Councils and the Audit Commission are holding ‘constructive talks’ to set up a peer review system to replace the Comprehensive Area Assessment inspection regime, Public Finance can reveal
Scotland is to be given greater powers over tax and borrowing in the biggest shake-up of the devolution settlement since the Holyrood Parliament was established
The coalition government has set out its legislative programme for the next 18 months, with 23 Bills ‘based upon the principles of freedom, fairness, and responsibility’
The formula which allocates public funding per head to people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be extended to regions in the north of England, according to a think-tank
Peter Housden, the senior civil servant at the heart of the row over local government reorganisation, has been appointed to the top job at the Scottish Executive
The Con-Lib marriage of convenience will usher in a revolution in service provision, predicts Philip Johnston. And it will hurt. But then, no-one promised the public sector a rose garden
The new coalition government this week pushed forward with its ‘Big Society’ approach to reforming public services, but critics claim the ideas are a smokescreen for cuts
Young people from poor backgrounds are still failing to get places at top universities despite millions of pounds spent on efforts to widen participation, according to a report out today
The Department for Communities and Local Government has a political powerhouse as its new chief, but can he usher in a new era of autonomy for councils, asks David Williams
The majority of government departments are likely to have a quarter of their budgets slashed over the next five years as Conservative policy looks set to preside over spending cut decisions
