Political dogma must not be allowed to obscure the very real dangers of repeating the 1990s experiences with local pay in the NHS, from which staff and we as patients and taxpayers, are likely to...
The Department of Work and Pensions today published a consultation paper called 21st Century Welfare which sets out ideas for fundamental reforms to the benefits system.
Allowing citizens a veto on council tax rises is a good thing. But there will be challenges around the extend to which people have sufficient information and knowledge as to why local authorities...
The Independent Budget Review in Scotland has concluded somewhat meekly that radical redesign may be required. In reality, radical thinking is essential
Is the time ripe for a surge in outsourcing across our public services? A number of commentators think so, with the Guardian recently suggesting that the austerity drive will hand billions of pounds...
Theresa May's police reform proposals are radical in intent and almost breathless in execution. But true and lasting reform of criminal justice services can only occur if the system is viewed as a...
The merger of UK Sport and Sport England and the abolition of the Health Protection Agency raise immediate constitutional concerns for the devolved administrations.
The Academies Bill is entering its final stage in the Commons today having been bludgeoned through by the government. Both politicians and governing bodies will come to rue this rushed legislation.
Short-term contract renegotiation will save some money for the government, but the biggest wins will require a fundamental re-engineering of the way public services are provided.
Changes to the Census should not simply be about making politically attractive short-term savings. It is vital that public service planning, so often funded on the basis of population, is well served...
The Welsh government is making a sensible move in seeking powers to suspend the right to buy in areas with housing shortages. In the current fiscal climate, we might well ask why the state should...
The coalition has abolished comprehensive area assessments but not yet replaced them with anything. Assessment should now be taken away from inspectorates and Whitehall, and placed in the local...
In Eden District in Cumbria, the Big Society is not a substitute for services at risk from cuts in public expenditure. It is all about harnessing the positive will and energy of local people.
For some services in some public sector agencies, outsourcing may offer a viable and sustainable solution to reducing costs. However, this will not always be the case and outsourcing should not be...
The electorate will not forgive another decade of decline in council homes available to rent. Social housing shortages are set to get much worse unless there is a concerted effort to address the...
PF's news story provided a dismal report of the Treasury's Combined Online Information System ('Online Treasury data fail to excite', June 11-17). This initiative seems just part of the new drive to...
Alastair Hatchett's feature 'Paying the price' is an excellent account of the position the public sector finds itself in (July 2-15). The government and the Taxpayers' Alliance have very successfully...
I cannot agree with Alastair Hatchett's view that public sector pensions are not 'gold-plated'. To earn the average local authority pension of £4,000 (plus inflation), staff will have contributed...
The responses of Michael Keene and Martin Southwell to Philip Sellers' letter on the role of the finance director raise some interesting questions (June 18-24)
There are things to like in the health white paper and it’s encouraging that the coalition government is actively promoting choice and competition in the NHS. However, the wholesale transfer of...
The Treasury under the Labour government had plans to set up a permanent UK infrastructure bank. Similar proposals were in the Liberal Democrats' manifesto, so this may not be the last we hear of the...
Councils are already manning the barricades in the face of impending cuts. But we are in a phoney war and a future attack from a hostile public will test their resolve
