Labour says the chancellor's 'Budget for growth' won't work, and he needs a Plan B. But where are the Opposition's own alternatives for the economy and public services? Liam Byrne talks exclusively...
After addressing the CIPFA international conference in London, the former US comptroller general and founder and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative talks to Public Finance about: fiscal...
The head of the Local Government Futures Unit at Linstock Communications talks to Public Finance about council budget cuts; communities secretary Eric Pickles; the forthcoming local government...
Or perhaps not. With the pensions landscape in a state of flux, and the Hutton commission likely to recommend major changes, many public sector pension rewards might soon be blown away
As the thin blue line is set to get thinner, Lancashire police are feeling the force of spending reductions. Resources director David Brindle tells PF how he is managing to find the savings and keep...
Council finance departments are facing a 'perfect storm' of unprecedented cuts in income, rising demand for services and soaring redundancies. To help analyse the long-range forecast and prepare for...
In a globalised world, the only certainty is uncertainty. Economic dogma is being swept aside, as nation states follow their own disparate routes to recovery and growth. So why is the UK government...
IPPR director and former No 10 policy unit head Nick Pearce talks to Public Finance about spending cuts, Ed Balls, the Big Society and 'lipstick localism'.
Public sector finance chiefs should not be merely coping with change but mastering it - and that means learning new skills very quickly. Ann McFadyen and Brendan McCarron explain
The UK is not boldly going where no other government has gone before in its efforts to reduce the deficit. At least 24 OECD countries have paved the way and they have clear lessons ministers would be...
Could housing associations do more to boost efficiency in the age of austerity? Waqar Ahmed thinks so. But the group finance director at L&Q tells PF that the government must do its bit too
Primary care trusts are in the exit lounge as ministers prepare to hand over NHS commissioning powers to GPs. But with many trusts heading for the red – and waiting times and rationing on the rise –...
The coalition's axe extends even to sacred cows such as the police, causing howls of protest and fears of fewer bobbies on the beat. But frontline officers have been noticeable by their absence for...
With a harsh financial winter ahead, finance managers must be ready to step into the cold and guide other departments and their own staff through the blizzards ahead. Mark Pegg and Steve Watson offer...
Welfare reform is crucial to the coalition’s agenda. But ministers’ plans are driven by cuts rather than consistent principles, while Labour seems out of touch. Policy thinkers Gavin Kelly and Nick...
The London Borough of Lambeth wants to become the first 'co-operative council', using mutuals to pass power to the people. Finance and resources director Mike Suarez tells PF what this means and how...
From the shires to the inner-cities, local authorities are coping with cutbacks by radically slimming down their role. So is this the new face of localism? Peter Hetherington reports from the council...
Only five years ago, Danny Alexander was working for a national park. Now, after a rapid ascent, he is second in command at the Treasury and is vital to maintaining the coalition. He talks...
Should the public sector start drowning its sorrows as the cuts kick in? Doom merchants certainly seem to think so. But perhaps in reality the glass is half full and not half empty. Tony Travers...
The first elected chair of the Treasury select committee seems to be in good shape to take on ministers, with a background as an economist and adviser to chancellors. And he's proud to be exercising...
It is debatable whether the coalition kept its promise to give the NHS a real-terms increase in funding. Even if it did, the rise was so small as to be almost undetectable, argues John Appleby
The Spending Review confirmed deep cuts in councils' funding along with greater freedoms to mitigate their losses. But while ministers might believe innovation will bridge the gap, the truth is...
For those battling with increasing demand and shrinking budgets, raising productivity seems to be one of the least painless solutions around. But how to achieve it? The Local Government Group is on...
It was steady as she goes at the NHS - until the white paper came
along. As the health service sails into stormy waters, it's all hands
on deck at the Department of Health, finds Noel Plumridge
