Talk London has been created by the Greater London Authority as a place to discuss London’s big issues. But this isn’t just a talking shop. We want your opinions to help us steer the big policy decisions of the future – from those affecting London’s young people, transport, safety and policing, to health, housing and the environment.

You’re amongst the first of what we hope will be many Londoners to sign up to this new community. We, and others, have started a number of discussions that may be of interest, so get stuck in, or start a conversation of your own.

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Smarter Guidance and Data is an outcome of the Red Tape Challenge. It is working to make it easier, quicker and clearer to understand what environmental rules apply and simpler to report essential environmental and farming data. This will make it cheaper for businesses and others to comply with regulations and achieve strong environmental standards.

A thorough review of guidance and information obligations under the banner of the Smarter Environmental Regulation Review concluded that they are important for supporting regulation but have become more costly and complex than they need to be. That is why we are inviting your comments on how guidance and information obligations reporting can be improved.

We want to hear from businesses the public and other stakeholders on how guidance and reporting requirements can be made more straightforward.

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The latest news on publicly-funded science, research and innovation from the Research Councils, Technology Strategy Board, UK Space Agency, universities and more. Also includes news from the Government Office for Science.
Curated by BIS Press Office – higher education and science

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Here’s a little ditty called ‘The Poo Song’ telling all older folk to test their poo. 

9 out of 10 people survive bowel cancer if caught early but the early signs are often hidden. So, tell your mum, dad and your second Uncle Vlad to take the test.

Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in Scotland and the risk getting it increases with age. That’s why the test is posted through every 50-74 year old’s door once every two years. If anyone you know is that age, show them this video and get them to test their poo.

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The video cost £800 to produce, and was not publicly funded. It was paid for by our contractor, Ringway, and it took less than two days for the local film company we used to produce. We think this is an engaging way to get the message about reporting potholes across, and have had a lot of positive feedback so far.

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We want policymakers- and anyone involved in delivering policy or influencing its creation- to vote on what policy teams should be doing to ensure that policymaking gets better.

Why are we doing this?

People affected by government policies are better able and increasingly want to provide feedback on their experience of a policy and its implementation. Also, digital tools as well as new techniques and processes, have made it easier for policymakers to draw on dispersed knowledge, test proposed policy interventions and prototype new digital services.

These developments have been captured in the Civil Service Reform plan (PDF document)and are some of the drivers for ‘open policymaking’. If policymaking is to change for the better, then policymakers must be involved in discussing and proposing how to do this. The focus is on policymaking but for ‘open policymaking’ to work the input of those engaged in implementing policy is needed too.

What we’ll do with your votes

The Cabinet Office’s Open Policy team is in the process of developing a model for open policymaking that will help people looking to apply open policy making principles when developing policy. Your votes will feed into the creation of this model.

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We want our staff, ward councillors and partners to think about how social media can help us to achieve specific outcomes, work together better, improve public services and contribute to the aims of Kirklees Council.

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Google Hangouts offer a great opportunity to broadcast discussions and events to the world for free. At the Department for International Development (DFID) we are working to get the issue of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) on the global agenda. For the International Day for Zero Tolerance to FGM/C on 6 February, Development Minister Lynne Featherstone joined the United Nations for a Google Hangout to engage people around the world.

There were clear benefits.The Hangout generated worldwide engagement on an under reported issue. There were 2,493 clicks for the event which was viewed live by people from over 100 different countries. And, the beauty is by having the discussion on your YouTube channel it can be used as a tool long after the event.

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There’s a write-up of the campaign on the GCN site

Obviously traditional media was going to play a big part, and breakfast television coverage of a visit by Owen Paterson to the Dogs Trust was perfect for demonstrating just how quick, easy and painless it is to get your dog microchipped.

But there was also a real opportunity to tap into our target audience of dog owners through digital and social media. This was ‘one team’ communications at its best.

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The social channels were followed by the launch of digital editions of The Highway Code, including e-books and an official iPhone app.

These new channels and formats help to make sure that all road users – not just learner drivers – know The Highway Code and stay up to date with the rules of the road. This overall campaign won a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2012.

http://www.facebook.com/HighwayCodeGB

http://www.twitter.com/HighwayCodeGB

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You be the Judge is an interactive tool that helps people learn more about sentencing, by putting them in the judge’s seat.

Research shows that the public don’t understand sentencing, but that more than three quarters think sentences are ‘too lenient’. Changing people’s attitudes is notoriously difficult, and measuring the impact of initiatives to do so can be just as hard.

You Be The Judge takes them through the facts of a case with a series of videos. They hear the defendant’s plea, and any aggravating or mitigating factors, before deciding on what sentence to pass. They then compare their sentence with the one handed out by a real judge.

For every three users who enter the site thinking sentencing’s too lenient, two leave it thinking it’s about right: we are succeeding in building confidence among 66% of our core audience.

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Project ASPECT was born from a more general search for new communication tools to help the wider public engage with important but inaccessible issues. In particular, the project considers the complex issue of climate change.

ASPECT recognises that to date, climate change communication has engaged a narrow audience and stimulated a limited public dialogue. As a result, ASPECT explores how the wider public might connect to the climate change discussion through digital storytelling.

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In May 2010, the Government set out its commitment to formally establish an enhanced right to data. By amending the Freedom of Information Act by means of section 102 in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, a new statutory duty was set out which means that public authorities must publish datasets for re-use and where reasonably practicable, do so in a re-usable format.

It is important that a new Code of Practice is made so that public authorities know exactly what is expected of them as regards to the amendments to the Freedom of Information Act concerning datasets. The proposed new Code of Practice (datasets) was drafted in conjunction with the Cabinet Office, The Information Commissioners Office, The National Archives, and The Ministry of Justice and sets out what we mean by the terms in the new sections of the FOI Act. It aims to make public authorities aware of their new responsibilities and intends to reduce confusion and bring clarity and completeness for local authorities. We are now looking for your views as to whether the draft code provides the right level of guidance and if there is anything else we need to cover to make this code as comprehensive and as useful as possible. We hope as many public servants and potential users of public data as possible will share their views online.

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Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has led the biggest ever food trade delegation to China. Mr Paterson spent four days promoting British food and drink to the Chinese.

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Get advice about learning to drive and driving tests – from choosing an instructor, to booking and taking your theory and practical driving tests

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Bad weather, shorter days and low temperatures have an impact on all of our lives. There’s a lot of information and support out there that could help, and this blog aims to tell you about it.

The Norfolk Winter blog has been set up by Norfolk County Council as part of our wider Norfolk Winter campaign but we hope to have contributions from lots of different organisations, groups and individuals – anyone who has something useful to share to help keep us happy, healthy and safe this winter.

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This blog will be a place for me to share my thoughts on the issues of the day, the interesting things I see and do and the new announcements I make in my role as Minister for Housing and Local Growth.

A chartered Surveyor by profession and local MP for more than ten years, I know how important housing is to both our everyday lives and the economy at large. I’m determined to get Britain building again, as well as helping tenants and getting people onto and up the housing ladder. And I hope that I can show you here just how we’re making that happen.

It’s also my chance to listen to you, hear about your experiences on the ground and your views on what can be done to improve housing in this country.

So if you have a comment on any of my posts, feel free – but this is a Government website, so political comments won’t be published. We will try and put up every comment as long as it’s not illegal or unnecessarily offensive.

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These pages are managed by the Department of Health digital, channel strategy and publishing team. They bring together our advice and guidance about how to use digital tools, techniques and channels to help deliver DH objectives. The content is mainly aimed at communications professionals in the wider government and health community.

The digital team run the official Department of Health web presence, including our websites, social media and multimedia channels. And we support policy and communications campaigns – reaching out to our audiences wherever they are online, and making use of internet culture to help deliver our policy objectives.

We use our digital channels to communicate directly with public audiences, NHS and social care professionals, and other influential individuals and groups. We find the best ways to share information, and engage in conversations with our audiences.

We are responsible for the “digital first” channel strategy for the health and care system.

We are a team of digital specialists. Between us, we have lots of experience working on ambitious digital communication campaigns and projects inside and outside government.

We get excited about technology and internet culture. But we measure our success by how far we help deliver the policy priorities of the Department.

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We’re trying to explore what open policymaking means in practice, and how we make it excellent and democratic.

We’re working towards this with a number of project partners, including the Cabinet Office.

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As part of our review of our Science & Society Programme, we are considering whether our objectives are still relevant and what activities would be required to achieve any revised objectives. On this page you will find our draft Vision and Objectives and a set of Criteria which we want to use to prioritise our future activity. We welcome your views and comments on these.

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We are creating our own boards based on what’s being talked about relating to DH in the last week on social media and have a board per topic. We can update that board if its still relevant the week after or a few weeks later.

We are sharing these stats internally and so far have had really good feedback. I’m keen to see if we find further uses for it.

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We don’t want this to be a typical Inquiry where a panel simply listens to evidence, produces a report with recommendations, and hopes that someone reads it and something happens as a result. We’re committed to making something happen quickly, and have already begun working on a series of projects as well as seizing the opportunity to influence and set the agenda.

All ideas submitted through the website will be analysed and considered by NALC and All Party Parliamentary Group on local democracy, in addition to other evidence sourced through a series of short surveys and more traditional oral evidence sessions.

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TWO SIX.tv is the Internal Communications channel for the Naval Service, reporting on issues affecting you.

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Over the coming weeks we will be blogging about the Intellectual Property (IP) issues we spot in each episode.

You will also find information about who we (the IPO) are, what we do and the range of tools, services, events and guides we provide to help you and your business with its Intellectual Property.

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To mark his 100,000th follower on twitter, Foreign Secretary William Hague will meet five of his twitter followers for a discussion about foreign policy at the Foreign Office.

To enter, the Foreign Secretary’s followers were invited to send a tweet including the hashtag #meetFS, and say:

what idea, innovation or trend you think will have the greatest impact on our world over the next 20 years

or:

what you believe the Foreign Office’s priorities should be over the next year.

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This site is about celebrating people and communities in Scotland. It is about the inspiration, talent and energy that make a difference.

You can share your project’s story here and get inspired by others – just click the ‘Register – add a project’ cloud, fill in your email address and preferred password and the site will take you through the steps.

You can also connect with and comment on other projects and make the connections that could help with the next stage in your community’s project.

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Engage was launched in 2010 as a result of Cabinet Secretary Michael Russell’s desire to provide a means of direct and transparent conversation for all concerned with education issues. The Education Secretary was and is clear that he wants to listen to all those who have thoughts and ideas about improving education in Scotland

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Government Olympic Communication will provide an integrated press office service on behalf of all UK Government Departments and Agencies from the arrival of the Olympic Torch on 18 May to the end of the Paralympic Games on 9 September. The service will be run by existing communications staff from across all UK Government Departments.

This site and our twitter stream pull together news and multimedia content from across Government, and provide:

- up-to-the-minute press releases, statements and speeches
- a rich library of background information, facts and figures and case studies covering all aspects of the Games across all the nations and regions of the UK
- images, including high-resolution, royalty-free photography; a video library for online use, alongside high-definition broadcast-quality clips and b-roll.

You can also register for email or RSS news alerts to ensure you are kept up to date with all the latest UK Government news on the London 2012 Games.

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I got to thinking of the digital things that had knocked my socks off.

Those campaigns, Twitter accounts or social media things that had really impressed me.

The ones that I go back to over and over and tell people about because they’re so good.

Like a tour of Britain in my head I went from Devon to Birmingham to Stirling to Orkney.

So I built a quick Google map.

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We want to know how our proposals and ideas would affect both consumers and businesses. To make it easy for a range of people to respond, we have produced this short and simple online version of the consultation, split into three sections. These ask for your feedback on our proposals to set out consumer rights when faced with faulty or substandard:

- Goods
- Services
-Digital content

Just click on the titles of the sections that interest you and send us your comments. In each section you’ll see links to more information on our proposals.

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The Public Reading Stage has been created to encourage members of the public to comment on laws that are being debated by Parliament.  Comments will then be collated and considered before being sent to the House of Commons to influence debate.

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The draft Care and Support Bill was published on 11 July 2012. It proposes a single, modern law for adult care and support that replaces existing outdated and complex legislation.

You can post comments on the draft Bill on this website until 19 October 2012, and contribute to the largest overhaul of the law around adult care and support in 60 years.

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We want to hear your ideas and contributions to the Communications Review, particularly around the topics covered in these seminars.

You can leave a public comment on the discussion documents that we have prepared around each seminar, and respond to the comments other people have left.

All comments will be reviewed by the policy teams responsible for these aspects of the Review to inform the forthcoming White Paper.

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Millions of women and girls in the world’s poorest countries want access to modern methods of family planning – but cannot get it.
This summit aims to change that by providing 120 million women the contraceptives and advice they need – helping to save lives, transform communities and give more women the chance to determine their own future.

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This blog is designed as a way for us to share our ideas and concepts with a wider audience, to test out new concepts and get feedback on what we are doing.

Everything we do should be evidence based rather than led by what the organisation deems necessary. We hope you will engage with us, let us know what we’re doing wrong and help us to improve the services we develop for Devon.

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Interested in talking about health care? Find out what other people in your community are saying. Leave a comment if you like, or start a new discussion topic. Join in! Take part in the evolution of BC’s health care system.

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Facebook session with Sir Bob Kerslake and Francis Maude starts at 4pm today. Please leave your questions about the reform plan below as comments and we will answer as many as possible during the session. Questions from the post yesterday advertising the session will also be included so no need to repost here. We will ensure that any questions received here will also be fed into the Tell us How team.

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The MRC is a publicly funded organisation dedicated to improving human health through world-class medical research. We support research across the entire spectrum of biomedical sciences, from fundamental lab-based science to clinical trials. We fund research in universities and hospitals, in our own units, centres and institutes in the UK, and in our units in Africa.

We’re also committed to developing the skills of researchers and creating environments in which medical research can flourish. We believe it is important to communicate and engage with the public about our work and medical research more generally.

Here we aim to bring you stories about science and medical research relevant to the work of the MRC, as well as the research and scientists we fund. We’ll also report on the diverse activities that we’re involved in, from science festivals and open days to MRC events.

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#CitizenRelay is a participatory project which relies on the involvement of people from across Scotland to effectively report on the untold local stories and creative ways that Scotland’s citizens are interacting with the Olympic Games. We will be following the Olympic torch in the #citizenrelay bus from the 7th June onwards as it makes its way through Scotland.

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The Embassy and our other posts in the US work to develop and sustain the important and long-standing relationship between the UK and the USA. This involves dealing with a wide range of political, commercial, security and economic questions of interest to the UK and the US.

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To capture some of the great examples of hidden hobbies, side-businesses and pet projects that emerged, they created a simple Tumblr site with contributions from the wide range of colleagues who got involved.

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First Lady Michelle Obama, the U.S. Department of Education, and Epicurious invite you to send in your favorite recipe for a healthy lunch.

If you are the parent or legal guardian of a child aged 8 to 12, we invite you to work together to create a healthy and delicious lunch. You could win a trip to Washington, D.C., and have the chance to attend a Kids’ “State Dinner” hosted by the White House, where some of the winning recipes will be served. (The “State Dinner” will be attended by one child/parent team selected from each of the 50 states, plus D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Territories.)

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President Obama is urging Congress to take up his proposal to cut through the red tape that prevents so many homeowners from refinancing their mortgages and saving hundreds of dollars each month.

It has the potential to be a huge deal, so we want to make sure you have the facts — and get a chance to tell us what you think.

Take a minute to watch this video from Brian Deese — one of the President’s economic advisors — then, answer a few short questions to help guide our work on this issue. 

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Barnet Pledgebank can be used to gather together people to get projects done. These can be tasks such as clearing snow and ice from pavements in the street, painting over graffiti or setting up computer classes in your area.

The website is based on the simple principle that the person making the online pledge will work to make it happen “but only if” a number of other people commit too.

Pledges don’t have to be started by the council — organisations, schools, community and volunteer groups can all get involved. Submit your pledge ideas.

PledgeBank is designed to help residents passionate about doing their bit for the community. By working together, we can offer services that are popular and worthwhile.

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The key aims of the challenge are to:

- give a boost to dementia research
- address quality of dementia care
- increase public understanding of dementia
- make communities more dementia friendly

The Dementia Challenge online campaign uses a mix of platforms, and a hub site which brings in blog posts and comments in answer to the themes of the Challenge, as well as articles from other sites bookmarked using the social bookmarking service Delicious, taking the discussion out into other spaces and helping people find that discussion elsewhere.

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This information strategy from the Department of Health sets a ten-year framework for transforming information for the NHS, public health and social care. One of the key commitments is that you will be able to view your GP record online by 2015.

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Every day in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics we will be celebrating the ways in which the Games are helping people and places all around the UK.

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General Motors announces that the new Vauxhall Astra will be built at the plant, securing 2000 jobs.

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The National Archives holds a range of records on the modern Olympic and Paralympic Games and Cultural Olympiad, from 1896 to the present. We have made these available online for the first time, providing you with access to this rich resource on sporting and cultural history.

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Anna Hepburn, from the DH team, has also engaged directly with providers via a thread in the doc2doc forum.

The Department of Health is working with other government departments to develop a strategy on long term conditions. The aim is to provide a clear direction and vision of how services can work together to:

- help prevent or delay long term conditions where possible
- improve quality of life and independence for people with long term conditions

We are asking people to give us their views, ideas and experiences to help us create that vision within the long term conditions strategy.

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This is the place to learn about who we are, what we do and life at Britain’s national mapping agency. We’re here to discuss everything geography, GI and mapping.

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Short video from the ONS looking at sickness absence in the labour market.

It shows the total number of working days lost due to sickness absence and the percentage of working hours lost due to sickness from 1993 to 2011. It also shows the most common reasons for sickness absence in 2011.

It goes on to compare sickness absence rates for men and women, differences between the public sector and the private sector, and differences in sickness absence rates depending on size of firm.

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Hi, I’m Sir Bob (Head of the Civil Service) – please ask your questions about the Fast Stream as comments to this post, and I’ll answer as many as I can in the next hour. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

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More and more traffic accidents are due to texting. If we want to reduce the 1.2 million traffic victims worldwide each year, we have to act. How do you convince youngsters not to text while driving? Prove them it is a very bad idea: oblige them to text while driving! See how Belgian learner drivers reacted when they were told they had to pass the mobile phone test in order to get their driver’s license.

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Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude is visiting Estonia in May 2012 to discuss UK cyber security policy, digital transparency and open data. Follow his visit here.

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He used the podcasting service Audioboo from his own iPhone, and experimented with interviewing some of the people he met on visits, including these apprentices at Astrium’s factory working on new satellites. The podcasts would be uploaded from the ministerial car on the way back to the office.

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Lord Green, Minister of State for Trade and Investment, and John Cridland, the CBI’s Director-General, lead the first UK trade mission to focus solely on mid-sized businesses to Turkey.

During the visit, the delegation of around 30 UK mid-sized companies are meeting key figures from both the Turkish Government and business community to build and strengthen new and existing links in this growing market.

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The ‘Open Justice’ microsite carries easily accessible sentencing, reoffending and courts data. For the first time, the regular quarterly court statistics show the average length of civil and family cases at every County Court, and the duration of criminal cases at every Crown Court and local magistrates’ court group.

Via: Nettie Williams

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Users can choose from four scenarios based on real-life cases, each video lasting about six minutes. Cases include criminal damage, burglary, threatening behaviour and robbery.

Users hear the facts of the case, weigh up the aggravating and mitigating factors, and consider the offender’s circumstances and the sentencing guidelines. As the judge, they get to choose the sentence and compare it to the actual sentence given. Thousands of people have already used the site, and interestingly their sentences are often more lenient than those given in court.

Via: Nettie Williams

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On 17th February 2012 the Government launched a consultation seeking views from stakeholders on the specification that will be provided to shortlisted bidders for the next Essex Thameside rail franchise. The new Essex Thameside franchise is due to begin in May 2013 and will be based on the services presently operated by c2c.

On Wednesday 4th April 2012 between 12:30-13:30pm, DfT officials David Rowe and Paul Lawry hosted a web chat to discuss the consultation and objectives for the franchise.

Hat-tip: Tommy Baines

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The Acas Employee Relations and HR Networking forum will provide you with the latest news, developments and policy updates on a range of workplace issues. As a member you may also want to discuss general employment relations issues or pose questions to other members of the group.

Acas is not responsible for the advice and guidance given by other third party users or forum members on this site.

…

Acas aims to improve organisations and working life through better employment relations. We provide up-to-date information, independent advice, high quality training and we work with employers and employees to solve problems and improve performance. We are an independent, publicly-funded organisation and many of our services are free.

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During this year’s World Bank & International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings, leaders from government, private sector, and civil society will be answering questions put forth by the public in live webcast interviews. 

Ask a question now for a leader’s interview and replay the completed interviews below.

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As we did last year we plan to carry the results on a live blog – using CoverItLive

We’ve spoken to the Elections Office about speeding up the process this year, so hopefully you’ll get the results in a more timely fashion.

The blog will also incorporate your Twitter commentary, using the hashtag #brumvotes12

via Dan Slee

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I am interested in the use of social media by the police and am one of the many officers in West Midlands Police embracing the medium to help build better bonds with the public. I have maintained a regularly updated Twitter feed since October 2010 (@pcstanleywmp) and this blog since the following March.

I enjoy interacting with the public across both mediums and am always keen to respond to feedback and answer any questions you may have. If I am not able to answer them personally, I will endeavor to put you in touch with someone better suited than myself to help.

This blog is updated in my own time and I am always keen to consider suggestions for new blog topics. The principle aim of the blog is to try and help explain matters of criminal law and police procedure to those not versed in policing. I use this blog to offer advice and to try explain developing news stories from a policing prospective.

via Dan Slee

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via Dan Slee

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No household making more than $1 million each year should pay a smaller share of their income in taxes than a middle class family pays. This is the Buffett Rule—a simple principle of tax fairness that asks everyone to pay their fair share.

ABOUT 55,000 MILLIONAIRES PAY A LOWER EFFECTIVE TAX RATE THAN MILLIONS OF MIDDLE-INCOME AMERICANS.

How many millionaires paid a lower effective tax rate than you? Find your Buffett Number using the calculator on the right.

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When working at Cannock Chase Council I helped to create a piece of work that I am still immensely proud of, for its construction and its overall impact.

Working with the community safety partnership it was identified that the Christmas period has high incidences of domestic abuse and alcohol related violence. Previous campaigns had not really had much impact, and the task was to create a pervasive behaviour change campaign that could see real results.

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From the Geraldton 2029 site itself:

2029 and Beyond is about planning for the future of Geraldton and the region around it. There are a huge number of opportunities for our city at the moment. We need to start planning now so, that as our community grows, we can make the most of the opportunities but can also keep many of the things that we love about Geraldton.

Through the project the City of Greater Geraldton and its partners, will offer everyone a chance to take part in planning and collaboration to create the kind of healthy, sustainable and creative city region our community desires.

2029 and Beyond is a once in a generation opportunity: something very few other city regions have embarked upon.

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I do not think the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office are slow to help British citizens.  The Foreign Secretary, William Hague does a good job outlin[ing] the breadth of the Consular work from the Foreign Office

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One of the most popular questions from MSN readers was over why the minister had felt it necessary to travel to the research base. He said it was important to see first-hand the effects of global warming and check on how research money was being spent. The flights he used to reach his destination were regular supply connections so the cost to the taxpayer was minimised, he said.

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If, for example we have a project launch we would post a video to get people interested. Young people will help with the making of that video and then they can tag themselves if they’re in it, ‘Like’ it or give opinion on video or project itself.

At activities I take photos and post a photo album – they tag themselves which will appear on their profile.

I use Facebook for organising proms – in the case of the Caldicot School Leavers Prom 2011 I set up a separate business page and every student in that year (bar three who don’t have Facebook) ‘Liked’ it. All ticketing is done through Facebook: I use Paypal going to the community group bank account for the prom tickets so they can all buy tickets through Facebook. Everyone (235 people) bought ticket at Caldicot – if they didn’t use Facebook they got their friend to buy it. When they bought a ticket they were on the guestlist and I IDed them on the door using their Facebook profile picture.

I can keep up with how many are buying and I’ve wasted no time distributing leaflets and saved on printing costs.

Our Health Alliance recently sent ten questions and asked for 500 hundred responses. I posted a Survey Monkey survey at 5pm on a Monday and by the next day at noon we had 416 responses.

I also use Facebook groups for football clubs to promote discussion. A Facebook group is a constant meeting. I get the captain to add all team-mates and we ask questions on where to go using polls. The closed discussion is great because their experience is about bonding and sharing and promoting the team aspect.

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Oldham’s aspiration is to become a co-operative council: one where everyone joins together in the face of public sector cuts to do their bit. It will mean working differently and everyone contributing to help realise the shared priorities and aspirations of residents, partners and the community.

But the problem is that if people aren’t already connecting with local democracy then they may be less willing to co-operate and contribute. We’ve been looking hard at how to remove the barriers to community involvement in making decisions and delivering public services.

That has meant devolution of increased powers and budgets to six district partnerships, giving tangible influence back to local people. But in 2012 you must also visibly demonstrate to people that this is not just another window dressing exercise. We have to prove we are prepared to engage, that we will open our doors and let people use their voice.

Last week we took an important step by bringing our primary public meeting into the digital age. For the first time ever a full council meeting was held in a way that enabled residents to join in from the comfort of their own homes.

We filmed and streamed it all live on our website, allowing people to watch on their laptops and other digital devices. The meeting also kicked off with a new public question time section that allowed people to submit questions directly to cabinet members via Twitter, Facebook and email, right up until moments before it began.

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I look after Barr Beacon, Merrions Wood, Mill Lane and Park Lime Pits Local Nature Reserves, and am usually busy surveying the bats, newts and bees of sites across the Borough.

My background is in conservation & ecology, and I’ve been lucky enough to work for the Wildlife Trust & RSPB in the past.

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We know that ill thought out regulations cost businesses time and money. So we are tackling this through the Red Tape Challenge. But sometimes the regulation itself is fine – it is inconsistent or inappropriate enforcement that causes problems or could just be so much better.

Help us identify where enforcement can be improved, reduced or done differently and to discover and celebrate where it works really well, so others can learn from it.

We want your ideas for future reviews – tell us about areas of enforcement you would like us to scrutinise in a future review and why.

The best ideas and suggestions for review proposed will be chosen for swift investigation and we will report back what we have found and what action will be taken as a result.

When we have announced a review and a topic is in ‘focus’ we want you to tell us about your experiences of how regulatory enforcement operates in the focus area and how it could be improved or best practice shared.

We will also use this website to provide you with information at-a-glance on national regulators and  local authority regulatory functions.

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We’ve just received news that @TowerRNLI are searching the Thames after the boarding ramp to HMS Belfast collapsed
RNLI

We understand 3 workmen were on the ramp at the time but managed to scramble to safety. HMS Belfast is being evacuated.
RNLI

It is not believed that anyone is in the water but #RNLI crew are searching the Thames as a precaution.
RNLI

Full statement with details about our attendance at the HMS Belfast bit.ly/sdww5b
London Ambulance

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#Police news: Police Plan For Demonstrations In Wellington bit.ly/nt5dZO
wmerciapolice

Update from West Mercia Police on a unity rally and assembly due to take place in Wellington today bit.ly/poWd1i #policetelford
TelfordWrekin
8 months ago

Our policing operation is going to plan in Wellington. Demonstrators are beginning to gather but remain peaceful #policetelford

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Great photo from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service of one of their Urban Search & Rescue guys and Kirby, the search and rescue dog, following a gas explosion. Kirby found a man under the rubble in less than a minute.

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The webchat provides a unique opportunity for you to ask the Commissioner a question about policing in London and his vision of Total Policing.

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The government’s advisor on dementia, Professor Alistair Burns, is joining us for a live webchat on Monday 2 April to discuss dementia. It’s the disease that over 55s most fear – and not just for ourselves, but for our families. About 400,000 people have the condition but have not been diagnosed.

How to respond when someone gets a diagnosis? What can you expect? What steps can you take to cope?

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Choose A Different Ending is an interactive film that allows you to decide what happens next. You can interact with it, choose what to do and decide how it ends. In Choose A Different Ending you decide whether to live or die.

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How the country’s winter service teams are getting your roads ready for snow and ice and what you can do around your home to prepare for cold weather.

Produced by Hertfordshire County Council on behalf of the East of England Winter Consortium.

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There’s more background to the partnership here:

How can I describe the Patient Opinion team and what they offer to us? Well, for one, ‘real time’ feedback is starting to change the way we do things in the Trust. 2011 has been the best year for us yet. We were named as Pioneers of the Month for Patient Opinion last year and we held the record for the fastest posting and response times of any Trust! We get Facebook and Twitter posts about us leading the way for patient feedback and it’s made my job so enjoyable. It has done our Trust the world of good and given us a platform to prove that our ‘Positive’ brand is not rhetoric and spin. PO has made a difference and offered value for money to the organisation. People say how much they like it and find it a great way to share how they feel about our services and what they would like to see get better.

Open and honest feedback sometimes means you have to take a deep breath and think hard about how you are going to respond to stories that are not always complimentary. The support of a great Communications Team makes all the difference.

I’m really pleased to say that the majority of our feedback is complimentary. I know staff get a real lift from postings that praise what they do and when we can’t always do what people ask, we can at least explain why some things are the way they are. I really believe it can stop people taking things further when issues arise and over next year we are going to try and evaluate this.

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If you’re selling online and haven’t paid all the tax you owe, you’re being offered the chance to come forward under the HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) e-marketplaces campaign.

Under this time-limited opportunity, online marketplace traders can pay the tax, duties and interest they owe and benefit from lower penalties available, than those who wait for HMRC to catch up with them.

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On Friday 11th February 2011, the Coalition Government published the Protection of Freedoms Bill. This Bill brings together a raft of measures to restore hard-won British liberties that have been lost in recent years. Some of the measures came from the 14,000 ideas left on the Your Freedom website.

The Government is committed to continuing this public engagement with the content of the Protection of Freedoms Bill. This website gives you the opportunity to comment on each clause contained in the Bill. Your comments will get collated at the end of this public consultation and fed through directly to the Parliamentarians who will carry the Bill through the House of Commons (go to the Parliament website to learn about the passage of a bill). These comments will assist and challenge MPs, aiding their scrutiny and debate on the details of the Bill. This is a pilot for the ‘public reading stage’ that the Government wants to introduce to give the public an increased say in all bills

Update: the second iteration of this site is also profiled here

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1) Simple ballot style cards with the most pertinent questions from the consultation were available to event visitors. This ensured that the most relevant areas of the consultation were fully consulted on.
2) Ensuring paper copies of the survey were available to community and Neighbourhood Watch groups.
3) Pens and fridge magnets with the site url written on them were given out at events such as St Pauls Carnival and Bath and West shows:

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