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Other authorities are following the lead of Gateshead and Newcastle Councils, where workers already clock out for smoking breaks. A Norfolk council is pushing through a policy where staff might not be paid for cigarette breaks, no doubt being informed by research showing that smokers waste 30 minutes a day.

Police in County Durham were praised as they have produced dramatic improvements in the crime statistics while jobs are under threat. There is the possibility of a merger, while Durham Constabulary issued 90-day redundancy notices to civilian staff including community support officers. Between April and June this year there were thousands of fewer victims of crime in County Durham year-on-year, while detections were up 11 per cent.

Unison general secretary and Leeds born-and-bred Dave Prentis described a report which details high earners in the UK’s publicly funded organisations as "just another attack on the public sector". He said: "There will be many more in the private sector who earn much more. However, the majority of public sector workers will never get anywhere near these salaries.

Minister Vince Cable declared that the North East must become a “Silicon Valley-style” success story, but warned that it will get reduced cash support from Whitehall. Business Secretary Mr Cable also confirmed that the Government would move away from Labour’s cash support for individual companies.

Business secretary Vince Cable has confirmed regional development agency One North East will be abolished following a written plea from businesses and councils to set up a replacement body to give the North East a strong voice in Whitehall. One North East (ONE) created or protected 160,000 jobs and, alongside Sunderland Council, it encouraged Nissan to bring electric car production to Wearside.

A councillor has queried whether Hartlepool needs a directly-elected Mayor.

One former police sergeant, who spent 33 years with the police, said officers were expected to "just get on with it" now that the Devon and Cornwall force has again announced no more will be employed for 18 months. He said: "I was involved in the interviewing process when there was a recruitment freeze back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Judged on the reduction in crime, Northumbria Police was ranked top in the country by recording a 15 per cent overall drop. Forces across England and Wales recorded an average fall in crime of 8%, according to a new report. The British Crime Survey (BCS) statistics includes many offences that were not reported to police. Northumbria Police was ranked top alongside the Nottinghamshire force.

An attack across the corridors of power has occurred on quangos, as to date the coalition has got rid of at least 80 of these non-governmental bodies and warned many others that they faced mergers or deep cuts. In many cases their work will be transferred to Whitehall departments. They are an easy target because some have been rendered surplus to requirements, while ministers are desperate to make savings of at least 25 per cent in their departmental budgets.

MPs in the House of Commons were in uproar when the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme was axed. The Conservative cabinet minister Michael Gove endured a Commons barracking when he attempted to justify the cancellation of around 700 projects all over the country, but he insisted the school building “overhaul” was necessary because of BSF’s record of late delivery and incompetence.

Ministers created a panel in February to detail which cuts could be made in the face of a £42 billion public sector squeeze north of the border over 16 years. The commissioned independent review concluded that between 50,000 and 60,000 public sector workers could lose their jobs in the next few years, since it recommended a fall in public sector employment of 5.7%-10% within five years.

Inspectors have found that police spend more time on holiday than at work. Due to out of date shift patterns, rest days and holiday, some are spending up to 20 days more a year at home than catching criminals. This has led to concerns about the use of taxpayers’ money and there have been calls for forces to improve efficiency. In four out of a sample of six forces, front-line officers spent more time away than in work.