Economics

Speaking from the Treasury, chancellor says UK will face decision to leave European Union from a "position of strength" – but defers decision to cut spending and raise taxes

Competition and Markets Authority warns that cartels can lead to overcharges of 10% to 20%

Exclusive: Documents seen by CSW confirm that commercial staff are set to get higher base pay and work directly for the centre of government – if they're deemed up to the job. Read on for full details of the major reorganisation of civil service commercial now underway

New figures from the Management Consultancies Association show another year-on-year rise in public sector consultancy spending – but totals remain well below 2009 peak

Chancellor threatens tax rises and says communities, transport and police budgets would get a further 5% cut if Britain votes to leave Europe – as Brexit campaigners hit out at a "blatant attempt to talk down the market and the country"

Key government plan to create common digital platforms still needs explaining to civil service staff, new study finds

Communities committee chair Clive Betts says councils are "worried that their spending needs and the funding of their local services will not be supported by their business rates revenue"

New chief executive and permanent secretary tells MPs that technology issues and new performance management regime are at the root of organisation’s problems

Think tank praises updated blueprint for public-sector procurement but warns new clause must be used

Acting permanent secretary poised to take on £340,000-a-year City of London role

Professor Malcolm Chalmers – who was consulted by the government as it drew up its 2010 and 2015 security reviews – says a vote to leave the European Union may mean reopening defence spending settlements

Audited accounts of more than 5,500 public sector organisations are published after a delay – but the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants warns this "rich source" of data could get buried

Committee chairman Bernard Jenkin tells CSW it "should not be necessary to badger ministers and officials into doing the right thing", after Leave campaigners pushed to ensure pro-EU websites were not promoted in the final run-up to the referendum

National Audit Office says customer service hit by tax authority's decision to reduce staff numbers before online switch was ready – but HMRC says it is now offering its "best service levels in years"

Labour leader backs long-running aim of the Public and Commercial Services union, that would see an end to departmental chiefs setting their own pay for staff

Public and Commercial Services union general secretary says union must have “very important" debate about its future direction, and says PCS is "still standing" in spite of plans to end deduction of union fees from civil servants' pay packets

Spending watchdog criticises Cabinet Office for oversight of plan to merge back office functions, as delays and lack of buy-in lops millions off savings target

Exclusive: As BIS Sheffield staff go on strike over the department's plan to move policy jobs to London, shadow cabinet office minister Louise Haigh denies that MPs are ignoring the need for departmental reform – and urges better local consultation. Photo credit: Amerjit Basi​

Crown Commercial Service to roll out the Open Contracting Data Standard across Whitehall by the autumn, as Cabinet Office acknowledges current contracts info acting as a "barrier to suppliers and businesses"

General secretary of union for senior civil servants says staff cuts taking a toll on membership numbers — but defends move to extend reach with new Keystone initiative

Chancellor says Treasury civil servants planning for the impact of leaving the EU on financial stability in the UK – but Number 10 maintains no wider policy planning taking place

Prime minister David Cameron to set out new process of "open contracting" at anti-corruption summit

Specialist union's formal response to Cabinet Office's planned shake-up of Civil Service Compensation Scheme warns of impact on workforce management – and raises prospect of industrial action

Business minister Anna Soubry says plan to reform relationship between tenants and big pubcos will not come into force next month as planned