A £250m social investment bank should be set up to transform the role of voluntary organisations in helping people back into work, according to the Third Sector Taskforce
An expected second round of heavy snowfall was set to renew pressure on public sector managers this week after they faced criticism over road, transport and school closures
Education provision in Wales improved last year, but more must be done to raise the achievement of pupils from poor backgrounds, the schools inspectorate has said
All public service providers in Wales could be required to treat the Welsh and English languages equally under plans to draw down powers over the Welsh language from Westminster
An NHS chief has been criticised by politicians after warning that ‘humanity is on a path towards unprecedented catastrophe’ and that the economic crisis could have a devastating effect...
NHS bodies need to improve the management of assets such as land, buildings and medical equipment to provide more effective patient care, a study by Audit Scotland has found
Public services face the prospect of a three-year real-terms spending freeze from 2010 as the government attempts to get its finances back on track, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned
The Scottish Government is to press ahead with its plans for a local income tax despite being told that there is ‘no legal basis’ for its introduction and that Revenue and Customs has no...
Finance Secretary John Swinney has defended Scotland’s local government concordat against claims it is on the verge of collapse because of the impact of the recession on council budgets
The Scottish Government has been forced to draw up new spending plans after its £33bn budget was sensationally defeated on the casting vote of the Holyrood Parliament’s presiding officer
The funding system for activities designed to keep teenagers away from a life of crime has been condemned as a ‘dog’s breakfast’ by the local government watchdog
Local authorities were not reckless when they invested a total of £1.03bn in Icelandic banks that later collapsed, the Local Government Association has told a parliamentary inquiry
The backlog of asylum claims made under a new ‘faster’ system has more than doubled since its introduction in 2007, according to the National Audit Office
Three-quarters of teachers do not consider diplomas to be the best qualifications for students wanting to go to university, according to research commissioned by the Sutton Trust
Help the Aged has urged the government to accelerate legislation to stop age discrimination after a survey showed that doctors believe the NHS is institutionally ageist
The Local Government Association has appointed John Ransford as its chief executive to steer it out of its recent turmoil and lead it through to late 2010
