Newsletter, July 2017 No Images? Click here Hi there, In this month's newsletter, you can find:
Fly-tipping report in LG InformThe Research & Information team has written a new report exploring fly-tipping reported by an English local authority of your choice. Using data taken from the collection 'ENV24 Fly-tipping incidents and actions taken', published by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the report explores locations of fly-tipping incidents, fly-tipping by size of incident, the cost of fly-tipping clearance, fly-tipping enforcement actions, their costs and results of actions. Workforce and Earnings report in LG InformThe Local Government Workforce and Earnings report collects together key metrics from the Local Government Workforce Survey and the Local Government Earnings Survey. The report is refreshed annually and is designed to support benchmarking in terms of sickness absence, labour turnover, the vacancy rate, pay, and various demographic indicators. This report is currently only available for signed-in users, but registration is quick and free. Records Retention and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)Local authorities will be aware that GDPR comes into effect in May 2018 and the rules on storing and maintaining personal information will have an impact on information management practice. Any breaches of the new regulations may result in local authorities facing significant fines and risks to their reputation. However, local authorities can prepare themselves for the changes. Prevention is better than cure, and to help authorities navigate through the changing landscape, the Records Retention tool in LG Inform Plus provides details on over 1,500 records management areas. It highlights which require personal data to be held, thus making it much easier to manage the task and to avoid possible penalties. The guidance is updated regularly to reflect changes in legislation and help support the data protection strategy of individual authorities. Click here for more details about Record Retention, and for details on subscribing to LG Inform Plus please click here. If you have any questions about the Records Retention tool and GDPR, don't hesitate to contact us or join our Khub group when the service resumes on Monday. Digital Economy Act 2017 consultationThe Digital Economy Act 2017, which includes measures to enable the better use of publicly-held data for a range of specific purposes, obtained Royal Assent on 27 April. These measures were developed during a lengthy, open policy-making process which involved many representatives from local government (including LGA members) and the wider public sector. Officials in the Cabinet Office, Home Office and the UK Statistics Authority have been preparing codes of practice which govern the use of data under the Act, which will be presented for public consultation later this summer, along with draft regulations. An update will be provided once a launch date has been confirmed. Responses will be welcomed. The consultation process is scheduled to begin in early August 2017 and you can find more information here. Knowledge Hub upgradeA new, improved version of Knowledge Hub will be available on Monday 24 July 2017. To make this important upgrade to the new version of the platform, Knowledge Hub is currently unavailable until 9 a.m. on Monday 24 July. Training and eventsWe are planning our next series of LG Inform and LG Inform Plus training events and are looking for local authorities in each of the following regions to host the events.
These free one-day training events for local authority and FRS staff will take place between September and March 2018. They are face-to-face, hands-on days which cover both sites, taking you through all the tools that are available. For any authority that is able and would like to hold one of these events, we can offer 10 free places filling the remaining 15 with people from surrounding councils. If you are interested in hosting one of these events at your council and would like further information please contact us.
If you'd prefer a live demonstration from the comfort of your desk, join one of our online webinars. We'll take you through the most popular features of both tools and there's also opportunity to ask questions. They're a great way to refresh your knowledge. For more information or to book your place, visit our Online Training pages. As ever, we're always interested to hear your ideas for improving the tools and would love to hear from you, so don't hesitate to get in touch by replying to this newsletter. |