Councils must remember keeping ‘reasonable’ levels of rainy day reserves are vital in helping them stay afloat during these times of financial constraint, says CIPFA's Rob Whiteman....
Allowing local authorities to retain business rates exposes them to risk if revenues fall. Neil Amin-Smith of the IFS considers how this risk might play out between county and district councils - and...
We need to see some clear signposts for public services along the road to Brexit if they are to benefit from reforms when the UK leaves the EU, says Julia Goldsworthy.
Reducing fees for arts and humanities degrees lower than those for science, technology, engineering and maths will create unfair disparities between what graduates will have to pay, suggests...
Conor Ryan looks back at the thorny history of tuition fees and offers his thoughts on the latest review of post-18 education announced by the prime minister this week.
Ahead of Phase 2 of the Brexit negotiations, CIPFA’s Alan Bermingham looks at what is at stake and notes that, without clarity, transition arrangements are a wasting asset.
Councils and NHS trusts need to start grappling with their responsibilities under the Modern Slavery Act and ensure transparency and integrity in their supply chains, says Debbie Wood.
Forget Labour infighting and public-private debates, what’s at stake in Haringey is how we think, talk and make decisions about places, says Jonathan Carr-West.
Automation could be a good thing but we need to focus on improving skills in cities outside the South of England to stop it creating a greater economic divide between the North and South, says Centre...
Only if the government comes up with a longer-term sustainable funding plan for healthcare will it avoid another winter crisis in the NHS like this year’s, says NHS Providers’...
Councils are having to be bold and brave in how they deliver services. The new prudential code addresses the cumulative risk inherent in this, says CIPFA's Jo Pitt.
To keep the NHS sustainable for the long term, the starting point should be a review by a royal commission, taking it outside politics, says Robert Colvile, director of the Centre for Policy Studies.
A consultation on proposed amendments to the local authorities’ capital finance and accounting in Wales has thrown up interesting questions about how councils borrow, says CIPFA's Jo Pitt....
Toby Young’s brief tenure on the board of the Office for Students should prompt the education secretary to reflect while choosing a replacement, argues the Institute for Government’s Daniel Thornton.
Carillion’s collapse shows public sector outsourcing is risky and limited. It’s time for a rethink and greater scrutiny and transparency, argue John Tizard and David Walker.
Jonathan Werran of Localis surveys this week’s reshuffle to discern what can be read into the future direction of local government finance, housing, devolution and social care.
Justine Greening’s departure means the Cabinet has lost a doughty champion of social mobility, says the Sutton Trust’s Conor Ryan. Her successor Damian Hinds needs to make his name – and a big...
The ambulance service has changed its performance targets to focus on what actually counts. Max Moullin asks if this can be sustained and what the lessons might be for the wider public sector.
