Teaching unions are calling on the new government to scrap Standard Assessment Tests for 10 and 11 year-olds following a boycott of the tests this week
A higher turnout than normal gave Labour gains in last week’s local elections, but councils of all political shades face unpopular decisions on spending cuts, experts have warned
The newly elected House of Commons has seen an increase in the number of privately educated MPs, leading to a profile that ‘does not reflect society at large’, according to research published today
Polling stations across the country were thrown into disarray last night after high turn-outs, thinly spread resources and large volumes of postal votes stretched the UK’s antiquated electoral system...
Regions are at risk of becoming ‘entrenched’ in a damaging public spending culture if nationalist parties are given too many concessions during the fight to secure a stable government, think-tanks...
Moving civil service administration posts abroad could save the biggest-spending Whitehall departments £50m a year, according to the consultancy industry’s trade body
Fresh thinking about the design and provision of services will be needed if councils are to cope with the difficult times ahead, the chief of Scotland’s local government spending watchdog has warned
Reforms aimed at improving access to NHS dentists in England could be at risk of funding cuts despite their potential to save money in the long term, the architect of a major review has said
Two studies published this week have cast doubt over whether public sector managers will be able to curb staffing costs as they grapple with slashed budgets
The much-maligned Barnett Formula could offer some protection to the Welsh Assembly Government as it prepares for the most substantial spending cuts since devolution, Public Finance has learnt
An ‘almost unique’ council with serious money problems should ask the Audit Commission to devise a less onerous inspection regime for it, according to a local government finance expert
The costs of emitting carbon dioxide are unlikely to rise high enough to stimulate green energy production, despite a range of government climate change policies, research has found
Care services for elderly people could cost an extra £300bn across the UK over the next 20 years, members of a Scottish parliamentary committee have been told
A European Commission proposal that would have imposed huge fines on public bodies that pay bills late has been defeated after lobbying by local authorities and the NHS
Public health programmes are likely to be an easy target for NHS spending cuts, with new screening and vaccination programmes particularly vulnerable, professional leaders have warned
Taxpayers would like major changes in the running of public services to be tested out on ‘non-core’ areas before being rolled out, according to a survey by the 2020 Public Services Trust
The new government must introduce deeper spending cuts and greater tax hikes to protect the UK economy from further financial crises but only when recovery is secured, a leading think-tank has warned
Public sector trade unions today challenged the three main political parties to ‘come clean’ on their plans for local government pay during the election campaign’s final week
