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21 Apr 05
Cleaning is too often the invisible service. But Belbclean has put an end to that, boosting staff and teachers' morale alike by transforming school cleaning in Belfast. Paul Gosling reports
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21 Apr 05
Ken Hunter is a firefighter with a difference, as he also helps steer children and young offenders away from a life of car crime and arson. After 26 years in the fire service, he has just picked up...
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14 Apr 05
As the election battle hots up for hearts and minds of 'hard-working families', contradictory messages are emerging about poverty and inequality. Who is telling the truth? The IPPR sifts through the...
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7 Apr 05
Gordon Brown's Budget produced a shock with its commitment to create four merged inspectorates covering the public sector. But will this brave new world lead only to greater confusion and upheaval...
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7 Apr 05
Fines, controls, ever more parking zones. Are these sensible ways to cut traffic and pollution, and raise much-needed revenue? Or just an excuse to rip off beleaguered motorists? David Meilton...
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31 Mar 05
At least 25 members of Northern Ireland's regional education and library boards have resigned in protest at cuts implemented after a tough financial settlement from the Department of Education.
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31 Mar 05
With the parties vying for the votes of 'hard-working families', Maria McHale talks to Trade...
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31 Mar 05
Ofsted's first ever finance director tells Vivienne Russell about his drive to bring the standards that he has fostered in local government to the inspectorate
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24 Mar 05
The chancellor is pledged to a surplus of revenues over current spending in any economic cycle. But with the cycle ending in 2005/06 it looks increasingly unlikely that he will be able to achieve...
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24 Mar 05
The MRSA superbug has struck fear into the hearts of hospital patients throughout the UK. But now, with an election expected, the government claims the health service is winning its battle against...
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17 Mar 05
Unpublished research by the Conservative party has found that rural and smaller primary schools are resorting to 'drastic measures' to meet the national workload agreement, Tim Collins has told...
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17 Mar 05
Local authorities are flouting the law by placing families with children in bed and breakfast accommodation for more than six weeks.
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17 Mar 05
Gordon Brown heralded root-and-branch reforms to the regulation of public services as he used his Budget statement to announce plans to slash the number of inspectorates from 11 to four.
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10 Mar 05
The Liberal Democrats are aiming to slash the number of public sector inspectorates and load their responsibilities on to the Audit Commission.
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10 Mar 05
Law lords have overturned a landmark appeal court ruling that the government cannot reclaim benefit overpayments.
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10 Mar 05
As the political parties compete for the most radical cuts to red tape before the election, they are turning their magnifying glasses on to regulation and inspection. While a pruning is overdue, it...
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10 Mar 05
The shadow chief secretary to the Treasury is unafraid to speak of huge Whitehall cuts in his plan for better public services. Joseph McHugh heard his battle strategy
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3 Mar 05
Foundation schools are being talked up as the next big thing in education. But will fast-tracking them mean more parent choice and school autonomy or a dangerous lack of accountability and...
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3 Mar 05
Beefing up city and county regions might paradoxically be the most effective way of putting the local into 'new localism' in the twenty-first century, argues Gerry Stoker
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24 Feb 05
The way public services are contracted and delivered could be transformed if an innovative funding model is rolled out across the country, charities minister Fiona Mactaggart said this week.
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24 Feb 05
The government is making significant progress in meeting its targets on reducing homelessness, according to National Audit Office figures published this week.
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24 Feb 05
Hartlepool mayor Stuart Drummond who is better known by his pseudonym H'Angus the Monkey is among a clutch of elected mayors standing for re-election.
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24 Feb 05
Consultation launched on schools' three-year budgets even as plans progress through Parliament
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24 Feb 05
Having overseen the Department of Health's 'big bang' NHS policies, Andy McKeon now scrutinises their impact from an Audit Commission standpoint. Karen Day spoke to him
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24 Feb 05
Neighbourhood boards are the latest big idea for getting the public to improve the services they use. But will this US invention work here, asks Chris Skelcher
21 Apr 05Cleaning is too often the invisible service. But Belbclean has put an end to that, boosting staff and teachers' morale alike by transforming school cleaning in Belfast. Paul Gosling reports
21 Oct 20 to 22 Oct 20
20 Oct 20
