About half of businesses think local authorities do not understand them well enough to regulate them. A national survey carried out for the Local Better Regulation Office found that business growth was still threatened by the burden of regulation, though there were signs that measures to cut red tape were having a positive impact.

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Council leaders have stressed the need to put local authorities at the heart of holding the police to account locally. They believe it is not only the most cost effective solution but would ensure members of the public got a fair hearing. The Local Government Association wants to see a white paper to explore fully the idea of elected police commissioners.

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By Julian Holmes

The savage budget cuts make it imperative to look at the track record of monumental failures for government IT projects. The author examines where projects are going wrong. He also looks at what realistically could and should change and what impact this would have on those who work in IT for the Government.

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