Society daily 29.11.10

Regent Street Christmas lights 2007 — The communities secretary has condemned the "ambush" of the festive season. Photograph: Getty

Today's top Society Guardian stories

100,000 public sector jobs set to win reprieve from Treasury

Housing benefit cap to be postponed until 2012

Poverty is more likely cause of mistrust than race, says study

Tobacco and drink sales face new curbs

Reinventing the wheel(chair)

Stuart Heritage: You can't teach young people safe sex by inserting the letter Z into wordz

Madeleine Bunting: Promoting happiness and cutting welfare: what a devious combination

All today's Society Guardian stories

Other news

• Charities have suffered a steep fall in the amount of money people donate to them directly from their salaries during the past two years, according to the Independent.

• An interactive online map put together by charities Rethink and Sane highlights differences in how schizophrenia is managed across England, reports Nursing Times.

• Hundreds of thousands of second-home owners could lose a council tax discount worth hundreds of pounds per year under a government review, says the Telegraph.

On my radar ...

• Winterval. The myth is being dusted down just as the Christmas decorations come out. Bloggers have been quick to respond after Eric Pickles put out a press release condemning the "ambush" of the festive season. The Enemies of Reason blog put "SuperPickles" straight in this post:

"It's depressing. No-one's trying to ban Christmas, for fear of offending minorities, or anything like that. Must we go through this every single year? Oh, we must. 'Christmas is banned' is as much of a Christmas tradition as granny falling asleep in front of Where Eagles Dare after scoffing the Milk Tray, it seems. Oh well. Merry Christmas Eric Pickles, you dimwit. Goodwill to all men and all that, even if they are recycling tedious nonsense."

• This clever and amusing tongue-in-cheek response by the Directory of Social Change to cabinet office ministers Francis Maude and Nick Hurd's open letter on the "big society":

"Dear HM Government,
Thank you for your recent application requesting that we join you as partners in building the "Big Society", as outlined in your open letter to us, dated 12 November .
Unfortunately we are unable to progress your application for a number of reasons ..."

• This post by Gillian Fawcett, head of public sector at the accountancy body ACCA, on the "serious questions to be answered" about the scrapping of the Audit Commission (thanks to @ReluctantAAuditor - who also makes interesting and pertinent points about a recent EU consultation aimed at tightening regulation of audit)

• This powerful piece in which a foster mother describes her family life. It should be circulated around every family court in the country.

• Happiness. Will the government still be so keen to measure our wellbeing once the impact of cuts is being felt, wonders Wirral MP Alison McGovern in this Progress blogpost:

"Employment is central to a person's sense of wellbeing. Their identity and dignity. So I have a feeling that in years to come, Cameron's Tories won't be so keen on his new happiness index. Not if it shows up the scars of the damage he and his government are doing to the working life of our people."

• Iran's president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is reportedly auctioning off his vintage Peugeot 504 to raise money for affordable housing. (thanks @kate_murray)

• Tom Stannard on why Whitehall should allow local government to take a genuinely localist approach to comunity budgets for the most vulnerable families.

• David Robinson of Community Links, who blogs on reports that the high street banks are to cut a deal with government to invest £1bn in the big society bank in return for the lifting on restrictions on bonuses. Settle for "nothing less" than £5bn, argues Robinson.

• Redundant Public Servant, who casts a sceptical eye on the "seasonally adjusted good news" that 90,000 fewer public sector workers than expected are to lose their jobs:

"This analysis ignores two things. First, there are a lot of us that have already been given the push. The forecasts ignore this – it's already happened – our jobs have gone. Second, in local government – as we have seen – the cuts are actually front-loaded. So I am not that cheered up by this seasonally adjusted good news."

• Youth volunteering charity vinspired, which has launched its own iPhone app, allowing users to find volunteering opportunities in their area.

Guardian and Observer Christmas Charity Appeal 2010

Charities working with disadvantaged young people in the UK will be the beneficiaries of this year's Guardian and Observer charity appeal.

Read profiles of our 10 chosen charities, see our pick of their photographs and make a donation in the Christmas Charity Appeal area of our site.

In case you missed them ... SocietyGuardian weekend news

Exposed: the hospitals whose high death rates are failing the NHS

Assisted suicide law to be reviewed by Lords

I accused my husband of rape. I was locked up – and he was set free

All Sunday's SocietyGuardian stories

All Saturday's SocietyGuardian stories

On the Guardian Voluntary Sector Network

Fundraisers are "feeling under huge pressure", says Amanda McLean, chief executive of the Institute of Fundraising, in an exclusive interview.

Events

"Big Society" and its role in local government 7 December, London. This is an essential seminar for managers and leaders looking for a practical definition of big society and how it will work within local government. As well as a keynote speech from the government's adviser on big society, Lord Wei, delegates will also hear first hand accounts of how other local government managers are implementing big society in their councils and the best practice they have developed.

Transforming Social Care through IT Finding your way in a changing service environment. 8 December, London.

This conference brings together best practice examples, policy leaders and industry experts to discuss the challenges facing social care providers and IT support teams. Our line-up of expert speakers includes Terry Dafter, service director adult social care, Stockport metropolitan borough council; Jennifer Bernard, consulting director, SCIE; Nick Johnson, chief executive, Social Care Association; and Sian Walker, service director, Adult Care Operations, Wiltshire council.

Public Services Summit New models, new relationships, a new era. 10 & 11 February 2011, St Albans.

Join leading thinkers, practitioners and policy makers for discussion and debate about the future of our public services

15% early bird available.