Big government spending departments are being urged to remove unnecessary bureaucracy and confusion between agencies to ensure that cash for the public services reaches the front line.
Anna Klonowski, the director of finance responsible for stabilising the troubled London Borough of Hackney's budget problems, has been head-hunted to do a similar job at North East Lincolnshire...
Student debt in England and Wales could top £8.5bn a year following the government's narrow Commons victory on top-up fees, preventing graduates from seeking public sector jobs, say critics.
Plans to introduce proportional representation for Scottish local government could add £6m to the administration of elections and other costs, senior officials have estimated.
The government is 'seriously considering' proposals to hand control of the business rates back to town halls, and privately recognises that firms are not contributing their fair share of funding to...
Councils in Scotland are still struggling to cut rent arrears and are owed £28.5m 7.4% of the income they were due last year, the Accounts Commission said this week.
Cambridgeshire County Council is warning of a 10% hike in its council tax if the government forces it to fully passport funding to schools, despite meeting ministers' minimum spending targets.
The government is planning a crackdown against 31 councils on a secret Whitehall hit list identifying those likely to set inflation-busting council tax increases, as the issue dominated the political...
Local government leaders are to urge ministers to review the entire regulatory framework for councils, while broadly endorsing the Audit Commission's planned reforms to the Comprehensive Performance...
Sir Michael Bichard, the former civil servant charged with leading the inquiry established in the wake of Ian Huntley's conviction, has promised to be fast, thorough and tough.
A major increase in revenue and capital expenditure has been announced by acting Northern Ireland finance minister Ian Pearson, who has published his revised Budget.
Plans to further centralise control of Britain's rail network could bring an end to the 'messianic individual' approach to regulation, which hinders effective co-ordination across the sector, a...
Government auditors have praised the Department for Transport for its role in the refinancing of the troubled National Air Traffic Services' public-private partnership.
Rabbi Julia Neuberger, the former chief executive of the King's Fund, has been created a dame commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New Year's honours list.
Christmas has come two weeks early for local government and, in an unlikely turn of events, Gordon Brown has been transformed from Scrooge to Santa Claus.
Teaching unions have hit back at the chief inspector of schools after he blamed inadequate teaching for the lack of progress towards targets for literacy and numeracy among primary school children.
The Audit Commission waded into the bitter council tax row this week with research laying the blame for England's 12.9% average rise in the tax on the government's poor funding system and its...
The chief executive of the Criminal Records Bureau defended its second hike in fees in nine months this week, claiming the 17% increase would more accurately reflect the costs of the service.
Eric Pickles, the shadow local government secretary, has described this year's council finance settlement as a 'dog's breakfast' and warned that 'serious funding problems' would hamper new education...
