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...
Health sector trade unions were this week expecting a breakthrough in negotiations with employers over an improved pay offer that could prevent strikes across the NHS.
First Minister Alex Salmond appears set for a clash with Whitehall over the Scottish National Party's plans to issue bonds as an alternative to public-private partnerships.
Audit Scotland is to draw up an improvement plan for its Best Value audits, following an independent review. That highlighted inconsistencies in approach, the need to link better with other...
Gordon Brown's new ministerial team has ditched plans to create 'mega-contractors' that would enjoy lucrative regional monopolies in the forthcoming privatisation of jobseeker programmes.
Permanent secretary Sir John Elvidge has come under fire from Opposition parties after disclosing that talks are taking place on the creation of a separate Scottish civil service.
Scottish ministers are to demand that unspent cash should be fully available to the Executive in the next budget round and not retained by the Treasury in London.
New Health Secretary Alan Johnson is launching a much-needed charm offensive starting with a clinician-led NHS review. Seamus Ward assesses the chances of tackling the problems stacking up in his...
First Minister Alex Salmond has appointed an influential group of leading academics and business leaders to sit on a new Council of Economic Advisers in Scotland.
The Scottish National Party has been criticised by a public finance expert for lacking financial discipline and making 'dubious assumptions' about future savings.
Labour has retained the presidency of Scotland's local government association, despite the loss of seats to the Scottish National Party in May's Holyrood elections.
It's been a challenging week for Team Gordon, as the new PM and his Cabinet strive to show who's in charge. Peter Riddell assesses what all the ministerial changes mean
An independent inquiry into the funding of free personal care for elderly people in Scotland has been ordered by the SNP minority government at Holyrood.
Town hall leaders have urged ministers to reject a key proposal from David Freud's welfare review, claiming that regional 'mega-contractors' could fail to combat deep-rooted local unemployment...
Alex Salmond's government might be 'in office, not in power'. But that is not holding the Scottish National Party back from launching a radical public sector shake-up. Iain Macwhirter reports from...
The minority Scottish National Party administration at Holyrood could be forced to revise its budget under proposed reforms backed by opposition parties.
Scottish Water has outperformed its operating targets, reducing costs by £160m a year or 40% in real terms, the Water Industry Commission for Scotland has disclosed.
Informing the public is more than a duty, it's a challenge to make your audiences sit up and take notice. Wychavon council and the other winners of the Public Reporting and Accountability Awards have...
The Scottish National Party has added to its success in becoming the minority government at Holyrood by winning influential positions of power locally.
Scotland's auditor general, Bob Black, is to review the cost projections of controversial airport rail link and tram plans for Edinburgh before a final decision is made on whether the projects should...
Is New Labour's modernisation agenda for public services anywhere near endgame? Tony Travers surveys the progress so far and asks whether a Brown government should slow down or speed up the pace of...
