A new report is accusing the Government of being in denial about the progress on the ground of its National Health Service Reforms. The report, published today by the independent think-tank, Reform, says the commitment to NHS reform is right but the programme of change remains embryonic, and in some cases in full retreat. 

The Local Government Information Unit believes Sir Ronnie Flanagan’s review of policing is good news for local authorities. The review looked at a number of options for democratic accountability for police forces and the think-tank says Sir Ronnie is pushing to strengthen the role councils play in making communities safer.
In the report, Sir Ronnie argued that introducing elected local police commissioners or neighbourhood boards could lead to internal tensions and hamper local policing. 

This report from the Society of IT Management describes the role that technology is playing in delivering greater efficiencies. The survey of more than 400 local councils revealed that business process re-engineering and partnership working are seen as the best improvement strategies, followed by switching to online services, with shared services in fourth place.
Although sharing services is being pushed hard by Whitehall, putting it into practice raises many practical difficulties.