The civil service code governing the conduct of Whitehall's top officials must be sharpened up in the wake of the Hutton Inquiry, according to the senior civil servants' union.
Thirty years of government grants to disadvantaged areas of England have had 'little real impact' on their economic performance, according to senior backbench MPs.
Student debt in England and Wales could top £8.5bn a year following the government's narrow Commons victory on top-up fees, preventing graduates from seeking public sector jobs, say critics.
The UK is not a 'soft touch' for asylum seekers, but there are systematic 'weaknesses' in government policy that need rectifying to restore public confidence in the system, MPs have reported.
Storm clouds were gathering over local government pay this week, with unions set to lodge a 4% pay claim, despite warnings that employers are determined to keep to the Treasury's inflation-only limit...
The Audit Commission in Wales is taking a legal dispute with Cardiff County Council to the High Court after the authority rejected claims that more than £2.5m in payments to leading officers and...
The government has ruled out any immediate changes to the Freedom of Information Act, but has committed itself to introducing a draft Civil Service Bill later this year.
Six months ago, Salford City Council was on the verge of setting up an arm's-length management organisation to help it meet the decent homes target by 2010.
The government is 'seriously considering' proposals to hand control of the business rates back to town halls, and privately recognises that firms are not contributing their fair share of funding to...
The Ministry of Defence maintained its woeful record on procurement this week with a report revealing that its top 20 major projects are running an average of 18 months late and £3.1bn over budget.
One million people are expected to complete and return their tax returns on-line this month, making life simpler for taxpayers and assessors, the chair of the Inland Revenue said this week.
The rail industry review announced this week has been hailed as a much-needed dose of common sense by stakeholders and commentators, in spite of an absence of detail.
There was no conflict of interest in the award of a contract for the sale of £400m worth of surplus NHS property, the National Audit Office said this week.
Another major housing association is coming under close scrutiny by the Housing Corporation after admitting it faces difficulty meeting the decent homes target.
The chief inspector of prisons has lent her support to the proposed restructuring of the prison and probation services, but warned that the independence of the inspectorate must not be compromised.
Councils in Scotland are still struggling to cut rent arrears and are owed £28.5m 7.4% of the income they were due last year, the Accounts Commission said this week.
Plans to introduce proportional representation for Scottish local government could add £6m to the administration of elections and other costs, senior officials have estimated.
Any moves to amend the current selection process for government communications officers and other civil servants would be a step backwards, the FDA union warned this week.
Capita, the private sector partner running the Criminal Records Bureau, has been paid a total of £12m to 'compensate' it for the use of paper-based forms, which it claims led to the backlogs in...
The government is planning a crackdown against 31 councils on a secret Whitehall hit list identifying those likely to set inflation-busting council tax increases, as the issue dominated the political...
Local government leaders are to urge ministers to review the entire regulatory framework for councils, while broadly endorsing the Audit Commission's planned reforms to the Comprehensive Performance...
