Local authorities facing losses following the collapse of the Icelandic banks are challenging the government’s ‘irrational’ decision to allow only some councils to spread their losses
A Bill giving councils more power over local public spending, viewed by ministers as vital to the success of the flagship Total Place initiative, could be derailed by a single opposition MP.
The government must balance the need to reduce the public deficit against fears that swift public spending cuts could worsen the recession, economists have warned
Finance directors face the ‘challenge of a lifetime’ in dealing with the public sector funding crisis, the Welsh Assembly Government’s permanent secretary has warned
Improved financial management in the NHS has left it well placed to tackle looming economic challenges, the new care watchdog has said in its first major assessment of the health service’s performance