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Articles from Roy Rowlands | Selfgrowth.com
- Car parking charges increased at Southeastern stations - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsSoutheastern has been accused of ‘ripping off’ passengers by increasing car parking charges on top of the fare increases introduced earlier this month. The Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) union argues that this is just another way to raise prices, even though regulated fare ...
Views: 462 - Rail freight forecasts published & Virgin West Coast Main Line contract extended - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2011 from Roy RowlandsRail freight forecasts published Rail freight forecasts, published yesterday by MDS Transmodal on behalf of the Rail Freight Group (RFG), show ‘strong’ prospects for growth in the industry. Increasing demands on the rail network mean that volumes of rail freight are expected to double ...
Views: 462 - N. Ireland could implement minimum pricing - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe Scottish Health Secretary has announced a new bill to set minimum pricing for units of alcohol in Scotland, which is also being considered in Northern Ireland. An exact price per unit of alcohol is expected early next year, and may have changed from the previous price suggested of 45p. ...
Views: 461 - Passenger satisfaction remains at 84% - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsNational satisfaction on the railways varies significantly across different routes and train operating companies, official statistics from the National Passenger Survey show, when 30,590 passengers were surveyed in autumn 2011. National satisfaction overall was 84%, the same as the score for ...
Views: 461 - Fatigue guidance published for rail workers - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe ORR has issued revised guidance for rail companies concerning the management of fatigue among staff. The RAIB estimates fatigue was a factor in 111 rail industry accidents and incidents between 200 and 2010. The guidance suggests fatigue controls are relevant to all workers who are ...
Views: 458 - Network Rail and Passenger Focus publish WCML objectives - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsHS2 could free up space for faster and more frequent trains on the West Coast Main Line, according to a new report published by Network Rail and Passenger Focus. An improved level of service could be possible due to extra capacity and the availability of 125mph trains. This could help ease ...
Views: 457 - Network Rail Western plans for future - by Submitted on Nov 15, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe new independent business unit for the Western route, launched in Swindon this week alongside the devolution of power to the routes elsewhere in Network Rail, has outlined its vision for the South West of England. Plans for Network Rail Western include improving rail capacity, especially ...
Views: 454 - Circle completes take-over deal at Hinchingbrooke - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2011 from Roy RowlandsDespite months of delays, the Government has now signed off on the Circle takeover at Hinchingbrooke hospital in Huntingdonshire. Managers at Hinchingbrooke Healthcare NHS Trust said today: “This is not privatisation.” Circle was named as ‘preferred provider’ to become the first private ...
Views: 451 - Bridge repair project begins - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsA bridge in Manchester city centre is to be repaired by Network Rail. The bridge carries the through rail lines between Piccadilly and Oxford Road stations over London Road. Concrete was applied 50 years ago to extend the life of the bridge, but now further repairs are necessary. The work ...
Views: 450 - Station closures in Greater Western franchise - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe tendering process for the new Greater Western franchise is being conducted under the terms of Sir Roy McNulty’s Rail Review before Government has published its response in full. The RMT union blames this for the closure of ticket offices at 29 category E stations and reductions in opening ...
Views: 449 - Minister sells house near HS2 before approval - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsWelsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan has defended selling her home, located near to the HS2 route, two months before the Government approved the project. Her house in Amersham was sold in November, after being on the market since about June 2010. The house is about 500 yards from where the proposed ...
Views: 447 - Criminal sanctions increase for assaults on NHS staff - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Roy RowlandsNHS Protect has released figures today showing that sanctions taken against people who assault NHS staff have increased by almost a quarter on last year, despite a 19% decrease in the number of reported physical assaults. 1,397 criminal sanctions were applied following 18,060 reported ...
Views: 443 - Council freeze on care home payments ruled illegal - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2011 from Roy RowlandsA High Court decision on council payments of elderly care fees could have huge implications across the country. A judge ruled that Sefton council in Merseyside acted illegally when it froze payments to a residential care homes two years ago. Most English councils will now have to review ...
Views: 442 - £1.5bn framework agreements announced - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsNetwork Rail has announced framework agreements worth £1.5bn to deliver rail signalling projects, as part of wider reforms to Network Rail’s infrastructure business, with a greater focus on partnership. The agreements are expected to commence on April 2, operate for the remaining two years of ...
Views: 442 - Brighton consultation for station improvements - by Submitted on Jan 26, 2012 from Roy RowlandsStation improvements in Brighton are being considered by councillors, following a public consultation. Over 1,200 people expressed their views on improving the area, and 75% criticised the poor quality of pedestrian facilities available. Southern Rail is investigating the possibility of ...
Views: 441 - Consultation on potential health trust merger of two NHS trusts begins - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Roy RowlandsConsultation with hospital staff and health watchdogs has begun around the potential merger of North West London Hospitals NHS Trust and Ealing Hospital NHS Trust. The boards of the two NHS trusts approved the outline business case for merging the two organisations at board meetings held last ...
Views: 441 - Government anti-gang plans revealed - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe Government’s new anti-gang plans seek to intervene in the lives of young people at risk of becoming members, and help those already involved in gangs to escape. The Department for Work and Pensions aims to tackle 120,000 problem families in England and Wales, with the introduction of ...
Views: 433 - MHRA consultation launched & NHS managers could face removal - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2011 from Roy RowlandsMHRA consultation launched The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has launched a formal public consultation on the consolidation of UK medicines legislation, to simplify and clarify the law for regulating medicine. Draft regulations will be tested to ensure they are ...
Views: 431 - Hospitals top energy efficiency league - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2011 from Roy RowlandsFour NHS trusts have come joint top of a league of more than 2,000 organisations for energy efficiency performance. Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Colchester General Hospital and Essex County Hospital, labelled it a “tremendous achievement”. The other three ...
Views: 430 - Cancers being diagnosed faster, research shows - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2011 from Roy RowlandsDiagnosis times for cancer are down, new data shows, especially for bowel, oesophageal and pancreatic cancers. Of six cancers examined by researchers, bowel cancer showed the biggest improvement, with it now being found on average 75 days after a patient first visits their GP with symptoms to ...
Views: 429 - Transport committee backs HS2 – with caveats - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe Transport Select Committee has given its qualified backing to HS2, saying the network will provide a “step change in the capacity, quality, reliability and frequency of rail services between our major cities” – as long as it does extend north of Birmingham. The cross-party committee of ...
Views: 429 - MPs recommend Bank of England reform - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe Commons Treasury Select Committee wants Parliament to be able to veto the appointment of Bank of England governors, for them to serve single eight-year terms, and for the governance of the Bank to be radically modernised. The ‘Court’ – the board of the Bank – should have 12 members down ...
Views: 424 - Second home owners’ discounts could be cut - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsCommunities Secretary Eric Pickles wants councils to have more flexibility over council tax discounts for second home owners, allowing them to further reduce the discounts if they prefer. If councils cut the discounts offered to second home owners, this could reduce the typical band D tax ...
Views: 421 - Councils no longer prevented from enhanced CRB checks - by Submitted on Jan 23, 2012 from Roy RowlandsThe Government has reconsidered its position on enhanced CRB check requests for councils licensing drivers of taxis and minicabs. The Local Government Association (LGA) and Transport for London have been lobbying for Government to change its position on the issue. In London, 10% of all ...
Views: 417 - Second legal ruling quashing council cuts decision - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Roy RowlandsA council’s plans to cuts its adult social care budget have been ruled unlawful by a High Court judge in landmark case. Two severely disabled adults, referred to in court as JM and NT, brought the case against Isle of Wight council, which Mrs Justice Lang said had failed to comply with its ...
Views: 413 - Transport committee back HS2 – with caveats - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe Transport Select Committee has given its qualified backing to HS2, saying the network will provide a “step change in the capacity, quality, reliability and frequency of rail services between our major cities” – as long as it does extend north of Birmingham. The cross-party committee of ...
Views: 413 - New offer for public sector pensions - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsMinisters are set to outline an ‘enhanced offer’ to unions on public sector pensions. The two sides are holding a special meeting at the Cabinet Office to discuss the proposals. Danny Alexander, chief secretary to the Treasury, will announce the offer, which is understood to focus on more ...
Views: 410 - New drug starves tumours - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsA new drug that cuts blood flow to tumours, starving them of necessary nutrients, is being trialled. The phase one clinical trial of the drug L-NNA is taking place at the Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in north-west London on 40 patients with advanced tumours. It aims to establish the correct ...
Views: 397 - Partnership on Dignity in Care starts work - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe commission on dignity in care begins today, led by the Partnership on Dignity in Care alliance, which wants to improve care for elderly patients in hospitals and care homes. The NHS Confederation, the Local Government Association and the charity Age UK have joined together to collect ...
Views: 395 - Reprieve for Brompton from High Court judge - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2011 from Roy RowlandsChildren’s heart surgery at London’s Royal Brompton has won a High Court reprieve, after a ruling declaring that the planned closure of the unit as part of a wider reorganisation was unlawful. Sir Ian Kennedy’s evaluation of the three hospitals offering children’s heart surgery decided that ...
Views: 393 - Ambulance services call for clarity on commissioning - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe Government must “urgently clarify” commissioning arrangements for rural ambulance services, the network representing the trusts involved has said. In a new report, the NHS Confederation’s Ambulance Service Network welcomes the move from time targets to outcomes, but says the current ...
Views: 391 - Localism Bill to become law - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe Localism Bill has cleared Parliament and is on its way to Royal Assent. There were have been changes from the original intentions on councillors’ standards, the mayoral provisions, sustainable development and financial incentives on planning, and fixed-term tenancies in social housing. ...
Views: 388 - Academic study says 600,000 could lose incapacity benefit - by Submitted on Nov 08, 2011 from Roy RowlandsAn independent report into the reforms of incapacity benefits suggests 600,000 will be “pushed out” of the system altogether, with the headline total of 2.6m people set to be cut by nearly 1m by 2014. Researchers from the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research Centre at Sheffield ...
Views: 380 - DDRF hears of ‘massive’ opportunities for suppliers - by Submitted on Nov 04, 2011 from Roy RowlandsSir Roy McNulty told delegates at the DDRF annual conference that the way the railways are now run is “absolutely not common sense” as rail workers and unions protested outside the meeting against his recommendations, which they say will mean job cuts and a worse service for passengers. They ...
Views: 369 - Head teachers vote to strike over pensions - by Submitted on Nov 10, 2011 from Roy RowlandsThe National Association of Head Teachers has come out strongly in favour of strike action on the ‘day of action’ on November 30, with 75.8% voting in favour on a 53.6% turnout. The union’s general secretary, Russell Hobby, said: “I have spoken at length to many school leaders and not one ...
Views: 363 - Schools emissions rising - by Submitted on Nov 03, 2011 from Roy RowlandsSchool carbon emissions are on the rise due to an increase in electricity consumption, according to new research. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Shinawatra University, Thailand, studied 25,000 Display Energy Certificates (DECs) from 2008-9, which show buildings’ annual ...
Views: 361 - Network Rail devolution complete from today - by Submitted on Nov 14, 2011 from Roy RowlandsNetwork Rail has been split up into separate geographic business units with their own route managing directors from today, to allow devolved investment decisions to be made concerning tracks and stations. This move aims to align these decisions more closely to local passenger needs. In ...
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