Addressing deprivation and access to opportunity is more important in defusing community tensions than attempting to foster a common sense of 'Britishness', according to a report by the Joseph...
Health minister Ivan Lewis has announced the 25 local authority schemes that will share the £80m Extra Care Housing Fund for 2008-2011. The fund is paid to councils to help them provide specialised...
It's a tough job& but someone's got to be chief secretary to the Treasury. And who better than a long-standing minister with an economics background? Vivienne Russell meets her
Outsourced public services are big business. DeAnne Julius's landmark review last week valued this relatively young sector at £79bn, with the potential to keep on growing. Business Secretary John...
On the surface, eco-towns seem to tick all the right boxes, providing essential new homes without harming the planet. So why are the locals up in arms? Neil Merrick reports
If Sir Peter Gershon has left one legacy it is that he has made efficiency a major part of public sector discourse. This, at least, is the view of Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper.
The long-term growth in household energy consumption is beginning to reverse, with energy efficiency in the home improving by 19% between 1990 and 2004, according to a National Audit Office report on...
Attempts by the government to improve the housing market in the North of England and the Midlands have been more 'successful at demolishing old homes' than building new ones, a committee of MPs has...
How do you persuade people to stop behaving badly, or to do things for their own good? Not by bribing them or banning the activities, says Ann Rossiter, who argues that reinforcing social norms is...
New streamlined performance indicators for town halls mark a 'major cultural shift' in the way councils are measured and in their relationship with Whitehall, the communities and local government...
Housing associations and other developers are to be offered a larger share of grants before they start building, in a move to revive the industry during the credit crunch.
Pilot schemes allowing councils to offer financial incentives to cut household waste are to go ahead, despite fears in local government that they would be scrapped.
Increasing local accountability for services and improving the fractious relationship between town halls and Whitehall could create an 'upward curve' in democracy, the Local Government Association's...
All social landlords should come under a single regulatory system by spring 2010 at the latest, according to the newly appointed head of the Tenant Services Authority.
The London Olympics present a financial challenge like no other combining a global sporting event with a major regeneration project. But to achieve its goals the Games will need substantial private...
Councils are confused. On the one hand, Hazel Blears promises a new white paper to empower them. On the other, she is busy devolving control away from them to local citizens. But there's no...
