Society daily 19.11.10

Sign up to Society daily email briefing Britain plc: state's reliance on private firms revealed The scale of the country's reliance on private companies to power the state is revealed today as the government takes the historic step of publishing its accounts for the first time. For full coverage and analysis of this historic move, visit the Guardian's government data section , and you can also download the data here, then analyse it with our new app . Today's top Society Guardian stories NHS fares best on free access to healthcare Postcode lottery for mothers choosing birth hospitals Ministers urged to cut VAT in pubs Housing benefits cuts are too rushed, say critics Mutual decision: better healthcare or the end of the NHS? All today's Society Guardian stories Other news • Council rents are set to rise by 6.8% from April , reports Inside Housing. • Setting up the Big Society Bank has been "bloody complicated" and it will not begin making loans until the second half of next year, minister for civil society Nick Hurd is quoted as saying in Third Sector. • Many English councils plan to merge adult social services director posts with other responsibilities , as authorities attempt to deal with spending cuts, according to an Association of Directors of Adult Social Services survey reported in Community Care. • Patients could be forced to make doctors' appointments through call centres under an efficiency drive to save the NHS £600m, says the Telegraph. On my radar ... • David Hencke's extraordinary report for Tribune on Westminster council's "impractical and illegal" big society plans to introduce US-style "frontage obligation" duties - which would make every resident and business in the centre of London responsible for cleaning the pavement outside their premises • The social enterprise bill, which is being given its second reading today (and which has cross-party support ). Follow news and reaction on Twitter: #socent • David Walker's blogpost on the "deafening silence" of the local government association over the cuts and creeping centralism (with some good comments attached) • This interesting blogpost by Camilla Pemberton on Blackpool's burgeoning (and unwanted) reputation as a must-live-here destination for "troubled and vulnerable families" • A report from DisabledGo news blog which claims that the government's own disability advisor Dame Jane Campbell was given just a few hours' notice of the coalition's controversial decision to cut the mobility component of disability living allowance • Neil Durham's blogpost picking up on some of the amusing contributions to this week's NHS Alliance conference. For example: "One delegate even asked whether the lack of white paper guidance was 'Andrew Lansley's elaborate revenge on his ex-wife'? She was a GP you see." • Gazing into the crystal ball. This presentation, What will public sector consumers look like in 50 years' time? , was written last year but has predicted many coalition moves (thanks @NCVOForesight ). • Mental health charity Mind, which has just launched its first podcast, featuring Siobhan O'Neill talking candidly about living with bipolar disorder . • Grayson Perry, Sir Peter Blake and Vic Reeves, who have all donated artwork to be auctioned off for Shelter . We have a gallery of some of the pieces from the 52 Weeks auction . • Redundant Public Servant, who does a little armchair auditing in order to skewer the shrill rantings of Tory MP Nadine Dorries (and some good comments attached, too) I also found out that the authority plans to save at least £1.5m by March 2011. Its annual budget is £28.5 million. For that local residents get 540 or so firefighters supported by 142 non-operational staff. More important is what these folks achieve. In 2009/10 they rescued 260 people from house fires, traffic collisions or other incidents. In all, the service dealt with 6,864 incidents. That's 18 incidents every day. All this assurance and activity costs £82.44 a year at Council Tax Band D. Put another way that's 23p a day. Less than the cost of a newspaper or a snickers bar. Doesn't look like such a bad deal to me. But what do I know? Guardian and Observer Christmas Charity Appeal 2010 Nominations are now closed for our Christmas appeal 2010, which will support 10 charities working with vulnerable teenagers and young adults. Many thanks to everyone who applied. The appeal will launch towards the end of November and run until mid-January. Events Transforming Blue Light Services Innovating ICT for the emergency services, 24 November, London - Free places available. Discover how the innovative use of technology will improve performance and response in difficult financial times. Speakers include Dr Timothy Brain, former chief constable of Gloucestershire; Andy Marles, chief fire officer from South Wales fire and rescue; Jason Killens, London ambulance service's deputy director of operations; Steve Whatson, director of ICT for the Olympics at the Metropolitan police service and Olympic security directorate. "Big Society" and its role in local government 7 December, London. This is an essential seminar for managers and leaders looking for a practical definition of big society and how it will work within local government. As well as a keynote speech from the government's adviser on big society, Lord Wei, delegates will also hear first hand accounts of how other local government managers are implementing big society in their councils and the best practice they have developed. Transforming Social Care through IT Finding your way in a changing service environment 8 December, London. This conference brings together best practice examples, policy leaders and industry experts to discuss the challenges facing social care providers and IT support teams. Our line-up of expert speakers includes Terry Dafter, service director adult social care, Stockport metropolitan borough council; Jennifer Bernard, consulting director, SCIE; Nick Johnson, chief executive, Social Care Association; and Sian Walker, service director, Adult Care Operations, Wiltshire council. Register now and take advantage of our 3 for 2 offer. 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