A survey predicting widespread job cuts in local authorities has sparked a political row with unions claiming Conservative-run councils are already reducing some services in spite of an increase in their central government funding. The survey carried out by the BBC found that 49 councils which responded to questions about jobs estimated losses of 25,000 over the next three to five years out of a combined workforce of 256,000.

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Stronger partnerships between parents and schools could help to reduce the numbers of teachers being abused by parents and prevent parents feeling sidelined by teachers, according to a new report. Parentline Plus and the Teacher Support Network want to increase parental involvement in schools following the publication of ‘Beyond the School Gate’, which showed almost two thirds of teachers surveyed had been subjected to verbal or physical abuse.

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By David Boyle and Michael Harris

Co-production as a new way of thinking about public services has the potential to deliver a major shift in the way we provide health, education, policing and other services, in ways that make them much more effective, more efficient, and so more sustainable.

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