Public Servant

A data protection and publication performance assessment regime - similar to Audit Commission and Ofsted inspections of councils and schools - has been discussed at the highest levels of the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). Speaking exclusively to Public Servant, Christopher Graham said there was pressure to introduce a high-profile system of ratings for public bodies detailing examples of good performance to counter the many negative stories.

Conservative Shadow Business Secretary Ken Clarke has called on the Chancellor to leave public life with an austerity Budget that matches up to the serious challenges posed by the economic crisis, writes Dean Carroll. Indications from within the Labour Party suggest that Alistair Darling will no longer be Chancellor, even if Labour wins a general election. Clarke said the prospect of being replaced by Ed Balls provided the Chancellor with an opportunity to pursue his true economic priorities.

High sickness absence in the public sector, below par middle managers and ambition-driven politicians are damaging the case for a larger state, Will Hutton has claimed, writes Dean Carroll. Proponents of the free market that call for further privatisation of public services are inadvertently being supplied with ammunition because of the deficiencies in certain areas of the public realm, the executive vice-chairman of The Work Foundation has told Public Servant Daily.