Most public sector organisations and their IT teams will be familiar with the challenge of balancing time between implementing new technologies against the need to keep existing systems running effectively. In some cases, organisations can do little more than focus on the latter, as budget constraints or a lack of resources mean they have to do their best with what’s available.
Among the many challenges this situation can create is one of technical debt, where organisations opt for an easy or quick solution instead of using a better approach that might take longer or cost more. The “debt” builds up when the problems this approach creates have to be addressed later, particularly when something breaks.
Like financial debt, many people consider this isn’t inherently a bad thing. IT teams everywhere work within limited budgets and are used to carefully managing some level of perennial technical debt. Problems arise, however, if the debt becomes too large and its impact becomes too challenging to manage and reduce.
When an organisation is in technical debt, it will often manage with what it has available until it breaks. In this situation, some compound the problem with workarounds and stopgap solutions. But when these are layered on the top of several other stopgaps, the technical debt gets larger and the process becomes cyclical.
Ideally, public sector IT teams need to be given the resources to understand and manage their technical debt to keep it within their own acceptable boundaries of risk. But how can organisations assess their levels of technical debt, focus on buying the right technology, and learn to let go of old systems?
Bringing Chaos to Order
In many of today’s complex IT environments where legacy technology integrates with newer strategic and point solutions, understanding the size and focus of technical debt can be a barrier to change. This is where chaos engineering can help by implementing programmes such as a ‘chaos monkey,’ which is designed to randomly turn systems off or delete them, so teams can identify weaknesses in their infrastructure and understand how to quickly remediate issues, including those caused by technical debt.
By creating problems on purpose, this approach can test software, equipment, and the internal processes in use across an organisation. In doing so, it can shed light on issues, from products that aren’t running well, to those not performing as promised or not communicating with other technologies.
Optimising Technology Procurement
Ideally, each element of a modern technology strategy must work together to create a coherent approach with minimal technical debt, and this process starts with procurement. Providing the right set of tools—as opposed to purely focusing on the newest—is essential to effective integration and longevity.
A key requirement of any effort to purchase future-proofed technology infrastructure is each component within the environment should integrate effectively with every other product, system, and service running alongside it. For instance, the people and technologies in accounting must work with the IT security team, who must work with the network team and the developers—and so on.
As many tech teams will know, piecemeal procurement is often unavoidable, but unless there’s no option, decisions should be made with at least one eye on long-term impact and whether choices are increasing the technical debt burden or not.
Leaving The Legacy
Most public sector organisations operate with some degree of legacy technology as part of their infrastructure, contributing to its wider technical debt. For example, this might mean using outdated versions of Windows that have gone “end of life” and no longer receive updates, because it’s the only version legacy applications will run on. In these circumstances, the technical debt might not just be functional or reduce compatibility, it might require major remedial expenditure and effort if an outdated platform becomes the source for a serious security breach.
Sometimes the justification is, so much money was spent on the technology in question that leadership wants to get as much use out of it as possible, even if it has long outlived its usefulness. Granted, it’s completely unrealistic to be constantly renewing, but future-proofing calls for a delicate balance between finding the best technology to solve bona fide technology problems and getting the biggest bang for your buck.
In the real world of fast-moving technology environments, limited budgets, and changing priorities, operating with zero technical debt is—for the most part—unrealistic. But paying down technical debt to a manageable level, where infrastructure can operate at peak efficiency without being at the mercy of its most inefficient components, is essential to maintaining solutions and services that meet organisational needs.
A £452m deal to unlock the economic potential of the Borderlands area has been formally signed by the UK and Scottish governments and local authority partners.
Ministers of the two governments and representatives of the five councils of the Borderlands Partnership signed the transformative Inclusive Growth Deal at a virtual ceremony.
The deal will reach all parts of the Borderlands area – sitting either side of the English/Scottish border – drive inclusive growth and deliver significant and lasting benefits for individuals, businesses and communities.
Investment covers the largest geographical area of any regional growth deal and is the first cross-border deal.
Partners say it will bring a transformative step change for the businesses and communities of the Borderlands by increasing productivity, growing the working age population, and delivering a more inclusive economy.
The projects of the deal aim to deliver up to 5,500 jobs and £1.1billion of additional GVA with a sustainable and inclusive approach to growth.
The Borderlands Partnership is made up of Carlisle City Council, Cumbria County Council, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Northumberland County Council and Scottish Borders Council.
The UK Government’s Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, said: “The Borderlands Growth Deal will a new era of regeneration and opportunity as we build back better from the pandemic.
“The Ad Gefrin Visitor Experience and Distillery, and the Carlisle Station regeneration project are just two examples of schemes already benefitting from the deal which will create jobs and improve regional connectivity. We’re levelling up across the UK by investing in jobs, driving economic growth, and strengthening our cross-border links.”
Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, Michael Matheson, said: “Projects the Scottish Government is supporting through the deal will focus on reinvigorating town centres, expanding business sites and premises to stimulate business growth and job creation, maximising the region’s appeal as a leading outdoor and adventure tourism destination and equipping people with the skills they need to forge successful careers and contribute to their communities.
“The deal is focused on local people and local priorities, enabling the Borderlands area to create sustainable jobs, re-invigorate the economy, and build strategically for long term growth and prosperity.”
Cllr John Mallinson, Leader of Carlisle City Council and Borderlands Partnership Board Co-Chair, said: “It’s fantastic to announce the signing of the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal bringing fresh investment from Government of up to £350million to our region, alongside local contributions of over £100million.
“The deal is an ambitious approach to cross-border working between Governments, local authorities and other partners which will boost economic growth by helping existing business, encouraging new ventures and bringing a wealth of improvements to our region.
“The deal will also provide crucial support to our region’s recovery from the Covid-19 emergency and ensure we set in place strong foundations on which to build back better and greener, delivering inclusive and sustainable growth.”
Cllr Mark Rowley, Executive Member for Economic Regeneration & Finance from Scottish Borders Council, who hold the other co-Chair position, said: “The Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal will have a transformational impact on the whole region, with the aim of creating 5,500 jobs, bringing in over four million extra tourists and improving mobile and digital connections thanks to the funding from the two governments and the additional investment the deal will attract.
“The unlocking of investment in our towns will generate a predicted £1.1billion uplift in the region’s GVA and the partners will be able to deliver individually and collectively a range of projects which will not only improve the area for existing residents but also encourage more to move here, which will help address some of the common challenges we face.”
The deal will deliver across four themes: improving places; enabling infrastructure; encouraging green growth; and supporting innovation, business and skills. Each theme has an agreed set of projects which will help deliver a step change for the businesses and communities of Borderlands by increasing productivity, growing the working age population and delivering a more inclusive economy.
£20 million funding is included for redevelopment of Carlisle Station and the surrounding area, to act as a gateway to the region. Work to assess the benefits and challenges of extending the Edinburgh – Tweedbank Borders Railway to Carlisle will also be progressed, including feasibility at the appropriate stage of business case development.
There will be use of up to £50m of Borderlands funding to transform Carlisle’s Grade 1 listed Citadels buildings into a new city centre campus for the University of Cumbria, expanding opportunities for local students and drawing in new students to the area.
The deal will support the delivery of a new Berwick Theatre while the skills and innovation work will include the development of a Mountain Biking Innovation Centre in the Scottish Borders. Funding will also support the development of Chapelcross in Dumfries and Galloway, as the region’s clean growth strategic investment site for low carbon energy generation and energy efficient businesses.
The deal includes investment of up to £31million in green energy projects and £7million to develop skills needed by the regional economy, along with much needed improvements in digital and mobile connectivity across the region.
The importance of the region’s towns will be the focus of the £50million Place Programme, which, along with significant investments in tourism and business infrastructure, will help position the Borderlands as a vibrant and attractive place to live and visit.
A CGI of Court Square, Carlisle station gateway
£18m will develop a series of projects along the length of Hadrian’s Wall (from Wallsend to Ravenglass) to improve the visitor experience and encourage people to explore different attractions within this unique World Heritage site.
£6m has been allocated to the ‘See More Lake District Cycling’ project which will encourage visitors to use more sustainable transport and help disperse the economic benefit from visitors to the Lake District World Heritage Site.
Cllr Stewart Young, Leader of Cumbria County Council, said: “This is a key milestone in a long journey, and fantastic news for the county, resulting from close working with the UK and Scottish Governments over several months and years to get to this point.
“It is very welcome that we now have confirmed levels of funding for our Cumbria specific projects and I’m really looking forward to seeing how they each develop and the many benefits that they will bring to the county.
“The deal is ambitious and will bring a much-needed economic boost post Covid-19 to aid our recovery in attracting tourists and businesses to come to Cumbria as well as enhancing the area for our residents and local communities.”
University of Cumbria Vice Chancellor, Professor Julie Mennell, added: “We are delighted that the deal has been formally signed and the transformational Citadels project, in partnership with Cumbria County Council and Carlisle City Council, is on track to progress.
“All partners have worked incredibly hard over many months to get to this point and we thank everyone involved for their tremendous commitment to our city, region and university.
“The role of Cumbria’s university in supporting individuals, our businesses, economy and communities to thrive has never been more important, and this strategic investment will extend our impact and reach further and for many decades to come.”
Delivery has started on some of the deal projects, following the release of early funding by the UK Government.
This includes top up funding for a Digital Voucher scheme supporting businesses and private customers to install high speed broadband; funding for the development of the Borderlands Energy Masterplan; £5million towards the building of Lilidorei, a large-scale new play village to enhance the visitor offer at the Alnwick Gardens, the start of the work to redevelop Carlisle Station and a £3million investment towards the Ad Gefrin Visitor Experience and Distillery in Northumberland.
Some years ago, I did some work on the difference in the duties and responsibilities of directors of private companies and directors of public bodies. I noticed that I was one of very few people who had taken an active role in serving on both. Following my participation in the Triennial Review of the Big Lottery Fund and its governance a few years ago, I conducted a comparative analysis between the governance of private companies and public bodies where it became apparent that the latter had more general and often vague requirements when it came to the role of directors. And so last year, I had the great privilege of being asked to work with the Cabinet Office on the development of new principles for the governance of public bodies, including all Departments of State, non-departmental public bodies and quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations – of which I am immensely proud to see published towards the end of last week.
As set out by the Institute of Directors (IoD), Non-Executive Directors (NED) are appointed to the boards of organisations to bring independence and impartiality, their wide experience, specialist knowledge and personal qualities. These new principles go beyond the “Nolan principles” of public life and set out a recommended 12 essential qualities for NEDs. I believe that it is important not only to understand the principles, but also to really acknowledge why they represent an important progression in public body governance.
A NED brings many things to the table: high amongst them is their invaluable expertise. When sharing this unique knowledge, the NED must act with the best interests of the organisation in mind. As a body that is linked to public services, the advice given must therefore be in line with public interests and with the intention of furthering public good. Moreover, the expertise is to be used as a vehicle to serve the broader mission and duties of the sponsoring Secretary of State and their Department. This will allow the objectives of the organisation to remain on the same path as those of the governmental department with which they are aligned. Finally, the expertise of the NED would be utilised to enable compliance with the statutory duties of the organisation. Again, this is to ensure that the mission and vision of the organisation act in line with public interest and the goals of the relevant government department.
Crucially, it is important for a NED to maintain a sense of independence from the executive. This is in order to allow them to fulfil their role as an objective observer of the organisation: someone who is there to advise from the outside looking in. When devising the principles, this is one that I saw as particularly relevant to ensure that our public bodies are fully and efficiently regulated – both for their and the public’s greater good. The private sector’s clearly defined regulation when it comes to their directors of course influences the public sphere and, rightly, is managed so that what we may not be able to see behind closed doors is still acting for the best intentions. When it comes to the independence of NEDs of our public bodies, I felt even more so that we needed clear regulation to allow it to fully succeed. This includes the duty to monitor the performance of the organisation and report such performance to the public in a regular manner. We live in a world of information overload and people expect transparency and data on demand. It is therefore the duty of the NED to scrutinise the organisation and allow this data to be brought clearly to the public.
Closely related to this, it must be clear that the role of the NED is to support the organisation in its goals and allow it to flourish. The scrutiny is needed, but only so far as its intended outcome is to ensure the continued success and development of the organisation. This means support in its clearest sense, allowing management to feel heard and valued. The intention is to create and promote a culture that respects diversity of people and opinions. As a public body, the organisation should reflect the public whom it serves, and it is the role of a NED to advocate for this reflection. There are also more hands-on aspects that come under this umbrella of support, such as participating and endorsing routine reviews within the organisation. This allows for a healthy appraisal of the direction of the body and means potential issues will not go unnoticed over a long period of time.
Ultimately, what does this all mean? Well, I believe that the principles will for one thing show that our semi-public administrative bodies cannot live a life alone – they must work in tandem with their Departments of State to ensure a complete alignment of vision and mission. If the principles are followed fully and effectively, we should end up driving much greater efficiency across the civil service and the state overall, driving performance and results for all citizens.
Mark Florman is the chairman and CEO of Time Partners, an investment and strategic advisory firm, focusing on private markets globally. They help investors, families and entrepreneurs invest across the private capital landscape, aligning their investment strategy with their goals and beliefs. Headquartered in London, Time Partners sports a network of international partners and offices in Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Hamburg, Athens, Cape Town, Singapore, Tokyo and New Zealand.
The new model for government procurement promises to help the nation ‘build back better’, but delivering on its full potential will require a shift in mindset from service buyers and procurement teams.
Whether it’s opting for a green energy tariff or making sure the fish we buy is from sustainable sources, consumers increasingly use their spending power as a force for good. The same should apply to the near £300bn spent each year by the UK public sector on goods and services.
As part of the focus on building back better after the pandemic, the Government has cemented a new tool to leverage the huge public purse to deliver impact across society and help tackle the climate and environmental crises.
While ensuring value for money remains the priority in central government procurement, from January all new procurements covered by the Public Contracts Regulations (2015) also have to explicitly evaluate the ‘social value’ of bids rather than just “consider it” which has been the case since the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 was introduced.
As part of the evaluation of bids government departments must now use the social value in procurement model to assess and score a supplier’s social impact. That can include helping with the recovery from Covid-19, providing local jobs, environmental good practice, tackling workforce inequality and promoting health and wellbeing – a broad range of areas which provides some flexibility to procurement teams.
Levelling the field
Social value will account for a minimum 10% of an overall score and the approach will apply tests that the Government says all bidders, including SMEs, social enterprises and charities, will be capable of meeting.
Given that central government alone spends some £49bn each year on contracts for public services, there’s a significant opportunity to deliver meaningful improvements from this change.
The argument made is that this could even widen the pool of contract bidders, as small bidders can highlight the direct added value they can generate in the communities they work in.
Challenges for procurement teams
However, achieving this change represents challenges for procurement teams. Some will have significant experience in defining and assessing social value in tenders, but for many it will be new territory.
The practicalities of quantifying and assessing what social value is means there will inevitably be a process of learning and understanding needed to ensure organisations get the most from this new model.
From Gemserv’s experience of supporting public sector organisations with their procurements, we know asking the right questions of bidders and assessing their answers consistently is crucial to ensuring procurement delivers best value across all measures. Transparency also plays a key part in ensuring bidders understand what is required, and it will be key for procurement teams to provide bidders with clarity when applying social value metrics.
The new Social Value in Procurement model to assess and score a supplier’s social impact can help support the recovery from Covid-19, provide local jobs, environmental good practice, tackle workforce inequality and promote health and wellbeing
As central government spends some £49bn each year on contracts for public services there’s a significant opportunity to deliver meaningful improvements from this change.
However, achieving this represents challenges for procurement teams. Some will have significant experience in defining and assessing social value in tenders, but for many it will be new territory.
With a wide range of metrics to consider we think some will be easier to assess than others. Carbon performance is a pretty straight-forward area to examine with well-established metrics and reporting protocols. But to properly assess a bidder’s wider environmental performance, and filter out so-called ‘greenwashing’, expertise is needed in areas such as assessing environmental impacts across complex supply chains. Measuring impact on wellbeing and other social value contributions is similarly fraught with challenges.
Although a key aim of the new model is to open up contract opportunities to a wider pool of businesses and bring more innovation to public service delivery, procurement teams will need to consider the fact that larger companies are likely to have much greater resources on hand to demonstrate social value than smaller firms.
Profit with purpose
The change does represent an opportunity for businesses to benefit from valuable government contracts, and comes at a time when many in the private sector are increasingly looking to become more impact-driven with profit and purpose going hand in hand rather than being seen as a trade-off. This is in face of huge societal and environmental challenges, and it is right – indeed a moral obligation – that businesses should play their part, and reap the rewards of doing so.
That trend is highlighted by initiatives such as B Corp, an accreditation scheme for businesses which meet the highest standards of social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.
The accreditation process is very rigorous – something which Gemserv can testify to as we are currently on the journey ourselves. For businesses looking to demonstrate social value, examination of their performance across everything from supply chains to employee relations is a valuable process to go through in itself. For those who do achieve accreditation, it should also help with highlighting their social value contribution to potential customers and other stakeholders. Indeed, procurement teams could start to use accreditations such as B Corp to enable bidders to demonstrate their social value credentials.
It’s still very much early days for the new social value model and it will take time for procurement teams to adjust to what is quite a significant change when their resources are already stretched due to the pandemic.
However, with the right approach it presents an exciting opportunity to deliver meaningful change which can benefit every corner of society.
Article by: Trevor Hutchings, Director of Strategy, Communications and Public Sector, Gemserv
More than 250,000 disabled people in the country will benefit from greater access to life-enhancing Changing Places toilets, as the Government announces a new £30m fund to increase the number of facilities across England.
Announced today by Regional Growth Minister Luke Hall, the move follows changes to statutory guidance that came into effect from January 2021 that made the provision of Changing Places toilets compulsory in certain new buildings.
Changing Places toilets are larger accessible toilets for people who cannot use standard disabled toilets, with equipment such as hoists, curtains, adult-sized changing benches and space for carers.
Over 250,000 people in the country need these facilities to enable them to get out and about and enjoy the day-to-day activities many of us take for granted.
The combination of the updated statutory guidance and today’s investment for existing buildings means thousands of people with complex needs will have greater access to public places.
Regional Growth Minister Luke Hall MP said:
“ For too long, the lack of suitable toilet facilities has meant disabled people have faced major difficulties when they shop, go out, or travel and this should not be the case.
“That’s why the provision of Changing Places toilets is so important for people who cannot use standard accessible toilets.
“This programme is a significant investment from government that will help bring major, life enhancing freedoms to those people who have specific needs. ”
Kerry Thompson, Changing Places campaigner, said:
“The biggest challenge I face when going anywhere outside my home is locating a Changing Places facility. They really do make a world of difference when planning days out so today’s announcement will open up a whole new world for the hundreds of thousands of people who rely on them. This wouldn’t have been possible without support from Muscular Dystrophy UK, co-chairs of the Changing Places Consortium.
“Knowing I have access to a Changing Places toilet lets me enjoy myself without having to worry about finding an accessible facility that can accommodate my needs. The additional funding from the government to improve facilities in existing buildings across England will give me and my husband the freedom that so many disabled people are desperate for.”
This programme will be delivered in partnership with the charity Muscular Dystrophy UK, co-chairs of the Changing Places Consortium, who will provide advice to support councils in their delivery.
Muscular Dystrophy UK, in partnership with MHCLG and the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers, will also be undertaking a call for evidence with users in England to help develop an understanding of user needs and priorities.
£30m available from Government to install life-enhancing Changing Places toilets in existing buildings in England
Changing Places toilets are a lifeline for more than a quarter of a million disabled people across the UK.
Government working in partnership with Muscular Dystrophy UK (MDUK) as co-chair of the Changing Places Consortium to provide support to councils
Local authorities will soon be invited to “opt in” to receive a proportion of this funding, based on need, to install facilities in their communities
Robert Burley, Director of Campaigns, Care and Support at Muscular Dystrophy UK, said:
“Today’s announcement of £30m worth of funding to improve facilities in existing buildings is fantastic news for disabled people across England who need Changing Places toilets.
“Everyone has the right to use a public toilet when they need to, and these accessible toilets vastly improve a person’s independence and make planning days out much easier.
“This is a big step towards tackling the exclusion that many disabled people, including those with muscle-wasting conditions, experience when they are out and about.
“Today’s announcement would not have been achieved without everyone working together, and Muscular Dystrophy UK is particularly grateful to the hard work of our extraordinary campaigners and the members of the Changing Places Consortium.”
Councils will be invited to “opt in” to bid for a proportion of the £30m funding so they can install facilities in their communities and boost the number of Changing Place toilets in existing buildings, for example leisure and sports, cinemas, and arts and tourism venues.
This will improve the geographical spread across England and ensure more disabled people can take part in everyday activities that have the greatest impact on their quality of life.
You can find your nearest registered Changing Places toilet in the UK by going to the Changing Places website and using the location map. www.changing-places.org/find_a_toilet.aspx
The government has recently closed a consultation of a review of provision of toilets for men and women in municipal and private sector locations in England.
Essex based business, keep2m.co.uk, have been busy supplying sneeze screens, information sticker packs and mobile temperature measuring equipment to authorities across the UK with a syndication of London boroughs recently buying over 1500 sneeze guards for the election and then increasing their order for use by staff in their offices too.
Neil Levett, Director of Keep2m.co.uk said, “This has been a surprising, but on reflection obvious, source of enquiries to the business” and he has “increased his ability to satisfy the demand that the forthcoming elections had brought”.
He continued, “We must remember that democracy continues, even in a pandemic, and not all voters like postal ballots. Many prefer to put their X on a ballot paper and drop it in the box for counting. Our role is merely to help the relevant authorities prepare for this.”
Freeport East was one of eight new Freeports announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak in his budget speech.
Centred upon the Port of Felixstowe and Harwich International Port, both operated by Hutchison Ports (part of the CK Hutchison group) the partnership includes a strong public sector element including South East and New Anglia LEPs, Suffolk and Essex county councils, East Suffolk Council, Mid Suffolk, Babergh and Tendring District Councils. It is backed by a wide range of businesses, business organisations and education providers.
Reacting to the news George Kieffer, Chairman of the Freeport East Project Board, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen by the Chancellor as one of the first new Freeports in the UK for a number of years. Just as the sun rises in our region before it spreads across the UK, so Britain’s future starts at Freeport East.
“Freeport East offers a unique opportunity to build a truly global trade hub at the same time as accelerating opportunities in green energy and helping level-up the economy. We look forward to working with Government to further develop our business plan and to realising the potential that this opportunity represents.”
The Freeport East bid estimated 13,500 new jobs will be created in the area, while over the next five years Freeport East would attract more than £500million of investment and provided a £650m boost to the UK economy.
Freeport East can deliver on the nation’s strategic aims:
growing global trade, combining the UK’s largest deep-sea container port at Felixstowe with the short sea European gateway at Harwich;
being a hub for innovation, driving the Green Industrial Revolution by creating a new hydrogen hub and supporting development of offshore renewables; and
driving economic growth and opportunity for more deprived communities both close to the ports and – through its trade connections throughout the UK – across the country.
Clemence Cheng, Executive Director of Hutchison Ports, said: “Freeport East is the perfect location to develop a new Freeport. Its position on the main global shipping routes, and with frequent services over to Europe, makes it the ideal place to attract inward investment. It has 50% of the UK’s offshore wind capacity on its doorstep and, working with our partners we will help drive developments in green energy for use in the transport sector as well as across the wider economy.”
Felixstowe from Harwich HHA
Under the Freeport East submission, the benefits will spread out from the ports to other sites earmarked for development, such as Horsley Cross and Bathside Bay in Tendring, Great Blakenham, Gateway 14, the Parker and Anzani Avenue areas of Felixstowe and the Port of Felixstowe Logistics Park.
The announcement has also been welcomed by leading public sector figures further afield, such as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor James Palmer who backed the bid despite it not extending to the area in recognition of the wider benefits it would bring to businesses and residents.
Freeport East is also already working with Ryse-Hydrogen and EDF, operators and developers of the nearby Sizewell nuclear power station, to develop a Hydrogen Hub.
Jo Bamford, Executive Chairman of Ryse-Hydrogen said: “The PM has said the UK will be ‘putting a big bet on hydrogen’ and the Budget’s green light for the Freeport East Hydrogen Hub is a major step towards delivering on these words.
“The Freeport East Hydrogen Hub will support the creation of thousands of green jobs and feature innovative uses in hydrogen for zero emissions buses, construction equipment, marine and agriculture. Crucially, these UK-made Net Zero technologies can be in use within 12 months and will place East Anglia at the forefront of the global hydrogen economy.”
Julia Pyke, Finance director of Sizewell C, added: “This is a great step forward for the East of England. The Freeport East Hydrogen Hub will deliver on six parts of the PM’s Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution.
“The Chancellor’s commitment to Freeport East will now turbo-charge private investment in Net Zero nuclear and hydrogen technology across East Anglia and support the development of one of the world’s most exciting and innovative decarbonisation projects.
“We will now develop our hydrogen offering in close cooperation with the port and with the Suffolk councils in order to get national competitive advantage by pursuing things at scale and speed.”
More information about Freeport East can be found at its website, www.freeporteast.com, or by following @FreeportEast on Twitter.
Anna Feuchtwang, Chief Executive of the National Children’s Bureau, said:
“The full effect of the pandemic on families’ finances will only be fully appreciated as the furlough scheme and other measures that protect jobs are wound up at the end of September. Yet this is the moment that the Chancellor will claw back £20 per week from struggling families who rely on Universal Credit to survive. This extra money must be made a permanent increase to benefits, to counter the soaring levels of child poverty seen even before the pandemic struck and should be offered to those living on other legacy benefits too.”
“While measures to improve apprenticeship and trainee schemes will be welcomed by young people facing a deeply uncertain future, the Chancellor failed to acknowledge the full impact of the disruption to children’s lives over the past year. We urgently need a plan that supports children to catch-up for lost school time, which factors in the emotional and psychological stresses of a year growing-up in isolation and chaos.
“Extra money for domestic violence programmes is welcome, however, investment in children’s social care is long overdue. Local authorities need to be able to meet the increasing demands for their help, something they have found increasingly difficult to do given the steady erosion in funding for children’s services over the last decade.”
On what today’s Budget means for businesses, Mark Heppell, Partner at JMW Solicitors, says: “The freeze on Capital Gains Tax (CGT), and no mention of business disposal relief (Entrepreneurs’ Relief), is good news and business owners will breathe a sigh of relief (for now). The speculation surrounding CGT reforms was quite heavy leading up to the budget, and given the reviews that have been carried out in the last year, I would not be surprised to see changes in the near future so the message to business owners planning their exit will still be to bring forward their plans as it does feel like the days are number for the current regime.
“I’m also not surprised by the increase in Corporation Tax (from 2023) and it makes sense to me that the most profitable businesses will be called upon to contribute in a greater proportion. Hopefully the freezing of the rate below £50k profit and tapering to £250k profit will give some comfort to SMEs, but it will mean that, for most, there is more to pay.”
TSSA General Secretary, Manuel Cortes, has described the Budget as “a wasted opportunity” to set out a meaningful economic roadmap from the Covid crisis, for the travel sector and beyond.
Cortes attacked Rishi Sunak’s measures as “showbiz and spin” while lacking “solidity”.
Commenting, Cortes said: “Sadly the Chancellor has presided over a wasted opportunity in his Budget, again ignoring the plight of the travel sector and others who have been so badly hit in the pandemic.
“While our union welcomes the extension to the furlough scheme, we know that many workers and businesses, not least in our travel trade, will be no less worried about their prospects after hearing from Rishi Sunak.
“Time and again our union has told the Government they must leave no stone unturned when it comes to securing the future of our high street travel agents. Yet we heard nothing. Time and again we have warned that Eurostar – our green link to Europe – requires intervention, again we heard nothing.
“This is deeply troubling. What we heard from the Despatch Box today was a lot of reheated announcements, coupled with showbiz and spin. Where were the rewards for our key workers who have done so much for our country throughout the pandemic?
“Sunak offered nothing on raising statutory sick pay, nothing on increasing the minimum wage, nothing on climate change and no big plan to help workers across the board, after a decade of Tory cuts.
“This is a Government and a Chancellor lacking in vision and offering no economic solidity. The people of this country will not be fooled.”
Edison Group
Alastair George, Chief Investment Strategist at Edison Group, comments: “A government spooked by the experience of austerity in the previous recession has offered a budget which implies a slow repair of UK government finances, in-line with other nations and also in our view the best way forward. Clearly, leading up to the budget the traditional Conservative virtues of fiscal prudence have been paid only with lip service. However, the reality is that COVID-19 has the stronger influence on policy. Emergency support programs have been extended into the autumn and the payback will come slowly with rises in corporation tax and stealth increases in personal taxation, through the freezing of allowances.”
“We welcome the fantastic news that the Government has decided to set up a Freeport on Teesside. This will undoubtedly help deliver transformational improvements and drive forward the levelling up agenda. This Freeport will bring millions of pounds of investment, create significant new jobs as well as support some the UK’s key sectors like clean energy, chemicals, transport and infrastructure to name just a few. The economic potential of the Freeport cannot be underestimated. It is huge and will play an important role in strengthening the North East’s future trading position.
“In order to realise the full benefit of Freeport, further transport and infrastructure investment will be essential (particularly as it is based on a multi-gateway, multi-modal model, with links to rail-enabled sites and Teesside International Airport). Excellent transport links will need to be established to support, for example, just-in-time logistics and operations within the Freeport.
“It is also great to hear that a major part of Her Majesty’s Treasury will be relocating to Darlington, importantly including senior civil service posts that shape policy and decisions. This, alongside the recent changes to the Green Book appraisal process, has the potential to create a more vibrant and beneficial culture of decision-making for new transport and infrastructure schemes here in the North East (not to mention a beneficial increase in traffic on the East Coast Main Line and at Teesside International Airport).
“Yet it is extremely disappointing that the North East Freeport bid has, at this stage, been unsuccessful. And the Chancellor made no further comment or commitment (at least from the dispatch box) to rebuilding public confidence in using public transport, Northern Powerhouse Rail, HS2 in the North and plenty of other “shovel ready” transport projects that fall within the quick wins pipeline (such as road and rail schemes and electric vehicle charging points).”
Budget reaction: statement from Institute of Economic Development
“In today’s budget all Ben Houchen’s Christmases came at once. With the relocation of a Government super-campus to Darlington, funds for new port infrastructure on Teesside, and Freeport status the area was undoubtedly the big winner. The country was sprinkled with a few small prizes in the name of levelling up – and the eponymous fund will also be scrutinised carefully – but in truth, if this budget is to create the investment drive that is hoped for it will not be these incremental measures that make the largest impact. It will be whether UK business has the confidence to take advantage of the 130% capital allowances that will be on offer in the near term. How business will react is unclear since it is then business who will pay the biggest price in making contributions to address the deficit. The steep rise in corporation tax was the first bitter pill in the Covid financial recovery plan but there will need to be more to follow.”
Nigel Wilcock, Executive Director, Institute of Economic Development
Irwin Mitchell
Claire Petricca Riding Head of Planning and Environment at Irwin Mitchell commented on the Chancellor’s announcements concerning the Environment today.
“It is good to see the Chancellor has used this Budget to pursue the Government’s commitment to the “green agenda” and its 10 point environmental plan.
“The Green Industrial Revolution continues to occupy the Government’s mind – Green Growth with Green Jobs.
“The new green savings account with a green gilt which will fund renewable energy and clean transportation projects could certainly be a game changer. This could lead to much more support for renewable energy, including onshore wind and hydrogen generators and lead to cleaner transport, more electrical cars and cycling. Along with the Sovereign Green Bond and the new infrastructure bank based in Leeds as well as the desire to be an economic and scientific super power – it has been a budget set for the COP26 and leading that charge to net zero.
“We’ve also got Freeports, simplified planning zones and green initiatives associated with those areas as well as a new carbon offset market. It remains to be seen what the detail of these schemes are.
“If I’m cynical I could say that some of these ideas are really igniting thoughts the Government had a while back under previous administrations and it’s a shame it’s taken so long to get them off the ground. We could be in a very different place if such initiatives had been followed through several years ago.
“That said, it’s important we look forward and overall the Chancellor’s measures concerning the environment are certainly a large green step in the right direction.”
Yotta
In the comment included below, Steve White, head of digital transformation accounts at Yotta, discusses what this could mean for local governments and the potential opportunities the Bank could bring for their infrastructure investments:
“The Chancellor’s plans for a new Infrastructure Bank are welcome but leave local government unclear about the long-term impact on its own infrastructure plans. The focus for the bank appears to be on supporting private sector infrastructure investment, the approach raises the question of the extent to which local government will have access to the bank’s facilities.
“There is an opportunity here for local authorities to challenge industries and transform the infrastructures underlying them, with innovative technologies fundamental to that. The bank must take a longer-term view that allows it to challenge and catalyse structural change in its approach to infrastructure investment, and use of disruptive technologies, rather than perpetuating the status quo. It mustn’t miss the opportunity to support the momentum towards a low(er) carbon economy and changing expectations around infrastructure and the rise of micromobility.”
Simply Business
Alan Thomas, UK CEO, Simply Business, the UK’s largest provider of SME insurance, comments on the Chancellor’s Budget announcement today:
“At Simply Business, we welcome the lifeline for small businesses in today’s budget. It’s positive news to see small businesses rightfully recognised in the nation’s economic recovery plan, but we should know that many self-employed people will still be left without the support they need to survive, let alone thrive.
“By providing this latest package of SME support measures which total £33 billion, including the extension of the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme and Business Rates Relief, Mr. Sunak will enable many small businesses to make it beyond the current lockdown restrictions. These measures have primed the UK economy for a positive, if phased, reopening as we move through this year.
“We welcome the decision to extend the furlough scheme through to the end of September. With small businesses accounting for 48% of all UK jobs, this is an essential lifeline for millions up and down the country, and is another show of support to the SMEs who will be key to our collective recovery.
“While today’s announcement will provide millions of SMEs with the needed certainty to confidently plan for the future, it’s essential to recognise that many will still be left without the support that they need. We’d urge the Chancellor to do all he can to support the UK’s diverse range of small businesses as we look to bounce back from the effects of the pandemic.”
“SMEs are facing a marathon, not a sprint and with them being so crucial to our collective, long term recovery, we’d urge the Government to keep trying to create better conditions for existing small businesses to prosper, and for new entrepreneurs to start up.”
HLM Architects
Olivia Paine, Project Lead at HLM Architects, said: “The Recovery Loans Scheme and Restart Grants announced in today’s Budget are a welcome relief to retail, leisure and hospitality businesses impacted by the ongoing pandemic. Throughout lockdown, we have come to appreciate and depend on our local high street more, underscoring just how critical they are to the vitality of our communities. While these measures are key for the road to recovery, we need to also be exploring longer term at solutions aimed at unlocking all the potential our towns and cities have to offer and ensuring the impact is lasting.
“This is the motivation behind our #bettertowns roadmap, a collaborative initiative aimed at revitalising our high streets so that they are beautiful places for people to shop, work and enjoy. The tool uses a highly visual, data and evidence-led process to determine short, medium and long term strategies for individual towns, removing barriers to development by listening to the data and clearing the way for decision makers to act in the best interests of their communities. As we rebuild, it is more crucial than ever for us to act in a way that is inclusive, sustainable and strategically impactful, so that future generations are able to enjoy our communities for years to come.”
Physical infrastructure and economic growth is not enough. We need new solutions for sustainable recovery. Sarah Gillinson, chief executive, Innovation Unit
“The Chancellor’s Budget today was understandably focused on national economic survival in the short-term and sustainable recovery in the longer term. These are welcome non-negotiables for a country emerging from crisis.
But for a government ostensibly focused on “levelling up” there was little evidence of deepening investment or understanding of what it will really take to improve the lives and life chances of people in places that have had a raw deal over the decades.
Evidence gathered over many years about the success or otherwise of place-based transformation points to the need for change to be grounded in a locally-owned vision that encompasses all aspects of life – from health and education and a secure home to meaningful work and successful relationships.
The government’s actions have been all about physical infrastructure and economic growth. It is not enough.
This change is unbelievably hard and evolves as we learn over 10 years or more. There are scant examples of successful, long-term, place-based transformation that really works for the people who already live there – rather than the people who move in after change has happened.
If the government is serious about “levelling up” or seriously transforming places with and for the people who live there, it should be investing in much more ambitious and holistic innovation in places, and in loud, transparent learning about what emerges. As we said in November last year, 10% of the £4.8bn levelling-up fund should be dedicated to innovation.
We need new solutions, not partial old ones. Trains, roads and enterprise are important – but they are far from being the whole story. Emerging from Covid-19 gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to design forward differently. Let’s seize it, as a broad coalition that wants to learn what it really takes to transform places, rather than being stuck in the inadequate models of the past.”
Innovation Unit grows and scales the boldest and best innovations that deliver long-term impact for people, address persistent inequalities and transform the systems that surround them. www.innovationunit.org
Deputy Mayor of Salford
Following today’s budget announcement, Cllr John Merry, Deputy Mayor of Salford and Chair of national network Key Cities told GPSJ:
“It’s important that if we are to ‘level up’ the country that this is done fairly and equitably. The geographical spread of the freeports and towns funding covered many Key Cities and provides a welcome opportunity for the urban areas that contribute to GDP growth across the UK to work together and thrive. Not all cities benefited from today’s Budget, so the Government must continue to work to connect the diverse voices of urban UK if we are to unlock successful devolution and create a productive, balanced economy for all parts of the country.
“Freeports have the potential to fire up international trade and make the UK an attractive investment proposition post-Brexit, but we need to ensure their design and implementation takes into account local priorities whilst also utilising expertise and best practice from across the UK’s cities.”
Representing 25 cities with a broad geographical and political spread, Key Cities works with other cities, towns and organisations across local government and beyond to deliver prosperity, protect the environment and raise standards of living. Key Cities is a diverse, national network covering almost half the UK’s urban areas.
South Lanarkshire Council confirms ‘Cash Out’ delivers immediate and wider access to crucial funds vs vouchers
Increasing numbers of local authorities are utilising the instant cash solutions from PayPoint to financially help families quickly, as the effects of lockdown bring further suffering. Government free school meals and Winter Hardship Fund vouchers provided to recipients as an eGift card to be spent in a certain number of large supermarkets, are limiting convenience and choice for thousands of families.
90 local authorities and housing organisations across the UK are easing the financial impact of the pandemic in partnership with PayPoint, including South Lanarkshire Council. The council had a small scale but longstanding relationship with PayPoint, which traditionally supported the provision of the Scottish Welfare Fund including crisis grant vouchers. The first Covid-19 Lockdown saw them having to react quickly to facilitate the distribution of school meal vouchers on mass and fast. However, PayPoint’s Cash Out service provided an immediate means of providing them with funds to help them feed their children in the absence of free school meals and remains an essential service for its residents today.
Delivering a fast and efficient payment solution
Stephen Pendrich, Benefits and Revenue Advisor for South Lanarkshire Council explains: “Early in the first Lockdown, we knew we needed to find a fast and efficient solution to deliver school meal payments to all of our eligible residents in need of financial support. eGift vouchers for large supermarkets were not inclusive enough, particularly considering the geographical challenges in South Lanarkshire.
“PayPoint stepped in to deliver an instant answer when we urgently needed it. At first, we saw a 70%-80% redemption rate, but this grew to an average of 91% following further communication from the council. To this day, PayPoint’s Cash Out remains a vital service for our residents, alongside bank transfer which we later introduced to offer as an alternative way of providing financial support.”
Extending the benefits to the wider community
In addition to delivering immediate financial aid to families, other councils working with PayPoint are using Cash Out to reimburse the travel expenses of the wonderful volunteers who tirelessly delivered medicines and prescriptions to individuals shielding during lockdown. This is easing the financial strain on the community during these stressful times, as well as supporting local businesses by encouraging more customers into local stores in the PayPoint network.
PayPoint’s Cash Out solution works in real-time to seamlessly enable eligible families to receive vouchers via email, letter or SMS to be presented to obtain a cash payment. Demonstrating the speed at which people can benefit from the service, a PayPoint Cash Out voucher was recorded as having been presented to obtain cash just over a minute from receipt1. There are over 27,700 retailers across the UK providing access to Cash Out, offering greater convenience than the eGift card alternative, which is limited to specific supermarkets. Access to the Cash Out facility is via an online portal which removes the need for local authorities to invest in any development and requires minimal setup, easing the burden of the Covid-19 crisis.
Danny Vant, Client Services Director of digital payment expert, PayPoint, commented; “The eGift voucher solution works for many families, but it also excludes, inconveniences or limits many others. Offering flexible payment solutions means families can choose the best option for them, whether that is a bank transfer, supermarket eGift voucher or cash to spend in a smaller, more local and more familiar shop.
“PayPoint is committed to providing consumers and businesses with the best, real-time payment solutions. Helping families to gain access to the financial support they need, helping them to manage their current challenges, is an important part of this commitment. With Cash Out, local authorities can broaden their range of pay out solutions to meet the needs of all of their residents receiving government support.”
Meeting the demand of those most in need
PayPoint surveyed those in social grades C2, D and E, with 1 in 4 confirming they are eligible for at least one of the government’s hardship schemes. 23% of those redeeming vouchers said the benefit would be significantly greater if it was available as cash to spend at their local convenience store, rather than needing them to visit a large supermarket. The government’s voucher scheme requires people to redeem the voucher in person, at a supermarket, adding to the burden of those most vulnerable and most in need of support. 38% of people dependent upon government funding expressed concerns about travelling to supermarkets on public transport and the high-volume o other people shopping there. Furthermore, 19% said they had experienced delays when using the government voucher scheme due to the complicated redemption process.
The services supplied by the UK’s public sector, particularly those provided by the world-renowned NHS, are considered by many to be the jewel in our crown. Never before has this commitment to service excellence been more evidenced than by the way our public servants have responded to the challenges presented by the global pandemic and its related issues. The ability to provide an almost BAU service is also due to the public sector leaders’ determination to rapidly embrace the advantages digital transformation can deliver. This is designed to accelerate the adoption of public cloud, data, analytics tools, and seamless software applications that will ease the pain of aged infrastructures and outdated working practices, for the benefit of the entire nation.
A deep pool of digital transformation skills and experience
Leon Orr, Chief Delivery Officer at GFT, commented: “We applaud the UK government’s drive to implement new technology throughout the public sector, particularly around cloud adoption. GFT brings deep expertise and significant experience in this area and is already supporting a growing number of complex digital transformation programmes across various industries.”
Elegant solutions engineered to deliver
“Although our expertise and experience spans strategy and architecture through to delivery, it’s not so much about what you have, it’s about what you do with it,” says Leon. “And because the needs of every organisation are subtly different, for me the GFT difference is about exploring ‘the art of the possible’. This means finding new ways to inject innovative, highly cost-effective, secure programmes that will positively transform the overall business operating model. Our evolutionary, not revolutionary approach enables us to intelligently challenge and debate all potential strategies before bringing customer-centric teams with the right blend of attitude, engineering skills and experience to the table. In turn, they will expertly craft elegant technology solutions which help to eliminate the challenges of managing complex legacy infrastructures, particularly within highly regulated organisations.”
GFT is an award-winning firm providing exceptional cloud, IT and software engineering services, delivering expert consulting and development skills across all aspects of pioneering technologies. These include cloud strategy and planning, cloud engineering and cloud migration, data management and data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and legacy technology modernisation programmes. The firm implements robust, scalable IT solutions, which are proven to increase productivity, reduce operating costs, and provide clients with fast, low risk access to new applications and innovative business models. GFT, together with its extensive skills, resources, and experience, is at the public sector’s service, ready and willing to help complete a truly successful digital transformation journey.
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An organisation that has represented healthcare managers for more than a century formally becomes the Institute of Health and Social Care Management to give a voice to leaders and managers working throughout both health and social care.
An institute that has represented healthcare managers for nearly 120 years has today announced its new identity as the Institute of Health and Social Care Management.
Previously known as the Institute of Healthcare Management, the membership body’s new name signifies its commitment to supporting individual leaders working throughout both health and social care, at a time when the integration of services is high on the national agenda and when professionals have been working tirelessly in response to the coronavirus emergency.
Jane Brightman
In line with this move, the IHSCM is actively expanding its membership in social care as it champions policy change and delivers programmes to provide practical support to individual managers responsible for delivering services.
Jane Brightman, who has been appointed to lead the IHSCM’s social care activity, following more than two decades working in the sector, said: “The IHSCM will provide a formal network and a new home for social care leaders and managers as individual professionals. We are committed to supporting our members with a collective voice, and as a place for development and support that they deserve. We will deliver tailored programmes of training and development to help our members respond to challenges in leading their colleagues, and we will listen to professionals and take their message back to policy makers and government.”
Brightman, who liaised with government departments around national care workforce development initiatives in her previous roles, added: “People working in social care move around a very transient sector, with 38,000 establishments in England alone. Support for development is great from many employers, but there is also significant variation in that support. This is an opportunity for care leaders and managers to draw on the IHSCM’s resources so they can take responsibility for their own development as part of a very human and personable professional community.”
The renaming of the institute comes as the IHSCM recently published a new green paper on integrated care – highlighting examples both of best practice, and where a lack of integration across health and social care has caused distress for patients, service users and families. It also comes after the institute held its first integrated care conference in January.
The institute has also been leading a national campaign alongside The Care Workers’ Charity, the National Care Forum and social thanking platform Thank And Praise to recognise inspirational social care workers, managers and leaders for outstanding work during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jon Wilks, chief executive at the Institute of Health and Social Care Management, said: “Professionals in social care are just as deserving of support as colleagues in health, and we believe having a single organisation dedicated to supporting individual leaders throughout health and social care is significant. Covid-19 has shown the real opportunity for integration across health and social care as barriers have been broken down to respond to the needs of patients and service users. Effective leadership in these sectors is vital to ensuring there is no going back and that the barriers don’t come back up. As integrated care systems across the country take shape to advance this agenda, we are committed to giving social care professionals support they need and a strong voice alongside their colleagues in the NHS and other parts of healthcare.”
Roy Lilley, healthcare commentator and director at the Institute of Health and Social Care Management, added: “Patients, residents and carers don’t look for a boundary between health and social care, neither should politicians, managers and front-line colleagues. The institute is dedicated to supporting our members throughout health and social care who are committed to leading the way to demolish silos and deliver seamless care.”
Dedicated app simplifies parking permit renewals for Nottingham drivers
Drivers in Nottingham can now buy and renew their parking permits through Nottingham City Council’s parking app – RHParking – following the ongoing development of the app by APT SKIDATA, one of the UK’s leading parking solutions providers.
The new ‘permits module’ within APT SKIDATA’s bespoke RHParking app will help commuters and other regular users of the city’s car parks to easily renew or cancel their parking permit each month; the app will only allow a permit to be renewed if there are sufficient funds to do so.
Karen Day, Service Manager – Parking Services at Nottingham City Council – says that paper permits were previously renewed via direct debit: “As the process now takes place within the app, it prevents customers from unwittingly falling into debt which was a problem in the past,” she explains.
“We are providing an innovative technological solution to improve the customer experience, but it also means that we’ll no longer need to chase up failed payments which reduces our own workload. This means my team is free to focus on other tasks.”
The RHParking app was launched at the beginning 2020 to allow for contactless payments and improve people and traffic flows. It also allows some Council-owned parking facilities to offer secure parking areas with access managed through the app.
Steve Murphy, APT SKIDATA Managing Director, said: “By working closely in partnership with Nottingham City Council, we have provided the technology to bring the city’s multi-story car parks into a single ecosystem. The app has created a clear audit trail and helped to increase efficiency. We look forward to continue working with the Council to build on these gains and help the team centralise the city’s transport options.”
Tom McVey, Solution Architect, Menlo Security, explains why government and defence organisations must look to build security resilience in 2021
In a year heavily influenced by the global crisis, the security risks faced by government and defence organisations are greater than ever, with cyber criminals exploiting ‘pandemic fear’ to launch more and more sophisticated attacks.
As critical infrastructure systems migrate online, with increased use of SaaS and cloud services, they become the target for attack. Phishing attacks and data breaches involving sensitive information are all too frequent, while state-sanctioned attacks are creating headlines around the world.
In the US, the full impact of the cyber attacks on a number of government agencies is still being felt. The large-scale hack, which also struck numerous companies, is widely attributed to Russian state actors. President Joe Biden has stated that, “a good defense isn’t enough” and the need to “disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyber attacks in the first place”.
Closer to home, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) last year issued guidance to healthcare organisations about the risk of COVID-related attacks. At the same time, Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, condemned cyber criminals using the global crisis as an opportunity to carry out malicious attacks that target, “those working to overcome the coronavirus pandemic around the world, from experts working on the global health response to hospitals and healthcare systems”.
In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel, warned of possible attacks – both cyber and physical – on vaccination centres, transportation companies and vaccine producers.
Despite the many challenges that government organisations are facing right now, they must remain defiant in the face of attack and take an uncompromising approach to security resilience. It’s not the time to raise the white flag of surrender.
Today’s cybersecurity threats highlight the limitations of maintaining the status quo and the importance of identifying the ‘red flags’ of risk, including:
An increase in phishing attacks, driven by the trend for working from home. At Menlo, we are predicting a new form of attack, known as ‘zishing’ or Zoom + phishing, due to a rise in the number of Zoom meetings.
Ransomware is not a new form of attack by any means, but we fully expect cyber criminals to move from data ransom to more system ransom attacks.
Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks that use email fraud to target organisations, typically with subject lines like ‘Response’, ‘Request’, ‘Urgent Reply’ and ‘Hello’. In some cases the subject line includes the name of the recipient, clearly a targeted threat, asking them to approve financial transactions or payments. We predict a rise in BEC mobile attacks, while caller-ID spoofing will become part of the BEC attack.
Command and Control attacks can be used to compromise an entire network, providing attackers with access to confidential and highly sensitive data or an entry point for a denial of service attack. We predict an increase in the use of HTTPS to communicate to the Command centre, although such attacks will become less relevant for data theft as data continues to move to the cloud.
This year will be another difficult year as organisations look to maintain business operations in uncertain times. A ‘no white flags’ strategy means taking practical approaches to managing cyber risk, combined with creating a culture of collaboration, innovation and prioritisation.
To find out more about this topic, register here for Menlo Security’s Building Cybersecurity Resilience in 2021 webinaron 23 February 2021 (15:00-16:15 GMT).
● UK emergency services will be able to receive fast and accurate access to critical medical and personal details that could save lives ● RapidSOS links life-saving data from 350M+ connected devices to over 4,800 emergency communication centers worldwide ● Hexagon’s solutions help protect nearly 1bn people globally
RapidSOS, the world’s first emergency response data platform, has partnered with Hexagon’s Safety & Infrastructure division, a global leader in computer-aided dispatch (CAD) software and public safety solutions, to give emergency communications centres across the UK access to life-saving data.
The partnership is an extension of the existing RapidSOS and Hexagon collaboration in the United States. It brings together two foremost industry experts and is the first stage in moving public safety agencies towards next-generation (NG999) communications.
By combining Hexagon’s innovation in call centre dispatch with the RapidSOS emergency response data platform, the pair are ensuring emergency services around the world have fast, accurate and up-to-date information when responding to accidents, critical incidents and health emergencies.
The technology created by New York-based RapidSOS protects more than 90% of the U.S. population. Worldwide, it securely links emergency intelligence data – including medical status, vehicle crash data, and more – from 350M+ connected devices directly to emergency services and first responders. A recent partnership with MedicAlert UK was announced late last year, providing life-saving details and medical conditions of the charity’s ID cards users direct to the UK 999 system.
By joining forces with Hexagon, this life-saving data, accessed through the RapidSOS Platform, can be distributed widely to first responders through the HxGN OnCall® Dispatch suite – which provides police, fire, ambulance and transportation agencies with quality incident management and call-taking capabilities, to deliver better service during emergencies and major events.
For example, when a call is made from a user’s registered mobile phone or connected device, call handlers will automatically receive critical details about them to send to those attending emergency call-outs.
Jessica Reed, VP of Strategy and Global Partners at RapidSOS, said: “The RapidSOS Platform is able to bring together crucial and potentially life-saving information from a variety of sources. Partnering with Hexagon in the US and now in the UK, helps ensure this information is delivered to the right place at the right time to make informed decisions, improve responses and save lives.
Reed continued: “The RapidSOS Platform supports all sorts of data, from dynamic AML (Advanced Mobile Location) and alternative location services to additional details generated from security systems, connected mobility, healthcare, connected buildings, apps, and wearables.”
Ian Holmes, Head of Public Safety for Hexagon’s Safety Infrastructure division UK, added: “There are a number of huge challenges ahead for public safety agencies, which require the capability to receive requests for service via not only voice but also through text, video, sensors, social media and instant messaging.
“HxGN OnCall can leverage many of these next-gen information platforms. By partnering with RapidSOS, Hexagon is able to provide quick and efficient access to this information. As well as critical medical details, this also includes location accuracy and a range of supplemental information such as contact or building information.”
To learn more about our technology that’s protecting lives, www.rapidsos.com
The cybersecurity risks and pressures faced by government and defence organisations are greater than ever in a year heavily influenced by the pandemic.
This year is set to be equally challenging. But before organisations raise the white flag of surrender, they should be taking a more uncompromising approach to cybersecurity by identifying and understanding the red flags of infrastructure risk.
This will be the topic of an online event this month aimed at government and defence organisations about how they can build cybersecurity resilience in 2021, hosted by web security company, Menlo Security.
The practical session will include insights from Lt. Gen Philip Jones CB CBE DL, and guests Paul Chichester, Director of Operations at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), John Spicer, CTO & Co-Founder, Nteligen, and Ian McGowan, MD & Founder, Barrier Networks. Attendees will also hear customer testimonials from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and Sellafield Ltd.
Menlo’s CTO, Kowsik Guruswamy, will share insights from Menlo Threat Labs and Tom McVey, Solution Architect, will demonstrate how to flag and eliminate risk using Menlo’s unique isolation technology, alongside OPSWAT Critical Infrastructure Protection Solutions.
Designed specifically for government and defence cyber practitioners, industry leaders will share their experience of building and maintaining resilience for critical infrastructure and partner and supplier ecosystems.
Menlo Security’s Building Cybersecurity Resilience in 2021 webinaris on Tuesday, 23 February 2021 (15:00-16:15 GMT). To register, visit here.
Two senior politicians are set to headline and inspire an upcoming conference on Learning & Development (L&D) organised by the Credit Services Association (CSA), the voice of the UK debt collection and debt purchase sectors.
Gillian Keegan
Gillian Keegan, Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills, and Toby Perkins, Shadow Minister for Apprenticeships and Lifelong Learning, will update delegates about the critical importance of employer engagement for lifelong learning.
They will tackle the role of apprenticeships for the financial services sector (especially at a time when people may be looking to ‘retrain’ into new roles following the pandemic) and explore opportunities from the Government’s Kickstart Scheme which provides funding to create job opportunities for 16–24-year-olds.
Both MPs are in a unique position to speak about L&D and not just because of their current roles: Gillian Keegan is the only degree level apprentice in the House of Commons, having begun an apprenticeship at 16, working for Delco Electronics whilst also studying for a Business Degree. Toby Perkins, meanwhile, has championed improvements in the standard of apprenticeships, and has experience working with the Chesterfield College and private apprentice providers during his 10 years as MP for the constituency.
Toby Perkins
Fiona Macaskill, Director of Learning and Development at the CSA is looking forward to welcoming Mrs Keegan and Mr Perkins to the event: “At such a significant point in the country’s employment history, we are lucky to hear from two MPs sitting on opposite sides of the Commons Chamber, who are united in their awareness of the necessity to future-proof employment prospects.
“A key aim of the conference,” she continues, “is to provide insight into developments and changes to apprenticeships, and no one is better placed to do so than two MPs who are influencing the national further education strategy, the National Retraining Scheme, and working with the institutes of technology and national colleges, right in the heart of Westminster.”
The L&D Conference will take place virtually on 9 February.
Truespeed, Airband and Wessex Internet selected to roll out full-fibre networks on behalf of the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) programme
Ringing out the old, ringing in the new – music to the ears for over 56,000 rural homes and businesses across Devon and Somerset who are set to benefit from around £80million combined public and private sector investment to roll-out full fibre broadband networks.
Complementing the Government’s ambition to build a Gigabit capable network across the UK, the Connecting Devon and Somerset (CDS) programme has selected three well-established companies with experience of working in the South-West to install full fibre broadband across the region.
Matt Warman MP
The CDS funding – which runs until the end of 2024 – will enable Truespeed, Airband and Wessex Internet to pass thousands more properties, including even the most remote and rural locations where infrastructure build costs would otherwise be prohibitive.
Minister for Digital Infrastructure, Matt Warman MP, said: “Today’s announcement marks a major step forward in our mission to build back better in the South West, with thousands of homes and businesses set to be linked up to lightning fast gigabit broadband thanks to an £18.4 million investment by the government. With Airband, Truespeed and Wessex Internet now on board I am confident we will deliver on our ambition for an infrastructure revolution in Devon and Somerset.”
CDS divided the area into 6 Lots and began communications in February 2020 with the procurement process running through until December.
Truespeed submitted and won bids for Lots A and B which overlay Truespeed’s current area of operation in B&NES (Bath & North East Somerset), North Somerset, Mendip and part of Sedgemoor. By building a brand new infrastructure, Truespeed is able to deliver 10 gigabit-capable full fibre broadband directly into premises. Winning the CDS contract comes at the end of a year in which Truespeed has already passed over 40,000 properties bypassed by national broadband providers.
“We are delighted to have won these prestigious contracts with CDS to bring Gigabit-capable full fibre broadband to harder to reach communities in the south west. As a Somerset-based business focused on building out our own full fibre infrastructure to areas left behind by the industry giants, we are the natural partner for CDS,” commented Evan Wienburg, Truespeed CEO.
“The requirement for full fibre broadband is essential as more people study and work from home. Many Truespeed customers are already benefiting from our ultra-reliable, ultra-fast broadband service and we will continue to work as hard and as fast as we can to accelerate our roll out,” he continued.
A community-focused business, Truespeed provides schools passed by its network with free ultrafast broadband connectivity for life. This ensures school-age children have fast, reliable internet access to support their education.
“We’re pleased to confirm the appointment of three well-established, regionally-based suppliers to help with the challenge of delivering the next phase of the CDS programme,” commented Councillor David Hall, CDS Board Member and Somerset County Council Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Planning and Community Infrastructure. “They have significant experience of delivering broadband connections in rural areas of Devon and Somerset, so they have an understanding of the remote areas where CDS is looking to improve connectivity. This investment will deliver full fibre broadband ahead of many other parts of the country.”
Councillor Rufus Gilbert, CDS Board Member and Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills added “These contracts will deliver vital connectivity to a significant number of rural communities across Devon and Somerset helping our businesses and supporting local jobs. Access to services online, home working and staying connected has never been more important, and these investments will provide a much needed boost to our rural and coastal communities.”
The whole Connecting Devon and Somerset programme is expected to deliver an £800 million boost to the regional economy.
VALE ATV weed spraying system saves time, staff resources and money
VALE Engineering is the UK’s leading supplier of weed control and winter maintenance equipment for the municipal and amenity sectors. The company supplies high-specification Yamaha ATV quad bikes fitted with weed spraying equipment that can save time, staff resources and money – according to Paul Eccles of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council.
VALE Engineering’s latest weed spraying ATV, the PKL450, complies with all current emission standards whilst also being a significant step forward in terms of comfort and safety for the user. The PKL450 has rapidly become the equipment of choice for clients in the local authority, housing association, grounds maintenance and leisure sectors. The PKL Spraying System is generally considered to be one of the most robust and reliable in the marketplace, being one of the only spraying systems suitable for kerb-edge spraying, hard surfaces and mowing margins.
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, located mid-way between the Pennines and the City of Manchester, contains a mix of urban and rural landscapes with varied streetscapes and open spaces – including historic market towns, a canal network and industrial heritage areas. Paul Eccles, Operations Supervisor at Tameside, has been using the VALE PKL system for four years, commenting: “In early 2017 we approached VALE Engineering regarding their quad-bike mounted weed spraying equipment. Previously, we had just been using handheld equipment. I am so pleased we made that call to VALE as it has saved us time, staff resources and, most of all, money! Their PKL system has allowed us to utilise our time and resources much more efficiently, keeping on top of the weed growth as well as all our other commitments around Tameside.”
“VALE ATVs are supplied ready-to-go and fully road legal with lighting kit and E marked road legal tyres and, knowing they fully conform to the current British and European standard for spraying equipment, that provides peace of mind and ticks all the boxes on risk assessments and health & safety. VALE even offer some first-rate training to ensure our operatives are given the necessary skills and qualifications to be able to spray effectively and safely. I would definitely recommend the VALE equipment and training to others. For the cost, I genuinely can’t see a better way as these ATVs mean my team can get around easily and spray every street within the Borough. I would recommend the VALE PKL system to any authority with weed control responsibility.”
The PKL450 Spraying System’s key features include:
70-litre sprayer tank with filter and baffle
Very low-drift nozzle technology
Kerb-edge spraying nozzles
Handlebar spray control
Front mounted clean water tank with 22-litre capacity
A limited quantity of the PKL350 Yamaha ATVs will still available from VALE Engineering whilst stocks last, backed by the company’s spare parts and servicing departments.
For further information or to order, contact VALE Engineering on 01904 738533, email info@valeuk.com or visit the company’s new website www.valeuk.com
Rizwan Malik, divisional medical director of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and managing director of South Manchester Radiology, joins the expert group that advises the dedicated health tech agency and its clients
Leading radiologist Rizwan Malik has joined Highland Marketing’s advisory board of NHS IT and health tech industry leaders.
The divisional medical director of Bolton NHS Foundation Trust and managing director of South Manchester radiology will contribute to the group’s increasingly influential discussions on health tech strategy and hot topics.
Rizwan Malik
He will also be available to advise the dedicated health tech agency and its clients, which range from established providers with enterprise systems that support the NHS in its day-to-day operations to exciting new entrants to the market.
Malik said: “Thanks to its newsletter and its website, Highland Marketing is my prime source of information about the healthcare IT space. So, when I was invited to join the advisory board, it seemed like a great opportunity to get involved with an agency that is helping the NHS and its technology suppliers to chart the way forward.”
Malik joins the advisory board at an important moment for health tech. In the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the health service moved rapidly to reconfigure its systems to support the triage and treatment of Covid-19 patients.
It also rolled out remote working, virtual clinic, and telephone or video consultation technologies. However, there is a growing consensus that health and social care now needs a “second wave” of innovation to consolidate these gains, improve efficiency, and create new, digital services for patients.
Malik said: “Health tech is at an important crossroads. The first lockdown removed some of the barriers that had prevented the NHS adopting technology that was already available to it. Now, as we look ahead to the end of the second lockdown, we need to keep up momentum.
“We need to evaluate the technology that we adopted last year, to make sure it is the right technology, and we are doing the right things with it. And we need to innovate.
“We need to add newer technologies, such as automation and AI to support clinicians, and we need completely new thinking on population health management and creating great services for patients at home. Both the healthcare system and its suppliers need to be asking: how can we go further?”
Malik has a history of innovation in the digital imaging space. Last year, he worked with Qure.ai to apply an AI tool to chest x-rays to support Bolton doctors working with Covid-19 patients.
The project helped doctors to identify deteriorating and improving patients, so they could make better decisions about intensive therapy, and won Highland Marketing’s #HealthTechToShoutAbout award in the Health Tech Awards 2020.
Jeremy Nettle, chair of the Highland Marketing advisory board, said: “The work that Bolton NHS Foundation Trust did with Qure.ai is a great example of the kind of innovation that we want to see in healthcare; not AI ‘for the sake of it’ but to deliver measurable benefits to clinicians and patients that can be replicated to other Radiology departments across the NHS.
“It’s fantastic that Rizwan has agreed to bring his practical experience of working at the front-line of the NHS and health tech to the advisory board, and we are very much looking forward to his contribution and to his experience informing our work and the approach of our clients.”
Malik studied medicine in Cambridge and London before qualifying as a radiologist. He has worked in Bolton since 2006, in a number of increasingly senior roles. Alongside his clinical interests, he has also pursued an interest in health tech.
Malik has also been an advisor to healthcare IT companies and is managing director of South Manchester Radiology, which provides consultancy and clinical advisory services to NHS organisations and suppliers looking to innovate in the imaging and AI space.
The UK’s leading, independent, membership body for health and social care managers says politicians and policy makers must level with the public as one in five poll respondents say more than 15% of staff are now off sick or isolating
The Institute of Healthcare Management has called for honest and open communication about NHS capacity after a snapshot survey revealed the scale of sickness absence across the service.
The UK’s leading, independent, membership organisation for health and social care managers also said local leaders and communications teams should be allowed to level with the public about their situation, as almost two thirds of poll respondents reported ‘worse’ or ‘much worse’ absence levels than they would expect at this time of year.
IHM, chief executive, Jon Wilks
One in ten respondents reported sickness levels of 12-15% and one in five reported absences of more than 15%. Despite this, a majority said they were ‘managing well’ or finding things ‘tough, but we are coping.’
IHM, chief executive, Jon Wilks said this was a tribute to the planning that had gone into preparing the NHS to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic this winter, and a demonstration of the resourcefulness that health and care services have shown as the second wave has accelerated.
However, he said politicians and policy makers needed to be transparent about the situation, so the public could form realistic expectations about the NHS’ ability to open up new services and follow guidance intended to halt the spread of the disease.
“At the moment, politicians and policy makers are talking about opening additional services, such as Nightingale Hospitals and Nightingale vaccination centres,” Wilks said. “Although the picture varies across the country, our members are saying that the scale of sickness absence in the NHS right now makes that fanciful.
“Current services are managing, under enormous pressure, but without staff the idea of opening additional beds and services is a non-starter.
“We need openness and honesty about the position so workers and staff, patients and families have realistic expectations about the treatment available for Covid-19 and other conditions, and don’t lose faith in the service because the reality fails to match the headlines they are seeing.”
Wilks also urged politicians and national organisations to allow commissioners and trusts to communicate with local media, instead of relying on central messages. “If local managers could represent their position to local communities, we would have a much better understanding of what is happening across the service,” he said.
“That would almost certainly win a lot more support for the NHS and for the Covid-security measures that everybody needs to follow to halt the spread of this terrible pandemic.”
The online, snapshot survey was completed by 82 IHM members. It found 32% felt sickness absence was ‘same as we would expect at this time of year’ but 37% thought it was ‘worse’ and 25% thought it was ‘much worse’.
Asked to estimate how many staff were off sick, 30% said ‘up to 5%’, and 26% said 5-7%, 8-10%, or 10-12%. However, 12% said absence was running at 12-15% and 20% said it was ‘more than 15%’.
Wilks pointed out that these figures exacerbated long-term shortages of staff. The NHS went into the Covid-19 crisis with 100,000 vacancies unfilled and short of more than 40,000 nurses.
Asked ‘to what extent staff absence is currently affecting your organisation’s ability to deliver services’, more than 22% of respondents said they were ‘managing well’ and 39% said it was ‘tough, but we are managing ok.’
However, 29% said ‘services are being affected, although we are not in crisis’ and 10% said ‘services are being seriously affected and we are in crisis.’
The survey was launched over New Year, so the majority of responses were submitted before this week’s big increase in cases, and the release of figures showing that the number of people who have died within 28 days of a positive Covid-test has passed 1,000 per day for the first time since April 2020.
The UK Government’s Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, said: “The Borderlands Growth Deal will a new era of regeneration and opportunity as we build back better from the pandemic.
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Essex based business, keep2m.co.uk, have been busy supplying sneeze screens, information sticker packs and mobile temperature measuring equipment to authorities across the UK with a syndication of London boroughs recently buying over 1500 sneeze guards for the election and then increasing their order for use by staff in their offices too.
He continued, “We must remember that democracy continues, even in a pandemic, and not all voters like postal ballots. Many prefer to put their X on a ballot paper and drop it in the box for counting. Our role is merely to help the relevant authorities prepare for this.”
In the US, the full impact of the cyber attacks on a number of government agencies is still being felt. The large-scale hack, which also struck numerous companies, is widely attributed to Russian state actors. President Joe Biden has stated that, “a good defense isn’t enough” and the need to “disrupt and deter our adversaries from undertaking significant cyber attacks in the first place”.
By combining Hexagon’s innovation in call centre dispatch with the RapidSOS emergency response data platform, the pair are ensuring emergency services around the world have fast, accurate and up-to-date information when responding to accidents, critical incidents and health emergencies.
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