The European Court of Justice has 'left the door wide open' for employees to challenge public sector bodies that reward long-serving staff with higher salaries, human resources experts are warning.
Pressure is mounting on the European Commission to publish a legal framework establishing the limits to which public services must abide by its rules on free market competition.
The Conservatives have not just got a new logo but a brand new set of policies. Both might be a bit sketchy, but have they got the potential to grow into something more meaningful? Alex Klaushofer...
Tighter controls over the financing and accountability of Parliamentary 'czars' have been recommended by an influential committee of the Scottish Parliament.
The Treasury wants to cut costs, and police pay is on the hit list. That means officers could be paid less for doing more. And in these dangerous times, the performance ramifications could be very...
As the Labour Party gathers for a tumultuous annual conference, Madeleine Bunting and Simon Parker ask what almost ten years of Blairism has really meant for public services. And how can New Labour...
Public sector employment in Scotland has risen by 11% since devolution, with the largest increase in local government, latest statistics have revealed.
All the main parties are looking to voluntary organisations to deliver more public services. Stuart Etherington warns that the sector will be wanting a lot more in return
Local and central government are under intense scrutiny, as a plethora of inquiries and reviews get set to report by the end of the year. But with near-civil war gripping the government, how likely...
Certain services and lower-value contracts have always been exempt from the European Union's procurement directive. But fresh guidance now requires even these to be publicly advertised
Social exclusion minister Hilary Armstrong this week warned local authorities and government departments that they must improve the way they deliver services to Britain's most vulnerable groups or...
Public sector staff are set to intensify their opposition to the government's reform and pay agendas, in defiance of stern warnings from the prime minister and chancellor this week that they will not...
A sharp rise in the child prison population has left councils hard pressed to meet their statutory duties to care for vulnerable child ex-offenders, say town hall leaders.
New Labour has embraced the world of management consultancy with great enthusiasm. But what has the public sector got back in return? Former management consultant David Craig offers a user-friendly...
'Co-production' is the latest big idea buzzing round Whitehall, with the aim of involving citizens more in the design and delivery of local public services. But, as Vivienne Russell discovered, there...
A senior member of the government's Pensions Commission is set to investigate a £350m retirement fund deficit across Britain's railways sector to help prevent national strikes on the network, Public...
Whitehall departments are failing to follow correct disciplinary procedures, leading to hundreds of appeals through which some staff overturn dismissals, Public Finance has learnt.
The voluntary sector and private providers face many of the same problems in dealing with the public sector. But they are capable as competitors and in alliances of greatly improving service...
The chief executive of the Local Government Association tells Joseph McHugh about the push for greater autonomy and diversity in the provision of council services
