The Department of Health faces pressure to open up its procurement arrangements following concerns that its £4.6bn programme for private treatment centres does not offer good value for money.
The sponsor of three of the government's flagship academies has hit back at suggestions that wealthy individuals could make more of a difference to children's lives by channelling their money into...
Two departments involved in a tax credits fraud came under fire this week after civil servants claimed that Whitehall managers should not have kept some personal details stolen by criminals.
The structure of local government, as well as how it is run and financed are all under scrutiny. This offers the perfect opportunity to explore lasting reforms after years of tinkering, argue Frank...
As the axe falls on thousands of frontline NHS posts, the government faces a huge row over the impact on clinical care. Seamus Ward visits a health trust about to shed 1,200 posts and hears both...
A tool for local economic regeneration or an antisocial licence to print money? As competition hots up in the bidding war for the UK's first 'super-casino', Peter Hetherington talks to the councils...
Free further education for 19 25-year-olds and a radical white paper suggest that the long-neglected college sector is finally getting its day in the sun. But what about the funding gap, asks...
The failure of List 99 to stop paedophiles working with children shocked parents and teachers and nearly did for the career of Education Secretary Ruth Kelly. Phil Revell asks whether the...
Ministers, local government employers and trade unions are set to launch a ground-breaking project with the aim of involving public sector staff in the government's reform programme.
NHS organisations reporting deficits in their final accounts for 2005/06 will be penalised by a sum equivalent to 110% of their overspend, Public Finance has learnt.
A US study into the educational attainment of mothers and their children could have 'important implications' for UK schools policy, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
The environment dominated the local elections campaign this week as the political parties vied to demonstrate their green credentials in the run-up to polling day on May 4.
Civil service trade unions this week accused the Department for Work and Pensions of withdrawing a commitment to avoid compulsory redundancies in implementing the government's £40bn efficiency...
Despite moves from the European Commission to water down its controversial services directive, concerns remain that it will still lead to the market liberalisation of some public services including...
The next Conservative government will not run public services 'from a desk in Whitehall' and will give frontline organisations the freedom to make decisions in response to local circumstances, Oliver...
As Prime Minister Tony Blair called in health chiefs for a summit on deficits on April 12, new evidence of serious problems emerged with a damning report on the NHS in Wales.
Two deficit-ridden primary care trusts in Wiltshire have withdrawn up to £3m of social care funding from the local authority with just 14 hours' notice.
Public bodies should not be afraid of turning down freedom of information requests if answering them would be disproportionately time-consuming and costly, the Office of the Information Commissioner...
College leaders this week welcomed moves to professionalise the further education workforce but added they must complement, rather than replace, existing efforts.
Patient Choice sounds great in theory, particularly when the likes of Julian Le Grand explain it. But we have to take care to avoid rushing into an untried and uncertain solution to the problems of...
Flooding, terrorism and an oil depot explosion have all wreaked havoc in the past few years. So how can public bodies use continuity planning to prepare for such disasters in the future? Ronan Ball...
