Last month, the government approved nine new unitary authorities. There is one problem though its powers to do this are languishing in a Bill before Parliament, and so one council has challenged...
Should citizens have a direct say in the way councils spend their money? George Jones and John Stewart explore the pros and cons of participatory budgeting an idea whose time might have come
The government has made slow progress against its target to clear a backlog of 450,000 asylum seekers' case files despite a five-year plan introduced last summer, the chief executive of the Border...
The government has stated that it remains committed to reducing carbon emissions despite speculation that it is set to scrap an award-winning, council-driven scheme that encourages greater use of...
Residents' satisfaction with services and value for money should be the yardsticks against which local authorities are measured when Comprehensive Area Assessments are introduced in 2009, according...
Do Whitehall figures understate the socioeconomic impact of immigration? More precise local-level monitoring and checks on outward migration will give an answer, the agencies involved say
Serious doubts have been cast over government plans for 3 million new homes by 2020 after inspectors backed a more modest increase in house-building in Southeast England.
Local authority pension schemes have attacked many of the UK's biggest firms for not disclosing adequate information about the work of their audit committees.
Scotland's public sector watchdog has criticised the NHS and councils over a lack of information about the costs of providing care for people with long-term conditions.
Northern Ireland's Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety is to clamp down on the fraudulent use of its health service by Irish Republic residents.
One of the Local Government Pension Scheme's biggest investment managers was this week accused of a potential conflict of interest over a £360,000 donation to the Conservative Party.
The scaling down of Public Service Agreements has been heralded as emblematic of a less centralist approach to performance management. But details of the new delivery agreements suggest otherwise
New Work and Pensions Secretary Peter Hain has thrown down the gauntlet in a green paper designed to get the long-term unemployed into jobs. But, as Mark Conrad reports, there are some tricky battles...
Housing is back at the top of the political agenda, with a green paper promising to solve the affordable housing crisis. But how is the new prime minister going to square a return to social rented...
Voluntary sector involvement in public service delivery is blighted by poor commissioning and perceived conflicts with European Union competition rules, the Audit Commission has found.
The Local Government Employers organisation has issued an urgent notice warning councils to resume meaningful negotiations with unions or risk expensive litigation over a potential £5bn gender pay...
Town halls were celebrating a 'victory for common sense' this week after the High Court ruled in their favour in a dispute with Whitehall over the distribution of a special grant designed to reward...
There are huge regional differences between residents' attitudes towards reform of their local waste collection services and also the recycling schemes offered by councils, a national survey has...
