Review criticises overuse of studio managers on Radio 2, and says there are opportunities for significant reduction of overheads Tim Davie rules out creating single Radio 1 and 2 controller BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2 should consider introducing a combined management structure and operations, a report into the workings of the two stations recommended on Tuesday. The review said money was being wasted on studio managers who were being used as a “comfort blanket” by presenters on some Radio 2 shows to operate basic equipment that DJs normally operate themselves. It also criticised Radio 2 for employing newsreaders who read a brief hourly news update but then did “little else until the next hour’s bulletin”. The review questioned whether Radio 1′s Newsbeat programme, which broadcasts a 15-minute bulletin twice a day – as well as hourly news updates – needed to employ 52 full-time staff, and said compliance procedures tightened up in the wake of the “Sachsgate” scandal had run out of control. The report, by former commercial radio executive John Myers, was commissioned by the BBC’s director of audio and music, Tim Davie, to investigate opportunities for cost savings across Radio 1 and Radio 2, as well as their digital sister stations, 1Xtra and BBC 6 Music. Myers praised Radio 1 and Radio 2 as at the top of their game but said there were opportunities for significant reduction of overheads. His report said that the two stations should examine “the advantages of operating under a single-tier management structure” within a single building and remove “all mirrored departments”. However, in his response to the Myers report, Davie ruled out taking any management restructure as far as appointing a single controller for the two networks . Radio 1 and 1Xtra are overseen by Andy Parfitt and based in Yalding House in central London, separate to Radio 2 and 6 Music, which are controlled by Bob Shennan and situated in nearby Weston House. Radio 1 is due to move into the corporation’s newly refurbished Broadcasting House. Myers also said some Radio 2 presenters were using other staff as a “comfort blanket” – operating the basic studio equipment that DJs typically operate themselves – and recommended that the station’s talent should be “encouraged to self-operate wherever possible”. He also said more Radio 2 DJs should broadcast live, rather than pre-record their shows, to save money. Myers said the stations’ news programmes were “expensive to run and both structurally and financially complicated”. Newsreaders on Radio 2 “do not write any of the news material themselves” and had “very little interplay with the general presenters … and do little else until the next hour’s bulletin”. Myers suggested that Radio 1′s Newsbeat, which employs 52 full-time staff in addition to its own technical and production personnel, could become the “central newsroom for all four popular music networks”. An estimated 4.5 million people hear one of Newsbeat’s 15-minute programmes at least once a week, with its hourly bulletins reaching around 10 million listeners a week. In total the station broadcasts six hours of news a week, along with monthly Newsbeat specials. The network is also developing longer-form, single issue Newsbeat programmes which have been dubbed “Panorama for young people”. They were announced by the Radio 1 controller, Andy Parfitt, last year. Radio 2 newsreaders, in addition to reading the hourly bulletin, are expected to monitor the news wires, liaise with journalists in the newsroom and are on standby for breaking stories and emergencies. Myers said the four radio stations were “well run and expertly managed”. But he added there was “limited evidence of sharing best practice or ideas” with a “huge amount of experience and professionalism that goes unshared”. “It is slightly confusing for someone from outside the BBC to understand why 6 Music is not sitting with the Radio 1 family, as there is clearly more connection musically within that team than with Radio 2,” he said. BBC Radio 1 has a budget of £37m, with £48.3m spent on Radio 2 each year. However, Myers said it was unclear how a significant proportion of this money was being spent, with less than 50% of the budget at the discretion of the station controller. The rest was spent on news, royalty payments, transmitters and other costs. Myers said the corporation’s compliance procedures were the source of the biggest complaints from staff. “I agree it is quite right for the BBC to have good, workable systems in place but a review is required if morale is to be protected and producers can continue to do what they do best,” he said. “The best way of achieving this goal is to restore much more responsibility back to the producers at the front line.” Myers, the former chief executive of Smooth Radio parent GMG Radio, part of the group that publishes MediaGuardian.co.uk, was previously commissioned by the then Labour government to write a report about commercial radio in 2009 . He is now chief executive of the cross-industry body, the Radio Academy. The remit of Myers’s latest report did not include one of the most controversial areas of BBC spending – the amount it pays talent. •
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Fortnightly bin collections are to stay in the UK, after expense of changing to weekly forces government into U-turn The government has announced weekly bin collections will not be reinstated, as part of its measures towards a zero-waste economy – a move that is a victory for green campaigners. The decision reverses a pledge by the communities and local government secretary, Eric Pickles, to bring back weekly rubbish pick-ups in the half of all councils that currently have fortnightly collections. Independent research had shown that the cost of reintroducing weekly collections would have been more than £500m over four years. The environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, launched the government’s review of how waste is dealt with a year ago , saying: “We cannot keep putting recyclable and biodegradable material into landfill. It threatens the environment and wastes what are incredibly valuable natural resources.” Bringing back weekly collections could have cut recycling rates by 5%, according to the same research, but cost was the biggest factor in ignoring calls for a return to weekly collections. The environment department suffered the biggest budget cut in the 2010 spending review. Today’s waste review, details of which are yet to be published, will aim to placate those who demanded weekly bin collections by abolishing some of the fines that people faced if they repeatedly breaks recycling rules, or put bins out on the wrong day, though it is unclear how such fines have been levied. The government has already scrapped Labour’s “pay as you throw” pilot to cut waste, which allowed councils to reward households that reduced waste and penalise those who threw away more. But Spelman is expected to endorse other ways of rewarding people to reduce their waste. Other measures in the waste review are expected to address the first part of the “reduce, reuse, recycle” slogan, by encouraging businesses such as toy makers and caterers to cut packaging and waste. Before today, environmental campaigners said the progress of the review did not look encouraging as, while the coalition had pledged to move towards a zero-waste system remained, the specific means to achieve that had appeared lacking. David Symons, director at environmental consultancy WSP Environment & Energy, said: “Although we produce 13% less waste than we did seven years ago, there’s no getting away from the fact that we have a serious problem with waste in this country. Each person in the UK still throws away over half a tonne of waste every year – most of which goes to landfill. “The waste strategy needs to focus on helping busy people cut down on the amount of waste they produce, without making their lives harder with fines and infrequent collections.” Jamie Reed, Labour’s shadow waste minister said: “The government’s policies for getting rid of rubbish are in chaos. Eric Pickles has been humiliated. It looks like the waste review will duck all the major challenges on recycling and will do nothing for the environment or our economy.” Waste Recycling Ethical and green living Green politics Local government Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk
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• CPI remains at more than twice Bank’s 2% target • ‘Core’ inflation falls to 3.3% • Majority vote to leave interest rates unchanged Cheaper travel costs compensated for dearer food to keep the annual rate of inflation in the UK steady at 4.5% last month. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics showed that the annual increase in the cost of living as measured by the consumer prices index remained at more than double the Bank of England’s 2% target. The latest data for inflation was in line with City forecasts, although Threadneedle Street expects higher domestic fuel bills to push the annual rate above 5% over the coming months. A majority of members of the Bank’s nine-strong monetary policy committee have taken the view that the factors leading to the inflation overshoot are temporary and have voted to keep interest rates at 0.5%. The figures showed that so-called “core inflation”, which strips out food and energy, fell from 3.7% to 3.3% last month. Inflation using the retail prices index yardstick, which is used as the benchmark for many pay deals, remained unchanged at 5.2% in May. Hetal Mehta, UK economist at Daiwa, said: “While there was no upside surprise on the headline CPI figure, inflation still remains well over the Bank’s target and is likely to rise even further in the next couple of months as higher commodity prices feed through. Nevertheless, the current inflationary forces are largely temporary in nature, and a marked fall in January next year is expected once the VAT increase falls out of the calculations. “As such, we still think the Bank will look through the short-term spike. And the fact that core inflation fell to 3.3% will be reassuring to the Bank, and further diminishes the prospects of a rate increase this year.” Inflation Economics Bank of England Interest rates Larry Elliott guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Six men arrested across Manchester and Stockport in vast police operation against sexual exploitation of teenage girls Greater Manchester police have carried out a series of raids against men allegedly involved in the sexual exploitation of teenage girls. The operation follows a three-month investigation involving around 100 detectives. Addresses in Longsight, south Manchester, Salford and Clayton were targeted. The alleged victims are teenage girls living in the Stockport area. A Greater Manchester police spokesman said that a joint operation between the force’s major incident team and officers in Stockport had made “a number of arrests in connection with an investigation into organised crime groups”. “Focusing chiefly on child sexual exploitation, the investigation involves around 100 detectives and is one of the largest ever carried out by the serious crime division. “The arrests are the result of a three-month inquiry into the sexual exploitation of a number of teenage girls from Stockport by men … More details of the arrests will be released later this morning.” It is understood that officers are investigating reports of men involved in supplying alcohol and drugs to underage girls at sex parties. Six men have so far been arrested at addresses in Cheetham Hill, Fallowfield, Levenshulme, Moss Side and Chorlton-on-Medlock, all in Manchester or Salford. The suspects are being held in custody on suspicion of trafficking within the UK for the purposes of sexual exploitation. Assistant Chief Constable Terry Sweeney said: “I hope today’s action shows people in Greater Manchester that the issue of sexual exploitation is one that we take extremely seriously. “This is the largest-ever operation carried out by the major incident team and we have had dozens of detectives, including a team from Stockport, working on this investigation. “It is believed there could ultimately be more victims in this case and officers now want to hear from anyone else who thinks they may have been sexually exploited. “I want to reassure the people of Greater Manchester that we have a number of operations currently targeting this kind of criminal behaviour. “I cannot go into details as that could jeopardise the operations, but people need to know this issue is at the top of GMP’s priorities. “We work closely with local authorities, and other organisations such as Barnardo’s, to address the specific issue of adults befriending and grooming younger people for sex.” Child protection Children Crime Social care Police guardian.co.uk
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Complaints about universities have risen by a third in the last year, and may soar again next year when tuition fees rise, watchdog warns Student complaints about universities have risen by a third in the last year and will rocket next year when tuition fees rise to up to £9,000, a watchdog has warned. The Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA), which handles complaints from students at universities in England and Wales, said the near-trebling of fees would mean students will increasingly view themselves as consumers and be keener to insist on value for money. For the first time this year, the watchdog has also named two universities – Southampton and Westminster – for breaking official rules on how to handle students’ complaints. From autumn 2012, universities will be allowed to charge tuition fees of up to £9,000 a year – up from £3,375 this year. Students will only pay the fees when they have graduated and are earning £21,000 a year or more. The OIA’s annual report, published on Tuesday, shows that the number of complaints made by students has risen by a third in the last year to 1,341 (0.05% of students). The watchdog said the actual number was likely to be seven times this because the OIA only deals with cases in which a student has exhausted their university’s complaints procedures. In the last two years, the number of complaints dealt with by the watchdog has doubled. This year, a fifth of complaints were partially or fully upheld. Rob Behrens, chief executive of the OIA, said he would “not be surprised” if the number of complaints rose by a third again once higher fees had been introduced. Students were more likely to complain in future because of higher tuition fees, greater information on university websites and greater competition for graduate jobs, he said. The government has told universities they must publish by September next year how much contact time students can expect from their lecturers in each of their courses. Ministers are also urging universities to issue student charters, setting out students’ and institutions’ rights and responsibilities. Fierce competition for jobs means students are more likely to complain if they are awarded poor marks in exams or coursework. “There will be more transparency, so students will be better informed about their rights,” Behrens said. “The tuition fee rise will come in, and so students will be more aware of their entitlements because of this, and at the same time the labour market may not get any better.” The OIA’s annual report shows the students most likely to complain are those who pay the most. Some 29% of complaints in the last year came from students whose home country is not the UK. In England, 16% of students are from outside the UK. The watchdog said the universities of Southampton and Westminster had failed to comply with formal decisions made by the OIA. Westminster mishandled two complaints. One was from a student who argued that their disability had not been properly taken into account, while another student claimed an exam question and its marking scheme had been unreasonable. The university had failed to resolve the cases fully and promptly, the OIA said. Southampton continued to oppose the watchdog’s conclusion that an undergraduate had a legitimate complaint about a placement and deserved compensation. It failed to comply with the OIA on another case, and delayed the investigation of another by 10 months. The majority of complaints are from students who take issue with their exam or coursework marks, the watchdog said. In the last year, the OIA awarded £173,959, with £15,000 the biggest single payout. The previous year, a total of £163,343 was awarded. • How well do universities deal with complaints? Education Guardian, page 6 Students Higher education University of Southampton University of Westminster Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …The Republican debate in New Hampshire generated some news early: Michele Bachmann announced she is running for president. “I filed today my paperwork to seek the presidency of the United States,” Bachmann said. “I wanted you to be the first to know.” Bachmann also drew loud applause from the partisan…
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Cabinet agrees $125bn payout package after reactor meltdown but political manoeuvring could delay payments Japan’s government has approved a plan to help the owners of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant provide trillions of yen in compensation, but political manoeuvring could delay payments to tens of thousands of victims of the country’s nuclear crisis. The cabinet’s approval of the scheme on Tuesday came after the plant’s operator, Tokyo Electric Power [Tepco], said a further six workers had exceeded the annual legal dose of radiation, underlining the risks they face as they struggle to stabilise overheating nuclear reactors by early next year. Shares in Tepco rose dramatically after the compensation scheme was approved, but anger is mounting at the slow progress made in paying families and businesses more than three months after the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl. Under the bill, the government would set up a fund and issue special bonds to enable Tepco to pay compensation that the Mainichi newspaper said could reach US$124bn (£75bn). Other power utilities would be asked to contribute to the fund, and Tepco is expected to repay the full sum over an, as yet, unspecified number of years. In return for state help, Tepco will have to cut costs and turn its management over to the government “for a certain period of time”. Tepco, whose share price has fallen 90% since the 11 March tsunami crippled the Fukushima Daiichi plant, promised to make repayments as quickly as possible. “We hope that the proposed bill will be enacted in parliament as soon as possible,” it said in a statement. The measure’s fate is far from certain, however. Some government and opposition MPs oppose the use of public funds to help Tepco, and the prime minister, Naoto Kan, is still under pressure to resign immediately despite surviving a recent no-confidence motion by promising to step down once the crisis is under control. The current parliamentary session is due to end on 22 June, but the Kan administration is pushing to extend it in the hope of passing the compensation package, as well as an emergency budget to fund post-tsunami reconstruction. News that the bill had gained cabinet approval lifted investor confidence in Tepco, but concern persists that the company will look to consumers to help fund damages claims in the form of higher electricity bills. The trade and industry minister, Banri Kaieda, denied media reports that the government had already approved a 16% increase in electricity charges from next April. “The government will make sure that any costs passed on to consumers will be kept to a minimum,” he said. Tepco and two other power utilities are coming under pressure to end their involvement in nuclear power, with groups of investors expected to raise the issue at shareholders meetings at the end of the month. The risks facing the thousands of workers who have taken part in the operation to stabilise Fukushima Daiichi were underlined when Tepco said six more were feared to have exceeded the legal limit of 250 millisieverts [mSv] a year, bringing the total to eight. The limit was raised from 100mSv a year early in the crisis to allow workers to spend more time at the plant, where nuclear fuel in three reactors suffered meltdowns. In the worst cases, two control room workers were exposed to well over twice the legal limit, Tepco said, as it released preliminary results of radiation tests on almost 2,400 workers who were based at the plant in March, when radiation levels were at their highest. The health ministry also said on Monday that at least 90 others have exceeded the original limit of 100mSv, including several who are nearing the 250mSv level. Experts believe that exposure to more than 250mSv increases the chances of a person developing cancer in their lifetime by 1%. Hidehiko Nishiyama, a spokesman for Japan’s nuclear and safety agency, described the findings as “extremely regrettable”. Tepco said none of those affected have showed signs of ill health, but added that they would need long-term monitoring. Japan Japan disaster Nuclear power Pollution Energy Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Officials say gunmen have taken hostages at provincial council headquarters in Baquba, north-east of Baghdad Iraqi officials said gunmen set off two car bombs outside a government compound east of Baghdad, then stormed it and took hostages. A spokeswoman for the Diyala provincial council, Samira al-Shibli, said the car bombs went off on Tuesday morning outside the government compound in Baquba. The gunmen then stormed the provincial council headquarters. Al-Shibli, who is based at the governor’s office in the same compound, said shooting could be heard. An official in the Diyala Operations Command who spoke on condition of anonymity said the gunmen had taken hostages inside the building. At least one person was killed and 10 wounded, police sources said. Baquba is 35 miles (60km) north-east of Baghdad. Iraq Middle East guardian.co.uk
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‘I think that the age restriction, which was set in the past at 65, is not relevant today,’ Stanley Fischer said Stanley Fischer’s late bid to become the next leader of the International Monetary Fund has ended ignominiously, when he was barred from the race because of his age . The 67-year old governor of Israel’s central bank had hoped the IMF would overlook the stipulation that a new managing director must be no older than 65. Instead, Fischer found himself dismissed from the field just three days after his last-minute entry spiced up the contest. Fischer, a highly experienced economist, said he was disappointed not to be able to demonstrate his abilities. “I think that the age restriction, which was set in the past at 65, is not relevant today,” Fischer said. “I was hoping that the IMF board of directors would change its regulations, not only for the sake of my candidacy, but also for the sake of future candidates for the position of managing director”. Fischer added that he would “proudly and happily continue” as governor of the Bank of Israel. The deadline for nominations to succeed Dominique Strauss-Kahn as IMF head closed last Friday. Fischer’s forced withdrawal leaves just two candidates, French finance minister Christine Lagarde, and Bank of Mexico governor Agustin Carstens. The two shortlisted candidates will meet with IMF’s executive board later this month. The board hopes to make its choice by 30 June. Lagarde is widely seen as the frontrunner – despite Fischer appearing to question her credentials as a non-economist . Carstens admitted on Monday night that he is unlikely to become the first non-European to run the IMF. “I’m not fooling myself. It’s like starting a soccer game with a 5-0 score,” Carstens told an audience at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Carstens also questioned, though, whether it would be right for a European to lead the IMF at a time when the eurozone debt crisis is threatening the stability of the global economy . “We could have a situation where borrowers dominate the institution,” he suggested. IMF Economics Global economy Dominique Strauss-Kahn Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk
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