The £40m spent by the Department for Work and Pensions every year in an attempt to close the employment gap between people from ethnic minorities and the general population is having almost no effect...
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...
Public service reform is entering a new era, with tailor-made budgets geared to the needs of individuals and putting users in control. Sophie Moullin reports
It's a tough job& but someone's got to be chief secretary to the Treasury. And who better than a long-standing minister with an economics background? Vivienne Russell meets her
Liverpool City Council is pressing the Merseyside Pension Fund to give its members a vote on whether ethical issues should be included in its investment principles.
Three Whitehall departments have displayed marked improvements in their performance in a round of follow-up capability reviews, showing 'compelling' evidence that they have acted on previous findings...
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...
On the surface, eco-towns seem to tick all the right boxes, providing essential new homes without harming the planet. So why are the locals up in arms? Neil Merrick reports
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.
Vigorous action is needed to reverse the worsening employment prospects for young people in the UK, says the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
An IT system introduced by the Ministry of Defence to consolidate hundreds of computer systems into a single, secure infrastructure has brought important benefits, the public spending watchdog has...
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...
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.
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.
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...
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...
The London Olympics present a financial challenge like no other combining a global sporting event with a major regeneration project. But to achieve its goals the Games will need substantial private...
The government is facing the biggest assault yet on its public sector pay policy after council workers in trade union Unison voted for 'sustained' industrial action - beginning with a two-day strike...
What does the future hold for public sector finance teams in a globalised environment? More shared services, pared down back-office operations and beefed up finance functions are all possibilities,...
Some politicians are pushing for primary care trusts to be more democratically accountable but NHS managers argue that the current reforms should be given more time before making changes. Richard...
