Denham Garden Village has been awarded the coveted accolade ‘Best 55 Plus Development’ at the prestigious Daily Telegraph Your New Home Awards 2007/8.
Meryl Jones, Head of Denham Garden Village, accepted the award at the ceremony on Thursday 6 March, which was held at Shakespeare’s Globe on London’s South Bank.
Judged by a highly experienced panel of architects, property journalists and industry experts, The Daily Telegraph Your New Home Awards set high standards and look for outstanding developments. Denham Garden Village’s success at these awards reflects the ongoing success of this popular retirement development in South Buckinghamshire, which is pushing the boundaries of retirement living in the UK.
Meryl Jones said: “We are delighted to add another award to our collection at Denham Garden Village. The 326-home site is all about helping the older people who live there to get the best out of life and it is a pioneering development for Anchor Trust. A real community has now been established. Development of the site continues and we are expecting the next phase of homes to prove as popular as those already completed.”
Denham Garden Village boasts a wide range of community and recreational facilities, such as a Café Bar, doctor’s surgery, Village Hall and high-tech Health and Fitness Suite, complete with a swimming pool, gym and solarium. Support services are available to enable people to continue to live independently in their own home.
The third phase of homes at Denham Garden Village is launching in April and will see the completion of the thriving development.
Prices of homes in phase three start from £370,000. For further information please contact 01895 836 333 or visit www.denhamgardenvillage.co.uk.
What do you think about Public Sector Awards?
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Tighter new rules for skilled foreign workers
Source: Direct Gov
Foreign workers hoping to fill skilled vacancies in Britain's labour market will have to meet strict new criteria, the Government announced yesterday.
The Home Office today published proposals for much tighter skilled and temporary worker tiers of its new Points Based System (PBS). The schemes - known as Tier 2 and Tier 5 - sweep aside around 30 different routes to the UK, including the old work permit system.
British-based companies will have to prove they cannot fill skilled posts with a resident worker and must show that the job vacancy has been advertised in the UK. Would-be migrants will need a job offer before they even apply for a visa, unless the job is on the shortage occupation list.
To qualify, skilled foreign nationals will have to earn a certain number of points before being allowed to work in Britain. These points are awarded only if a person can prove they will be doing skilled work, speak a good standard of English, and are earning more than £24,000, or have a decent qualification. Employers will need a licence from the UK Border Agency to offer jobs to skilled workers.
Alongside the proposals, Home Office analysis showed if the tighter Tier 2 and 5 rules had been in place last year, close to ten per cent fewer skilled and temporary migrants from outside the EEA would have been allowed into Britain to work in equivalent categories - around 20,000 people. In addition the Home Office confirmed that from this year low skilled workers from outside the EU will be barred.
Border and Immigration Minister Liam Byrne said:
"Our new points system means that British jobseekers get the first crack of the whip and that only the skilled migrants we actually need will be able to come.
"By moving points up or down, we can make sure the numbers we allow in to the UK are in line with the needs of business and the country as a whole.
What does this mean to people who want to work in the UK? Is there a skills shortage in your area of work?
Friday, May 2, 2008
Public Jobs Direct Welcomes NfP Resourcing
Public Jobs Direct are please to announce that leading Not for Profit Recruitment agency NFP Resourcing is now an advertiasing partner on www.publicjobsdirect.com
NfP resourcing provides cost-effective people recruitment, retention and development support for not-for-profit organisations.
They enable not-for-profit organisations to develop their workforce (including volunteers) so that they have the right people in the right place doing the right things at the right time, they deliver strategic partnerships with not-for-profit organisations that support their continuous improvement programmes in pursuit of their aims and objectives.
NfP Resourcing will advertise their vacancies at www.publicjobsdirect.com/nfpresourcing
Tell us what you think of the page?
NfP resourcing provides cost-effective people recruitment, retention and development support for not-for-profit organisations.
They enable not-for-profit organisations to develop their workforce (including volunteers) so that they have the right people in the right place doing the right things at the right time, they deliver strategic partnerships with not-for-profit organisations that support their continuous improvement programmes in pursuit of their aims and objectives.
NfP Resourcing will advertise their vacancies at www.publicjobsdirect.com/nfpresourcing
Tell us what you think of the page?
Mortgage approvals fall to record low
The number of mortgages given to home buyers has fallen to a record low, figures have shown.
In the latest sign that the credit crisis has effectively shut down the mortgage market for many, the Bank of England disclosed that the number of new mortgages approved in March fell to 64,000 — a 44 per cent drop on last year.
Economists said the figures were the clearest sign yet that buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to raise the money to purchase a home.
Although house prices have started to dip, a lack of mortgages is causing a severe slump in transactions, which is causing estate agents to lose their jobs.
Tell us what you think? How does this news affect Public Sector workers?
In the latest sign that the credit crisis has effectively shut down the mortgage market for many, the Bank of England disclosed that the number of new mortgages approved in March fell to 64,000 — a 44 per cent drop on last year.
Economists said the figures were the clearest sign yet that buyers are finding it increasingly difficult to raise the money to purchase a home.
Although house prices have started to dip, a lack of mortgages is causing a severe slump in transactions, which is causing estate agents to lose their jobs.
Tell us what you think? How does this news affect Public Sector workers?
Thursday, May 1, 2008
New post seen as vote of confidence in Adult Social Care
A National Director for Social Care is to be appointed in what senior social services staff say is a major step forward in revolutionising the way adult social care is thought about and talked about. An advertisement for the post specifies that the successful applicant must be a current or recently experienced director of adult social services.
Initially the post will be a one-year secondment but with an option to renew for two more years. The post holder will be line-managed by the Vice-President of ADASS – the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and will be accountable to the Chair of the Social Care Transformation Programme Board, in the Department of Health, to the Local Government Association, and the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government. Funding for the post has come from the Government.
The new director’s main role will be to lead and drive the delivery of ‘Putting People First’ within Adult Social Care on behalf of the Association in line with the Concordat signed in December to ensure transformation of the system and to deliver greater personalisation in services.
The Concordat commits a number of central and local government bodies, the NHS and third sector organisations to work together to ensure users have greater control over services and to concentrate on early intervention and prevention services as well as improving the quality of information about social care.
The ADASS President, John Dixon, said the new post was a truly significant development. “It really is a massive vote of confidence in adult social care services and a bold step for the Department of Health to make. It is a particularly strong vote of confidence in the partnership between DH and local authorities, and I look forward to working with the successful candidate in carrying out what is going to be a challenging and exciting task,” Mr. Dixon said.
What do you think or this new role? Will this new role make a difference in Social Care? What, if any, improvements need to be made in Social Care in the UK?
Initially the post will be a one-year secondment but with an option to renew for two more years. The post holder will be line-managed by the Vice-President of ADASS – the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and will be accountable to the Chair of the Social Care Transformation Programme Board, in the Department of Health, to the Local Government Association, and the Improvement and Development Agency for Local Government. Funding for the post has come from the Government.
The new director’s main role will be to lead and drive the delivery of ‘Putting People First’ within Adult Social Care on behalf of the Association in line with the Concordat signed in December to ensure transformation of the system and to deliver greater personalisation in services.
The Concordat commits a number of central and local government bodies, the NHS and third sector organisations to work together to ensure users have greater control over services and to concentrate on early intervention and prevention services as well as improving the quality of information about social care.
The ADASS President, John Dixon, said the new post was a truly significant development. “It really is a massive vote of confidence in adult social care services and a bold step for the Department of Health to make. It is a particularly strong vote of confidence in the partnership between DH and local authorities, and I look forward to working with the successful candidate in carrying out what is going to be a challenging and exciting task,” Mr. Dixon said.
What do you think or this new role? Will this new role make a difference in Social Care? What, if any, improvements need to be made in Social Care in the UK?
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Public Sector Managers needed for professional challenges in Africa and Asia
VSO are looking for experienced public sector managers to build the capacity of non-governmental organisations and local government across Africa and Asia.
The international volunteer sending charity has a number of 12 – 24 month placements for people with excellent leadership and management skills.
Volunteers work alongside local colleagues, improve project management skills and advise on strategic planning, organisational development and monitoring & evaluation.
All VSO volunteer placements come with return flights, accommodation, local living allowance and full training and support.
Dave Sternberg, Head of Community and Economic Development at Coventry City Council, who spent 2 years working for a high-profile women’s rights organisation based in Dhaka, said:
“My job was to help BNWLA re-organise itself from the small pressure group it once was to the large, many- branched organisation it had become.
They needed to make a good practical plan for the next five years, bringing all their work together and pinpointing what actions they needed to take”.
Dave advised colleagues at BNLWA on a wide range of management issues such as monitoring and evaluating, report writing and staff development.
With the help of key colleagues he also pulled together a strategic plan, along with small steps everyone could take to move it forward.
VSO has been sending an increasing number of management professionals to developing communities in recent years, building the effectiveness of a wide range of organizations.
With the government’s announcement last month, committing £13m to fund pension contributions for public sector workers who want to volunteer overseas, the charity is now hoping to attract more applications from managers working in local and central government.
Do you think that the government is right in committing £13 to fund pension contributions for public sector workers who want to volunteer overseas?
What is your opinion on volunteering?
Tell us your experience about volunteer work?
The international volunteer sending charity has a number of 12 – 24 month placements for people with excellent leadership and management skills.
Volunteers work alongside local colleagues, improve project management skills and advise on strategic planning, organisational development and monitoring & evaluation.
All VSO volunteer placements come with return flights, accommodation, local living allowance and full training and support.
Dave Sternberg, Head of Community and Economic Development at Coventry City Council, who spent 2 years working for a high-profile women’s rights organisation based in Dhaka, said:
“My job was to help BNWLA re-organise itself from the small pressure group it once was to the large, many- branched organisation it had become.
They needed to make a good practical plan for the next five years, bringing all their work together and pinpointing what actions they needed to take”.
Dave advised colleagues at BNLWA on a wide range of management issues such as monitoring and evaluating, report writing and staff development.
With the help of key colleagues he also pulled together a strategic plan, along with small steps everyone could take to move it forward.
VSO has been sending an increasing number of management professionals to developing communities in recent years, building the effectiveness of a wide range of organizations.
With the government’s announcement last month, committing £13m to fund pension contributions for public sector workers who want to volunteer overseas, the charity is now hoping to attract more applications from managers working in local and central government.
Do you think that the government is right in committing £13 to fund pension contributions for public sector workers who want to volunteer overseas?
What is your opinion on volunteering?
Tell us your experience about volunteer work?
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