The coalition has promised to protect NHS spending and strengthen primary care. But a £20bn funding gap and contradictory pressures are already bearing down on the new team at the Department of...
The June 22 Budget will herald major spending cuts to tackle the country's debt crisis. But there is also a wider strategic goal, argues Colin Talbot - and it's called rolling back the 'Big State'
The new education secretary has hit the playground running, with legislation on free schools and fast-track academies. But what does this mean for school rebuilds, special educational needs and the...
Former Audit Commission chief executive Steve Bundred said he had 'one more big job left in him' – and he got it. The new chair of rapidly expanding NHS regulator Monitor talks to Lucy Phillips about...
The new government has already announced £6bn worth of cuts and more are on the way. In the run-up to this month's emergency Budget, Public Finance held a round table to assess the risks ahead. David...
CIPFA's new president brings experience of both health and local government to the role, as well as a strong public sector ethos. She explains her goals to PF editor Mike Thatcher
Sweden's response to its 1990s fiscal crisis could provide the coalition government with an instruction kit on how to reassemble the UK economy. Alison Moore spoke to former premier Göran Persson...
It was never meant to be like this. Whitehall is tearing up the rulebook and getting used to the political and practical consequences of a coalition government. Peter Riddell reports from within the...
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
Local government finance directors will play an increasingly important role in the harsh financial times ahead – but they will need different skills, argues Rob Whiteman
A while back, Ireland's economy was at risk of going the way of Greece. But drastic action to tackle the deficit – including public sector cutbacks – has begun to turn things around. Paul Gosling...
It is not surprising the electoral system has been a big issue this week, but few would have guessed reforms would have to incorporate the polling stations themselves. David Williams reports on a bad...
Green issues took a back seat in the general election but that’s no reason for town halls and NHS trusts to ignore them. Installing wind and solar power in public buildings will cut both costs and...
In the election campaign, all the parties promised the public a starring role in running and vetting public services. But where’s the evidence that people want to be actors on this bigger stage?...
Over-centralised government is at the root of many problems. But all parties remain trapped in a mind-set that prevents public services from breaking free, argue Roger Latham and Malcolm Prowle. In...
All the major parties are promising big investment in infrastructure. But with private finance paralysed and cuts in public spending, where are they going to get the money from? Mark Hellowell...
Never mind a double-dip recession. Many regions and sectors in the UK are already facing a double economic whammy. In the second of their mini-series, Roger Latham and Malcolm Prowle argue that...
The NHS is a priority issue for voters in the general election. So how successful have the reforms and high levels of investment been over the past 13 years – and what challenges will a new...
Medical technology can make the difference between life and death but with shrinking NHS budgets, finance directors need to find new ways to get hold of capital equipment. David Martin has some ideas
Next PM, please take note: whichever way you cut it, Whitehall is going to need a radical shake-up to cope with the upheavals ahead. The Institute for Government has got a to-do list. Simon Parker...
Public sector ‘fat cats’ are the latest target of attacks as the financial crisis continues. Could independent remuneration committees restore faith in senior staff pay? Duncan Brown reports
The government is offering commitments on skills training for young people at the same time as making wholesale changes to the structure of further education funding. Can this be done at a time of...
Has Alistair Darling’s Budget done enough to rein in public spending? Economists, as ever, are divided. In this first of three features on the changing UK economy, Roger Latham and Malcolm Prowle...
Evidence from the Total Place pilots shows that the government's big new idea for funding local services will need nurturing in Whitehall. Chris Leslie and Nigel Keohane explain why it means change...
