An influential think-tank has criticised relations between council officials and civil servants in Scotland.
A Scottish Council Foundation report, Innovation in public services, resulted from a...
The government's anti-age discrimination proposals unveiled this week should not force employees to work until they 'burn out' before they qualify for pensions, Unison has warned
Town hall leaders this week hit out at ministers for relegating councils to the sidelines in the rush to reform public services, and promised to 'fight for local government'.
Patients harmed by substandard NHS care will be offered an explanation and compensation of up to £30,000 under proposals unveiled this week that aim to cut the burgeoning health service clinical...
The possibility of a merger of the ombudsman services for local authorities, central government and health has receded indefinitely, local government ombudsman Tony Redmond has complained in his...
Imposed targets and growing local autonomy must proceed hand-in-hand to improve public services, a study of some of England's best councils concludes.
The Improvement and Development Agency,...
Threatening to prosecute parents has caused a marked reduction in classroom truancy, the government claimed this week.
Figures from the Department for Education and Skills on July 2 showed that...
Fire authority employers have warned of further industrial strife in the wake of the plans to overhaul firefighters' working practices and service structures.
Ministers seriously underestimated the complexity of setting up housing Private Finance Initiative schemes, an independent report has found.
The review, carried out for the Office of the Deputy...
MPs this week called for a radical overhaul of regional grant distribution in England following fierce criticism of the current system.
Members of the Commons' Public Accounts Committee have...
Local authorities should have the power to decide whether their tenants have the right to buy their homes in any part of their area, the Local Government Association has told MPs scrutinising the...
A government blueprint for bringing all social housing up to scratch may need to be rewritten because of opposition from new regional boards.
Some shadow boards have already indicated that the...
The way that public money has been given to homeowners to improve dilapidated properties in Wales has proved susceptible to fraud, and changes to be introduced next month could escalate problems,...
The Audit Commission has given in to pressure from council leaders and scaled back plans to increase the thresholds between performance categories when the Comprehensive Performance Assessments are...
Struggling housing departments should be offered a cash incentive to improve their performance, according to the president of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Andrew Gray, director of housing...
CIPFA has described as 'significant' the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's intention to publish draft regulations for the prudential borrowing code next month.
Maureen Wellen, the institute'...
GPs are pushing for changes to the new contract they accepted overwhelmingly last week.
Though 79.4% of GPs voted in favour of the new contract, British Medical Association GP leader Dr John...
The government has accepted union, industry and local government proposals to settle disputes over the two-tier workforce this week.
The announcement by local government minister Nick Raynsford...
Town hall leaders are demanding a thorough analysis of the costs of reorganising local government if next year's referendums lead to elected regional assemblies being set up.
Education employers are to push for the abolition of the School Teachers' Review Body in an attempt to wrest back control over pay negotiations from Whitehall.
The chair of the National Employers'...
Asylum seekers are to be diverted away from private landlords into homes owned by councils and housing associations.
The Home Office is appealing to more social landlords to offer accommodation...
The rise of reality television offers 'important lessons' in the battle to re-engage the public with politics and encourage people to vote, Nick Raynsford said this week.
The local government...
The Audit Commission will take a more 'risk-sensitive' approach to inspections while Comprehensive Performance Assessments will 'focus on things that really matter', its new chief executive said this...
In the hothouse atmosphere of Whitehall, secrets have a habit of leaking out. Not so Alan Milburn's resignation as health secretary last week. Even his old sparring partner Gordon Brown was said to...
