MELISSA BENN | Labour’s attempt to play the class card against David Cameron is undermined by its failure to bridge the inequality gap. Both parties should focus on policies
ALASTAIR HATCHETT | The new Average Weekly Earnings (AWE) data were released on 20 January 2010, and were immediately misinterpreted by a host of journalists. The main point made by a number of...
ALAN DOWNEY | It is good news that the UK economy has emerged from recession, but there's trepidation among public sector workers that the starting gun has been fired on a public sector recession...
ANTHONY PAINTER | The obvious take on the latest British Social Attitudes is that Britain is becoming more socially liberal. But as we become more tolerant of life choices - homosexual relationships...
INSTITUTE FOR FISCAL STUDIES | The issue of marriage and family life looks set to be a major election battleground. Analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies – and two new projects funded by...
HEATHER WAKEFIELD | Over 1.5 million local government workers face a pay cut this year after the employers chose not to make a pay offer. Will this create the perfect pay storm?
MARGARET CUTHBERT AND JIM CUTHBERT | England could learn from the consequences – both intended and unintended – of Scotland’s free personal care scheme before implementing its own version
JUDY HIRST | For most of the past decade, localism has been the dog that rarely if ever barked. Now though, emboldened by decentralising talk from the opposition parties, it is off the leash, and...
STEPHEN COURT | Spending cuts to higher education will hamper efforts to increase social mobility. So it might be time to ask employers to pay their fair share
STEVE FREER | Sharing and collaboration between public bodies is not a new idea but there are real grounds for optimism that it is an idea whose time has come
AMELIA WALKER | Councils nationwide are holding £18bn in debt, much if it being repaid at levels far above the historic average for interest rates – 9% and more. The LGIU had suggested solutions,...
TESS LANNING | New analysis from the Institute for Public Policy Research shows that unemployment among black and mixed ethnic groups aged between 16 and 24 is higher than for any other groups
MALCOLM PROWLE | The environment, food and rural affairs select committee has criticised the government’s waste strategy for focusing on domestic rather than business rubbish, which represents 90% of...
CONOR RYAN I David Cameron has said today that he wants to make teacher training 'brazenly elitist'. His main proposals are to ban graduates with third class degrees from teacher training and to...
HEATHER WAKEFIELD | Housing policy popped up in the general election campaign last week with the Liberal Democrats pledging to make 760,000 empty homes in England available for people who need them
MALCOLM PROWLE | Our leading bankers told the Treasury committee a usual story this week: unless large bonuses are paid, they will fail to attract or retain talented staff. This raises a number of...
MIKE THATCHER | It might have been trashed by the Tories and lambasted by local government leaders, but the Audit Commission’s new inspection regime could still be here to stay
