Thursday 19 May 2005

By Simeon Brody, Maria Ahmed, Derren Hayes and Amy Taylor

Hidden care home charges attacked

Two thirds of older people who pay their own care home fees are
paying unfair or unclear bills, according to a report by the Office
of Fair Trading.

The 10-month investigation found that residents are often saddled
with hidden costs, arbitrary fee increases and top-up
charges.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 19 May 2005 page 1

James urges Labour to urge his cost-cutting plan

David James, whose report identifying billions of pounds’
worth of government savings was adopted by the Conservatives,
yesterday urged the government to adopt his cost-cutting
programme.

James poured scorn on the Gershon report, which identified £20
billion worth of savings, saying £35 billion could be saved
“without breaking a sweat”.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 19 May 2005 page 6

Get off your chair and help police, minister urges

The public has been urged by Hazel Blears to “get out of
their armchairs” and help the police tackle anti-social
behaviour rather than complain to the police.

Blears said people were needed to “lay down a marker and set
limits” for yobs and those who made life a misery for local
communities.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 19 May 2005 page 8

Coroner warns of binge drinking after teenager dies

A coroner warned about the dangers of binge drinking yesterday
after hearing how a teenager died after consuming the equivalent of
20 shots of ouzo at a New Year’s Eve party.

Source:- The Daily Telegraph Thursday 19 May 2005 page 10

Bluewater hoods ban brings on crowds

The number of visitors to the Bluewater shopping has leapt by 22.6
per cent since its owners banned youths wearing hooded tops or
baseball caps.

Source:- Financial Times Thursday 19 May 2005 page 1

Public sector wage discipline “essential”

Gordon Brown has warned the party’s union supporters that
wage discipline in the public sector is essential to the keep the
economy on track.

He stressed the government would not turn back from its public
sector reforms.

Source:- Financial Times Thursday 19 May 2005 page 4

Gangs of more than two banned

Northumberland chief constable Mike Craik vowed to break up groups
of more than two teenagers after a campaign of violence and
intimidation at a shopping centre.

The force will also be able to escort under-16s home if they cause
a nuisance between 9pm and 6am.

Source:- Daily Mail Thursday 19 May 2005 page 5

Revolt threatens incapacity reform

Tony Blair could face his worst-ever backbench rebellion over his
incapacity benefit reform programme.

Source:- Daily Mail Thursday 19 May 2005 page 8

Blunders let drug-addict mother smother her baby

A judge demanded urgent answers about the decisions of social
workers after hearing of the appalling conditions in which a
seven-week-old baby died.

The baby probably suffocated after his parents ignored repeated
warnings about the dangers of sleeping with him on a sofa because
they “couldn’t be bothered” to go up to bed,
Grimsby Crown Court heard.

Teachers, hospital staff, health visitors and police had expressed
serious concerns to North Lincolnshire Council social services
department about the family, the court was told.

Source:- Daily Mail Thursday 19 May 2005 page 39

Skunk cannabis may be reclassified

Drug experts will begin debating today whether stronger
“skunk” varieties of cannabis should carry higher
penalties for possession.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday May 19 2005 page 7

Gang jailed after kidnapping boy

The ringleader of a gang which kidnapping an 11-year-old boy and
threatened to kill him unless his family paid £40,000 was
jailed for 12 years yesterday.

Ravideep Babu, of Southall, west London, snatched the child as he
walked home from school last year and phoned the boy’s family
nine times to demand the ransom.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday May 19 2005 page 9

Ex-ministers drafted in to pressure backbenchers

Labour MPs are braced for an attempt to impose newly-retired
ministers at the head of select committees, in a move that would
tighten the government’s grip on parliament opinion.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday May 19 2005 page 10

Students from care left to cope

Children leaving care to go to university are being let down by
councils which fail to provide them with enough support, according
to report published today.

Source:- The Guardian Thursday May 19 2005 page 13

Teacher arrested

A woman teacher Liverpool is under investigation over allegations
of having sexual relationship with a teenage pupil.

Source:- The Times Thursday May 19 2005 page
33                  

Scottish news

Youths offered £55 a week for volunteer work

Scottish young people are to be offered £55 a week to
volunteer for a national scheme to improve lives and communities
across Scotland.

ProjectScotland will offer people aged 16 to 25-years-old the
opportunity to work as a full-time volunteer for between three
months and a year.

In return for their commitment to the community, they will receive
a £55-a-week living allowance and expenses.

Source:- The Scotsman Thursday 19th May

Welsh news

Murdered Billie-Jo ‘had 20 injuries’

Twenty injuries were found on the body of the murdered school girl
Billie-Jo Jenkins.

The Old Bailey heard how six of the injuries were to her head in
the retrial of her foster father who is accused of her
murder.

Jenkins, of Aberystwyth, Mid Wales, denies murdering Billie-Jo in
February 1997.

Source:- Western Mail Thursday 19 May