The new coalition government has published its "programme for government", outlining its proposals for public services.
Many commentators have already pointed out that the proposals read more like a manifesto than post-election realism. That is particularly true of the proposals, being overseen by Greg Clark, for greater devolution of power from central to local government.
There is also a certain amount of hedging in the proposals. The Conservatives have long proposed to abolish the Regional Development Agencies - but this programme says their replacement bodies "may take the form of RDAs", where these are popular.
Similarly, out goes the Audit Commission's Comprehensive Area Assessment. Councils will decide whether to return to the old committee system of scrutiny. The Centre for Public Scrutiny has welcomed some of the reforms as an "opportunity to engage local people in a conversation about how their council is run".
Public sector cuts
On Monday (24), we will see the first detailed proposals from the government on how it intends to make what it describes as the "modest" cuts of £6bn in public sector budgets in this financial year. The figures it has given so far are grim: NHS administration to be cut by a third and Ministry of Defence running costs to be cut by a quarter. How these will be achieved remains to be seen.
Here are some of the main proposals on public sector organisation and reform:
Banking and business
First free national financial advice service, funded by a levy on financial firms.
A new single agency to tackle serious economic crime, drawn from work now done in the Serious Fraud Office, the Financial Services Authority and the Office of Fair Trading.
Existing regulation to be cut when new regulation is brought in.
Inspections targeted on high-risk organizations.
Regional Development Authorities to be replaced by Local Enterprise Partnerships - joint local authority/business bodies. "These may take the form of existing RDAs in areas where they are popular".
Communities and local government
Regional Spatial Strategies to be abolished.
Review of local government finance.
Infrastructure Planning Commission to be abolished and replaced with "an efficient and democratically accountable system".
Government Office for London to be abolished.
Standards Board for England to be abolished.
Comprehensive Area Assessment to be abolished and local government inspection "to be cut".
Council reorganisation in Norfolk, Suffolk and Devon to be halted.
Plans to regionalise the fire service to be halted.
Public sector staff will have the right to form employee-owned co-operatives.
Crime and justice
Directly elected police commissioners.
Hospitals to share gun and knife crime statistics with police.
Less "time-wasting bureaucracy", but "better technology".
Defence
25% reduction in Ministry of Defence running costs.
Public sector finances
"Modest" cuts of £6bn to non-frontline services in 2010-11.
Reduction in "the number and cost of quangos".
Energy and climate change
Green investment bank to be set up.
Equalities
Every Whitehall department to have internships for under-represented minorities.
Government transparency
Public bodies to publish the job titles of every member of staff, and the salaries and expenses of senior officials paid more than the lowest salary permissible in Pay Band 1 of the Senior Civil Service pay scale.
Anyone in central government paid more than the prime minister [£142,000] to have their salary signed off by the Treasury.
Greater powers for select committees to scrutinise public appointments.
Greater protection for whistleblowers.
Government IT contracts to be published online and full disclosure of all government contracts over £25,000.
Reform of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme "to bring it into line with practice in the private sector".
Immigration and international development
Creation of a Border Police Force, as part of a "refocused" Serious Organised Crime Agency.
New Stabilisation and Reconstruction Force - to bridge the gap between the military and reconstruction effort.
Jobs and welfare
Single welfare to work programme.
Health and social care
"Significant cut" in the number of health quangos.
NHS administration to be cut by a third.
GPs' contracts to be renegotiated.
Independent NHS board.
Role of the Care Quality Commission to be strengthened; Monitor to become an economic regulator.
Commission on long-term care.
Staff
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