An increase in the number of local authorities recruiting existing chief executives from other councils is driving up costs and restricting the recruitment pool, the Audit Commission has said.
The battle over public sector pay looked set to extend to Scotland this week, with civil servants and 100,000 local government workers ready to oppose Scottish Government offers.
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...
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...
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...
A bid to revitalise local democracy and hand control over assets and spending to local communities were at the heart of the local government white paper published by Communities Secretary Hazel...
The government talks long and loud about empowering local communities. So why is it so determined to impose directly elected mayors on councils and citizens that plainly don't want them, ask George...
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
