The Scottish Government has indicated a major shift in its controversial plans for a local income tax by confirming it is investigating taxing unearned income and allowing individual councils to vary...
As the global financial crisis deepens, public sector pension schemes are facing a double whammy. Not only are they suffering from falling share values, but there are increasing calls for their '...
Communities and Local Government Secretary Hazel Blears has said Whitehall staff are now committed to her department's communities plans, despite being 'incredibly sceptical' of policy changes.
Financial pressures are a constant for local authorities, but a new and unexpected difficulty has stolen the headlines. In October, scores of councils came down with a nasty case of frostbite after...
Town halls should be at the forefront of tackling unemployment and focus on people out of work for long periods, experts said at a Local Government Information Unit conference on October 21
The government has insisted the role of children's trusts will be clarified and strengthened after the Audit Commission said they had yet to show a positive impact and had led to confusion.
The Offenders' Learning and Skills Service came under fire this week by a group of senior MPs for its failure to deliver essential education and skills to prisoners and offenders.
The government's proposal to build 180,000 affordable homes by 2011 is the latest victim of the credit crunch as housing associations are unable to raise the funding they pledged last year
The social care watchdog has called for a clearer and simpler framework for deciding who should be at the front of the queue for publicly funded services, and a national formula to underpin...
Scottish Finance Secretary John Swinney has promised a council tax freeze in Scotland for the second successive year despite local authority fears about new financial pressures
Partnerships have become an important way of improving the efficiency of the public sector. However, there are risks involved. These can often be overlooked but are easily overcome if you are aware...
As credit crunch turns into recession, it's time for a revival in public sector banking, argue Chris Leslie and Stephen Cirell. And local authorities could lead the way
Town hall leaders are confident that they can meet targets to pay small and medium-sized suppliers more swiftly, to help them through the economic slowdown
Public sector investors should look beyond credit ratings and ensure they are in dialogue with banking institutions to minimise the risks around deposits, the Financial Services Authority has said
Home Office funding for locally led efforts to tackle violent crime is targeted at the consequences rather than the causes and should be changed to allow for strategic planning, MPs have said
