public finance

From dismal to decisive

7 November 2011 | Vicky Pryce

Economists are vital to government but have to make an effort to get themselves heard and listened to. Here’s how they should go about it Read more

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Referendum race starts now

4 November 2011 | Iain Macwhirter

Politics is strangely quiet in Scotland now, but the promised referendum on independence is set to stir the parties up Read more

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Hidden truths of the debt crisis

1 November 2011 | Steve Freer

As the full extent of the sovereign debt crisis becomes clear, so does the urgent need for governments to adopt accurate and transparent accounting practices Read more...

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An alternative to the OBR?

31 October 2011 | Colin Talbot

We await the Office for Budget Responsibility’s view of the public finances. But what is really needed is a Parliamentary Budget Office Read more

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Business rate retention: best when it’s boldest

24 October 2011 | Andrew Carter

The LGRR presents a historic opportunity to devolve some level of local financing back into the hands of local authorities. London, in particular, stands to gain Read more...

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Hitting the poorest where it hurts

4 October 2011 | Dave Prentis

Public sector pensions were comprehensively renegotiated in 2006 to ensure they remained affordable for the long term. The government’s actions now are driven by ideology, not fact Read more...

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Miliband speech: produced the goods?

28 September 2011 | Conor Ryan

Ed Miliband’s ‘producers vs predators’ speech to Labour conference helped the party leader move out of the political shadows. Now he needs to supply some detail  Read more

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Hot air on free school profits

5 September 2011 | Conor Ryan

Nick Clegg’s promises on free school profiteering didn’t amount to much, but his comments on the restored role of local authorities slipped under the radar Read more

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Mind your own affairs, minister

2 September 2011 | Malcolm Prowle

Whitehall keeps ordering  democratically elected councils about instead of focusing on its own failings. It is time for a local government constitution
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Local standards are a national issue

31 August 2011 | Kerry Ace

Proposals in the Localism Bill to abolish Standards for England and councils’ national code of conduct could threaten good governance in local government Read more

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