Author Archives: John Tizard

Why ‘good’ consultation is key

MJ1608_p17

We have many questions – let’s start to think about answers over the summer

It’s time to take a break but also to prepare to focus on what lies ahead for the sector I know that many VCS colleagues – trustees, staff and volunteers – will have precious little opportunity to have much of a break this summer. Pressures continue to mount, be they from increasing demand for services,… Read More...

Charities and VCSs should treat staff well

The appeal court ruling on sleep-in carers might have satisfied Mencap and other organisations, but the case underlines that government should fund social care properly Last week’s Appeal Court decision upholding an appeal from Mencap on staff payments for sleep-in duties in residential care is deeply disturbing. It raises fundamental questions about employment practices, staff… Read More...

A responsible government would pause and review outsourcing – and ideally stop it

Only a matter of a few months after the collapse of Carillion and the resultant mayhem and following a sleuth of public service outsourcing failure, the Cabinet Office Minister, David Lidington, has announced that the Government will press ahead with more outsourcing. This is another example of government ignoring evidence and indeed not even trying… Read More...

Time for a public service renaissance

Let’s end the commodification of our public services and start valuing them as public goods that serve the interest of society, argues John Tizard. Discourse about our public services all too often fails to appreciate, let alone value, their societal, communal and economic importance. This failure commonly leads to services – even health, education and policing – being regarded as commodities and treated… Read More...

A dozen tenets that national VCS infrastructure bodies might consider

The board of Navca is holding a strategic awayday this week. I’m the honorary adviser to the board and a former vice-chair, so this has made me think about how national infrastructure bodies can best maximise their value. A membership body, Navca is the national representative organisation for local infrastructure bodies such as councils for… Read More...

Ethical change is long overdue

p021_PF_June18_opinion-outsource copy

Councillors must be contract aware – outsourcing is political Monday June 4th,

Most local authorities of all political persuasions currently outsource some of their services to the private sector. Some outsource more than others. Increasingly, authorities are bringing outsourced services back in-house – ‘in-sourcing’ as it is called. Such in-sourcing is being pursued by council leaders from all the major parties. There are many reasons why local… Read More...

Out of Contract

Public managers and elected members have extensive experience of procuring goods and services and contracting for supply from private firms and charities. But, say you are the new town or county hall leader. New councillors will be asking: do we have an accurate map of council functions, coloured by who carries them out? If it… Read More...

Carillion shows us why public service providers must act ethically

The Committee of Standards in Public Life has made a timely intervention in the outsourcing debate. Its recommendations should be implemented without delay, says John Tizard. The Committee for Standards in Public Life recently suggested public service providers meet the same ethical standards expected of the public sector itself. Specifically, it recommends that: All public… Read More...