Local authorities, refugee groups and social workers have condemned controversial plans put forward by the government in this year's Queen's Speech to take the children of failed asylum seekers into...
Chancellor Gordon Brown this week set in motion the roll-out of regional wage settlements across the public services but insisted that changes must be made within existing national pay frameworks.
The government will not impose a single capping threshold on local authorities whose council tax increases are deemed to be excessive, Public Finance has learned, but councils will be expected to...
As the Lords finally bowed to the will of MPs last week and allowed foundation trusts on to the statute book, any cries of joy from the health service would have been muted.
London and the West Midlands could each gain an extra £150m over three years under plans to let councils keep some of the business rates raised locally, new Treasury figures show.
The proportion of funding raised through council tax should be decreased and other regimes such as local income tax considered to run alongside it, CIPFA said this week.
District councils cried foul and other local authorities renewed threats of council tax rises and service cuts in spite of the proposed 4.7% increase in revenue support grant announced by the...
There will be a major review of the impact of the first foundation trusts, the government announced this week in a further package of concessions on the controversial initiative.
Councils in Scotland will each undergo a new in-depth audit to determine whether they are meeting their Best Value duties, Audit Scotland has announced.
Councils are threatening to cut services in the expectation of receiving an average 4.9% grant increase when the provisional finance settlement is announced next week.
The Audit Commission expects to see its income fall by £36m over the next three years because of its diminishing responsibilities and its emphasis on more strategic regulation.
New shadow local government secretary David Curry has vowed to take the fight for council freedoms and flexibilities to the Labour government following his surprise appointment as one of the...
An employers' leader conceded this week that local government pay negotiations need an overhaul as firefighters announced they would vote on whether to accept a two-stage 7% wage increase.
Providers of adult mental health services in England will have only £56m to develop their services in the current financial year, according to the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health.
Union officials have warned that further job cuts may be looming if the Audit Commission loses its battle to audit NHS foundation trusts, after the regulator announced it is cutting 250 posts.
The Audit Commission has confirmed that the best councils will lose their 'excellent' status under the Comprehensive Performance Assessments if their performance in future falls below 2002 thresholds.
Employers accused the Fire Brigades Union of trying to rewrite their summer agreement on pay and conditions after a new dispute blew up this week over a November wage increase.
London councils that have or plan to set up arm's-length companies to manage their housing stand to lose more than £167m per year because of cuts in government management and maintenance allowances.
