The chancellor is pledged to a surplus of revenues over current spending in any economic cycle. But with the cycle ending in 2005/06 it looks increasingly unlikely that he will be able to achieve...
The Private Finance Initiative has not gone away it's just adapted to meet changing times. Mark Hellowell explores the opportunities and pitfalls in the new areas that the programme is expanding...
Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson will chair a pensions summit next week, beginning the fresh negotiations over retirement plans promised to public sector unions following this week's...
Millions of public service workers look certain to take part in the sector's largest strike for decades next week as the government comes under fire for its 'politically inept' handling of pension...
The record equal pay settlement at North Cumbria Acute NHS Trust is 'unlikely to be replicated elsewhere', employers have warned, despite Unison this week gearing up for the prospect of similar...
Sir Andrew Turnbull has admitted that the distinction made between back-office and frontline civil servants, one of the initial tenets of the government's £40bn efficiency agenda, 'was a mistake'.
They've worked wonders in Canada and the US, and now they're over here to do the same. Nick Raynsford explains how local firms can use Business Improvement Districts to help transform their town...
The Freedom of Information Act brings greater transparency about public sector spending and decision-making. But there are some grey areas, such as internal audit and fraud investigations, where...
Ninety-eight percent of local authorities say they will meet the government target of offering all their services on-line by the end of this year, according to the latest assessment.
A £500m reduction in benefit fraud by the Department for Work and Pensions has been wiped out by rising overpayments to claimants, the DWP's permanent secretary admitted to MPs this week.
As the political parties compete for the most radical cuts to red tape before the election, they are turning their magnifying glasses on to regulation and inspection. While a pruning is overdue, it...
The shadow chief secretary to the Treasury is unafraid to speak of huge Whitehall cuts in his plan for better public services. Joseph McHugh heard his battle strategy
Schools and colleges are not doing enough to ensure that they purchase everything from photocopiers to supply teachers cost-effectively, according to the man heading education's procurement...
Risk registers are becoming ever-more numerous and elaborate, but they are not worth the Word documents they are printed on if they fail to engage with the everyday business of their organisation
Neighbourhood boards are the latest big idea for getting the public to improve the services they use. But will this US invention work here, asks Chris Skelcher
If the forthcoming social care green paper avoids spelling out the cost of long-term care for older people, Sir Derek Wanless's review is likely to be less coy, argues Paul Gosling
Pathfinder programmes set up to boost demand for housing in the North and Midlands have struggled to spend money on worthwhile projects, says the Audit Commission.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott urged Labour councillors to unite behind the party and 'stop talking and scribbling' in the run-up to the general and county council elections.
Local government unions look likely to press ahead with ballots for industrial action over controversial new pension regulations, despite last-minute talks with ministers to avert politically...
Electronic Data Systems, one of Whitehall's largest IT contractors, has eased fears about its financial health by reporting a profit but the government has revealed it has investigated the company'...
Finding a blueprint to tackle Britain's looming pensions crisis is one of the major challenges Work and Pensions Secretary Alan Johnson has set himself, he told Public Finance this week.