Government Business 27.2

FINANCE

DRONES

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

SECURITY

|

ISSUE 27.2

Business Information for Local and Central Government CORONAVIRUS

INDOOR HUMIDITY LEVELS

Why public sector buildings need to have a humidity level that means that viruses cannot spread

ROAD MAINTENANCE

TACKLING THE POTHOLE BACKLOG Will recent government investment help to relieve the road maintenance backlog and level up the country?

PLUS: CYCLING | MARKET RESEARCH | SUSTAINABILITY | TECHNOLOGY

Books of Condolence Beautiful hand-made books of condolence Suitable for public figures Hand embossed to order

Call 01372 274386 Email officefgmarshall.com www.fgmarshall.com

DRONES

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Comment

FINANCE

SECURITY

|

ISSUE 27.2

Business Information for Local and Central Government CORONAVIRUS

INDOOR HUMIDITY LEVELS

Why public sector buildings need to have a humidity level that means that viruses cannot spread

ROAD MAINTENANCE

TACKLING THE POTHOLE BACKLOG Will recent government investment help to relieve the road maintenance backlog and level up the country?

PLUS: CYCLING | MARKET RESEARCH | SUSTAINABILITY | TECHNOLOGY

Providing services in a time of lockdown Councils are leading local efforts to support communities as they try and cope with the coronavirus outbreak.

As you will see both here and on the Government Business website, councils across the country are going above and beyond to ensure that their communities continue to operate smoothly and that the most vulnerable are prioritised and protected from the virus.

This includes maintaining essential services, like waste collections, providing free travel for key workers, boosting online operations and apps, creating emergency space for NHS use and keeping schools open for the children of key workers and the most in need.

Follow and interact with us on Twitter: @GovBusiness

Much of this is only made possible by two things: firstly, the government’s £500 million hardship funding, which is allowing councils to better target the most at need residents and boost existing local welfare schemes. Secondly, it is only possible through the dedication and bravery of our local government workers, who rightly deserve all praise that is coming their way. Local government workers should always be valued, but even more so when they are needed in a situation like this.

Enjoy the issue.

Michael Lyons, editor

P ONLINE P IN PRINT P MOBILE P FACE-TO-FACE If you would like to receive 6 issues of Government Business magazine for £150 a year, please contact Public Sector Information, 226 High Road, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055, or visit the Government Business website at:

Business Information for Local and Central Government

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk | www.governmenttechnology.co.uk PUBLISHED BY PUBLIC SECTOR INFORMATION LIMITED

226 High Rd, Loughton, Essex IG10 1ET. Tel: 020 8532 0055 Web: www.psi-media.co.uk EDITOR Michael Lyons PRODUCTION MANAGER Dan Kanolik PRODUCTION DESIGN Joanna Golding PRODUCTION CONTROL Lucy Maynard WEB PRODUCTION Victoria Casey ADVERTISEMENT SALES Hassan Ali, Steve Day, Delano Johnson, Bernie Miller, David Morgan, Lee Morris, Emma Parsons, Vimla Stephen ADVERTISEMENT SALES SUPERVISOR Neil Haydon PUBLISHER Karen Hopps ADMINISTRATION Shelley O’Neill REPRODUCTION & PRINT Argent Media

Printed on recycled paper

© 2020 Public Sector Information Limited. No part of this publication can be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any other means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher. Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the editorial content the publisher cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher. ISSN 1470-0735

Government Business is a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (which regulates the UK’s magazine and newspaper industry).

We abide by the Editors’ Code of Practice and are committed to upholding the highest standards of journalism. If you think that we have not met those standards and want to make a complaint please contact Michael Lyons or Angela Pisanu on 0208 532 0055. If we are unable to resolve your complaint, or if you would like more information about IPSO or the Editors’ Code, contact IPSO on 0300 123 2220 or visit www.ipso.co.uk

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

3

Contents

Contents Government Business 27.2 17

07 News

41 The Facilities Show

10 Coronavirus

44 Catering

Community pharmacies lack capacity to deliver medicines; Starmer announced as new Labour leader; NHS army of volunteers to start protecting the vulnerable

20

With much in the news covering the social impact of the coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Stephanie Taylor discusses the need to ensure public buildings, such as schools and hospitals, have a humidity level so that viruses cannot spread

Over the last few years, Food for Life has researched intergenerational activity and support for care settings for the elderly. Here, Florence Todd Fordham shares some of the findings

17 Finance

The potential of drones to deliver public services is growing, with recent research finding that drone take-up in the next 15 years could boost the UK economy by £16bn

Rob Whiteman, CIPFA CEO, discusses the CIPFA Financial Resilience Index and why it is important for local authorities to employ good management of their limited resources

20 Sustainability

Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, discusses how climate change will factor into all aspects of decision-making following the council’s declaration of a climate emergency last year

25

25 Security

Is a total moratorium on CCTV facial recognition a necessary measure?

When used responsibly and properly, perhaps not says the BSIA

29 Road management

The government has recently announced that 32 local authorities will receive investment for essential repair work on their roads. But how will the funding boost connectivity, level up infrastructure and make journeys easier?

32 Cycling

32 53

The Facilities Show is the perfect opportunity to connect with over 250 facilities management suppliers to identify the perfect solutions for your business needs

Rachel White, head of Public Affairs at Sustrans, discusses the socio-economic gap in urban cycling, as well as cities’ actions to reduce car use and traffic emissions

47 Drones

49 Market research

In a post coronavirus world, research will be vital in developing policy, planning services and governing effectively, writes Jane Frost, CEO of MRS

53 Technology

David Morton highlights three approaches public sector organisations can use in the back-office to maximise the return on technology investment

57 Conferences and events The West Midlands Growth Company explain why the West Midlands region is the ideal location for conferencing and events

61 Frameworks

Towards the end of last year, the government awarded a major new procurement agreement which will help shape public sector construction - Construction Works and Associated Services

57

37 Facilities management

As the UK continues on its trajectory of innovation and alternative, renewable energy generation, industries, such as the heating and hot water industry, must evolve, or risk being left behind. Isaac Occhipinti takes a look at how the hot water cylinder industry can support the UK’s Net Zero demands

Government Business magazine

www.governmentbusiness.co.uk Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

5

The future of data is here.

Are you ready?

Data is an essential resource for helping you to deliver more efficient public services. The Oakland Group bring together process, governance and advanced analytics to uncover insights, solve real-world difficult problems and drive cultural change.

Put simply, we help you to use your data more efficiently.

Data Strategy & Governance

Data Engineering & Cloud

Data Analytics

Get in touch: 0113 234 1944 www.theoaklandgroup.co.uk

News

CORONAVIRUS

Community pharmacies lack capacity to deliver medicines London. Many community pharmacies are being affected by staff shortages due to the virus and panic-buying of medicines, but these issues will be felt most in county areas, with less pharmacies to serve residents.

Council leaders say that local government is ready to step in and support the efforts to ensure that no vulnerable ‘at risk’ person goes without these vital supplies, and the CCN has written to the government urging them to enable council volunteers to help with the effort.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently announced that community pharmacies will receive £300 million to help them carry out essential services amid the coronavirus outbreak. However, the CCN argues that this funding, while welcome, would not immediately solve some of the deeper practical and regulatory issues in terms of ensuring every person under enforced self-isolation gets their medicine.

The County Councils Network (CCN) has raised concerns that local pharmacies do not have the capacity to deliver vital medicines to hundreds of ‘at risk’ people in rural areas.

Councils in county areas that border cities where coronavirus is prominent, such as London and Newcastle, are warning that they are hearing that their local pharmacies are having difficulty delivering some medicines to those who are being ‘shielded’, due to capacity, staffing, and distance issues.

The CCN fears that as the country heads towards the peak of the virus this issue will be exacerbated across other parts of the country and could potentially leave older and sick residents without medical supplies for an extended period of time.

Figures show that county areas, many of which have large rural and remote parts, have just one pharmacy per 766 people aged over 70, the most at-risk group and those most likely to require medicine. This compares to 366 people for every one pharmacy in

THE LABOUR PARTY

NHS

Starmer announced as new Labour leader

NHS army of volunteers to start protecting the vulnerable

Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to lead Labour ‘into a new era with confidence and hope’ after being named leader of the party in a ballot.

Comprehensively gaining more votes than both Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey in a ballot of party members and other supporters, the former lawyer said he has spoken to Prime Minister Boris Johnson and agreed to meet to discuss the coronavirus crisis.

Having become an MP in 2015 for Holborn and St Pancras, Starmer won on the first round of voting, with more than 50 per cent of ballots cast. Equating to 275,780 votes, the victory was the result of just over 490,000 votes. Rebecca Long-Bailey received 135,218 votes, while Lisa Nandy gained 79,597 votes.

Starmer has vowed to keep key policies from Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership, such as nationalising rail, mail and water and repealing anti-union laws. Lisa Nandy has been appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary in Starmer’s new shadow cabinet, with Nick Thomas-Symonds named as Shadow Home Secretary and Anneliese Dodds as Shadow Chancellor The Labour Party has also revealed that Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner has been elected deputy leader, replacing Tom Watson, who stood down as an MP before the election.

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/tsxqb8o

From 7 April, hundreds of thousands of NHS Volunteer Responders will be able to report for duty and start helping the NHS in its fight against coronavirus.

Over 750,000 people signed up to the NHS’ call for volunteers in just four days when the scheme launched, which is three times the original target. It is believed that by the end of 7 April, the Royal Voluntary Service, the charity delivering the volunteer effort, will have completed checks for the three quarters of a million applications.

Approved volunteers will be offered tasks via the GoodSAM app and will start helping people safely, with more expected to get requests over the coming weeks as referrals ramp up. Volunteers show themselves as available when their app is switched to ‘on duty’.

Because of the response, the group of vulnerable people they will support in England has now been expanded and they will come to the aid of 2.5 million at risk people.

This will be carried out by: delivering medicines from pharmacies; driving patients to appointments; bringing them home from hospital; making regular phone calls to check on people isolating

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/rm38qeq

at home; and transporting medical supplies and equipment for the NHS. Sir Simon Stevens, NHS England chief executive, said: “The number of people who came forward to help some of the most vulnerable in their communities is truly extraordinary. Today we begin to see the results of these tremendous acts of goodwill from the British public, with volunteers offering support to those who need it most.

Tackling this unprecedented coronavirus challenge means all of us to pulling together, so on behalf of the NHS, thank you to everyone who is playing their part.”

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/yx257wtz

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

7

News CORONAVIRUS

Most waste services continuing collections undeterred The Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport (ADEPT) has revealed that all but a few councils are still managing providing collection services for domestic residual waste as normal.

Seeking to understand the status of waste services across England, and how they have been affected so far by coronavirus, the ADEPT survey will be repeated at least weekly to track any changes, but the initial findings are that most councils are continuing to deliver core recycling and residual waste services, largely unaffected.

After receiving responses from over 200 councils, the emerging picture is mainly positive. Despite running at an average of over 20 per cent down on staff numbers, all but a few councils are still managing

took time to respond and ask them to keep providing us with weekly updates.

Their input is invaluable in enabling us to keep up with the rapidly changing developments across the country. So far, the picture is good. Although there has been some disruption but it seems to be business as usual for most councils on core services like residual waste and recycling collections. I’d like to pay tribute to our frontline workers who are providing an essential service. It is because of them and our officers that we are continuing to provide collections for our communities.”

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/v3ca8xu

LIBRARIES

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Library memberships rise by 600 per cent

New powers for councils to hold public meetings remotely

Libraries across some parts of the country have seen an increase in newly registered users of more than 600 per cent since lockdown measures were introduced.

All council-owned libraries have closed because of the coronavirus outbreak but residents are still able to access digital library resources online. Councils are providing additional online access to resources under the hashtag #LibrariesFromHome, extending online memberships for no extra fee, and all fines incurred as a result of the closures will be waived.

As a result, the Local Government Association has revealed that there has been a boom in new digital users. For example, Hampshire County Council has seen a 770 per cent increase in new digital users, Cornwall Council a 630 per cent increase and Hertfordshire County Council an increase of 332 per cent.

However, many libraries are restricted in the number of e-books and audio books they can provide for their residents because of licensing limits with publishers. The LGA is calling on the government and publishers to work together to unlock an additional £5 million in investment to enable libraries to increase their capacity in loaning more e-books and audiobooks.

8

providing collection services for domestic residual waste as normal, and over 90 per cent of responding councils are maintaining their recycling services as normal or with only minor disruption. Encouragingly, no councils report any significant disruption to waste disposal and treatment services such as energy from waste incineration and landfill.

However, in order to maintain these levels of service, about a third of councils have temporarily suspended collections of garden waste, and about two thirds have suspended bulky waste collections. Almost all council have closed household waste recycling centres in order to protect staff and customers and to help enforce social distancing.

Ian Fielding, chair of ADEPT’s Waste Group, said: “I would like to thank all those who

In the short term, publishers could also offer increased flexibilities on the price of e-materials to increase choice for customers and reflect the current need and demand from communities for reading material.

Council leaders says the extra funding and flexibility would increase access to reading materials and will help to improve residents’ wellbeing and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety during this difficult time.

Gerald Vernon-Jackson, chair of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: “The number of people registering to use digital library services across some parts of the country has rocketed. Council libraries provide a vital service for residents and act as community hubs in normal times. Their online digital contribution has now become equally important as people turn to them as a way to help pass the time at home.

“Councils are doing everything they can to protect their residents’ well-being during this difficult time. Extra funding would help libraries extend their licences and meet this growing demand.”

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/ufhl7me

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Local authorities across the country have been handed new powers to hold public meetings virtually by using video or telephone conferencing technology.

The government has temporarily removed the legal requirement for local authorities to hold public meetings in person during the coronavirus pandemic, thereby enabling them to make effective and transparent decisions on the delivery of services for residents and ensure that local democracy continues to thrive.

Meetings will remain accessible whilst ensuring that councillors, staff and the wider public are able to follow government advice by staying at home to stop the spread of coronavirus to protect the NHS and save lives.

Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “Local authorities are the backbone of our democracy and they are playing a vital role in the national effort to keep people safe. This change will support them to do that while maintaining the transparency we expect in local decision making.

“Councillors and staff are already doing the right thing by following our advice to stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

This includes working from home wherever possible, and the new powers to hold meetings virtually will make that easier.

It’s critical that they continue to provide essential services and find innovative ways to maintain important economic functions they perform like the planning system and they will now be able to do so. We’ve given local authorities across England an additional £1.6 billion to help their crucial work in the national effort against coronavirus, and we are continuing to ensure they get all of the support that they need at this time.”

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/suo8fz3

News

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

£400 million to keep England’s buses running Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has announced that England’s buses will receive a funding boost totalling £397 million to help them continue serving those who rely on them.

The package, agreed jointly with the bus industry, will keep key routes running to provide a lifeline for those who cannot work from home, including those travelling to jobs on the frontline of the UK’s fight against COVID-19, such as NHS staff.

New funding of up to £167 million will be paid over the next 12 weeks under the new COVID-19 Bus Services Support Grant.

As a condition of the funding, bus operators will be required to maintain necessary services at a level which is sufficient to meet much reduced demand, but also to allow adequate space between passengers on board. This is expected to be up to 50 per cent of normal service levels.

Operators will also be required to keep passengers properly informed about revised timetables to ensure that people know which services are running and when.

A further £200 million of existing funding under the Bus Services Operators Grant

will continue to be paid as normal even though not all services may run during this time. This funding is usually paid according to fuel consumption, and so the government’s commitment to pay this on pre-COVID-19 levels will help ensure that bus companies are able to benefit despite fewer fare-paying passengers travelling.

The remaining £30 million was originally earmarked for starting new services, which will instead be paid to local authorities to maintain existing services.

Shapps said: “We have been very clear during the outbreak that the best way to stop the spread of the virus and protect the NHS, is to stay at home if possible. Our buses are a lifeline for people who need to travel for work or to buy food – including our emergency services and NHS staff – and it’s absolutely vital we do all we can to keep the sector running. This multi-million-pound investment will protect crucial local transport links across England, bolstering the sector and minimising disruption for passengers in the long term.”

David Renard, the Local Government Association’s transport spokesman, said:

“Many key workers rely on local buses to get to and from work, whether that is nurses needing to get to hospital or social care staff to look after the most vulnerable. We are pleased the government has acted on our call and announced emergency funding to help make sure vital bus services can continue to transport key workers to the frontline during the coronavirus crisis.

“Bus operators must work with local authorities to ensure that this public subsidy is targeted at the people and places that depend on it the most. Councils now want to also work with government to provide financial support to those places which depend on other publicly-run mass transit systems, such as ferries, trams, light railway networks. These also provide key workers with access to their workplaces, and are faced with unprecedented hits on their revenues, impacting on their future viability and ability to help people and business recover when this pandemic is over.”

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/tax72ew

BENEFITS

AUTISM

Nearly a million universal credit claims in past fortnight

Review launched to make Bristol autism-friendly

As the coronavirus pandemic has worsened, nearly a million people have applied for universal credit benefits in the past fortnight.

The Department for Work and Pensions, which would normally expect 100,000 claims in a two week period, said that 950,000 successful applications for the payment were made between 16 March, when people were advised to work from home, and the end of the month.

The figures have been labelled as ‘truly shocking’ by the Labour Party, who stressed that the government ‘must wake up and take action’ to help the millions of those at risk of

losing their jobs and the self-employed not covered by government hardship schemes.

Universal credit is a consolidated monthly payment for those of workingage. In October 2019, there were 2.6 million universal credit claimants - just over a third of whom were in work.

The government maintains that the benefit system is still ‘delivering’ despite the massive increase in demand.

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/sx6dkde

LOCATION DATA

10 year Public Sector Geospatial Agreement signed The Geospatial Commission has announced that it is increasing the location data available to the public sector across England and Wales.

Geospatial data, which is data linked to location, underpins Britain’s public services such as emergency planning, building our homes, protecting our environment, supporting our transport and helping our security services to keep us safe.

Any public sector organisations ranging from health and emergency services, town, parish, and community councils through to central government departments can sign up via Ordnance Survey to use the data, free at the point of use.

Known as the Public Sector Geospatial

Agreement, it will be delivered by the national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey and will start from 1 April 2020.

Thalia Baldwin, director of the Geospatial Commission, said: “The Geospatial Commission was created in 2018 to make sure the UK maximises the opportunity location data presents for society, the economy and the environment. The new agreement meets our commitment to improve access to Ordnance Survey’s core data to start-ups, businesses and innovators.”

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/upwvbwt

Bristol City Council and the Keeping Bristol Safe Partnership have commissioned a nonstatutory review of services to help Bristol become a more autism-friendly city.

The aim of the review is to establish how autism aware local agencies across Bristol are, and will include national recommendations for making Bristol and other cities more user-friendly for people with a learning disability and/or autism.

Helen Holland, cabinet lead for Adult Social Care, said: “It is really important that our services in Bristol, who often work with very vulnerable people, have a good understanding of autism, can recognise the signs of someone who may be autistic and know how to respond. In Bristol we want people with autism to have the same opportunities as everyone else and the recommendations from this review will enable us to understand how we can do this effectively.”

It is estimated that around 700,000 are living with autism in the UK.

READ MORE https://tinyurl.com/ukhl27t

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

9

Coronavirus

10

Maintaining indoor humidity levels key to fighting the virus

The concept of airborne transmission is intimidating, but we can help control it by keeping the relative humidity in our breathing zone or in our buildings in the magic zone of 40-60 per cent. Existing regulations on indoor air quality should be updated to reflect the significant body of scientific evidence that 40-60 per centRH is the ideal indoor humidity for health.

These improved humidity standards would have numerous positive effects on human health and well-being. Not only would it reduce the burden on society of COVID-19 disease and other upcoming seasonal viral illnesses, but research shows that it would also reduce With much in the news covering the social impact of the absenteeism and improve productivity in coronavirus outbreak, Dr. Stephanie Taylor discusses the need offices and schools. A recent study of a nursery to ensure public buildings, such as schools and hospitals, have a school found that fewer children missed school when the classroom humidity was maintained humidity level so that viruses cannot spread above 40 per centRH. (Rieman J, ‘Humidity as a non-pharmaceutical intervention for influenza A’, 2018 ASHRAE To manage the spread of COVID-19, we are humidity is not maintained, it becomes abstract). Studies support all working as a global collective to manage harder for our immune systems projected reduction of our behaviours responsibly, such as through to defend against respiratory Among absenteeism by at meticulous attention to hand hygiene and viral infections even if we t h e indoor least 20 per cent by social distancing. As individuals, these are maintain high personal v a r i a bles that inc simply maintaining undeniably key steps for us to protect ourselves hygiene standards. Public rease th likeliho healthy humidity and each other as we fight the current buildings like schools, e o levels in buildings. pandemic. However, individual behaviour is just workplaces and hospitals from ha d of infection , nd hyg one factor in our efforts to contain the virus have undoubtedly been iene to room c and limit subsequent disease. The environment hotspots for the spread of surrounding us plays a lesser-known, yet the COVID-19 outbreak, astoundleaning, one in essential role in the degree of viral spread and not just because of viral factor s g common in the severity of COVID-19 illness. Since we cross infection via physical ta spend most of our lives in buildings – such as contact, but in large part due dry ind nds out: oor air schools and workplaces and our homes – we to the airborne transmission of could and should be doing more to ensure infectious droplets, aggravated the conditions of these indoor environments by low indoor humidity levels. are optimal for human health. The simple Despite this, there are currently no factor of maintaining healthy levels of indoor regulations on minimum indoor humidity humidity is something that would benefit our levels in the UK and many other countries. In health through reducing the burden of COVIDfact, regulations focused on reducing energy 19 as well as other seasonal viral illnesses. consumptions in buildings have resulted in In my practice as a paediatric oncologist, the lowering of permitted minimum indoor I was alarmed by how many of my young humidity levels, unfortunately at the expense patients came down with infections during of occupant health. A lack of humidity their hospitalisation despite our best medical standards means that building occupants, treatments. It was at this time that I became like the hospital workers who have been on concerned that there might be another factor the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic at play; the indoor climate and the hospital and patients with compromised immune building itself. After years of work, including systems, have limited defence against further obtaining a master’s degree in architecture, respiratory viral infection, despite hand reviewing numerous studies of patient washing and social distancing measures. infections and the built environment and undertaking my own research, my suspicion Airbourne transmission was confirmed. Among the indoor variables It is long-established knowledge that that increase the likelihood of infection, from viruses can be spread through short hand hygiene to room cleaning, one astounding distance droplet splashing. But the common factor stands out: dry indoor air. transmission pathway we must now take into serious consideration is distant spread Indoor relative humidity of infectious aerosols travelling through An abundance of data from research in the air. When droplets are released into infection control, microbiology and building the air by an infected person sneezing, science show that maintaining indoor relative coughing, or simply breathing, dry air humidity between 40-60 per cent improves causes these droplets to shrink and human health through several mechanisms. desiccate to reach a moisture equilibrium.

This relative humidity zone optimises the ability We now know that viruses carried in of our immune system to fight viral infections, those tiny desiccated particles can travel decreases the bio-burden of infectious particles through the air into an HVAC system and in our breathing zone (the air) and actually re-infect people from a distance, despite decreases the infectivity of many viruses and having had no immediate contact. bacteria floating in the air and settled on This transmission route is one of the factors surfaces. When this optimal range of relative that makes this virus particularly alarming.

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Coronavirus

Indoor air quality standards Governments set indoor air quality standards for temperature, fresh air introduction and pollutants. Setting a minimum indoor humidity level in public buildings is easily achievable, will result in net profit for society through increased productivity and reduced healthcare costs. Most importantly, it will save lives.

We must push for these standards to be set to protect ourselves, our children, the elderly, and the health care professionals who are on the frontline protecting us all in the face of the global pandemic. L

Dr. Stephanie Taylor, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, is the CEO of Taylor Healthcare Commissioning Inc. After working as a physician for many decades, Dr. Taylor obtained a master’s in architecture as well as an infection control certification.

Her lifelong commitment to patient care includes focusing on improving the health care physical environment and clinical work processes to help patients heal quickly and save hospitals valuable dollars.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.taylorcx.com

The concept of airborne transmission is intimidating, but we can help control it by keeping the relative humidity in our breathing zone or in our buildings in the magic zone of 40-60 per cent

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

11

Advertisement Feature

Making working from home part of the daily routine During the unprecedented current global situation regarding Coronavirus, many people will be working from home for the first time over the coming weeks. For others, it’s a normal part of their work routine remotely from Spain as a freelance PR consultant, says: “More and more people hide behind email rather than pick up the phone and talk to colleagues and contacts.

When you spend the day working on your own, actually calling people and having a conversation can be much more stimulating and indeed productive than a chain of emails.”

As a leading Facilities Service Provider, ISS has been at the forefront of modern working methods and has pioneered the virtual office, using the latest in technology to ensure that every business need is met whilst allowing the individual to consider their own work life balance. Working from home for some has become an established successful way of life but for others, the enforced closure of the usual office accommodation may have come as an unexpected shock and will be quite alien to them.

To help enable you and your team to work together whilst apart, ISS has considered a number of ways that will help those that now need to work from home.

working from home. Be ready to start your day at the same time as you would normally arrive at your workplace and finish your day at the same time. A good night’s rest supports our health, helps the immune system, and strengthens our ability to focus.

At the end of a working day, it’s best to switch off your computer and tidy away papers and other items. Space allowing, set aside a specific, separate area in your home where you can set yourself up. Ideally you will have a properly adjusted desk and chair, similar to your workplace. The NHS advice is that you should adjust your chair so you can use the keyboard with your wrists and forearms straight and level with the floor.

1. Get dressed For some people, the prospect of staying in their pyjamas all day is the most tantalising aspect of working from home.

But washing and getting dressed will not only improve your state of mind, it will psychologically prepare you to start work.

Whether you need to change into business attire depends on the type of person you are and the nature of the job you have. Some people find that dressing formally is helpful, and also useful if they will be dialling into a video call. Wearing respectable clothes also increases motivation to leave the house.

Likewise, changing out of work clothes when you clock off for the day helps your brain to understand that the working day is over.

3. Get out and about (if you’re not self-isolating) Working from home shouldn’t mean you stay cooped up indoors all day. While you might not miss your daily commute, it does guarantee that you leave the house at least once during the day. Get your shoes on, get outside and enjoy that fresh air. A different perspective will also help undo mental blocks and give you a fresh pair of eyes for any tasks you’re struggling with.

2. Establish boundaries You might have set hours of work, and it’s important to stick to these when you’re

12

4. Pick up the phone When you’re at work, you’re more likely to engage with colleagues but when you’re working from home, you could spend the whole day without speaking to anyone which can be isolating. Make some time to pick up the phone and have a real conversation, rather than relying on email and instant messaging.

Hugo Mortimer-Harvey, who’s worked

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

5. Take regular breaks It’s good to have a routine when you’re working from home, but work shouldn’t become monotonous, and you shouldn’t stay glued to your screen all day. It’s important to take regular screen breaks and get up from your desk and move around just as you would in an office.

Research has also found that short breaks throughout the day are more beneficial than less frequent, longer breaks. Many home workers recommend the Pomodoro Technique, a method of time management which breaks your working day into 25-minute chunks. Each chunk is followed by a five-minute break.

In Summary Get up and dressed! You will be more mentally prepared, and it creates separation from your domestic life.

Establish boundaries – have set times and a dedicated space for work. Fresh air – get out and about. Pick up the phone and have real conversations, this helps to break down isolation. Take regular breaks.

Using techniques like these will help you be productive at home whilst reducing the feeling of isolation and still give you a feeling of belonging.

To find out more about modern work trends contact us via below. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.issworld.com/about-iss/ research/white-books enquiries@uk.issworld.com

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

13

DIGITISE

YOUR RECORDS

WITH THE

DOCUMENT SCANNER

LEARN MORE AT digitiseyourdocuments.co.uk

Finance

Financial resilience in local authorities Rob Whiteman, CIPFA CEO, discusses the CIPFA Financial Resilience Index and why it is important for local authorities to employ good management of their limited resources Councils are facing a staggering array of competing challenges and priorities that are placing pressure on their finances.

Short-term cash injections, the recent Budget, and the Chancellor’s determination to end austerity may go some way towards alleviating some immediate pressures. But, just as a plaster will not heal a substantial wound, short-term measures are not enough to offset the ramifications of a decade of austerity.

With money scarce and demand rising, it is important for local authorities to employ good management of their limited resources, ensure that financial stressors are understood and contained and that vital services are delivered to residents up and down the country.

While local authorities are generally pretty good at this, in the current climate, good public financial management is no easy task. It requires robust data and the appropriate expertise to interpret and understand the evidence.

The Financial Resilience Index This is why CIPFA created the Financial Resilience Index. Understanding an organisation’s ability to remain stable, or not, in the event of financial shock is key to good decision making. The Index

and large, maintain a solid financial is designed with Chief Financial Officers position despite the challenges that in mind, allowing them to develop a they’ve faced over the last ten years. clearer understanding of possible areas However there are some authorities of financial risk that could impact upon where, for one reason or another, there their authority’s financial resilience. are signs of potential financial risk.

The Index brings together a series of nine

indicators (eight for those without social Providing local narrative care responsibility) drawn from publicly The word ‘potential’ is important here. available, but separate, data sources.

It is vital to note that the Resilience Indicators range from the explicitly Index is not a predictive model. Think of financial, such as levels of reserves it like WebMD. While WebMD may be a and amount of external debt, to more useful resource detailing symptoms and qualitative measures. For example, the their possible severity, it contains a vital Index includes the authority’s children’s disclaimer that it is not a substitute for social care judgement from Ofsted. professional diagnosis or treatment. Just The potential financial risk being that as one should not self-diagnose illness authorities requiring improvement without the intervention of a healthcare will likely have higher imminent professional, the experts in diagnosing costs in this area than those that are the risks highlighted by the Index are delivering a service rated as good. those working within local authorities.

Together, these measures are intended to Data requires interpretation, and only provide a rounded picture of an authority’s individual councils are able to resilience and to ensure the sector is provide the local narrative and held to collective and robust context to understand what standards of governance and the raw figures mean financial management.

Trust in for their area. In short, For the most part, the the public while CIPFA can picture is positive. The s list the symptoms evidence supports an all-t ector is at ime low of potential our belief that local i s , and not hel financial risk, E authorities, by p

ed by t notion t h a t our pu he institut blic ion from le s are hiding giti scrutin mate y

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

17

Advertisement Feature

Should public spending look beyond fiscal measures?

Government is committed to using public money responsibly but financial shrewdness aside, is there more it could be doing to help develop the economy?

When buying goods and services, the UK Government has a duty to deliver value for money; i.e. meet its strategic objectives while keeping expenditure as low as practicable.

This is clearly good for the public purse, but should public spending strategy look beyond purely fiscal measures when deciding who and where to award contracts? Are there other economic and social factors that need to be taken into consideration?

What is Blackthorn GRC? Blackthorn GRC is an established software and software services provider and strongly believes the answer to this question is a resounding ‘yes’.

This was the motivation behind Blackthorn GRC’s recent tie up with Sussex Innovation (SInC). SInC is a business incubator helping budding entrepreneurs get established, and established companies up-scale their operations and compete for bigger business.

What is SinC? SInC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Sussex and through its ‘catalyst network’ provides access to a pool of highly skilled and motivated students and graduates looking for experience and that elusive ‘first step on the ladder’. It also has strong links with the university and a diverse and highly acclaimed academic community.

SInC also employs staff with considerable business expertise and therefore able to help infant businesses with legal and tax issues, accounting and payroll functions, research and studies, sales and lead generation, as well as publicity and communication activities.

18

Blackthorn regards its tie up with SInC as ‘win-win’.

Ian hardman, CEO of Blackthorn, elaborates: “It remains very early days but identifying new markets through focused research and analysis is critical for a small technology business like Blackthorn with products that lend themselves to very many different applications. Nowadays, customers are looking for highly integrated solutions capable of saving them time and money; system that are intuitive to use and, in the case of Central Government, systems that make the business of government more transparent. Very often our customers require systems that present a different face and complexion, based on the user community.

“SInC allows us to dynamically flex our workforce, enabling us to undertake such studies needed to explore and understand new markets. SInC also has the community contacts needed to open otherwise closed doors. SInC will be a tremendous benefit in this area.”

Andrea Wall of the Careers & Employability Centre elaborates on how SInC has helped release the potential of our young workforce in their organisation: “The Catalyst team have made a real and significant contribution to the work of the Careers & Employability Centre. …[They] provided us with invaluable insights that have benefited our overall work. They have also actively demonstrated the fantastic contribution our students can make to the regional business community.”

Blackthorn is in an enviable position as the business has been operating for a number of years and has an established customer base of public and private sector clients from the UK and overseas. Even so, the

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

prospect of helping young people through apprenticeship schemes remains out of reach, partly because of all the red tape but also the commitment required to support an apprentice for two, three possibly four years.

Employing graduates through SInC alleviates some of this pain, making it possible to hire young people on a much shorter timeframe to undertake very specific projects and assignments. These projects will benefit Blackthorn and students alike, bringing ideas and concepts out of university straight into the workplace, and helping Blackthorn stay both ‘current’ and at the cutting edge of technology and business process engineering.

For SInC, the upside of the relationship is the opportunity for Sussex graduates to gain experience in a varied range of roles with innovative, ambitious companies, and for its member businesses to access an affordable and flexible temporary staff resource. SInC was founded to support the regional economy by drawing upon its strong educational and research base, and to provide skilled knowledge workers with more opportunities to stay in the area and find meaningful employment. That mission was taken a step further with the launch of the Catalyst scheme, which began in Brighton and the surrounding district, and then extended to Croydon through sponsorship by the GLA in 2015. This brought SInC’s services within reach of organisations based in greater London willing to relocate to the south of the capital and assist with the revitalisation of Croydon.

So, arguably, there are aspect to procurement policy that need to be taken into consideration when placing contracts. Yes, and foremost, is the contract going to deliver value for money, but also could it help support the regeneration of a region and the sustainability of the local economy? How could it help deliver and upskill a younger workforce and balance their careers with the future of their community?

Blackthorn’s generic GRC software has many pro-active and re-active business applications.

It is commonly used for criminal and fraud investigation, cyber incident response, employment vetting and health and safety inspection. These examples have in common the need for a prescriptive response and tools for handling and storing sensitive data.

Blackthorn’s services are available through the G-Cloud 12 Framework administer

by Crown Commercial Services. L FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0208 123 7989 sales@blackthorn.com

Finance

Together, these measures are intended to provide a rounded picture of an authority’s resilience and to ensure the sector is held to collective and robust standards of governance and financial management Hardship fund to provide council tax relief for vulnerable Local Government Secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed that the £500 million Hardship Fund will provide council tax relief to vulnerable households, to help those affected most by coronavirus.

Announced by the Chancellor at Budget, the Hardship Fund will go to local authorities in England to enable them to reduce the 2020 to 2021 council tax bills of working age people receiving Local Council Tax Support.

Jenrick also confirmed that councils will also be able to use the funding to provide further discretionary support to vulnerable people through other support arrangements such as Local Welfare Schemes.

He said: “Providing the necessary financial support to people and families is critical at this difficult time when many people will be concerned about changes to their

income. That’s why we’re giving local councils an additional £500 million, to ensure help is available for the most vulnerable people in our society who are struggling to pay their council tax bills. The government is on your side and will do whatever takes to help.”

The announcement comes after the government confirmed councils will receive an additional £1.6 billion in funding to enable them to respond to other COVID-19 pressures across all the services they deliver, including stepping up support for the adult social care workforce and for services helping the most vulnerable, including homeless people.

 local authorities are the doctors who can determine the severity of the problem.

That isn’t to say that the tool provides no contextual information at all. The Financial Resilience Index is a comparative tool and allows local authorities to benchmark themselves against their peers – either against councils of the same type (e.g. county councils/unitary authorities), or against their nearest statistical neighbour.

An accessible way to benchmark against peers supports CFOs in discussions around their organisation’s financial position with both elected members and the rest of the authority, and can aid consultation processes around financial decision making with local residents. On the reverse side, the platform allows elected members to ask informed questions about the advice they’re receiving from officers, and allows the public to interrogate decisions being made on their behalf.

Public and political scrutiny is having a moment following the election. In February, Boris Johnson’s government was criticised for only allowing certain members of the press into a briefing on Brexit. Trust in the public sector is at an all-time low, and is not helped by the notion that our public institutions are hiding from legitimate scrutiny. We hope that the Resilience Index will not only support good financial management and decision making, but also increase access to vital information at a time when the public sector is in need of more scrutiny, not less. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.cipfa.org

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

19

Sustainability

Every action counts in Leeds’ sustainability push Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, discusses how climate change will factor into all aspects of decision-making following the council’s declaration of a climate emergency early last year Tackling climate change is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges of our generation.

Like many other local authorities, Leeds City Council declared a climate emergency in March 2019 in response to the UN report for urgent action if we are to limit temperature rise and avoid some of the catastrophic effects of climate change, including flooding, heatwaves and rising sea levels – some of which we have already seen at the local, national and global level. Whilst climate change is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges we will ever face, I am confident that our city can tackle the climate emergency together to transform our lives, and the lives of future generations, for the better.

We already know that the people who live and work in Leeds are passionate about tackling the climate emergency. In our Big Leeds Climate Conversation consultation, the council found that 97 per cent of respondents believe that tackling climate change should be a priority for Leeds and 93 per cent are willing to change their behaviour to reduce their impact on the environment.

Across the city we have also seen that young people are extremely engaged about taking action against the effects of climate change and how, in many ways, they have been leading the agenda so that their generation and those to come can benefit from a cleaner, more sustainable planet.

If we are to raise the standard of living for everyone across Leeds and promote inclusive growth the city, it is vital that we take urgent action immediately. To meet our ambitious targets to become carbon-neutral by 2030, the city will need to work collaboratively – with residents, public and private sector

20

emissions by 2025. We will achieve this through our governance, through engaging with residents to reduce their own emissions and through speaking with businesses and organisations to inspire them to minimise their Climate change carbon impact. We will also be making key and decision making asks to central government to meet carbon As a council, we have always recognised reduction targets at a local and national level. the importance of sustainability and this Where our own leadership is concerned, has long been at the heart of our key we have embedded the climate emergency strategies on affordable warmth, air quality, within our performance monitoring, decision improving public transport, flood alleviation, making and governance structures. The council digital access, and asset management. has created a cross-party Climate Emergency Since declaring the climate emergency in Advisory Committee and themed working 2019, the climate agenda has been pushed groups – including transport, planning and to the very forefront of our leadership and biodiversity – to advise on decision making we are leading by example to inspire change and the implementation of the climate across the city. We have announced our bold emergency strategy across Leeds. plans to become a carbon-neutral city by We have also created a new 2030 and to halve our organisational executive board portfolio To halv which gives one executive the cou e member combined responsibility for carbon ncil’s transport, sustainable by 202 footprint development and 5 announ , we have tackling the climate emergency. of bold ced a series p To embed culture l a n s to cut our org change at the heart anis of the council, we emissio ational are putting structures ns in place to support staff across every level of the organisation. We’re developing training and guidance material to make sure that sustainable practice is incorporated within every decision made at the council. This includes sustainable procurement guidance, organisations and central government – to reduce our carbon emissions and become a more sustainable place to live and work.

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Sustainability

an internal toolkit for staff, and an independently accredited Carbon Literacy training programme for decision makers -through which we’re aiming to increase the number of ‘carbon literate’ staff and senior officers to ensure the climate emergency is at the centre of decision making and project planning.

In addition, we’re shifting our organisational culture by giving council officers a platform to shape the climate emergency strategy.

Through our climate emergency staff forum we are encouraging staff members to discuss climate related issues and develop climate champions across our directorates to help reduce our shared carbon footprint.

Ongoing work To halve the council’s carbon footprint by 2025, we have announced a series of bold plans to cut our organisational emissions. We have committed to purchasing 100 per cent of our electricity from renewable sources by the end of this year. We’re reducing our energy demand through a programme of efficiency measures, rationalisation, heating civic buildings through the energy recovered from household waste, and converting street lighting to LED. To target emissions from transport, we’re more than doubling our fleet of electric vehicles and phasing out staff mileage payments for diesel and petrol vehicles by 2025. To compliment this, we’re also implementing policies and improving our infrastructure to promote flexible working. This includes working from home, improving teleconferencing facilities, and offering staff travel cards and incentives for electric bikes and pool cars.

We’re also working closely with schools to support energy efficiency measures, develop and implement travel plans, and highlight the damage that can be done by engine idling.

The council’s school meals service has also introduced a new, healthy climate-friendly menu at primary schools across the city which includes a meat-free day and encourages children to enjoy their five a day. We’re also involving school pupils in the important

Since declaring the climate emergency in 2019, the climate agenda has been pushed to the very forefront of our leadership and we are leading by example to inspire change across Leeds conversation about climate change and providing the opportunity for students to develop advice and guidance to be rolled out to young people across the city. At this year’s Youth Voice Summit, which was focused on discussing the climate emergency, students from across Leeds were invited to develop ideas with senior councillors and discuss how schools can become more sustainable.

A collaborative effort Whilst we’re making huge changes to our own processes and decision making within the council, becoming a carbon-neutral city won’t be possible without the widespread support of everyone in Leeds. We’re actively inspiring citizens, workers and businesses to reduce their own carbon emissions through our ongoing engagement programme. We are continuing to raise awareness of the climate emergency across the region and providing information about how residents can make small changes to live more sustainably.

In our Big Leeds Climate Conversation, residents said that they would be willing to cut their own carbon footprints through a range of different steps including creating habitats for wildlife, choosing energy efficient appliances, and switching to renewable tariffs. We’re trying to make this as easy as possible by offering guidance and inspiration to residents through our ‘Leeds by Example’ website. This provides clear, interesting and easy to understand information on how everyone can become more sustainable through the food we eat, the way we travel and power homes, the items we buy, and

the way we dispose of goods. Through these everyday tips and steps, we can all play our part in tackling climate change.

We are also working closely with the private sector to offer support to businesses to make more environmentally conscious decisions and we’re delivering programmes to provide a platform for partnership working and collaboration. The climate emergency was the key theme of this year’s State of the City, which is an annual event that is an important part of our calendar. This saw the council, businesses and the third sector come together to discuss climate related issues here in Leeds and explore how the city can work together to implement solutions to the climate emergency.

We’ve also recently launched the EV Trials scheme to help organisations tackle their emissions from transport. We know that emissions from road transport are one of the biggest sources of air pollution in Leeds, and our EV Trials scheme aims to tackle this by giving businesses the opportunity to trial an electric vehicle free of charge. In addition to this, we’re actively encouraging businesses in Leeds to share their own examples of how they’re becoming more sustainable.

We all have a carbon footprint and a responsibility to reduce our emissions together. We can’t solve climate change on our own, but together we can make a huge difference. Every action counts. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.leeds.gov.uk

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

21

Advertisement Feature

Jacksons provides perimeter fencing solutions for Mote Park Jacksons Fencing was called upon to secure an adventure zone and children’s play area in Mote Park: a 450-acre green space within the town of Maidstone, Kent

The expansive park has woodland, grasslands and streams all surrounding a 30-acre lake.

It attracts over 1.5 million visitors a year and accommodates a range of activities including water sports, family fun days, dog walking and wildlife spotting.

As part of a £4.3 million regeneration, a brand-new adventure playground was built, designed with security as a top priority.

Containing expensive apparatus that should only be used under adult supervision, the zone needed to be free from the risk of unauthorised access, vandalism and injury.

Jacksons Fencing was specified to supply top-quality fencing for the new playground. 120 metres of 2.4m-high Securi-Mesh® fencing was provided to create a secure perimeter, with a matching

single-leaf gate and a pair of double-leaf gates that allow emergency access.

Securi-Mesh® has small apertures and welds at each intersection, making it climb-resistant while still offering excellent visibility. It is therefore perfectly compatible with CCTV systems. Furthermore, the seethrough mesh enables parents to monitor their children at play from a distance.

This was not the first time Jacksons Fencing was called upon to provide perimeter solutions for Mote Park. As part of the regeneration of the area, its children’s play area had also been rebuilt.

To secure it safely, Jacksons Fencing supplied 230 metres of Anti Trap Bow Top fencing and a number of matching gates. Safety was again a top priority throughout this project

due to the nature of the site and the large numbers of families who visit the park.

Anti Trap Bow Top fencing is a RoSPAapproved play area fence, manufactured to fully conform to BS EN 1176.

The fence is designed to specifically eliminate the risk of children getting their heads or limbs stuck between the pales or hoops on top of the panels.

The new playground fencing was supplied in 1.2m-high panels, providing a strong perimeter to keep children safely enclosed within the area during play, while reducing the risk of them scaling the fence and being in close vicinity of the nearby lake.

Multiple matching single-leaf gates were specified and installed to allow for safe access in and out of the play park, reducing congestion at these positions.

Having multiple gates not only diminishes congestion at busy times, but also reduces risks and improves flow of movement during potential emergency situations.

All gates were supplied self-closing with magnetic latches, allowing the gates to automatically shut at timed intervals using a magnetic system. Using a controlled system of entry and exit reduces the risk of injury and the ability for children to leave the play park without parental guidance; the chance of dogs entering the play area is also minimised.

One matching double-leaf gate was installed for service use, primarily to allow for the maintenance of the play area, and also for the essential access of emergency service vehicles.

The fence panels and matching gates were all supplied with a polyester powder coating finish in green RAL 3005, which blends in with the natural surroundings of the park.

To accommodate sloping ground, the Anti Trap Bow Top panels were stepped to keep a continual height along the perimeter.

Shorter 1-metre bays were supplied to form the corner panels and accommodate the shape of the play area along with the sloping terrain that it was built on.

To find out more about how Jacksons Fencing can secure play areas, public spaces and more, contact their customer enquiries team today. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.jacksons-security.co.uk

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

23

Advertisement Feature

Essential lighting tools for the counter terror and security sector Streamlight® Inc., a leading provider of high-performance lighting devices, offers a range of high-quality products built with precision and performance especially for law enforcement, fire and rescue and the military Streamlight believes in a hands-on, real world experience for all its customers, this approach leads to the new ideas, innovations and the ‘Brilliant Thinking®’ that set Streamlight apart.

Turn to a higher power with the Portable Scene Light II The Portable Scene Light II, a 10,000-lumen rechargeable, waterproof scene light featuring a versatile steel frame and 360° rotating head for precise aiming is the perfect scene light for marking exits, post investigation, ground clean-up, mobile triage centre lighting, etc.

With zero deployment time and a compact footprint, the Portable Scene Light II requires no set up and is easily used in rapid response situations. Housed in a high-impact thermoplastic, the virtually indestructible alloy steel frame can be stacked for up to three units, creating a bright ‘light tower’ effect with even more lumens for multi-level lighting.

The hooked feet of the light are designed to hang on doors, framing and guard rails.

Make the brightest tactical decision with the TL Racker® Streamlight has increased the lumen output of its TL-Racker®, an all-in-one shotgun forend light designed to fit on Mossberg

500®/590® and Remington® Model 870™ pump-action shotguns, to 1,000 lumens.

The company also introduces two additional models of the light, including one for the Mossberg 590® Shockwave and a Less Lethal Orange model for Remington® Model 870™ and 870 TAC-14 pump-action shotguns. All four models now deliver 1,000 lumens.

With its increased brightness and sleek design, the TL-Racker® is ideal for door breaching, close quarter maneuvers and other tactical operations. Featuring a large, ambidextrous switch pad it provides easy access for both momentary and constant on functions, and accommodates virtually any hand size. The elongated switch pad also allows for thumb or finger activation with no changes in grip; both left- and righthanded shooters can use it without having to make modifications to the light or gun.

Matching your shooting style securely Fitting to a broad range of full frame weapons, the TLR-9™ rail mounted tactical light offers ergonomic rear switches with either a low or high position to match users’ shooting styles, while providing 1,000 lumens. Engineered to be both sleek and powerful, the new tactical light features a high power LED for extreme brightness and extensive range, as well as good peripheral coverage. The light features a one-handed, snap on and tighten interface that keeps hands away from gun muzzles when attaching or detaching it whilst the Safe Off locking feature prevents accidental activation and save batteries.

Lightweight but packing a punch Weighing only 62.4 grams, the MacroStream® USB is a compact, lightweight personal light that combines extraordinary brightness and USB rechargeability. Delivering 500 lumens, two hours of run time on high, and eight hours on low, the light is an ideal pocket or cap light, whether for patrol duty or tactical maneuvers.

Features include: a removable, two-way pocket/hat clip; a tail cap switch that provides easy, one-handed operation of the light’s momentary or constant on operation; and high and low beams. Measuring 11.4cm the new light includes an 800 mAh lithium ion battery that fully recharges in four hours via a USB port, which is housed under a sliding metal sleeve. Including a USB cord and a high-strength lanyard, the MacroStream® USB uses red and green LEDs in the tail switch to indicate charging status. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.streamlight.com facebook.com/streamlightUK twitter.com/StreamilightUK instagram.com/Streamlight_europe

24

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Security

Could some surveillance help crime deterrence?

Is a total moratorium on CCTV facial recognition a necessary measure? When used responsibly and properly, perhaps not says the BSIA Crime deterrence is not an exact science, nor is using one security method over another. In general, the public and businesses need to be equipped to evaluate their own personal circumstances, especially with CCTV as a heightened news topic. The British Security Industry Association (BSIA), as the voice of the professional security industry, offers its members the opportunity to come together collectively to improve the industry.

BSIA has been at the forefront of creating standards and codes of practice since the advent of video surveillance technology. Some examples include: privacy masking guide, chip and PIN guide, BS 8418, IEC 62676, Cyber Secure It, Cyber Security Guide, as stakeholder in the Surveillance Camera Commissioner’s Buyers Toolkit (privacy impact assessment), and submission of evidence to the select committee examining

operated by private enterprises and b) the relationship between the citizen and when used to prevent or solve the state during the readings of the crimes this was being done for Protection of Freedom’s Act. the greater good of society.

In previous BSIA research A number of highit was determined that There is profile cases have only one in 70 cameras a large been solved or in the UK are owned helped through the by the government for focus o public n privac use of evidence the purpose of public d y, ata and extracted from safety, the remainder its use across a video surveillance are privately owned l l platfo systems.

This and operated under the r ms and pu evidence was scope of the operational b l i c l y accessib extracted by the requirements of the le place police using standard owners. When the report s in the U methods developed was published it allayed K by the BSIA and Home previous fears that UK was Office to ensure consistency ‘sleepwalking into a surveillance and acceptance into the criminal state’ - comments made by the justice process. In the UK these cases have Information Commissioner. The public included preventing mainland IRA activity, sentiment towards video surveillance is finding missing persons, and according  now that a) it is generally owned and Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

25

What about the use of AI technologies?

There is a large public focus on privacy, data and its use across all platforms and publicly accessible places in the UK. There may be some misunderstanding around this subject and it also may not be clearly communicated as to what AI technology is and how it is being used. It is therefore the industry’s responsibility to explain its capabilities and provide recommendations as to how it may be best used. The actual use should be governed by ethical, legal and standardised frameworks and if such frameworks are yet to be developed, there has to be a wider consultation which involves engagement with stakeholders and government. At this stage, the use of facial recognition in South Wales was ruled by a judge to be legal under GDPR. Generally, if the public are supportive as was the case with general video surveillance, due to the industry explaining how it can be implemented and the police putting it to good use, it is more likely that the technology will be accepted as a benefit to society.

In the UK, in the event of an incident or criminal investigation, the police have a legislative framework already available to them which can enable access to the video surveillance recordings from any video system in the UK whether publicly or privately owned with a clearly defined legal justification.

The advent of facial recognition may have challenged the existing legal framework, because the technology makes it easier and faster to automatically find specific individuals in live or recorded images saving police time, enabling a faster response and solving crime more quickly and effectively at a lower public cost.

The private electronic security industry largely self-regulates through standards and codes of practice developed by the BSIA as a trade body, standards bodies and other interested parties. These standards are to

ensure the effective and ethical use of video surveillance for the operator’s purpose.

Automated Facial Recognition Similar to other security measures or digital tools, Automated Facial Recognition (AFR) can have both positive and negative uses.

The BSIA supports this technology when it is used correctly guided by an ethical and unbiased judgement. With that said we believe a standard is necessary to provide guidance on its usage and ensure discriminatory practices are eradicated as we cannot and will not support technology used for these purposes.

Private operators who form the majority of owners of the video estate have been using facial recognition when combined with access control to improve the security of educational facilities for many years.

Public acceptance of the use of the face as a method of authentication for the payments system is already here.

Any technology can be used in a way which may become detrimental to the individual, for example, a mobile phone may be used to view/monitor a person without their consent. However, there are laws which protect the public and admonish those who abuse communications technologies. Videos posted on YouTube can be easily downloaded - altered - and re-uploaded to contain deep fake technology. Soon the public may not be able to determine the truth at all when using digital technology.

In the professional video surveillance domain, the potential for the abuse of the technology may exist, however current standards and legislation do prevent such abuse. As progress is made towards the effective harnessing of video surveillance

for the greater good of society, influencing standards and challenging the current ethical and legal frameworks is necessary to test their suitability. The industry is supportive of the challenge and is lobbying the relevant authorities to improve existing or create new frameworks for the safe use of AI with video surveillance data.

Security

î † to leading police authorities after the 7/7 bombing, the second attack was prevented with substantial help from the video surveillance footage. That footage had to be manually retrieved from 1,000s of discrete video surveillance recording systems, and then multiple formats reviewed by police officers and forensic experts in order to create a sequence of events, and to trace the movements of the terror suspects.

In the UK corporate entities have to operate within the legal framework laid out in company law which requires a consideration towards corporate and social responsibility, they also have to comply with UK Employment Law, GDPR, Protection of Freedoms Act and Equality Act to protect people from exploitation. Many corporates are now taking an approach to employee well-being; Generally video surveillance in the workplace is used for process management, safety and security of employees and not to watch employees.

Is a total moratorium on CCTV facial recognition a necessary measure?

The BSIA is aware of the Private Members Bill which started in the House of Lords prior to the UK elections. This calls for a moratorium on the use of all facial recognition technology in public places until the ethical and legal frameworks have been examined. It is unknown whether this bill will continue.

BSIA is against the misuse of any technology and where it has a negative impact on the individual and are calling for the creation of relevant ethical and legal frameworks for the safe use of facial recognition in public places. This should also be underpinned by a standard which may define the scope of use, the legal framework under which it has to be operated, privacy impact and ethical considerations. In the meantime, BSIA supports the best use of technology within current frameworks that improve the security and safety of the world we live in with greater explanation and transparency.

In conclusion, it is easily seen how much this technology can benefit when used responsibly and properly. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.bsia.co.uk

As progress is made towards the effective harnessing of video surveillance for the greater good of society, influencing standards and challenging the current ethical and legal frameworks is necessary to test their suitability

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

27

Advertisement Feature

Leveling up pothole repair

traffic disturbance and roads re-opened to traffic immediately after work is finished.

The Road Surface Treatment Association’s ‘Vital statistics 3rd edition 2019’ shows that Britain is currently facing a backlog of £9.79 billion and total depth of 28km of potholes on one of the country’s most valuable infrastructure assets: the local road network - valued at some £400 billion

As part of the RSTA, Schäfer-Technic is providing one of the solutions to the problem that plagues motorists and cyclists alike: Blow-Patching.

Blow-Patching has been a reliable and affordable way to maintain roads since its introduction in Germany in 1996.

It is one of the easiest and fastest ways for councils and road authorities to extend the life of their road network via spot repair. Blow-Patching is the next step up from spraying and gritting and has a wide range of applications. Because of different requirements and conditions Schäfer‑Technic has developed several versions of Blow‑Patchers to enable operators and councils to carry out the necessary work in all possible conditions. Because of the unique production process, every single unit is individually customized to the user’s requirements in size, capacity, weight, driver’s license limitations and material usage.

Schäfer-technic GmbH has been on the forefront of manufacturing, developing and defining what Patching has to look like to keep up with the ever increasing strain on public road networks, be it by the increase of weight per axle or a general increase in traffic on ageing roads since the very first model was built at our plant in Fellbach.

Since then we have been pioneering in all major technical developments, be it from reducing noise and emissions, worker safety, Before

28

special applications, different available vehicle platforms and modified emulsions.

An ideal method It is the ideal method for safe, cost‑efficient and permanent repair of cracking, pot holes and damages caused by freezing water ingress into the surface. Patching not only repairs the surface and minimizes damage claims of road users but also protects the road against future damages.

The Blow-Patcher uses four components to clean, coat, fill and cover the potholes it is repairing. The damaged spot is cleaned of dust and debris via compressed air, supplied by a powerful fan located on the machine body. If necessary, during cold weather or in the case of overgrowing weeds a front mounted gas burner can be used to remove any kind of biological foreign objects in the hole as well as bringing the surface up to temperature to ensure proper adhesion and prevent damages to the repaired spot.

Afterwards the cleaned surface will be primed with a layer of bitumen emulsion before aggregate and emulsion are brought into the hole, filling it from bottom to top. The machine offers a split bunker which enables the operator to use bigger aggregate at the base of the hole to produce a sturdy structure before finishing it with a smaller fractioned aggregate for a smooth surface. The working process can be undertaken with minimal After

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Safe and durable Operator safety has been in our focus from the beginning, it is for this reason we have designed a machine which enables the operator to stay in his driver’s cabin at all times and keeps himself safe from the dangers of working in live traffic. We fully support the ‘Boots off the ground’ initiative by giving the operator all the controls he needs right next to his seat. Partial automation makes operator training and learning phases quick and easy which in turn reduces downtimes and improves quality of work.

The process of Blow-Patching has proven its durability in a multitude of trials and its long history of use on all kinds of roads. This includes agricultural and rural roads which have been trialed in 2018 as a repair prior to surface dressing in Cumbria, it has also proven to be a reliable surface correction method prior to laying cold mix asphalt or fiber enhanced micro surfacing. Another trial in the UK was done the same year in Slough where roads in a residential area and at the drop-off point of a school have been made pothole free. In addition 2 major damages in front of a traffic calming zone have been filled and leveled, reducing the noise of traffic and strain on road user’s cars.

Blow-Patching has shown to be reliable enough for cities like Paris to use them on a nightly basis to repair damages to their motorway ring, keeping their most important traffic asset in good condition. This is achieved by reducing the amount of dry aggregate to a minimum, thus avoiding loose chips and speed limits on newly patched parts of the road.

Schäfer-Technic is proud to be take part in improving Britain’s roads by delivering the best product possible as well as providing full technical and operational support for operators and councils alike. Our long established and trusted service partner Highway Service located in Newcastle upon Tyne offers emergency assistance as well as spare parts, additional operator training, assistance in calibration and maintenance. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.schaefer-technic.com

Road maintenance

Equal investment needed to keep roads on the straight and narrow The government has recently announced that 32 local authorities will receive investment for essential repair work on their roads. But how will the funding boost connectivity, level up infrastructure and make journeys easier?

The number of miles driven on UK roads with several having less than £9,000 has continued to grow exponentially. per mile to maintain their local roads.

Over 327 billion miles were driven in Local authorities in England report that Great Britain in 2017, about 50 billion around 55 per cent of their highways higher than 20 years ago, and double maintenance budgets come from central what it was 20 years before that. government sources – predominantly The 2019 Annual Local Authority Road via the Department for Transport – with Maintenance (ALARM) survey reported the remaining 45 per cent coming from that, for the second consecutive year, local local authorities’ own sources, including authorities’ highway maintenance budgets council reserves and borrowing. In Wales, have increased overall by almost 20 per just over 70 per cent is allocated through cent. For councils in England and London the Welsh Assembly Government. this included a share of £420 million The latest ALARM survey, released additional funding allocated in towards the end of March, the November 2018 Budget. showed that the Chancellor’s The same report also additional £2.5 billion emphasised the wide Budget pothole pledge Roads Ministe disparity that exists would not be enough to across England, plug the gap in local Vere ha r Baroness s annou London and Wales road maintenance nced that 32 between the haves budgets, let alone local authori and have nots in all the rising backlog areas of highway of repairs. In fact, receive ties will soon i maintenance the Asphalt Industry n v e s tment f essentia funding and the Alliance, who produce o r l repair significant challenges the survey, argued w o o n their that still remain. Some that the green shoots roads rk local authorities, for of improving conditions example, received highway reported in 2019 have maintenance pots equivalent not been sustained, with to more than £90,000 per mile local authorities having to cope of their individual networks, while a third with an average drop in overall highway continue to struggle with reduced budgets, maintenance budgets of 16 per cent.

With overall local authority spending down, ALARM 2020 reports that this shortfall is now an average of £4.9 million (£5.4 million in England) for local authorities across England, London and Wales, up from £3.9 million last year. The research reveals that the are 7,240 fewer miles of road reported to be in good structural condition this year, with 15 years or more of life remaining, and 1,100 more miles of roads classed as POOR, with less than five year’s life remaining.

London being prioritised At the start of the year, the County Councils Network revealed that substantial regional disparities in local investment in England’s roads was plaguing the country, with investment in pothole filling three times higher in London compared to rural areas. Shire authorities claimed that lower funding for shire counties and regional investment being disproportionately skewed towards urban areas has consequently left motorists in their areas ‘poor relations’ to those in the major cities. The County Councils Network used their findings to call for a fair share of the government’s £2 billion pothole fund and a long-term commitment to ‘level up’ investment.

Six weeks later, Roads Minister Baroness Vere announced that 32 local authorities will soon receive investment for essential E Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

29

30

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Road maintenance

The green shoots of improving conditions reported in 2019 have not been sustained, with local authorities having to cope with an average drop in overall highway maintenance budgets of 16 per cent  repair work on their roads. Ensuring that communities around the country receive the boost to connectivity, which the government hopes will level up infrastructure, she said that the investment includes more than £4 million for crucial repairs to the New Elvet Bridge in Durham along with £3.7 million to help refurbish several steel bridges around Northumberland. In total, the 32 local authorities have been awarded a share of £93.4 million to repair roads and bridges.

Elsewhere, Norfolk County Council will receive more than £2.5 million to improve the highway surface on the A1122 Marham, whilst urgent work will be actioned on retaining walls on the Derwent Valley highway, on the A6, with Derbyshire County Council awarded £4.8 million. Blackpool Council will use £4.4 million of funding on the treatment of the local strategic network, a review of drainage infrastructure and the filling on of a disused subway beneath the Promenade and Tramway.

One of the projects to receive funding for tech projects will see the development of a new AI-powered app to detect potholes in real-time, using mobile phone sensors to measure when cyclists ride over or swerve to avoid them. It is hoped the app will help local authorities to quickly identify when potholes are forming and take quicker action to fill them.

Baroness Vere said: “There is nothing more frustrating than a journey delayed by poor road conditions, and this multi-million pound boost will help improve connectivity across the country. This investment will not only help local areas to target current pinch points on their roads, but will also harness our world-leading research and innovation capabilities to future proof the next generation of journeys.”

Referring back to CCN analysis, last year the 36 shire counties were able to spend £20,885 per mile on road repairs, pothole filling, and constructing new junctions and networks. In comparison, the 31 councils in London are able to spend £62,350 per mile. The 36 urban metropolitan councils spent £41,929 per mile, while England’s eight ‘core cities’ are in a position to invest £57,241 per mile. Furthermore, councils in London plan to spend double the amount of almost every single region in England.

Additionally, 11,117 miles of road network in shire counties were identified as requiring maintenance last year – this is nine per cent of the total mileage in counties and over fifteen times higher, in terms of mileage, than the figure in London. In the capital, 730 miles, or eight per cent of the total mileage, require repair at some point in the future, and in other urban authorities the figure is six per cent or 1,537 miles.

Potholes, but what about road markings?

The Road Safety Markings Association (RSMA) expressed its support for the recent Budget announcement in which Chancellor Rishi Sunak pledged £2.5 billion of government money to fix potholes in England. However, the association stresses that the question of when the government intends to address the dire state of road markings across the country remains unanswered. The RSMA argues that, whether national or local, ministers must take a holistic approach to the maintenance of highway infrastructure and not focus solely on potholes.

Speaking following the 11 March Budget, Stu McInroy, RSMA chief executive, said: “We are fully supportive of all efforts that are made to make roads safer for users, however it appears that road markings, once again, are not considered when funding decisions are made. We have stated time and again that well maintained road markings are a key component in delivering safer roads for all users. Road markings are widely overlooked in terms of road safety however, improved or redesigned road markings can achieve an improvement in road safety comparable to expensive engineering and highway restructuring solutions at significantly less cost.

“With targets for autonomous vehicles still being pushed, careful consideration should be given sooner rather than later to address the need for bringing road markings up to the standard required. The alternative will be a retrospective panic when highly capable vehicles that are unsupported by appropriate infrastructure attempt to use our road network.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.asphaltuk.org

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

31

Cycling

Making cycling accessible for all

in their area and tackle the social and environmental issues they face, they need to do so equitably. This requires looking at the reasons why people may not cycle.

The main reason people don’t cycle, that traverses all social groups, is safety, with 37 per cent of people in socio-economic groups D and E concerned about it. The difference is that, as highlighted above, the often limited access to other modes of transport Rachel White, head of Public Affairs at Sustrans, discusses the puts them at a greater disadvantage in socio-economic gap in urban cycling, as well as cities’ actions terms of mobility and at a far greater to reduce car use and traffic emissions chance of suffering transport poverty.

Second, there’s an image problem when Congestion, the climate emergency, air it comes to cycling. Bike Life city reports Transport poverty pollution, obesity and physical inactivity, also reveal that 19 per cent of people in The differences in levels of cycling in unemployment, retail vitality. These are issues socio-economic groups D and E do not different socio-economic groups is that every local authority faces across the see cycling as an activity ‘for people like compounded by the fact that there is often country. They all have something in common: them’, compared to just nine per cent poorer public transport provision and they can be improved by an increase in from socio-economic groups A and B. fewer local amenities in disadvantaged communities walking and cycling, and the We all need to play a role in dismantling neighbourhoods. This is coupled with 46 per reduction in car use that comes with this. But the image of a white male on a cycle as cent of those in socio-economic groups D the benefits of cycling are not being spread and E not having access to a car. This can being ‘the cyclist’. Not every cyclist is on fairly and social inequality exists. With local increase the risk of transport poverty and a mission to get a new Strava personal authorities under great financial pressure stop people from being able to access best on the way to work. Cycling is an we are in danger of perpetuating existing job opportunities, recreational activity that everyone, regardless inequalities rather than reducing them. opportunities or other of their sex, ethnicity, ability Bike Life is the UK’s biggest assessment of amenities that they need, or background should feel If local cycling in 12 major cities and urban areas. such as healthcare. safe and able to do. authorit ie In 2019 it surveyed nearly 17,000 residents, The answer to this There needs to be more s w to incre ant some of which cycle, many of which don’t. clearly isn’t more cars images of women, a s e w and cyc The findings showed that only 10 per cent in already congested older, disabled ling in t alking of people from socio-economic groups D and polluted cities. and BAME people heir are and tac a kle the and E (people in semi-skilled and unskilled The answer is cycling in the media and env social occupations, and people not in employment) access to affordable, and advertising. ir o cycle at least once a week. This compares clean, efficient and issues t nmental to 19 per cent of people in socio-economic safe alternatives.

Actions for the they ne hey face, groups A and B (people in managerial jobs The answer is government to ed to d and professionals). Despite this, there is public transport, level up cycling equitab o so ly appetite amongst people from socio-economic Our findings follow walking and cycling. groups D and E to start cycling, with 30 per the launch of the Marmot If local authorities want cent of people wanting to start cycling. review last month which to increase walking and cycling

32

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Cycling

highlighted health inequalities and a decline in life expectancy for those on the lowest incomes. Transport poverty perpetuates this. Levelling up cycling means we need to tackle safety and make cycling a legitimate transport option for everyone.

This is particularly important when we need to decarbonise our transport system.

Firstly, the government needs to show leadership and commit meaningful investment for cycling infrastructure to make it an easy and genuine option for more people. 77 per cent of those surveyed for Bike Life think that more

cycle tracks along roads, physically separated from traffic and pedestrians would be useful to help them cycle more.

Second, we need to build high quality infrastructure. Currently only one per cent of households in Bike Life cities are within 125 metres of cycle tracks that are separated from traffic and pedestrians. Cycle routes should be physically separated from traffic on any road with a high density of traffic and high speeds (above 20 mph). Junctions should be reviewed to ensure they are safe for people who cycle, as this is where most accidents occur. On quieter residential

77 per cent of those surveyed for Bike Life think that more cycle tracks along roads, physically separated from traffic and pedestrians would be useful to help them cycle more.

streets, 20 mph should be enforced and methods to reduce the number of motor vehicles should be put in place to make the streets safer for people to walk and cycle.

Third, local authorities need to look at where infrastructure can best be built. 52 per cent of those surveyed wanted to see more cycle routes into city and town centres.

These routes are clearly important and are likely to increase cycling rates the fastest but they primarily cater for a certain type of journey – the journey to work or to the city centre. They are less likely to create cobenefits such as reaching the least active, most deprived or part-time local workers.

These people often need to make shorter trips but more frequently in chains. For example, from the school to the local supermarket and back home. Therefore, it is really important to build routes to accommodate people who make different types of trips.

Routes in more deprived areas are likely to cost more upfront because they require a greater level of outreach and engagement from the local authority. But the financial and social benefits are much greater. Allowing more people to get on a cycle to access work is good for the economy. Increasing people’s access to friends and family whilst increasing their physical activity is good for their physical and mental health which is ultimately good for local health services. Helping people onto a cycle is also the cleanest way to address transport poverty, helping to tackle climate change and poor air quality.

A little more upfront cost to invest in cycling means a whole lot more financial, health, social and environmental reward.

Now the government needs to help more local authorities invest in cycling and to do it equitably so that maximum benefits can be realised. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.sustrans.org.uk/bikelife

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

33

General Office Products

Print Management

Print & Marketing Solutions

WHAT INSPIRES US?..

Simple – we help our

customers create

GREAT WORKPLACES

Own Brand

Training

at home and in the office

Cleaning, Hygiene & Catering

Furniture & Interiors

Specials, Bespoke & Retained

We’ve always been an expert in workplace solutions...

But these days, we’re far more than just paper and pens...

While we still provide quality office supplies and print management, we now also provide print and marketing solutions; cleaning, hygiene and catering solutions; furniture, interiors and signage. We also provide training in everything from leadership and management skills, HGV and forklift licences to health & safety and first aid.

Our scale means that you can buy from us with confidence. Our extensive distribution network ensures that the majority of mail order products are available on the next working day.

FREE DELIVERIES

on orders over £25

We are there to support you with home working essentials…

A 30DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE returns/collections service

During these uncertain times, we must take important measures to stay safe - one of them being home-working. Our wide range of products and home delivery options will help make working from home work for you.

We care about our planet...

We offer over 2000 externally accredited sustainable products, reduced packaging and carbon neutral deliveries through our carbon offset partner. We will work with you to assess your environmental impact and help create a practical plan of action to reduce it. With bespoke reporting we can monitor how any improvements made are benefiting both you and our planet.

CSR Credentials

Contact us today...

Sustainability & Carbon Reduction focused incentives

Racheal Cropper Tel: +44 (0) 161 301 8480 Email: racheal.cropper@officedepot.eu

Extensive green product range

Follow us on

Facilities management

Are consumers getting the most out of their cylinder?

As the UK continues on its trajectory of innovation and alternative, renewable energy generation, industries, such as the heating and hot water industry, must evolve, or risk being left behind. Isaac Occhipinti takes a look at how the hot water cylinder industry can support the UK’s Net Zero demands We are entering an exciting and dynamic renewable energy in the UK and its time in domestic energy production and deployment reached 13,123 MW installed usage. More and more opportunities are capacity at the end of January 2019 with opening up for consumers to control installations continuing to date despite their usage, switch their supplier and the closure of the feed-in tariff (FiT) generate their own energy. These rapid to new applicants from April 2019. changes are empowering consumers in The scheme, which has encouraged more ways that have not been seen before in than 980,000 households to install Solar the energy industry, but they also carry PV since it was launched in 2010, has with them immense challenges for our grid helped to establish the UK as a dynamic infrastructure which must be factored in PV market in Europe. Consumer awareness to decisions on our future energy system. of the obvious benefits of installing Solar The subject of ‘renewables’ has become PV is established and growing- capturing a regular topic of discussion across the the sun’s energy using photovoltaic cells heating industry agenda for some years to generate electricity. These cells don’t now, but for the purposes of need direct sunlight to work – this article, I want to focus they can still generate some on just one type of electricity on a cloudy day. generation which Despite the unexpectedly There a r provides two-fold rapid proliferation of solar e over 98 savings. According PV since 2010, very few 0 , h 0 o 00 mes to research, studies into getting the solar PV in the UK wi Solar PV is the best value from an t h arrays i on th most popular installed system have ns

tal eir aware o roof. Are the led y f of the e or making us all e xce genera ss energy ted?

been conducted. The perceived wisdom has been that it is best for system owners to export all of their excess electricity in return for a flat rate calculated from the total generating capacity of their installation.

This is now beginning to change with the development and promotion of domestic battery storage technologies which can help flatten out peaks and troughs in domestic electricity demand by storing excess power, providing system owners with large savings in the process.

Not only are there additional financial savings that can be made from the partnership between hot water storage cylinders and solar PV installations, but redistributing excess solar energy back into the home and storing it for when it is needed will also reduce strain on the electricity grid- more on this later.

One of HWA’s ongoing priorities is to explore and communicate the UK’s potential to store the energy generated from Solar PV systems locally, using hot water storage E

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

37

Facilities management

 as the mechanism. Making use of excess electricity and maximising consumer investment. After all the energy produced by the consumer is more valuable than the payback they receive.

So how can we use domestic hot water cylinders as a battery?

There are now systems on the market which homeowners can connect to their immersion heater and use to heat domestic water when there is excess solar-generated energy available. The stored hot water can then be used to meet the hot water demands of the household later in the day.

By directing surplus energy to the immersion element, homeowners can utilise up to 100 per cent of all self-generated green energy – even when they are not at home!

Diverting this energy to a hot water cylinder, which may ordinarily be fuelled by a boiler, will save significantly on gas bills. The boiler will only supply energy to the cylinder if the water has not achieved the desired temperature. This means that every day the cylinder will be at least preheated. In summer, when there are longer daylight hours, most cylinders will be brought up to full temperature. Installers can offer customers this benefit without needing any new skills or equipment, and the small premium will pay back rapidly.

To assess the benefits of using surplus electricity from solar PV installations to heat hot water, HWA conducted a study taking the average daily hot water energy requirements for each month, and daily solar PV data estimates- based on modelled daily solar generation datawe were able to estimate the savings that could be made by using surplus electricity to meet hot water demand.

For an average property (For the purposes of the calculation, it was assumed that the property is home to 2.4 occupants), the HWA estimate that the homeowners on the original FiT could save between £90 and £240 per annum and meet around 50 per cent of their hot water energy requirements if they were to divert their

Solar systems already demonstrate that solar energy can be harnessed to meet a significant proportion of a household’s hot water demand excess solar energy using the products currently on the market which homeowners can connect to their immersion heater.

This equates to a three-year payback -based upon average prices of the products required to do this- it becomes a much easier sell to the homeowner.

Whichever way you look at it; it makes sense to utilise as much of the solargenerated electricity on site as possible.

There are over 980,000 homes in the UK with solar PV arrays installed on their roof. Are they all aware of or making use of the excess energy generated? Probably not. In fact, research has found that the vast majority of homeowners with Solar PV installations are actually dissatisfied because, as they are out at work when the energy is being generated, they cannot consume all of the surplus energy and therefore do not see the true benefits.

Compared to diverting excess PV energy to batteries, which currently are expensive and have limited lifespan, solar PV generated hot water is an obvious choice for solar PV users.

Beyond the home A large growth in renewable energy generation can produce challenges for the electricity grid infrastructure, especially at a local level.

With the vast majority of households with solar PV opting to sell their excess electricity to the grid, the level of exported electricity entering the grid can be high when overall demand is low. Without significant upgrades to grid infrastructure, certain areas could breach their capacity, according to electricity distribution companies. Add to this the presumed levels of electric vehicle deployment over the next ten to fifteen years as well as the ever-increasing need for more houses

to be built and it becomes clear that a large number of solar PV systems exporting all of their excess generation could exacerbate a major issue facing grid infrastructure.

Seeking a future energy system which is more decentralised with self-reliant households is one of the reasons that the government are keen to support the development of battery storage technology.

What needs to be acknowledged, however, is that there is more than one way of storing energy. Solar systems already demonstrate that solar energy can be harnessed to meet a significant proportion of a household’s hot water demand. In this respect, hot water produced from solar energy can be classified as a thermal store which can be accessed at a later time when the hot water is needed.

However, unlike high-capacity battery storage technology, the measures explored in this article are readily available at a relatively low cost. They can be accessed by system owners and easily added to their existing installation. This means that the benefits for them and the electricity grid can also be realised faster and more cheaply. L

Isaac Occhipinti is head of External Affairs at the Hot Water Association (HWA). The HWA aims to be recognised as the leading body in domestic hot water storage and, through cooperation and partnerships, to support, drive and promote the sustained growth and improvement of standards within the entire domestic hot water industry. HWA is a division of the Energy and Utilities Alliance (EUA).

FURTHER INFORMATION www.hotwater.org.uk

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

39

Reduce the cost of your buildings Optimise workspace utilisation Boost meeting room efficiency

Create smart spaces with IGS’ Intelligent Grid RSVP at

bit.ly/IGSFacilityShow

Improve employee productivity TrueOccupancy Main Building > Meeting Room

2

LIVE

8 Mon

Tues

Weds

Thurs

Fri

9 - 10

25%

-

-

63%

38%

10 - 11

50%

25%

100%

-

25%

11 - 12

-

75%

88%

50%

50%

TrueOccupancy Main Building > Meeting Room

2

8

savings £8million annual Want to find out more?

Visit us at the Facilities Show - stand IBE6432 www.trueoccupancy.com

+44 (0) 1604 594200

TrueOccupancy

Irisys, Park Circle, Tithe Barn Way, Swan Valley, Northampton, NN4 9BG

The fastest most energy efficient HEPA-filtered hand dryer

Clean ahead

End to end cleaning solutions

Municipal Technology | Cleaning Technology

The Dyson Airblade 9kJ produces up to 85% less CO2 emissions than single-use paper towels and costs up to 99% less to run2 creating a better environment in your washrooms and the world outside.

www.dyson.co.uk business@dyson.co.uk 0800 345 7788 1 - Dry time and energy consumption calculated for Max mode. Dry time was determined using Dyson test method 769 based on NSF P335 to a measurement of 0.1 g residual moisture. 2 - Average electricity price £0.1/kWh as of December 2018.

40

Hako Machines provide total cleaning solutions for commercial, industrial and municipal environments. Our range of scrubber-driers are ideal for cleaning environments such as hospitals, shopping centres warehouses and public spaces.

Scrubmaster B3

Scrubmaster B260R

Scrubmaster B45

Make it happen | Make it Hako sales@hako.co.uk | Tel: 01788 825600 | www.hako.co.uk FacilitiesEventPreview_86x125mm_v1.indd 1

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

11/03/2020 11:48

The Facilities Show

The largest facilities management event in the world The Facilities Show is the perfect opportunity to connect with over 250 facilities management suppliers to identify the perfect solutions for your business needs Facilities Show 2020 and its co-located events, which were originally scheduled to be staged in May 2020, will now be held at ExCeL London on 8–10 September 2020. This rescheduling also covers IFSEC International, FIREX International and the Safety & Health Expo.

Discussing the rescheduling, Chris Edwards, Group Director at show organisers Informa Markets, said: “We have been

for our clients and exhibitors to regather in September—it gives the market time to recover as demand catches up. The rescheduled date provides clarity and ensures we have time and space to deliver the same fantastic event we promised, providing a safe and secure environment conducive to business, facilitie networking and career s anagem development for ent profess the health and i o n has an essentia safety and facilities during l role to pla management y t h e professions.” c o ro p

closely following developments since COVID–19 began spreading, and we have consistently been mindful of its potential impact on global events like ours. By working closely with our venue partners ExCeL we have now been able to secure rescheduled dates for these events, The which will now serve as an opportunity m

ande navir that bu mic by ensuri us n i users, r ldings, and th g emain s eir operati afe and onal

Facilities managers as ‘key workers’ Linda Hausmanis, chair of the IWFM, recently wrote to the Secretaries of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, calling for workplace and facilities management professionals, and their contractors, to be recognised as key workers in the national effort to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.

The facilities management profession has an essential role to play during the pandemic by ensuring that buildings, and their users, remain safe and operational.

Despite this, workplace and facilities management professionals have not been recognised by the government as ‘key workers’. Her letter details what we consider to be essential services and safety-critical systems, such as cleaning, security, fire safety, and waste management, among many others.

It read: “Buildings enabling the provision of essential services that are so crucial in the COVID-19 response (such as hospitals, schools, banks, etc.) need to be clean, secure and well maintained to ensure they are safe for the people using them.

Meanwhile, temporarily unoccupied buildings (such as closed down offices, hotels, etc.) and residential buildings still need essential maintenance, repairs and security to minimise any risk to user safety now and in the future, and to ensure business continuity. Water systems need E

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

41

- Office Relocation - IT Relocation - Recycling - Furniture Solutions -Archiving &Disposal 01908 374 999 sales@xpressrelocation.co.uk

Taking the stress out of

Relocation chiving

moving

- Recycling & Disposal

Taking the stress out of

- Office Relocation - Furniture Solutions

co.uk

- IT Relocation - Archiving

- Recycling & Disposal

moving

www.xpressrelocation.co.uk www.xpressrelocation.co.uk

01908 374 999 sales@xpressrelocation.co.uk

www.xpressrelocation.co.uk

DB FIRE SAFETY LTD Fire Risk Assessments Fire Awareness Training Fire Warden Training E-Learning Courses

commercial and domessc moves archive storage

c moves

42

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

0800 246 1945 info@dbďŹ resafety.com

The Facilities Show

 to be maintained to avoid legionella, and refuse collection continued and telecommunications systems checked, for example.

“As tighter measures are rightly implemented, these professionals (and their contractors) need to be able to continue to work, travel and access their buildings so that they may continue to provide the essential services and work that will keep people safe and enabled in their workplaces and homes. We acknowledge that such exemption has the potential to cover a significant number of people, so to minimise this we consider facilities professionals best placed to determine which of their teams and contractors are essential and necessary to uphold essential management, including critical maintenance and repair, and achieving safe and healthy outcomes.”

The Facilities Show Facilities management underpins the dayto-day running of most organisations, but in the last 12-18 months the most prominent and reoccurring news stories all stem from facilities management work.

Looking away from the Brexit issue, which will continue beyond the end of 2020, the issues of fire safety and building maintenance, climate emergencies and net zero public sector buildings, hygiene and the spread of coronavirus and ageing workforces can all find solutions in their facilities management teams.

Facilities Show is the world’s largest dedicated facilities management event, welcoming more than 12,000 global FM professionals to experience the latest technological solutions and hear from industry trailblazers - all under one roof, over three days. The event provides delegates with the chance to source and evaluate more than 2,000 products and solutions from top facilities suppliers

Although half of respondents to a Facilities Show survey did view potential cost savings as a benefit of adopting sustainable practice, 65 per cent simply thought it was the right thing to do across cleaning, catering, lighting, field service management, removals and more. Additionally, visitors can access hundreds more products and seminars in eight co-located shows, including the Safety & Health Expo, FIREX International, and the Workplace Wellbeing Show.

A survey of sustainability Facilities Show 2020 asked almost 300 facilities managers to explain the importance of sustainability to their organisation. The results were enormously positive, with approximately 80 per cent of respondents declaring sustainability to be a major priority at board or departmental level.

Even more positively, sustainability isn’t just about cost savings and economic concerns. Although half of respondents did view potential cost savings as a benefit of adopting sustainable practice, 65 per cent simply thought it was the right thing to do. Indeed, when creating a sustainability strategy, just 62 per cent of respondents included economic sustainability, compared to environmental impact at 93 per cent and social responsibility at 85 per cent.

This demonstrates that sustainability is seen as a positive for its own sake, rather than simply an economic concern.

Sustainability is also viewed as a key responsibility of facilities management teams: they are included in the drive towards better sustainability practice in

some respect around 97 per cent of the time, having sole responsibility for 26 per cent of respondents. In fact, only seven per cent of respondents didn’t believe sustainability would become a high priority for FM teams in the next two years, while 64 per cent strongly agreed it would.

The survey also showed that respondents are, by-and-large, familiar with the core concepts of sustainability. The majority of respondents claimed to be familiar with ideas such as ‘net zero’, ‘BREEAM’ (a sustainability assessment method), ‘social sustainability’, ‘ISO 14001’ (the major environmental management requirement) and ‘carbon offsetting’, demonstrating the importance of sustainability in the day-to-day role of facilities management professionals.

Almost 60 per cent of respondents’ organisations employ sustainable procurement practices, with 26 per cent claiming they wouldn’t appoint any supplier that couldn’t demonstrate a commitment to sustainability. Indeed, 71 per cent would require—at the very least—a copy of a potential supplier’s environmental policy, with an incredible 30 per cent adding a sustainability policy, ISO accreditation, modern slavery policy, and proof of minimum wage compliance to that demand. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.facilitiesshow.com

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

43

Catering

Supporting the elderly to eat and enjoy food together Over the last few years, Food for Life has researched intergenerational activity and support for care settings for the elderly. Here, Florence Todd Fordham shares some of the findings Malnutrition presents a significant health threat to older people and care home residents. In the UK, over one-third of care home residents have been found to be malnourished and require treatment (BAPEN, 2015). This has major impacts on their quality of life, with additional consequences such as social isolation and loneliness. Through the Food for Life Better Care programme we have aimed to positively impact on the lives of older people and care home residents.

work in Edinburgh, Calderdale, Kirklees, Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

The team used innovative techniques, based on ethnography and co-design, to identify opportunities for change. Food for Life Better Care sought to be both comprehensive – with a whole settings approach to multiple aspects of food – and developmental – to test out and reflect on what worked and what might be enhanced.

While each area shared a common overarching framework and What is Food for Life approach towards engaging Better Care? partners, it was anticipated Food for Life Better from the outset that the Overall , Care was a two year team would adapt t h e Food programme to promote the delivery of the for Life Bet good food for older intervention to fit t e r Care activitie people and included a local circumstances. to prom s were linked focus on care homes The programme ising e and intergenerational has consisted of

vi of bene fits for dence ca home r esident re

44

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

networking, training, support, development and delivery for a wide range of care homes.

This has included creating opportunities to partner with nurseries and schools, some of which are active in the Food for Life schools and Early Years national programmes. Food for Life Served Here, an accreditation from the Soil Association that awards sustainable and healthy catering, was used as a platform for promoting nutrition, hydration and sustainability standards in care homes.

Key goals of the Food for Life Better Care programme were to prevent malnutrition and loneliness, to enhance the wellbeing of people in later life, to build capacity within the care sector around food, and to bring communities together through food.

FFLSH and sustainability of food provided A key aspect of Food for Life Better Care was supporting better access to nutritious food.

Through our work in other settings, such as

What did we find?

The evaluation of Food for Life Better Care was led by the University of the West of England, collaborating widely and building on related research to ensure relevance across the UK. Through the evaluation we were ultimately testing a hypothesis: if older people have better access to nutritious food, therapeutic food activities and shared mealtimes across care homes, community care services and hospitals, will they be less susceptible to malnutrition and loneliness and enjoy enhanced health and well-being?

The programme introduced individuals and organisations to the methods and benefits of co-design and whole settings approaches.

Greater collaboration helped move beyond the fragmented and isolating working practices that often feature in adult social care. The programme therefore illustrated an approach that holds the prospect of being transferable and scale-able. Overall, the Food for Life Better Care activities were linked to promising evidence of benefits for care home residents in terms of positive social interactions, mood and mental wellbeing, improved diet and enjoyment of meals and eating.

Case study In November 2017, the Food for Life Better Care team collaborated with staff and residents at Summerfield House Care and Nursing Home, a large privatelyowned care home in Calderdale, to test a whole settings approach to food using a co-design test-and-learn approach.

Over an 18-month period, the Food for Life Better Care team collaborated with staff and residents at Summerfield House Care and Nursing Home to focus on food and food-

Catering

schools and early years, Food for Life has a wealth of experience in improving the food provision, procurement of ingredients and the overall dining experience. To help caterers make good changes, Food for Life supports food providers to meet Food for Life Served Here criteria. Food for Life Served Here is an independent endorsement, backed by annual inspections, for food providers who are taking steps to improve the food they serve, for climate, nature and health.

The aim of the scheme is to encourage and reward caterers who serve fresh food, source environmentally sustainable and ethical food, make healthy eating easy, and champion local food producers. Food for Life Served Here accreditation is available for all organisations who serve food. The fixed bronze standards apply to all caterers while silver and gold are assessed using a points-based system. Points are achieved at silver and gold for sourcing environmentally friendly and ethical food, steps taken towards making healthy eating easy and championing local food producers.

If you see a Food for Life Served Here logo you know that the majority of food on the menu will be freshly prepared, it will always be free from undesirable trans fats, sweeteners and additives, be cooked by trained chefs, and use ingredients from sustainable and ethical sources.

If older people have better access to nutritious food, therapeutic food activities and shared mealtimes across care homes, will they be less susceptible to malnutrition and loneliness and enjoy enhanced health and well-being? related activities as a social experience and a bridge to the surrounding community. Food for Life Better Care sought a comprehensive approach, in that the programme was informed by a whole settings approach to consider multiple aspects of food. The team adopted a ‘test and learn’ approach to the programme. This involved consulting with residents, care home staff and others on types of activities to run, testing them out, and reflecting upon the learning.

There were several benefits of the programme to residents, staff, residents’ relatives, schools and the care home itself.

The analysis led by the University of West England showed that residents derived social, affective, nutritional and general wellbeing benefits from the programme. Staff who engaged in the programme were noted to feel valued, supported and developed a higher sense of morale in the care home.

Communication between staff and residents were observed to have improved during the implementation of the programme.

There were testimonies from staff about residents’ relatives’ satisfaction of care due to residents’ exposure and engagement in the Food for Life Better Care activities.

The activities had a positive impact on school pupils who visited Summerfield House Care and Nursing Home to undertake intergenerational growing, gardening and other food-related activities with residents.

There were observed and reported increase in empathy for older people; counterstereotypical behaviour towards older people; and development of friendships with residents through the intergenerational work. The quality of food was noted to improve during implementation of the Food for Life Better Care programme in Summerfield House Care and Nursing Home and management had realised savings on food cost and reduction of plate waste.

The future of Food for Life Better Care Because of the experience of successfully delivering Food for Life Better Care, we have learned that therapeutic food activities, dining room experiences and nutrition training activities are greatly beneficial to residents, care home staff and catering teams. This experience and the expertise we have built around improving the health and well-being of older people through food related activities, means we know how to support care homes to develop an outstanding food culture and service. L

This article first appeared in Health Business magazine.

FURTHER INFORMATION www.soilassociation.org

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

45

Advertisement Feature

Can drones really help in the fight against COVID-19?

With a growing number of professional drone operators in the UK, can the government turn to this vital resource and deploy operators across the UK to support the fight, or is public perception of drones preventing integration?

Drones operations in the UK has grown rapidly in the last five years, with nearly 6,000 professional operators providing services from wedding photography to emergency services incident response. Our skies have always been an important part of our lives, from hobbyist remote controlled craft to manned aviation, it’s no surprise that with the current rate of growth in consumer and professional drone operators the general public are getting a little protective of this space.

In 2016, a poll by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAS) found 91 per cent of respondents supporting the use of drones for emergency response and 83 per cent supporting police intelligence. That is compared to 81 per cent in favour of infrastructure inspection and 78 per cent for agricultural uses, and only 37 per cent supportive of drones being used for leisure activities.

The thought of drones flying over your building with a powerful camera attached is almost certainly going to cause concern, after all, we just don’t know who is at the controls and why they are there. Remember when council and enforcement agencies placed CCTV around your towns and Cities?

We heard similar concerns then. Followed closely by education with fly-on-the-wall documentaries and CCTV backed convictions, came a new acceptance of CCTV. This is the answer to drones being accepted in our skies.

Drone uses the right operator is key Key sectors for drone integration include: insurance, construction, transport, public service, emergency services, agriculture and mining. Drone deliveries are at very early stages of trial and we are a long way from this becoming reality in the UK. All of these Sectors have integrated drones into their businesses, some greater than others and with varied results, this is often down to how the drone package has been presented, selected and implemented. Anyone can get a drone and deliver a service, right? Yes, they can, with the right training and CAA approval it takes little experience to get a drone in the air and click away the camera, will you get the image or data results required and the benefits of your investment? No. Emergency services drone integration examples Police Forces across the UK are using drone Images and 3D modelling software capability, this technology effectively allows the crime scene investigator to freeze the scene, reexamine the scene and provide accurate evidential data to secure convictions. Drones have an added advantage of fast deployment, with some drones able to deploy within 45 seconds and stay in the air for one hour, even for up-to 23 hours when tethered. Tethered drones are an ideal solution when there is a large crowd, in one place, that requires monitoring i.e. a festival. It gives Emergency command and control instant live feed of the event, providing the ability to deploy officers or emergency workers where needed.

The Fire and Rescue service can, for example, deploy drones where access is limited or if a major incident is declared, providing fire fighters on the ground and incident command with live thermal and standard images of the scene, invaluable imagery for deployment and critical data for firefighter safety.

46

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Search and Rescue teams have often relied upon helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to search large areas in the aftermath of disasters and the search for missing persons, with costs from £3,000 upwards this method can be costly. Drones have the ability to deploy rapidly on location or from a distance with BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) permissions.

Search and Rescue services used drones in major disasters providing advanced imagery and data, allowing senior decision makers to act methodically in the search for life and damage mitigation, all at a fraction of the cost.

Can drones really help in the fight against COVID-19?

Drones are very capable; they have proven their worth to thousands of businesses and have been an invaluable asset to emergency services. In this unprecedented situation, thousands of lives have and continue to be lost to COVID-19, the message is clear: ‘Stay at Home, Protect the NHS and Save Lives’.

There are many drone providers across the world, notably China, trialling new ways to protect their people against this virus, from drones spraying chemicals to delivering vital supplies to care workers. UK regulations currently do not support this use, nor do we have the capability as drone service providers to implement this type of support at scale, what we can do is mobilise our network of nearly 6,000 UK CAA approved remote pilots to get our drones in the air.

We can monitor government isolation laws, prevent gatherings, provide transport movement data to local government and announce government messages via drone public speaker technology, seen recently by Northamptonshire Police who announced the addition of eight drones to their service. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.idroneimages.co.uk

Drones

How drones can save the public sector £1 billion The potential of drones to deliver public services is growing, with recent research finding that drone take-up in the next 15 years could boost the UK economy by £16bn Back in February 2018, five ‘pioneering’ cities were selected to design how drone technology could operate in complex city environments to address local needs, as part of the Flying High Challenge. Bradford, London, Preston, Southampton and the West Midlands began working with the Flying High team to look at how drones could be used in their communities, examining the potential for public service delivery, commercial opportunities and environmental impacts.

In December, a report from Nesta’s Flying High programme assessed the potential economic benefits of drones delivering public sector services like these in urban areas across the UK. The research found that cities are most receptive to the use of drones when used for publicly beneficial services like the transport of medical products, supporting emergency services and supporting infrastructure development and maintenance.

Analysis carried out by PWC, for Nesta, estimates that over the next 15 years the use of drones to support delivery of public services in urban areas in the UK could lead to £1.1 billion in cost savings and £6.9 billion increase in GDP. Of the UK’s largest cities, London, Birmingham and Leeds would have cost savings of £115 million (Birmingham), £53 million (London) and £53 million (Leeds) over the next 15 years.

The £1.1 billion uplift in net cost savings arises from two effects: improved productivity and reduced costs. Nesta highlights three cases to showcase the potential efficiencies: using drones to transport medical products, such as blood, lab samples and medical supplies, can help make health care services more time and cost effective; using drones

to support emergency services can improve the speed of response on the ground; and the use of drones to support infrastructure development and maintenance can improve the safety of workers and quality of work, as well as save time and money.

Medical transport Looking at London, the capital has 34 hospitals in close proximity. Deliveries between hospitals are frequent and tome sensitive, but traffic and poor road links restricts this need. Nesta Challenges analysed the potential for delivering pathology samples between Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital, which have a high volume of daily traffic between them. Short term benefits would include improved efficiency of medical logistics, quicker test results, improved outcomes for patients, and, essentially, less congested roads. Longer term, the move could enable patients to take urgent diagnostic tests at home, at a chemist or a doctors surgery and rely on a drone to collect the samples. In a similar fashion, prescriptions could be delivered by drone to a patient from a pharmacy.

Emergency Services Nesta analysed how drones could assist the emergency services respond to road traffic accidents between Birmingham and Coventry by providing real-time information prior to first-responder arrival, as well as during the incident response.

This might involve photographing, scanning and filming the scene to increase the effectiveness of the response.

Looking at cases of fire and rescue, drones were arguably better at providing high-quality

information to support operational planners and controllers. This enables them to direct resources faster and more reliably when an alarm has been sounded by providing information to officers that otherwise would have been impossible to collect. This included work with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

Long term, Nesta claims that a city-wide emergency drone network could provide rapid initial assessment and ongoing monitoring of emergencies. As technology advances, especially in the field of artificial intelligence, drones could also be able to carry out more complex tasks, such as proactively monitoring traffic for incidents and identifying people in need of help.

Boosting infrastructure Drones can be used for several tasks linked to construction, including surveying and, monitoring build progress, inspecting quality of work and supporting health and safety.

Nesta Challenges explored the use of drones to support the development of the Preston Western Distributor and East-West Link Road, which will connect Preston to a new junction on the M55. It established that drones could help assess the progress of a project, estimate the amount of resources used, check for incorrect or low quality work and identify health and safety risks.

Additionally, they could also search autonomously for, diagnose and repair infrastructure problems as well as work in groups to cover a large infrastructure project more quickly. As robotic technology improves, drones could also start to help with the construction itself by delivering items to workers and performing dangerous tasks. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.nesta.org.uk/blog/report-howdrones-can-save-the-public-sector-1bn/

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

47

Market research

Insight and evidence in a time of uncertainty In a post Covid-19 world, research will be vital in developing policy, planning services and governing effectively, writes Jane Frost CBE, CEO of MRS Evidence matters. It is critical for decision multiplying exponentially. In a Covidmaking at every level of public life – 19 society, government and business building strategy, underpinning judgements need a range of evidence and insight and reducing risk. The market and social to help unpick the complex and wideresearch sector is the primary source ranging impact the pandemic is having for that evidence, providing all public on every aspect of society. It will be organisations and branches of government equally important once the crisis is over with valuable insight into its citizens, to determine how society, government their behaviour and motivations. and business has changed Detailed data and strong and evolved as a result evidence, coupled with real of Covid-19 – what insight, have traditionally public behaviours In the identified where hospitals, and attitudes have c ontext schools and immigration been unaffected as o f the cor services are most well as which have o n avirus outbrea needed. Research has altered. Certainly, k, resea advised us how best to it will be critical r c i m h ’s portanc get people from A to B that any research multipl e is sustainably and how to conducted, whatever keep them safe. It is about methodology is expone ying ntially people’s lives, their choices used, is of a high and their opportunities standard, especially as – and so, considering its responses are likely to be potential societal impact, nuanced and complicated. the quality, relevance and ethical The precedents are good. It is collection of that evidence is paramount. very encouraging to report that historically In the context of the coronavirus the public sector has a strong track record outbreak, research’s importance is for embracing high-quality and wide-

ranging in-depth research to improve its services, streamline systems and tackle complex issues, including some that still face society today. The UK market research sector leads the world. At MRS (Market Research Society), the UK’s professional body for research, insight and analytics, we regulate standards and promote best practice through our MRS Code of Conduct, a mark of research excellence.

Work with an MRS accredited researcher and research supplier and not only will you have access to advice from the MRS Standards Team, but you are also guaranteed a level of methodological and ethical rigour essential in standing up to the scrutiny that public bodies are subject to.

So, whilst we face some significant challenges, policy-makers and decision takers can look to some recent examples from government and public sector organisations that demonstrate the value research brings to society’s leaders.

Saving lives through education It’s stating the obvious that, alongside efforts around prevention and regulatory fire safety work, one of the London E Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

49

Market reseaerch

In a Covid-19 society, government and business need a range of evidence and insight to help unpick the complex and wide-ranging impact the pandemic is having on every aspect of society  Fire Brigade’s (LFB) main objectives is responding to emergencies and saving lives by extinguishing fires. The statistics in how it responds to each incident and the success of that response speak for themselves. Harder to measure, however, is how many fires the LFB prevents from happening in the first place.

Reducing the number of fires saves lives, but it also helps manage budgets and generates efficiencies, so it makes sense to focus on the largest causes of fires in the capital (fires caused by cooking) and fire casualties (fires caused by smoking).

Raising awareness of this through education is more efficient financially than full teams responding to emergency calls – as well as being far less dangerous to human life.

The challenge for the LFB was how to identify the places across the capital most at risk of kitchen fires so that preventative education could be targeted where it was needed most. The LFB insight team analysed publicly available social demographic data and found that postcodes with greater deprivation, and other associated factors, have a disproportionately higher number of fires.

As such, the LFB were able to target these locations for proactive educational visits.

50

The result has been a 25 per cent drop in residential fires since 2009. However, the task remained to refine this approach so that educational visits can be targeted towards atrisk properties rather than at-risk postcodes.

A 2018 project sought to do this, using a tree-based predictive analytics model to turn six datasets, including only the most recent statistics about historical fires from the LFB, demographics from Experian and energy performance certificates from GeoPlace, into workable information about where future fires are expected to occur. The data from this model, which continues to be developed by the LFB, has since become a key part of targeting strategy – saving lives by preventing fires before they’ve even happened.

Early diagnosis relieves pressure on NHS The pressure on the NHS has been dominating headlines since the Covid-19 outbreak hit the UK. Yet that pressure is constant and so the NHS is always looking for ways to drive prevention over treatment.

A good example of how the public sector’s use of research achieved this can be found in Public Health England’s (PHE) Be Clear on Cancer campaign. Launched in January 2011, the campaign had started to

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

improve the public’s awareness of cancer and its symptoms and had achieved some impact by encouraging people to go to their GP sooner. Early diagnosis improves survival rates, reduces the invasiveness of the treatment and lessens pressures on NHS services. But, after eight years of Be Clear on Cancer, the numbers of patients presenting themselves to their GP with early symptoms had actually dropped.

Using a combination of digital forensics and semiotics, cultural strategy researchers at agency, Flamingo, discovered that cultural attitudes and perceptions were strongly at play. The world of cancer – particularly in the media, television and film – is presented as a swing between two extremes: a terminal diagnosis at one end and being healthy at the other. This means people fear the worst and are inclined to avoid finding out whether they have cancer in the first place, even if they spot the initial symptoms.

By harnessing this insight, PHE was able to adjust its language and messaging for future campaigns and communicate cancer in a balanced way as an ongoing, multifaceted experience – what researchers called the ‘spine’. This enabled PHE to cut through those emotional barriers and make a real impact, with the new campaign being put at the heart of the NHS’ Long Term Plan to diagnose three in four cancers at an earlier stage (currently it is around two in four).

As well as underpinning a marketing strategy, the project is a good example of how research can open up dialogue on a topic people find it hard to speak about. It helped medical practitioners understand their patients better – meaning they could adjust their approach to consultations, empathise with people and allay their fears.

Now more than ever At a time when the way we operate as a society has been turned on its head by Covid-19 and where public sector budgets will come under ever increasing amounts of scrutiny, it is crucial we continue to make the case for research. Spending on market and social research means investing in intellectual capital, unlocking untapped assets and saving public organisations money in the long term.

Market research

Debunking fake news Across the globe, the concept of fake news has dominated policy discussions in recent years with individuals of all political colours levying accusations of misinformation at their opposition. Increasingly society is aware that it should approach information found online and on social media from a place of scepticism. But what impact does this have on trust in elected officials and the decisions they make on behalf of their citizens?

To understand that, it’s first important to understand how and why fake news spreads.

That’s exactly what a project from BBC World Service set out to do – putting the voice of ordinary citizens at the heart of an approach that used a combination of digital network analysis, ethnographic interviews and messages drawn (with their permission) from respondents’ WhatsApp chats. The initiative identified six conditions necessary for the spread of false information, including the news environment, psychological attributes, and sharing strategies on platforms. The project also demonstrated the differing motivations of ordinary citizens across the world in sharing fake news: from cementing national identities in India to a sense of civic duty in Nigeria and Kenya.

The findings are valuable insight for governments and public sector officials into the behaviours of their citizens, providing details on how they can cut through the noise and communicate an evidence-based approach and engender trust with the public.

The report, which achieved news coverage across the world, also put greater pressure on private companies to combat the spread of disinformation with both Facebook and Twitter recently announcing measures to either identify or stop fake news.

Across the globe, the concept of fake news has dominated policy discussions in recent years with individuals of all political colours levying accusations of misinformation at their opposition Perhaps most importantly of all, to action the findings of research, insight teams need to have the ear of leadership and be imbedded at the heart of organisations as critical to decision making. That is why it is essential to continue to attract the best talent from around the world into a sector that is already worth £5.078 billion to the UK economy.

Insight and data alone are not enough without a layer of human intelligence. In the uncertain days, weeks and months that lie ahead, it is true that every organisation will need reliable data and strong evidence but it will need to be underpinned by the intelligent insight that social and market researchers can deliver to guide its policies and critical decisions.

Glossary of terms Data analytics: the science of analysing raw data to make conclusions that would otherwise be lost in the mass of information.

Data mining: a process that involves exploring and analysing large blocks of information to glean meaningful patterns and trends. Data mining depends on effective data collection, warehousing and computer processing.

Digital forensics: the process of uncovering and interpreting electronic data – the aim of digital forensics is to preserve any evidence in its most original form while performing a structured investigation by collecting, identifying and validating the digital information.

Ethnographic: the study and systemic recording of human cultures.

Predictive analytics: a variety of statistical techniques that analyse current and historical facts to make predictions about future or otherwise unknown events.

Semiotics: the study of signs and sign-using behaviour.

Tree-based predictive analytics model: an operation that splits a data set into a number of branch-like segments to map initial observations about an item to conclusions about its value.

Unlike many other models, they record nonlinear relationships as well as linear ones. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.mrs.org.uk

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

51

Technology

How the public sector can deliver ROI through technology David Morton highlights three approaches public sector organisations can use in the back-office to maximise the return on technology investment With local authorities and government departments continuing to face budget pressures, it is crucial that investment in technology delivers significant value by cutting costs and enhancing the quality of services.

We’ve seen how digital self-service platforms are transforming citizen-facing services in the front-office, creating value by enabling employees to focus more of their time on helping people with more complex enquiries. But there still remains a real opportunity across the back-office where investment in technologies, such as robotic process automation (RPA), cloud computing and shared services, can deliver substantial savings and free-up resource.

Here are three approaches councils and government departments can adopt to reap these benefits:

workforce able to mimic human processing 1. Creating agility through RPA of high-volume, time-consuming tasks.

The burden of repetitive administrative Some local authorities are already reaping tasks is significant – our own research the benefits of this technology. Neath revealed that 57 per cent of government Port Talbot Council has transformed its organisations see more than a tenth of HR operations using an RPA solution that staff spending the majority of their time on combines public sector process expertise with these activities. Streamlining key functions automation technology. The platform now such as HR, payroll and procurement can automatically manages key functions such as help to address this challenge, empowering Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) requests teams to focus resource on elements of their and returns and employee information role that rely on a human touch. changes. Since its introduction in Intelligent technology, such August 2018, the technology as RPA, provides a new has handled more than route to achieving this.

The 12,000 transactions, Following rules-based p rinciple saving a total of 1,000 business processes, it of shared hours of employee time. interacts with systems s e r vices is not a n Introducing RPA in the same way also provides an that people do. This techno ew one, but a logy ad s opportunity E creates an agile, virtual

va we are beginn nces, in to see a peak ing deman d

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

53

Advertisement Feature

Delivering on the promise of digital Britain The UK has taken an early leadership position on 5G, with all four of the countries MNO’s launching their initial services in 2019 The country is also seeing rapid fibre deployment, as it attempts to boost its Fibre To The Home (FTTH) penetration levels.

2020 will be a pivotal year for British telcos and service providers as the country strives to provide ubiquitous, gigabit connectivity to more than 60 million people.

Connected Britain is the B2B event which helps organisations to keep up to date with the latest developments in the connectivity market and is ultimately the best place to understand the regulatory and financial landscape for digital infrastructure investment in the UK. The 2020 series continues to focus on the wider implications of the Digital Strategy and explores how the UK can tackle emerging challenges head on to become a leading player in the digital revolution.

Launched in 2015, Connected Britain has gone from strength to strength, starting as a 200 attendee event, doubling in size each year and now expecting 2,500 attendees in June 2020. Its most recent success saw the event crowned the winner of the PPA’s Independent Publisher Awards’ Event of the Year 2019.

So how did it get here?

Ultimately, it’s down to a great concept carefully executed.

In 2015, Connected Britain was all about building high-capacity telecom networks, but now it is the preeminent digital economy event for the UK. Since then the content has evolved to include tracks on building a connected society, promoting digital literacy, delivering the cities of the future, digitising the UK’s workforce, building digitally connected national infrastructure and more. There will be nine streams in total for 2020 with over 350 speakers and 2,500 participants.

Connected Britain receives only the most senior and influential speakers in the industry, including in 2019 the CEO’s of Three, TalkTalk and Openreach amongst a line-up of 160 speakers – 31 of whom were CxO’s of major UK telcos. However, the real uniqueness of Connected Britain is its many relationships that have been built with the public sector including both national government and local authorities. To quote the Chief Strategy Officer of Community Fibre, Connected Britain is ‘one of those rare conferences where all the players are in one place and engaged in real debate’.

Connected Britain also offers a unique platform for industry startups to engage with potential partners and investors thanks to the dedicated Startup Zone and Stage. Additionally, 2018 saw the launch of the Connected Britain Awards, recognising the best and most

innovative players from across the industry.

Rob Chambers, Total Telecom managing director, said: “Connected Britain just gets stronger and stronger and has become the definitive platform for all the critical discussion points in moving the UK network forward. Every year we have more conference streams, and a total sell-out of tickets and exhibition space. Anyone who has an interest and involvement in our network and its future needs to be here in June 2020!”

With connectivity now central to everyday life and work, we see no sign of Connected Britain’s growth slowing.

Now in its 6th year, Connected Britain will return to the Business Design Centre from 18-19 June.

About Total Telecom Since 1997, Total Telecom has provided the connection between the buyers and sellers in the global telecom market. We do this through high quality editorial content and events to facilitate discussion on industry issues, and recognise innovation and excellence by companies and individuals.

Our community of over 120,000 telecom professionals relies on Total Telecom for daily news and regular in-depth insight, delivered through a number of channels including online, video, social media, and at our series of events. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.totaltele.com/connectedbritain

54

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Technology

 for employees to learn new digital skills.

By adopting a build-and-deploy model, public sector departments can access best practice consultation and training to enable employees to run and monitor the processes in-house, boosting longterm efficiency savings even further.

2. Making the move to the cloud Another solution that can drive return on investment is Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), which brings together multiple backoffice systems and integrates them seamlessly into one easily-accessible platform. ERP systems are naturally flexible, suitable for large and small-scale solutions, covering full end-toend business processes or individual services.

When adopting these technologies, move them to cloud. Doing this equips the public sector with the enhanced security and back-up protection offered by the cloud, as well as the opportunity to introduce innovation and new platforms quickly, with the solution able to be scaled up or down instantly to meet demand. This enhances agility and helps to drive down costs by allowing departments to only ever pay for what they need.

The potential savings of this approach are significant. Arvato is supporting the Department for Transport’s (DfT) with the migration of its existing ERP platforms to the cloud, in partnership with cloud services company Mobilise.

Another key benefit of making the switch to the cloud is the elimination of maintenance costs for data centre hardware. For the DfT, adopting cloud infrastructure has reduced the cost of its ongoing rack management by 45 per cent and eliminated the need for a ‘technical refresh’ of the department’s physical data centres. Overall, this has delivered a multimillion-pound saving over four years.

3. Powering shared services through technology The principle of shared services is not a new one, but as technology advances, we are beginning to see a peak in demand. Its ability to provide the resource to consolidate and automate key administrative tasks helps to make every process as efficient as possible, allowing employees to focus on value-added or citizen-facing activities.

It’s clear that by entrusting time-intensive processes to digital platforms, the public sector has a significant opportunity to demonstrate maximum return on investment through technology David Morton, Sales and Solutions Director, Arvato CRM Solutions UK

Crucially, shared services create economies of scale by consolidating business operations and solutions. Underpinning these services with technology helps to generate even greater efficiencies, streamlining processes to enable additional functions, such as automation and self-service, to be introduced more simply.

Packaging services together within one centralised, standardised digital platforms also allows for a single, real-time view of operations, tightening control over key policies and procedures, and delivering enhanced speed and accuracy of service delivery.

We rolled out a shared services solution for the DfT and its executive agencies, including the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Highways England (HE), the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Our work has helped to transform the department’s HR, payroll, finance and procurement operations, providing fully standardised backoffice services for 19,000 civil servants that are effective, efficient and allow our clients to drive forwards core departmental objectives.

The programme has delivered key service enhancements, resulting in our customer survey reporting an improvement in first time contact resolutions from 89 per cent to 91 per cent, processing 100 per cent of client payroll queries by their due dates and handling 90 per cent of purchase orders within 24 hours. The programme’s recent success has seen the DfT’s overall customer service rating reach 94 per cent.

It’s clear that by entrusting time-intensive processes to digital platforms, the public sector has a significant opportunity to demonstrate maximum return on investment through technology. Automation and consolidation of core functions can help to deliver sustained and cost-effective transformation, which in turn creates a more productive and satisfying working experience for civil servants and council workers.

Crucially, through targeted technology investment in the back-office, councils and government departments will not only find ways to make their budgets work harder, but will be empowered to focus more time on delivering vital public services, creating value for citizens across the UK. L

David Morton is Sales and Solutions Director at Arvato CRM Solutions UK. FURTHER INFORMATION www.arvato.co.uk

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

55

Conferences & events

The West Midlands where the world meets The West Midlands Growth Company explain why the region is the ideal location for conferencing and events - especially given Coventry’s UK City of Culture title next year The West Midlands has been a favourite for event organisers thanks to its unrivalled central location, large number of bed spaces and the breadth and depth of its venues.

The region offers something for everyone, resulting in a record 131 million visitors flocking to sample a slice of its diverse attractions, venues and restaurants in 2018.

The West Midlands also attracts the highest proportion of business visits of all UK areas.

Birmingham remains the West Midlands’ conferencing and events powerhouse. The British Meetings & Events Industry Survey 2020 (BMEIS) ranked the UK’s second city as the most popular location for business tourism events outside London. The picture also looks bright for the wider West Midlands – the survey placed Coventry in the top 10 favourite conference destinations and Wolverhampton in the top 50.

The region’s central location contributes to its unrivalled connectivity. Whether its road, rail or air, the West Midlands’ transport network links the region to more than 400 million people across Europe. Over half of the UK population lies within two hours and 90 per cent are within a four-hour travel time.

The West Midlands’ mix of culture and heritage makes it an event organiser’s dream. With 10 Michelin-starred restaurants and a popular street food scene, the region’s visitors can tuck into a masterclass in culinary expertise. Furthermore, the region offers a jam-packed festivals

Birmingham Airport – which flies directly to calendar, world-class shopping and a more than 150 destinations – has recently wide range of leisure attractions. started construction on a £30 million Stephanie Mynett, Visitor Economy departure lounge extension, increasing Business Development Manager at the available space by 45 per cent. The extension West Midlands Growth Company, which is part of a wider 15-year £500 aims to attract visitors, investment and million masterplan that will events to the region, said: “This increase capacity, redevelop is the West Midlands’ time the site and improve the to make its mark. With The We s passenger experience. international milestones t Midlan including the UK City d s i s boo Culture vultures, of Culture in Coventry several ming with we have you and the Birmingham r covered!

Commonwealth and de egeneration v The West Midlands is Games on the horizon, e l o p ment projects awash with culture we look forward to and history that has welcoming new and the fac changing e of been preserved and existing visitors to region the cultivated over centuries, create future advocates creating breath-taking for the West Midlands.” and unique event venues.

Warwick Castle is one of the Investment is the key most well-known landmarks in The West Midlands is booming the region with more than 1,100 years of with several regeneration and development history, offering a wide range of events projects changing the face of the region. spaces with a unique medieval vibe.

These include Birmingham Smithfield; the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre – widely integrated transport hub at Wolverhampton regarded as the jewel in the city’s crown Interchange; and the revamped Cathedral – offers organisers an impressive setting Lanes restaurant quarter in Coventry. The for meetings and events, with its main £1.6 billion development of UK Central auditorium seating almost 1,200 across three in Solihull will also welcome a new tiers and a new 200-seat performance space HS2 Interchange Station – cementing currently known as ‘The Green Room’ set to the West Midlands’ reputation as a be developed next door. E dynamic, thriving and creative region.

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

57

58

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

The smart place to host The West Midlands is home to some of the UK’s most elite academic institutions.

With seven universities sitting inside the West Midlands geography, there is plenty of event space ready to be studied.

The University of Birmingham offers a unique portfolio, from flexible meeting rooms to drinks with a dinosaur. Its centrepiece is the late-Victorian Great Hall, which seats up to 1,000 people. Birmingham City University also offers conference space, with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s Bradshaw Hall seating 493 delegates.

The historic town of Warwick packs a punch with its conferencing offer. Warwick Conferences can deliver a full package

Birmingham’s Grand Central Station

Conferences & events

 There is no bigger cultural stage for Coventry in 2021 as the City of Three Spires becomes the UK City of Culture, promising to transform the area’s reputation for generations. The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum is one of Coventry’s most recognisable and best-loved buildings at the heart of the city’s cultural landscape.

The venue has a wide range of event spaces with The Covered Court accommodating up to 200 people in a theatre style.

Birmingham Hippodrome is one of the UK’s busiest multistage theatres.

Alongside its 1,850-seat auditorium and its spacious foyers, the theatre has several well-appointed suites, including a 200-seat studio, making event organising seamless.

Staying within Birmingham, the Symphony Hall is undergoing a £12 million revamp, which includes a new glass façade, a new dedicated entrance to the Hall and extra space for new bars, corporate hospitality suites and education spaces. The Symphony Hall can host up to 2,000 guests.

The Symphony Hall sits inside the International Convention Centre, a purpose-built venue offering event organisers 10 different conference halls and executive rooms; the largest hall can accommodate up to 3,000 guests.

One of Europe’s leading contemporary art galleries, Ikon has versatile spaces accommodating up to 500 guests, ideal for canapé receptions, conferences, product launches, meetings and workshops.

John F Kennedy Memorial outside Birmingham’s South City College

of meeting, accommodation and dining space with a capacity of up to 2,010 guests for meetings; 2,037 guests for accommodation; and 1,365 guests for dining.

The University of Wolverhampton offers a multi-town portfolio with conference space in Wolverhampton, Telford and Walsall. Capacity ranges from 1:1 meeting rooms to conference and breakout rooms for up to 300 people.

In a league of its own The West Midlands has a rich history of sporting heritage. It is the birthplace of rugby, lawn tennis and the Football League. It will now also be home to the biggest multi-sport event in the world outside the Olympics when Birmingham hosts the 2022 Commonwealth Games, representing a fantastic opportunity to showcase the best of the region to the globe.

For event organisers the West Midlands’ sporting history has laid the foundations for a host of elite venues with plenty of stadia, arenas and grounds, enabling organisers to step up their game when it comes to hosting events.

The region’s football clubs provide the perfect backdrop for an event. Molineux Stadium – home of Premier League side Wolverhampton Wanderers – is now firmly established as one of the largest conference venues in the Black Country. Event spaces include WV1, offering a capacity of 550 people, and Wolves Museum, with a breakout room suitable for up to 20 people. Aston Villa’s Villa Park and West Bromwich Albion’s The Hawthorns also offer great pitch-side spaces.

Over in Coventry, the Ricoh Arena - which will host netball at the 2022 Commonwealth Games – has a variety of halls and lounges, which can cater for events from seven delegates to as many as 7,000.

Edgbaston Stadium – backdrop to England’s triumphant semi-final win over Australia on the road to glory in the 2019 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup – can host up to 800 in its Exhibition Hall. Other meeting rooms include the 1882 Suite and the Chairman’s Lounge.

One of a kind The Black Country Living Museum – which is the filming location for various scenes of Birmingham’s global hit drama Peaky Blinders – can host anything from a meeting for eight to an exclusive evening for more than 1,000 guests.

In Solihull, the Vox Conference Centre sits inside Resorts World Birmingham. The venue can accommodate up to 900 delegates across five suites in a wide number of formats.

Birmingham is home to The Coffin Works Museum, a grade II* listed building with an enclosed courtyard and meeting room. Located in the Jewellery Quarter, the venue produced some of the world’s finest coffin furniture, including the fittings for the funerals of Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother. It is a unique setting for team meetings, workshops, wedding receptions, concerts and theatre performances.

Scheduled to open in autumn 2020, the new purpose-built conference venue, the eastside rooms, will be the largest pillar free events space in central Birmingham, capable of holding up to 1,200 delegates.

The Convention Bureau at West Midlands Growth Company The Convention Bureau at West Midlands Growth Company has been working alongside event organisers for 35 years, offering expert guidance and insight, and invaluable support to ensure that both organisers and delegates receive the best possible welcome and experience.

The Bureau provides industry professionals with a range of free services to deliver a successful event in the region. These include accommodation booking, venue location and social programme planning. L FURTHER INFORMATION www.meetbirmingham.com

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

59

Frameworks

Helping to shape public sector construction Towards the end of last year, the government awarded a major new procurement agreement which will help shape public sector construction - Construction Works and Associated Services In the March Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak promised to raise infrastructure spending to its highest in decades, with the Treasury pledging to triple the average net investment made over the last 40 years into rail and road, affordable housing, broadband and research, leading to the ‘highest levels of investment in real terms since 1955 - more than £600 billion over the five-year Parliament.

The day following the Budget, Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick set out proposals to bring Britain’s planning system into the 21st century as part of plans to get the country building. As such, councils will be encouraged to take a more innovative approach to home building by ensuring redevelopment of high streets is housing-led, building upwards and above and around stations.

From April, the government will launch a register of brownfield sites which will map out unused land as part of plans to encourage councils to make the most of this land first – backed by £400 million to bring this mostly unused land back to use. The government will also review how places assess how many homes are needed in their area and incentivise those that deliver on those numbers.

All local authorities will be required to have up-to-date Local Plans in place

by December 2023, or see government intervention, so enough homes are built for their communities. This follows the announcement of £12 billion of investment to build more affordable homes – the biggest cash investment in affordable housing for a decade.

that construction work can continue so long as people are two metres apart.

However, the decision has labelled as prioritising the economy over public health, with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, telling the BBC that the decision to allow non-essential work appeared to have been made for ‘economic reasons’ and argued that ‘health reasons alone Construction and really should be guiding Some coronavirus all decision-making’. builder However, not all has Some builders s and constru been positive for and construction c the construction workers have have sa tion workers i industry. Since said they feel d t hey fee ‘unprot the outbreak of ‘unprotected’ l e c t e work a coronavirus, many going to work, mid thed’ going to have been calling while others are corona outbrea v i k r for clarification on under pressure u , s w hi are und the role and status from employers er pressle others of construction to go in. employ ure from workers, especially ers to given their omission Helping the go in from the government’s country to key workers list. Health build more Secretary Matt Hancock has All public sector bodies can said that those who cannot do use Crown Commercial Service’s their jobs from home should go to work Construction Works and Associated Services to ‘keep the country running’, highlighting agreement to find companies to help E Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

61

Half Page Advert Outlined Preview.pdf

1

04/02/2020

15:14

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

62

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Frameworks

 build new schools, hospitals, office buildings, universities, prisons, and houses.

The framework agreement has a maximum potential value of £30 billion over the next seven years, and prevents public bodies having to run their own costly and time-consuming procurement exercises.

It is hoped that Construction Works and Associated Services will help both the government and the construction sector in achieving objectives under the government’s Construction Strategy and Industrial Strategy, which was formed in collaboration with industry and supports sustainable construction.

Construction Works and Associated Services is the first government-led construction agreement which can be used by the whole public sector. Organisations will use the agreement to find companies to construct new buildings, refurbish existing properties, undertake repairs and demolition, and decommission redundant assets. In October, when the framework agreement was launched, CCS named 128 suppliers, including 57 small and medium-sized enterprises. That number has now jumped to 137, spread across different Lots.

There are 11 lots of varying levels of complexity and value of work from £0 – £3 million up to more than £80 million.

This agreement will help public bodies across the country carry out the work needed to build much-needed new housing as well as improve schools and hospital buildings This includes general construction and also specialist market areas: housing; high-rise; maritime; airfields; demolition/ decommissioning; and construction management. Individual lots are divided into regional sub-lots appropriate to the market sector and value range. The lower value lots support direct access to SME suppliers.

All of the commonly used procurement routes, tendering methods, payment arrangements and standard forms of contract are available. Standard common government boilerplate clauses are included for things such as GDPR and intellectual property rights. Individual customers have the freedom to include additional project or customer specific contract amendments.

The framework supports the implementation of government policies and strategies: building information modelling (BIM); life cycle cost; prompt

payment; project bank accounts; early contractor involvement; and social value.

SME involvement The new agreement was designed to ensure a level playing-field for SMEs. There are lots for different contract values and regional lots open to local suppliers, to ensure that smaller companies can compete for places.

Currently, close to 99 per cent of all providers in the construction industry are SMEs. Housing associations and local authorities can use the agreement to commission house building. CCS will engage directly with commissioners to provide procurement guidance, helping the government to meet its target of building 300,000 homes each year.

Upon its launch, Simon Hart, the Minister for Implementation said: “This agreement will help public bodies across the country carry out the work needed to build much-needed new housing as well as improve schools and hospital buildings. I know this will be welcomed by people up and down the country and I really look forward to seeing some of the incredible projects this agreement will help to facilitate.”

Sam Ulyatt, Commercial Director for Buildings at CCS, added: “This new agreement provides a solid foundation for public sector bodies to achieve the best outcomes and value for their investment across the whole construction lifecycle. The principles of this agreement are collaboration and integration with supply chains, boosting innovation at a critical time and supporting the government’s work towards achieving a zero carbon 2050 target.” L FURTHER INFORMATION www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/ agreements/RM6088

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

63

ENERGY

RECRUITMENT

A practical response for sustainable heating

Recruitment services for legal professionals

In light of the government’s commitment to attaining Net Zero by 2050, and with fourth and fifth carbon budgets currently off track, the pressure is on for public sector organisations to actively demonstrate what sustainability looks like across their built estates.

A hybrid approach to heating, optimising existing gas infrastructure which remains the most common choice for the provision of heating and domestic hot water (DHW) with renewables, such as heat pumps, is both practical and cost-effective.

Though quick and easy to install, simply opting for just heat pumps (which provide a lower grade of heat) will not always be the most practical alternative for public sector properties. For sites exhibiting a large DHW load - from leisure and education to healthcare

Established in 2002, LR Legal is a dedicated recruiter to the legal sector. Not only does the company provide an exclusive service to some of the best law firms in the South East, but it also has a proven track record of delivering excellent temporary and permanent staff to the public sector that excel expectations and add unbeatable value to the teams they join.

Because of its understanding of the pressure and time restraints placed on teams and departments across local and central government, LR Legal is skilled in efficiently and cost-effectively placing legal professionals in a variety of areas including housing, social care, regulatory, not for profit and litigation, and across all levels, ranging from legal assistants through to head of departments.

The LR Legal team is dedicated to finding the right candidates

– there remains a strong argument for employing gas fired water heating. And, just as electricity is becoming greener, so too can the gaseous fuels when blended with hydrogen and other synthetic fuels.

Talk to Adveco about the design, supply and servicing of hybrid heating. By combining the advantages of both fuels, discover the means for cost effectively meeting immediate demands for sustainability and gain the breathing space to appraise new technologies that will emerge and help achieve Net Zero by 2050.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01252 551 540 enquiries@adveco.co www.adveco.co

FIRE SAFETY

and it can manage large scale projects, having placed entire departments and teams, but similarly able to handle ad-hoc or bespoke recruitment needs.

The organisation can offer specialist recruitment packages to ensure fulfilment of roles, and has an established, engaged and experienced candidate pool looking for legal roles in the public sector.

Get in touch with LR Legal to discuss your recruitment requirements via the details below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0208 464 2511 leilani@lrlegal.co.uk www.lrlegal.co.uk

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

Specialising in passive fire protection

Helping towns and cities deliver Christmas lighting

LFS manufactures, installs and maintains fire doors and screens.

The company provides its passive fire protection products and services to the construction industry in both the public and private sectors. As well as manufacturing and installing fire doorsets and screens, LFS also provides a one-stop, long term solution of ongoing service maintenance and support. This aspect of the company’s service is particularly relevant to the government sector as LFS is backed up by all of the leading fire industry accreditation bodies which ensures continual compliance beyond door installation.

Regular contract customer’s benefit from LFS’s bespoke PASSIFIRE app with barcode and handheld technology to carry out efficient and thorough fire

Gala Lights is a Christmas lighting specialist company working with councils throughout the UK. The company takes pride in delivering quality products, bespoke design and value for money, with friendly service. Current customers include Canterbury, Hull, Dumfries and York.

Founded as a family-run business in 1994, Gala Lights has just celebrated 25 years in the industry. In 2009 it joined Leblanc Illuminations and together provides festive illuminations to over 7,500 towns and cities around the world.

Gala Lights specialises in: across street decorations; building façade illuminations; gobo projections; bespoke 3D centrepieces; and lights for Christmas trees.

Are you going to be responsible for your council’s Christmas lights this year? Gala Lights can help you though the process step-by-step. Allow plenty of

door and fire stopping surveys.

The company’s webstore provides online access to a range of fire stopping products from leading manufacturers such as Lorient and Dorma. Products that range from door seals to rubble sacks and threshold plates to door closers.

LFS promises excellent levels of service and competitive pricing.

LFS has made it a priority to stay at the forefront of passive fire protection through continual testing and certification with all of the major fire industry bodies such as Exova BM TRADA and FIRAS.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 0800 035 6827 www.lfsfire.co.uk

time to get it right and start planning early - Christmas is the same deadline for everyone!

Gala Lights’ customers benefit from a dedicated Project Manager, unrivalled industry knowledge and experience, a hands-on management team, and friendly people, with the reassurance of European manufacturing and big-company backing.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01622 882424 www.galalights.com

Issue 27.2 | GOVERNMENT BUSINESS MAGAZINE

65

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Enjoying all the fun of the fair in Brighton

Fantastic functions and conference opportunities

Brighton Palace Pier is one of the most visited tourist attractions in the country with over five million visitors each year. Not only can you enjoy the traditional fun fairs and arcades, you can dine in newly refurbished, high quality restaurants and bars.

The views from the pier are a perfect setting for any event.

The on-site facilities cater for a huge range of events from small conferences to large scale experiences catering for thousands of people. Brighton Palace Pier caters for weddings, birthday parties, quizzes, charity galas and lots more. Each package is bespoke and the venue can provide lots of unique extras to make your event a great success.

Many of Brighton Palace Pier’s clients have sole use of areas of

On the south coast of England in East Sussex can be found a truly unique collection of first-class conference venues for all types of meetings and events in the cultural and sporting heart of Eastbourne. The elegant Devonshire Quarter location offers outstanding conference facilities in officially the sunniest town in the UK! A recent £54 million investment saw extensive refurbishment of the town’s Congress Theatre (with its 1655 seat auditorium) and the development of a brand new Welcome Building conference centre now situated between the theatre and Eastbourne’s Winter Garden.

Within the Welcome Building, the DQ cafe area and terrace offer spectacular views over the famous Devonshire Park tennis courts.

Two large exhibition halls, offering 1000m2, are located at semibasement level and two further

the pier so that they can enjoy all the fun of the fair and bespoke hospitality packages across the whole range of facilities. Packages can include access to all the pier’s rides, games within its arcades, including the latest in virtual reality, full restaurant service and street food options as well as Brighton Palace Pier’s bars, with outdoor big screens and mobile cocktail bars.

So whether it is for 20 or 2,000 please call the Brighton Palace Pier events team via the details below.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01273 609361 Matthew@ brightonpalacepier.co.uk www.brightonpier.co.uk

seminar spaces, with balconies, on the top floor. Other facilities are located in the Devonshire Park Theatre, International Lawn Tennis Centre and Locker Room. This unique mix of multi-purpose venues is fully supported by state of the art AV, exclusive on-site catering services and adjoining car park.

If you are planning an event for between 2 – 1655 delegates then Conference Eastbourne is your dedicated local team, committed to providing total peace-of-mind conference solutions from design to delivery.

FURTHER INFORMATION Tel: 01323 415437 www.ConferenceEastbourne.com

ADVERTISERS INDEX

The publishers accept no responsibility for errors or omissions in this free service Adder Technology

52

Adveco 65

Jacksons Fencing

BCM Construction

62

L.R Legal Recruitment

65

BELIMO Automation

34

LFS Fire

65

Blackthorn GRC

16

NS & I

14

Cliffs Pavillion

58

Oakland Group Services

20,21

6

Colas 60

Office Depot

Conference Eastbourne

66

Ogel IT

DB Fire Safety

40

Opex Corporation

46,47

4,22

Parameters Global

44

38

Pictorial Meadows

58

Ergochair 36

Pier Nine

56

Essence Global

Schaefer Technic

Dupree International Dyson Technology

OBC

32,33 IBC

26,28

F.G Marshall

IFC

Tencate Geosynthetcis UK

28

Gala Lights

65

The Brighton Pier Group Plc

66

Hako Machines

38

Total Telecoms

54

Intelligence Growth Solutions

38

Truvelo (UK)

40

Xpress Relocation

40

Irisys 38

66

ISS 12

BUSINESS INFORMATION FOR LOCAL AND CENTRAL GOVERNMENT | www.governmentbusiness.co.uk

Looking for flexible, secure solutions based on cloud technology.

We have a wealth of experience in the public sector designing, implementing and supporting organisations in the move from legacy solutions to modern cloud-based services. Whether you are looking to move a few servers or completely overhaul your environment we have the tools, capability and experience to help you succeed.

Simply get in touch to arrange a no obligation discussion to see how we can assist.

• Office 365 Migration • Azure Migration • Windows 10 Migration • Managed Services • Networking & Firewalls • Security Monitoring • Implementation Services • Consultancy Services You can find us on GCloud using the search term ‘ogel’ https://www.digitalmarketplace.service.gov.uk/ OGEL IT LTD. Registered Office: Unit 5 Whittle Way, Arlington Business Park, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 2FS, United Kingdom. Registered Number: 10521785.

Registered in England and Wales. VAT registration: GB 262 1989 83. OGEL™ and OGEL IT™ are trademarks of OGEL IT LTD. All rights reserved.