Tuesday 23rd. December

[Tubby Isaacs]

This is presumably OK with Pickles too.

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/ ... -1-6463894" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Budget cuts of £148 million will result in Northamptonshire County Council ‘outsourcing’ 95 per cent of staff

They're a Tory council. That's the choice they have made. It has rather more to do with their ideology than the finances. Here in Bury we've suffered a far worse hit - our services are council run and remaining that way. Tory councils will see this as the chance to effectively disband themselves, unconscious to the idea that that will suit fat Eric very well as he takes over their remaining functions. Rule from London - the Tories wet dream for local democracy and accountability.

Always, always remember. Tory councils will stuff their staff and the public because that's their philosophy. Save £2 on council tax for next year, even if it means constantly rising and uncontrollable council tax for every year after that. It's the Tory way.

Indeed.

I think they'll have to row back on this considerably. The planning department can't really be outsourced. Will councillors want the officers doing stuff for them outsourced? Doubt it. There's already precedent four outsourcing the "LEA" (Labour-run Hackney did it) but not something usually done if it's not performing very badly.

Barnet have got in a right mess with their trailblazing privatisation. Outsourced legal advice, without keeping any lawyers in house. Hence nobody in the council could make a judgement on the legal advice.

[TechnicalEphemera]

I see Danny Alexander is "savaging" George Osborne, according to the media.

Is this better or worse than being savaged by a dead sheep.

Mind you certain rodents do have large teeth, having come face to face with a capybara and had it chatter its teeth at me, I wouldn't want to be bitten by one.

[adam]

On Apprenticeships -

Breakdown by Level and Age: Participation 2002/03 to 2013/14 (Direct link to the spreadsheet)

Briefly, under 19s figures stay pretty consistent over time (actually rising a little and then falling again to more or less where they started) 19-24 year olds have increased significantly under this government (from about 100,000 to about 180,000) and 25+ have completely skyrocketed, from 100 in 2002/3, to 49,000 in the last year of the Labour government, to 192,000 now.

On levels, it is 'Advanced Apprenticeships' that are described as Level 3 (A Level equivalent qualifications). There were 185,000 in Labour's last year (up from 158,000 in 2002/3) and there are 351,900 now - 60% of whom are over 25.

Too much information there for me to concentrate on now - the index page for a variety of spreadsheets is here

There is a breakdown of sectors for the last two years...

[adam]

Also, from OpenSeas on the Readers Edition at the Graun today

Just to let you know that I have now left the Sparrow blog and, following an invitation from kd355 and RogerOThornhill, will instead be joining flythenest and devoting my daily efforts to that site instead.

I'm very much looking forward to the move and will make my first appearance in the new year, and Monday to Friday from thereon.

I've changed my mind - somebody make me a moderator again so I can delete him when he arrives. (This is not entirely a joke).

[refitman]

Also, from OpenSeas on the Readers Edition at the Graun today

Just to let you know that I have now left the Sparrow blog and, following an invitation from kd355 and RogerOThornhill, will instead be joining flythenest and devoting my daily efforts to that site instead.

I'm very much looking forward to the move and will make my first appearance in the new year, and Monday to Friday from thereon.

I've changed my mind - somebody make me a moderator again so I can delete him when he arrives. (This is not entirely a joke).

I really don't think he'll last long. I also think our modding will be a bit sharper than t'Graun's.

(PM me if you want to be a mod again)

[TechnicalEphemera]

Also, from OpenSeas on the Readers Edition at the Graun today

Just to let you know that I have now left the Sparrow blog and, following an invitation from kd355 and RogerOThornhill, will instead be joining flythenest and devoting my daily efforts to that site instead.

I'm very much looking forward to the move and will make my first appearance in the new year, and Monday to Friday from thereon.

I've changed my mind - somebody make me a moderator again so I can delete him when he arrives. (This is not entirely a joke).

Well somebody asked for him, they appear to have got him ( or he may already be here, lurking like an Alien parasite ready to emerge from any one of us screeching)