GPs could deliver huge savings for the NHS by taking on more of the care traditionally given in acute hospitals, according to a Department of Health expert.
Most policies are made at a national level and do not reflect England's true economic geography, which is at city or council level. Local optimisation means there must be more local decision-making
Rural regeneration was once top of the in-tray at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. But other political priorities are preoccupying ministers, and public services in the...
The Department for Constitutional Affairs needs to control the 'ridiculous' situation in which millions of pounds of fines go uncollected, the Public Accounts Committee said this week.
Improving access to English lessons is one of the most useful steps councils can take to ensure migrant workers are better integrated into their communities, the local government watchdog said this...
US-style healthcare schemes are increasingly being imported into the NHS. But do they work on UK soil? Opinion is sharply divided within the medical profession and beyond. Seamus Ward investigates
Despite record levels of investment, the public sector is seen to be in crisis. This is because services are suffering from having simplistic market models foisted on them, argues Unison's general...
An extensive review of the welfare system will consider reducing the period for which lone parents receive child benefits but ministers have vowed not to reduce payment levels, the Department for...
Civil servants across the UK have begun a two-week overtime 'ban' after disrupting tax office, jobcentre and customs services this week with a 24-hour strike over job cuts, privatisations and pay.
'Thinking the unthinkable' is a term synonymous with New Labour's rather self-aggrandising approach to policy reform yet the reality is that some ministers have been marginalised for obliging with...
Work across 200 public bodies could be affected by next week's strike by civil servants, but ministers are standing firm over the Whitehall reform agenda that has fuelled staff anger.
Councils with social care responsibilities are anticipating increasing council tax by an average of just 3.6% in 2007/08 a 1% drop on last year despite claiming a funding 'crisis' for adult care...
Nobody was too surprised by the government's plan to create a new agency to take charge of housing and regeneration in England within the next two years.
The government is considering the introduction of a single benefit payment for people of working age, a move that would initiate the most radical restructuring of welfare income for decades.
Treasury ministers will continue to monitor closely the cost of the Olympic Games, but have not committed themselves to covering unaccounted rises, officials confirmed this week.
Ministers should reconsider their outsourcing plans, a welfare expert warned this week, amid evidence that many organisations providing employment and training services are failing people with...
The game is up for the Child Support Agency. But will its new replacement do a better job at collecting the missing billions of pounds in maintenance? Paul Gosling investigates
Supporters say social enterprises marry private efficiency with public values, offering innovative low-cost, high-quality services. But a wider definition of value for money is needed to get the best...
'Choice-based letting' allows social housing applicants to choose where they want to live, rather than have officials decide for them. And soon it will be available in every English council. Neil...
Public Service Agreements were meant to keep track of what departments do with taxpayers' money. The problem is that no-one, least of all MPs, pays them much attention. Colin Talbot and Carole...
Chancellor Gordon Brown will host eleventh-hour discussions aimed at preventing a national strike by civil servants later this month, Public Finance has learnt.
