Public Eye
Councils get ready for IFRS: Public Eye
With the adoption of ‘fair value’ widely blamed for the collapse of the financial markets, no one would sensibly argue that moving to IFRS is a simple matter. While the NHS and central government are now completing their move to international accounting standards, the adoption of IFRS remains a daunting task for local government – [...]
Pressure on for council CFOs: Public Eye
Financial pressures on local authorities have been acute in recent months – and show no sign of abating. Increased costs from fuel and food inflation, more children taken into care following the ‘Baby P case’ and higher recession-related spending have combined in a double whammy with reductions in investment income, planning fees, car parking charges [...]
Enterprising journey for public monopolies: Public Eye
Social enterprises are beginning to play an important role in the Government’s drive to extend public service choice and break down the old state public service monopolies. The creation of a social enterprise unit in the Department of Health led to a big increase in the number of social enterprises providing health and social care [...]
Social landlord role expands: Public Eye
Social landlord role expands – find tenants jobs
by Paul Gosling
Just ten days into her job and Caroline Flint made national headlines as housing ministers seldom do these days. Some housing professionals acted angrily to Flint’s question of whether new social housing tenants should be required to enter into ‘commitment contracts’, requiring them to actively seek [...]
Credit crunch bites public sector: Public Eye
The public sector crunch
by Paul Gosling
It has been like a perverse game of pass the parcel. Only when the music stops does it become clear which banks have been left holding billions of pounds of losses. But the impacts of the credit crunch go beyond the banking industry and it is now clear that some [...]
Two chief executives for the price of one: Health Service Review
Beyond Section 31
by Paul Gosling
Joint social care commissioning by PCTs and local authorities have blossomed under so-called ‘Section 31 Agreements’. But Section 31 of the 1999 Health Act increasingly seems to be just the start of a longer journey to broader and closer integration of what have historically been very separate and culturally very different [...]
True Cost of Education
England’s schools face a significant funding shakeup. Paul Gosling examines the key implications.
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Paying Their Dues
Information technology is at the heart of steps being taken by the Government to close the annual tax gap, reports Paul Gosling
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