The leader of Whitehall's largest union has criticised the public sector efficiency review being conducted by Peter Gershon after the mandarin admitted he would not scrutinise public-private...
New shadow local government secretary David Curry has vowed to take the fight for council freedoms and flexibilities to the Labour government following his surprise appointment as one of the...
The Treasury has rejected MPs' calls to allow the National Audit Office to scrutinise data from Whitehall departments that measures their progress against key improvement targets.
Media and parliamentary interest may dictate the level of humanitarian aid the Department for International Development provides, a report from the National Audit Office warned this week.
Westminster council has called on Chancellor Gordon Brown to intervene in its dispute with the Office for National Statistics after its watchdog cast doubt on the 2001 Census results.
Local authorities are demanding a guarantee from Charles Clarke that the promised 4% funding increase for schools next year will not starve other vital services of cash.
Councils need an extra £17m if they are to fulfil emergency planning requirements and meet heightened public expectations in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Local Government Association has...
Civil service unions have voiced alarm at the 'extraordinary' pace of a Treasury review aimed at slashing billions of pounds off the government's running costs, fearing it may lead to job cuts across...
Former top Treasury mandarin Lucy de Groot, who until last month was Gordon Brown's director of public services, has said the government is confused about its own philosophy of 'new localism'.
Rail passengers are forced to travel in 'intolerable conditions' on overcrowded trains and urgent action is needed to stop the situation from getting even worse, according to MPs.
The Scottish Executive is to recruit an expert from the private sector to head a new performance and innovation unit as part of plans to strengthen the office of permanent secretary and sharpen up...
Ministers should scrap all national targets for secondary school pupils because they have now 'served their purpose', an influential committee of MPs reported this week.
The Liberal Democrats go into their conference at Brighton next week hoping for a boost from having either won or taken second place in the Brent East by-election, which was due to take place on 18...
Service's 128 directly managed prisons in England and Wales spent £461m on essential supplies, while Prison Service headquarters spent a further £491m on central projects and services, such as...
Local government's much-heralded Pay Commission could be a damp squib when it reports back next month, after it emerged that union-employer infighting has left the body with little chance of reaching...
Gordon Brown's special adviser has admitted council tax is the key issue facing the 'balance of funding review', as a storm of protest broke out over a ministerial threat to cap rises next year.
New housing associations set up following stock transfers are struggling to meet promises made to former council tenants because they are losing so many homes, says a new survey.
Unions warned the government this week that they could 'no longer drag their heels' over the two-tier workforce after Labour's favourite think-tank said the issue was stalling progress on public...
