Labour's flagship housing policy of providing affordable properties for public sector workers is backfiring at a time when the shortfall has reached 'crisis point', MPs were told this week.
'We're doing our bit, the Audit Commission is doing its bit, now you do your bit,' is the message that will be sent to ministers from the Local Government Association conference next week.
There may have been relief when the draft Local Government Bill published with requisite fanfare by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott last week finally emerged.
An influential Labour backbencher this week claimed that the government is unlikely to grant substantial autonomy to local authorities, despite acknowledging that it must help councils improve...
Central government must give councils a 'level playing field' in how they finance capital projects and stop forcing them to use the Private Finance Initiative, according to an expert panel.
The government's plan to introduce three-year allocations to English primary care trusts and earmark less of the cash is a 'step in the right direction', NHS managers said last week.
Social services across the country are heading for meltdown, Unison warned this week after a report revealed social workers as the lowest-paid professional group in local government.
The Office of Government Commerce should be given responsibility for overseeing procurement by the NHS and the Ministry of Defence, according to an influential committee of MPs.
The government is understood to be considering creating a Department for Devolution in the wake of this week's rushed dissolution of the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions.
The government's 'carrot and stick' approach to improving the NHS may hinder attempts to reform the service and reduce the impact of the extra £40bn promised in the Budget, according to influential...
High-performing NHS hospitals will be released from the shackles of direct Whitehall control to give them an incentive to strive for excellence, Health Secretary Alan Milburn has promised.
Local government leaders are fighting attempts to incorporate business rates into the revenue support grant, a move that would extinguish all hope of their return to town hall control.
The Local Government Association has warned that its acceptance of the government's proposals for the English regions hinges on there being 'a genuine devolution of power from Whitehall'.
The future outline of English regional government was laid out on May 9 when Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott and Local Government Secretary Stephen Byers launched the regions white paper.
Local government leaders are demanding an urgent meeting with the government to clarify the effects that a World Trade Organisation agreement will have on local authorities.
Senior backbencher Edward Leigh has slated the government for failing to develop systems for measuring the success of its e-government programme two years after pledging to do so.
The government's programme of transferring council homes to registered social landlords suffered a major setback this week when tenants in Birmingham rejected a transfer proposed by their local...
The government took the unusual step of publishing an implementation plan for the local government white paper this week but failed to commit itself to a legislative timetable for reforms.
Sir John Bourn has trumpeted the increased 'right to roam' that the National Audit Office will soon enjoy in his annual report on the spending watchdog's activities.
Nick Raynsford this week warned local councils that they could expect further government guidance on local strategic partnerships, despite previous claims that Labour is committed to granting greater...
