Gordon Brown might mean what he says, but does he say what he means? The government's Alice in Wonderland approach to its Spending Review timings has a lot more to do with politics than economics
A new report has found local authorities wanting in their financial management and governance. But the figures do not tell the whole story, and there are solid foundations on which to build...
Government plans to cap eight councils' budgets received the go-ahead in the High Court this week when an appeal for a judicial review by South Cambridgeshire District Council failed.
Teachers, doctors, nurses and police officers accounted for just 27% of the 585,000 rise in public sector employment between 1998 and 2004, according to a new study.
Wellbeing rather than narrow concerns about efficiency looks set to be the next big thing for policy makers. Phil Swann explores the meaning of public value
A crackdown on racketeering and deceit against the health service has saved £675m and cut patient fraud by 54% in the past seven years, the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service said this...
Successive governments have been too eager to hold on to power at the expense of local communities, the new minister in charge told the Local Government Association conference in Harrogate.
Some local authorities have still not introduced any procedures to prevent money laundering, although they have been legally required to do so for more than a year. It's time they woke up to the...
James Plaskitt, the new benefits minister, has given the strongest indication yet that the Child Support Agency could continue to operate in its current form, despite calls for it to be closed.
Senior civil servants have called on the Home Office to take a 'robust approach' in dealing with senior official Louise Casey, following her ill-considered comments on antisocial behaviour policies.
Post-election, with a minister in the Cabinet and a vociferous council leader on their side, local authorities believe their time has finally come. But will new localism's dynamic duo succeed in...
From victory to defeat in a few weeks. The London Borough of Ealing last month failed to convince the Court of Appeal that its 'weak' CPA rating was unlawful. But where does this result leave the...
Scotland's efficiency savings could have been £239m higher if the Executive had applied the equivalent targets set for Whitehall, Professor Arthur Midwinter, the Scottish Parliament's finance adviser...
Real food is back on the political menu, after TV chef Jamie Oliver shamed the government over junk meals in schools. But despite all the noise, is there enough will and cash to give every school...
Ministers are using populist language to justify their hardline response to antisocial behaviour while largely overlooking measures to tackle its causes, says a major study by King's College, London...
Scotland's 32 councils are generally looking after their finances well but have been slow to develop systematic performance management arrangements, Audit Scotland has told MSPs.
The chair of the Charity Commission turned down Rada for a career in social policy. But the theatre's loss has been the voluntary sector's gain, writes Vivienne Russell
The government is in a flap about 'respect', or the lack of it as personified by gangs of feral youths wearing 'hoodies'. Is this a real problem or just society having one of its moral panics and,...