Labour and the Conservatives are both vying to be the party of devolution, but do their proposals include the radical 'whole system' reform necessary to succeed, wonders Dick Sorabji
This week's call for means-tested charges for NHS services is wrong-headed. Such a move would raise few funds, deter the wrong people from using health care, and undermine the consensus that backs...
Northern Ireland Health Minister Paul Goggins has promised to dramatically reduce bed-blocking, which at present accounts for the use of 200 to 300 beds per day in the province's hospitals.
While Labour and the Conservatives join battle over who has the most sustainable policies, public sector organisations are making some serious strides forward. Andrew Ross reports on an issue whose...
Network Rail this week revealed that two of its senior executives were among 4,300 staff targeted by criminals in Whitehall's multi-million pound tax credits fraud.
New transport chief Douglas Alexander might imagine he has inherited a successful rail sector. But Christian Wolmar predicts a host of problems further down the track
The Commons' Public Accounts Committee this week warned that taxpayers' money could still be called on to plug financial gaps in the construction of the prestigious Channel Tunnel Rail Link because...
We are delighted and proud that Unison, one of the largest trade unions in Europe, is again sponsoring the overall team award at the Public Servants of the Year Awards 2006.
Local government is finally getting the attention it deserves, with its white paper and inquiry both due this year. But will anything change? Public Finance invited Sir Michael Lyons and a round...
The current system for funding long-term care is 'inequitable, incoherent and financially unstable', a three-year research project by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has concluded.
Flooding, terrorism and an oil depot explosion have all wreaked havoc in the past few years. So how can public bodies use continuity planning to prepare for such disasters in the future? Ronan Ball...
The latest guidance issued to councils on 'efficiency gains' is clearer and acknowledges the importance of quality. But there are still gaps, not least how all these savings should be measured....
Local authorities could start issuing more capital bonds as an alternative to central government borrowing or the Private Finance Initiative, according to credit rating agency Standard & Poor's.
Police forces reacted with a mixture of delight and dismay after Home Secretary Charles Clarke set out merger plans for three more English regions this week.
In 2003, angry pensioners were taking to the streets as council tax soared, unchecked by government. This year, ministers cracked the whip and councils meekly complied. Tony Travers explains what's...
Scottish Communities Minister Malcolm Chisholm has given assurances that plans to transfer control of Glasgow's public housing stock to community ownership will go ahead despite a reported £300m...
Most local authorities want to make the most of their community powers and include social and environmental benefits in the contracts they award. But procurement law can be problematic
When the National Audit Office investigated Whitehall's efficiency savings it found that they weren't all they seemed. Some were aspirational, some weren't efficient and others couldn't be proved....
Critics of local government's structure need look no further than Durham to support their case against two-tier councils. Would a unitary approach across England produce less confusion, while...
Britain's graffiti and vandalism-scarred railway stations are in a 'deplorable state' and the Department for Transport must take urgent action, senior backbench MPs are demanding.
