The coalition government's treatment of evidence in policy making can appear loose, but is this any different from previous administrations? We must accept that democratically elected politicians...
Trade unions are poised for coordinated action over cuts. Whether or not this evolves into another Winter of Discontent remains open to question, but mixed messages have been emanating from government
As the TUC fires the opening salvos of the conference season, dissatisfaction and anger at coalition policies are spreading beyond the ranks of the usual suspects
The rush to find savings in expenditure is likely to lead to many public agencies making the wrong judgements about outsourcing to the business and third sectors. They should adopt a ten-step...
The axe has fallen on the Audit Commission, regional development agencies and the UK Film Council. But was abolition the right decision based on the right information?
HMRC is in trouble. Maybe the only people who are surprised are the senior management. But the fact is that HMRC and its management (in the form of the never publicity-shy Dave Hartnett, in...
Education secretary Michael Gove is absolutely right to look for new ways to ensure that academies and free schools are not ghettoised by the middle classes
The success story of the NHS often blinds us from considering whether it can continue unchanged into the future as a public service funded almost entirely from taxation
The Scottish National Party's decision to drop a proposed referendum bill allows it to suggest that only independence can block 'Conservative cuts'. It's a clever political manoeuvre
As the budget cuts kick in and the spectre of the October Spending Review looms it's difficult to see the future as anything much other than bleak, not least for community and voluntary groups....
Today's National Audit Office report on academy schools paints a positive picture of progress. But there are reasons to be less optimistic than the NAO in terms of both performance and intake
Was it only a few weeks ago that we were warned to expect a 'bonanza' for public sector outsourcing firms? Well, it certainly doesn't look that way any more
The problem with the current government's dash to slash is that it will undermine precisely those things that might enable some less statist solutions to develop
The fate of Connaught is tragic for those who will lose their jobs and for anxious service-users. But it also one of the first tangible outcomes of the forthcoming spending squeeze
So what did the Audit Commission ever do for us? Not much, judging from the chorus yelling 'good riddance' as soon as Communities Secretary Eric Pickles announced the watchdog's death.
