The Audit Commission this week accused Whitehall of hindering local government's efficiency by tampering with regulations that impose huge costs on councils.
As Prime Minister Tony Blair lost a hotly debated Commons vote on the controversial plan to detain terrorist suspects for 90 days, the row escalated over who will pay for the anti-terror measures...
Unison members at Sefton on Merseyside are to strengthen their campaign of selective industrial action following the council's decision last week to sack two members who campaigned against a housing...
The troubled Child Support Agency has refused to disclose whether former chief executive Doug Smith received a bonus before leaving earlier this year despite revealing that senior staff have...
Local government leaders have welcomed their new responsibility to ensure there is sufficient childcare to meet the needs of working families - but warned that it needs to be backed up with adequate...
Council rents will be brought in line with those charged by housing associations but should not increase by more than 5% during each of the next two years, ministers said this week.
A new hospital assessment tool, launched by the Department of Health this week, will be the catalyst for 'radical change' and possible service cuts, Public Finance has been told.
The vast majority of NHS staff do not know who is responsible for eliminating hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA from their hospital, the results of a national survey have suggested.
Ministry of Defence officials have imposed strict weekly assessments on an IT consortium delivering a crucial £4bn contract, after concerns were raised about one company's past performance.
More than £2m is being given to 19 schemes in England to develop ways of tackling homelessness more effectively, housing minister Yvette Cooper announced on November 2.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Annabel Goldie looked set to inherit the top job this week after the sudden resignation of David McLetchie, who has been at the centre of a long-running row over...
The government is launching a major push to make public bodies share services such as finance and human resources amid concerns that they are less efficient than their private sector counterparts.
Councils will be able to track more accurately their success at reviving their local economies after a new set of performance indicators were launched this week.
Councils that demonstrate the most imagination will be best placed to take advantage of the government's new local regeneration funds, a Treasury minister said last week.
No agreement emerged from the first meeting aimed at resolving the dispute between employers, unions and the government over the Local Government Pension Scheme.
Local authorities should help the Housing Corporation to choose which registered social landlords receive public money to build homes, housing professionals said this week.
As the Local Government Association in England locked horns with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister over the forthcoming financial settlement, Welsh councils have already been told how much...