Council tax in Scotland should be replaced by a new property tax requiring householders to pay 0.9% of the value of their home annually, the Burt committee on the future of local government finance...
Joint reviews of social services in Wales place huge demands on local authorities but are leading to improvements in services, according to an independent evaluation.
Town halls this week set out their wish list for economic devolution within the context of the sector's white paper urging ministers to establish new funding streams for sub-regional transport,...
A heated row over the future of local government in Northern Ireland broke out after the composition of the seven proposed new Northern Ireland 'super-councils' was published by the Local Government...
Local authorities, central government and parents must broaden their sights in the fight against antisocial behaviour and focus on prevention as well as punishment, Whitehall's 'respect' czar...
Government policy to promote school independence and improve the wellbeing of deprived children has created a 'real tension', the Audit Commission has warned.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority, at the centre of a major controversy over inaccurate and incomplete exam results six years ago, has re-established confidence in its work, Audit Scotland has...
Pensions minister James Purnell this week floated a 'radical simplification' of the state second pension and claimed that the cost would not breach the financial 'cap' proposed by the Pensions...
Council rents are expected to rise by up to 5% after the government announced that local authorities will receive an extra £132m for managing and maintaining their homes.
Local authorities should be placed under a statutory duty to guarantee the environmental sustainability of their areas for future generations, leading green campaigners said this week.
Police authorities have reacted with anger and disappointment to the costs paid by central government following the abandonment of the police merger programme.
Capita, one of the UK's largest government outsourcing companies, is set to stand down from the CBI's influential public services board, Public Finance has learnt.
The Advisory Panel on Public Sector Information has been transferred to the Department for Constitutional Affairs in an attempt to tidy up responsibilities for information.
Reforms designed to split the NHS into competing provider and purchaser organisations do not adequately address the needs of the 17 million people with long-term conditions, participants in last week...
'We will step back and allow more freedom and flexibility at the local level. In exchange, we expect to see more accountability to local citizens, stronger local leadership, better and more efficient...
The administration of London boroughs' pension funds is inefficient and millions of pounds could be saved each year if they streamlined their processes, the Audit Commission said this week.