The explicit efficiency targets for local government, set out in Sir Peter Gershon's review, are to be relaxed in favour of a more 'flexible' approach to meeting the overall £6.45bn figure, Public...
Contractors have paid a 'significant' settlement to the London Borough of Hackney for time and cost overruns incurred in the building of a flagship leisure centre but have not admitted liability.
Home Secretary David Blunkett has rejected radical proposals to 'regionalise' the police service and grant district councils funding powers to 'buy' officers, Public Finance has learned.
Business leaders have rounded on the Commons' Public Accounts Committee for its 'blame culture' after it again criticised civil servants for not managing relationships with suppliers more effectively...
Ministers are close to a final decision on a major cull of public sector inspectorates, but plans to merge up to 13 bodies into four is causing concern.
More informed decision-making and greater consultation with teachers should be incorporated into the commissioning of Private Finance Initiative school buildings, the Northern Ireland Audit Office...
Local government leaders are to step up their campaign for more government cash in November's revenue support grant settlement, as ministers indicate that they will be looking for average council tax...
Too few children with special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities are being educated in mainstream schools despite government action, the school inspectorate said this week.
'One is the loneliest number' goes the song behind Unison's latest TV recruitment campaign the message being that workers are stronger if they stand united than if they act alone.
Northern Ireland's councils have reacted angrily to proposals to cut their number from 26 to just seven, as news emerged of the initial proposals of the Review of Public Administration.
Health and education are the big winners at the expense of local government in the Welsh Assembly government's draft budget, provoking warnings of council tax hikes next year.
Sixty-two local authorities in 21 areas will take part in the first Local Area Agreements as Whitehall moved this week to rationalise funding and give councils a taste of new localism.
Reforming council tax and equalising the balance of funding would be priorities for a first-term Conservative administration, according to the shadow local government secretary Caroline Spelman.
Audit Scotland has clashed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) over the spending watchdog's claim that more than £170m of public money is being lost through non-payment and...
Capital spending in Scotland is to rise by 40% over the next three years, providing more than £3bn for infrastructure, Finance and Public Services Minister Andy Kerr announced this week.
The battleground for the next general election was established this week as choice and the personalisation of public services, as the Labour Party began to flesh out its policies to 'empower' the...
