Daily roundup 13 November: Youth parliament, Children in Need, and sexual offences

Young people are set to debate topics including racism and religious discrimination, improving mental health services, and making public transport cheaper, as the UK Youth Parliament sits in the House of Commons for it annual debate today. The BBC reports that at the end of the debates a vote will take place to decide which of the five topics will become the focus of a national campaign for this year.


The BBC’s Children in Need has investments worth £94m, after benefiting from a record-breaking fundraising drive, according to the charity’s latest annual accounts. The Telegraph reports that the organisation, which will air its annual television appeal tonight, has increased its investment holdings by seven per cent in the past year. A spokeswoman for the charity said money is released over time so the work being done can be monitored.


Priority will be given to tackling sexual offences against children as Surrey Police adapts to cope with £25m budget cuts, the force has said. The BBC reports that up to 400 jobs, including 32 police officers, will go at the force over the next four years. Chief Constable Lynne Owens said the county has experienced significant rises in sexual offending, domestic abuse, cyber crime and child sexual exploitation.


The company running children’s services in Kingston and Richmond overspent by £1.5m last year, despite a business plan stating it would bring in £6m of extra business by commissioning out its services to other councils. The Richmond & Twickenham Times reports that despite the overspend and the a requirement to make £4m budget cuts over the next two years, councillors said they were “impressed” with the performance of the community interest company.


Independent reviewing officers (IROs) working for Wolverhampton Council's safeguarding team are dealing with more than double the recommended level of children's cases. The Express & Star reports that IROs at the local authority have had average caseloads of up to 111 children this year. The recommended caseload for an IRO is between 50 and 70 children.


County hall bosses in Lancashire are stopping funding for free childcare at a nursery after it was rated inadequate. The Lancashire Evening Post reports that Ofsted criticised the setting's leadership and management, quality of teaching and welfare of the children.