In Today's Papers

By Clare Jerrom, Shirley Kumar and Alex Dobson

Call for new housing in London by 2021 is 80 per cent more than forecast

Around 46,000 households a year need to be built until 2021 to manage London’s severe housing needs, reveals findings in an interim study from the Office of Deputy Prime Minister.
The findings are 80 per cent more than was forecast five years ago.

Source:- The Financial Times, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 1

New work and pensions chief to face pressures over benefits

Downing Street is expected to pressure the new work and pensions chief to come up with radical steps to cut the huge number of people whom the benefits system has deemed unfit for work.

Government figures show spending is more than £10bn a year on sickness and disability benefits for the jobless, according to the Financial Times.

Source:- The Financial Times, 8 Wednesday 2004, page 2

Relatives of murdered student held for ‘lying’

Five relatives of murdered student Shafilea Ahmed have been arrested on suspicion of lying to police.

The five from Bradford, West Yorkshire, were detained two months after officers released 17-year-old Shafilea’s parents from police bail on suspicion of kidnap.

Source:- The Independent, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 13

Bonus plan to recruit more black teachers

A golden handshake is to be offered to black male teachers to entice them to work in London classrooms, reveals a report from an education commission set up by London mayor Ken Livingstone.

Payments will be in line with the £4,000 already offered to trainees offering to teach shortage subjects such as maths.

Source:- The Independent, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 18

Briton faces Bombay court

Allan John Waters of Hampstead, north London, has been flown to India from America to face allegations of sexually abusing boys at the Anchorage children’s shelter in Bombay.

He denies the allegations.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 2

Girl in ‘suicide pact was terrified of bullying’

The teenager from Neath, south Wales, who died in an apparent suicide pact with her friend, had to leave her former school because of bullying.

Laura Rhode’s parents Michael and Yvonne, said they did not want anyone else to suffer the isolation that she had gone through.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 11

Judge frees man who slept with 12-year-old girl

Child protection groups are outraged at judge’s decision to free a man who had sex with a 12-year-old girl he met in an internet chat room.

Judge Michael Roach at Bristol Crown Court, said the girl was willing to have sex with Michael Barrett.

Source:- The Times, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 7

Pensioners from Hell lose homes for teen antics

The Emerging Role of Sheltered Housing is calling for further studies into antisocial behaviour among England and Wales’s 800,000 sheltered housing residents, following reports of antisocial behaviour, leading to the eviction of residents.

Source:- The Times, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 8

Teenage mothers caught in education lottery

Teenage mothers hit by a postcode lottery are being offered only two hours tuition a week following the birth of their baby.

Women’s charity YMCA found fewer than half of local authorities offer mothers under 16 the chance to study the full national curriculum.

Source:- The Times, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 7

Care home rules ‘stop volunteers helping elderly’

Inflexible no touch rules are leading to vital care services being withdrawn, according to the Better Regulation Task Force.

The force recommends ministers should order a more relaxed interpretation of the rules.

Source:- The Guardian, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 8

Parent trap

Teenage mothers often vilified by the press and politicians as ‘slags’ or benefit scroungers – are prejudices, the youngsters say, they also encounter among public service employees.

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 2-3

Towering challenge

Treating mental health patients in hospital will soon be a thing of the past in north Merseyside. It’s an ambitious plan – but can it work?

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 6

In the know

A resource centre at a GP’s surgery is allowing patients to find out more about living with long-term conditions.

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 7

Hands-off approach

A report out today urges ministers to rethink “bonkers” regulations on the delivery of voluntary care services. David Brindle discovers how the rules limit the ability of carers to help the most vulnerable.

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 10

What else can I do?

Sue has been a social worker for 20 years, but her job share in children’s services is failing to keep her stimulated.

Source:- Society Guardian, Wednesday 8 September 2004, page 164

Scottish newspapers

What Celtic fans know: supporting Rangers is bad for mental health

Supporting Glasgow Rangers can seriously damage your mental health and bring on bouts of paranoia, according to a study by researchers at Staffordshire University.

The claim emerged after psychologists identified a series of mental disorders currently afflicting supporters of Rangers FC, ranging from depression to an aversion to human contact, following a series of defeats by their city rivals Celtic.

The research team, led by Dr David Sheffield, concluded that Rangers fans were more prone to heart attacks, headaches and insomnia as a result of Celtic’s recent dominance.

Source:- The Scotsman  Wednesday 8 September

Homeless crisis leads to 2,750 houses pledge

A Lothian council has pledged to build almost 3,000 affordable houses in a bid to tackle the problem of homelessness in the area.

East Lothian Council was criticised by inspectors from Communities Scotland for failing to find accommodation for homeless people.

As a result, the local authority has launched an action plan designed to combat the shortage of homes in the area and improve its services.

Source:- Evening News  Tuesday 7 September

Mums want steps used by junkies to be shut

Concerned parents have called for the closure of steps near a primary school amid fears a child could be injured by dirty syringes left by drug addicts.

Mothers of pupils at Royal Mile Primary have called on Edinburgh Council to close off the steps at the St John’s car park because they believe youngsters are at risk from needles left by addicts.

Parents claim they have seen up to 10 drug addicts at a time sitting on the stairs injecting heroin.

Source:- Evening News  Tuesday 7 September

Welsh newspapers

I demand apology from bus company

A mother forced to get off a bus because her child was crying has criticised industry bosses who supported the driver’s decision.

Mother of three, Sian Whelpton is demanding that the bus company, Glyn Williams, apologise for the incident and she says that she is angry that the Confederation of Passenger Transport in Wales have backed the company.

Miss Whelpton had to leave the bus and walk home with her three small children after a bus driver decided that the crying of one of her two-year-old twins was distracting him.

Source South Wales Argus Tuesday 7 September page 6

Parents claim Laura suffered nightmare at school

The parents of 13-year-old Laura Rhodes who killed herself in a suicide pact with her teenage best friend have launched a scathing attack on their daughter’s former school.

Michael and Yvonne Rhodes said that their daughter suffered a ‘nightmare’ because of the bullying she endured at Cefn Saeson Comprehensive in Neath. They say that they were threatened with prosecution because Laura could not face going to school as a result of bullying at the school.

Source Western Mail 8 September page 3