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Backbencher
A rank and file council member, as opposed to a member of a council's decision-making executive. Backbenchers vote on their local authority's policy framework and sit on scrutiny committees, as well as representing their constituents.
See also: executive
and scrutiny committee
Related articles
Useful link: Devon county council - backbench councillorsBand D
The council tax band that is supposed to cover the average home. Covers properties worth between £68,001 and £88,000 in April 1991. Newer properties are assessed on what their value would have been in 1991.
See also: council tax
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - council tax Battered baby syndrome
Refers to the clinical condition of a baby or young child who has suffered physical injury at the hands of parents or other carers. The term was coined by US paediatrician Dr Henry Kempe in the early 1960s who determined that many injuries to babies and young children, previously thought to be accidental, were in fact deliberately inflicted often over a prolonged period. Baby battering may involve violent shaking, slapping, punching, throwing or swinging of the child against a wall, burning with cigarettes, or blows to the head with an implement. It most commonly occurs in the first six months of life.
Big issue: children's services
Useful link: NHS Direct - battered baby syndrome Beacon councils
Award scheme that aims to highlight good practice in delivering local government services. Other councils are then encouraged to learn from the beacons.
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - beacons Beacon services
A scheme set up to identify and spread knowledge of examples of best practice in the NHS, highlighting innovative approaches to service provision in a range of areas, including accident and emergency, human resources, and reducing health inequalities.
Big issue: NHS quality and performance
Useful link: NHS modernisation agency - beacons Bed and breakfast unit
Government organisation set up in 2001 to tackle the number of people housed in bed and breakfast hotels. Wound up in 2004 after it achieved its target of ensuring that no homeless families were placed in B&Bs for more than six weeks.
Big issue: homelessness
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - bed and breakfast unit Bedblocking
Phenomenon of older people being forced to stay in hospital beds because other forms of care, such as nursing homes or home care, are not available - thereby "blocking" beds that could be used by other patients.
See also: intermediate care
Big issue: NHS quality and performance
Related articles
Useful link: Department of Health - national beds inquiry Beneficiary
Legal term referring to recipient groups or individuals of a charity's work or a grant-making body's funding, eg homeless people, children, animals.
See also: Charities Aid Foundation
Useful link: charity commission - the public character of charity Benchmarking
A method used by public sector organisations, charities and private companies for gauging their performance by comparing it to the performance of other organisations, typically of a similar size. The government encourages public sector bodies to compare their score on various published performance indicators as way of improving public services. Many organisations are now members of so called 'benchmarking clubs' in which they compare published and unpublished performance information.
Big issue: best value and inspection
Related articles
Useful link: National Council for Voluntary Organisations - benchmarking Benefit fraud inspectorate
Established in 1997 to inspect local council performance on housing and council tax benefits. Run by the Department for Work and Pensions, the inspectorate is intended to counter concerns about high estimated levels of fraud in the benefits system.
Related articles
Useful link: benefit fraud inspectorate Best value
Regime that aims to continuously improve local government performance through a programme of reviews and inspections. Councils must examine their services according to four guiding principles. They must challenge how, why and by whom a service is provided; compare its performance with that of other authorities; consult service users; and use competition to get the best service available.
See also: best value inspection service and best value performance plan
Big issue: best value and inspection
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - best value Best value inspection service
Inspects local government services, giving them two marks of between zero and three - first for their performance and second for their likelihood of improving. Also responsible for producing annual league tables of overall council performance. Part of the audit commission.
See also: best value
audit commission
comprehensive performance assessment
and local government league table
Related articles Best value review
Councils have to review every service they provide over a five-year period. The reviews are based on four principles: comparing your service with others, challenging the way services are delivered, ensuring they can compete with other potential service providers and consulting the public on the service's future.
Related articles Big Lottery Fund
Distributes half the 'good causes' money raised by the national lottery, and is the main lottery funder for the voluntary sector. The BLF has been set up through the 'administrative merger' of the former Community Fund and New Opportunities Fund, although legislation to formally create the new fund has yet to be introduced. Grants are made for specific projects or initiatives.
Related articles
See also: national lottery
Useful link: Big Lottery Fund Billing authority
Local authorities that produce bills for council tax. Covers all but county councils, which raise their cash through a precept on the bills sent out by smaller district authorities.
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - council tax Bipolar affective disorder (manic depression)
Bipolar affective disorder, also known as manic depression, is characterised by swings in a person's mood from high to low. People experience periods of depression that can bring on disturbances in sleep and eating, and periods of mania that begin with unusually high energy and euphoria that can lead to irritability and sometimes delusions. The length of these mood swings can vary from a few days to several months, and can occur without warning. About one in 100 people are diagnosed with manic depression.
Big issue: mental health
Related articles
Useful link: NHS Direct - bipolar affective disorder Blight
Decline of neighbourhoods earmarked for redevelopment. Sometimes referred to as planning blight, the decline usually involves a fall in house prices.
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - compulsory purchase Booked admissions
The NHS national booked admissions scheme is an airline-style booking system, introduced in pilot form in 1999. Patients can arrange outpatient and inpatients admission times at their own convenience, leading to fewer cancelled operations, less bureaucracy and more efficient use of NHS time and resources.
Big issue: NHS quality and performance
Related articles
Useful link: national booked admissions (NHS beacons) British Association of Social Workers (BASW)
BASW is the main professional association for social workers in the UK. It was established in 1971 as a result of the merger of the Association of Psychiatric Social Workers, the Institute of Medical Social Workers and the Association of Child Care Officers.
Big issue: social care staff
Related articles
Useful link: BASW British Union of Social Work Employees (BUSWE)
This trade union was originally known as the British Union of Social Workers - a splinter group set up by BASW members at their 1978 annual conference. BUSW merged with another union - the National Union of Social Workers - in 1981 to form BUSWE.
Big issue: social care staff
Related articles
Useful link: BUSWE British Urban Regeneration Association (Bura)
Member-based regeneration charity aimed at promoting best practice in the sector. Its activities include organising annual regeneration awards.
Related articles
Useful link: about BURA Brownfield site
Land that has been built on before and is usually in an urban area. The land involved is often contaminated. Under a government target, 60% of all new development should be on brownfield sites.
See also: greenfield site
Related articles
Useful link: English Partnerships - national brownfield strategy Business improvement district
Government regeneration initiative that allows councils to raise extra money from local businesses, but only if firms vote in favour of the move. The money is likely to be used for a specific project, such as cleaning up litter and graffiti in an inner city area, rather than general local authority spending.
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - regulatory impact assessment on the local government bill (pdf) Business in the Community (BitC)
Business-led initiative to encourage private sector involvement in supporting their local communities financially and practically. The scheme attempts to standardise reporting about business impact on communities and gives awards for best practice. Three out of four FTSE100 companies are members.
See also: socially responsible investment
Related articles
Useful link: BitC - why should business care about the community? Business rates
Charge levied on businesses to pay for council services. Paid into a national pool which the government then distributes to local authorities. Also known as national non-domestic rates, or NNDR.
Related articles
Useful link: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - business rates
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