Outsourced public services are big business. DeAnne Julius's landmark review last week valued this relatively young sector at £79bn, with the potential to keep on growing. Business Secretary John...
The Public Accounts Committee has again lambasted the Rural Payments Agency for its poor implementation of the Single Payment Scheme for farmers. A report published on July 15 found that almost 20,...
The government talks long and loud about empowering local communities. So why is it so determined to impose directly elected mayors on councils and citizens that plainly don't want them, ask George...
Organisations struggling to provide better services for less money need strong financial management. Progress is encouraging, the CIPFA FDs' survey shows, but there's still more to do. Ian Carruthers...
Conservative leader David Cameron told councillors that the Tories were the true localist party but declined to commit to a reform of town hall finance.
If Sir Peter Gershon has left one legacy it is that he has made efficiency a major part of public sector discourse. This, at least, is the view of Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper.
A bid to revitalise local democracy and hand control over assets and spending to local communities were at the heart of the local government white paper published by Communities Secretary Hazel...
A political row has developed in Scotland over the interpretation of public spending figures showing that the country has a £10bn deficit but would be in surplus if North Sea oil revenues were...
Nationalists used to dismiss the Government expenditure and revenue Scotland report as unionist propaganda, but these days they are wielding its findings as a weapon in their fight for independence
The NHS is not looking bad for 60, and with the government rolling out a new ten-year plan there's plenty of life in the health care system yet. But, as ever, the big issues are all about funding...
A former Labour Cabinet minister has blamed 'a set of prejudices' for the continued exclusion of the private sector from areas of public service provision.
New streamlined performance indicators for town halls mark a 'major cultural shift' in the way councils are measured and in their relationship with Whitehall, the communities and local government...
Representatives of up to 100,000 civil servants were this week discussing plans to stage walkouts over pay to coincide with the local government strike on July 16-17.
As Gordon Brown contemplates his first anniversary as prime minister, he might be wondering why his public image changed so fast from Iron Chancellor to Mr Bean. A bit of cod psychology could help
Councils are confused. On the one hand, Hazel Blears promises a new white paper to empower them. On the other, she is busy devolving control away from them to local citizens. But there's no...
Chancellor Alistair Darling's Budget prediction for borrowing this year already looks vulnerable after the latest public finance figures revealed lower than expected tax receipts in the first two...
Scotland's biggest council has dealt a blow to the Scottish Government's plans for a local income tax by warning that it could lose up to £133m a year.
The former head of IT contractor Logica is to probe major public sector computer projects as part of the government's latest efficiency review, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Yvette Cooper has...
Better use of public sector assets will form a vital part of the operational efficiency programme due to be launched by the Treasury within weeks, Yvette Cooper told the conference.
Chancellor Alistair Darling has said the loss of two child benefit data CDs was 'entirely avoidable', after a trio of reviews of the 'woefully inadequate' processes that led to the loss were...
