The Commission for Social Care Inspection has condemned the government's plans to move its children's services remit to an enlarged Ofsted as 'incoherent', 'illogical' and 'dangerous'.
Senior trade unionists have called on Chancellor Gordon Brown to make good his commitment to the 2004 Warwick accord, amid concerns that public employers are using a loophole in the two-tier...
Social landlords are being sold short by the government in their attempts to build sustainable communities, the new leader of England's housing associations warned this week.
New Cabinet secretary Sir Gus O'Donnell has told local government leaders that he will be urging central government departments to allow local authorities more flexibility in the way they spend their...
Whitehall should be subject to a performance inspection regime similar to the one already in place for local government, the head of the Office of Government Commerce said this week.
City academies must not be allowed to opt out of co-operation with other schools in their area, head teachers warned this week as the prime minister announced an acceleration in the programme.
The Scottish Executive is to call in external experts to advise on a root-and-branch review of public spending, the first significant cutback since devolution.
NHS trusts and private care providers should compete on price as well as quality under payment by results, according to shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley.
More than 10% of the civil service could be outsourced to private or voluntary organisations under controversial reforms to job seekers' services being considered by the Department for Work and...
John Hutton, the government minister for public service reform, last week vowed that central targets would continue, despite mounting criticism from local councils and think-tanks such as the Social...
Local government leaders threw down a challenge to ministers this week, volunteering to take on a range of tough new responsibilities in exchange for greater freedom from central regulation.
A shake-up of policing in London could be jeopardised because the funds it needs have been swallowed up by the extra costs arising from the terrorist attacks on July 7 and 21, Public Finance has...
Political parties that do not comply with the Electoral Commission's financial regulations could be barred from campaigning in future elections, Public Finance has learned.
At least 19 private developers will be invited to make detailed bids for grant after reaching the Housing Corporation's short list of organisations hoping to build affordable homes during the next...
A strategic health authority at the centre of a row over whether it was rushing the transfer of primary care trust services has denied it jumped the gun.
NHS managers have rejected the Audit Commission's claim that poor financial management, rather than lack of funds, is responsible for the 'postcode lottery' in access to new drugs and treatments.
Changes to GP access targets to ensure patients can book in advance will fail to tackle the underlying cause of the problems with appointments, the British Medical Association has claimed.
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber has challenged the government to make good its pledge to improve employment terms and conditions for hundreds of thousands of public sector agency staff.
The majority of district councils are not providing good services across the board, the local government watchdog said this week as it prepared to consult on a new inspection framework.
