By Judith Smyth, OPM director.
Working with local authorities and others to help them improve their commissioning, I have encountered a lot of confusion about what specifications can and should contain.
In some places there is a view that lowest cost is the only thing that matters. But this can result in decisions that conflict with corporate vision and strategy and unintended consequences for communities, the environment and the economy. Continue reading
By Phil Copestake, OPM’s head of communications.
As my colleague Hilary noted in her post last week, questions are being asked about whether the Coalition’s grand ambitions for developing staff-owned mutuals in the public sector can be fulfilled. The national picture may be mixed, but when it comes to individual local areas it all boils down to whether you can make the case (and whether there’s a case to be made, of course).
In advance of OPM’s Spinning Out Mutuals fringe event at the National Children and Adult Services conference – which is free to attend – I thought I’d road-test what seem to be some of the key ingredients for checking whether a mutual is right for you, your service and your community. (I’m also going to speaking about public service mutuals at an EU-sponsored conference in Brussels, next Tuesday, so if you’re able to offer your thoughts on this post in the comments box, or via Twitter @philblogs, then you’ll be doing me a considerable service!)
By Hilary Thompson, OPM chief executive.
Over the spring and summer there was less media interest in public service mutuals and perhaps less actual new interest on the ground. But as England enjoys an Indian summer, we’re expecting interest to increase again.
At national level, there have been many questions about whether we yet have the right climate for public service mutuals in this country (as illustrated by Co-operatives UK’s report on international comparisons). Continue reading
By Hywel Lloyd, OPM senior fellow
Last week saw the Creative Councils camp – an opportunity for the 17 councils to come together with NESTA and the Local Government Group (LGG) to support and explore how their innovation and creativity could be used and shared. I’m excited to be supporting Stoke in their energy self-sufficiency ambition, especially after the positive response from many of those who attended. Continue reading
By Robin Clarke, OPM fellow
I have lost count of the number of times over the years that I said something like this to residents taking part in a focus group or workshop:
‘That is a very interesting issue but it is not within the remit of what we have been asked to talk about today.’
A slight variation of this, but probably just as frequent is:
‘That is probably a matter for local NHS bodies to deal with. We are here to focus on what the council can do about this issue.’
In contrast I can easily remember how many times I have been asked to go out and find out what issues matter to local residents regardless of whose responsibility it is to deal with it. It happened once many years ago. Continue reading
By Rob Francis, OPM associate fellow.
Three weeks from today, a town clock that was removed from the middle of a Shropshire market town several months ago as part of a ‘de-cluttering exercise’, agreed by the town council, will be returned to its original location. This volte face is being hailed as a victory for people power.
A more innovative, intuitive approach to engaging local communities can help to harness the natural energy and passion of local people in a way that informs decisions before they’re taken, rather than having to seek to revert choices that run contrary to local mood. We’ll be exploring how best to take advantage of this potential at a series of Local / Social / Digital events at the upcoming party conferences, which we’re delighted to be running in partnership with FutureGov and On Road Media. Continue reading
By Hywel Lloyd, OPM senior fellow
This week saw Local Government Group (LGG) annual rural conference take place in the delightful city of Bath. Interestingly, it is being addressed by a Defra Minister, reinforcing the countryside elements of rural, such as ‘what’s the role of councils in preserving our forests?’ Continue reading
By Hywel Lloyd, OPM senior fellow
In the 18 August issue of the MJ, in the Whitehall – Inside View column, Mark Conrad thoughtfully highlights the importance of the communities strand of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) remit. Continue reading
By Robin Clarke, OPM fellow
People’s relationship with public services has been an increasingly strong theme in public policy over the past 20 years or so. There is agreement across the political spectrum that the age of paternalistic one-size-fits-all public services has passed its sell-by date and we need to develop a different more appropriate approach with members of the public playing a more active role rather than just being passive recipients of services. Continue reading
By Antonia Bunnin, OPM fellow
At least 58 local authorities will cut Traveller education services. This could have a devastating affect on Gypsies’ and Travellers’ education. The question is: will the general population notice?
The Independent’s report this week, examining drastic cuts to council Traveller education services, is likely to be met mostly with indifference. That’s because Gypsies and Travellers make up only an estimated 0.6 per cent of the UK’s population. The Independent’s investigation found that 24 local authorities are planning to scrap their Traveller education support teams completely, and a further 34 plan to cut staff by over a third. An additional 20 councils would not reveal projected staffing levels for their Traveller education teams, as these are ‘under review’, ‘undecided’, ‘unknown’ or being ‘restructured.’
But despite the relatively small size of the community, these local authority cuts could have a disproportionately large impact on Gypsies’ and Travellers’ education.
