On August 18, a new organisation to promote more council collaboration was born. David Williams asks its enthusiastic chief executive and finance director what the future holds
MPs have criticised the growing numbers of under-14s put into custody and urged ministers to spend more money on community based punishments and preventative measures
The Private Finance Initiative was thought to be in trouble earlier on in the recession. But it has proved resilient to new accounting standards, and the banks' credit margins on projects have soared...
Private firms will not be paid a premium on top of NHS rates under new contracts for independent sector treatment centres, health minister Mike O’Brien has confirmed.
But the NHS will be liable to...
London Authorities’ Mutual Limited has pledged its support to the Local Government Association in its efforts to press the government to include legislation in the Queen’s Speech to allow mutuals to...
Policy makers must stop viewing pensioners as a single group and make better use of public services to overcome inequalities between older people, a leading lobby group has said.
Andrew Harrop, head...
An MPs’ report has called for widespread cultural change in universities, arguing for a new regulator, a national system of bursaries, and more support for mature and part-time students
Opposition parties have accused the Scottish Government of ‘financial incompetence’ and ‘fantasy finance’ after Finance Secretary John Swinney set out his case for a North Sea oil fund for the...
By Tash Shifrin
Firms bidding for contracts under a £2bn welfare-to-work programme have warned that an incoming Conservative government must maintain ‘sufficient’ upfront payments in the deals.
The...
Children’s Secretary Ed Balls is to improve the support given to pupils with special educational needs by toughening up inspections and giving parents stronger powers
An MPs’ report has called for radical cultural change in universities, arguing that standards are inconsistent across the sector, and that part-time and mature students are discriminated against
Efforts to revive the house building industry moved up a gear this week with publication of a short list of 270 stalled schemes eligible for Kickstart programme funding
The effects of the Learning and Skills Council’s college building mismanagement could be worsened by the recession, the Commons Public Accounts Committee has warned
A damning report from a Commons committee has called for radical reforms of the social work profession after finding that training regimes were inadequate
A single Whitehall department has run up a bill of more than £570m - more than a fifth of its resource budget - on consultants, temporary staff and professional services in just one year
