply
respond to consumer demand, but I believe they use advertising to
shape consumer demand. The European Parliament has sent a
clear message to insist that advertisements give car buyers more
details of the fuel economy and emissions performance of the
vehicles on sale. The information should be upfront and bold, not
buried away in the small print."
The European Commission is to make legislative proposals on reducing
carbon emissions from cars early in the New Year.
Parents of disabled children urged to campaign for their rights
NORTH West families of disabled
children are being urged to come together and campaign for their
rights. Charity Contact a Family is organising a parent
workshop on behalf of the Every Disabled Child Matters campaign
where families can learn how to successfully campaign for the
services they need locally.
“The government has taken positive steps to make disabled
children a priority, investing an additional £340 million in
services.
Every Disabled Child Matters hopes to ensure the
encouraging signs are also seen at a local level.”said Steve Broach, EDCM Campaign Manager.
The event to be held on Thursday, November 8 at Glaxo Neurological
Centre in Liverpool, will be an opportunity for families to meet
others from neighbouring areas and share their experiences on common
issues, such as education, respite care and benefits. EDCM
will update parents on the national campaign and provide them with
useful information to on how to use it to push for better services
locally.
“Our recent research shows that many families with disabled
children are fed up having to fight for basic support and want to
feel included in their community.
The findings of the report – If I could change one thing – make
clear that all families are asking for is to lead ordinary lives. We
want to make sure they can.” added Steve.
For further information or to book your place at this free event,
telephone Contact a Family on 020 7608 8784 or by going
online to
download a booking form. |
