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.
Should the government give the green light to proposals sent, the Secretary of State would devolve to Essex CC the power to set eligibility criteria and payment rates for all working-age benefits within the county
Town halls have reported a £4bn financial hole caused by an ongoing perfect storm of falling revenues and increasing demand for services, figures from the LGA show.
Buckinghamshire council has become the first local authority to outsource all its recruitment to the private sector in a move that is likely to be followed throughout the country