Local authorities have been provided with detailed ideas on how theyl
can improve themselves and reform how they operate.
The information comes in a joint report from the Local Government Association
and the Local Government Management Board which highlights the importance of sustainability in implementing the Government’s new Best Value framework for local government. 

There’s been a general welcome for new figures demonstrating a reduction in NHS waiting lists, but a call for the current purge on the problem not to
overshadow other important indicators of performance.
Stephen Thornton from the NHS Confederation said:”There is no doubt that
managers are under immense pressure to manage the waiting lists and deliver on
the demanding targets set by Mr Dobson. 

Mackenzie Kyle
A godsent for every harrowed manager who needs to learn the ins and outs of project management….yesterday. Written in a compelling narrative form, Making it Happen follows the trials and tribulations of a middle manager who has had a career threatening project thrust upon him, as he learns the ropes of project management the hard way.
ISBN 0-471-64234-7 1998 256pp

Senior-Level Recruitment
Arkin A, Mullen J
People Management, (UK), 30 Apr 98 (4/9)
Start page: 28 No of pages: 6
Assesses the evidence that the ‘old boy’ network is still prevalent in recruitment for senior posts in the UK civil service and other public and private sector organizations. Quotes from those who believe that women and people from ethnic minorities have been excluded from top civil service appointments and those who believe that the system is procedurally fair. 

Lessons for the UK from the US experience
Smyth J D The International Journal of Public Sector Management, (UK), Vol 10 No 1/2 97 Start page: 21 No of pages: 26
Compares competitive tendering practices in the UK and the USA in the procurement of public services, reporting on field research in the USA aimed at identifying: where and how competition is used in the procurement of public services; whether the practice is effective for long-term care; and whether there are any lessons for the UK. 

Rebuilding women’s confidence has been identified as a key task ahead of the
NHS cervical screening programme.
NHS managers are also being advised to improve the status and pay of the
trained staff whose job it is to check smears, after several well-publicised
failures.
The findings come in the report of the Cervical Screening Action Team,
established to strengthen the cervical screening programme after failures at the Kent and Canterbury NHS Trust and elsewhere. 

The Inland Revenue has announced details of ambitious plans to provide a faster and more efficient service to taxpayers - which will cut down paperwork.
As from October 1st this year people will be able to notify their local tax
office of a range of changes to their tax status over the phone - without
having to confirm anything in writing. The ability to make telephone changes
to tax affairs was made possible by the Finance Act 1998. 

Breaking Free of Bureaucracy
Leadbeater C
Financial Times, (UK), 28 Apr1998 Start page: 16 No of pages: 1
Spotlights the activities of Norma Redfearn, head teacher of West Walker primary school in Newcastle (north-east England) since 1986, and described as a civic entrepreneur; describes the desperate state that the school was in when she joined, and explains how education of families as well as pupils has acted as a catalyst in reviving the school and the community. 

Seven London councils have got together to fight their corner in the build-up
to the capital having its own mayor and assembly.
The West London Alliance aims to provide a clear voice for its residents and
businesses. Its backers say it will provide a strategic voice and speak more loudly than each council working individually. 

New Government figures for the numbers of civil servants employed shows how use of casual labour has made the resource more flexible, and how the service has come to depend on part-time working to secure the workforce it needs.
Modernisation and changes in demand have also influenced the figures, which
show an overall drop of 38 per cent in the number of civil servants employed
since the peak more than 20 years ago.