ARCHIVE BLOGS

Why we should take a positive approach to public sector cuts
Public sector cuts provide the opportunity to forge public and private partnerships that will help us out of our current economic crisis and chart a sustainable path for the future, writes Detica's Martin Sutherland

The Audit Commission – chronicle of a death unforetold
Whatever the criticisms that can be levelled at the AC, and they are mostly not the ludicrous self-serving drivel being spouted by Ministers, it is far too important to be put to the sword on a whim, writes Colin Talbot

It might just be worth crying over spilt milk
The coalition has made a mistake – it has done a clear u-turn over a hard-to-disagree with decision, this time scrapping free milk for schoolchildren. But the coalition's critics, who spend so much time scratching around for any hint of a u-turn, kind of missed the point and focussed instead on the idea that Cameron was scared of being labelled as another 'milk snatcher', writes Rory Baxter

The Big Society is already happening locally
Local parish and town councils have been engaging with their communities for years in order to bring a better quality of life to their area – it shouldn't be difficult for this to be replicated across the country, writes Michael Chater, chairman, National Association of Local Councils.

Councils' senior managers are right to be worried over cuts
Senior managers in 74 per cent of local authorities don't feel they have the expertise to deal with the fall-out from budget cuts. This shouldn't be seen as a lack of confidence in their own abilities but recognition that with the size of cuts and the radical changes needed there is a much higher risk of things going badly wrong, writes Blair McPherson

When you're at a crossroads you must have someone to lead you in the right direction
WWF head of public affairs Margaret Ounsley argues that the new coalition government can go one of two ways on the environment

Public sector managers aren't up to the job
Managers lack the people management skills to get more out of staff and to deliver more with less, says Blair McPherson

The lunatics are not yet in charge of the asylum
We have two new brooms in place – neither of whom has ever had a real job before. Clever, yes. Minds like rapiers, yes. Experience in running, doing or leading anything – well, sadly lacking. And that is becoming clearer by the day.

Off Budd (Office for Budget Responsibility)
The announcement that Sir Alan Budd is to leave the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) after only three months may fatally wound the already less than fully credible flagship reform introduced by Chancellor George Osborne, writes Colin Talbot.

England management – is it in tatters?
Maybe the next England manager needs to be a modern manager, a shaper and an influencer, a diplomat rather than a dictator, much like a public sector manager, writes Blair McPherson