Simon Jenkins and Tony Travers write: Another shadow chancellor promises to rescue the nation’s finances by “a radical reform in delivering public services”. A thousand heads hit the breakfast table with a clunk.
Serco has been selected by Transport for London (TfL) to run the capital’s cycle hire scheme across nine of the most central boroughs. The firm said the contract was worth approximately 140m over its initial six years.
We propose a transfer of responsibility from the Government over the commissioning of non-emergency patient transport services (PTS), which would see Essex PCTs and ECC become jointly responsible for the commissioning of these services.
More than £600m a year could be shaved off England’s schools budget by scrapping some of the biggest education quangos, the Centre for Policy Studies has calculated.
Currently, the Electoral Commission has the power to run referenda on national and regional issues along side national, local and European elections. However, there is no similar power at local level
New regional strategies might have to place a greater emphasis on economic development as a result of the recession, experts have said. Guidance on the drafting of the strategies, which will amalgamate the current regional spatial and economic strategies, was published by the Departments for Communities & Local Government and for Business, Innovation & Skills.
Councils in county areas have a ?limited window of opportunity? to prove to a Conservative government they can make the two-tier structure work, a prominent Tory leader has claimed.
Fresh figures have emerged as to scale of public spending across different council areas as the government’s Total Place programme begins to bear fruit.
We have seen, in recent years, a significant increase in the number of these bodies which, frankly, have all too often operated out of sight of the scrutinising public eye.
Leading Tory councils are rethinking the provision of local public services, including parks, libraries, and street cleaning, as they confront a severe squeeze on public spending of up to 20 per cent in the years ahead.