East Hertfordshire’s Leisure Services contract with Enfield Leisure Centres Ltd (Aspire Trust) has a major financial crisis. It is £500,000 in the red in the first year of a five-year contract. Resignations of senior staff and the possible liquidation of the Enfield Trust add to the scale of the crisis – a crisis in the…

New Report: Aberdeen TGWU ACTS Branch commissioned the European Services Strategy Unit to undertake a critical evaluation of Aberdeen Futures and the city’s community planning participation framework. The objective was to assess the extent to which the scope of participation had resulted in a shift of power in the decision making process and to identify…

New BOOK: New Labour’s Attack on Public Services

A response to Durham County Council plans for Phase 2 of Investing in Modern Services for Older People by Durham County UNISON

The April 2006 issue of the PFI Journal contains an article by Dexter Whitfield, The Marketisation of Teaching, which examines the potential impact of the Building Schools for the Future programme on education.

Newcastle City Council has set a national example by excluding soft facilities management services (catering, cleaning, grounds maintenance, security and waste management) and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) from the BSF/PFI contract. The ICT contract alone is valued at £16.5m.

Public Private Partnerships: Public Services or Corporate Welfare seminar

Secondment of Staff for New Tyne Tunnel

News of Bedforshire CC sacking HBS Business Services from £265m contract.

The Centre for Public Services and Defend Council Housing are carrying out a national survey on behalf of the House of Commons Council Housing Group to assess the views of tenants associations and federations, elected members, trade unions and housing organisations on their perspective for the future of ALMOs.