Doubts about the ability of local enterprise partnerships to take on responsibility for administering public funds have prompted the Treasury to ask the Local Partnerships agency to help develop the...
The coalition’s programme to cut the cost of operational Private Finance Initiative schemes should eventually save more than double its initial £1.5bn target, the chief executive of the Local...
The likelihood of some English councils becoming unviable has been increased by a funding system that favours the wealthiest parts of the country. To avoid a financial crisis, the government must...
The government is set to miss its savings target from the new disability benefits because of a massive backlog in the assessment process, auditors said today
Public sector pensions are uncertain, unfunded and unsustainable and should be replaced with an individual contributory pension on a defined contribution basis, according to proposals from a Scottish...
Ongoing reforms to financial management in government are intended to improve management accounting and place finance professionals at the heart of Whitehall decision-making, senior figures have said.
Securing value for money from the government’s Regional Growth Fund hinges on Whitehall improving the examination of bids for public funds, the National Audit Office said today
The government’s decision to scrap emergency welfare funding for local authorities could leave vulnerable people facing crises such as homelessness or domestic abuse without emergency assistance,...
Welfare reform minister Lord Freud has insisted the government’s controversial Universal Credit benefit is being rolled out in a ‘safe and controlled’ way after confirming the extension of the reforms
Public sector borrowing is on course to fall faster than forecast in 2013/14 despite a lower-than-expected surplus in January, the Office for Budget Responsibility has said.
Chancellor George Osborne has warned that the UK’s economic recovery is not yet secure and pledged that his March 19 Budget will provide a boost to both investment and exports
Local authorities have welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister David Cameron that people whose homes have been flooded following recent storms in England will receive a council tax rebate.
More than 3,600 people are now receiving the government’s Universal Credit benefit, the Department for Work and Pensions has said, ahead of the reform being expanded into two new areas later this...
Chancellor George Osborne’s threat to block an independent Scotland from retaining Sterling would amount to a ‘George Tax’ that would expose businesses on both sides of the border to ‘hundreds of...
At least £22bn is owed to government by businesses and individuals, yet Whitehall does not have an integrated strategy to manage this debt, auditors have concluded today
The number of people employed in some public services will fall by as much as 40% as a result of the government’s deficit reduction plan, an Institute for Fiscal Studies analysis has revealed.
Chancellor George Osborne has ruled out a currency union between Scotland and the rest of the UK in the event of a Yes vote in September’s independence referendum
The cost of the Ministry of Defence’s project to build two aircraft carriers increased by more than £750m in the last year, but most of the department’s other projects are on track, the National...
Companies hit by the current spate of flooding will be given business rate relief, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today as he set out a package of measures designed to give financial help to...
A wholesale transformation of public services will be needed by whichever party wins the next election if public finance targets are to be met, the Institute for Public Policy Research has claimed