Buyer, be aware when outsourcing – check bidders’ corporate health
Over the last year or so, and most recently in the last few weeks, there has been a litany of major UK outsourcing companies announcing profit warnings and facing major challenges to their business models.
Serco, G4S and now Mitie and Capita have hit the headlines for reasons that they would not have chosen. These companies and others are very...
Values Matter But To Be Real They Must Be Lived
Values matter. They can drive behaviours and performance in businesses, co-operatives, social enterprises, charities, community groups, the public sector and indeed individuals. They differentiate between and tell us much about both organisations and individuals.
Values are about more than some words on a poster, on a web site, in a chief executives peroration, in a customer, user, or citizen charter,...
Taking Back Control: Empowering Local Communities
On 23rd June 2016 the British people voted against remaining members of one of the boldest ever international attempts to create a union of collaborative nations based on the pursuit solidarity, economic progress and peace. This union will survive and evolve if and when and on whatever terms the UK leaves it. Ironically the historic union that is the...
Values Matter But To Be Real They Must Be Lived
Where’s the respect between the voluntary and public sectors?
Local government is facing severe financial challenges and yet demand for services continues to rise.
No surprise then that local authorities and the public sector are turning to the voluntary and community sector (VCS) in the expectation – and sometimes desperate hope – that it will fill the gaps in provision.
But without an honest dialogue and understanding between the VCS...
Successful Change Requires Bold Leaders Stepping Outside Their Comfort Zone
The contemporary cliché that the “one constant is change and will be change” is tired and overused but nevertheless true.
Whether you are in the voluntary and community sector, a charity, a large or a small business or any part of the public sector you, your organisation and the systems in which it operates are almost certainly going to be...
John Tizard: Are the right questions being asked if local government outsourcing is growing?
The simple answer must be “No”!
The value of outsourcing contracts signed by UK local authorities in the first half of 2016 increased by 84% despite a dip in the value of overall public sector spending. This was revealed by the recent arvato UK Outsourcing Index. The Index also reported that the value of outsourcing contracts signed by councils in...
English devolution should be community-based and community-led
Last week saw a major voluntary and community sector summit on the voluntary sector and devolution in England. The summit was timely and important as government considers the next stages in the drive to devolve responsibility and some power and resources to city regions and sub-regions.
Inevitably, the change in political leadership post-Brexit has created a pause in...
EU Referendum: Charities Should Speak Up
In just over a week, the British electorate will have decided what is probably the most important political decision for generations, and for which the outcome will impact hugely on future generations.
The EU Referendum is vital for the economic, social, environmental and political future of this country. It also has major implications for the other EU member states, and...