Latest United Kingdom Features

Scottish Independence: The Impact Of The Referendum On Outsourcing Industry
Plans for the Scottish government to hold a referendum on independence from the UK has garnered favour from some observers, with hope that a decisive vote will finally clear this decades-old question.

NHS Trusts urged to work with housing associations to deliver long-term care
Unless the inefficiencies of the NHS are addressed, this great foundation of the welfare state will crumble under the weight of its own responsibility argues the author.

Big Questions remain over the Work Programme
Third Sector are being squeezed out from being part of the delivery team for the Work Programme despite government promises and reassurances argues the author.

Time to slash Corporation Tax
Restraint, and ‘responsible capitalism’ – the key theme of Coalition and Labour politicians pushing the need to end ‘rewards for failure’ but little concern about "high penalties for success".

Localism: The Opportunity Cost of Mistrust Between Councils And Citizens
The recent controversy over changes to refuse collection is a salient example of the brittle relationship between local government and the citizens says the author as he explores the relationship in detail.

City-specific policies needed to tackle the UK’s unemployment challenge
A contracting economy and rising unemployment do not make for happy reading. But the implications of these national trends are very different for different cities.

UK manufacturing needs more than a wing and a prayer
UK manufacturing did not have a good end to 2011. The relative decline of manufacturing has largely been down to a shift in the UK’s economic emphasis. How do we change it?

Gov.UK - A Review
The release of GOV.UK Beta, the test version of the UK government's web presence, is a big step towards rationalising the complex network of departmental and agency websites.

UK Economy: SME's Key To Economic Recovery
Small businesses can play a vital role in future growth of the UK economy - but only if they get the finance they need says Tony Dolphin from the IPPR.

HS2: The Right Project, in the Wrong Place
The High Speed 2 (HS2) project has been criticised for spending eye watering sums of money during a time of minimal growth and Government austerity. Worse, it's badly targeted.






