Innovation and Efficiency

Cost benefit analysis of government infrastructure ‘misused and poorly communicated’

20.09.17: The government must improve its system for valuing the costs and benefits of its infrastructure to improve the delivery of key projects, experts have today revealed.   In a report called, ‘How to value infrastructure: Improving c...

Public bodies go local as over £1bn spent on digital services with SMEs

25.08.17: Local authorities and other public sector organisations have spent a whopping £1.2bn with SMEs on cloud and digital services since 2012, meaning almost half of digital spend is being invested in smaller companies. In new figures publi...

New LGA tool shares innovative ways councils can fund arts and culture

16.08.17: The first-ever online resource to help councils develop innovative ways of investing in local culture under increasingly stretched budgets has today been released by the LGA and Arts Council England. Named ‘Culture Hub: good practice...

Local government needs ‘at least 100 more’ co-location plans by 2020

01.08.17: Local government needs to try to engage in at least another 100 co-location schemes with other public sector bodies by 2020 given their simplicity and cost-saving potential, PSE has been told. Speaking to us shortly before the launch of the...

LG mutual mooted to reduce £650m a year council insurance costs

20.07.17: The Local Government Association (LGA) has today announced that it is “exploring options” to set up a local government mutual to reduce the huge amounts that councils currently spend on insurance. The mutual would support author...

Innovation in commissioning services

26.06.17: Malcolm Harbour CBE, who wrote Parliament’s first report on innovation in public procurement in 2008 and now chairs the LGA expert group on this subject, justifies the need to integrate commissioning into innovative procurement and identif...

Putting digital at the heart of service delivery

28.04.17: Following the recent Smart Essex Digital Summit, which was hosted by Essex County Council, David Wilde, executive director and chief information officer at the local authority, tells PSE why, in order to prepare for the challenges of the future...

Wigan Council: embracing digital transformation

25.04.17: Alison McKenzie-Folan, deputy chief executive, director customer transformation at Wigan Council, explains why local authorities, as digital leaders, must set a positive example and demonstrate what can be achieved when you embed trust in the wo...

London councils join Design Council scheme to address major social issues

22.03.17: Councils in London will work with design experts as part of a new programme aiming to help authorities address problems with homelessness, homecare and help for looked-after children, amongst other social issues. The Design Council programm...

The challenges for innovative procurement

27.02.17: Malcolm Harbour CBE, who wrote Parliament’s first report on innovation in public procurement in 2008 and now chairs the LGA Task and Finish Group on this subject, considers how the new Industrial Strategy is a great opportunity for local g...

Oxfordshire councils branded ‘fickle’ for U-turn over unitary reform plans

07.02.17: Oxfordshire County Council’s pursuit of a single unitary authority for the region is looking more likely after two district councils which previously opposed the idea have made a U-turn, coming out in support of the proposal. Last mon...

Dorset councils agree to proceed with unitary reforms

01.02.17: Dorset councils have obtained a mandate to go ahead with their proposals to change the county’s local government structure. The plans, which would see Dorset’s current nine councils replaced with two new unitary authorities, hav...

Unlocking smart capabilities for local authorities

04.01.17: Matthew Evans, executive director of techUK’s SmarterUK programme, discusses the need for the government to deliver a coherent digital strategy that demonstrates the importance of smart cities that local government and the technology indus...

Social action as an organising principle for public services

28.12.16: Carrie Deacon, programme manager in Nesta’s Innovation Lab, explains how commissioners can move people power from the periphery to the heart of service design. Many are now convinced that the public services we inherited from our gran...

Wandsworth and Richmond pension fund merger authorised

22.12.16: The government has confirmed that it will lay regulations to enable Wandsworth and Richmond Upon Thames councils’ proposal to merge their pension funds as part of a cost-saving measure. The two London boroughs announced in January 201...