The FE white paper rightly recognises that adults and young people have different learning needs. But more needs to be done to provide adult learners with greater choice and lighter-touch planning
Local government workers are not striking over unreasonable pension demands. They simply want equal treatment with other public sector employees and a fair replacement for the '85-year' rule
The latest guidance issued to councils on 'efficiency gains' is clearer and acknowledges the importance of quality. But there are still gaps, not least how all these savings should be measured....
Rumours of the PFI's death have been greatly exaggerated. With its lengthy inflexible contracts and high annual costs, its days were looking numbered in an era of choice. But then Gordon Brown came...
Nurses and doctors from developing countries can no longer be poached by the NHS, but other richer nations do not have the same restrictions. Ministers Rosie Winterton and Gareth Thomas call for a...
Self-governing trust schools are New Labour's latest big idea for education. But confusion still reigns over their structure and how they will be governed in practice. Tash Shifrin investigates
Critics of choice in public services claim that ordinary people don't want it. Quite the opposite, argues Julian Le Grand it's the least well-off who stand to gain the most
With education set to take the lion's share of public spending increases, what are the prospects for other departments? The chancellor will have little room to manoeuvre in the Comprehensive...
The Local Government Pension Scheme's 85-year rule has to go, even for some existing members. With members living so much longer, carrying on with it is neither fair nor affordable, whatever the...
Some of the nation's finest minds are trying to track down the culprits for the soaring NHS deficits. Andy McKeon knows where the bodies are buried and says all will be revealed once the reforms...
Yes, the government missed its 2004/05 target for reducing the number of children in poverty but it has made some heartening progress towards the overall goal. Ian Kearns explains what it needs to...
The PM is to appoint a new independent 'ethics czar' to stem rising public concern over political misconduct. It doesn't go far enough, argues Colin Talbot
Local authorities have made efficiency savings, yet ever-increasing social care demands continue to put pressure on their budgets. It's time to come up with a fair and sustainable system of funding
Up to 80 cottage hospitals in England are threatened with closure and yet NHS community hospitals are meant to be the next big thing. Tash Shifrin investigates
At first glance the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive scheme seems to be a good idea. But it does away with the principle of equalisation, distributing funds regardless of councils' needs or...
In this increasingly litigious society, local authorities have become used to being sued for everything from cracked pavements to housing problems. But is there now a new and serious threat to be...
Next week's Budget looks like being a return to form for the chancellor, thanks to a big rise in tax receipts. But is he on course to hit his political as well as economic targets? Peter Riddell...
Social Homebuy was launched a year ago with the promise of giving social tenants the chance to buy a part share in their homes. Neil Merrick visits an estate that is piloting the scheme
Fears of a multibillion pound black hole in public sector pensions have brought forward calls for the chancellor to amend his fiscal rules. John Hawksworth analyses the options and calls on the...
The government's goal of 50% participation in higher education is still a long way off. And top-up fees could make a bad situation worse, particularly for working-class students. Stephen Court...
In 2003, angry pensioners were taking to the streets as council tax soared, unchecked by government. This year, ministers cracked the whip and councils meekly complied. Tony Travers explains what's...
The proposed Planning Gain Supplement threatens to remove rather than strengthen the powers of local authorities that need to expand housing, while allowing central government to divert the cash...
The government hates it and wants to avoid it at all costs. But there's no getting away from local party politics in a representative democracy, argue George Jones and John Stewart. It needs to be...
City-regions offer a new take on local democracy, holding out the idea of governance that reflects the urban economic realities. But these will only work if the hinterland is also involved in...
