This report by the Audit Commission looks at the impact on neighbourhood renewal policy of the move away from special funding to a reliance on mainstream services to improve conditions in deprived areas. New policies on such as, health, education, police, probation and local authority services, such as street cleansing have to be cascaded throughout the organization. 

Police forces have been warned that their work in reducing crime could be damaged by public dissatisfaction over the way non-emergency calls are dealt with. The Home Office Minister, John Denham, has called for a shake up in the handling of such calls.The results of the British Crime Survey show that people who have had direct contact with the police are less satisfied with the service forces provide than those who have not, including those who have been victims of crime. 

The Audit Commission has been accused of playing into the hands of the ‘name and shame culture’ with its plans for a Comprehensive Performance  Assessment framework .