February 2018

Labour announce UBS for next government
Working group will report back before Conference this autumn with a set of interim proposals for the next Labour government to transform the provision of essential services, to create a society that is radically more free, more equal, and more democratic.

Scottish parliament votes for increased taxes to provide essential funding for public services
The budget will increase funding to provide essential funding for public services

Era of flexible work requires new universal services
It also demands more complex, more high-quality public services. A general set of services that everybody benefits from actually becomes more important when people are working in more different ways than they used to.
Universal Basic Services and how it compares to Universal Basic Income
In the past few months, there has been significant interest in parts of the blogosphere with the idea of Universal Basic Services, a vision of state provision of services that not only covers education and healthcare but also transport, information, food and housing.
Telecoms giants are charging many rural homes full price for a pitiful service
Existing Internet service too expensive and delivers poor service.
Universal basic services could work better than basic income to combat ‘rise of the robots’
UBS are something more akin to Dmytri Kleiner’s concept of Basic Outcome, where essential services (and rights) are provided outside of the market sphere

German cities to trial free public transport to cut pollution
“Car nation” Germany has surprised neighbours with a radical proposal to reduce road traffic by making public transport free, as Berlin scrambles to meet EU air pollution targets and avoid big fines.

Europe’s Poverty Time Bomb
8% of the population, struggle to afford basic goods and services, those who live in poverty suffer from complete social exclusion