A Lords ruling has relaxed the strict time limits on damages claims for sexual abuse, allowing many adults who were assaulted as children to go to court. And that has important implications for local...
Twenty-five years on from the birth of the Audit Commission, is it time for a radical rethink on public sector inspection and regulation, asks David Walker
Public trust in official statistics remains low and there has been no significant change since 2005, despite the government's efforts to improve confidence, research has revealed.
The Learning and Skills Council will be dissolved and town halls will take control of the £7bn spent each year in colleges and sixth forms, ministers confirmed this week.
Benefits reform is back centre stage, with new get-tough policies for a part-privatised jobs service. The welfare czar talks to Judy Hirst about breaking the dependency habit
Next week's statement will be a severe test for the chancellor. There's a squeeze on spending and no appetite for tax rises, so what are Alistair Darling's options? PF convened a round table of...
John Swinney has achieved the impossible twice in his first nine months as Scotland's finance secretary. But can the former Scottish National Party leader score a much-needed hat trick? He talked...
The government's promise to halve child poverty by 2010 will not be achieved unless significant resources are made available, according to a report by MPs on the Commons work and pensions select...
The Labour government's U-turns on fiscal change have left Britain with high, complicated taxes in an uncertain climate, says shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Philip Hammond. He argues that...
There are neither enough funds nor 'hours in the day' to deliver government plans for all children to receive five hours of culture a week, teachers have warned.
France is struggling, like us, to cut back its public sector and devote more resources to the front line. But she would be wise to learn from the British experience before adopting our policies...
Police could be given extended powers to confiscate alcohol from under-18s in a crackdown on under-age drinking, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has announced.
The centre of government has been given a make-over, with new policy advisers and even a permanent secretary at Number 10. But they're no nearer to finding Brown's big idea, says Tony Travers
The government has called for fresh efforts to promote community cohesion and tackle tensions as well as setting out policies to create stronger local communities across the UK.
The new Department for Children, Schools and Families, headed by secretary of state Ed Balls, is nothing if not ambitious, with a ten-year plan that encompasses all aspects of children's lives. But...
Next year, the Homes and Community Agency will take over a swathe of housing and wider responsibilities. Its chief executive in waiting is raring to go, he tells Neil Merrick
The government will find itself under pressure to top up public sector spending if it is to meet its policy commitments, the Institute for Fiscal Studies has predicted in its annual 'green budget'.
