Delays in assessing people for the new disability benefits are unacceptably long, with some claims taking more than six months to process, MPs said today.
There should be a ‘presumption of openness’ on the publication of public data and government needs to devise ways to maximise its economic potential, MPs have said.
The chair of the government company planning the construction of the High Speed 2 rail link has called on ministers to speed up the building timetable to spread the benefits of the line across the...
Many of the school inspectors used by education watchdog Ofsted lack the skills and experience to do the job effectively now the government has given greater independence to schools, a think-tank has...
Local authorities lose more than £200m as a result of council tax reductions given to single people in large homes, and town halls should be given the freedom to scrap the discount, the Local...
City Deals that will provide nearly £200m of public funds to boost the growth prospects of Sunderland and Stoke-on-Trent have been signed by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.
The Office for Budget Responsibility should be given the power to vary VAT, income and corporate tax rates to ensure the sustainability of the public finances, the think-tank Reform said today.
Any additional cuts to local government funding announced in next week’s Budget would compromise the ability of local government to boost economic growth, counties have warned
Outsourcing by government departments risks creating ‘a shadow state’ where public spending is not transparent, and reforms are needed to increase accountability, the Public Accounts Committee has...
Public sector employers will need to increase the amount they pay into occupational pension schemes, as current levels are insufficient to meet the future costs, the Treasury has announced.
Councils need to invest more in their procurement skills to ensure they get best value from the £45bn spent on good and services across local government every year, a committee of MPs has said.
The government and councils do not know if the limits of the adult social care system to provide quality care are being reached as demand rises and funding is squeezed, auditors have warned.
A sharp fall in North Sea revenues last year has increased Scotland’s notional public finances deficit to £12bn, a significantly higher per capita figure than for the rest of the UK, according to the...
The chair of the Public Accounts Committee has pledged that MPs will ‘have a real go’ at maintaining scrutiny of council services following the abolition of the Audit Commission
The government’s £2.4bn auction of 4G mobile phone licences last February was within the range of the money raised in other European countries, despite failing to meet a Treasury target, the National...
The Treasury has levied more than £500,000 in fines against two Whitehall departments following breaches of government rules on the use of off-payroll contractors
The government’s ‘insanely ambitious’ timescale to wind up the Audit Commission will spread many of its functions across Whitehall, reducing their effectiveness, an analysis has found.
Public sector employers expect an improvement in the jobs outlook over the next three months, with more expecting to hire staff than are anticipating shedding posts, a survey has found.
Local council tax support schemes introduced following the government’s welfare reforms have reduced work incentives in some part of the country, the Public Accounts Committee has found.
