Council tenants, trade unionists and councillors descended on Westminster this week to increase pressure on ministers to give local authorities the same rights as housing associations.
The Treasury has opened its doors to the prospect of allowing councils to raise and control more funds locally, according to Paul Boateng, the chief secretary to the Treasury .
Tax rises of up to £11bn a year could be needed to finance government spending plans, according to forecasts published this week by the influential Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Child protection agencies have joined forces to try to stop vulnerable children slipping through the net as Lord Laming's damning report on the Victoria Climbié case was published.
Vacancy rates for GPs are rising rapidly, putting pressure on family doctors and making it more difficult for patients to get appointments, the British Medical Association said this week.
Fraud inspectors have slammed Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council for failing to rectify long-term problems in its housing and council tax benefits divisions, despite previous warnings about the...
Education Secretary Charles Clarke's plan for the reform of higher education will create a two-tier system that constrains the very people the government intended to benefit the most, according to...
The finance director who says he was sacked by St George's Healthcare NHS Trust in London for whistle-blowing has lost his first attempt to win his job back.
NHS trusts will get the double boost of fewer inspections from Royal Colleges and an increase in consultant numbers under a groundbreaking deal announced this week.
The government's foundation trust initiative could restore the divisions of the internal market by creating well-funded elite hospitals that poach the best staff, the British Medical Association...
Gordon Brown's public sector spending plans were dealt a potential blow this week when it was revealed that the chancellor had exceeded his £20bn annual borrowing forecasts with three months left of...
The government is coming under increasing pressure to launch a wide-ranging review of the Private Finance Initiative, following the publication of last week's critical Audit Commission report into...
Talks were due to resume on January 23, with sources expecting them to spill over to the following day in an attempt to avert a 48-hour strike scheduled for January 28. The union held a 24-hour...
The row over the 'two-tier workforce' has been reignited with the government postponing publication of its long-awaited employment code after both unions and the private sector accused ministers of...
Simpler audit processes for grants claimed by councils and the National Health Service could save the Audit Commission up to £6m a year, it said in proposals this week.
The government should resist the temptation to introduce any further structural changes or new policies to the NHS, according to an influential Leftwing think-tank.
As the Fire Brigades Union heads towards a resumption of its strike programme, Prime Minister Tony Blair has maintained his tough stance, saying the stoppages are 'wrong, dangerous and unjustified'.
