Wednesday 08 09 04

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