Category Archives: public sector

The public must be assured its money is being well spent

As the public faces higher taxes, fundamental revisions are needed to public audit, argue John Tizard and David Walker. At a time of corrosive mistrust in parliament and public affairs, the National Audit Office stands solid. Under Amyas Morse it enjoys near mythical status as an honest and rigorous analyst of how public money is spent.… Read More...

Let 2019 be the year when the sector is bold and radical

The voluntary and community sector cannot duck out of the political debate. It should expose and challenge policies 2019 is going to be an eventful year and one when we will require the voluntary and community sector to draw on all reserves (and I don’t primarily mean our financial reserves – if we have any)… Read More...

Festive public procurement crackers

Even public sector procurement officials will be taking some time off over the next couple of weeks to sit around their Christmas trees, perhaps with a glass in their hands. Like all public sector officials, they deserve a rest and time to recharge. I hope that there will be lots of rest, good food and… Read More...

Prompt payments matter

Successive governments have implored the public sector to ensure that they pay suppliers – especially smaller companies, charities and social enterprises – promptly. However, almost daily there are reports of such suppliers not being paid in accordance with government guidance or contract conditions. Delays can be many weeks and sometimes months. These delays have serious… Read More...

More and more public services can be publicly owned and publicly managed in the public interest

As the Labour Party reaffirms its commitment to set in-house ownership and management as the default option for public services, public sector leaders and senior officials should consider how to respond. Most public bodies (including most local authorities) will have long-term outsourcing contracts and many will be considering whether to outsource other services or whether… Read More...

Why ‘good’ consultation is key

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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...

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...

The contracting conundrum

The dawning realisation that public service contracting has had its day can only grow after 3 May. As new councillors settle in and town halls change political colour, they will further question the shibboleths of the post-1980 era of ‘new public management’ – especially the belief that outsourcing major services out to companies is necessarily… Read More...