Frontline Society

The Lancashire branch of St John Ambulance is communicating by text message using a web-based service, enabling unit leaders to contact volunteers and staff quickly in the event of an emergency, resulting in quicker response rates.

Civil Society Media news item at http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/it/news/content/6812/.

Charity chief executives body ACEVO has a news item describing some of the measures in the government's NHS White Paper that would have the greatest impact on the third sector, http://www.acevo.org.uk/Page.aspx?pid=2021.

Quite how the abolition of Regional Development Agencies in England will impact on voluntary organisations is open for debate, but you can read the full letter from the government to local authorities, which gives some bare bones about the partial replacement, Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Scotland's sector umbrella SCVO has produced research on how the Future Jobs Fund in Scotland is benefiting communities.

'Future Jobs: Future Communities' provides a snapshot of the impact of over 1,300 jobs created by the Third Sector Consortium. Download in pdf format, 1.13MB.

A radical shake-up of the public sector in Northern Ireland has been put on hold after the NI Executive failed to agree a way forward.

The Review of Public Administration plans are to merge 26 existing councils into eleven, also transferring some powers from central to local government. Next year's local elections will now take place with the old arrangements.

For those interested in the political scene, 'Key Issues for the New Parliament 2010', produced by the House of Commons Library for MPs, is an insight into the huge range of issues that they may be concerned about, and also gives key data.

Campaigners may wish to check if there is a starting point for communicating their issues here. A chunky pdf at 8.42MB.

For the changes to the various rates and allowances from June's Budget, you can refer to the HM Treasury press release (pdf, 75KB) at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_press_notice2.pdf, but HM Revenue and Customs Budget pages are probably a better reference, http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2010/index.htm.

The Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charity behind the AlertNet website, has launched TrustLaw, providing an online matching service for pro bono legal work around the world and also "the first international information hub on anti-corruption and governance issues".

TrustLaw Connect will put NGOs or social entrepreneurs in touch with leading law firms with specialist skills which are prepared to give pro bono advice. http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/home/.