PLC Public Sector reports:

“I am determined to find the right savings necessary to protect frontline services but every taxpayer pound must be made to work as hard as the person who earned it did.”

(John Denham, Communities Secretary, 24 September 2009)

Worthy sounding words indeed, but is it time to let procurement officers concentrate on securing value-for-money goods and services for the public sector, without constantly placing demands on them to “shape” markets and places, and deliver, and in some cases even develop, government policy?

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PLC Public Sector reports:

Allocation of housing, TUPE, the EU Services Directive, direct discrimination and procurement all feature on this week’s need to know list.

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PLC Public Sector reports:

The results received by the Law Society and Solicitors in Local Government to their recent consultation  on whether it should be a statutory requirement for local authorities to appoint a chief legal officer to take on the monitoring officer’s duties makes interesting reading.

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PLC Public Sector reports:

Education, housing benefit, adult social services, housing, employement and public procurement all feature on this week’s need to know list.

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PLC Public Sector reports:

With the high level of publicity and debate surrounding the Government’s decision to put public money into the private finance initiative, we should not be surprised to hear that the first project supported by the Government’s Infrastructure Finance Unit, the £3.8 billion Greater Manchester waste PFI, is set to end up in the courts.

The challenge is not however to the Government’s policy, but rather another example of an unsuccessful bidder exploring the options available to compensate them for their failure to secure a tender.

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PLC Public Sector reports:

Education, data protection, landfill tax, housing benefit, local government trading, abandoned vehicles and health and safety all feature on this week’s need to know list. 

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PLC Public Sector reports:

After the Government’s recent announcement that it was to crack down on boomerang bosses, the Audit Commission has started its inquiry into chief executive pay-offs in local government by publishing a call for evidence.

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PLC Public Sector reports:

This week, we have actions for lawyers advising on procurement and school admissions, as well as details of where you can find our guidance on the introduction of drinking banning orders.

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PLC Public Sector reports:

Wherever you look there are people giving advice to local authorities about how to help their local communities and the businesses within them cope with the ongoing recession. While many suggestions may seem worthy, they are often superficial and unlikely to get real help to where it is needed. In fact,  the simplest idea is often the most effective. Making sure that bills are paid on time is a simple concept that introduces money into the local economy and will ease cash flow pressures on local businesses. 

This week, the Forum of Private Business noted that central government figures indicate that it is - in most cases - living up to its commitment to pay invoices within 10 working days.  However, the Forum cast doubt on whether local authorities and PCTs were meeting the same standards.  As a result, it has undertaken a fact-finding mission submitting a FOIA request to every local authority and PCT in Great Britain.

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