Town halls will need to hold a Conservative government’s ‘feet to the fire’ to ensure it stays true to its localist pledges, the shadow minister for the Cabinet Office has admitted
Batten down the hatches, the worst is yet to come. Even if the recession is now over, there are mounting social and financial pressures on the UK. Only radical government action can avert disaster,...
Plans by Doncaster’s controversial elected mayor to cut council tax by 3% on top of budget cuts of 15% over three years could tip services ‘over the edge’, unions have warned
Local government leaders have urged ministers to give councils a new ‘power of general competence’ as a pioneering mutual insurance scheme went into provisional liquidation this week
Government figures have revealed huge variations in local authority’s efficiency savings, while experts have warned that they are distorted by ‘smoke and mirrors’
The system for certifying grant funding to local authorities should be reviewed and its value for money analysed, the Local Government Association has said
Public bodies run costly risks when they use the Private Finance Initiative, argues Matthew Dillon. Managing special purpose companies is one of the most obvious
Conservatives gather next week knowing they need to spell out plans for austerity government. They’re taking tips from Tory ‘easyCouncils’
on how to get more for less. Philip Johnston asks whether...
With a spending squeeze looming, public sector leaders should take the initiative now to ensure any changes are on their terms. Gill Hunter advises on the best way to go about it
The Audit Commission has admitted to ‘teething problems’ in its new inspection regime for local authorities, following strong criticism from council leaders
money by scrapping almost all central government regulation and devolving power to frontline services have provoked anger in the Audit Commission and been dismissed by experts
This year’s conference season will be dominated by cuts - uncomfortable ground for Labour. Far from providing a policy platform, it might only highlight the government’s problems
Building firms that have been fined for rigging bids for public sector contracts should apologise to the public and hand back some of their profits, the Local Government Association has said
Councils could pool up to £30bn of their cash in a dedicated investment fund under Local Government Association plans drawn up following the Icelandic banking fiasco
Council tax payers in Scotland will have their bills frozen for a third successive year following budget plans announced by Finance Secretary John Swinney
The Audit Commission is urging councils to do more to fight fraud, warning that hundreds of millions of pounds are being lost each year due to false benefit claims and tax avoidance
