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Fri, 21 February 2025

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Andrew Kersley

Andrew Kersley

The Probation Service is 'In Meltdown', Say Staff
Social affairs
The Probation Service is "In Meltdown", Say Staff
Every probation service in the UK is failing to meet minimum standards as the service buckles under the weight of record staff shortages and huge caseloads, an investigation by The House magazine has revealed.
Home Office Spends Over Half A Billion Pounds On Temporary Staff In Two Years
Home affairs
Home Office Spends Over Half A Billion Pounds On Temporary Staff In Two Years
The Home Office spent well over half a billion pounds on temporary staff in the last two years as it tried to tackle a backlog in asylum applications.
'Truly Shocking' Analysis Shows National Parks Disproportionately Impacted By Sewage Spills
Environment
By Andrew Kersley
"Truly Shocking" Analysis Shows National Parks Disproportionately Impacted By Sewage Spills
Untreated sewage was spilled into the UK’s National Parks 95 times each day last year in what have been called "truly shocking" findings.
Most Likely Lib Dem Wins Are In Places Worst Affected By Sewage Spills
Environment
By Andrew Kersley
Most Likely Lib Dem Wins Are In Places Worst Affected By Sewage Spills
The vast majority of seats the Liberal Democrats are expected to win on Thursday are among the constituencies worst affected by the ongoing sewage spill crisis.
Construction, Finance And Gambling Companies Donate Most Money To MPs
Political parties
By Andrew Kersley
Construction, Finance And Gambling Companies Donate Most Money To MPs
The construction, finance and gambling industries are among the biggest political donors in the UK over the last two decades and are currently paying millions of pounds a year to MPs, according to a new study of more than two decades of political donations.
Truancy trials – meet the parents hit by the single justice procedure
Education
By Andrew Kersley
Truancy trials – meet the parents hit by the single justice procedure
Truancy laws mean that parents of children who miss school can be fined and prosecuted under a fast-track legal process. But is the system flawed, and should some absence cases be treated as a health issue, not an attendance one? Andrew Kersley reports
Ministers Met Landlords Twice As Often As Tenants’ Groups Over Renters’ Reform Bill
Home affairs
By Andrew Kersley
Ministers Met Landlords Twice As Often As Tenants’ Groups Over Renters’ Reform Bill
Ministers met with lobbyists for landlords and estate agents twice as often as they did groups representing renters as they worked to refine new protections for tenants in the landmark Renters Reform Bill, according to analysis by PoliticsHome.
Home Office Under Pressure To Disclose If Asylum Seeker Housing Profit Cap Has Been Triggered
Home affairs
By Andrew Kersley
Home Office Under Pressure To Disclose If Asylum Seeker Housing Profit Cap Has Been Triggered
MPs and human rights groups are placing increased pressure on the Home Office to be more transparent about whether companies to whom asylum seeker housing is outsourced have triggered a profit cap intended to curb the amount private businesses can make from government contracts.
Environment Watchdog Has Financial Interest In Companies It Regulates
Environment
By Andrew Kersley
Environment Watchdog Has Financial Interest In Companies It Regulates
The chief government regulator tasked with policing the water industry has invested millions of pounds into businesses connected to the sector, financial records have shown.
Government Outsourcing Partners Connected To Westminster Lobbyists
Home affairs
By Andrew Kersley
Government Outsourcing Partners Connected To Westminster Lobbyists
The majority of private companies that have been awarded lucrative government contracts are connected to PR firms that have engaged with lobbying Westminster, according to a new analysis by PoliticsHome.
Complaints Exceed Police Officer Numbers In Some UK Forces
Home affairs
By Andrew Kersley
Complaints Exceed Police Officer Numbers In Some UK Forces
A number of police forces have recorded as many or more complaints than they have officers, as the number of complaints within forces are set to reach a record high this year.
Haven, have not: Jersey's inequalities awakened
Communities
By Andrew Kersley
Haven, have not: Jersey's inequalities awakened
Hundreds Of Children's Homes Deemed Substandard By Ofsted
Education
By Andrew Kersley
Hundreds Of Children's Homes Deemed Substandard By Ofsted
More than one in six children’s homes has been identified by regulators as having serious flaws in the care they offer, according to analysis by PoliticsHome.
Government Facing Cronyism Allegations Over £1.5m Wage Bill For Part Time Advisors
Political parties
By Andrew Kersley
Government Facing Cronyism Allegations Over £1.5m Wage Bill For Part Time Advisors
Exclusive: The government is facing allegations of cronyism after it was revealed that part-time advisors, compared to “super SPADs”, have netted £1.5m a year in pay.
Private Shareholders Have Banked £120m From Companies Providing Government’s Asylum Seeker Accommodation
Home affairs
By Andrew Kersley
Private Shareholders Have Banked £120m From Companies Providing Government’s Asylum Seeker Accommodation
Private companies contracted to run Government-funded accommodation for asylum seekers in the UK have collectively paid £121m in dividends to shareholders since securing the most recent contracts in 2019, according to research by PoliticsHome.
Figures Suggest Government Back-To-Work Programme Is Costing £40,000 Per Success
Economy
By Andrew Kersley
Figures Suggest Government Back-To-Work Programme Is Costing £40,000 Per Success
Exclusive: The Prime Minister’s flagship back-to-work programme is estimated to cost over £40,000 per successful participant, PoliticsHome can reveal.
Living In Limbo – The Hidden Housing Crisis
Communities
By Andrew Kersley
Living In Limbo – The Hidden Housing Crisis
Since 2010/2011 the number of people living in temporary housing has doubled to almost 100,000 households, not only consigning many of them to substandard living conditions, but costing local councils £1.6bn a year. How do we escape this housing purgatory? Andrew Kersley reports.
Poor Use Of Stop And Search Found At Two Thirds Of Police Forces
Home affairs
By Andrew Kersley
Poor Use Of Stop And Search Found At Two Thirds Of Police Forces
Failures in implementing Stop and Search have been recorded at two thirds of England and Wales’ 43 police forces according to the independent police regulator, raising doubts over Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s renewed push to ramp up the controversial policing tactic.
Peers Have Donated Over £50m To Parties Who Appointed Them To Lords
Political parties
By Andrew Kersley
Peers Have Donated Over £50m To Parties Who Appointed Them To Lords
Almost a quarter of House of Lords appointees over the last decade were party donors, and almost half have a political connection to party appointees, analysis by PoliticsHome shows.
A broken market? Government outsourcing is failing to deliver
Economy
By Andrew Kersley
A broken market? Government outsourcing is failing to deliver
Research by The House has found a significant minority of private firms are failing to hit minimum targets for government contracts, prompting experts to raise concerns. Andrew Kersley reports.
Surge In MP Staff Joining Union Driven By Culture Of Sexual Harassment And Bullying
Parliament
By Andrew Kersley
Surge In MP Staff Joining Union Driven By Culture Of Sexual Harassment And Bullying
Exclusive: Union membership among MPs’ staff working in parliament has surged by 1,000 per cent, as allegations of bullying and sexual harassment continue to circulate in Westminster.
Water Company Bosses Banked Bonuses Despite High Levels Of Sewage Dumping
Environment
By Andrew Kersley
Water Company Bosses Banked Bonuses Despite High Levels Of Sewage Dumping
Seven of the UK’s nine water companies gave bonuses to their executives linked to environmental targets last year, despite significant amounts of sewage being dumped into UK waterways.
Half Of UK Charities Fear Financial Collapse, Polling Shows
Communities
By Andrew Kersley
Half Of UK Charities Fear Financial Collapse, Polling Shows
Over half of all charities in a recent poll have said they fear financial collapse amid unprecedented demand and a huge drop in donations in response to the cost-of-living crisis.
The abusive world of the shadow rental market
Communities
By Andrew Kersley
The abusive world of the shadow rental market
Andrew Kersley reports on the growing number of victims of the shadow renting sector – the informal, unregulated area of the United Kingdom housing market, where landlords can be financially and physically abusive to tenants who have no other options
“Cultural levelling up”: Behind the government's arts funding dilemma
Culture
By Andrew Kersley
“Cultural levelling up”: Behind the government's arts funding dilemma
The 2023-2026 round of Arts Council England funding provoked debate after clear winners and losers emerged from the process. But in tough economic times, what does fair distribution of cultural funding look like? Andrew Kersley investigates.
Cladding chaos: Why some tenants are suffering from the drive to remove cladding
Health
By Andrew Kersley
Cladding chaos: Why some tenants are suffering from the drive to remove cladding
In the wake of the Grenfell tragedy, flammable cladding was removed from flats around the country. As Andrew Kersley discovers, some has yet to be replaced – and as the cost of living crisis escalates, tenants are suffering as a result
'An unregulated merry-go-round': How some taking new roles after working in public service are causing controversy
Economy
By Andrew Kersley
"An unregulated merry-go-round": How some taking new roles after working in public service are causing controversy
In a recent issue of The House, the head of the appointments body Lord Pickles called for reform of rules for those seeking work after leaving public office. Now Andrew Kersley reveals the full extent of the revolving door between senior regulators and the private sector.