A quarter of all government spending is on goods and services provided by third parties but the public sector is still poor at managing suppliers. In these difficult times, organisations need to get...
The scrutiny of Scotland’s councils by inspectorates and audit bodies will be reduced by about 25% following streamlining of the audit process, the chair of the Accounts Commission in Scotland told...
Councils moved closer to regaining their role as house-builders this week after the government gave 47 the go-ahead to build more than 2,000 homes on land they already own
The government must continue to devolve power to sub-regions and local authorities if it is to succeed in harnessing the ‘untapped potential’ in these areas, a think-tank has urged
Traditional capital funding methods are proving risky. So why shouldn't local authorities be able to adopt the US model of municipal bonds, asks Chris Leslie
Council-owned housing companies outside London are demanding they should not be forgotten after a task force was set up to protect decent homes work and other projects in the capital
The Audit Commission has launched an investigation into severance payments for senior council officers, and is appealing for local government workers to provide evidence
Planned capital funding is set to be halved. So how can public bodies break out of their silos, and make the most of the £21bn available? John Tizard and Robert Hill have some ideas
The government’s Total Place programme has a lot riding on it. But will scrutinising all public money spent in a location really lead to better but cheaper ways of providing services?
The severance payouts given to ‘boomerang bosses’ - ousted council chief executives who quickly find employment in other local authorities - will be reviewed by the Audit Commission
Compensation claims for accidents involving pavement trips have cost each council in England an average of £1m over the past five years, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats
All 12 local councils in Surrey have protested against the government’s capping of the police authority budget and the requirement to rebill their residents
A row has flared over Edinburgh’s controversial tramway plan after the city council entered into a formal legal dispute with the consortium building the £545m project
Local authorities’ borrowing from the government has fallen by more than a third in one year, while deposits with the Treasury’s Debt Management Office are rocketing after the Icelandic banking fiasco
