Parliament has passed the lobbying bill or, as many in the voluntary and community and trade union sector refer to it, ‘the gagging bill’, having mounted a long campaign to have it either significantly amended, withdrawn or defeated.
After some skirmishes and a few defeats in the House of Lords, government brought the whips to bear and used its majority...
I am very much looking forward to being one of the judges for the GO National Excellence in Public Procurement Awards 2014/15.
I have judged some fine entries and some less exciting ones over the past few years. It is always good to be one of the judging team as public procurement is a very important...
At a time of cuts and enormous pressures on services, it is essential that we use clear language in public policy. Too often words are misused, complex terminology adopted or jargon deployed that creates a misleading impression
I can’t be alone in cringing whenever I hear certain words being misused, or used for effect but out of context, or when...
How long would William Shawcross survive as chair of the Charity Commission if Labour won the election fifteen months from now? Perhaps that’s too blunt a test of the party’s intentions for the voluntary and community sector. Put more gently,...
Last week I was invited to give evidence to the House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee (PASC) for its enquiry on citizens and public services. This is an important enquiry and has the opportunity to address some fundamental questions about the nature of our public services, and the Government's 'reform' and public expenditure programmes.
In a democracy and a...
In spite of modest economic growth, personally, I doubt that 2013 will be remembered by the majority of the population as a great year.
Rather, it will be recorded as: a year of further cuts to critical public services; harmful changes to the benefit systems; political and media stigmatisation of those in need and poor; dangerous media and political scaremongering...
Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude instigated the Cross Government Review of Major Contracts following the revelation of inappropriate claims by and payments to G4S and Serco in respect of their ‘tagging’ contracts with the Ministry of Justice.
The Review, which was conducted by the Cabinet Office (Government Procurement and Crown Commercial Services) supported by PwC and Moore Stephens, looked at...
Political leadership will be critical to the survival of many local authorities in 2014. Some council leaders are demonstrating good leadership at this difficult time, but too often this is not the case
Here’s an all too easy and straightforward prediction: 2014 will not be a comfortable or easy year for local government and its partners in the public, and...
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Mixed results of outsourcing; council leaders can challenge neo-liberalism
For decades, local authorities have contracted with companies from the business sector to enable them to fulfil their duties and commitments to local communities and service users.
This is nothing new – after all, both construction and building work has commonly been...