By Will Werry The blame culture has taken firm hold in the public sector, despite being universally denounced, even by ministers. Incessant fault-finding continues to be widely enjoyed. Images of organizations and even of whole slices of the public sector such as local government, can be tarnished by trivial isolated failures such as an unreliable wheelie bin. The author calls for realism about the sort of long term performance that can be expected from real people in the real world. This article was first published in Public Management and Policy and is reproduced by permission of the Association. http://www.cipfa.org.uk/pmpa/index.cfm

The majority of people using buses are happy with their local services. A survey by the Department for Transport of people’s public transport experiences has revealed that three-quarters of passengers are pleased with services. The report was commissioned by the Department to improve understanding of the views of both users and non-users of buses.

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Children from poor backgrounds are aware that they face greatly reduced educational and future life chances, according to a study today, which says the children’s own stereotyping reinforces their situation. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published emerging research showing that from an early age children who live in poverty know they will achieve less.

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