Government efficiency initiatives have probably never been so important.
As politicians try desperately to avoid discussing tax increases, reducing government spending is a key issue in the run up to the general election on 6 May.
The Conservatives have been espousing the findings of the Gershon Efficiency Review which was commissioned by …

I took up the post as chair of England’s RDAs on 1 April. It is a challenging role: we live in times where the role of RDAs depends on the election. But even though the role of the RDAs may change, the need to provide the context for investment will …

Simon Johnson, director of financial and strategic advisory at Capita Symonds, explains why the £35bn asset sale announced last Thursday signals a key change in government thinking on property:
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Numbers are confusing us all just now. When we see £35bn we know it’s important. But why?
There are two big numbers – …

David Lawrence, chief executive of healthcare consultancy Inventures (which was acquired by Capita Symonds in February), question whether the strategic property vehicles the government announced in last week’s Budget are the right way forward for the NHS:
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The government has flirted with this policy for a while, including the idea …

Ray Morgan, chief executive of Woking council, made the audacious move of outbidding the private sector to buy the Wolsey Place shopping centre. Here, he explains why he did it.
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Pressure is mounting on retailers. As consumers rein in spending, there are more empty shops, decaying public realm and struggling precincts.
Local …

James Grierson, head of public sector at DTZ, said rationalising public sector assets in the regions is a good idea but making it happen is a lot more difficult
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The government has stated that it is seeking some £5bn in “efficiency gains” in 2010-11 (on top of the £30bn it had …

Trying to catch up with all the big public sector names at Mipim can feel a bit like Pokemon: you’ve gotta catch them all.
And like previous years, they have been setting out their plans for the year ahead and trying to appeal to investors and development partners.
But with numbers down …

Mark McVicar, partner in the development and planning group at Cushman & Wakefield, gives his view on partnerships between private capital and the public sector:
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The real challenge this decade is improving front line public services to meet disparate community needs whilst juggling burgeoning regulation, stressed revenue budgets …

Sir Michael Snyder gives his view on the new government group designed to raise awareness of how the public sector procures its services:
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On Monday 1 March, I chaired the first quarterly meeting of the new Professional and Business Services Group. The group has been established to, among other things, look …

The public sector loves jargon. Everyone knows that.
And it’s with that in mind that the Local Government Association has today published its list of 250 banned terms that councils shouldn’t use in their documents.
As a journalist, this would be great. The biggest pain when trawling through government documents is the …