Liverpool City Council has set up a committee to look at the way health services are provided within the city. The task for the scrutiny committee is to ensure that concerns of patients and families are made a priority. They will seek to understand issues relating to the service, how they affect the people of the city and Merseyside and make recommendations for improvement. 

Five local authority run schemes are among the winning projects across England that are to share 46 million pounds under the ‘Invest To Save’ initiative. 

By George Boyne and Gareth EnticottThis article challenges the assumption of the Audit Commission that the outcomes of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment reflect the attributes of local councils rather than the circumstances in which they operate. The authors focus on councils with a ‘poor’ rating, which is the lowest of five categories. They question whether these councils are in fact distinctive.