Putting public assets back in community hands

Posted on February 3, 2012 by OPM

This is the latest in a series of posts in anticipation of new research from OPM about what local government can do to unlock local capacity. To find out more about the free evening seminar on Tuesday 21 February where the research will be launched, click here.

Reading the news this week about the Circle Partnership’s takeover of Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire it’s understandable that people might conclude that where a service is struggling the only viable alternative to public sector management is a solution involving significant private sector input. But in some cases community ownership can be the best answer.

Take the Battersea Arts Centre, for instance. A little while ago I was sitting there helping to facilitate an event about the future of health services in South West London. The venue had a ‘shabby chic’ feel to it and a cat (Pluto – on the staff list as Head of Security, Sleeping and Prowling) who strutted about checking everyone out. But I wondered if I was the only person at the event who was aware of the great transformation that had taken place there?

The Battersea Arts Centre is a shining example of how local people can take over the management of a public asset and not only save a service from possible closure, but also improve it. The building has been threatened with closure many times in its long history, but finally it seems to have found a sustainable future. Since taking over the asset the Centre has broadened its range of projects and seen an increasing number of visitors. Continue reading →

Practical tips to overcome the challenges facing public sector mutuals: event report

Posted on October 21, 2011 by OPM

By Phil Copestake, OPM’s head of communications.

Last week saw OPM’s Spinning Out Mutuals fringe event at the National Children and Adult Services (NCAS) conference. The session was really successful, with a packed room at the cavernous ExCel centre, excellent speakers (well, apart from yours truly) and a lively debate. For those who couldn’t make it, I thought I’d post a few of the best practical tips mentioned for overcoming the genuine challenges facing those wishing to ‘spin out’ public sector mutuals. The important contribution that events like this make to raising awareness of mutuals was underlined by Jesse Norman MP:

The short inquiry report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Employee Ownership, which I chair, emphasised how important it is that the Government’s mutuals programme is better understood and viewed as a means to drive real improvements in our communities. Organisations like OPM play an important role in building awareness about mutuals and helping to create the capacity for change. Only by understanding the real life experiences of people who have already started down this route – such as the speakers and participants at this NCAS event – can we capitalise on the tantalizing possibility of public sector mutuals.

Continue reading →

Making the case for mutuals: three key ingredients

Posted on October 13, 2011 by OPM

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!)

Continue reading →

An Indian summer for public service mutuals?

Posted on October 5, 2011 by OPM

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 →

Saving money whilst supporting new suppliers: seminar briefing paper

Posted on March 24, 2011 by OPM

On Tuesday 29th March OPM will be hosting a seminar to explore the vitally important issue of how public services can simultaneously achieve significant spending reductions whilst supporting civil society organisations to become providers.

Speakers include Tom Shirley, policy lead for mutuals in Francis Maude’s team at the Cabinet Office, Sophia Looney, Director of Policy, Equalities & Performance, London Borough of Lambeth, and James Allen, senior policy officer at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

At the time of writing there were still a few places remaining, and you can find out more details by clicking here. In order to get the debate started, we’ve pulled together the short briefing paper below, which highlights some of the policy background and a few of the key questions we’ll be looking to cover.

Briefing Paper – OPM seminar 29 March

Seminar in March: saving money whilst encouraging new suppliers

Posted on March 2, 2011 by OPM

We’re really pleased to announce the next in our Public Interest Seminar series. On Tuesday 29 March we’ll be looking at the crucial issue of how public services can both save money whilst also building positive relationships with civil society organisations, including charities, social enterprises and mutuals.

The Coalition has clearly signalled that it wants to see civil society organisations taking a bigger role in public service provision and achieving the goals of a Big Society. But how can this be made feasible in the context of the most severe spending cuts in decades?

As local authorities and other commissioning bodies look to reshape services at extremely rapid pace, how can strong relationships with civil society organisations be built and maintained? What actions, practices and behaviours are needed – both on the part of commissioners and civil society providers themselves – to square the circle? What kind of relationship between commissioners and civil society organisations is (a) desirable and (b) realistic? How would the system need to work?

Confirmed speakers include:

Tom Shirley, policy lead for mutuals in Francis Maude’s team at the Cabinet Office.
Sophia Looney, Director – Policy, Equalities & Performance, London Borough of Lambeth – and responsible for Lambeth’s innovative programme to become the UK’s first ‘co-operative council’ (see here for details).
James Allen, senior policy officer at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO).

The seminar will be held in the evening – 6:00 pm for a 6:30 pm start, finished by 7:45 pm – at our offices at 252B Gray’s Inn Road, London, WC1X 8XG, a ten minute walk from King’s Cross. The seminar is free, but places are limited so please do let us know as soon as possible if you would like to attend, by emailing seminars@opm.co.uk.