Job losses part of a five-year plan unconnected to Mark Thompson’s ‘Delivering Quality First’ initiative BBC News is to axe a further 45 jobs in the final stage of a five-year plan that will see the loss of more than 450 posts. The latest job cuts are unconnected to BBC director general Mark Thompson’s latest cost-saving initiative, “Delivering Quality First”, but the conclusion of another three-word initiative launched by Thompson in 2006, “Delivering Creative Future” . BBC News has already closed 420 posts in the first four years of the Creative Future plan. By the end of year five, with another 45 jobs to go, BBC News will have saved £161m, of which the corporation said £63.4m has been reinvested into journalism. Further cuts are expected in the news division as a result of Delivering Quality First, the review which is examining how to make 20% of budget cuts as a result of last year’s flat licence fee settlement. Ideas already been put forward include merging some local radio output, axing overnight programming on BBC1 and BBC2, a “slimmed-down” news channel and scaling back the Parliament Channel. Major savings are also expected in newsgathering when the separate operations of the BBC News and the World Service are brought together at the redeveloped Broadcasting House in central London. A final list of proposals is due to be prepared in June and the report will be presented to the BBC Trust in July . A BBC spokeswoman said the 45 posts would close by April next year. She said compulsory redundancies would be avoided “wherever possible”. “The closure of 45 posts proposed today are part of the BBC’s Delivering Creative Future project – a five-year plan to achieve savings. This is year five,” said the BBC spokeswoman. “In years one to four network news has radically changed the way it works and the way it is organised. 420 posts have closed and we will have saved News £161m by the end of Year five, of which about £63.4m has been reinvested in BBC journalism. “At the beginning of the five-year plan it was said that this would be a continuous process and so today in the final year it is proposed to close around 45 posts by no later than April 2012. “News has a very good record on redeploying people and the BBC remains committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies wherever possible. Volunteers for redundancy will be considered.” • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook . BBC BBC Trust BBC licence fee Television industry Radio industry Mark Thompson John Plunkett guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Job losses part of a five-year plan unconnected to Mark Thompson’s ‘Delivering Quality First’ initiative BBC News is to axe a further 45 jobs in the final stage of a five-year plan that will see the loss of more than 450 posts. The latest job cuts are unconnected to BBC director general Mark Thompson’s latest cost-saving initiative, “Delivering Quality First”, but the conclusion of another three-word initiative launched by Thompson in 2006, “Delivering Creative Future” . BBC News has already closed 420 posts in the first four years of the Creative Future plan. By the end of year five, with another 45 jobs to go, BBC News will have saved £161m, of which the corporation said £63.4m has been reinvested into journalism. Further cuts are expected in the news division as a result of Delivering Quality First, the review which is examining how to make 20% of budget cuts as a result of last year’s flat licence fee settlement. Ideas already been put forward include merging some local radio output, axing overnight programming on BBC1 and BBC2, a “slimmed-down” news channel and scaling back the Parliament Channel. Major savings are also expected in newsgathering when the separate operations of the BBC News and the World Service are brought together at the redeveloped Broadcasting House in central London. A final list of proposals is due to be prepared in June and the report will be presented to the BBC Trust in July . A BBC spokeswoman said the 45 posts would close by April next year. She said compulsory redundancies would be avoided “wherever possible”. “The closure of 45 posts proposed today are part of the BBC’s Delivering Creative Future project – a five-year plan to achieve savings. This is year five,” said the BBC spokeswoman. “In years one to four network news has radically changed the way it works and the way it is organised. 420 posts have closed and we will have saved News £161m by the end of Year five, of which about £63.4m has been reinvested in BBC journalism. “At the beginning of the five-year plan it was said that this would be a continuous process and so today in the final year it is proposed to close around 45 posts by no later than April 2012. “News has a very good record on redeploying people and the BBC remains committed to avoiding compulsory redundancies wherever possible. Volunteers for redundancy will be considered.” • To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email editor@mediaguardian.co.uk or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”. • To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook . BBC BBC Trust BBC licence fee Television industry Radio industry Mark Thompson John Plunkett guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Supporters of deposed president had mounted last stand in Abidjan, as prime minister describes streets littered with bodies Government forces in Ivory Coast claim they have destroyed the last pockets of resistance from fighters loyal to the country’s deposed president. A dwindling band of Laurent Gbagbo supporters had made a last stand in Yopougon , a district of Abidjan, three weeks after he was prised from his bunker and arrested. But president Alassane Ouattara’s army said it now controls the whole of the city. Chérif Ousmane, the commander in charge of Wednesday’s operation, told Ouattara’s TCI television that Yopougon was “the only area that remained, and the entire district is now definitively occupied by us”. The final battles came at a heavy cost. The prime minister, Guillaume Soro, who had visited the scene, told the same TV channel: “I saw streets littered with bodies. At the militia headquarters we saw an improvised cemetery. “I can imagine the slaughter that took place. I’m still under shock after seeing all these dead, all these bodies.” Red Cross officials said residents of Yopougon had told them of a mass grave of about 30 bodies buried in a field where children used to play football. Franck Kodjo of the Red Cross, wiping tears from his eyes, told Reuters: “This land will never be used by youth, will never again be suitable for children’s games. It is a cemetery in the middle of the neighbourhood.” Red Cross workers have collected nearly 70 corpses since Tuesday from the streets of Yopougon, where many of the pro-Gbagbo gunmen were mercenaries from neighbouring Liberia. Residents said food and water were in short supply after pillaging and heavy fighting left shops and infrastructure in disarray. Stephane Bedjra, who lives with his wife and two children, said: “The situation was terrible. There were militants who terrorised us. “They were armed and they did whatever they wanted. We lived like this until the arrival of the FRCI [government army], who chased them from the area.” Gbagbo refused to cede power after a November election that he lost to Ouattara, sparking open conflict that killed more than 3,000 people and displaced a million – reopening the wounds of a 2002-03 civil war. Gbagbo was arrested on 11 April at the presidential residence in Abidjan and is being detained at a villa in the north of the country. The Swiss government says it has identified assets worth 70m Swiss francs (£50m) linked to Gbagbo which were blocked in January. In the west of the country, many families displaced by the fighting are still living and sleeping out in the open and lack access to clean drinking water. Save the Children has warned that thousands of children living without shelter face a health “catastrophe” as the rainy season approaches. Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara Laurent Gbagbo David Smith guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
City economists had widely expected a ‘no change’ from the MPC, with some predicing that rates will not rise until this autumn Andrew Sentance and his fellow hawks have again failed to push through a rise in UK interest rates, with the Bank of England leaving the cost of borrowing unchanged again on Thursday. The Bank’s monetary policy committee voted to leave interest rates at the current record low of 0.5%, and also made no change to its £200bn quantitative easing programme. The decision means Sentance will end his stint on the MPC at the end of May without seeing the rate rise which he has consistently voted for since last June . Although inflation is double the official target of 2% , the latest economic data has suggested that the UK economy is too fragile to support a rate rise at this stage. The monthly Services PMI survey showed that growth in this dominant sector slowed sharply in April , echoing similar findings for manufacturing and construction – although all three sectors did register growth last month. City economists had widely expected a “no change” from the MPC, with some predicing that rates will not rise until this autumn. The minutes from today’s meeting will be released in two weeks time, showing how the MPC members voted. More details soon Interest rates Economics Bank of England Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Growth in construction and manufacturing have also slowed markedly , according to the latest CIPS surveys Growth in Britain’s services sector slowed in April according to a key survey, providing fresh evidence that economic growth is weakening, as the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee prepares to set interest rates. The closely watched Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply’s purchasing managers’ index, produced with Markit, declined from 57.1 to 54.3 – still pointing to growth, but at a considerably slower pace than in the first three months of the year. Growth in construction and manufacturing have also slowed markedly , according to the latest CIPS surveys, released earlier in the week. “Given the dominant role of the services sector, the survey fuels concerns over the fragility of the economy and its ability to withstand the fiscal tightening that increasingly kicked in from April,” said Howard Archer, of IHS Global Insight. A sharp decline in government spending in the new fiscal year, which began in April, was one explanation for the deteriorating outlook, according to Chris Williamson, Markit’s chief economist. “There’s been a significant loss of momentum,” he said. “It’s particularly linked to government spending cuts. What companies were saying in the first quarter was that there was a surprisingly strong increase in spending from government departments, and that has gone into reverse.” The latest official figures showed that GDP had been flat – “on a plateau”, as the Office for National Statistics put it – since last autumn, even before the worst of the fiscal squeeze, and today’s survey will add to fears that the government’s austerity plans are stifling economic recovery. There was some good news in the CIPS survey – the increase in sales was the fastest since last March, and new business also rose. However, firms also said they were pushing up their prices at the fastest pace for two-and-a-half years, to try to offset rapidly rising costs. Williamson suggested that the three surveys – of manufacturing, construction and services – taken together suggested that the pace of growth in the economy may have halved between the first and the second quarters of the year. The reading is likely to be the final piece of evidence the more dovish members of the monetary policy committee needed to forestall an increase in interest rates on Thursday, from their record low of 0.5%. Services sector Economic growth (GDP) Economics Heather Stewart guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Growth in construction and manufacturing have also slowed markedly , according to the latest CIPS surveys Growth in Britain’s services sector slowed in April according to a key survey, providing fresh evidence that economic growth is weakening, as the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee prepares to set interest rates. The closely watched Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply’s purchasing managers’ index, produced with Markit, declined from 57.1 to 54.3 – still pointing to growth, but at a considerably slower pace than in the first three months of the year. Growth in construction and manufacturing have also slowed markedly , according to the latest CIPS surveys, released earlier in the week. “Given the dominant role of the services sector, the survey fuels concerns over the fragility of the economy and its ability to withstand the fiscal tightening that increasingly kicked in from April,” said Howard Archer, of IHS Global Insight. A sharp decline in government spending in the new fiscal year, which began in April, was one explanation for the deteriorating outlook, according to Chris Williamson, Markit’s chief economist. “There’s been a significant loss of momentum,” he said. “It’s particularly linked to government spending cuts. What companies were saying in the first quarter was that there was a surprisingly strong increase in spending from government departments, and that has gone into reverse.” The latest official figures showed that GDP had been flat – “on a plateau”, as the Office for National Statistics put it – since last autumn, even before the worst of the fiscal squeeze, and today’s survey will add to fears that the government’s austerity plans are stifling economic recovery. There was some good news in the CIPS survey – the increase in sales was the fastest since last March, and new business also rose. However, firms also said they were pushing up their prices at the fastest pace for two-and-a-half years, to try to offset rapidly rising costs. Williamson suggested that the three surveys – of manufacturing, construction and services – taken together suggested that the pace of growth in the economy may have halved between the first and the second quarters of the year. The reading is likely to be the final piece of evidence the more dovish members of the monetary policy committee needed to forestall an increase in interest rates on Thursday, from their record low of 0.5%. Services sector Economic growth (GDP) Economics Heather Stewart guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak pleads guilty to manslaughter but denies murder The neighbour of landscape architect Joanna Yeates has admitted killing her. Yeates’s parents, David and Theresa, were at the Old Bailey in London as the Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak pleaded guilty to her manslaughter, but denied murder. The charge states that Tabak “unlawfully killed” the 25-year-old between 16 and 19 December. But the 33-year-old pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder and was remanded in custody to face trial at Bristol crown court on 4 October. Yeates, who lived in Clifton, Bristol, disappeared on 17 December after going for Christmas drinks with colleagues. Her frozen body was found dumped on a verge in a lane in Failand, north Somerset, on Christmas Day. Tabak appeared in court via a videolink from Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire. He spoke to confirm his name and to say he was content for proceedings to continue in English without an interpreter before entering his pleas. During the hearing he sat at a desk, occasionally using a piece of paper to make notes and sipping from a drink. His trial is expected to last four weeks. Joanna Yeates Crime guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak pleads guilty to manslaughter but denies murder The neighbour of landscape architect Joanna Yeates has admitted killing her. Yeates’s parents, David and Theresa, were at the Old Bailey in London as the Dutch engineer Vincent Tabak pleaded guilty to her manslaughter, but denied murder. The charge states that Tabak “unlawfully killed” the 25-year-old between 16 and 19 December. But the 33-year-old pleaded not guilty to a charge of murder and was remanded in custody to face trial at Bristol crown court on 4 October. Yeates, who lived in Clifton, Bristol, disappeared on 17 December after going for Christmas drinks with colleagues. Her frozen body was found dumped on a verge in a lane in Failand, north Somerset, on Christmas Day. Tabak appeared in court via a videolink from Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire. He spoke to confirm his name and to say he was content for proceedings to continue in English without an interpreter before entering his pleas. During the hearing he sat at a desk, occasionally using a piece of paper to make notes and sipping from a drink. His trial is expected to last four weeks. Joanna Yeates Crime guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
BMA leader believes health secretary may be sacked if NHS bill is watered down Andrew Lansley may not survive as health secretary once the government’s “pause” over its controversial NHS shakeup ends, the leader of Britain’s doctors has said. Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of council at the British Medical Association, told the Guardian he believed Lansley may have to step down if the health and social care bill underwent major changes. “I deal in policies not personalities, but I agree that it might be difficult for him to stay on if we see the significant changes to the reforms that we [the BMA] are asking for. But that’s not a decision that’s mine to make – it’s for the prime minister,” Meldrum said. “But yes, it’s true that his credibility would be badly damaged if the bill was watered down because he [Lansley] is so personally associated with the reforms.” The BMA leader’s intervention articulates a growing feeling both at Westminster and in NHS circles that Lansley could lose his job because of the difficulty created for the coalition by the deep unpopularity of his radical restructuring plans for the NHS in England. David Cameron has publicly backed the health secretary and insisted that the ongoing “listening exercise” on the legislation will lead to many more people understanding and accepting the plans. But the prime minister is frustrated that Lansley has made the NHS once again a problem issue for the Conservatives, so soon after they had neutralised it. Health policy experts believe that David Laws, the Liberal Democrat who resigned as chief secretary to the Treasury over his MP’s expenses soon after the coalition was formed last May, may return to cabinet as Lansley’s replacement. It has also been speculated that Philip Hammond, the transport secretary, or Stephen Dorrell, health secretary from 1995-1997 in John Major’s administration and current chair of the Commons health select committee, could take over. Friends admit that Lansley’s failure to win hearts and minds for his planned reorganisation has left him exposed. “Andrew’s intelligent and thoughtful and, as David Cameron says, no one knows more about the NHS than him,” said one. “But he has become too bogged down in the detail of the reorganisation and shown himself to be more of a thinker than a politician, and his lack of engagement over his plans with either health professionals or the public has left him somewhat isolated.” One health expert who is taken seriously in Downing Street said: “The question is: is he too toxic? I can’t believe he will stay on. To me it’s only a matter of time before he is replaced. Andrew Lansley means well and he knows a lot and he wants the best for the health service, but it hasn’t worked”. Lansley is widely seen to have failed to “do the politics” before unveiling his NHS masterplan. “Much of what’s in the health bill could command quite wide support, but he didn’t warm people up or get the key stakeholders on board,” said a pro-reform NHS policy specialist. “In such difficult times for the NHS you need a health secretary who can schmooze, do deals and get people on-board and that’s absolutely not Andrew Lansley.” Some of those working closely with Lansley on the “listening exercise” say that, despite criticism of his plans from an unprecedented array of bodies and individuals, and the Liberal Democrats, he still does not believe that they need major changes. Allies, though, say that he is “sufficiently flexible to respond to good ideas”, is putting considerable energy into engaging with stakeholders during the two-month pause and will clarify and improve his plans while maintaining their key principles, such as handing control of commissioning healthcare for patients from primary care trusts to GPs. One in three GPs plans to quit the NHS in the next five years and some blame the health reforms, according to a snapshot poll of 576 doctors for the magazine Pulse. • Join the debate on the future of the NHS on the NHS reforms blog NHS Health policy Andrew Lansley Health Doctors Public services policy Public sector cuts Public finance David Cameron Conservatives Rowenna Davis Denis Campbell guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …
Prevention is cheaper than cure is the motto of scheme operating in County Durham A couple of weeks ago I joined a regular organised bike ride starting in the village of West Rainton in County Durham . There were two trips of different distances that start from the same point every Sunday morning – for novice and intermediate cyclists. They are organised by a scheme called ” Get Active Get Cycling ” which is funded by the local NHS trust. The (very good) idea behind it is that preventing cardiovascular disease by encouraging people to get on their bikes is much better, and cheaper, for the NHS than treating the disease when it happens. These rides are excellent if you are not a confident cyclist or are thinking of getting back into the saddle after a long break – not least because you don’t actually have to own a bike. The Get Active team turn up with a van full of well-maintained and very comfortable mountain bikes (I know because I borrowed one) that are absolutely free to use. You can also borrow tag-along bikes for children who are not yet able to ride. “Because the project is completely free to all participants and equipment can be provided, the majority of people who attend the cycle rides borrow bikes and helmets from us,” said Nick Whitley, one of the organisers. And he says that many participants are novice or lapsed cyclists. “In order to help these participants as much as we can we also offer one to one tuition to help build confidence and improve basic skills whilst riding a bike,” he said. The project has funding until September 2012. I opted for the longer ride which was a leisurely saunter in an 8.5 mile loop through pleasant countryside around the village – mostly on cycle tracks and quiet roads. Now if you are a regular cyclist looking for a physical challenge and a demanding pace this ride would probably be a bit tame. But I found it a very enjoyable way to spend a Sunday morning and meet some new people. If you have a family with a mixture of cycling abilities and are looking for a safe organised ride then it would be ideal (novice riders take a shorter ride). The long term plan is for the weekly ride to become self sufficient, with locals acting as guides (some are already trained up) and the bikes kept in a shipping container parked permanently in the village. The Get Active team already run 14 similar weekly rides across the county (with 5 more starting in June) and have roughly 150 bikes to lend out. There is also a programme of summer events . You can find more information on the West Rainton ride on their Facebook page or for more information contact Nick Whitley by email ( nick.whitley@nhs.net ) or phone (0191-569 2847). Does anything like this operate in other parts of the country? If so, please post in the comments below. Cycling Cycling holidays Health NHS James Randerson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …