Local authorities will be allowed to raise council tax bills by 6% over the next two years to help raise cash for social care in local communities, Sky News has learnt.
Hi Ministers are expected to announce the measure on Thursday in a bid to plug the funding gap in care services for the elderly and disabled.
Under the plans, local authorities will be able to accelerate council tax increases already pencilled in for this parliament by the former chancellor George Osborne.
Mr Osborne announced in November 2015 that councils would be able to raise council tax by 2% a year between 2016/17 to 2019/2020 to raise almost £2bn in social care. But under the new proposals, councils are expected to be allowed to front-load those planned increases to bring in more money sooner.
Senior government sources told Sky that councils will be allowed to add 3% to council tax bills next year and a further 3% the year after as long as the money is spent on social care.
This could see the average council tax bill rise by nearly £100 over the next two years: a 3% increase to the average Band D property bill of £1,530 (2016/17) amounts to £45.80 a year.
Under Mr Osborne's original plan the average council tax bill would have gone up by 2% a year over three years to 2019/20 - an average of about £30 a year.
The Treasury has been looking at this policy for a number of weeks and wanted to announce the measures in the Autumn Statement. But Number 10 blocked the move, saying the Prime Minister needed more time to look at the options amid concerns that accelerating council tax hikes would run counter to Theresa May's commitment to help the 'just-about-managing' families.
While the Government will allow councils to accelerate the planned increases announced under George Osborne across the parliament, they will not be allowed additional revenue raising powers.
A Government source said giving councils more revenue-raising abilities would enable them to plug the short-term gap in social care funding, but acknowledged a longer term solution would be needed to deal with the emerging social care funding crisis.
The Government figure acknowledged that council tax rises were only a partial solution, given that poorer or less populated areas of the country find it harder to raise as much money as wealthier and more populated parts of the UK, which is in turn opening up growing divisions in provision in different parts of the country.
One area the Government will look to do more on is the integration between local authority social care and NHS services in an effort to avoid duplication and find efficiencies.
Social care funding has fallen by 9% in real terms over the past five years, with local government blaming it on the cuts in their funding from central government. This has had a knock-on effect for the NHS with old and frail patients increasingly being admitted to hospital because of a lack of community provision.
Councils have warned that even if every local authority imposed the maximum extra levy, social care will still face a funding gap of at least £2.6bn by 2020.
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman and the former care minister, has called for a cross-party commission on social care to ask the public how much they are prepared the fund the service.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
'Have you no shame?' US envoy lashes out at Syria and Russia over Aleppo
The US ambassador to the UN has lashed out at the Syrian government, and its allies Russia and Iran, saying they bear the responsibility for the "carnage" in Aleppo.
Speaking during an emergency UN Security Council meeting, Samantha Power used strong language as she addressed her counterparts directly.
"To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran, three member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo: you bear responsibility for these atrocities," she said.
"Is there literally nothing that can shame you?
"Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin?"
:: Aleppo under siege: A timeline
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by intense bombing and summary executions by pro-government forces.
UN officials had said earlier that civilians were being shot "on the spot" and in their homes.
"It is your noose," Ms Power said.
"Three member states of the UN contributing to a noose around civilians. It should shame you. Instead, by all appearances, it is emboldening you. You are plotting your next assault. Are you truly incapable of shame?"
In a tense climate, where insults often replaced diplomacy, the Russian ambassador said Ms Power was behaving "like Mother Theresa" and accused the US, UK and France of distributing fake news about the crisis.
Russia, Bashar al Assad's closest ally, has vetoed the last six UN resolutions aimed at easing the dire situation in Aleppo.
Syria's UN ambassador hailed "the liberation of Aleppo" from "terrorists" who controlled the east of the city.
Bashar Jaafari told the meeting that he "firmly and 100%" rejected allegations that Syria has been committing "acts of revenge, summary executions and terror" against civilians.
France's UN ambassador Francois Delattre, whose country had requested the emergency meeting along with the US, said "war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity are committed on a daily basis in Aleppo."
Speaking during an emergency UN Security Council meeting, Samantha Power used strong language as she addressed her counterparts directly.
"To the Assad regime, Russia and Iran, three member states behind the conquest of and carnage in Aleppo: you bear responsibility for these atrocities," she said.
"Is there literally nothing that can shame you?
"Is there no act of barbarism against civilians, no execution of a child that gets under your skin?"
:: Aleppo under siege: A timeline
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon told the emergency meeting he had received "credible reports" of civilians killed by intense bombing and summary executions by pro-government forces.
UN officials had said earlier that civilians were being shot "on the spot" and in their homes.
"It is your noose," Ms Power said.
"Three member states of the UN contributing to a noose around civilians. It should shame you. Instead, by all appearances, it is emboldening you. You are plotting your next assault. Are you truly incapable of shame?"
In a tense climate, where insults often replaced diplomacy, the Russian ambassador said Ms Power was behaving "like Mother Theresa" and accused the US, UK and France of distributing fake news about the crisis.
Russia, Bashar al Assad's closest ally, has vetoed the last six UN resolutions aimed at easing the dire situation in Aleppo.
Syria's UN ambassador hailed "the liberation of Aleppo" from "terrorists" who controlled the east of the city.
Bashar Jaafari told the meeting that he "firmly and 100%" rejected allegations that Syria has been committing "acts of revenge, summary executions and terror" against civilians.
France's UN ambassador Francois Delattre, whose country had requested the emergency meeting along with the US, said "war crimes and potentially crimes against humanity are committed on a daily basis in Aleppo."
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
UN housing, water and sanitation experts urge Portugal to leave legacy of austerity through human rights
Portuguese
LISBON / GENEVA (13 December 2016) – Two United Nations human rights experts have expressed concern about the impact of the unprecedented economic crisis and the austerity measures on the enjoyment of the rights to housing, water and sanitation in Portugal.
At the end of a joint official visit* to the country, UN Special Rapporteurs, Léo Heller and Leilani Farha, warned about the situation of people in vulnerable situations, including the “new poor”- those who have been pushed into poverty as a result of the austerity measures.
“We visited informal settlements with deplorable housing conditions including no access to water and sanitation services, or electricity, and talked to different persons with unaffordable access to these services, inhabited mainly by Roma (ciganos) and people of African-descent” the experts underlined. “In a country like Portugal, this is hard to accept.”
During their ten-day visit, the experts met, among others, with representatives of the central government, local authorities, the Ombudsman, the Parliament as well as members of civil society organizations working on issues related to the rights to housing, water and sanitation.
Ms. Farha will submit a full report of her findings and recommendations to the Human Rights Council in March 2017. Mr. Heller will submit his comprehensive report to the Council in September 2017.
Human rights to water and sanitation
“Portugal can be proud of its outstanding progress in the water and sanitation sector over the last decades that have resulted in an impressive inclusion of huge part of the population to water and sanitation services of good quality,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.
“However, from the human rights lens, the so-called ‘Portuguese miracle’ in the water sector is incomplete,” Mr. Heller highlighted. “I am concerned that, while the achievements are celebrated, the most marginalized population - unemployed, retired people, migrants, and Roma (ciganos) - have been left behind.”
“I have learned the institutional complexity behind the water that flows into Portuguese households and the wastewater that flows out of them,” he added. “Tensions among relevant entities provoked by this complex arrangement may be the root cause of the situations that deserve attention under the human rights framework, particularly the affordability of services for the population that are most vulnerable.”
“The Government of Portugal must ensure affordability of water and sanitation for all by adopting different measures, such as extending the current legislative recommendation to automatic application of social tariff to all Portuguese in need,” Mr. Heller said.
“I also urge the country to adopt legislation recognizing the human rights to water and sanitation, including the explicit obligation of the local authorities and the autonomous governments,” he said. “This will be essential to ensure that individuals and groups are able to file complaints before the courts in case of rights violation.”
“The celebration of the Portuguese miracle in the water and sanitation sector is still premature.”
Right to adequate housing
“It was clear to me in my meetings with authorities that housing conditions for those in vulnerable situations is a real concern,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to housing.
“The question is, can the right to housing be implemented in the context of the liberalization of the housing market? In my view, this will be difficult without human rights oriented regulations and safeguards for the people in precarious economic situations,” Ms. Farha said.
“Lisbon and Porto are already experiencing the effects of the beefed up tourism industry, and it has resulted in the displacement of poor tenants and lack of affordability,” she noted.
“Portugal has been a leader in the promotion of economic, social and cultural rights internationally and it has an obligation to bring this commitment and enthusiasm back to the domestic context. An essential first step would be for the government, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, to adopt a National Framework Law on Housing based in international human rights, in keeping with article 65 of its Constitution,” she urged.
“At the same time, Portugal could commit to addressing street homelessness on a priority basis adopting creative solutions, and it could take immediate steps to ensure those living in informal settlements and grossly inadequate rooming houses, ilhas and other situations are re-housed in a manner consistent with international human rights obligations,” the expert stressed.
(*) Check the Special Rapporteur’s full end-of-mission statement:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21014&LangID=E
Ms. Leilani Farha (Canada) is the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context. She took up her mandate in June 2014. Ms. Farha is the Executive Director of the NGO Canada without Poverty, based in Ottawa, Canada. A lawyer by training, for the past 20 years Ms. Farha has worked both internationally and domestically on the implementation of the right to adequate housing for the most marginalized groups and on the situation of people living in poverty. Learn more: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Housing/Pages/HousingIndex.aspx
Mr. Léo Heller (Brazil) is the Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, appointed in November 2014. He is a researcher in the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil and was previously Professor of the Department of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil from 1990 to 2014. Learn more:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/WaterAndSanitation/SRWater/Pages/SRWaterIndex.aspx
Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, country page – Portugal: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Countries/ENACARegion/Pages/PTIndex.aspx
- See more at: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21021&LangID=E#sthash.qIfK7tZw.dpuf
UK has worse mobile phone coverage than Albania and Peru
Albania and Peru have better mobile phone coverage than the UK, according to a report from the National Infrastructure Committee.
The report, which said there are "too many digital deserts" across the country, ranked Britain 54th in the world for 4G coverage as people can access it just 53% of the time.
The figures have prompted the NIC to call on the Government to introduce a new universal service obligation to ensure that text, talk and data are available wherever needed.
In a statement, it said the Government "must now play an active role to ensure that basic services are available wherever we live, work and travel, and our roads, railways and city centres must be made 5G ready as quickly as possible".
The successor mobile network standard to 4G is 5G, which will offer much greater speeds, although its technical details are still being worked out.
5G will be used to enable communication between many more devices, from cars to trains to streetlamps and traffic lights, as part of the so-called "internet of things".
A resilient network would be important for the development of driverless cars, for example, which will need to be in constant communication with networks.
The NIC report calls for the Government to build networks alongside key rail routes and motorways by 2025.
NIC chairman Lord Adonis said: "5G is the future - ultra-fast, and ultra-reliable it has the potential to change our lives and our economy in ways we cannot even imagine today.
"But the UK is currently languishing in the digital slow lane. 5G offers us a chance to start again and get ahead.
"If Government acts now we can ensure our major transport networks and urban centres are 5G ready in time to give British industry every chance to lead the world in exploiting its applications."
Chi Onwurah, Labour Shadow Minister for Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation, called on the Government "to take responsibility for developing the digital infrastructure that will equip our economy for the future".
She said: "Improving our digital connectivity will be a huge boon for business, and enable the UK to play a leading role in the coming 4th Technological Revolution.
"After a series of connectivity setbacks, the Government is now unable to offer anything but tinkering at the edges and have missed their own connectivity targets."
The report, which said there are "too many digital deserts" across the country, ranked Britain 54th in the world for 4G coverage as people can access it just 53% of the time.
The figures have prompted the NIC to call on the Government to introduce a new universal service obligation to ensure that text, talk and data are available wherever needed.
In a statement, it said the Government "must now play an active role to ensure that basic services are available wherever we live, work and travel, and our roads, railways and city centres must be made 5G ready as quickly as possible".
The successor mobile network standard to 4G is 5G, which will offer much greater speeds, although its technical details are still being worked out.
5G will be used to enable communication between many more devices, from cars to trains to streetlamps and traffic lights, as part of the so-called "internet of things".
A resilient network would be important for the development of driverless cars, for example, which will need to be in constant communication with networks.
The NIC report calls for the Government to build networks alongside key rail routes and motorways by 2025.
NIC chairman Lord Adonis said: "5G is the future - ultra-fast, and ultra-reliable it has the potential to change our lives and our economy in ways we cannot even imagine today.
"But the UK is currently languishing in the digital slow lane. 5G offers us a chance to start again and get ahead.
"If Government acts now we can ensure our major transport networks and urban centres are 5G ready in time to give British industry every chance to lead the world in exploiting its applications."
Chi Onwurah, Labour Shadow Minister for Industrial Strategy, Science and Innovation, called on the Government "to take responsibility for developing the digital infrastructure that will equip our economy for the future".
She said: "Improving our digital connectivity will be a huge boon for business, and enable the UK to play a leading role in the coming 4th Technological Revolution.
"After a series of connectivity setbacks, the Government is now unable to offer anything but tinkering at the edges and have missed their own connectivity targets."
Apple creates 70 new emoji including an avocado and a gorilla
Apple is releasing more than 70 new emoji as part of its latest software update, including slices of bacon, avocado and a selfie.
All of the emoji will be available to iPhone and iPad users.
Apple says its iOS 10.2 update offers "more diverse characters, new professions, expressions like face palm, shrug and fingers crossed, and new emoji representing sports, food, animals and more".
The newly released batch will also bring new types of smiley faces that show different emotions and actions, such as a face with a Pinocchio-like nose.
Emoji was described as the fastest growing language in the UK by 2015 and is said to be evolving faster than many ancient types of communication, including hieroglyphics.
They take their name from the Japanese words meaning "picture" and "character", and originated there in the late 1990s, before becoming popular among social media and instant message users.
The images had to be approved by the Unicode Consortium, which analyses and approves submitted designs for use by major technology firms including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Twitter.
All of the emoji will be available to iPhone and iPad users.
Apple says its iOS 10.2 update offers "more diverse characters, new professions, expressions like face palm, shrug and fingers crossed, and new emoji representing sports, food, animals and more".
The newly released batch will also bring new types of smiley faces that show different emotions and actions, such as a face with a Pinocchio-like nose.
Emoji was described as the fastest growing language in the UK by 2015 and is said to be evolving faster than many ancient types of communication, including hieroglyphics.
They take their name from the Japanese words meaning "picture" and "character", and originated there in the late 1990s, before becoming popular among social media and instant message users.
The images had to be approved by the Unicode Consortium, which analyses and approves submitted designs for use by major technology firms including Apple, Google, Microsoft and Twitter.
Kanye West meets Donald Trump at Trump Tower
Rapper Kanye West has visited Trump Tower in New York to meet the President-elect.
Although the pair were happy to pose for photographs, they were less keen to answer reporters' questions on whether West would perform at Donald Trump's inauguration in January.
"I just want to take a picture right now," a newly blond West said.
Although the pair were happy to pose for photographs, they were less keen to answer reporters' questions on whether West would perform at Donald Trump's inauguration in January.
"I just want to take a picture right now," a newly blond West said.
Although the 39-year-old superstar brought a small entourage along for the meeting, he was not accompanied by his wife Kim Kardashian.
In the lobby of Trump Tower, Mr Trump described West as a "good man" who he has known for a long time.
The President-elect told the press pack that the pair "discussed life" during their brief encounter.
In the hours after the meeting, West tweeted to say that he had wanted to meet with the President-elect to discuss "multicultural issues" - including bullying, supporting teachers, modernising curriculums and violence in Chicago.
"I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change," he tweeted.
West has long said he plans to run for president in 2020 - but in a hint that he would not want to impede Mr Trump's chance at securing a second term in office, he wrote: "#2024."
In November, the rapper was booed at a concert in San Jose, California after he declared his support for Mr Trump, but added that he did not vote in the election.
The artist was also very complimentary of Mr Trump's way of communicating with the electorate, describing it as "very futuristic".
The A-list visit came shortly after Mr Trump announced he had chosen ExxonMobil boss Rex Tillerson as his Secretary of State.
He described the chairman and chief executive of the oil giant as "one of the truly great business leaders of the world" in a tweet.
In the lobby of Trump Tower, Mr Trump described West as a "good man" who he has known for a long time.
The President-elect told the press pack that the pair "discussed life" during their brief encounter.
In the hours after the meeting, West tweeted to say that he had wanted to meet with the President-elect to discuss "multicultural issues" - including bullying, supporting teachers, modernising curriculums and violence in Chicago.
"I feel it is important to have a direct line of communication with our future President if we truly want change," he tweeted.
West has long said he plans to run for president in 2020 - but in a hint that he would not want to impede Mr Trump's chance at securing a second term in office, he wrote: "#2024."
In November, the rapper was booed at a concert in San Jose, California after he declared his support for Mr Trump, but added that he did not vote in the election.
The artist was also very complimentary of Mr Trump's way of communicating with the electorate, describing it as "very futuristic".
The A-list visit came shortly after Mr Trump announced he had chosen ExxonMobil boss Rex Tillerson as his Secretary of State.
He described the chairman and chief executive of the oil giant as "one of the truly great business leaders of the world" in a tweet.
Gambia troops take over electoral commission offices
Gambia's security forces have entered the building of the Independent Electoral Commission, instructed its chairman to leave and barred other employees from entering, according to the commission chairman.
Tuesday's developments came as West African heads of state began arriving in the country to try to convince long-term President Yahya Jammeh to relinquish power after losing an election this month.
"The military came to my office and said I am not to touch anything and told me to leave," Alieu Momar Njie, the electoral commission's chairman, said.
"I am worried for my safety."
The Independent Electoral Commission had announced the news of Jammeh's defeat at the hands of Adama Barrow.
The delegation is headed by Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace laureate and the current chairwoman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The delegation also includes Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Sierra Leone leader Ernest Bai Koroma and outgoing Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
The African Union said in a statement late on Monday that it also planned to send a high-level delegation, led by Chad's long-ruling President Idriss Deby, to facilitate a "peaceful and speedy" transfer of power.
The streets of the Gambian capital Banjul were calm on Tuesday, with a high security presence, witnesses said.
Armed guards surrounded a hotel where the delegation was due to meet Barrow, Gambia's president-elect , later on Tuesday.
Barrow has said that he will annul Jammeh's declaration of Gambia as an Islamic republic.
Irregularities alleged
Jammeh initially conceded defeat after official results showed that Gambians voted in Barrow on December 1.
However, last week Jammeh said that he no longer accepted his election loss and called for another vote, saying there were irregularities.
Jammeh's ruling party said late on Saturday that his statement was simply a prelude to the party challenging the results in a petition to the Supreme Court.
By law, election results can be contested up to 10 days after the vote.
Tuesday's developments came as West African heads of state began arriving in the country to try to convince long-term President Yahya Jammeh to relinquish power after losing an election this month.
"The military came to my office and said I am not to touch anything and told me to leave," Alieu Momar Njie, the electoral commission's chairman, said.
"I am worried for my safety."
The Independent Electoral Commission had announced the news of Jammeh's defeat at the hands of Adama Barrow.
The delegation is headed by Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, a Nobel Peace laureate and the current chairwoman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
The delegation also includes Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Sierra Leone leader Ernest Bai Koroma and outgoing Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama.
The African Union said in a statement late on Monday that it also planned to send a high-level delegation, led by Chad's long-ruling President Idriss Deby, to facilitate a "peaceful and speedy" transfer of power.
The streets of the Gambian capital Banjul were calm on Tuesday, with a high security presence, witnesses said.
Armed guards surrounded a hotel where the delegation was due to meet Barrow, Gambia's president-elect , later on Tuesday.
Barrow has said that he will annul Jammeh's declaration of Gambia as an Islamic republic.
Irregularities alleged
Jammeh initially conceded defeat after official results showed that Gambians voted in Barrow on December 1.
However, last week Jammeh said that he no longer accepted his election loss and called for another vote, saying there were irregularities.
Jammeh's ruling party said late on Saturday that his statement was simply a prelude to the party challenging the results in a petition to the Supreme Court.
By law, election results can be contested up to 10 days after the vote.
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