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03 February 2012

Councils' weekly waste collection fund launchedThe £250m fund to help councils maintain or return to weekly waste collections is now open for business, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has announced.

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Features & interviews

Weak foundationsInvestment in infrastructure is the chancellor's way of providing a necessary stimulus to the flatlining economy. But how does he intend to find the funds without dipping into the public purse or using the unpopular PFI?

Home TruthsThe good news is that the government is scrapping the much-hated Housing Revenue Account from April. The less good news is that the Treasury, not councils, could still end up in the driving seat

New age budgetingWhole Place is the new Total Place, as community budgeting helps both town halls and Whitehall free up their fiscal thinking. So are the chances of joined-up spending better or worse in an era of austerity?

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Opinion

Instant analysis from expert bloggers and highlights from Public Finance

Dealing with debt
Francis Maude
Market makeover for universities
Matt Grist
Dilnot's not for diluting
Caroline Glendinning
The generation game
Michael Ware

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EDITOR'S CHOICE

The professional’s professional As head of the Government Finance Profession, Richard Douglas is overseeing big changes to Whitehall’s financial management. He tells Mike Thatcher how he combines that with his day job at the Department of Health

Comments

Your latest comments from the PF blog

Comment on Common sense on commissioning by Warren Park
This is a very good article and contains much that I agree with. Taking a personal perspective, I very much agree with the second last paragraph...
Comment on Battling it out on welfare by Warren Park
As the Arsenal supporter said, we lost 8-2 at Old Trafford but we played well and only 73,000 in the crowd were United supporters.

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Autumn statement

Families with children will bear brunt of benefit cuts, says IFSPlanned changes to the tax and benefit system will hit the incomes of families with children hardest and increase child poverty, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Pension funds won't invest 'just to dig government out of a hole'A senior local authority figure has warned ministers that plans for pension funds to invest in national infrastructure developments will not be approved 'just to dig the government out of a hole'.