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 […]

  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

  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

  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’,

  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

England’s schools face a significant funding shakeup. Paul Gosling examines the key implications. Download the article (PDF)

Information technology is at the heart of steps being taken by the Government to close the annual tax gap, reports Paul Gosling Download the article (PDF)