he green paper on police service reform proposes to include directly elected local representatives on police authorities. But will they have enough clout, asks Rick Muir
Criticisms of lack of evidence about the third sector's role in public services are misplaced, says Stephen Bubb. The root of the problem is poor commissioning
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...
The local government finance system in Scotland could be destabilised, with serious implications for services, if a local income tax is introduced, leading revenue experts warned this week.
Sir Simon Milton has announced that he will stand down as chair of the Local Government Association less than a fortnight after being re-elected following the offer of a post as a deputy to Mayor...
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...
Public service reform is entering a new era, with tailor-made budgets geared to the needs of individuals and putting users in control. Sophie Moullin reports
The Public Accounts Committee has again lambasted the Rural Payments Agency for its poor implementation of the Single Payment Scheme for farmers. A report published on July 15 found that almost 20,...
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
Audit Scotland has told fire and rescue authorities that they need to do more if they are to meet the requirements of Best Value, the system that requires public bodies to continually improve their...
Liverpool City Council is pressing the Merseyside Pension Fund to give its members a vote on whether ethical issues should be included in its investment principles.
Striking civil servants joined hundreds of thousands of council workers on the picket lines this week as the battle over the government's attempts to limit public sector pay stepped up a gear.
Councils need to focus more on helping older people to remain active citizens rather than concentrating solely on the needs of the infirm minority, the local government watchdog said this week.
Three Whitehall departments have displayed marked improvements in their performance in a round of follow-up capability reviews, showing 'compelling' evidence that they have acted on previous findings...
Third sector minister Phil Hope has agreed with an influential select committee that more robust evidence is required to prove whether voluntary bodies deliver public services in more distinctive...
City economies should be ready to fill skills gaps in employment for when there is an upturn in the economy, a government minister has said, as a report found the most successful cities in Britain...
Conservative leader David Cameron told councillors that the Tories were the true localist party but declined to commit to a reform of town hall finance.
The political parties have fired the opening shots in the Glasgow East by-election, a contest that is crucial for Labour and Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The government has refused to review the £800m allocated for flood prevention in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, despite MPs warning that the sum 'looks inadequate' to cope with the risks.
There is 'no compelling evidence' to show that the government's efforts to encourage the third sector to deliver public services is helping to raise standards, according to backbench MPs.
