Visit http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com for more rss feeds. http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/CoreCode/rss/rssdisplay.aspx en-gb Copyright http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com, 2020 Tue, 25 Aug 2020 14:59:22 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ 15 Taking time to say thank you is one of the hidden pillars of a society. Being on the receiving end of some “thanks” can make communities feel respected, needed, and empowered. And of course, happy! But do we say it often enough? Politeness is one of the qualities often listed as under-pinning culture in this country but... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/peter-kyle-public-service-day 447,455 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/peter-kyle-public-service-day Fri, 21 Jun 2019 11:15:00 GMT Tom Chance, director at the National Community Land Trust Network, argues that community-led initiatives are a productive way of helping to solve the housing shortage. Collaboration, it is said, is the key to building more homes, designing them to a high quality, stopping building failures, and all manner of other important objectives.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/how-community-led-initiatives-can-help-save-the-housing-shortage 447,437,436,441,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/how-community-led-initiatives-can-help-save-the-housing-shortage Wed, 19 Jun 2019 16:00:00 GMT Aberdeen City Council’s hydrogen spokesperson, councillor Philip Bell, highlights the Granite City’s determination to play a leading role in the fast-developing hydrogen sector. Aberdeen has enjoyed a rich economic history which includes agriculture, fishing, paper, oil and gas, ship building, textiles and now, as part of its... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/aberdeenhydrogentransport 447,437,436,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/aberdeenhydrogentransport Wed, 19 Jun 2019 15:30:00 GMT A fifth of the country’s public sector workers say they have NEVER received a ‘thank you’ for doing their job as Public Service Day approaches. Almost 5.4 million people are employed in the public sector and civil service in the UK – from nurses to teachers and firefighters to administrators. But a survey by... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-fifth-of-public-sector-workers-have-never-received-a-thank-you-from-the-people-they-serve 435,447,436,870,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-fifth-of-public-sector-workers-have-never-received-a-thank-you-from-the-people-they-serve Thu, 13 Jun 2019 16:45:00 GMT Thurrock Council’s chief executive, Lyn Carpenter, discusses an exciting new £1bn regeneration scheme on the River Thames and its importance in setting the template for high quality, community-driven and infrastructure-led growth. Thurrock is one of the largest growth areas in the UK and has major regeneration projects centred... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/thurrock-councils-investment-masterplan 447,441,443,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/thurrock-councils-investment-masterplan Tue, 11 Jun 2019 08:45:00 GMT Jack Hunter, a research fellow at think tank IPPR North, discusses how to use the Northern Powerhouse to encourage greater social purpose among businesses in the region – including proposals for a new Northern Powerhouse Community Fund. In case you haven’t noticed, business as usual is no longer an option. The latest sign our... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/time-to-build-a-truly-northern-powerhouse 447,433,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/time-to-build-a-truly-northern-powerhouse Tue, 11 Jun 2019 08:45:00 GMT The lack of candidates in recent elections is a worrying trend which impacts on communities and democracy. Willie Sullivan, a senior director at independent campaign organisation the Electoral Reform Society (ERS), provides some solutions which could transform the English process. The local elections in May saw parties’ shifting... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/broken-electoral-system-creating-rotten-boroughs 447,436,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/broken-electoral-system-creating-rotten-boroughs Mon, 10 Jun 2019 17:15:00 GMT Mick Ward, chief officer of transformation and innovation, adults and health at Leeds City Council, provides an overview of the innovative ABCD model transforming care services. In Leeds, tackling loneliness, particularly for older people, has been a priority for many years. This focus on loneliness led to the creation of a fantastic... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/learning-our-abcd-in-leeds 447,870,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/learning-our-abcd-in-leeds Mon, 10 Jun 2019 17:00:00 GMT Cllr Philip Atkins, housing, infrastructure, and planning spokesman for the County Councils Network (CCN), reveals that county house prices are the most unaffordable in England outside of London. House prices are never far away from the headlines, and much media attention in recent months has focused on sluggish growth for the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/building-for-the-future-amidst-a-growing-affordability-crisis 447,436,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/building-for-the-future-amidst-a-growing-affordability-crisis Mon, 03 Jun 2019 16:45:00 GMT Dr Charlotte Augst, chief executive of National Voices, a coalition of charities that stands for people being in control of their health and care, details how the integration between health and social care can be made more easily and effectively for the future. The NHS Long-Term Plan is the last iteration of a long-standing but elusive... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/integration-get-these-two-things-right-first 447,436,870,440,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/integration-get-these-two-things-right-first Wed, 29 May 2019 15:30:00 GMT In April, Dorset Council was officialy formed. One new unitary authority replaced six county, district and borough councils. Dorset Council now serves 377,000 people, making it one of the largest unitary authorities in the country. Matt Prosser, the council’s chief executive, shares the journey to create a new unitary authority, and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-new-dorset-council-why-we-had-to-make-a-bold-decision 447,436,440,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-new-dorset-council-why-we-had-to-make-a-bold-decision Wed, 29 May 2019 15:30:00 GMT How can vocational education and training match workforce skills with the needs of the economy? Senior research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) Anna Round reports. The alignment of vocational education and training with workforce skills and needs of the economy is vital for economic and social justice, and the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-alignment-of-vocational-education-and-training 447,433,453,436,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-alignment-of-vocational-education-and-training Wed, 29 May 2019 15:15:00 GMT Can government use the Spending Review to get out of the cycle of short-termism, over-optimism, and silo decision-making? Antonia Gracie, audit manager at the National Audit Office, reports. For civil servants across Whitehall, amidst the intense work of Brexit preparation, there are other important preparations on the horizon. Those with... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/using-the-spending-review-to-break-the-cycle 447,433,436,443,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/using-the-spending-review-to-break-the-cycle Wed, 29 May 2019 15:15:00 GMT Andrew Carter, chief executive of Centre for Cities, asks: if cities are places of opportunity for the low skilled, why are so many struggling? Those looking for Brexit respite had their prayers briefly answered recently as MPs paused to scrutinise the government’s Stronger Towns Fund. The £1.6bn cash injection was lauded... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/cities-as-places-of-opportunity- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/cities-as-places-of-opportunity- Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:30:00 GMT District councils are achieving excellent outcomes by shifting health solutions from clinical settings to community ones. They have a significant role to play in public health and are improving people’s physical and mental wellbeing. Cllr Isobel Darby, DCN lead for enhancing the quality of life, reports. Evidence shows that how well... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/shaping-healthy-places-with-district-councils- 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/shaping-healthy-places-with-district-councils- Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:30:00 GMT Localis chief executive Jonathan Werran outlines the challenges to delivering future connectivity and mobility, and asks what policy shifts to how we fund and plan for modern transport infrastructure will be required if we are to stay on track. Connectivity through physical and digital infrastructure can lead the way forward in reducing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-road-more-taken-delivering-future-connectivity-and-mobility- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-road-more-taken-delivering-future-connectivity-and-mobility- Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:15:00 GMT Ben Zaranko, research economist at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), analyses this year’s Spring Statement and looks ahead to the Spending Review. This year’s Spring Statement always promised to be a quiet affair. For starters, it was sandwiched between dramatic votes on the government’s Brexit deal. The fog of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-state-of-the-spring-statement- 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-state-of-the-spring-statement- Mon, 29 Apr 2019 08:45:00 GMT Cabinet member for economic regeneration at Northumberland County Council Richard Wearmouth outlines the plans to reintroduce passenger services between Ashington and Newcastle. The reintroduction of passenger services on the existing freight-only line between Ashington and Newcastle has been an aspiration of the county council for many... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/connecting-the-north-east- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/connecting-the-north-east- Mon, 15 Apr 2019 09:45:00 GMT Martin Ferguson, director of policy and research at Socitm, outlines the technology-related trends to look out for in the public sector throughout 2019. IT pundits often make overly-ambitious guesses as to how fast ‘next big thing’ technologies will be deployed. One story, related in Socitm’s recent policy briefing on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/how-public-sector-it-can-exploit-the-last-big-things 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/how-public-sector-it-can-exploit-the-last-big-things Mon, 15 Apr 2019 09:45:00 GMT Glen Garrod, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), outlines the challenges facing the social care workforce – which are being shouted down by Brexit. Social care in England provides employment for some 1.5 million people (not including those working as personal assistants) – that’s... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/what-about-social-care- 447,436,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/what-about-social-care- Mon, 15 Apr 2019 09:45:00 GMT The third in a trilogy of Brexit articles for PSE, Chris Painter, Professor Emeritus at Birmingham City University, considers the wider constitutional and political issues arising from its mishandling. No end in sight Additional concessions from Brussels on the November 2018 divorce withdrawal agreement and accompanying political... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/brexits-systemic-fallout 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/brexits-systemic-fallout Mon, 15 Apr 2019 09:30:00 GMT Mark Baigent, divisional director of housing & regeneration at London Borough Tower Hamlets and chair of the London Housing Directors’ Group, reflects on how the collaborative workforce for the Capital Letters scheme is tackling homelessness in The City. Although the housing crisis affects the whole country, it’s... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/innovative-collaboration-will-improve-support-for-homeless-households 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/innovative-collaboration-will-improve-support-for-homeless-households Fri, 12 Apr 2019 10:00:00 GMT Dr Joanna Redden, Dr Lina Dencik, Dr Arne Hintz and Harry Warne, of the School of Journalism, Media and Culture at the University of Cardiff, tell more on the technology they are using for analysing decisions of local authorities across the UK. Globally, governments at all levels are making greater uses of new data systems as they try to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/mapping-and-analysing-data-practices-across-local-government 447,439,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/mapping-and-analysing-data-practices-across-local-government Mon, 08 Apr 2019 14:30:00 GMT The decline of the Great British high street has been one of the greatest concerns for local councils in recent years, leading to some innovative efforts to revitalise shopping districts. Karen Whelan, chief executive of Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC), tells more on her authority’s proactive approach to high street... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/camberley-inspired-investment-and-regeneration- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/camberley-inspired-investment-and-regeneration- Mon, 11 Mar 2019 09:15:00 GMT The National Infrastructure Commission’s (NIC) National Infrastructure Assessment was released in July 2018, making a variety of recommendations ranging from digital technology growth to making the switch to low-carbon energy sources. Professor Sadie Morgan, commissioner at the NIC, delves deeper into how northern cities can be improved... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/national-infrastructure-commission-progressing-the-north 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/national-infrastructure-commission-progressing-the-north Mon, 11 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT Paul Bentley, of the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), introduces us to the Spend Analysis Recovery Framework: a no win no fee means of carrying out audits and recovery for the public sector. You probably don’t think of yourself as a hero. Those who spend taxpayers’ money have a duty to look for new and innovative ways of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/sars-ii-recovery-made-easy- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/sars-ii-recovery-made-easy- Mon, 11 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT Steve Cains, head of power solutions at Public Power Solutions, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Swindon Borough Council, describes the benefits of its latest innovative use of solar energy: to power a recycling plant. Local authorities have never been under greater pressure: to deliver high levels of services while budgets are being cut... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/swindons-solar-powered-recycling-centre-saves-council-cash- 447,433,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/swindons-solar-powered-recycling-centre-saves-council-cash- Mon, 11 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT Local councils around the UK are getting creative to attract the younger generation into the sector, and Ashford Borough Council is at the forefront of this innovation. Michelle Pecci, head of human resources and customer services at the authority, tells more on Ashford’s new scheme to bring more young people into local... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/training-the-next-generation-at-ashfield-borough-council- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/training-the-next-generation-at-ashfield-borough-council- Mon, 11 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT Educating the next generation of business, society leaders and decision-makers is one of the most prevalent challenges the North faces: with 80,000 new digital workers in demand by 2020, it is more important now than ever before that the next workforce wave has the right skills and knowledge base to develop and drive the Northern... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/evonorth-2019-discussing-education-skills-employment 447,453,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/evonorth-2019-discussing-education-skills-employment Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:45:00 GMT Throughout all of the various topics discussed across the two days of EvoNorth, there were two overarching themes which consistently cropped up: Brexit and climate change, arguably the two most disruptive challenges facing the country right now. Whether it was during the leaders debates on health, social care and wellbeing; business... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-future-of-energy-for-the-northern-powerhouse-at-evonorth- 447,437,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-future-of-energy-for-the-northern-powerhouse-at-evonorth- Mon, 04 Mar 2019 15:15:00 GMT One of the key objectives of EvoNorth 2019 was to bring key influencers in their respective industries together to develop fruitful business relationships, identify and pursue vital areas of importance for their sector, and work collaboratively for the shared goal of a Northern Powerhouse – and the two-day event did just that. A... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/business-innovation-investment-at-evonorth-2019 447,433,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/business-innovation-investment-at-evonorth-2019 Mon, 04 Mar 2019 14:30:00 GMT The celebration of EvoNorth 2019, the first ever event of its name, lived up to lofty expectations in amplifying and highlighting the biggest and brightest of past, present, and future exciting developments the region has to offer, bringing together key decision-makers from a vast array of backgrounds and professions – all joining forces... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/evonorth-2019-connecting-the-passions-people-and-places-of-the-north 447,436,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/evonorth-2019-connecting-the-passions-people-and-places-of-the-north Mon, 04 Mar 2019 14:00:00 GMT A spate of recent outsourcing woes show the government urgently needs to improve its understanding of the market, argues Sarah Nickson of the Institute for Government. Government relies on the private sector to deliver a vast range of critical services – from hospitals, to army recruitment, to major IT systems, to ferries to ease... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/government-needs-better-outsourcing-data 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/government-needs-better-outsourcing-data Mon, 04 Mar 2019 09:30:00 GMT Cllr Rob Rotchell, cabinet member for adult social care at Cornwall Council, tells us how his council is addressing the challenges of adult care and support through its technology-enabled care programme. The upcoming year will continue to bring major challenges for health and adult social care in the UK. In Cornwall, we aim to create a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/cornwall-councils-technology-enabled-care 447,438,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/cornwall-councils-technology-enabled-care Mon, 04 Mar 2019 09:15:00 GMT Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for energy and environment Cllr Sally Longford and head of energy services Wayne Bexton explain how Nottingham is leading the way in tackling climate change and fuel poverty simultaneously by trialling Energiesprong – a Dutch initiative that gives homes a green makeover. Many of the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/gearing-up-for-the-rollout-of-energiesprong-homes 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/gearing-up-for-the-rollout-of-energiesprong-homes Mon, 04 Mar 2019 09:15:00 GMT With bank loans becoming harder to obtain for some small businesses, what are the options available for SMEs seeking financial support? Grant Peggie, director of venture capital solutions at the British Business Bank (BBB), comments on how it can aid growth within small businesses, and how this can impact regional economic prosperity. In... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/british-business-bank-enabling-regional-prosperity- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/british-business-bank-enabling-regional-prosperity- Mon, 04 Mar 2019 09:00:00 GMT Martin Tugwell, programme director at England’s Economic Heartland, outlines the body’s vision for the future of the region, and emphasises the importance of sub-national transport bodies. The idea for England’s Economic Heartland was formed five years’ ago during a discussion between three council leaders who... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/englands-heartland-and-the-case-for-sub-national-transport-bodies 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/englands-heartland-and-the-case-for-sub-national-transport-bodies Mon, 25 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT Paul Johnstone, north of England regional director for Public Health England (PHE), discusses his organisation’s work in assisting the devolution and public health agenda. With the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, the statutory role of improving and protecting the public’s health moved from the NHS to local government and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/healing-the-divide-with-public-health-england- 447,2899,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/healing-the-divide-with-public-health-england- Mon, 25 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT With local government elections on the horizon in spring this year, Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), discusses the technological evolution local authorities are using to train the next generation of councillors. Training for council officers, and especially for elected members, can be a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-tilt-towards-tech-in-training-the-next-generation-of-councillors- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-tilt-towards-tech-in-training-the-next-generation-of-councillors- Mon, 25 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT Local authorities across the UK are exploring how digital innovation can improve their constituents’ lives; and the Royal Borough of Greenwich Council is no different. Cllr Stephen Brain, chair of the Digital Cities department at the council, tells more. The borough is forward-thinking in relation to all matters digital and is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/thinking-digitally-greenwich-borough-council 447,438,439,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/thinking-digitally-greenwich-borough-council Mon, 25 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT Ahead of her speaking slot at this year’s EvoNorth, Acas chief executive Susan Clews assesses the current climate of workplaces and what matters most to workers, and argues that job quality and business performance go hand-in-hand. Are workers in the north worrying about the same issues as their counterparts in the south? The answer... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/acas-and-the-peoples-powerhouse 447,2899,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/acas-and-the-peoples-powerhouse Mon, 18 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT Alison Hughes, assistant director of strategic ICT partnership at Bolton & Wigan councils, explains how the two councils are collaboratively facing the challenges of delivering an ICT service. The digital landscape is changing and councils are faced with increasing demand for services with reduced budgets. Along with the high... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/bolton-and-wigans-strategic-ict-partnership-crossing-borders-together- 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/bolton-and-wigans-strategic-ict-partnership-crossing-borders-together- Mon, 18 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT Chris Painter, professor emeritus at Birmingham City University, examines the reasons why prime minister Theresa May’s approach to Brexit has proved so problematic. A premiership in context There are fascinating parallels between the premierships of Gordon Brown and Theresa May: both entered 10 Downing Street lacking personal... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/chris-painter-mays-failing-brexit-project 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/chris-painter-mays-failing-brexit-project Mon, 18 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT Colin Bell, business growth director at the North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), talks about why partnership across the North is key to achieving economic growth. Partnership is central to the work we do at the North East LEP – it’s a key part of our organisation’s name and it’s a key part of everything... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/creating-powerful-partnerships-across-the-north- 447,436,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/creating-powerful-partnerships-across-the-north- Mon, 18 Feb 2019 09:00:00 GMT From Windrush to Univerisal Credit: the Institute for Government’s (IfG’s) accountability lead Benoit Guerin discusses how we can avert future government blunders and improve public accountability. This past year was marked by several high-profile government crises. Thousands of UK citizens from the ‘Windrush... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/government-accountability-a-year-in-crises- 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/government-accountability-a-year-in-crises- Tue, 15 Jan 2019 09:15:00 GMT Trinley Walker, senior policy researcher at the New Local Government Network (NLGN) considers some different ways of approaching the relationships between the public and private sectors. The private sector’s role in the delivery of public services is never far away from the political debate. The current Labour Party leadership has... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/rethinking-public-private-partnerships- 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/rethinking-public-private-partnerships- Tue, 15 Jan 2019 09:15:00 GMT Deirdre Duff, divestment campaigner at Friends of the Earth, takes a look at local authorities’ role in fracking. The fossil fuel industry has five times more fossil fuels than we can use if we are to prevent climate chaos. Despite this, with government backing, it continues to explore for more.   The industry itself... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/fracking-divest-to-invest 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/fracking-divest-to-invest Mon, 07 Jan 2019 10:15:00 GMT Mark Morrin, localism lead and principal research consultant at ResPublica, makes the case for salary-deducted lending to sit alongside a broader set of savings programmes as a solution to indebtedness. Consumer debt and the cost of financing it is one crucial mainstay of place-based disadvantage. In our report, ‘Credit Emancipation... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/building-credit-with-the-public-sector- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/building-credit-with-the-public-sector- Mon, 07 Jan 2019 10:00:00 GMT Digital technology must play a supportive and secondary role to energy distribution and transport infrastructure priorities if the ‘smart city’ agenda is to power the clean growth and electric vehicle (EV) revolution, writes Localis chief executive Jonathan Werran. Since the first steam-powered Industrial Revolution, we as... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/smart-cities-the-smart-thing-to-do 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/smart-cities-the-smart-thing-to-do Mon, 07 Jan 2019 10:00:00 GMT Professor Duncan Maclennan CBE, professor of public policy at the University of Glasgow, argues we must recognise the entrepreneurial potential of local authorities in the wake of Brexit. More attention needs to be paid to Britain’s towns, especially after reports such as Carnegie UK Trust’s ‘New Powers, New Deals:... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/towns-favoured-brexit-but-brexit-will-not-favour-them 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/towns-favoured-brexit-but-brexit-will-not-favour-them Mon, 07 Jan 2019 10:00:00 GMT Cities across the country are stuck in a cycle of low-skilled workers with low-paid jobs facing few opportunities to upskill or progress, and the rise of robots and automation with only make matters worse. Elena Magrini, researcher at the Centre for Cities, reports. ‘What if we train people and then they leave?’ is the dilemma... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/people-make-places-breaking-the-low-skilled-equilibrium- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/people-make-places-breaking-the-low-skilled-equilibrium- Wed, 02 Jan 2019 12:30:00 GMT Mark Palethorpe, acting executive director of people at Cheshire East Council, explains what the Skills for Care graduate management programme could mean for the adult social care workforce. Recruiting into adult social care is a big challenge for any local authority in the current climate, and Cheshire East Council is not immune to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-healthy-state-of-affairs-at-chesire-east-council- 447,870,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-healthy-state-of-affairs-at-chesire-east-council- Wed, 02 Jan 2019 12:15:00 GMT Bridget Rosewell OBE, commissioner at the National Infrastructure Commission, argues that local authorities should be required to prepare for the growing popularity of electric vehicles (EVs) with a government-backed roll-out of a fully visible charging network. After 100 years of incremental change, in the coming decades we will witness... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/going-electric-rolling-out-an-ev-charging-network- 447,433,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/going-electric-rolling-out-an-ev-charging-network- Wed, 02 Jan 2019 12:15:00 GMT Director of transformation Sarah Parker and executive director of public health Helen Atkinson discuss the challenges Surrey Heartlands has faced as a partnership, and their role in supporting the whole system in its successful journey towards devolved health and social care. Our experiences of reviewing, developing, and commissioning... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-scale-of-surrey-heartlands-ambition- 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-scale-of-surrey-heartlands-ambition- Wed, 02 Jan 2019 12:15:00 GMT Simon Edwards, director of the County Councils Network (CCN), reflects on the CCN’s conference and looks ahead to the Spending and Fair Funding reviews. In last month’s PSE, I wrote that councils are increasingly delivering ‘less for less’ and will continue to do so without additional resource. Now, it's fair... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-fair-future-for-counties 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-fair-future-for-counties Tue, 18 Dec 2018 10:15:00 GMT Lois Lane, policy and research advisor at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), analyses the outcomes and recommendations of the Letwin Review, and makes the case for radical reform of the country’s broken land market. Last month, we argued that the final report of Sir Oliver Letwin’s review of build-out offered a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/letwin-review-a-golden-opportunity-but-does-it-add-up- 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/letwin-review-a-golden-opportunity-but-does-it-add-up- Tue, 18 Dec 2018 10:15:00 GMT Hackney mayor and London Councils’ digital champion, Philip Glanville, takes an in-depth look at some of the projects benefitting from a dedicated funding pot to improve digital infrastructure across the capital’s boroughs. Over the past year, the capital’s 32 boroughs, the City of London Corporation, and the mayor of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/creating-a-digital-london 447,438,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/creating-a-digital-london Tue, 18 Dec 2018 10:00:00 GMT Keith Smith, director of apprenticeships at the Education and Skills Funding Agency, outlines the key initiatives currently taking place to drive the growth and quality of apprenticeships. An apprenticeship can be life-changing, with higher wages and better job prospects. It offers a unique opportunity for people of all ages and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/putting-quality-at-the-heart-of-apprenticeships- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/putting-quality-at-the-heart-of-apprenticeships- Tue, 18 Dec 2018 09:45:00 GMT Chris Painter, professor emeritus at Birmingham City University, examines the many lessons flowing from the June 2016 EU Referendum. The consequences flowing from the June 2016 referendum decision to discontinue the UK’s membership of the European Union are manifold. Constitutional, political, economic, public funding, and global... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/ten-lessons-from-brexit 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/ten-lessons-from-brexit Tue, 18 Dec 2018 09:45:00 GMT As society comes to terms with the fear and loathing of artificial intelligence (AI), is it time for councils to start considering what benefits the technology can bring to their organisation? LGiU chief executive Dr Jonathan Carr-West and associate Neil Reeder explore the possibilities of a digital future. AI has massive potential to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/artificial-intelligence-reality-or-hype- 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/artificial-intelligence-reality-or-hype- Tue, 18 Dec 2018 09:30:00 GMT Dan Jarvis, mayor of the Sheffield City Region, discusses the future of regional funding post-Brexit, and makes the case for greater devolution. In March, the UK will exit the European Union. No matter what the detail of the deal is, it's critical that our communities don't become poorer as a result. While much of the media interest... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/why-our-regions-must-not-lose-out-after-brexit 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/why-our-regions-must-not-lose-out-after-brexit Tue, 18 Dec 2018 09:30:00 GMT It’s no secret that councils up and down the country are scrambling to keep services afloat as they try to balance dwindling resources with growing demand. In line with the ‘doing more with less’ philosophy, one of the solutions to this conundrum has been restructuring local government altogether. PSE’s Jack Donnelly... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/taking-local-government-by-storm- 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/taking-local-government-by-storm- Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:15:00 GMT PSE’s Daniel Broadley reflects on the key messages to take away from this year’s National Social Value Conference, which took place on 20-21 November in Manchester. If you’re born into the bottom 10% of society in terms of poverty, to reach average earnings it wouldn’t take six years, or even six decades, but six... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/national-social-value-conference-2018-going-upstream- 447,436,442 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/national-social-value-conference-2018-going-upstream- Mon, 17 Dec 2018 12:15:00 GMT Chairman of the LGA Lord Porter puts the chancellor’s Autumn Budget under the microscope and looks at what it means for local government. The chancellor’s latest Budget shows that the government is listening to the LGA’s call for desperately-needed investment in our local public services. The LGA’s Budget... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/lga-autumn-budget-round-up 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/lga-autumn-budget-round-up Mon, 17 Dec 2018 11:45:00 GMT Many of the requirements from buyers posted on the Digital Marketplace were either non-compliant or poorly worded, which resulted in challenges from suppliers and delayed timescales for buyers. Crown Commercial Service (CCS) decided to go out and talk to its users to train them to create better, more targeted content, reveals Emilia Cedeno... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-digital-buying-community-is-live 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-digital-buying-community-is-live Mon, 12 Nov 2018 09:45:00 GMT The South Bank plan, which refers to a number of investments and proposed activities across a massive plot of land south of the River Aire, is one of Europe’s largest city-centre regeneration initiatives. Cllr Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council, looks ahead at what’s in store. Leeds is a city with enormous ambition and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-force-to-be-reckoned-with 447,433,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-force-to-be-reckoned-with Mon, 12 Nov 2018 09:30:00 GMT As councils across England struggle with their finances in the face of massive cuts from central government, Simon Edwards, director of the County Councils Network (CCN), assesses the risk of ‘core offers’ becoming the norm. After difficult budget discussions, we have seen several stories in the press on the financial... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/less-for-less-the-risk-of-core-offers- 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/less-for-less-the-risk-of-core-offers- Mon, 12 Nov 2018 09:15:00 GMT Central government needs to change its approach to local transport planning and investment, including by consolidating funding and maximising devolution opportunities, argues Tom Thackray, the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI’s) infrastructure director. In the past few months, many of us will have relied on our local... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-two-speed-england 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-two-speed-england Mon, 05 Nov 2018 09:15:00 GMT Cllr Peter Fleming OBE, chair of the LGA’s Improvement & Innovation Board and leader of Sevenoaks District Council, looks at how technology can improve the productivity of public-sector workers. Across the country, councils have been harnessing the power of digital tools and solutions to improve outcomes for their residents for... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/innovating-workforce-productivity- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/innovating-workforce-productivity- Mon, 05 Nov 2018 09:15:00 GMT Peter Schofield, Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) collaborative procurement programme manager, looks back at the region’s history of adopting social value policy and outlines what lessons his team has learned as a result. Procurement was identified by the New Local Government Network’s Jessica Studdert in March... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/social-value-in-greater-manchester-lessons-learned- 447,433,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/social-value-in-greater-manchester-lessons-learned- Mon, 05 Nov 2018 09:15:00 GMT Debt problems can have detrimental effects on people’s wellbeing, the economy and public services. Charles Nancarrow, director of regulation and trade at the National Audit Office (NAO), talks us through part of his organisation’s latest report into tackling problem debt. Over-indebtedness, or problem debt, which is defined as... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/tackling-problem-debt 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/tackling-problem-debt Mon, 05 Nov 2018 09:00:00 GMT Pat Ritchie, chief executive of the North of Tyne authorities leading on housing and chief executive of Newcastle City Council, outlines her vision for the region as it walks towards a groundbreaking devolution deal. A new political era is dawning in the north east. The devolution deal that we negotiated with the government is currently... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/north-of-tyne-a-new-future-and-political-dawn 447,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/north-of-tyne-a-new-future-and-political-dawn Mon, 05 Nov 2018 07:30:00 GMT Lilian Greenwood, chair of the Transport Select Committee, discusses the inquiry that MPs are launching into the state of England’s local road network. The “appalling condition of virtually every road” in the UK is a “terrible epidemic” and a “national scandal bordering on criminal negligence.”... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-roads-and-governance-an-inquiry- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-roads-and-governance-an-inquiry- Mon, 29 Oct 2018 09:00:00 GMT Glen Garrod, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), explores the thorny issue of funding ahead of the government’s forthcoming green paper. As the voice of social care teams across the country, ADASS is determined to help social care teams deliver care which both reduces pressure on our NHS and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/social-care-has-reduced-pressures-on-the-nhs-now-the-pressures-must-reduce-on-care-too 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/social-care-has-reduced-pressures-on-the-nhs-now-the-pressures-must-reduce-on-care-too Mon, 29 Oct 2018 09:00:00 GMT Ben Carpenter, chief executive of Social Value UK, argues that, before we start measuring social value, we should ask clearly: what is it, and why does it matter? Social value is so much more than a value-for-money exercise. If you see social value as simply a new catchphrase for ‘efficiency savings’ or ‘proving how... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/social-value-what-is-it-and-why 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/social-value-what-is-it-and-why Mon, 29 Oct 2018 08:45:00 GMT The Northern Gateway will be one of the largest residential-led regeneration schemes in the UK when the project hits the ground in the coming months, explains Sir Richard Leese, leader of Manchester City Council. Rightly lauded in the same regeneration echelons as Hulme in the early 90s and east Manchester before and after the 2002... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-northern-gateway- 447,2899,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-northern-gateway- Mon, 29 Oct 2018 08:45:00 GMT Wigan Borough Council is leading the way with its innovative approach to integrated health and care. We hear from the Healthier Wigan Partnership about the work they’ve been doing to improve people’s lives and transform their health and wellbeing. The ‘Deal for Health and Wellness’ is Wigan Borough Council’s... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/making-good-health-a-reality-in-wigan 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/making-good-health-a-reality-in-wigan Mon, 22 Oct 2018 09:00:00 GMT Liverpool already boasts the best in class when it comes to innovation – but no city can rest on its laurels. Joe Anderson, the city’s mayor, talks about the ongoing development of the Knowledge Quarter Gateway. Knowledge is power. It’s an age-old saying, but in the 21st century cities across the world are... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/knowledge-quarter-the-pieces-of-the-jigsaw- 447,436,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/knowledge-quarter-the-pieces-of-the-jigsaw- Mon, 22 Oct 2018 08:45:00 GMT Finland’s local government structure is going through a set of reforms as municipalities across the small Nordic nation continue to merge. Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the LGiU, and Suvi Loponen, LGiU associate, examine the local government structure of Finland and how it compares to the UK. Known as one of the happiest... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-government-in-finland- 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-government-in-finland- Mon, 22 Oct 2018 08:45:00 GMT Now in its second year, the People’s Powerhouse Conference promises to celebrate achievements and find new solutions to ensure better lives for all of those in the north. PSE’s Luana Salles looks ahead to November’s event. For those of you who don’t recall how the People’s Powerhouse was born, here’s a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-doors-of-the-powerhouse-are-open-once-again 447,436,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-doors-of-the-powerhouse-are-open-once-again Mon, 22 Oct 2018 08:45:00 GMT We have learned a lot since the last National Social Value Conference, with many organisations both in the public and private sectors now embedding social value into commissioning and procurement. Guy Battle, chief executive at Social Value Portal (pictured), reveals what to expect at this year’s conference, taking place in Manchester on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/inspiring-leadership-in-social-value 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/inspiring-leadership-in-social-value Mon, 15 Oct 2018 09:15:00 GMT David Phillips, associate director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, discusses the current health of local government finance, and how a better formula could help manage this situation. In recent months, my conversations with colleagues and councils seem to be increasingly focused on one thing: pie. Not any old pie though: the funding... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/is-fair-funding-possible-or-pie-in-the-sky- 447,433,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/is-fair-funding-possible-or-pie-in-the-sky- Mon, 15 Oct 2018 09:00:00 GMT On 6 September, the biggest decision-makers of the north joined forces to celebrate and debate how to drive innovation and improvement through the region in the first-ever Convention of the North. Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and one of the leading lights behind the partnership, sat down with PSE’s Jack Donnelly to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/keeping-the-momentum-of-the-northern-powerhouse 447,451,436,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/keeping-the-momentum-of-the-northern-powerhouse Mon, 15 Oct 2018 09:00:00 GMT Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City Region, discusses the findings of the very first Convention of the North, which was held in Newcastle on 6 September. The UK is the most politically centralised country in the Western world, and at the same time the most economically unbalanced. While London booms, 47% of the UK population... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-convention-of-the-north 447,436,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-convention-of-the-north Mon, 15 Oct 2018 08:30:00 GMT Katrina Williams, head of travel at the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), explains how they are helping government organisations to get the best deal when buying travel solutions. It has been a trend since before the turn of the century: digital communication continues to reduce the need for extensive business travel. In a sense, the change... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/travel-solutions-on-track 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/travel-solutions-on-track Mon, 10 Sep 2018 11:45:00 GMT Paul Miner, head of strategic plans and devolution at the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), highlights the findings of a recent survey which show that local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) need to become more sensitive to the needs of rural communities. LEPs are business-led partnerships between the private and public sectors... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/leps-need-to-do-more-for-englands-countryside 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/leps-need-to-do-more-for-englands-countryside Mon, 10 Sep 2018 11:45:00 GMT Cllr Izzi Seccombe, chairman of the LGA’s Community Wellbeing Board, looks at the exclusion of social care from the government’s recent NHS funding pledge. The £20bn annual funding increase for the NHS was a bittersweet announcement for people working in adult social care. While the settlement is recognition for its... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/what-about-social-care 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/what-about-social-care Mon, 10 Sep 2018 11:45:00 GMT Chris Painter, professor emeritus at Birmingham City University, explores the paradox of reform principles persisting despite mounting evidence about their limitations. This article critically revisits a number of public service reform principles in light of evidence assembled over time. One of the abiding themes since 2010 is, of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/re-evaluating-public-service-reforms 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/re-evaluating-public-service-reforms Mon, 10 Sep 2018 11:30:00 GMT With the nation facing public health challenges of epidemic proportions, forward-thinking local authorities are invited to apply to the Design in the Public Sector Programme, delivered in partnership with the LGA, writes Sarah Weir OBE, chief executive of Design Council. Cllr Paul Bettison OBE, chairman of the LGA... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/transforming-the-health-of-the-country 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/transforming-the-health-of-the-country Mon, 03 Sep 2018 09:15:00 GMT As the grid goes green, do we still need to consider energy efficiency? The Mayor of London’s RE:FIT team investigates. According to recently published greenhouse gas emissions factors, the UK is making excellent progress towards decarbonising the grid. This poses an interesting question: as the grid becomes less carbon-intensive... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/stay-on-top-of-energy-efficiency- 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/stay-on-top-of-energy-efficiency- Mon, 03 Sep 2018 09:00:00 GMT In a follow-up to his article in PSE June/July, director of Involve Tim Hughes provides an update on the recommendations of the Citizens’ Assembly on Social Care – namely, that social care should be free at the point of use. The adult social care funding system has been in urgent need of reform for many years, but our... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-citizens-assembly-part-ii 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-citizens-assembly-part-ii Mon, 03 Sep 2018 09:00:00 GMT Clive Skidmore, assistant director for housing development at Birmingham City Council, takes us back to when the Building Birmingham Scholarship programme was created and explains how it has helped young people since then. In 2008, the City Housing Partnership (CHP) agreed that it would be fitting to remember the contribution that Tony... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/building-birmingham-scholarship 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/building-birmingham-scholarship Mon, 03 Sep 2018 08:45:00 GMT Matt Prosser, Solace’s spokesperson for digital leadership and interim head of paid service at the Shadow Dorset Council, discusses the future of digital colocation between local authorities. Sitting around a table with some of the more tech-savvy brains of local and central government, we spent a good few minutes debating whether... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/delivering-the-digital-goods 447,438,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/delivering-the-digital-goods Tue, 28 Aug 2018 09:45:00 GMT Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Locality, takes a look at the number of publicly-owned assets being sold off to the private sector after bearing the brunt of austerity, and considers what can be done.  We have known for some time that many of our important local buildings and spaces are being lost. These are our swimming pools and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-great-british-sell-off- 447,443,452 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-great-british-sell-off- Tue, 28 Aug 2018 09:45:00 GMT After a politically rocky few months, PSE’s Jack Donnelly tells us what to expect at this year’s trio of major party conferences, taking place across the months of September and October. Conservatives The Conservatives will hold their 2018 annual conference this year at the ICC in Birmingham. From 30 September to 3 October... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/party-conferences-preview 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/party-conferences-preview Tue, 28 Aug 2018 09:30:00 GMT Peter Stansbury, lead author of the Agile Business Consortium’s Agile Digital Services (AgileDS) training course and qualification, recommends leaving behind traditional management techniques and embracing a forward-thinking behaviour in the public sector. The establishment of Government Digital Service (GDS) signalled the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/management-hard-to-be-agile- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/management-hard-to-be-agile- Tue, 28 Aug 2018 09:15:00 GMT Carnegie UK Trust fellow Julia Unwin CBE discusses the direction that public services are going, and argues that well-intentioned reforms might put efficiency ahead of basic human kindness and interaction. There are words that we use in our everyday language that we know matter to us. Kindness is one of them. We teach our children about... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-power-of-kindness- 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-power-of-kindness- Thu, 23 Aug 2018 15:15:00 GMT It’s time to stop seeing transport investment as a nice-to-have: it’s a cut-through catalyst for growth in sectors across the north. Barry White, chief executive of Transport for the North (TfN), discusses how connectivity is the bedrock of the region’s future prosperity. The power of the north is unrelenting. Its star... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-new-era-of-opportunity-for-the-north 447,433,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-new-era-of-opportunity-for-the-north Mon, 13 Aug 2018 10:15:00 GMT Dr Linze Schaap, associate professor at the Tilburg Centre for Regional Law and Governance, and Dr Niels Karsten, assistant professor at the Tilburg Institute of Governance, provide evidence from abroad to justify why larger authorities are not the answer to local government reform. The recent economic and fiscal crises have put new... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/council-mergers-little-gain-less-democratic 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/council-mergers-little-gain-less-democratic Mon, 13 Aug 2018 10:15:00 GMT Georgina Maratheftis, programme manager for local government at techUK, makes the case for wider adoption of cloud technology by local authorities. There are lots of councils across the UK that are realising the benefits of adopting and using cloud services. There are also a lot more that are not – and they should be. A recent... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/creating-a-council-cloud-first-approach 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/creating-a-council-cloud-first-approach Mon, 13 Aug 2018 10:15:00 GMT Cllr Isobel Darby, member lead for quality of life at the District Councils’ Network (DCN) and leader of Chiltern District Council, shares some examples of district-led prevention initiatives which show the strong contribution that these collaborations can make to the health and care sector. As the NHS reaches its 70th birthday... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-strength-of-districts 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-strength-of-districts Mon, 13 Aug 2018 10:15:00 GMT As the grid goes green, do we still need to consider energy efficiency? The Mayor of London’s RE:FIT team investigates. According to recently published greenhouse gas emissions factors, the UK is making excellent progress towards decarbonising the grid. This poses an interesting question: as the grid becomes less carbon-intensive... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/stay-on-top-of-energy-efficiency 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/stay-on-top-of-energy-efficiency Mon, 06 Aug 2018 14:30:00 GMT Heather Wakefield, Unison’s head of local government, police and justice, analyses her organisation’s scathing research into the confidence of council workers in the future of local services. It’s a bleak indictment of the state of local councils when the very people working for them have no confidence in the future of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/enough-is-enough 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/enough-is-enough Mon, 06 Aug 2018 11:45:00 GMT Matt Prosser, Solace’s spokesperson for digital leadership and interim head of paid service at the Shadow Dorset Council, discusses the future of digital colocation between local authorities. Sitting around a table with some of the more tech-savvy brains of local and central government, we spent a good few minutes debating whether... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/delivering-the-digital-goods 447,438,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/delivering-the-digital-goods Mon, 06 Aug 2018 11:45:00 GMT The Northern Powerhouse vision is finally within reach – it’s time we grasp that opportunity and turn it into reality, writes Henri Murison, director of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership (NPP). It is just over four years since the words ‘Northern Powerhouse’ were first introduced by then chancellor George Osborne... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/from-vision-to-reality 447,436,2899 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/from-vision-to-reality Mon, 06 Aug 2018 11:45:00 GMT Michael King first joined the Local Government Ombudsman service back in 2004 as deputy ombudsman. At the start of 2017, he was appointed as the local government and social care ombudsman (LGSCO). Here, he talks to PSE’s Daniel Broadley to discuss ombudsman reform and the commitments set out in the LGO’s latest corporate... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/time-for-ombudsman-reform- 435,447,451,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/time-for-ombudsman-reform- Mon, 06 Aug 2018 11:30:00 GMT Jonny Voon, innovation lead for Internet of Things & distributed ledger at Innovate UK, talks us through the many benefits of blockchain technology and its potential to disrupt almost every industry in our economy – particularly the public sector.  While the majority of the noise around blockchain tends to be... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/benefits-of-blockchain 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/benefits-of-blockchain Mon, 23 Jul 2018 13:00:00 GMT Paul Steinberg, lead commissioner of the London HIV Prevention Programme (LHPP), argues that the capital’s successful fight against HIV is a remarkable example of what can be achieved when local authorities work innovatively across boundaries to speak with one voice. It no longer hits the headlines as much as it once did, but HIV... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-quiet-revolution 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-quiet-revolution Mon, 23 Jul 2018 12:45:00 GMT The ‘place-based’ focus of the Industrial Strategy will be a significant step towards growing local economies alongside LEPs, writes Cllr Philip Atkins, County Councils Network (CCN) vice-chairman and leader of Staffordshire County Council. The government’s revamped Industrial Strategy, released late last year, offered a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/industrial-strategies-taking-back-control 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/industrial-strategies-taking-back-control Mon, 23 Jul 2018 12:45:00 GMT Kathleen Henehan, research and policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation, examines the intergenerational and international skills gap faced by the UK, and looks at alternative ways into work than the A-Levels to graduate route.  The perennial skills story in England is one of poor performance on literacy and numeracy at school, as... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/mind-the-skills-gap 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/mind-the-skills-gap Mon, 23 Jul 2018 12:45:00 GMT Jason Waterman, deputy director of disputes & policy implementation at the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), describes the benefits of the streamlined Public Sector Contract, which provides a much easier route into the market. “The new CCS contract is shorter, easier to understand and takes a more standardised approach. This... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/keeping-it-simple 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/keeping-it-simple Mon, 23 Jul 2018 12:45:00 GMT Chloe Smith MP, Minister for the Constitution, evaluates the outcomes of the voter ID pilots conducted at the last local elections. We are one step closer to strengthening the integrity of our electoral system through requiring electors to confirm their identity before they vote, building on the government’s commitment to safeguard... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/one-step-closer-to-voter-ids-at-elections- 435,447,454,436,452 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/one-step-closer-to-voter-ids-at-elections- Thu, 19 Jul 2018 09:30:00 GMT Benoit Guerin, senior researcher at the Institute for Government (IfG), explains why accountability in government needs improving and sets out what can be done. Government or policy failures share a common trait, namely accountability issues. It is easy to brandish accountability as a lofty answer which bears little relation to the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/accountability-in-government-what-next- 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/accountability-in-government-what-next- Mon, 02 Jul 2018 10:45:00 GMT Ingrid Koehler, service innovation lead at the LGiU, takes a look at the untapped potential for a digital, data-led transformation of children’s services, weighing this up with the potential risks and challenges local councils could face. In our most recent local government finance survey, children’s services eclipsed adult... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/can-data-save-the-future-of-children- 447,438,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/can-data-save-the-future-of-children- Mon, 02 Jul 2018 10:30:00 GMT Potholes are a scourge on our roads and can have much farther-reaching consequences than one might think. Re-routing just a small amount of existing fuel duty payments into local roads would go a long way to fixing the problem, writes Cllr Martin Tett, leader of Buckinghamshire County Council and chairman of the LGA Environment, Economy... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/scourge-of-the-roads 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/scourge-of-the-roads Mon, 02 Jul 2018 10:30:00 GMT Malcolm Harbour CBE, chair of the LGA working group on innovation in public procurement, gives us an update on the progress of the GovTech Catalyst challenges, and explains how successful projects will be rolled out. My last article in PSE gave details of the GovTech Catalyst, which engages digital innovators to increase productivity and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/stepping-up-to-govtech- 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/stepping-up-to-govtech- Mon, 02 Jul 2018 10:30:00 GMT Mike Fell, head of operational and cyber security at HMRC, lists the pioneering ways through which the organisation has been successfully stamping out cybercrime from malicious fraudsters. Cyber security remains one of the most serious threats to the UK’s wellbeing. That’s why, at HMRC, we’re committed to protecting our... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/one-step-ahead- 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/one-step-ahead- Mon, 25 Jun 2018 13:00:00 GMT Tom Richmond, senior research fellow at Reform, looks under the hood of the government’s apprenticeship policies and analyses the damage inflicted by the apprenticeship levy on the public sector. Both the 2015 and 2017 Conservative Party election manifestos committed them to   a target of three million people starting... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-great-training-robbery 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-great-training-robbery Mon, 25 Jun 2018 13:00:00 GMT Earlier this year, the Department for Transport (DfT) announced the £48m Ultra-Low Emission Bus Scheme, which transport minister Nusrat Ghani says will go a long way to cleaning up our air and eliminating carbon emissions. From bustling city centres to scenic countryside routes, buses are at the heart of the public transport network... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/ultra-low-emission-buses-a-clear-vision-for-clean-air 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/ultra-low-emission-buses-a-clear-vision-for-clean-air Mon, 25 Jun 2018 13:00:00 GMT When it comes to cyber security, we are only as strong as our weakest link. PSE’s Jack Donnelly explores how safety in the digital age has drastically changed the landscape of crime, and looks at what the public, private and academic sectors can do to protect themselves. On a busy Friday afternoon on 12 May, 2017, David Willis was... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/in-cybercrime-there-is-no-classic-victim--and-no-common-attacker 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/in-cybercrime-there-is-no-classic-victim--and-no-common-attacker Mon, 25 Jun 2018 12:45:00 GMT In the year since the Grenfell Tower disaster, the LGA has been working tirelessly to ramp up fire safety regulations and ban ‘desktop’ fire safety tests in order to prevent such a tragedy happening again, writes Lord Porter, chairman of the LGA. The heart-breaking accounts of the survivors and bereaved of the Grenfell Tower... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/grenfell-one-year-on- 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/grenfell-one-year-on- Mon, 18 Jun 2018 12:30:00 GMT The EU Referendum and the stop-start Brexit negotiations have left a looming shadow of uncertainty over devolution in the UK, writes Anthony Salamone, research fellow and strategic advisor at the Scottish Centre on European Relations. Brexit is unquestionably reshaping the politics and public sector of the UK. The results of the EU... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/brexits-long-shadow-over-devolution 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/brexits-long-shadow-over-devolution Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:30:00 GMT The true social value of procurement comes from asking challenging questions and thinking outside the box, argues Melissa Bell, sustainable procurement manager at the YPO. Everyone wants more for their money – and this is even more so true within the public sector. Budgets are shrinking and expectations are rising. The age-old adage... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/decisions-decisions- 447,433,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/decisions-decisions- Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:00:00 GMT Douglas White, head of advocacy at the Carnegie UK Trust, evaluates the risk-benefit relationship of data sharing within the public sector, highlighting the importance of transparency. Data is in the news a lot at the moment. With GDPR coming into force and the continued fallout from the Facebook and Cambridge Analytica revelations, our... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/finding-the-balance 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/finding-the-balance Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:00:00 GMT David Phillips, associate director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, gives his analysis of the Barnett Formula post-Brexit and asks: how will we replace EU funding to the devolved governments and local areas of the UK? The UK is due to leave the EU at 11pm on 29 March 2019. However, we will continue our regular contributions to the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/on-a-cliff-edge-the-barnett-formula- 447,433,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/on-a-cliff-edge-the-barnett-formula- Thu, 14 Jun 2018 16:30:00 GMT Michael Sage, digital services group manager at Chelmsford City Council, outlines the authority’s journey towards becoming digitally independent. Back in 2016 we decided we had had enough of being tied into expensive contracts with the big suppliers and, with this, our inability to move agilely as an organisation. We took matters... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-digital-journey-so-far 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-digital-journey-so-far Tue, 08 May 2018 11:30:00 GMT With the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) just around the corner, cyber security is on the lips of the whole public sector – but PSE’s Josh Mines argues that training is falling short for England’s local government workforce. Digital data is a powerful tool for local government. Not only is it an easier, more... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/equipping-the-cyber-security-gatekeepers 447,454,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/equipping-the-cyber-security-gatekeepers Tue, 08 May 2018 11:15:00 GMT PSE’s Josh Mines takes a look at an innovative scheme in Sheffield that will see some of the first hydrogen-fuelled vans begin work in the authority’s road maintenance fleet. Air quality in the UK is a serious problem. A joint study between Lancet Countdown and the Royal College of Physicians last year found that 44 cities in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-hydrogen-revolution 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-hydrogen-revolution Tue, 08 May 2018 11:15:00 GMT David Reilly, head of cities & regions at the Carbon Trust, reports on the findings from this year’s Low Carbon Cities Conference. Each year, in advance of the Carbon Trust’s Low Carbon Cities Conference, we reach out to delegates asking them about their current progress on sustainability, the commitments they have made... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/energy-efficiency-not-just-a-matter-of-more-money 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/energy-efficiency-not-just-a-matter-of-more-money Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:30:00 GMT Chris Painter, professor emeritus at Birmingham City University, examines Theresa May’s survival prospects given earlier experiences of post-1945 UK premiers operating in the shadow of dominant predecessors. During 2018, most of Theresa May’s political energy and capital will be expended on the next phase of tough Brexit... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/shadow-prime-ministers-and-political-longevity 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/shadow-prime-ministers-and-political-longevity Mon, 30 Apr 2018 12:15:00 GMT John Craig, chief executive of Care City, on a new GP system that automatically creates a social prescription based on patient information. Social circumstances are around twice as significant to people’s health as medicine. But, paradoxically, the evidence for medical interventions is stronger. While we know that social... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-revolution-in-social-prescribing 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-revolution-in-social-prescribing Mon, 23 Apr 2018 08:00:00 GMT Tom Stannard, deputy spokesperson for economic prosperity and housing at Solace, considers the future potential of the apprenticeship levy a year into its creation. The apprenticeship levy, which came into force in April 2017, is part of the government’s wider commitment to increase the quantity and quality of apprenticeships in an... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/apprenticeship-levy-retrain-without-pain 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/apprenticeship-levy-retrain-without-pain Mon, 23 Apr 2018 08:00:00 GMT Paul Swinney, head of policy and research at Centre for Cities, argues that Birmingham must focus on addressing its skills deficit in order to thrive economically.  For much of the late 20th century, Birmingham struggled to shake off its post-industrial hangover. Globalisation took a heavy toll on the city’s car and metal... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/prioritising-skills-in-birmingham 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/prioritising-skills-in-birmingham Mon, 23 Apr 2018 08:00:00 GMT Brian Reynolds, One Public Estate (OPE) programme director at the LGA, outlines the successes of the scheme so far and argues that even more could be achieved if greater flexibility, skills and regulatory powers were baked into the system. OPE is a national programme jointly delivered by the Cabinet Office Government Property Unit (GPU)... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-symbiotic-approach 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-symbiotic-approach Thu, 19 Apr 2018 14:45:00 GMT This year will provide the opportunity to develop conversations about local government finance in order to ensure councils stop running on empty, explains Jennifer Glover, policy researcher at the LGiU. In the wake of a very underwhelming Spring Statement, local government must start looking ahead to the Autumn Budget as a matter of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/councils-must-start-preparing-for-the-autumn-budget-now 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/councils-must-start-preparing-for-the-autumn-budget-now Thu, 19 Apr 2018 14:45:00 GMT Phil Rumens, chair of the LocalGov Digital Steering Group and digital services manager for West Berkshire Council, urges local authorities to make use of the Local Government Digital Service Standard (LGDSS) in order to exploit the full opportunities of technology in public services. The greatest strength of local government is that it... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/creating-a-common-digital-direction 447,438,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/creating-a-common-digital-direction Thu, 19 Apr 2018 14:45:00 GMT London’s new Work and Health Programmes (WHPs), which have now gone live, will help thousands more people get into work across the capital, notes Cllr Claire Kober OBE, chair of London Councils. London is a vibrant, international city, with strong economic growth and a high overall rate of employment. But too many people... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/employment-support-must-work-for-all 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/employment-support-must-work-for-all Thu, 19 Apr 2018 14:45:00 GMT Matthew Sparkes, deputy director for financial services at the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), on the public sector benefits of the brand-new Spend Analysis and Recovery Services framework. Every year, government bodies including central departments, local authorities, universities, schools, NHS trusts and arm’s-length bodies are... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/get-what-you-pay-for-and-only-pay-for-what-you-get 447,433,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/get-what-you-pay-for-and-only-pay-for-what-you-get Thu, 19 Apr 2018 14:45:00 GMT The incoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will significantly change the way organisations share information in a wholly positive way, writes Damion Nickerson, engagement manager at the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing (CEIS). When the clock struck midnight on 31 December 2017, the world sat down and took stock of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/how-do-new-regulations-affect-information-sharing 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/how-do-new-regulations-affect-information-sharing Thu, 19 Apr 2018 14:45:00 GMT Ahead of the government’s green paper, Margaret Willcox OBE, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services, says we must find a solution to the social care market that applies to all adults equally. As we emerge from a winter that has seen a greater pressure on health and social care than any previous ones, what... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/we-must-not-compromise 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/we-must-not-compromise Thu, 19 Apr 2018 14:45:00 GMT With a higher number and higher quality of apprenticeships on offer than ever before, 2018 is set to be a monumental year for training. Sue Husband, director of the National Apprenticeship Service, explains how apprenticeships are helping more people to progress in work and life. Apprenticeships are a great opportunity for people to earn... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/how-apprenticeships-work 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/how-apprenticeships-work Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:45:00 GMT Simon Edwards, director of County Councils Network (CCN), calls on Whitehall to harness the opportunity to reform the local government funding system for the better. As the sector continues on a journey towards a new methodology to fund local authorities, colleagues from across the sector met to discuss how we can speak with one... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-government-funding-getting-it-right 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-government-funding-getting-it-right Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:30:00 GMT Colin Copus, professor of local politics at the Faculty of Business and Law, Local Governance Research Unit at De Montfort University, and Paul O’Brien, chief executive of the Association for Public Service Excellence, consider the options for improving accountability in local public services. The post-war orderly arrangements for... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/bringing-order-to-chaos 447,433,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/bringing-order-to-chaos Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:30:00 GMT Kathy Nothstine, lead for future cities in Nesta’s Challenge Prize Centre, explains how a new scheme will help local authorities harness the use of drones to improve public service delivery. The technology enabling unmanned aerial vehicles – UAVs, or drones – to perform a variety of functions has advanced rapidly in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/seizing-the-opportunity-to-shape-drone-usage 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/seizing-the-opportunity-to-shape-drone-usage Wed, 04 Apr 2018 11:30:00 GMT Karl Wilding, policy director at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), argues that diverse membership in charities and local government is central to a healthy society. As national champions of volunteering, NCVO knows that getting people active in their communities is vital to the health of our society. Over 14... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/building-a-more-diverse-society 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/building-a-more-diverse-society Mon, 05 Mar 2018 12:45:00 GMT Kerry Bishop, apprenticeship and qualification development manager at the LGSS (pictured), provides an insight into how the organisation is supporting its partner councils to invest in their employees through the apprenticeship levy. LGSS is in a unique position of working alongside its three partner authorities, Cambridgeshire County... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/developing-our-future-leaders 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/developing-our-future-leaders Mon, 05 Mar 2018 12:45:00 GMT After some mostly positive findings in last year’s National Building Information Modelling (BIM) Report, PSE’s Luana Salles considers what the future holds for the industry. In 2017, just a year after the government’s BIM mandate took effect across the public sector, the NBS discovered that BIM adoption had reached a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/whats-next-for-bim- 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/whats-next-for-bim- Mon, 05 Mar 2018 12:30:00 GMT Although austerity has been a barrier to adopting Building Information Modelling (BIM), continued investment in these tools can greatly benefit the public sector and its clients, writes Alan Muse, global director of built environment at the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). In a divided political world, all are agreed that... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/bim-reaping-the-rewards 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/bim-reaping-the-rewards Mon, 26 Feb 2018 10:45:00 GMT Acting chief executive of Cheshire East Council, Kath O’Dwyer, reflects on how a simple change in approach has begun to reap real dividends for the organisation. Training and developing your staff is a principle that should be at the core of every organisation. But maintaining the momentum and seizing the opportunities can be tough... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-new-approach-to-training 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-new-approach-to-training Mon, 26 Feb 2018 10:30:00 GMT Neil Sinclair, chief operating officer at the London Digital Security Centre (LDSC), on the ways that his organisation is combatting cybercrime across the capital by working alongside the mayor and local businesses. Cybercrime is one of the fastest-growing areas of crime in the UK. A recent report published by the anti-virus firm Norton... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/staying-safe-online 447,454,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/staying-safe-online Mon, 26 Feb 2018 10:30:00 GMT Cllr Peter John OBE, deputy chair of London Councils and executive member for business, skills and Brexit, says greater flexibility and local control over the apprenticeship levy could be the difference between a policy that fails to deliver and a policy that transforms skills. London boroughs take pride in fulfilling our role as leaders... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/making-the-most-of-the-apprenticeship-levy 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/making-the-most-of-the-apprenticeship-levy Mon, 26 Feb 2018 10:30:00 GMT Piali Das Gupta, head of policy at Solace, looks over the final local government finance settlement and argues that it does not do enough to support struggling council services. The fortnight before Christmas has become a rather anxious time for councils as we wait for the provisional local government finance settlement to be published.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/an-unsettling-finance-settlement 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/an-unsettling-finance-settlement Fri, 23 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT Nigel Houlden, head of technology policy at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), looks at how organisations can win back public trust by fully understanding and acting on existing and upcoming cyber security regulations. There are people who don’t trust you with their personal data. That’s one finding from... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/data-protection-by-design 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/data-protection-by-design Fri, 23 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT The local government finance settlement must enable counties to continue to be the engines of the English economy by providing a fairer funding approach, says Philip Atkins, vice-chairman of the County Councils Network (CCN) and leader of Staffordshire County Council. As we begin to finalise our budgets for next year, we were given some... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-golden-opportunity 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-golden-opportunity Fri, 23 Feb 2018 08:00:00 GMT Mark Collin, group director of Ventures at ThoughtWorks, discusses how governments can learn from a bottom-up, citizen-focused approach to digitally transform their cities. It’s clear that interest in digital cities is on the rise, and may soon become a mainstream focus for governments to improve life for citizens in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/citizen-centric-cities-for-a-better-tomorrow 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/citizen-centric-cities-for-a-better-tomorrow Thu, 22 Feb 2018 17:15:00 GMT The government must listen to council proposals to improve the apprenticeship levy in order to maximise its potential, argues Cllr Sir Richard Leese, chair of the LGA’s City Regions Board and deputy mayor of Greater Manchester. When the apprenticeship levy was announced in April 2017, the LGA, which represents over 370 councils in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/richard-leese-making-the-apprenticeship-levy-a-success 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/richard-leese-making-the-apprenticeship-levy-a-success Thu, 22 Feb 2018 17:00:00 GMT Steve Skelton, head of policy at Stockport Council, outlines the local authority’s distinctly different approach to digital transformation. Stockport is changing. We’re reinvigorating our town centre through strong partnerships and a £1bn investment programme; we’re creating new relationships and opportunities as... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/digital-by-design 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/digital-by-design Thu, 22 Feb 2018 16:30:00 GMT Joe Anderson, mayor of Liverpool and leader of Liverpool City Council, discusses how the authority’s newly formed company Foundations is working to improve the state of housing in the region. It’s hardly surprising that for the first time since the slum clearances in the 1950s and 1960s there is palpable public anger at the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/fixing-the-broken-housing-market 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/fixing-the-broken-housing-market Mon, 19 Feb 2018 09:15:00 GMT Lord Porter CBE, chairman of the LGA, analyses the expected impact of the final local government finance settlement on councils of all shapes and sizes. This year looks set to be another busy and challenging year for local government with core central government funding to councils being further reduced by half over the next two... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/lord-porter-uncharted-waters 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/lord-porter-uncharted-waters Mon, 19 Feb 2018 09:15:00 GMT David Willett, corporate director at The Open University, describes how the apprenticeship levy can help public sector organisations unlock leadership potential in a volatile environment. It’s no secret that the public sector landscape, just as with the commercial industry, is in a state of flux. The changing technological, economic... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-power-of-apprenticeships 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-power-of-apprenticeships Wed, 14 Feb 2018 15:15:00 GMT Andrew Walker, policy researcher at the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), argues councils must be supported to develop good connectivity that goes beyond building new infrastructure. The push to build more houses is important, and this year’s Autumn Budget revealed some outlines of how the government will seek to make this... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/building-connected-communities 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/building-connected-communities Fri, 22 Dec 2017 10:00:00 GMT Rick Muir, director of the Police Foundation, considers whether budget constraints and growing demand are actually having a major impact on the work of police forces. The police service was bitterly disappointed that the chancellor said nothing about police funding in the recent Budget. We will see whether there is any better news when... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-police-say-they-are-under-pressure-are-they-right- 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-police-say-they-are-under-pressure-are-they-right- Fri, 22 Dec 2017 10:00:00 GMT PSE’s Josh Mines speaks to Dan Griffiths, projects and programmes manager at Cheshire East Council’s Skills & Growth Company, about how the ELENA project is set to transform heating networks in the area. Rising prices of gas and electricity are creating fuel poverty in local areas, and giving councils another major problem... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-future-of-communal-heating-in-cheshire 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-future-of-communal-heating-in-cheshire Fri, 22 Dec 2017 09:45:00 GMT Laura Bell of National Voices, the coalition of health and care charities, analyses the state of person-centred care and whether government rhetoric has matched reality. For the last 20 years, policymakers have been talking about delivering ‘person-centred’ care – care that focuses on what’s important to the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/person-centred-care-is-it-really-happening- 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/person-centred-care-is-it-really-happening- Fri, 22 Dec 2017 09:15:00 GMT PSE’s Seamus McDonnell hears from former care minister Paul Burstow about the opportunities that digitisation can bring to the health market once analogue services are switched off. By 2025, analogue services in the UK will be switched off and almost completely replaced by digital connections. What does this mean for the millions of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-care-sector-must-embrace-the-digital-switch- 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-care-sector-must-embrace-the-digital-switch- Thu, 21 Dec 2017 17:00:00 GMT Flaws aside, sustainability and transformation partnerships (STPs) are our best hope of restructuring the health and care sector. Paul Carey-Kent, policy manager of health, social care & welfare reform at CIPFA, considers what must be done to ensure the opportunity doesn’t slip through the net. The recent Budget announcement... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/health-integration-a-tall-order- 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/health-integration-a-tall-order- Thu, 21 Dec 2017 16:45:00 GMT As part of Bristol City Council’s ambition to build a burgeoning and inclusive digital community, Alex Minshull, its city innovation, sustainability and civil protection service manager, runs through the exciting innovations taking place across the region. Bristol City Council has steadily been building its reputation as a key... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/not-just-shipshape-bristol-the-uks-smartest-city 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/not-just-shipshape-bristol-the-uks-smartest-city Thu, 21 Dec 2017 16:45:00 GMT Chris Painter, Emeritus professor at Birmingham City University, critically evaluates public service markets in the context of a current albeit faltering UK premiership less dogmatically opposed to the role of the state. Markets at their best bring greater efficiency, responsiveness and customer satisfaction. However, unlike the abstract... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-service-markets-over-prescribed-medicine- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-service-markets-over-prescribed-medicine- Thu, 21 Dec 2017 16:30:00 GMT With the nation facing significant public health challenges, councils across England are taking a design-led approach to address issues at both a local and national level, focusing on shaping new models based on prevention, writes the Design Council’s Abid Gangat. Design Council’s Design in the Public Sector Programme... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-health-led-by-design 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-health-led-by-design Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:30:00 GMT Tom Palmer, project design engineer at Essex County Council (ECC), on a new scheme currently underway that will significantly reduce local flood risks by using an innovative approach to leaky dams. The Kingsmoor area of Harlow in Essex has historically experienced flooding, with properties internally damaged and access to roads cut off.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/an-innovative-approach-to-flood-risk 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/an-innovative-approach-to-flood-risk Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:15:00 GMT The UK’s progress in strengthening cyber security measures since the national strategy came out has been encouraging, but more needs to be done to tackle the lingering issue of skills, says Talal Rajab, head of cyber and national security at techUK. It’s no exaggeration to say that 2017 was the year that cyber was brought... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-cyber-security-strategy-one-year-on 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-cyber-security-strategy-one-year-on Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:15:00 GMT Cllr Paul Bettison, chairman of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, outlines what must be done to ensure all levels of government are resilient and safeguarded against the growing threat of cyber-attacks. Businesses and organisations are at an increasing risk of cyber-attacks, and councils are among these potential... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/building-confidence-in-the-digital-world 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/building-confidence-in-the-digital-world Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:00:00 GMT Debbie Brown, director of service reform at Salford City Council, discusses the authority’s major digital ambitions to get everyone – even some of the most socially excluded groups in the region – online. Alice can now Skype her family in Australia while John is learning how to manage his arthritis and is getting helpful... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/digital-you 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/digital-you Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:00:00 GMT Eddie Copeland, director of government innovation at Nesta, argues central government must have clarity of vision to ensure the smart city agenda isn’t heavily focused on technology, but rather on existing urban challenges. For years the UK has had a slightly dysfunctional relationship with the term ‘smart city.’ Much... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/does-the-uk-need-a-cohesive-smart-city-strategy 447,438,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/does-the-uk-need-a-cohesive-smart-city-strategy Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:00:00 GMT Dan Clarke, programme manager at Cambridge County Council, explains how Smart Cambridge has evolved since it was established in August 2015 by the local city deal, and reveals what’s coming next. Cambridge has made it into Britain’s top 10 smartest cities for the first time this year, showing the rapid progress of the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/smart-cambridge-makes-rapid-progress 447,438,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/smart-cambridge-makes-rapid-progress Mon, 18 Dec 2017 09:00:00 GMT The new Facilities Management (FM) Marketplace will be an opportunity to streamline the process of buying key services whilst propping up new entrants and SMEs, writes John Kenny, head of workplace, commercial specialist (FM and Property) at the Crown Commercial Service (CCS). In January 2018, CCS, the UK’s largest public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/introducing-the-facilities-management-marketplace 447,433,443 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/introducing-the-facilities-management-marketplace Thu, 14 Dec 2017 10:00:00 GMT Southend-on-Sea Borough Council has become the country’s first local authority to fully exploit the benefits of robotics in social care by introducing an unconventional new staff member to its team, reveals Sharon Houlden, its director of adult services and housing. The words ‘local government’ and ‘exciting’... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/meet-pepper-the-social-care-robot 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/meet-pepper-the-social-care-robot Thu, 14 Dec 2017 10:00:00 GMT Luke Sibieta, research fellow at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Education Policy Institute, takes a look at the impact of the apprenticeship levy so far since its introduction in May. From May this year, all large employers have had to pay the apprenticeship levy, which equates to 0.5% of payroll bills in excess of £3m.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/quality-not-quantity-is-what-matters 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/quality-not-quantity-is-what-matters Thu, 14 Dec 2017 10:00:00 GMT Ciaran Martin, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), reflects on the lessons learned during the first year of the government’s new agency. I am proud of what the NCSC (pictured) has done in its first year to protect the public sector, including: Our cyber experts received 1,131 incident reports, with 590... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/ncsc-a-new-and-adventurous-agenda 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/ncsc-a-new-and-adventurous-agenda Mon, 11 Dec 2017 08:30:00 GMT Cllr Sue Baxter, chair of the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), demands that the government responds to the changing landscape in public service delivery by offering local authorities much greater freedoms. There are encouraging signs from the chancellor on his vision for the future of the economy, devolution and handing more... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-chancellor-missed-a-localism-trick 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-chancellor-missed-a-localism-trick Sun, 10 Dec 2017 08:30:00 GMT Nicola Yates, CEO of Future Cities Catapult, advocates for a smarter public sphere that stays ahead of the technology curve rather than entirely reactive to market developments. The ‘smart city’ rose to prominence as a marketing concept from global technology companies that saw an opportunity to sell digital transformation and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-smart-city-concept 447,433,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-smart-city-concept Sun, 10 Dec 2017 08:30:00 GMT Catherine Bright, Smarter Digital Services (SDS) manager, explains how a partnership of 12 councils across Kent and Surrey are jointly funding a responsive, independent, not-for-profit consultancy to help them to achieve their digital ambitions. We all know the digital landscape has shifted considerably over the last few years. Business... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-smarter-approach-to-digital-transformation 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-smarter-approach-to-digital-transformation Fri, 10 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT Sam Ulyatt, strategic category commercial director at the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), on how a new framework can help public sector organisations manage their estates, identify savings and release unwanted assets. The UK’s largest public procurement organisation has announced the award of a commercial framework to reduce the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/delivering-on-estates 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/delivering-on-estates Fri, 10 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT Dundee City Council is leading the way in boosting electric vehicle (EV) uptake in Scotland, writes Rebecca Wallace from the local authority’s fleet team. Dundee is in the midst of an exciting new development in the city. In August, planning permission was granted for three new EV charging hubs. They are to be introduced in the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/driving-forward-a-healthier-scotland 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/driving-forward-a-healthier-scotland Fri, 10 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT Clare Moore, senior specialist of valuation and disposals at the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA), explains how public sector bodies looking to streamline their procurement process can benefit from the new Delivery Partner Panel 3 (DPP3). On 31 July, the HCA announced the housing developers and contractors on its DPP3. DPP3 is for... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/open-for-business 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/open-for-business Fri, 10 Nov 2017 15:45:00 GMT Ceredigion County Council’s energy efficiency project manager, Graeme Lane, offers an insight into maximising the delivery of energy efficiency funding for homes in the region. Identifying an area in need is the first step to qualification for many projects and funding opportunities. Getting to grips with your housing stock data and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/energy-efficiency-retrofit-in-ceredigion 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/energy-efficiency-retrofit-in-ceredigion Fri, 10 Nov 2017 15:30:00 GMT Jane Lumb, head of energy and sustainability policy at Nottingham City Council, discusses a new housing procurement approach being trialled in the region to radically improve the energy efficiency of older homes. There is little doubt that many of Britain’s homes need to improve their energy efficiency. A 2015 study by the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-energiesprong-approach 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-energiesprong-approach Mon, 06 Nov 2017 12:30:00 GMT Cambridgeshire is one of a small number of local authorities leading the way with the development and delivery of an integrated energy strategy, write Sheryl French and Cherie Gregoire from the county council. Cambridgeshire council’s ambitious Corporate Energy Strategy will change the way services are designed. More importantly... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/delivering-an-integrated-housing-market 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/delivering-an-integrated-housing-market Mon, 06 Nov 2017 12:00:00 GMT Piali Das Gupta, head of policy at Solace, outlines the unique ways in which councils are addressing the country’s housing shortage, such as via collaborative partnerships or new models of development. For decades, Britain has not been building enough homes to keep up with household growth. Successive governments have introduced... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/joining-forces-in-the-housing-market 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/joining-forces-in-the-housing-market Mon, 06 Nov 2017 11:45:00 GMT Rob Ashelford, senior innovation programmes manager at Nesta, describes how councils across the UK can learn from the early successes of collaborative schemes between public and third sector bodies in Wales. From fiscal constraints to growing demand, the public sector faces acute pressures to adapt. Public servants must reimagine the way... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/trying-something-new 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/trying-something-new Mon, 06 Nov 2017 11:45:00 GMT Vicky Kingston, strategic director for energy at Local Partnerships, a joint venture between the Treasury and the LGA, considers the role that councils can play in the success and future expansion of the energy sector. Local authorities play a pivotal role in the development of regional energy resilience, lowering household energy bills... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/harnessing-your-energy-potential 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/harnessing-your-energy-potential Mon, 06 Nov 2017 11:30:00 GMT With the challenge of Brexit and growing pressures on public services, it is more important than ever that a series of ambitious reforms to the Civil Service modernises the way government works, argues Julian McCrae, deputy director at the Institute for Government (IfG). Government projects fail when key activities – from contract... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/how-to-professionalise-whitehall 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/how-to-professionalise-whitehall Wed, 01 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT Helen Andrews Tipper, senior manager of cities and regions at the Carbon Trust, on why clean energy infrastructure needs better citizen engagement. There are currently more questions than answers about the future of our energy system, but one thing is certain: it will require an unprecedented level of input from stakeholders. Those... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/people-power 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/people-power Wed, 01 Nov 2017 16:00:00 GMT Margaret Willcox, president of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), looks ahead at the upcoming Autumn Budget to assess what needs to be done to fix the ailing social care market. Apparently one of the most watched programmes on Channel 4 this year featured a group of young children spending time with the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/all-eyes-on-the-budget 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/all-eyes-on-the-budget Wed, 01 Nov 2017 15:45:00 GMT In May, Liverpool City Council launched a new not-for-profit energy company to tackle fuel poverty in the region. Here, its cabinet member for neighbourhoods, Cllr Steve Munby, explains why. Fuel poverty has always been an issue in Liverpool, but austerity and the impact of welfare reform mean that some families are really struggling to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/leccy-competing-with-the-big-six 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/leccy-competing-with-the-big-six Wed, 01 Nov 2017 15:45:00 GMT Paul O’Brien, chief executive of the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), and Phil Brennan, head of APSE Energy, discuss the opportunities for councils to invest in property assets for income generation and to develop greener local economies. It surprises many that local authorities are already very active in the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/bricks-mortar-money 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/bricks-mortar-money Fri, 27 Oct 2017 12:00:00 GMT Professor Sue Arrowsmith, director of the Public Procurement Research Group at the University of Nottingham and author of a report for the European Parliament on Brexit and procurement, analyses how public procurement is expected to change as we leave the EU. As with so many aspects of Brexit, we simply don’t know yet what its... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-procurement-under-brexit 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-procurement-under-brexit Fri, 27 Oct 2017 12:00:00 GMT Tom Garrod, chairman of Norfolk County Council’s Digital Innovation and Efficiency Committee, on how the local authority is harnessing the power of technology to improve services for residents and businesses. “I came to Norfolk for the quality of life, but I stayed for the superfast broadband.” OK, to be honest I... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/we-should-all-expect-a-good-quality-of-digital-life 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/we-should-all-expect-a-good-quality-of-digital-life Fri, 27 Oct 2017 11:45:00 GMT Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, provides an update of the several innovative electric vehicle (EV) and chargepoint connection schemes taking place across the country. Month after month, we are seeing record levels of electric car and van registrations, demonstrating that public appetite for plug-in EVs is rapidly growing. Go Ultra Low... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/exemplars-in-the-electric-car-revolution 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/exemplars-in-the-electric-car-revolution Fri, 27 Oct 2017 10:15:00 GMT Malcolm Harbour CBE, chair of the LGA expert group on innovation in public procurement, reports on the findings and recommendations of their first report. This is the fourth article in a series that began at the end of 2016, driven by the LGA’s National Advisory Group for Local Government Procurement (NAG) initiative to encourage... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/encouraging-innovation-in-local-government- 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/encouraging-innovation-in-local-government- Wed, 25 Oct 2017 10:00:00 GMT Michael Kenny, professor of public policy at the University of Cambridge and the co-director of the British Academy’s ‘Governing England’ programme, considers the impact of Brexit on devolved administrations and combined authorities. Is Brexit likely to result in a new consolidation of power at the heart of the British... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/taking-back-control 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/taking-back-control Wed, 25 Oct 2017 09:30:00 GMT Simon Edwards, director of the County Councils Network (CCN), says counties need extra money in the upcoming Budget if the government is to succeed in tackling major domestic challenges. The lifting of the police pay cap has added to the intrigue surrounding the lead-up to the Autumn Budget, as it signals that the government may begin to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/time-to-ease-austerity 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/time-to-ease-austerity Wed, 25 Oct 2017 09:30:00 GMT It’s time we take the politics out of devolution to ensure deals are dictated by local need, writes Mike Cherry, national chairman at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). One in three people in England now live in a combined authority (CA) region. Following their election in May, the six CA mayors across the country are... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/making-the-devolution-revolution-work 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/making-the-devolution-revolution-work Mon, 23 Oct 2017 11:45:00 GMT David Pearson, Nottinghamshire County Council’s corporate director of adult social care and public health and the sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) lead for the region, argues that all bodies in the health and care sector need to learn to walk in each other’s shoes and work together effectively to bring about... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/united-we-stand-divided-we-fall 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/united-we-stand-divided-we-fall Mon, 23 Oct 2017 11:45:00 GMT Ahead of the King’s Fund annual conference in November, Dr Durka Dougall, the organisation’s senior consultant, says the health and care sector now has the chance to join up population health and prevention in order to improve services for those who need them. Relentless headlines paint a formidable yet familiar... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/an-opportunity-to-join-two-agendas 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/an-opportunity-to-join-two-agendas Mon, 23 Oct 2017 11:30:00 GMT Dermot Ryan, programme director at NHS Digital for the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN), talks to PSE about the importance of moving to the new supplier framework and outlines the next steps in the migration process. Achieving a truly digital health and social care system is a huge challenge. It’s not only about encouraging NHS... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-quiet-revolution 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-quiet-revolution Mon, 04 Sep 2017 15:15:00 GMT Dr David Beech, lecturer in people management at Salford Business School, argues that continuous renewal and progress is fundamental to effective leadership in uncertain times. We know a lot about what leadership is, what leaders do and how they do it. Yet embedding continuous improvement, innovation and change in the day-to-day practices... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/effective-leadership-in-uncertain-times 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/effective-leadership-in-uncertain-times Mon, 04 Sep 2017 15:15:00 GMT Graeme McDonald, managing director of Solace, discusses the importance of taking time out to focus on learning, especially in the ever-changing landscape of the sector. Squeezing on to my packed commuter train on the way into Westminster recently, I reflected on the five-year anniversary of the London 2012 Olympic Games. I was fortunate... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/refocusing-professional-development 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/refocusing-professional-development Mon, 04 Sep 2017 15:15:00 GMT Ian Moore, CEO of the Fire Industry Association (FIA), discusses the wider lessons of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire and what measures and assessments local authorities need to have in place to protect their estate and buildings. Somehow it seems to take a really horrendous disaster to highlight a problem. Grenfell Tower in Kensington... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/support-for-councils-following-grenfell 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/support-for-councils-following-grenfell Mon, 04 Sep 2017 15:15:00 GMT Peter Wells, head of policy at the Open Data Institute, explains why the need to strengthen our data infrastructure has never been more important. Data is infrastructure. Like roads that help us navigate to a destination, data helps us navigate to a decision. And like roads, data is most useful and powerful when connected to other data.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/transforming-government-with-data 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/transforming-government-with-data Wed, 30 Aug 2017 15:15:00 GMT Caroline Nugent, president of the Public Services People Managers’ Association (PPMA) and director of HR & OD at oneSource, London Boroughs of Havering & Newham (pictured), on why the public sector remains a unique place where people can put their skills and knowledge to work and take responsibility for solving big... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/opportunity-knocks-why-the-public-sector-is-the-place-to-work-right-now 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/opportunity-knocks-why-the-public-sector-is-the-place-to-work-right-now Wed, 30 Aug 2017 15:00:00 GMT Dionne Lowndes, digital lead at Staffordshire County Council, explains how an innovative partnership in the area aims to develop an integrated strategy providing services for the ‘Digital Citizen’. Digital is a means for us to achieve the outcomes that we seek for our citizens, for them to be prosperous, healthy and secure.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/people-first-digital-always 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/people-first-digital-always Wed, 30 Aug 2017 14:45:00 GMT Rob Driver, head of public sector at techUK, outlines how central and local government can fully embrace the transformational power of digital technology to deliver the promise of the ‘Smarter State’. The last decade has seen an increased understanding of the importance of digital transformation within government in order to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/shaping-the-smarter-state 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/shaping-the-smarter-state Mon, 28 Aug 2017 14:45:00 GMT As Oldham Council looks to transform the health of its population, Dr Carolyn Wilkins OBE, chief executive of the local authority, explains how the borough and its staff have begun to practice what they preach. Transforming health outcomes is among the highest priorities for councils across the country. From working more closely with the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/fit-to-serve 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/fit-to-serve Mon, 28 Aug 2017 14:30:00 GMT Jennifer Glover, policy researcher at the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), says gender representation is monitored in other sectors – so why not local government? In other sectors, a harsh light is being shone on gender representation and concrete steps are being taken on a national and organisational level. The 2010 Davies... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/we-must-scrutinise-gender-in-local-government 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/we-must-scrutinise-gender-in-local-government Wed, 23 Aug 2017 14:15:00 GMT Newcastle City Council CEO Pat Ritchie explains how the area's City Deal is providing ambitious places with the funding they need to drive inclusive growth locally. I’m certain anyone who hasn’t visited Newcastle for a while can’t help but be impressed by the pace and scale of new development being delivered right in the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/early-learning-from-a-city-deal 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/early-learning-from-a-city-deal Wed, 23 Aug 2017 12:45:00 GMT Taking digital government to the next level requires strong leadership from everyone in the sector, argues Daniel Thornton, programme director at the Institute for Government. Today the four most valuable companies in the world are digital businesses. Five years ago, only one was digital – the rest were oil and investment companies.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/digital-innovation-transforming-services-data-and-organisations 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/digital-innovation-transforming-services-data-and-organisations Wed, 23 Aug 2017 12:45:00 GMT Dawn Baxendale, chief executive of Southampton City Council, talks about the city’s ambitions and the importance of its Master Plan, which has given investors greater confidence to commit their money to the area. We have ambitious plans for our city. Along with our partners we have delivered almost £2bn worth of development... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/its-all-part-of-the-master-plan 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/its-all-part-of-the-master-plan Mon, 21 Aug 2017 12:45:00 GMT Chris Langer, scheme intelligence manager at CIRAS and BACP registered counsellor, explains how effective training can help break the mental health taboo in the workplace. Organisations often appear to be making the right noises about mental health, but there is a mountain to climb to instil a culture that promotes open discussion. Mental... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/speaking-up-for-mental-health-first-aid-training 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/speaking-up-for-mental-health-first-aid-training Mon, 21 Aug 2017 12:30:00 GMT Joseph Ernst-Herman, director of utilities and fuels at the Crown Commercial Service (CCS), discusses the launch of the new Demand Side Response (DSR) framework to help the public sector reduce energy costs. With public sector organisations collectively taking up around 10% of the total energy use in the UK each year, getting the best... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/helping-reduce-energy-costs 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/helping-reduce-energy-costs Wed, 16 Aug 2017 09:00:00 GMT Following the Brexit vote, Cllr Philip Atkins OBE, County Councils Network (CCN) vice-chairman and leader of Staffordshire County Council, has called on the government to empower counties to help build a more prosperous country during what will undoubtedly be a challenging period. In a short space of weeks, the local government sector has... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/leading-in-the-challenging-times-ahead 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/leading-in-the-challenging-times-ahead Wed, 16 Aug 2017 08:30:00 GMT Chris Painter, Professor Emeritus at Birmingham City University, assesses the aftermath of yet another election shock. Theresa May could not resist mouth-watering polling numbers in her favour, announcing an election in April 2017 well before the designated year of 2020. There was also an element of opportunism – against an already... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-2017-general-election-from-landslide-to-precipice 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-2017-general-election-from-landslide-to-precipice Wed, 16 Aug 2017 08:00:00 GMT Claire Mansfield, head of research at the New Local Government Network (NLGN), Lucy Terry, senior researcher at the organisation, Barry Pirie, a former PPMA president, and current PPMA president Caroline Nugent, discuss the findings of the recent ‘Outside the Box: The Council Workforce of Tomorrow’ report. The workforce is the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/thinking-outside-the-box-for-the-workforce-of-tomorrow 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/thinking-outside-the-box-for-the-workforce-of-tomorrow Mon, 14 Aug 2017 04:30:00 GMT Michelle Atkinson, commissioning manager at Leeds City Council, explains how the local authority has changed its approach to commissioning homecare services in the city. In Leeds, a framework arrangement was in place with 32 providers registered on the Home Care framework. The contract was due to expire in October 2015. Given the complex... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/changing-our-commissioning-approach 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/changing-our-commissioning-approach Mon, 03 Jul 2017 08:30:00 GMT The time has come for councils to adopt a ‘changemaking’ culture in order to drive a radical reinvention in local government, argues Adam Lent, director at the New Local Government Network (NLGN). Local government is a strange place these days. Council chief executives and leaders seem to oscillate permanently between near... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/reinventing-local-government 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/reinventing-local-government Mon, 03 Jul 2017 07:30:00 GMT Kerry Hallard, the president of the Global Sourcing Association, argues that despite some highly-publicised cases of breakdowns in public sector outsourcing, the relationship has generated much success. The public sector and the sourcing industry relationship is a bit like a celebrity marriage; it faces ongoing intense scrutiny by the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-sector-outsourcing-a-marriage-that-must-work 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-sector-outsourcing-a-marriage-that-must-work Mon, 03 Jul 2017 06:00:00 GMT Simon White of Transport Systems Catapult (TSC) argues that the UK can be at the forefront of innovative mobility solutions if the government encourages better data sharing in the transport sector. By the end of 2020 there will be over 50 billion connected devices globally collecting over 2.3 zettabytes of data each year. Data gathered... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/harnessing-data-sharing-in-transport 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/harnessing-data-sharing-in-transport Fri, 30 Jun 2017 09:00:00 GMT Paul Morton, tax director at the Office of Tax Simplification (OTS), outlines the importance of his organisation’s work in bringing a systematic approach to taxation and expands on what the future holds. The OTS is the adviser to government on simplifying the UK tax system. Although we are based within the Treasury, we have an... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/challenging-tax-complexity 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/challenging-tax-complexity Fri, 30 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT The drive to cut costs has invoked an efficient and sustainable entrepreneurial spirit at Birmingham City Council (BCC) that is now set to play a major part in the local authority’s future, writes Ken Lyon, its head of commercialism. Funding cuts to local authorities and particularly those serving large cities are well documented... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/commit-to-thinking-differently 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/commit-to-thinking-differently Fri, 30 Jun 2017 06:30:00 GMT 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 identifies existing cases of best practice. This is the third article in a PSE series (see Dec/Jan 17... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/innovation-in-commissioning-services 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/innovation-in-commissioning-services Mon, 26 Jun 2017 08:00:00 GMT Paul Winyard, senior policy officer at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), explains why it’s fundamental that the third sector has a seat at the devolution table in order to develop a shared sense of ambition. The devolution process has the potential to radically alter how public money is spent and how councils... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/engaging-the-voluntary-sector-how-to-make-devolution-a-success 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/engaging-the-voluntary-sector-how-to-make-devolution-a-success Mon, 26 Jun 2017 07:30:00 GMT Six months on from the announcement of the government’s National Cyber Security Strategy, Talal Rajab, head of programme – cyber and national security at techUK, analyses its approach so far and the extent of its impact on the public sector. With the modernisation of public services being the cornerstone of the UK’s... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-impact-of-the-cyber-security-strategy-on-the-public-sector 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-impact-of-the-cyber-security-strategy-on-the-public-sector Mon, 26 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT Barry Loveday, reader in criminal justice administration at the University of Portsmouth, considers the role that the new metro mayors will have on policing and local service delivery. How significant the arrival of the new directly-elected mayors for the metro areas will prove to be remains an open question. However, what the elections... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/police-governance-and-service-delivery-in-the-21st-century 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/police-governance-and-service-delivery-in-the-21st-century Fri, 23 Jun 2017 08:30:00 GMT There have been a lot of opportunities for democratic participation in the UK recently – a referendum, local elections, six new metro mayors and now a snap general election, all within the last 12 months, reflects Tony Armstrong, chief executive at Locality. But beyond these frequent trips to the polling station, how are the citizens of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-future-of-localism 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-future-of-localism Fri, 23 Jun 2017 08:00:00 GMT Mick Endsor, a research associate at the International Centre for Security Analysis at King’s College London, explains why open source intelligence could be a valuable tool in the fight for public sector organisations to detect fraud and hold fraudsters to account. Are public sector organisations making the most of the vast amounts... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/maximising-scarce-resources 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/maximising-scarce-resources Fri, 23 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT Ian Featherstone, fleet advice manager at the Energy Saving Trust (EST), explains why managing the grey fleet can help determine if electric vehicles (EVs) can be used cost-effectively as pool cars. EST has worked with fleets for many years identifying where energy, emissions and cost can be stripped out to increase efficiency and save... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/managing-grey-fleet-the-key-to-unlock-electric-vehicle-use 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/managing-grey-fleet-the-key-to-unlock-electric-vehicle-use Fri, 23 Jun 2017 06:30:00 GMT Cllr John Clancy (pictured centre), leader of Birmingham City Council, explains why the Industrial Strategy is a priority for the UK’s Core Cities. Our 10 Core Cities make up a quarter of the UK economy. They are often the places where deals get done and things are made. They are vital to our success as a nation, but we only use a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-chance-to-rewire-our-approach-to-local-growth 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-chance-to-rewire-our-approach-to-local-growth Mon, 19 Jun 2017 08:30:00 GMT As part of an investigation with the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), Cllr Theo Blackwell, Camden Council’s cabinet member for finance, technology & growth, considers the role that active senior leadership plays in digitally transforming councils. Since 2010 Camden Council has been on a huge journey to understand the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/senior-leaders-as-agents-of-digital-transformation 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/senior-leaders-as-agents-of-digital-transformation Mon, 19 Jun 2017 08:30:00 GMT While many local government observers speculated that ‘devolution was dead’ following the publication of the three main parties’ manifestos, there was still some significant commitments for the sector, explains James Maker, head of policy and communications at the County Councils Network (CCN). The Conservative... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-new-horizon-for-devolution 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-new-horizon-for-devolution Mon, 19 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT Following the appointment of the University of Birmingham to deliver a major national public health leadership programme, Belinda Weir, director of leadership at its Health Services Management Centre (HSMC), considers the demands on public sector leaders and the need for focused development support. The unprecedented challenges facing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/future-public-health-leaders-will-be-system-leaders 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/future-public-health-leaders-will-be-system-leaders Mon, 19 Jun 2017 07:00:00 GMT Writing on behalf of the Public Service Transformation Academy, a not-for-profit organisation established to deliver a not-for-profit organisation established to deliver the Cabinet Office's Commissioning Academy, Richard Field reflects on the success of the Commissioning Academy so far. This summer the Commissioning Academy is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/commissioning-academy-five-years-on-and-thriving 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/commissioning-academy-five-years-on-and-thriving Fri, 16 Jun 2017 09:00:00 GMT Following on from the success of the 2015 report, the European Institute for Combatting Corruption and Fraud (TEICCAF) published the Protecting the English Public Purse 2016 earlier this year. The report once again highlighted the excellent work that is being undertaken by counter fraud professionals across the country, explains Mark Grimley... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/continuing-to-protect-the-public-purse 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/continuing-to-protect-the-public-purse Thu, 15 Jun 2017 12:00:00 GMT At a time of stretched funds, it’s time the NHS stops dragging its feet on council-backed Total Transport pilots, argues Jonathan Bray, director of Urban Transport Group. Stand on any street corner and it won’t be too long before some form of public sector-funded collective transport vehicle passes by. Be it regular public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/time-for-the-nhs-to-get-on-board-total-transport- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/time-for-the-nhs-to-get-on-board-total-transport- Thu, 15 Jun 2017 12:00:00 GMT Paul O’Brien, chief executive of the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), explores the impact of austerity on neighbourhood services, and warns of the consequences of this continuing downward trajectory in funding which risks falling to a 60-year low. In 2016, APSE published a groundbreaking report exploring the context... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/neighbourhood-services-truly-the-politics-of-place 447,444 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/neighbourhood-services-truly-the-politics-of-place Thu, 15 Jun 2017 07:30:00 GMT Niall Dickson, chief executive of NHS Confederation, talks to PSE’s Josh Mines ahead of Confed2017 about the organisation’s 10-point manifesto for the NHS, which includes a call for a white paper on social care reform. It’s clear that 2017 will be remembered as a significant year for the NHS. A stressful winter due to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-fork-in-the-road-for-health-and-social-care 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-fork-in-the-road-for-health-and-social-care Mon, 12 Jun 2017 08:00:00 GMT In this seemingly never-ending election period, the local elections of 4 May already seem a long time ago. But, wrapped up in the midst of the general election, the locals provided a set of astonishing results, explains Dr Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU). The Tories gave birth to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-work-now-begins-for-the-new-metro-mayors 447,436,455 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-work-now-begins-for-the-new-metro-mayors Thu, 08 Jun 2017 10:15:00 GMT Dave Pearson, director of transport services at West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), explains how a partnership approach is encouraging more people to use public transport and improve air quality in the region. Reducing carbon emissions from transport is a high priority for the WYCA and the five district councils of Bradford... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/an-integrated-approach-to-greening-public-transport 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/an-integrated-approach-to-greening-public-transport Fri, 28 Apr 2017 06:30:00 GMT If new mayors want to improve the life chances of their communities, help the most vulnerable and trailblaze public service reform, then criminal justice transformation and ‘whole-place’ pooling of public service budgets must be priorities, argue former communities secretary Hazel Blears and Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/unlocking-the-combination-to-criminal-justice-reform 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/unlocking-the-combination-to-criminal-justice-reform Fri, 28 Apr 2017 05:30:00 GMT Kevin Kewin, a senior adviser in the Care and Health Improvement Programme at the LGA, explains how social care can be transformed through the use of information and technology. The funding pressures facing social care, and the NHS, have been prominent in media headlines in recent years. This is understandable in a context of rapidly... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/improving-information-sharing-to-support-integration 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/improving-information-sharing-to-support-integration Fri, 28 Apr 2017 03:30:00 GMT 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, his council will ensure that digital plays a central role in the way it delivers public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/putting-digital-at-the-heart-of-service-delivery 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/putting-digital-at-the-heart-of-service-delivery Fri, 28 Apr 2017 03:00:00 GMT Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, explains why the public sector has the potential to shape and accelerate the UK automotive market to be entirely ultra-low emission. The public sector is more plugged in to electric vehicles (EVs) than ever before – with fleet EV purchases accounting for approximately two-thirds of the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-sector-can-lead-the-uk-to-an-ultra-low-emission-future 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-sector-can-lead-the-uk-to-an-ultra-low-emission-future Tue, 25 Apr 2017 07:00:00 GMT Charles Cotton, performance and reward adviser to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), analyses the financial wellbeing of those working in the public sector. In 2016, the CIPD produced a report on employee wellbeing, showing the positive impact that this could have on organisations. Our publication also... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/employee-financial-wellbeing-in-the-public-sector 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/employee-financial-wellbeing-in-the-public-sector Tue, 25 Apr 2017 06:30:00 GMT 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 workplace. In early March, I was asked to talk at the national Share Digital conference. The... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/wigan-council-embracing-digital-transformation 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/wigan-council-embracing-digital-transformation Tue, 25 Apr 2017 06:30:00 GMT Peter Sloman, chief executive of Oxford City Council, argues that pursuing devolution rather than restructuring local government in the county is better for the area’s economy. This year is likely to be dominated by the debates around the triggering of Article 50 and the initiation of formal negotiations to secure a strong future... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/oxfordshire-devolution-will-boost-uk-economy 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/oxfordshire-devolution-will-boost-uk-economy Fri, 21 Apr 2017 08:00:00 GMT A renewal of the UK’s infrastructure – from telecommunications to energy, roads and buildings – rightly sits as one of the pillars of the government’s Industrial Strategy. But how can we ensure the infrastructure of tomorrow is fit for the future? Matthew Bell, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change (CCC)... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/clean-growth-and-the-role-of-uk-infrastructure 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/clean-growth-and-the-role-of-uk-infrastructure Fri, 21 Apr 2017 07:30:00 GMT Cllr Kevin Davis, London Councils executive member for health and leader of Kingston Council, celebrates the work being done in the capital to integrate health and social care, but argues there is still a long way to go. It is no secret that London boroughs, along with councils across the rest of the country, are facing huge pressures in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/shouting-about-health-and-care-integration-in-the-capital 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/shouting-about-health-and-care-integration-in-the-capital Fri, 21 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT From May 2018, a new piece of data protection legislation, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), will apply in the UK. Ian Inman, group manager for public services at the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), outlines changes needed in the public sector and how the regulator can help. Social service care records, contact... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-modern-law-for-an-increasingly-digital-world 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-modern-law-for-an-increasingly-digital-world Fri, 21 Apr 2017 02:30:00 GMT Peter Clark, chief executive at Oxfordshire County Council, and David Hill, chief executive of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, make the case for a unitary authority in the region. We did it – the bid is printed, boxed and sent.  In mid-March our three councils submitted a joint unitary proposal to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-new-council-for-a-better-oxfordshire 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-new-council-for-a-better-oxfordshire Fri, 21 Apr 2017 01:30:00 GMT Chris Painter, Professor Emeritus at Birmingham City University, examines recent political shocks and their implications for the context in which public servants operate. Few signature public governance or public service reforms are so far associated with the Theresa May premiership. Reviving expansion of selective grammar schools is one... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/brexit-populism-and-public-service 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/brexit-populism-and-public-service Tue, 18 Apr 2017 09:00:00 GMT Kamal Bechkoum, professor of computing and head of the Business and Computing School at the University of Gloucestershire, discusses the benefits and challenges of the Internet of Things (IoT) for businesses. The IoT is a phenomenon regarded by many analysts as one of the principal emerging industries of the new millennium. A growing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/iot-and-cybersecurity-tomorrows-threats-today 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/iot-and-cybersecurity-tomorrows-threats-today Tue, 18 Apr 2017 08:30:00 GMT Professor Eugene Milne, director of public health at Newcastle City Council and joint editor of the Journal of Public Health, on why we need a relationship between the NHS and public health provision that recognises the need for collaboration in tackling smoking. Smoking is a blight on the lives of millions of people. It is the largest... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/not-the-time-to-pass-the-buck-on-tackling-smoking 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/not-the-time-to-pass-the-buck-on-tackling-smoking Tue, 18 Apr 2017 08:30:00 GMT Alison Whitney, deputy director for digital government at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), explains how the organisation will be working closely with the public sector to build a more safe and secure digital environment. The NCSC was opened by Her Majesty The Queen in February with a clear aim: to make the UK the safest place to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/cyber-security-is-a-strategic-risk-management-issue 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/cyber-security-is-a-strategic-risk-management-issue Tue, 18 Apr 2017 07:30:00 GMT Carolyn Wilkins OBE, CEO of Oldham Council, discusses the important role local government can play in enabling and empowering people to tell their own positive stories. In Oldham, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve in our role as corporate parents. A few years ago, we introduced the ‘Children’s Champions’... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/our-stories-should-be-strengths-on-which-we-build 447,445 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/our-stories-should-be-strengths-on-which-we-build Tue, 18 Apr 2017 07:00:00 GMT Peter Unwin CB, chief executive of The Whitehall & Industry Group (WIG), formerly director general at DEFRA, explains why learning from other sectors provides a unique contribution to both individual career success and the success of organisations. This year, as every year, thousands of talented people will embark on their career. The... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/avoid-the-perils-of-groupthink-by-learning-from-other-sectors 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/avoid-the-perils-of-groupthink-by-learning-from-other-sectors Tue, 18 Apr 2017 06:30:00 GMT On 1 March the government finally published its much-anticipated UK Digital Strategy. Its aim is to “create a world-leading digital economy that works for everyone”. That’s ambitious stuff. Eddie Copeland, director of government innovation at Nesta, asks what we should make of its provisions for the public sector. On... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-uk-digital-strategy-big-ambitions-small-details 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-uk-digital-strategy-big-ambitions-small-details Thu, 13 Apr 2017 08:00:00 GMT Vivek Kotecha, research officer at the Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI), looks at the challenges facing privatised social care. Patients were assured that they would have more choice and a better quality of care when adult social care was gradually privatised in the 1990s. However, more than two decades on, the policy of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-shortcomings-of-privatised-adult-social-care-why-has-it-failed 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-shortcomings-of-privatised-adult-social-care-why-has-it-failed Thu, 13 Apr 2017 07:30:00 GMT Yvonne Gallagher, director of digital value for money at the National Audit Office (NAO), discusses the digital skills gap in the public sector. The NAO recently published a report on the ‘Capability gap in the Civil Service’ where we highlighted digital skills gaps. The report updated some of the survey findings in our... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/time-to-address-the-digital-skills-gap 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/time-to-address-the-digital-skills-gap Thu, 13 Apr 2017 06:00:00 GMT Design Council’s director of growth and innovation, Ellie Runcie, on how design can enable service transformation and why London is next to benefit from the successful Design in the Public Sector programme. It has been nearly two years since we launched Design in the Public Sector – an intensive 16-week programme, funded by... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/adopting-design-to-tackle-service-challenges 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/adopting-design-to-tackle-service-challenges Thu, 13 Apr 2017 02:00:00 GMT Over the next few months, the Government Digital Service (GDS) wants to get a better understanding of how local government and the wider public sector are transforming their services in order to provide the right support at the right time. PSE’s Luana Salles reports. More than 36,000 public sector organisations currently use the GDS... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/digital-marketplace-reaching-far-and-wide-in-the-public-sector 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/digital-marketplace-reaching-far-and-wide-in-the-public-sector Wed, 01 Mar 2017 06:30:00 GMT The way we work is changing. As a profession, we must be ready to embrace it, writes James Driver on behalf of the Association for Project Management (APM). The environment in which project professionals must deliver projects is changing. Uncertainty across the political and global arena, combined with new technologies and demand for... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/time-to-embrace-change 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/time-to-embrace-change Wed, 01 Mar 2017 06:30:00 GMT 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 government to back the extension of procurement innovation support more widely across the public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-challenges-for-innovative-procurement 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-challenges-for-innovative-procurement Mon, 27 Feb 2017 11:45:00 GMT Dr Mark Begbie, business development director at CENSIS, the Scottish Innovation Centre for Sensor and Imaging Systems, explores how Glasgow is leading the way in transforming how we use technology to improve connectivity. Just over 200 years ago, Glasgow was on the cusp of becoming one of the world’s leading industrial centres, as... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/glasgow-points-the-way-forward-for-iot-future 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/glasgow-points-the-way-forward-for-iot-future Mon, 27 Feb 2017 07:30:00 GMT Richard Elliott, head of policy, partnerships and research at Manchester City Council, and Nick Chrissos, head of innovation and project delivery director at CityVerve, explain how the innovative ‘citizen-centred’ project aims to understand and tackle what matters to the city and its citizens. The concept of a smart city is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/delivering-a-global-blueprint-for-smart-cities- 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/delivering-a-global-blueprint-for-smart-cities- Mon, 27 Feb 2017 05:30:00 GMT Design Council’s communications manager, Chris Finnegan, explains how an innovative new partnership between health and social care professionals, social entrepreneurs and the public could help tackle the growing concern of how best to develop sustainable later-life care and improve our experience of ageing. Today, for the first time... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/transforming-later-life-care 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/transforming-later-life-care Mon, 27 Feb 2017 05:30:00 GMT Terese Bird, educational designer at Leicester Medical School, University of Leicester, discusses the future of higher education, virtual reality (VR) and education apps. After almost 20 years working to shape university teaching and learning with the help of technology, I believe that as the 21st century progresses, many aspects of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/teaching-in-the-21st-century-what-comes-next 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/teaching-in-the-21st-century-what-comes-next Mon, 27 Feb 2017 05:00:00 GMT Mark Pawsey (pictured), the MP for Rugby and the chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for District Councils, explains why he hopes the group’s work will strengthen the case for districts as local government becomes an increasingly important driver of the UK’s future success. The role of local government in helping... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/shaping-the-future-of-local-government-through-districts- 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/shaping-the-future-of-local-government-through-districts- Thu, 23 Feb 2017 07:00:00 GMT Barney Smith, CEO at Bristol Is Open, explains how the innovative project can help make cities more liveable and sustainable. Bristol is the eighth largest city in the UK and a popular place to study and work. With a steady influx of people, it also faces challenges around congestion, pollution and city planning. The smart city concept is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/bristol-the-booming-smart-city 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/bristol-the-booming-smart-city Thu, 23 Feb 2017 04:30:00 GMT Andrew Walker, policy expert on devolution at the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), explains why devolution in England needs a shot in the arm to get it back on track. It is clear that the government, under Theresa May, is far more lukewarm when it comes to devolving power to city-regions and combined authorities than under David... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/where-next-for-devolution 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/where-next-for-devolution Thu, 23 Feb 2017 04:30:00 GMT Learning analytics make use of the data generated as we learn and teach in order to improve learning and teaching. Rebecca Ferguson, a senior lecturer from The Open University, identifies key areas for action to help your institution make use of analytics effectively. Online engagement, assignments, attendance and exam results –... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/introducing-learning-analytics 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/introducing-learning-analytics Thu, 23 Feb 2017 01:30:00 GMT With only a few weeks left until public sector organisations across England can choose their water services retailer, it’s time to make sure you know what your options are, writes Helen Robinson-Gordon, head of communications for Retail Market Opening at Ofwat. At the moment, unless you are an organisation which uses more than 50... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/opening-up-water-options 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/opening-up-water-options Thu, 23 Feb 2017 00:30:00 GMT London’s current and former mayors offer important lessons on the opportunities – and potential pitfalls – the new metro mayors will face, argues Alexandra Jones, chief executive of Centre for Cities. In May this year, new metro mayors will take office in some of England’s biggest cities, armed with the largest... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/how-englands-new-metro-mayors-can-learn-from-ken-boris-and-sadiq 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/how-englands-new-metro-mayors-can-learn-from-ken-boris-and-sadiq Mon, 20 Feb 2017 11:15:00 GMT Andy Fullard, interim information and technology director at Birmingham City Council, outlines how the local authority’s ambitious new five-year ICT and Digital (ICTD) Strategy will support the way in which local services will be provided in the future, as the organisation continues to undergo major changes between now and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/birminghams-unique-approach-for-redesigning-ict-and-digital-services- 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/birminghams-unique-approach-for-redesigning-ict-and-digital-services- Mon, 20 Feb 2017 11:00:00 GMT Mark Chambers, CEO of Naace, the association for education technology, discusses technology in learning and how to overcome the challenges of implementation. Technology has permeated almost every aspect of modern life: how we work, how we communicate and how we manage day-to-day tasks. So it’s no surprise that we’re also using... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/failure-to-launch-the-challenges-in-implementing-education-technology 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/failure-to-launch-the-challenges-in-implementing-education-technology Mon, 20 Feb 2017 11:00:00 GMT Cllr Anne Western, County Councils Network (CCN) spokeswoman for economic growth and leader of Derbyshire County Council, argues that the success of the government’s Industrial Strategy depends on whether the potential of counties is tapped into. The government’s new Industrial Strategy green paper opens with the aspiration to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/tapping-into-county-potential-key-to-industrial-strategy-success 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/tapping-into-county-potential-key-to-industrial-strategy-success Mon, 20 Feb 2017 10:45:00 GMT Planning is at the heart of responding to climate change, but new research finds many local authorities have deprioritised key policy actions vital to our collective future, says Dr Hugh Ellis, head of policy at the Town & Country Planning Association (TCPA). The planning system has the potential to make a major contribution to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/planning-for-climate-change 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/planning-for-climate-change Mon, 20 Feb 2017 10:15:00 GMT Sandra Booth, Pro-Vice Chancellor at University of Cumbria, considers the challenges and opportunities for the project management (PM) profession to deliver lasting transformational change in regional economic development and local engagement. Cumbria LEP’s vision is simple: to create one of the fastest growing economies in the UK.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-catalyst-for-regional-development 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-catalyst-for-regional-development Mon, 20 Feb 2017 10:00:00 GMT Dr Charlotte Snelling, a researcher at IPPR, and Ed Turner, senior lecturer and head of politics and international relations at Aston University, look at the lessons the UK can learn from Germany in tackling the country’s housing crisis. The UK faces significant challenges in providing sufficient housing, at a price people can... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/lessons-from-germany-to-fix-the-uks-housing-crisis 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/lessons-from-germany-to-fix-the-uks-housing-crisis Fri, 06 Jan 2017 08:00:00 GMT Cllr Martin Tett, leader of Buckinghamshire County Council and transport spokesman at the LGA, reflects on the ever-growing pothole repair backlog and what actions must be taken to tackle this issue. As leader of a county council, I am acutely aware that potholes and the condition of our roads are one of the public’s main local... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/greater-investment-and-collaboration-needed-to-tackle-pothole-repair-backlog 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/greater-investment-and-collaboration-needed-to-tackle-pothole-repair-backlog Fri, 06 Jan 2017 03:00:00 GMT 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 industry can collaborate on to succeed. Smart cities have the potential to create a better quality... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/unlocking-smart-capabilities-for-local-authorities 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/unlocking-smart-capabilities-for-local-authorities Wed, 04 Jan 2017 07:30:00 GMT Bracknell Forest Homes is applying digital mapping in new ways to improve internal processes and, in some cases, introduce completely new ways of operating. Andrew Keljarrett, its business improvement manager, outlines how the housing association is using a GIS (Geographic Information System) as part of its digital transformation... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/digital-transformation-in-social-housing-with-smart-mapping 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/digital-transformation-in-social-housing-with-smart-mapping Wed, 04 Jan 2017 07:00:00 GMT Previously part of the Government Digital Service (GDS) transformation programme, Natalie Taylor now works at London’s City Hall as senior manager for Digital Transformation. She gives PSE an update on the changes taking place at the Greater London Authority (GLA) and how it is implementing the Local Government Digital Service... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/standardising-digital-transformation-across-the-capital 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/standardising-digital-transformation-across-the-capital Wed, 04 Jan 2017 07:00:00 GMT Paul Bell, national officer for local government at Unison, looks at the long-term impact of Brexit on public sector procurement, and what councils should be doing to plan ahead for the period of uncertain change. The decision of the UK’s electorate to leave the EU undoubtedly presents massive challenges for local government.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-united-approach-for-local-government-procurement-post-brexit 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-united-approach-for-local-government-procurement-post-brexit Wed, 28 Dec 2016 07:30:00 GMT Cllr Roger Phillips, chair of the Local Government Pension Scheme Advisory Board, analyses the opportunities and challenges facing the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in the short to medium term, and the plans to create eight multi-billion common investment vehicles. The LGPS is unique in the public sector in that it is the only... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-long-and-winding-path-to-reform 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-long-and-winding-path-to-reform Wed, 28 Dec 2016 07:30:00 GMT Cllr Kieran Quinn, leader of Tameside Borough Council and chair of the Local Authority Pension Fund Forum (LAPFF), outlines the social value benefits and commercial returns that can be achieved by LGPS funds investing in infrastructure. Britain is suffering from chronic underinvestment in infrastructure. From housing to communications... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/picking-up-the-infrastructure-investment-gauntlet 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/picking-up-the-infrastructure-investment-gauntlet Wed, 28 Dec 2016 07:00:00 GMT Neil Sellstrom, treasury and pensions advisor at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), discusses the need for firm governance structures in Local Government Pensions Scheme (LGPS) investment pooling arrangements. The pooling of LGPS assets is expected to begin by April 2018, and while full details of how they... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/lgps-investment-pools-must-have-firm-governance-structures 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/lgps-investment-pools-must-have-firm-governance-structures Wed, 28 Dec 2016 06:00:00 GMT 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 grandparents, in which people are passive consumers of public services, are unsuitable and unsustainable... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/social-action-as-an-organising-principle-for-public-services 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/social-action-as-an-organising-principle-for-public-services Wed, 28 Dec 2016 06:00:00 GMT The current approach to employability in many areas is simply failing, according to new research. But Paul O’Brien, chief executive of the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE), explains how there are huge opportunities to make local employment services better for business and better for local communities. The Autumn... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/creating-local-systems-of-employability-support 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/creating-local-systems-of-employability-support Mon, 26 Dec 2016 08:00:00 GMT Philip Atkins, vice-chairman of the County Councils Network (CCN) and leader of Staffordshire County Council, reflects on the challenges and opportunities presented by the chancellor’s Autumn Statement. While it’s fair to say the initial reaction to the Autumn Statement from local government was less than positive, the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/autumn-statement-highlights-growth-opportunities-for-counties 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/autumn-statement-highlights-growth-opportunities-for-counties Mon, 26 Dec 2016 07:30:00 GMT Chief Inspector Rob Hill of Cambridgeshire Constabulary, and head of service for the Prevention and Enforcement Service (PES), explains how the new service is helping to deliver a joined-up approach to tackle crime and quality of life issues in the area. Partnership working is a well-worn phrase, but for Peterborough’s Community... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/prevention-enforcement-service 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/prevention-enforcement-service Thu, 22 Dec 2016 08:30:00 GMT 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 issue, outlines how public bodies can embed innovation in spite of tight budgets. For many in the public sector, ‘innovation’ is not synonymous with ‘public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/putting-innovation-at-the-heart-of-public-procurement 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/putting-innovation-at-the-heart-of-public-procurement Thu, 22 Dec 2016 08:30:00 GMT Chris Painter, Emeritus Professor of public policy and management at Birmingham City University, assesses the impact of the public service reform paradigm that dominated the period from 1979 to 2016.  At the turn of another turbulent year – with the new May premiership still finding its bearings – this is an opportune... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-service-reform-in-the-thatcher-blair-and-cameron-eras- 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-service-reform-in-the-thatcher-blair-and-cameron-eras- Thu, 22 Dec 2016 07:30:00 GMT Niraj Saraf, Connected Cities Mission lead for Innovate UK, explains how learning from the UK is helping other countries, including India, develop their smart city programmes. The global need for radical solutions to city challenges is becoming ever clearer. Over the last few years Innovate UK has made significant progress in developing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/connected-cities-mission-to-india 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/connected-cities-mission-to-india Thu, 22 Dec 2016 07:00:00 GMT Alexandra Jones, Centre for Cities CEO, explains why failing to address skills gaps is the missing piece of the chancellor’s recent Autumn Statement productivity plan. In Theresa May’s first weeks as prime minister, she outlined her ambition to address the economic divides suggested by the EU Referendum result by building... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/tackling-skills-gaps-is-the-missing-piece-of-the-autumn-statement 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/tackling-skills-gaps-is-the-missing-piece-of-the-autumn-statement Tue, 20 Dec 2016 11:15:00 GMT Professor Simon Joss FRSA is co-director of the International Eco-Cities Initiative at the University of Westminster, which provides research and consultancy on urban innovation. He explains why smart cities are at a crossroads between technological innovation and local engagement. Interest in the smart city has grown rapidly across... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/smart-cities-at-a-crossroads- 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/smart-cities-at-a-crossroads- Tue, 20 Dec 2016 07:30:00 GMT Michelle Lowe, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and health at Sevenoaks District Council, discusses how district councils can play an important part in making sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) work through their housing role. Across the country various footprints (made up of clinical commissioning groups and upper... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/district-councils-need-a-place-at-the-stp-planning-table 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/district-councils-need-a-place-at-the-stp-planning-table Tue, 20 Dec 2016 06:00:00 GMT Julian Smith, head of external affairs at the Association for Project Management, reflects on the recent Brexit vote and what this is likely to mean for Civil Service employees and project managers. After the shock of the Brexit vote and the resignation of the prime minister, the head of the Civil Service wrote to colleagues across... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/brexit-can-the-civil-service-keep-calm-and-carry-on 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/brexit-can-the-civil-service-keep-calm-and-carry-on Fri, 04 Nov 2016 05:00:00 GMT Pete Jefferys, senior policy officer at Shelter, outlines how local authorities and smaller housebuilders could play a pivotal role in helping the government deliver more homes. As the months go by, the government’s target of a million homes by 2020 seems increasingly unlikely. Looking at the past decade, housebuilding peaked in the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/time-for-housing-reform 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/time-for-housing-reform Fri, 04 Nov 2016 04:00:00 GMT Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for energy and sustainability, Cllr Alan Clark, tells PSE how the local authority has surpassed its climate change targets four years ahead of schedule. Recent central government statistics show that Nottingham has smashed its ambitious climate change targets four years early, putting it... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/hitting-2020-climate-change-targets-four-years-early 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/hitting-2020-climate-change-targets-four-years-early Fri, 04 Nov 2016 02:30:00 GMT Paul Dossett, partner and head of local government at Grant Thornton UK, looks at the implications of the Brexit vote on local government finance and what needs to be done to rise to the challenges ahead. While the implications of the recent Brexit vote are still unclear, voices in local government have been quick to express concern... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/what-the-brexit-vote-means-for-local-government-finance 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/what-the-brexit-vote-means-for-local-government-finance Tue, 01 Nov 2016 06:00:00 GMT Tracy Jessop, assistant director of highways and transport at Norfolk County Council, explains how the local authority is using a geographic information system (GIS) to improve the school transport arrangements for almost 2,000 children with special needs, and help meet a cost-saving target of £500,000 this year. Visualising... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/improving-school-transport-for-vulnerable-children-through-gis-mapping 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/improving-school-transport-for-vulnerable-children-through-gis-mapping Tue, 01 Nov 2016 05:30:00 GMT Emma Hart, engagement manager at the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing, explains why there is a pressing need to ensure information sharing is seen as an integral part of professional practice to improve safeguarding. The Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing (the centre) has been supporting the Department for Education... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-importance-of-information-sharing-in-improving-safeguarding 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-importance-of-information-sharing-in-improving-safeguarding Fri, 28 Oct 2016 06:30:00 GMT Community-led developments should not be overlooked in helping tackle the country’s housing crisis, argues Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Locality. Scale isn’t necessarily the answer when it comes to solving the housing crisis. It certainly isn’t the whole answer.  There’s no denying that, as a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/scaling-out-not-up 447,441,446 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/scaling-out-not-up Fri, 28 Oct 2016 04:30:00 GMT Neil Sellstrom, treasury and pensions advisor at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), discusses the opportunities and challenges of pooled assets for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). A year ago, at the Conservative Party Conference, the then chancellor, George Osborne, called for assets of the 89... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/lgps-wealth-funds-must-make-the-best-possible-return-on-assets 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/lgps-wealth-funds-must-make-the-best-possible-return-on-assets Wed, 26 Oct 2016 06:30:00 GMT Jessica Studdert, deputy director of the New Local Government Network, discusses the need for a place-based approach to accountability to better align service activity and catalyse transformation. Public service innovators understand that future reform must shift from a collection of individual services tackling single issues to a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/transforming-public-services-through-place-based-accountability 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/transforming-public-services-through-place-based-accountability Mon, 24 Oct 2016 06:30:00 GMT Tanja Groth, decentralised energy manager at the Carbon Trust, explains why the organisation has launched a District Heating Cashflow Quality Assurance Template to assist public sector bodies in their investment decision-making. Courtesy of the Round 6 delivery funding from the Heat Network Delivery Unit at the Department for Business... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/heat-network-investments-getting-the-numbers-right 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/heat-network-investments-getting-the-numbers-right Mon, 24 Oct 2016 06:00:00 GMT If the Bus Services Bill delivers on its promises, then it will give local government the powers to make the best use of existing subsidies to give the public a far better service than they get now, writes Jonathan Bray, director of the Urban Transport Group. If cities don’t work without good public transport, then one reason why... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/do-not-underestimate-the-potential-impact-of-the-bus-services-bill 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/do-not-underestimate-the-potential-impact-of-the-bus-services-bill Mon, 24 Oct 2016 02:00:00 GMT Emily Bird, policy leader at the National Housing Federation (NHF), reflects on the challenges facing supported housing and the steps being taken to provide a sustainable future. Supported housing for vulnerable people is facing an uncertain future, with a new government funding model on the table. Yet at September’s Health and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/steps-being-taken-to-secure-a-viable-future-for-supported-housing 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/steps-being-taken-to-secure-a-viable-future-for-supported-housing Thu, 20 Oct 2016 15:00:00 GMT David Pearson, honorary treasurer and former president at the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), discusses the development of NHS-led sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) and the importance of embedding social care within them. Social care provides care, support and safeguards for those people in our... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/social-care-integral-to-the-success-of-stps 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/social-care-integral-to-the-success-of-stps Thu, 20 Oct 2016 07:30:00 GMT Cllr Michelle Lowe, deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and health at Sevenoaks District Council, looks at how district councils could help take the pressure off the NHS and social services by reducing hospital bed blocking. We keep reading in the press about how delays in discharging patients from hospital after treatment could... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/are-district-councils-the-key-to-unlocking-hospital-bed-blocking 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/are-district-councils-the-key-to-unlocking-hospital-bed-blocking Thu, 20 Oct 2016 06:30:00 GMT Simon Edwards, director of the County Councils Network (CCN), sets out how county leaders will respond to the chancellor’s upcoming Autumn Statement. During the summer months, speculation has been rife within local government on whether government will look to shift direction in a number of key policy areas. So, November’s... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/clarity-needed-in-autumn-statement-after-summer-of-speculation 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/clarity-needed-in-autumn-statement-after-summer-of-speculation Thu, 20 Oct 2016 06:30:00 GMT Cllr Kieran Quinn, chair of the Greater Manchester Pension Fund and Local Authority Pension Fund Forum, and leader of Tameside MBC, discusses the changing landscape for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). The future of the LGPS is at the centre of government plans to significantly alter the governance shape of the largest funded... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-second-generation-lgps 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-second-generation-lgps Mon, 05 Sep 2016 07:00:00 GMT Kat Sellers, health partnershipco-ordinator at the National Housing Federation, runs through the many benefits of working alongside housing associations to combat homelessness and improve health outcomes for marginalised groups. It only talks a short walk through any major city to see that homelessness is on the rise. According to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/housing-associations-proactive-and-reactive-to-homelessness 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/housing-associations-proactive-and-reactive-to-homelessness Mon, 05 Sep 2016 06:30:00 GMT David Buck, senior fellow, public health and inequalities at The King’s Fund, reflects on the need for inclusive transformation to deliver population health systems. While integrating care services is part of the journey to a transformed health system, it is not the destination. In light of this, we published a report last year... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/beyond-integrated-care-and-towards-population-health-systems 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/beyond-integrated-care-and-towards-population-health-systems Wed, 31 Aug 2016 10:00:00 GMT Cllr Gillian Keegan, director of Women2Win, explains why she is co-chairing a commission into women’s representation in local government and how people can get involved. The Fawcett Society and LGiU have launched a one-year commission supported by Barrow Cadbury Trust to examine the role of women across local government and identify... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/we-need-more-women-leaders-in-local-government 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/we-need-more-women-leaders-in-local-government Wed, 31 Aug 2016 09:45:00 GMT Martin Ferguson, director of policy and research at Socitm, explains how simplifying, standardising and sharing digital transformation solutions could deliver better outcomes for public services across the country. “Simplify – Standardise – Share” is the call from the Local CIO Council (LCIOC), as it sets out its... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/simplifying-and-sharing-digital-design-principles-for-the-future 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/simplifying-and-sharing-digital-design-principles-for-the-future Fri, 26 Aug 2016 09:30:00 GMT Cllr Paul Carter, chairman of the County Councils Network (CCN) and leader of Kent County Council, argues counties can offer the government both stability and solutions in a post-Brexit world. The vote to leave the European Union was the clearest marker yet that Westminster is completely disconnected from ordinary people.  As... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/counties-can-help-deliver-the-post-brexit-agenda 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/counties-can-help-deliver-the-post-brexit-agenda Fri, 26 Aug 2016 09:15:00 GMT Professor Lord Patel of Bradford OBE, former chair of the Mental Health Act Commission, makes the case for a radical new report that offers practical solutions to breaking integration barriers. How many times have we heard that if only we had full integration of health and social care, we would be able to improve the lives of those who... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/collaboration-and-innovation-will-break-down-barriers-to-health-and-social-care-integration 447,446 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/collaboration-and-innovation-will-break-down-barriers-to-health-and-social-care-integration Fri, 26 Aug 2016 09:00:00 GMT Anand Menon, professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King’s College London, reflects on the task ahead for the public sector after the nation’s vote to leave the European Union. Public servants have faced numerous challenges over the years, from stringent budget cuts implying the need for fewer people to carry... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/working-collectively-is-key-to-delivering-optimum-post-brexit-outcome 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/working-collectively-is-key-to-delivering-optimum-post-brexit-outcome Fri, 26 Aug 2016 09:00:00 GMT Lord John Krebs, chairman of the adaptation sub-committee of the Committee on Climate Change, discusses the unparalleled opportunity the public sector has on tackling climate change, especially through its estate. Public sector employees and property are often on the frontline when it comes to dealing with the impacts of extreme weather.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-importance-of-acting-now-to-mitigate-climate-change-risk 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-importance-of-acting-now-to-mitigate-climate-change-risk Fri, 19 Aug 2016 14:45:00 GMT Tam Fry, patron of the Child Growth Foundation, spokesperson for the National Obesity Forum and expert advisory team member with Action On Sugar, writes for PSE about the government’s delayed child obesity strategy. Brexit will undoubtedly be David Cameron’s legacy, but if the NHS has to be rescued from collapse any time in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/inaction-over-child-obesity-not-brexit-should-be-camerons-legacy 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/inaction-over-child-obesity-not-brexit-should-be-camerons-legacy Fri, 19 Aug 2016 14:00:00 GMT Chris Painter, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy and Management at Birmingham City University, considers some potential implications of Theresa May’s new Cabinet and restructured Whitehall machine following the UK’s EU Referendum. The electrifying and unexpected EU Referendum result during the early hours of 24 June, first... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/political-turmoil-in-cabinet-and-whitehall 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/political-turmoil-in-cabinet-and-whitehall Fri, 19 Aug 2016 14:00:00 GMT Peter King, Partner at law firm Nockolds, analyses why county councils have not been enforcing deprivation of asset regulations as rigorously as they could be in recent years. The UK government spends around £10bn on care for the elderly every year. Despite this vast sum of money, local authorities are struggling to provide adequate... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/councils-losing-millions-by-failing-to-clamp-down-on-people-who-gift-assets-to-avoid-care-home-costs 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/councils-losing-millions-by-failing-to-clamp-down-on-people-who-gift-assets-to-avoid-care-home-costs Mon, 20 Jun 2016 12:00:00 GMT Carl Fillery, CEO of Boundless (formerly CSMA Club), discusses the increasing financial and time pressures placed upon public sector workers and the importance of reclaiming your free time. A healthy public sector is essential for a healthy UK economy, but in recent times public sector employees have found themselves at the brunt of deep... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/providing-inspiration-for-a-better-work-life-balance 447,445,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/providing-inspiration-for-a-better-work-life-balance Wed, 15 Jun 2016 11:45:00 GMT Sheryl French, project director, energy investment unit, at Cambridgeshire County Council, explains how the national RE:FIT programme has enabled the local authority to invest in energy-efficient measures to deliver future savings. Just over two years ago, Cambridgeshire County Council secured £15m of investment for energy-saving... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/investing-now-to-save-in-the-future 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/investing-now-to-save-in-the-future Tue, 14 Jun 2016 09:45:00 GMT As significant water market reforms edge ever closer, Adam Cooper, director of retail market opening at Ofwat, explains what these changes will mean for public sector bodies. From April 2017, if you buy water, wastewater (also known as sewerage) or both services for a business, charity or public sector property or a number of premises... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/what-water-market-reforms-mean-for-the-public-sector 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/what-water-market-reforms-mean-for-the-public-sector Mon, 13 Jun 2016 09:30:00 GMT Housing associations can lead the way in developing a new and alternative approach to delayed hospital discharge for the NHS and local government, writes Patrick Vernon OBE, health partnership co-ordinator at the National Housing Federation (NHF). The recent ‘Discharging older patients from hospital’ report from the spending... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/developing-an-alternative-approach-to-delayed-hospital-discharge 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/developing-an-alternative-approach-to-delayed-hospital-discharge Fri, 10 Jun 2016 16:45:00 GMT Chantalle Thomson, analyst at The Carbon Trust, on why deregulation will create a moment of opportunity for public sector organisations to take charge of their water consumption. Monopolies are not usually known to provide their customers with the best deals, but at present organisations in England have no real choice on their local water... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/can-better-public-sector-water-management-provide-a-bucketful-of-savings 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/can-better-public-sector-water-management-provide-a-bucketful-of-savings Fri, 10 Jun 2016 09:30:00 GMT Rosie Harper, programme manager for built environment at BSI, discusses how new flood protection guidance can help local authorities. Resilience, “the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties”, is a term being used with increasing frequency, and is proving apt in the wake of widespread flooding which has affected the UK... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/improving-the-flood-performance-of-buildings 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/improving-the-flood-performance-of-buildings Fri, 10 Jun 2016 09:30:00 GMT Andrew Laird, director at Mutual Ventures, outlines how a new Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), the Health and Wellbeing Partnership, could help provide a new model for smaller providers to offer care services. There is little doubt that devolution will be the chief driver of public service reform for the remainder of this Parliament.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-new-model-for-smaller-providers-to-deliver-at-scale 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-new-model-for-smaller-providers-to-deliver-at-scale Thu, 09 Jun 2016 16:30:00 GMT Rebecca McCaffry, head of public sector research at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), shares her insights into how leaders can improve their decision-making procedures. We’re all familiar with complaints that the public sector is overly bureaucratic and fails to think laterally, resulting in decisions that... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/leaders-are-struggling-to-make-the-right-decisions-at-the-right-time 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/leaders-are-struggling-to-make-the-right-decisions-at-the-right-time Thu, 09 Jun 2016 16:30:00 GMT John Anderson, executive director of Kier Living, and Shamez Alibhai, head of Cheyne’s Social Property Impact Fund, run through the many benefits of a new £1bn housing fund that will help councils deliver more homes through an innovative alliance model. The government’s much-publicised goal of delivering 200,000 homes a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-more-flexible-approach-to-housebuilding 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-more-flexible-approach-to-housebuilding Thu, 09 Jun 2016 09:15:00 GMT Sandra Dinneen, chair of the District Councils’ Network (DCN) Chief Executive Group and CEO of South Norfolk District Council, explains how district councils are developing the public sector leaders of the future. The DCN represents 201 district councils in England at national level – through influencing central government and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/developing-public-leaders-of-the-future 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/developing-public-leaders-of-the-future Wed, 08 Jun 2016 16:15:00 GMT Jovian Smalley, engagement manager at the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing, explains how a new piece of work aims to tackle the information sharing challenges that exist around vulnerable children and families. Multi-agency working is central to providing co-ordinated support to vulnerable children and families. Effective... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/improving-information-sharing-across-multi-agency-partnerships 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/improving-information-sharing-across-multi-agency-partnerships Wed, 08 Jun 2016 15:00:00 GMT Lou-Davina Stouffs, programme manager at Nesta, and Teo Firpo, researcher at the charity’s Innovation Growth Lab (IGL), report from the innovation and growth policy global conference. Despite the developments in technology and business models that we have witnessed over the past decades, our support programmes and policies for... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/why-we-need-more-experimentation-in-innovation-and-growth-policy 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/why-we-need-more-experimentation-in-innovation-and-growth-policy Wed, 08 Jun 2016 14:45:00 GMT Graeme Swan, a partner in EY’s Government and Public Sector team, explains why a ‘fail fast and learn’ method approach to government project delivery is often unachievable in the public sector. Recent weeks have seen the spotlight intensify on government project delivery, with a report from the Public Accounts Committee... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/why-failure-shouldnt-be-a-dirty-word-in-project-management 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/why-failure-shouldnt-be-a-dirty-word-in-project-management Wed, 08 Jun 2016 09:15:00 GMT PSE’s Rosemary Collins talks to Socitm’s new president, Geoff Connell, about the need for diversity in the sector’s IT workforce. As Geoff Connell celebrates becoming president of Socitm, he thinks it’s time for local government IT managers to get out of the monitor room and into redesigning services. He also wants... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-value-of-diversity-in-the-it-workforce 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-value-of-diversity-in-the-it-workforce Tue, 07 Jun 2016 16:15:00 GMT Karina Nielsen, professor of work and organisational psychology at the Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia, looks at how public sector bodies can restructure their workforce without damaging the health and wellbeing of employees. Most employees will experience at least one type of restructuring during their lives, and while... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/everything-changes-and-nothing-stands-still 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/everything-changes-and-nothing-stands-still Tue, 07 Jun 2016 15:45:00 GMT Geldards LLP’s senior associate Owen Evans and partner Lowri Phillips outline what public bodies need to know ahead of significant data market reforms in 2018. The countdown to new EU data protection laws has begun. The General Data Protection Regulation 2016 (GDPR) has now been published in the EU Official Journal and will... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-general-data-protection-regulation-2016-whats-in-store-for-the-public-sector 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-general-data-protection-regulation-2016-whats-in-store-for-the-public-sector Tue, 07 Jun 2016 14:45:00 GMT Andy Cooke, a programme management expert at PA Consulting Group, explains how those responsible for leading transformational change in local government can draw lessons about integrating teams from great musical conductors. Local government change projects have always been complex, involving many different stakeholders, and sometimes... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/learning-about-integration-from-musical-conductors 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/learning-about-integration-from-musical-conductors Tue, 07 Jun 2016 09:15:00 GMT Claire McCartney, research adviser - Resourcing and Talent Planning, at the CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, explains why public sector employers should consider redefining their approach to careers. The latest CIPD/Halogen Employee Outlook survey of over 2,000 employees shows that job satisfaction in the UK has... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-sector-employees-cant-get-no-job-satisfaction 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-sector-employees-cant-get-no-job-satisfaction Mon, 06 Jun 2016 15:30:00 GMT Simon Edwards, director of the County Councils Network (CCN), explains why clarity is needed in the local government reorganisation debate. If devolution was the buzzword for councils in 2015, debate surrounding local government reorganisation has defined 2016 so far.  Back in December, the CCN warned that last-minute changes to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/clarity-needed-over-reorganisation-discussions 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/clarity-needed-over-reorganisation-discussions Mon, 06 Jun 2016 14:30:00 GMT Carolyn Wilkins, the head of leadership development at Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and CEO of Oldham Council, tells PSE’s Luana Salles what councils can do to ensure staff remain healthy, productive and motivated as their job roles adapt to service changes. We’ve all seen the headlines: public sector... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/can-council-jobs-keep-up-with-service-reforms 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/can-council-jobs-keep-up-with-service-reforms Fri, 03 Jun 2016 16:00:00 GMT Joanne Segars, chief executive of the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA), discusses the biggest concerns for the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS). As readers will be only too aware, local government is under pressure like never before. Issues such as decentralisation, devolution and deficits are having an impact not... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/challenges--opportunities-ahead-for-the-lgps 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/challenges--opportunities-ahead-for-the-lgps Fri, 03 Jun 2016 14:30:00 GMT Rachael Tiffen, head of the CIPFA Counter Fraud Centre, discusses the new Fighting Fraud and Corruption Locally strategy and the importance of strong leadership to enable change. Over six years ago I sat in a room with a number of other civil servants at the National Fraud Authority, and we agreed that something had to be done to support... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-new-strategy-for-fighting-fraud-and-corruption-locally 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-new-strategy-for-fighting-fraud-and-corruption-locally Thu, 02 Jun 2016 17:00:00 GMT Greater Manchester’s police and crime commissioner and interim mayor, Tony Lloyd, writes for PSE about the region’s long devolution journey and the benefits it is starting to deliver at the local level. Greater Manchester (GM) took control of health and social care in our city-region on 1 April 2016. This is the first time a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-long-and-winding-road 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-long-and-winding-road Thu, 02 Jun 2016 15:15:00 GMT Mark Duddridge, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), discusses the importance of an evidence-based approach to devolution in order to navigate the challenges it brings. Devolution is hard. Just ask Gateshead. Or North Somerset. Or Norfolk. Or Yorkshire. In all these cases – and there are... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/navigating-the-challenges-of-devolution 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/navigating-the-challenges-of-devolution Thu, 02 Jun 2016 15:15:00 GMT Chris Painter, Emeritus Professor of public policy and management at Birmingham City University, examines taken-for-granted assumptions shaping public governance and management. Putting nuances to one side, and acknowledging recent embellishments, a dominant discourse has framed public governance and reform of public services for nearly... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/changing-the-narrative 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/changing-the-narrative Thu, 02 Jun 2016 14:30:00 GMT Debbie Dansey, local government lead at TEICCAF (The European Institute for Combatting Corruption and Fraud) and national chair of the Local Authority Investigation Officers Group, explains why councils need to review their counter-fraud arrangements. In autumn last year, TEICCAF published the first ‘Protecting the English Public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/protecting-our-public-purse 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/protecting-our-public-purse Wed, 01 Jun 2016 16:45:00 GMT Martin Reeves, CEO of Coventry City Council and the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), explains why the future is bright for the region as the plans to move powers from Westminster to the West Midlands gather pace. June is an exciting month for the WMCA as it started operating officially as a new body from 17 June, there are also... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/getting-the-wheels-in-motion-in-the-west-midlands 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/getting-the-wheels-in-motion-in-the-west-midlands Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:30:00 GMT John Pollard, leader of Cornwall Council, talks about the progress made in the first year of Cornwall’s devolution deal, and why the process needs to be seen as a system approach. Devolution suits Cornwall. We have a strong sense of our cultural identity and place, coupled with a long history of partnership working across a distinct... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/devolution-needs-to-be-seen-as-a-system-approach 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/devolution-needs-to-be-seen-as-a-system-approach Wed, 01 Jun 2016 15:00:00 GMT The government has made the Northern Powerhouse a top priority – but the initiative will only work if it focuses on boosting productivity in underperforming northern cities, chief executive of Centre for Cities Alexandra Jones argues. In the recent Queen’s Speech, the government reaffirmed its commitment to building the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/for-the-northern-powerhouse-to-succeed-the-government-must-focus-on-underperforming-city-regions 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/for-the-northern-powerhouse-to-succeed-the-government-must-focus-on-underperforming-city-regions Wed, 01 Jun 2016 14:15:00 GMT Michael Checkley, sustainability and low carbon manager at Coventry City Council, and Cllr Jim O’Boyle run through the energy-efficient measures that helped set Coventry ahead of all other councils. Coventry City Council has recently been placed top of a national Local Authority Energy Index (LAEI) as a result of its work in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/energy-lessons-from-the-top-of-the-index 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/energy-lessons-from-the-top-of-the-index Wed, 01 Jun 2016 09:45:00 GMT The London Grid for Learning (LGfL) Trust has appointed former London Borough of Camden chief information officer John Jackson as its chief executive. He writes for PSE about his ambitions to develop a SuperCloud to connect the public sector as a whole in the capital. The LGfL Trust is a community of 2,500 schools, academies and local... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/connecting-the-capital-through-a-supercloud 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/connecting-the-capital-through-a-supercloud Fri, 22 Apr 2016 14:30:00 GMT The chairman of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, Cllr David Simmonds, discusses the future possibilities of shared services arrangements for councils. Since 2010, local government has managed to cope with the largest budget cuts in the public sector – over 40% of its central government grant – without... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-future-of-shared-services 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-future-of-shared-services Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:15:00 GMT Heather Connolly, senior lecturer in employment relations in the Faculty of Business and Law at De Montfort University, analyses the experiences of local authority outsourcing in recent years. Local council outsourcing in Britain began under the Thatcher government in the 1980s as compulsory competitive tendering. New Labour continued on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/learning-lessons-from-council-outsourcing-and-searching-for-alternatives 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/learning-lessons-from-council-outsourcing-and-searching-for-alternatives Mon, 11 Apr 2016 14:00:00 GMT Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council and a spokesman for the County Councils Network (CCN), discusses the need for a joined-up approach to unlock housing and infrastructure developments across the country. The issues of housing construction, home ownership and planning reform transcend governments past and present... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/county-potential-to-unlock-housing-development-remains-unrealised 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/county-potential-to-unlock-housing-development-remains-unrealised Mon, 11 Apr 2016 12:30:00 GMT The leader of Manchester City Council and chair of Core Cities UK, Sir Richard Leese, explains why the UK is better off in Europe. It’s a decision that is ultimately for the British people, but the leaders and mayors of the UK’s core cities are clear – we need to stay in Europe. From Birmingham to Brno, Manchester... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/our-future-lies-within-the-eu 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/our-future-lies-within-the-eu Fri, 08 Apr 2016 12:30:00 GMT Julie Simon, head of government innovation at Nesta, explains how UK councils can learn from international authorities to think more broadly about the possibilities that digital open up – beyond automated back offices and services. The next wave of digitisation will be less about channel shift and automating back offices and more... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/moving-beyond-digital-as-we-know-it 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/moving-beyond-digital-as-we-know-it Thu, 07 Apr 2016 14:30:00 GMT Warren Smith, interim programme director of the Digital Marketplace at the Government Digital Service, writes for PSE about the development of a new framework, Digital Outcomes and Specialists. The Digital Marketplace is helping the public sector buy what it needs to deliver great digital services. We’re working alongside the Crown... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/finding-teams-and-specialists-to-work-on-digital-projects 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/finding-teams-and-specialists-to-work-on-digital-projects Thu, 07 Apr 2016 12:45:00 GMT Tiffany Cloynes, public services partner at Geldards LLP, reviews the changes made to business rates in this year’s March Budget and how these will impact councils over the coming years. Announcements about business rates in the March 2016 Budget look set to increase the challenges facing local authorities in managing their own... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/business-rate-changes-the-impact-on-councils-cannot-be-overestimated 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/business-rate-changes-the-impact-on-councils-cannot-be-overestimated Tue, 05 Apr 2016 12:15:00 GMT Ken Harrison, strategic lead of HeadStart Knowsley at Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, explains the positive benefits mindfulness courses have delivered across the area. In Knowsley, we believe that helping young people to develop their emotional resilience skills enables them to better deal with difficult circumstances and make... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/mindfulness-training 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/mindfulness-training Tue, 05 Apr 2016 12:15:00 GMT Chloë Carter, policy and advocacy manager at the British Red Cross, considers the Care Act one year on and asks why progress toward prevention remains slow and confused. Celebrated as the most significant reform of care and support in more than 60 years, it’s a year since the Care Act 2014 came into force in England. Replacing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/prevention-is-better-than-cure-so-why-are-councils-dragging-their-feet 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/prevention-is-better-than-cure-so-why-are-councils-dragging-their-feet Tue, 05 Apr 2016 12:15:00 GMT Jo Griffin, lecturer at Dudley College and chair of the Board of Directors at St Nicholas Owen Catholic Multi Academy Company, reflects on the challenges and pitfalls of becoming an academy. This article considers the formation of a Multi Academy Company (MAC) comprising one secondary school and five primary schools, and some of the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-journey-from-voluntary-aided-status-to-multi-academy-company 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-journey-from-voluntary-aided-status-to-multi-academy-company Tue, 05 Apr 2016 12:15:00 GMT Luke Raikes, a research fellow at IPPR North, examines how new metro mayors could transform their transport networks and unlock the economic potential of their city-regions. The shape of local public services has transformed since 2010, but next year it is the governance of these services that will change – and quite dramatically.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/new-metro-mayors-could-use-transport-policy-to-great-effect 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/new-metro-mayors-could-use-transport-policy-to-great-effect Mon, 04 Apr 2016 12:00:00 GMT Locality’s CEO Tony Armstrong explains why engaged communities need to be at the heart of NHS England’s ‘healthy towns’ programme to unlock the benefits. Although NHS England’s ‘healthy towns’ initiative presents a really exciting opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of thousands of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/healthy-towns-looking-beyond-the-bricks-and-mortar 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/healthy-towns-looking-beyond-the-bricks-and-mortar Fri, 01 Apr 2016 12:45:00 GMT Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU), discusses the upcoming local elections and the lack of transparent information available for voters. It’s surprisingly hard to find good-quality information about the forthcoming local elections taking place on Thursday 5 May. Voters may (or may... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/out-for-the-count- 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/out-for-the-count- Fri, 01 Apr 2016 11:30:00 GMT Sponsored Interview PSE speaks to Billy D'Arcy, managing director, Public Sector Business at O2, UK about an industry first public sector catalogue. Last summer, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) launched the wide-ranging Network Services Framework RM1045 across the public sector, including the NHS. The new agreement, which was... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/delivering-digital-outcomes- 447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/delivering-digital-outcomes- Mon, 29 Feb 2016 09:45:00 GMT Rebecca McCaffry, head of public sector research at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), discusses why integrated working has never been more critical.  The financial crisis of 2008 had far-reaching repercussions that we are still trying to manage today. Demand and strain on many local authorities increased... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/councils-need-to-embrace-constant-evolution- 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/councils-need-to-embrace-constant-evolution- Wed, 17 Feb 2016 10:45:00 GMT Paul Sayers, partner at Sayers and Partners LLP and senior fellow at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, as well as associate advisor for floods and droughts at WWF, explores the steps we must take towards a flood resilient society. The UK government has a vision to provide “an infrastructure network that is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/we-should-not-be-surprised 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/we-should-not-be-surprised Fri, 12 Feb 2016 12:00:00 GMT Helen Seechurn, director of resources at Burnley Council, and Charlie Bruin, CEO at Liberata UK, explain how a 10-year outsourcing contract will deliver transformational change to the local authority’s services. District councils continue to face massive austerity challenges. Burnley Council is no exception; it has faced... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/towards-the-fully-digital-council--outsourcing-for-digital-change 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/towards-the-fully-digital-council--outsourcing-for-digital-change Thu, 11 Feb 2016 11:30:00 GMT Ciara Eastell, president of the Society of Chief Librarians (SCL), writes about the importance of improving the digital infrastructure of libraries. In January this year SCL, with support from The Reading Agency, published a report on the need for a single digital presence for public libraries.  ‘Essential Digital... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/creating-a-better-digital-future-for-libraries 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/creating-a-better-digital-future-for-libraries Wed, 10 Feb 2016 11:15:00 GMT Matthew Evans, executive director of SmarterUK, explains why strong local government leadership is vital to delivering the vision of smart cities. No two smart cities will or should look alike – just as no two cities’ transport or waste systems exactly map across each other.  But that is not to say that there... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-building-blocks-for-smart-cities 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-building-blocks-for-smart-cities Wed, 10 Feb 2016 11:15:00 GMT Information management expert David Haynes writes on the public sector implications of the collapse of the transatlantic ‘Safe Harbor’ data privacy rules, and what the future holds for public sector IT procurement in the light of recent changes. Globalisation of business has presented many challenges and some benefits for the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/dealing-with-personal-data-in-the-absence-of-safe-harbor 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/dealing-with-personal-data-in-the-absence-of-safe-harbor Tue, 09 Feb 2016 11:00:00 GMT Owen Evans, senior associate at Geldards LLP, advises public sector organisations on the shifting data protection situation as regards dealing with multinational IT firms. In early February, the European Commission and the US agreed the key components of a new framework that should permit personal data to be transferred to the US from the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/safe-harbor-agreement-to-be-replaced-by-eu-us-privacy-shield 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/safe-harbor-agreement-to-be-replaced-by-eu-us-privacy-shield Tue, 09 Feb 2016 11:00:00 GMT Bel Temel, payments manager for the London Borough of Bexley, explains how the council is tackling a sophisticated form of financial crime. Invoice fraud is on the rise, according to Financial Fraud Action UK. Unfortunately, this crime is sweeping across the UK, with the public sector no exception – and my own experience at Bexley... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/combating-invoice-fraud-in-the-public-sector- 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/combating-invoice-fraud-in-the-public-sector- Tue, 09 Feb 2016 10:45:00 GMT Nicola Underdown, head of engagement at the Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing, discusses the challenges and opportunities presented by devolution. Information is rightfully acknowledged as one of the major assets for those trying to improve outcomes for service users while also making the most effective use of the limited... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/what-does-devolution-mean-for-information-sharing 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/what-does-devolution-mean-for-information-sharing Mon, 08 Feb 2016 10:30:00 GMT Julian Smith, head of external affairs at the Association for Project Management (APM), writing here in a personal capacity, discusses some of Whitehall’s blunders down the years in this important field. The National Audit Office (NAO) is the watchdog for central government finances. Its recent report ‘Delivering major... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/why-project-delivery-is-vital-in-the-public-sector 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/why-project-delivery-is-vital-in-the-public-sector Mon, 08 Feb 2016 10:30:00 GMT Martin Swales, chief executive of South Tyneside Council and Solace spokesperson on economic prosperity and housing, discusses how local authorities are perfectly placed to work with central government to meet the country’s housing crisis. Housing supply and its affordability is one of the major social challenges that Britain faces... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/addressing-the-national-housing-challenge 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/addressing-the-national-housing-challenge Fri, 05 Feb 2016 10:15:00 GMT Nicky Gavron AM, chair of the London Assembly Planning Committee, discusses the options for accommodating London’s growth. Up or out? That’s one of the biggest questions people think faces our capital – with London’s population projected to top 10 million by 2036.  But the London Assembly Planning... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/bold-thinking-required-to-accommodate-londons-growing-population 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/bold-thinking-required-to-accommodate-londons-growing-population Thu, 04 Feb 2016 10:00:00 GMT Richard Rugg, director of programmes at the Carbon Trust, explains how new money in the Spending Review could help public sector organisations reduce carbon emissions. When I looked at the details of the government’s Spending Review in November, I was struck by one announcement that seemed a bit out of the ordinary. It was a rare... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/future-opportunities-to-lead-on-carbon-reduction 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/future-opportunities-to-lead-on-carbon-reduction Wed, 03 Feb 2016 12:00:00 GMT Charles Cotton, performance and reward adviser at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the professional body for HR and people development, looks into the thorny issue of chief executive pay and the impact it has on the workforce. The growth in UK chief executive pay does not clearly correlate to personal... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/pay-gap-between-ceos-and-the-workforce-demotivates-employees 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/pay-gap-between-ceos-and-the-workforce-demotivates-employees Wed, 03 Feb 2016 09:45:00 GMT Barney Mynott, head of public affairs at the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA), talks to PSE about the opportunities and challenges in unlocking the devolution revolution. Devolution could be the key to empowering local communities and delivering real social change, but there are concerns it is becoming a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/can-the-voluntary-sector-help-deliver-the-devolution-revolution 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/can-the-voluntary-sector-help-deliver-the-devolution-revolution Wed, 03 Feb 2016 09:30:00 GMT Geoffrey Bowden, general secretary of the Association of Translation Companies (ATC), talks PSE through its new report on the quality of public sector procurement of language services. The ATC says there is a “critical shortage of skilled language professionals willing to work in the public sector”, because those procuring... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/language-lessons 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/language-lessons Tue, 02 Feb 2016 09:30:00 GMT Christine Tate, head of corporate social responsibility at British Gas, writes for PSE. With winter firmly upon us, many public sector housing and healthcare professionals may be thinking how to help people stay warm and dry in their homes.  Fortunately, those working in local government are used to working in partnership with... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/tackling-fuel-poverty--a-partnership-approach 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/tackling-fuel-poverty--a-partnership-approach Tue, 22 Dec 2015 10:45:00 GMT Independent schools adviser Stephen Rayner discusses the practical challenges facing councils and schools surrounding the drive for more conversions to academies. Writing in the Daily Telegraph in August 2015, the prime minister confirmed his government’s intention that every school in England should “have the opportunity to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/academisation-the-rhetoric-and-the-reality 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/academisation-the-rhetoric-and-the-reality Mon, 21 Dec 2015 10:45:00 GMT Cllr David Simmonds CBE, who chairs the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board and is deputy chair of the LGA, explains the work going on at councils to improve procurement processes. The National Procurement Strategy for Local Government (NPS) was launched in July 2014, setting out recommendations for all councils in England to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/national-procurement-strategy--one-year-on 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/national-procurement-strategy--one-year-on Fri, 18 Dec 2015 10:30:00 GMT Helen Williams, chief executive of Empty Homes, on why the organisation will be looking at how local authorities and housing providers are investing in empty properties. According to government statistics, there were over 200,000 homes classified as long-term empty (that is, empty for more than six months) in England, in the snapshot that... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/transforming-empty-homes-into-affordable-alternatives 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/transforming-empty-homes-into-affordable-alternatives Fri, 18 Dec 2015 10:30:00 GMT Cllr Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council and the devolution spokesman for the County Councils Network, explains why the challenging Spending Review and upcoming local government settlement make devolution even more important. County devolution will be imperative if we are to achieve the goal of a ‘devolution... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/we-must-allow-counties-and-cities-to-evolve-together 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/we-must-allow-counties-and-cities-to-evolve-together Tue, 15 Dec 2015 10:15:00 GMT Peter Ware and Angela Konteas, from the government and infrastructure team at Browne Jacobson LLP, highlight the key aspects of devolution from a practitioner’s perspective and try to look ahead to the challenges that may need to be faced. Chancellor George Osborne is widely seen as responsible for the insistence on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/devolution-a-practitioners-perspective 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/devolution-a-practitioners-perspective Thu, 10 Dec 2015 10:00:00 GMT Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Locality, which represents community organisations across the country, responds to the chancellor’s Spending Review. We’d been girding our loins for months, steeling ourselves for the inevitable swingeing cuts – prophesised as some of the most savage in living memory – but, when... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/hidden-dangers-buried-in-the-spending-review 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/hidden-dangers-buried-in-the-spending-review Tue, 08 Dec 2015 09:30:00 GMT Joe Simpson, director of The Leadership Centre, an independent charity linked to the Local Government Association, writes for PSE on Systems Leadership, a new cultural paradigm. Over three years ago, a number of national bodies came together recognising that health, social care, public health and local government are going to have to work... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/systems-leadership--the-only-show-in-town 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/systems-leadership--the-only-show-in-town Tue, 08 Dec 2015 09:15:00 GMT Anthony Painter, director of policy and strategy at RSA, the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and co-author of ‘Safer Together: policing a global city in 2020’, discusses reform of the police service. Police forces were expecting a ferocious cut to their budgets in the run-up to the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-duty-to-innovate 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-duty-to-innovate Fri, 04 Dec 2015 09:15:00 GMT Cllr Andy Hull, executive member for finance and performance at the London Borough of Islington, explains why the council is determined to stick by the principles of the Living Wage even at a time of budget cuts. Across the UK, more than one in five workers earns less than the real Living Wage – a pay packet independently calculated... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-authorities-must-lead-the-way-on-the-living-wage 447,442 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-authorities-must-lead-the-way-on-the-living-wage Tue, 01 Dec 2015 09:00:00 GMT Tim Pryce, head of public sector at The Carbon Trust, explains how cities and councils can lead the way on sustainability. Environmentalists have long been urging people to think globally and act locally in response to the challenge of climate change. This remains very good advice, as local government action will be an absolutely critical... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-uk-needs-to-unleash-the-awesome-power-of-local-government-to-tackle-climate-change 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-uk-needs-to-unleash-the-awesome-power-of-local-government-to-tackle-climate-change Fri, 20 Nov 2015 09:15:00 GMT James Rawlins, senior consultant at Callcredit Information Group, looks at the evolving local authority fraud landscape and the next generation of fraud hubs. The fraud landscape in local authorities has changed significantly recently and we are now seeing staff transfer to the Single Fraud Investigation Service (SFIS). What does the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/super-hub-the-next-generation-of-counter-fraud-hub-for-the-new-public-sector-landscape 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/super-hub-the-next-generation-of-counter-fraud-hub-for-the-new-public-sector-landscape Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:45:00 GMT Barry Loveday, reader in criminal justice administration at Portsmouth University, considers the changing power-relations between police chief and elected PCCs; the impact of the Winsor Report; Labour’s failed blueprint; and the introduction of elected mayors to run the new city-regions in England and Wales. The success in the 2015... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/police-reform-the-changing-relationship-between-police-forces-and-local-government-in-england-and-wales 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/police-reform-the-changing-relationship-between-police-forces-and-local-government-in-england-and-wales Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:30:00 GMT The new, free British Red Cross emergency app is set to help people across the UK prepare for and deal with a huge range of crises. It features live updates about developing emergencies, and great features such as a personal alarm and strobe light. Just how devastating can these crises be? And what makes someone spend their time helping... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/when-people-run-from-burning-homes-im-waiting-to-help-them 447,445 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/when-people-run-from-burning-homes-im-waiting-to-help-them Tue, 13 Oct 2015 16:00:00 GMT Pascoe Sawyers, principal adviser for leadership and localism with the Local Government Association, discusses the importance of developing effective leaders to deliver a healthy democracy. Since the Local Government Association (LGA) launched its Leadership Programmes 15 years ago, it has seen thousands of elected and prospective... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/taking-the-lead 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/taking-the-lead Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:45:00 GMT A new report by the Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) calls for central government departments and local authorities to seek assurance on the management of risk before undertaking major outsourcing projects. IIA chief executive Dr Ian Peters MBE explains more. As budget pressures continue, the need to boost efficiency... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/outsourcing-how-the-public-sector-can-better-manage-the-risks 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/outsourcing-how-the-public-sector-can-better-manage-the-risks Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:30:00 GMT Gerry Clarkson CBE, leader of Ashford Borough Council and a former firefighter and CEO of the London Fire & Civil Defence Authority, argues that a hard-nosed business approach can net real revenue for under-pressure councils. Much has been written recently about financial pressures on local authorities, with the suggestion in some... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-business-model-for-commercially-savvy-local-authorities-to-follow 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-business-model-for-commercially-savvy-local-authorities-to-follow Tue, 13 Oct 2015 10:00:00 GMT Aylesbury Vale District Council’s Henry Allmand (housing development & strategy manager) and Kate Brewster (senior communications & marketing officer), explain an innovative new approach to the savings it needs to make. It seems quite amazing that just nine months ago we were starting our business case into whether an online... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/getting-the-ball-rolling-on-a-council-lottery 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/getting-the-ball-rolling-on-a-council-lottery Tue, 13 Oct 2015 10:00:00 GMT Matthew Ball, general manager at Greenredeem, discusses the challenges to increasing recycling rates in the UK. In July this year the Guardian reported that the UK may oppose new EU recycling targets, with a 70% waste reuse target for 2030. There is already major concern across the industry that the EU target of 50% by 2020 is a stretch... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/choice-and-access-to-recycling-facilities-the-key-to-hitting-the-2020-target 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/choice-and-access-to-recycling-facilities-the-key-to-hitting-the-2020-target Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:45:00 GMT Bristol mayor George Ferguson explains why the city is launching its own energy company. My mission is for Bristol to be an entrepreneurial, innovative and resilience-focused city. More than ever, local authorities are having to find new ways to maintain and develop their economic and social prosperity and to support the services they... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/municipal-energy-as-a-force-for-social-good 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/municipal-energy-as-a-force-for-social-good Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:45:00 GMT Sir Albert Bore, leader of Birmingham City Council and Core Cities cabinet member for Transport, discusses why the Spending Review provides a golden opportunity to create a radically different framework for investment. A joined-up approach to infrastructure and investment is critical to the future success of the UK economy. As the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/time-to-deliver-a-devolved-joined-up-approach-to-investment 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/time-to-deliver-a-devolved-joined-up-approach-to-investment Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:45:00 GMT Tony Armstrong, chief executive of Locality, the national network of community-led organisations, looks ahead to the Spending Review and what it could mean for local authorities and Locality’s member organisations. The forthcoming Spending Review will be one of the key moments of this Parliament and will set the tone and the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/turning-the-risk-of-asset-sell-offs-into-an-opportunity 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/turning-the-risk-of-asset-sell-offs-into-an-opportunity Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:45:00 GMT Simon Parker, director of the New Local Government Network, discusses devolution and his four-pronged strategy for helping people take back power in Britain. Power is addictive. It works on the same parts of the brain as cocaine, and it has some of the same effects on those who wield it. And if power is like cocaine, then Westminster is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/turning-the-tide-on-centralism 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/turning-the-tide-on-centralism Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:45:00 GMT Louise Hart, author of ‘Procuring Successful Mega-Projects’ and a former project director for the establishment of major transport infrastructure contracts in Sydney and London, explains that the all-too-common descent of mega-projects into chaos and litigation can be prevented by making a better job of the procurement... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/mega-project-fiascos-are-they-avoidable 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/mega-project-fiascos-are-they-avoidable Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:30:00 GMT Julian Smith, head of external affairs at the Association for Project Management, though writing here in a personal capacity, explains why the devolution agenda will bring new challenges for project managers and directors. The public sector stands on the verge of the biggest constitutional shake-up for many years, as the government... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/some-of-the-most-ambitious-projects-of-the-next-decade-will-be-linked-to-devolution 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/some-of-the-most-ambitious-projects-of-the-next-decade-will-be-linked-to-devolution Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:30:00 GMT Ben Reynolds, deputy co-ordinator at Sustain, explains how local authorities in London are trying to tackle the growing challenge of food poverty. Food banks are getting a lot of press these days, and for good reason. Many argue they are an indicator of a deepening crisis with more people falling into food poverty. Others say their... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/serving-up-a-safety-net-how-local-authorities-are-helping-to-alleviate-food-poverty 447,442 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/serving-up-a-safety-net-how-local-authorities-are-helping-to-alleviate-food-poverty Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:15:00 GMT John Rhodes’ proposals to include housing within the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) regime attracted widespread interest (and criticism) if PSE’s inbox is anything to go by. Here, we give Rhodes – who chairs a new government-appointed expert panel on planning – the opportunity to explain his ideas... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/housing-as-national-infrastructure 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/housing-as-national-infrastructure Tue, 13 Oct 2015 09:00:00 GMT Claire Brennan, managing consultant and public sector specialist at Change Recruitment Group, which has offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, discusses the impact that finance professionals originally from the private sector are having in the public sector. Following the downturn in the economy and the onset of the age of austerity, the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/retaining-financial-stars-is-crucial-for-the-public-sector 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/retaining-financial-stars-is-crucial-for-the-public-sector Wed, 16 Sep 2015 09:45:00 GMT Mark Fisher (pictured), director of the Government Innovation Group and Office for Civil Society, based in the Cabinet Office, explains why all government departments since the end of June are offering a minimum of three days a year paid special leave for volunteering. There is a great tradition in this country of people devoting their... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/civil-service-volunteers-great-traditions-great-skills 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/civil-service-volunteers-great-traditions-great-skills Wed, 19 Aug 2015 15:30:00 GMT Digital economy minister Rt Hon Ed Vaizey MP (pictured) writes for PSE about the recently launched £10m Internet of Things demonstrator competition and how local authorities can get involved. It’s a fair bet, I think, that if you asked a cross section of the population what they understood by the expression ‘The Internet... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/councils-encouraged-to-take-lead-on-internet-of-things-initiatives- 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/councils-encouraged-to-take-lead-on-internet-of-things-initiatives- Wed, 19 Aug 2015 15:30:00 GMT Sam Cox (pictured), knowledge officer for legal and welfare rights at the Alzheimer’s Society, responds to the Law Commission’s proposals for a framework to replace what it calls the “deeply flawed” Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS). It is clear to the Alzheimer’s Society that the deprivation of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/deprivation-of-liberty-safeguards-need-to-be-overhauled- 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/deprivation-of-liberty-safeguards-need-to-be-overhauled- Wed, 19 Aug 2015 15:30:00 GMT Dr Lee Pugalis (pictured), Reader in Entrepreneurship and chair of the Research group for Economic Development, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (REDIE) at Newcastle Business School, Northumbria University, comments on the first comprehensive analysis of the planning roles of local enterprise partnerships. Since the birth of local... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/hot-and-cold-spots-of-sub-national-strategic-development-and-planning-capacity 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/hot-and-cold-spots-of-sub-national-strategic-development-and-planning-capacity Wed, 19 Aug 2015 15:30:00 GMT A slimmed-down, more efficient local government property estate will be a good vantage point from which to judge the effectiveness of the government’s drive to transform the public sector, argues Kristian Scholfield, senior associate solicitor within Geldards’ specialist public services team. Described as a “bloated... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-government-land-councils-urged-to-let-go 447,443 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-government-land-councils-urged-to-let-go Wed, 19 Aug 2015 15:30:00 GMT In light of the ruling by the Supreme Court on UK air quality plans, Steve Rawson, head of retrofit engineering at Eminox, looks at options available to local authorities. When the Supreme Court justices made their ruling in May, the culmination of a five-year battle fought by ClientEarth, they were unanimous in their decision, saying:... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/something-in-the-air 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/something-in-the-air Wed, 19 Aug 2015 15:30:00 GMT By Josie Cluer, public sector lead at transformation consultancy Moorhouse The Major Projects Authority (MPA) has just published its third Annual Report. There are distinct signs that it is beginning to improve the way Whitehall carries out major programme delivery. Under the traffic light system it uses to assess confidence in delivery... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/two-cheers-for-the-mpa 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/two-cheers-for-the-mpa Tue, 21 Jul 2015 09:00:00 GMT Damien Venkatasamy, chair of techUK’s Public Services Board and general manager for CSC’s UK Public Sector business, discusses the importance of better engagement between government and industry to deliver digital by default. The Conservative Party manifesto commits this government to using tech to drive much-needed... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-tech-industrys-top-four-issues-for-the-new-government 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-tech-industrys-top-four-issues-for-the-new-government Fri, 19 Jun 2015 17:00:00 GMT Maia Beresford, senior researcher at the New Local Government Network, explains how data is the key that can unlock the ability of councils to fully integrate and transform the services they offer local people. Our concept of what local government does and what it is for is changing rapidly. The return of a majority Conservative... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/transforming-services-through-data- 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/transforming-services-through-data- Fri, 19 Jun 2015 17:00:00 GMT Jennifer Wallace, head of policy at the Carnegie UK Trust, explains more about a competition to help initiatives that give communities and individuals greater control over the services that they use. For almost 20 years, successive governments have aimed to give more power to citizens and local communities. Policies such as community... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-enabling-state 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-enabling-state Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:30:00 GMT Joanne Segars, chief executive of the National Association of Pension Funds, discusses the importance of finding the right solutions to deliver a Local Government Pension Scheme that’s sustainable and affordable in the long term. Fresh from the general election, last month’s National Association of Pension Funds’ (NAPF)... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/working-towards-a-lasting-and-sustainable-local-government-pension-scheme 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/working-towards-a-lasting-and-sustainable-local-government-pension-scheme Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:15:00 GMT Paul Dossett, head of public sector audit at Grant Thornton UK LLP, looks at the impact welfare reforms are having on local authorities. With its commitment to deliver a further £12bn in welfare cuts, the Conservative Party laid down the gauntlet for welfare provision in the UK. With the Conservatives now in government and drawing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/easing-the-burden-the-impact-of-welfare-reform 447,445 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/easing-the-burden-the-impact-of-welfare-reform Fri, 19 Jun 2015 16:00:00 GMT Christina Pond, executive director for core contracts and policy at Skills for Health, considers the importance of the new Care Certificate and the role it plays within workforces. Earlier this year the Care Certificate was introduced for all new healthcare assistants and social care support workers. It sets out the introductory skills... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-care-certificate-and-workforce-optimisation 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-care-certificate-and-workforce-optimisation Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:45:00 GMT Ciara Eastell, president of the Society of Chief Librarians, talks about a training programme that has managed to improve the digital skills of more than 80% of the public library workforce. We have always recognised that public libraries are a key partner in ensuring people can confidently navigate life-critical resources online, and it... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/developing-the-digitally-literate-library-workforce- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/developing-the-digitally-literate-library-workforce- Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:30:00 GMT Professor Lee Miles of Loughborough University, a leading international expert in the field of international crisis management, examines the growing need for societal resilience. As programme director of the Masters in International Crisis Management at Loughborough University, I organised a special seminar recently on the Ebola outbreak... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/is-ebola-helping-to-shape-societal-resilience 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/is-ebola-helping-to-shape-societal-resilience Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:30:00 GMT A new Birmingham Business School study has found that a commercial approach is the best way to adapt to myriad changes in NHS procurement. Professor Joe Sanderson, senior lecturer in procurement and supply management, who led a team from Birmingham Business School and the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/to-keep-ahead-of-changes-in-procurement-simply-think-commercially 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/to-keep-ahead-of-changes-in-procurement-simply-think-commercially Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:30:00 GMT Emily Bird of the National Housing Federation says social landlords can be in the vanguard of innovation on health and wellbeing. Shortly after David Cameron was re-elected as prime minister, a group of charities wrote to him urging ‘bolder steps’ to deal with a rapidly ageing population.  The 16 organisations... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/creative-and-cost-effective-ways-to-integrate-housing-health-and-care 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/creative-and-cost-effective-ways-to-integrate-housing-health-and-care Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:15:00 GMT Graeme McDonald, director of Solace, discusses the opportunities and challenges in delivering self-sufficiency across the local government sector. The Queen’s Speech has already signalled a significant change in pace in the reform of local public services. The Cities & Local Government Bill (more on page 67) has raised... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/real-hope-for-realigning-public-services 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/real-hope-for-realigning-public-services Fri, 19 Jun 2015 15:15:00 GMT The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the professional regulator for veterinary surgeons and nurses in the UK, was recently recognised as one of the best places to work in the country by the Great Place to Work Foundation – one of the few public sector organisations to earn this accolade. Chief executive Nick Stace explains... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/how-investing-in-staff-engagement-benefits-all 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/how-investing-in-staff-engagement-benefits-all Thu, 11 Jun 2015 09:15:00 GMT Will Nixon runs PM Training, which helps young people into apprenticeships and is part of social regeneration business the Aspire Group, of which he is deputy CEO. Both the Conservative and Labour parties have put forward potential reforms to the benefit system for young people aged 18 to 21 who are not in employment, education or... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/helping-the-individual-neet-not-the-neet-problem- 447,442 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/helping-the-individual-neet-not-the-neet-problem- Thu, 23 Apr 2015 17:00:00 GMT Sarah Stopforth, assistant researcher at the New Local Government Network, writes about how local government has an essential role to play in coordinating and supporting national initiatives aimed at decarbonising the country’s economy. Low carbon is the only way that growth in local economies can be put on a sustainable setting.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/cutting-carbon-for-sustainable-growth 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/cutting-carbon-for-sustainable-growth Thu, 23 Apr 2015 16:00:00 GMT With the general election looming, Tim Pryce, head of public sector at the Carbon Trust, looks at the public sector’s sustainability performance, asking whether it is enough to meet the UK’s sustainability ambitions. Over the past five years it has often been repeated that the current government is aiming to be the UK’s... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/is-this-the-greenest-public-sector-ever-in-the-uk 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/is-this-the-greenest-public-sector-ever-in-the-uk Thu, 23 Apr 2015 16:00:00 GMT James Rawlins, senior consultant at Callcredit Information Group, looks at the most efficient way to tackle debt and fraud by embracing modern technology. Taking a more holistic approach to debt and fraud and targeting resources more effectively and efficiently will enable the public sector to keep pace with the changing landscape, minimise... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-authorities-need-to-embrace-data-sharing-and-modern-technology-to-reduce-debt-and-fraud- 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-authorities-need-to-embrace-data-sharing-and-modern-technology-to-reduce-debt-and-fraud- Thu, 23 Apr 2015 16:00:00 GMT Andrew Grant, chief executive of Aylesbury Vale District Council, explains how his authority is tackling central government cuts by operating in a more businesslike way. It’s a story we’re now all very familiar with – five years of unprecedented government funding reductions, and more still to come, which are creating... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-model-approach-to-transforming-public-services 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-model-approach-to-transforming-public-services Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:00:00 GMT In this second article on the Coalition’s public service reforms, Chris Painter, emeritus professor of public policy and management at Birmingham City University, considers underpinning narratives. Coalition Public Service Reforms: Part 2 – Pivotal Themes By Professor Chris Painter In the first part of this evaluation of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/coalition-public-service-reforms-part-2-pivotal-themes 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/coalition-public-service-reforms-part-2-pivotal-themes Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:00:00 GMT In October, we met with Stephen Curtis, director of the then newly launched Centre of Excellence for Information Sharing. Six months on, we caught up with him again to find out how breaking barriers to information sharing is transforming public services. Starting the way we mean to go on  “The appetite from local places to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/information-sharing-insight--six-months-on 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/information-sharing-insight--six-months-on Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:00:00 GMT Paul Hughes, director and public sector governance lead at Grant Thornton UK LLP, outlines the findings of recent research. Local government in the UK can and should be proud of the way it has withstood the challenge of austerity to date. It has shown a commendable capacity to innovate in the face of increased financial pressures and is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-authorities-harbour-real-doubts-over-value-of-scrutiny-committees 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-authorities-harbour-real-doubts-over-value-of-scrutiny-committees Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:00:00 GMT David Innes, a research economist, and Gemma Tetlow, a programme director at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, look at how cuts to local government spending in England have been unequal over the course of the last Parliament. Local government spending in England has been cut by more than a fifth over this Parliament, as the Coalition... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/poorest-areas-see-the-largest-cuts-to-local-government-spending-a-trend-that-looks-set-to-continue 447,442 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/poorest-areas-see-the-largest-cuts-to-local-government-spending-a-trend-that-looks-set-to-continue Thu, 23 Apr 2015 15:00:00 GMT Quentin Maxwell-Jackson, an independent management consultant and research associate at the liberal CentreForum think tank, says the factors that result in success or failure in public services are similar whether the deliverer is public or private. The public debate about how to achieve better public services has unhelpfully been... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/better-public-services--lets-forget-ideology-and-learn-from-past-mistakes 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/better-public-services--lets-forget-ideology-and-learn-from-past-mistakes Wed, 15 Apr 2015 15:00:00 GMT Delivering public sector projects on time, on budget and with the full set of intended benefits has always been a demanding business. So would a move to more transparency improve or hinder project performance and de-risk projects? Alexander Budzier, a lecturer on the MSc for Major Programme Management at Saïd Business School, a lecturer... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/risk-related-transparency-a-double-edged-sword 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/risk-related-transparency-a-double-edged-sword Thu, 19 Mar 2015 14:00:00 GMT Paul Connolly, director of the Management Consultancies Association Think Tank, discusses its new report, ‘Local Government – Time for Reinvention’, based on the views of the UK’s leading consultants – experts in local government – working with councils the length and breadth of the country. The... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/getting-localism-right 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/getting-localism-right Mon, 23 Feb 2015 09:15:00 GMT Bill Davies, research fellow at IPPR North, explains why an extension of the empty homes premium would help bring more houses onto the market. A decade ago, former Bank of England economist Kate Barker set out the scale of mismatch between supply and demand for new homes in England. Ten years on, our population has grown further but our... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/taxing-empty-homes 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/taxing-empty-homes Sun, 01 Feb 2015 16:30:00 GMT Rob Whiteman, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), examines the hidden truth of this year’s Local Government Finance Settlement. This long Parliament has now seen almost five years of cuts and reducing budgets for public services. Public servants across all sectors have become used to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-government-finance-settlement-a-lesson-in-obfuscation 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-government-finance-settlement-a-lesson-in-obfuscation Sun, 01 Feb 2015 16:00:00 GMT Paul Dossett, head of local government at Grant Thornton UK LLP, discusses how local authorities are evolving to cope with the challenges of austerity. With regular reports in the press about councils being forced into dire cutbacks and brutal service reductions, you could be forgiven for thinking that the sky is about to fall in on local... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/rising-to-the-challenge 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/rising-to-the-challenge Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:30:00 GMT The borough councils of West London have worked together in partnership since 1998 to get better outcomes for nearly two million West Londoners. Director of the West London Alliance, Dan Gascoyne, outlines some recent successes. The West London Alliance (WLA) partners are committed to working together, sharing investment, purchasing and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/west-london-alliance- 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/west-london-alliance- Sun, 01 Feb 2015 15:15:00 GMT In this first of two articles evaluating the Coalition’s public service reforms over the last five years, as we prepare for the May 2015 general election, the focus is on four policy sectors where it particularly claims to have left its mark: education, health, policing and welfare. By Chris Painter, emeritus professor of public policy... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/coalition-public-service-reforms-part-1-intentions-and-outcomes 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/coalition-public-service-reforms-part-1-intentions-and-outcomes Sun, 01 Feb 2015 14:45:00 GMT Paul Dossett, head of local government at Grant Thornton UK LLP, discusses how local authorities are evolving to cope with the challenges of austerity.  With regular reports in the press about councils being forced into dire cutbacks and brutal service reductions, you could be forgiven for thinking that the sky is about to fall in on... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/rising-to-the-challenge 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/rising-to-the-challenge Sun, 01 Feb 2015 10:15:00 GMT At what level is an aspiring project manager judged to have become a ‘professional’? Deb Boyce, writing on behalf of the Association for Project Management, reports. How do you define a professional project manager – and how do you know if you and your organisation’s expectations meet that definition? It can be... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/making-the-professional-pieces-fit 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/making-the-professional-pieces-fit Sun, 01 Feb 2015 10:00:00 GMT A major new piece of research by APM looks at the reasons for project success. APM’s James Simons explains. Project failure has been widely reported, researched and speculated over, with commentators the world over looking to provide a single definitive answer to an age-old problem: why do projects fail? But what if we took the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/lets-not-get-hung-up-on-the-f-word 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/lets-not-get-hung-up-on-the-f-word Sun, 01 Feb 2015 09:45:00 GMT David Eardley, a senior manager at public sector business advisers and accountants firm Scott-Moncrieff, explores the change coming to health and councils in Scotland. According to John Swinney, Scotland’s deputy first minister, “the balance between acute, primary and social care is the meat and drink of the sustainability of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-question-of-trust-health-and-social-care-integration-in-scotland 447,870 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-question-of-trust-health-and-social-care-integration-in-scotland Sat, 13 Dec 2014 16:00:00 GMT Mark Johnson, head of public services at specialist law firm Geldards LLP, discusses the governance, accountability and practicalities of joint ventures involving public sector organisations. Joint ventures are emerging as a popular way for local authorities to deliver services while responding to tough budget cuts. Recently the London... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/joint-ventures-on-the-rise 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/joint-ventures-on-the-rise Sat, 13 Dec 2014 16:00:00 GMT There is a need for a bigger-than-local approach when it comes to UK growth and development, particularly when it comes to infrastructure, writes Amanda Clack, senior vice president at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. The devolution of powers to UK cities certainly isn’t a new notion. However, it has come into sharp... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/bigger-than-local 447,443 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/bigger-than-local Sat, 13 Dec 2014 15:45:00 GMT Pat Ritchie and Sir Derek Myers, co-chairs of the Service Transformation Challenge Panel, outline the main recommendations of their groundbreaking report. Public services have been through innumerable efficiency drives and public service reform agendas at various times and in various contexts. But what we are currently facing is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/we-need-to-take-a-much-more-radical-approach 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/we-need-to-take-a-much-more-radical-approach Sat, 13 Dec 2014 14:00:00 GMT Anthony Oliver, Westminster City Council’s chief procurement officer, describes a new online procurement system that’s attracting interest from a number of councils. Procurement in the public sector is one of those things you not only have to get right; you have to be seen to get it right – and prove it. So, a new system... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/by-the-public-sector-for-the-public-sector 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/by-the-public-sector-for-the-public-sector Sat, 13 Dec 2014 11:45:00 GMT Chris Gill, a lecturer in administrative justice at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, is programme leader for the MSc Dispute Resolution and leads on the provision of short training courses for public service complaint handlers. He argues that better complaints handling in the public sector has the potential to improve services – but... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/transforming-public-services-complaints-as-a-strategic-issue 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/transforming-public-services-complaints-as-a-strategic-issue Sat, 13 Dec 2014 11:30:00 GMT A survey of 1,000 UK construction professionals this year revealed that BIM adoption has increased from 13% in 2011 to 54% in 2014 – but too many estates managers assume it is ‘not for them’, argues chartered building surveyor Allan Hunt BSc MRICS, who has more than 20 years’ experience on major construction and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/facing-the-bim-juggernaut-a-step-by-step-approach-to-adoption 447,443 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/facing-the-bim-juggernaut-a-step-by-step-approach-to-adoption Sat, 13 Dec 2014 11:15:00 GMT Helen Andrews Tipper, public sector energy programmes manager at the Carbon Trust, discusses the opportunities and obstacles facing local authorities in developing heat networks. The government released its first Heat Strategy in early 2012. It set out the approach that would be taken to address the challenge of providing low carbon heat... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/are-local-authorities-making-enough-progress-in-delivering-low-carbon-heat 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/are-local-authorities-making-enough-progress-in-delivering-low-carbon-heat Sat, 13 Dec 2014 10:15:00 GMT Mark Johnson, partner at public services law firm Geldards LLP, considers the new rules for procuring public contracts. The European Commission has been on a mission to overhaul the Procurement Directives since 2011. Their professed aim: to modernise and simplify, to open up contracts to SMEs and to allow procuring authorities to make... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-procurement--new-regulations-bring-a-few-surprises 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-procurement--new-regulations-bring-a-few-surprises Sun, 12 Oct 2014 14:00:00 GMT Education policy expert Stephen Rayner questions the governance and autonomy of academy schools and explores the mismatch between expectations and capacity in local authorities’ education role. Political background In 2000, when City Academies were introduced by David Blunkett, the New Labour education secretary, they were... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/academy-schools-and-the-structural-reform-of-education 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/academy-schools-and-the-structural-reform-of-education Sun, 12 Oct 2014 13:45:00 GMT Sir Simon Fraser, Head of the Diplomatic Service, Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office, and Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Champion, explains more about the Talent Action Plan. The heart of the Civil Service ethos is our commitment to delivering the highest quality public service for British people and providing... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-clear-statement-of-intent-on-diversity-in-the-civil-service 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-clear-statement-of-intent-on-diversity-in-the-civil-service Sun, 12 Oct 2014 13:30:00 GMT Nicola Hughes, senior researcher at the Institute for Government, discusses the importance of thinking through party pledges to deliver major policy goals after the next general election. The UK’s political parties are gearing up for a close race at the 2015 general election. The pledges they put forward to the public must appeal to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-programme-for-effective-government 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-programme-for-effective-government Sun, 12 Oct 2014 13:15:00 GMT Mirco Tonin and Michael Vlassopoulos, senior lecturers at the Economics Department of the University of Southampton, discuss their research on differences between public and private sector employees. Understanding the characteristics of the workforce is an essential element for an effective management in virtually any organisation. This is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/are-public-sector-workers-different 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/are-public-sector-workers-different Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:30:00 GMT Mark Rowney, research fellow at IPPR, explores the issues involved in cutting waste and stopping it going to landfill. At the end of July, West Sussex County Council gave permission for a new incinerator to be built in Ford. This is a step in the wrong direction, but the council are not entirely to blame. They do not have the tools necessary... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/watching-the-nations-wasteline 447,444 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/watching-the-nations-wasteline Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:30:00 GMT As the West Midlands Contractor Framework (WMCF) comes to a close this month, Tony Hyde, chairman at Thomas Vale, explains to PSE how working as part of a collaborative, local-first regional framework has helped to deliver important cost-savings for the public sector while creating award-winning public facilities. Improving public sector... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/cutting-the-cost-of-competitive-tendering 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/cutting-the-cost-of-competitive-tendering Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:15:00 GMT Ruth Puttick, principal researcher on public and social innovation at Nesta, and co-author of the new Nesta and Bloomberg Philanthropies i-teams report, explains its findings. The argument for innovation in government is largely won. Most would agree that faced with fiscal pressures, rising demands, and complex problems, governments have no... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-i-teams-creating-a-new-experimental-government 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-i-teams-creating-a-new-experimental-government Fri, 01 Aug 2014 10:15:00 GMT John Williams, a founder of national learning disability charity FitzRoy, recently won the Outstanding Contribution Award at the National Learning Disabilities Awards for transforming the face of social care services for people with learning disabilities in England. He describes the obstacles he overcame in the 1960s and 70s to stop the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-public-sector-must-ensure-people-with-learning-disabilities-have-their-rights-protected- 447,445 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-public-sector-must-ensure-people-with-learning-disabilities-have-their-rights-protected- Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:45:00 GMT Dr Jenny Peachey, policy officer at the Carnegie UK Trust, explains how public libraries are reinventing themselves. The vital link between libraries and learning has been well-established for more than a century. Libraries have a remarkable and proud legacy of widening equality of opportunity by providing access to knowledge, information and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/libraries-have-untapped-potential-to-influence-social-policy-and-improve-wellbeing 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/libraries-have-untapped-potential-to-influence-social-policy-and-improve-wellbeing Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:30:00 GMT Earlier this year, Scottish colleges officially became public sector bodies. This switch presents some benefits for these institutions. However, it also throws up some real challenges, particularly in the complex area of financial management, argues David Eardley, a senior manager in the public sector team at Scott-Moncrieff, business advisors... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/scottish-colleges-examine-a-new-financial-challenge 447,453 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/scottish-colleges-examine-a-new-financial-challenge Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:30:00 GMT Dr Ian Elliott, lecturer in business and programme leader for Public Services Governance at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, argues that public service leaders should be sensitive to the past – not beholden to it. The European election results have been announced. The comment and analysis goes on. What does this mean for the main... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/does-leadership-matter 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/does-leadership-matter Thu, 26 Jun 2014 13:30:00 GMT The Family Support programme in Surrey showcases partnership working at its best, writes Sean Rafferty, head of Surrey Family Services. The Family Support programme, which is Surrey’s response to the national Troubled Families initiative, aims to support vulnerable families and provide better outcomes whilst also saving public money.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/how-surreys-family-support-programme-is-inspiring-further-integration-of-services 447,442 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/how-surreys-family-support-programme-is-inspiring-further-integration-of-services Thu, 26 Jun 2014 11:00:00 GMT David E Hawkins, operations director at the Institute for Collaborative Working (ICW), looks back on a busy year – and ahead to the future. What a difference a year makes. Since our article in PSE in July 2013, the term ‘collaboration’ seems to be included in most (if not all) government statements. In many cases... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/collaboration-is-the-answer-but-what-was-the-question 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/collaboration-is-the-answer-but-what-was-the-question Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:30:00 GMT Andrew Carter, deputy director at the What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth, discusses the public sector’s role in boosting business and aiding growth. The What Works Centre for Local Economic Growth recently published its second evidence review, on business advice and mentoring policies. We were interested in whether programmes... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/finding-out-what-works 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/finding-out-what-works Thu, 26 Jun 2014 10:30:00 GMT Geoff Trickey, MD of Psychological Consultancy Ltd, discusses the public sector’s values and organisational culture that set it apart from the private sector. Our brains are programmed to make sense of our life experiences. When reflecting, we can build even the most serendipitous of events into a coherent and plausible narrative.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/making-sense-of-our-career-choices--are-you-out-of-your-natural-comfort-zone 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/making-sense-of-our-career-choices--are-you-out-of-your-natural-comfort-zone Thu, 01 May 2014 17:00:00 GMT Josie Cluer, public sector lead at transformation consultancy Moorhouse, discusses the challenges in building a unified working culture when the public and private sectors are forced to mesh together. The government’s public service reform agenda is driving an increase in outsourcing. The highest profile examples of this are the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/inheriting-a-culture 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/inheriting-a-culture Wed, 16 Apr 2014 14:45:00 GMT Paul Dossett, head of local government at Grant Thornton UK LLP, discusses a major research project undertaken with councils and housing associations across the country.  Welfare reform has come to the forefront of public debate in the era of austerity. A year since the first changes were implemented, the need for reform in public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/welfare-reform-and-benefit-cuts-the-impact-so-far 447,441,445 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/welfare-reform-and-benefit-cuts-the-impact-so-far Wed, 16 Apr 2014 13:30:00 GMT Helen Milner, chief executive of the Tinder Foundation, a not-for-profit staff-owned mutual improving digital skills, discusses what needs to happen to get everyone online. It’s clear that the government is committed to digital. By the end of this year, the move across to GOV.UK will be complete, consolidating old websites and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/winning-the-race-for-a-digital-nation 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/winning-the-race-for-a-digital-nation Wed, 16 Apr 2014 10:45:00 GMT Chris Painter, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy and Management at Birmingham City University, examines the tensions between structural and cultural change in public services, arguing that the latter is potentially as problematic as the former. The temptation for ministers to leave their mark on public services by embarking on structural... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/structure-or-culture-the-great-reform-conundrum 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/structure-or-culture-the-great-reform-conundrum Wed, 16 Apr 2014 10:30:00 GMT Tasked with managing one of the toughest and most expensive areas in local government today, Buckinghamshire County Council’s cabinet member for children’s services, Cllr Angela Macpherson, explains how a preventative approach is helping when it comes to protecting vulnerable children and young people across the county. In... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/childrens-services-spotting-the-signs-through-early-help-and-intervention 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/childrens-services-spotting-the-signs-through-early-help-and-intervention Wed, 16 Apr 2014 10:15:00 GMT Tim Pryce, who leads the Carbon Trust’s public sector work, looks to the future. Britain’s public sector is facing two major challenges. There is a struggle to find operational efficiencies in delivering services today, a need to do more with less. And there is a need to show leadership and take immediate action on climate... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/where-next-for-public-sector-sustainability-in-the-uk 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/where-next-for-public-sector-sustainability-in-the-uk Fri, 11 Apr 2014 11:45:00 GMT A conference in March will bring together innovative councils exploring the local drive towards commercialism and the reshaping of services to meet ever increasing demand. Buckinghamshire County Council’s leader Martin Tett and chief executive Chris Williams are two of the speakers giving their thoughts and experiences on the importance... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/developing-commercialism-in-local-government 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/developing-commercialism-in-local-government Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:00:00 GMT Anne Sharp, chief executive of Acas, explains how the introduction of a new service called Early Conciliation in April this year will change how workplace disputes are dealt with in future. From 6 April this year anyone thinking of making an employment tribunal claim will need to contact Acas first. We will then get in touch and offer a new... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/early-conciliation 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/early-conciliation Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:00:00 GMT Jemma Jewkes, the Restorative Justice Council’s (RJC) head of standards, explains the new quality mark designed to standardise services in restorative justice. As a prison officer and restorative practice facilitator, I have seen first-hand the benefits restorative justice can bring to both victim and offender. Its benefits, however... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/strengthening-restorative-justice 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/strengthening-restorative-justice Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:00:00 GMT Katja Hall, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)’s chief policy director, describes its new Creative Nation strategy, highlighting the economic importance of culture in Britain. This month London Fashion Week, the Brit awards and the BAFTAs are showcasing British artistic talents around the globe – but that is just a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-uk-is-a-world-leader-in-creative-industries 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-uk-is-a-world-leader-in-creative-industries Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:00:00 GMT On 31 January 2014 the amended version of the Collective Redundancies & Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2014 (TUPE 2014) was implemented. The changes followed a lengthy consultation process, amending TUPE 2006, and aimed to reduce the UK’s supposed ‘gold-plating’ of EU legislation. Mark... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/tupe-2014-and-the-public-sector 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/tupe-2014-and-the-public-sector Thu, 27 Feb 2014 16:00:00 GMT Vicki Sellick, director of the Rethinking Parks programme at Nesta, the UK’s Innovation Foundation, discusses the state of England’s public parks. Barnet’s graph of doom, suggesting all of local government’s money will be taken up meeting social care needs by 2020, has been rather over-used in the last few years.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/from-graph-of-doom-to-full-bloom 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/from-graph-of-doom-to-full-bloom Thu, 12 Dec 2013 09:15:00 GMT Helen Dowse, programme manager for East Coast & Hertfordshire Control Room Consortium (ECHCRC), explains how the four fire services from Humberside, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Hertfordshire have joined together to improve their efficiencies and resilience. Following the abandonment of the government’s Regional Control Centre... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/collaboration-for-improved-resilience-efficiency-and-increased-community-safety 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/collaboration-for-improved-resilience-efficiency-and-increased-community-safety Thu, 12 Dec 2013 08:30:00 GMT Chris Painter, emeritus professor of public policy and management at Birmingham City University, critically examines the widely-accepted claim that the Coalition Government is presiding over a programme of radical public service reform.  The Cameron-Clegg coalition government prides itself on the radical nature of its programme of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-service-reform-first-you-see-it-then-you-dont 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-service-reform-first-you-see-it-then-you-dont Wed, 11 Dec 2013 16:30:00 GMT It is hard to imagine a local or central government organisation which puts its staff at risk; however there are many who simply do not assess the true risks facing their people. Adrian Walsh, director of RoadSafe and the Driving for Better Business campaign, writes for PSE.  An estimated one-third of road traffic accidents in Britain... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/driving-for-better-business 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/driving-for-better-business Tue, 15 Oct 2013 10:15:00 GMT David Noble, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS), welcomes “long-overdue” changes to public procurement. Introduction  The UK Government is preparing plans to make the most of the proposed reforms to The EU Directives on Public Procurement.  Public procurement makes up 18%... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/eu-procurement-directives-proposals-for-change 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/eu-procurement-directives-proposals-for-change Tue, 15 Oct 2013 09:30:00 GMT Martin Potter, partner at pensions consultancy Hymans Robertson, says that a shake-up to public sector pensions could see 500,000 contractors move back into unfunded government-backed pension schemes in a bid to inject competition into the public sector outsourcing market. Pension requirements for more than 500,000 employees of public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/outsourcing-the-new-fair-deal-on-pensions- 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/outsourcing-the-new-fair-deal-on-pensions- Mon, 14 Oct 2013 06:45:00 GMT Outsourced public services are here to stay, argues Joe Penny of the new economics foundation (nef). So how can we ensure that providers prioritise people over profits locally?  In August, a judicial review into Barnet’s controversial ‘One Barnet’ plan to outsource swathes of its services ruled in favour of the council... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/people-over-profit-five-ways-to-improve-outsourcing-in-local-government 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/people-over-profit-five-ways-to-improve-outsourcing-in-local-government Mon, 14 Oct 2013 06:45:00 GMT Cllr Ed Davie, LGIU Scrutineer 2013, chair of Lambeth Council’s health and adult social care scrutiny committee, and public affairs manager at the National Survivor User Network (NSUN) for mental health, discusses the need for local authorities to be proactive on mental health. Public health jargon calls them... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/championing-mental-health 447,442 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/championing-mental-health Mon, 14 Oct 2013 06:00:00 GMT Threats to the accountability of LEPs and how to manage the big four – by Sue Chadwick, corporate lawyer at Essex City Council, and Anja Beriro, part of the government and infrastructure team at law firm Browne Jacobson LLP.  Background ince the Treasury’s response in March of this year to Lord Heseltine’s report... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/growth-deals-for-leps 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/growth-deals-for-leps Mon, 14 Oct 2013 06:00:00 GMT John Thornton, secretary to the Digital Government Security Forum (DGSF), discusses cyber crime and the public sector. We live in a society that is increasingly dependent on immediate access to digital information. Can you imagine a situation where you cannot get the information you need to do your job; you can’t pay by credit card... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-digital-government-security-forum 447,439 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-digital-government-security-forum Mon, 14 Oct 2013 06:00:00 GMT David Way, executive director of the National Apprenticeship Service, explains why it is important to support local government and construction firms working together to improve Apprenticeship recruitment and training. Apprenticeships are now more popular than ever and construction Apprenticeships are the first choice for many young... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/guiding-local-authorities-towards-improved-apprenticeship-delivery-across-construction-projects 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/guiding-local-authorities-towards-improved-apprenticeship-delivery-across-construction-projects Thu, 01 Aug 2013 14:15:00 GMT Chris Painter, emeritus professor of public policy and management at Birmingham City University, argues that recent evidence raises worrying questions about the capability of government agencies to act effectively in the public interest. It has become fashionable, especially in times of austerity, to regard government as a bloated bureaucracy... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/governing-on-a-shoestring 447,436 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/governing-on-a-shoestring Thu, 01 Aug 2013 14:00:00 GMT Alexander Stevenson, author of a new book on public sector management and a speaker at the LGA conference 2013, passes on some key tips for PSE readers. It is easy enough to find management advice. But what about public sector management advice? Virtually all the management books you will see on airport bookshelves or management articles in... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/four-public-sector-management-tips 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/four-public-sector-management-tips Thu, 01 Aug 2013 12:30:00 GMT Smart ticketing on public transport has really moved up a gear this year, and the momentum looks set to continue, argues Lindsay Robertson, CEO of ITSO Ltd, the non-profit organisation that supports the implementation of the national ITSO standard for smart ticketing.  Three announcements concerning major schemes have recently been made.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/smarter-ticketing 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/smarter-ticketing Thu, 01 Aug 2013 12:30:00 GMT Matt Humphrey, national lead for local government and emergency services and a partner at RSM Tenon, who has worked in or with local government for over 20 years, makes the case for collaboration.  The recent spending review indicates that austerity measures within the public sector are now predicted to 2020 and beyond – and this... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/collaborative-models-for-the-public-sector 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/collaborative-models-for-the-public-sector Thu, 01 Aug 2013 11:15:00 GMT In June, the Local Government and Regeneration Committee of the Scottish Parliament published the findings of its inquiry into public service reform. James Thomson, public sector audit manager at accountants and advisers Scott-Moncrieff, gave evidence to the committee. Here, he discusses ways in which the Scottish public sector can move... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/scottish-government-turns-up-the-heat-on-public-sector-reform 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/scottish-government-turns-up-the-heat-on-public-sector-reform Thu, 01 Aug 2013 10:45:00 GMT Dan LeClair, executive vice president & chief operating officer at AACSB International (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) makes the case for public sector professionals to develop their careers with a business qualification. Now more than ever, public sector professionals such as government officials and... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-public-sector-professional-goes-to-b-school 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-public-sector-professional-goes-to-b-school Sat, 01 Jun 2013 17:15:00 GMT Following the Government pledge in this year’s budget to expand the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) five-fold, Stephen Browning, head of the SBRI at the Technology Strategy Board, explains why the public sector should invest in contracts with innovative businesses to solve challenges with technology. In the UK, we have an... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-power-of-public-sector-procurement-as-a-driver-for-innovation 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-power-of-public-sector-procurement-as-a-driver-for-innovation Sat, 01 Jun 2013 16:45:00 GMT Campbell McLundie, a partner at business advisers and accountants Scott-Moncrieff, makes the case for a bold new commercial approach to costing. In a climate where public sector bodies are facing increasing financial scrutiny, and are under growing pressure to deliver more services and even more value for money, innovative financial... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-abc-of-efficiency--activity-based-costing-is-back-in-favour 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-abc-of-efficiency--activity-based-costing-is-back-in-favour Sat, 01 Jun 2013 16:15:00 GMT Fay Dashper, recycling operations manager at the Alliance for Beverage Cartons and the Environment (ACE) UK, says local authorities face a challenge trying to maintain momentum on recycling. Recycling is part of everyday life and has been transformed from an ideology to part of people’s daily routines in just over a decade.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/uk-needs-to-maintain-recycling-momentum 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/uk-needs-to-maintain-recycling-momentum Sat, 01 Jun 2013 14:45:00 GMT Stephen Passmore, technical delivery manager at the Energy Saving Trust, explains how smart metering can cut costs for local authorities and make public buildings more energy efficient. The old adage – if you can’t measure it you can’t manage it – often rings true. Local authorities will now be getting a sharper... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/smart-meters-and-local-authorities 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/smart-meters-and-local-authorities Sat, 01 Jun 2013 14:00:00 GMT It is tempting to go with the lowest quote when budgets are tight, but with building engineering projects cheapest is rarely best, says Blane Judd, chief executive of the Building & Engineering Services Association (B&ES). That old saying about peanuts and monkeys has never been truer than today. This lengthy recession has really... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/risky-business 447,443 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/risky-business Sat, 01 Jun 2013 11:30:00 GMT David Noble, chief executive of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS), talks about the public sector procurement and outsourcing skills gap and what can be done to improve it. The current financial malaise we find ourselves in and the lack of economic growth continues to be the defining theme of our time. It has been... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-public-sector-procurement-and-outsourcing-skills-gap 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-public-sector-procurement-and-outsourcing-skills-gap Sat, 01 Jun 2013 11:00:00 GMT Chris Painter, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy and Management at Birmingham City University, argues that the Coalition’s public service reforms threaten an existential crisis in public accountability that should be of concern to us all. A groundbreaking book was published back in the 1970s entitled ‘The Private... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-private-governance-of-public-services 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-private-governance-of-public-services Thu, 04 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Ed Gardiner, behavioural design lead at Warwick Business School, discusses the power of behavioural design in the fight to tackle obesity. In February 2013, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges (AoMRC) published ‘Measuring up: The medical profession’s prescription for the nation’s obesity crisis’ highlighting the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/changing-behaviour-by-design 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/changing-behaviour-by-design Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Richard Evens, commercial training director at St John Ambulance, discusses the importance of first aid training to the public sector. Any organisation today – regardless of whether public or private sector – has a responsibility to ensure the safety of its workers by putting in place an effective first aid strategy. For... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/first-aid-in-the-workplace-what-the-public-sector-needs-to-know 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/first-aid-in-the-workplace-what-the-public-sector-needs-to-know Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Dr Pritti Mehta, head of research and policy at the charity Action on Hearing Loss, outlines the latest research into the provision of social care for people with hearing loss and explains why this is a critical time to highlight the importance of well-planned, accessible social services, that allocate resources in a cost effective... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/local-authorities-must-capture-the-essential-needs-of-people-with-hearing-loss 447,445 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/local-authorities-must-capture-the-essential-needs-of-people-with-hearing-loss Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT The Charted Institute of Marketing (CIM)’s head of research Mark Blayney Stuart describes the importance of good marketing in times of financial pressure. As markets across the world continue to Below: Home Office Campaign - Winners languish in uncertainty, and rumours around a triple-dip recession rumble on in the UK, economic... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/preventing-the-pitfalls-of-public-sector-marketing 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/preventing-the-pitfalls-of-public-sector-marketing Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Gill Terry of Birmingham City Council describes how other organisations could learn from the council’s experience, to realise substantial savings and achieve a step change in service improvement by adopting a consistent, holistic approach for managing change. Public sector organisations are under immense pressure to reduce costs... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/smart-service-delivery-in-a-cold-economic-climate 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/smart-service-delivery-in-a-cold-economic-climate Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Peter Holbrook, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, discusses the potential of the Social Value Act and how councils can make the most of this when commissioning services. In January, a groundbreaking new law came into force: the Social Value Act. For the first time, all public bodies in England and Wales are required to consider the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/transforming-public-sector-services 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/transforming-public-sector-services Mon, 01 Apr 2013 00:00:00 GMT Against a backdrop of the tough economic climate and job losses across the public sector, how can organisations meet the internal and external compliance requirements in the year ahead? Marie Coley SIRM, a member of the Institute of Risk Management (IRM), head of health & safety and environmental management at Addaction and former Business... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/2013-the-year-of-compliance 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/2013-the-year-of-compliance Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Jo Causon, chief executive of the Institute of Customer Service, outlines the latest research into public sector complaints and explains why it is imperative that customers are handled with care. The public sector is currently facing huge challenges as the full impact of Government spending cuts hits frontline and support... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-sector-complaints-handle-with-care 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-sector-complaints-handle-with-care Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT Joe Penny, a researcher in the social policy team at the new economics foundation (nef), explains how the true cost of welfare ‘reform’ is being borne by local authorities, community organisations and people. When the Coalition Government formed back in the summer of 2010 the changing of the guard at Whitehall seemed to... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/a-perverse-localism 447,442 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/a-perverse-localism Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Kerry Norval, solicitor in the employment team at national law firm Dundas & Wilson, explores the fallout from this landmark decision. There has been another instalment in the long-running saga of equal pay claims. A recent Supreme Court decision could in theory expose councils to multi-million pounds of liability. In Birmingham... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/birmingham-city-council-v-abdulla 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/birmingham-city-council-v-abdulla Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Helen Andrews Tipper, public sector manager at The Carbon Trust, discusses the need for, and benefi ts of, decentralised energy networks. How we generate and consume energy is perhaps the most signifi cant threat to economic and social wellbeing that we face today. Already high energy prices are only predicted to keep rising. Our current... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/decentralised-energy-powering-a-sustainable-future 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/decentralised-energy-powering-a-sustainable-future Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Les Mayhew, Professor of Statistics at Cass Business School (pictured), takes a critical look at the Dilnot report and suggests an alternative. Long-term care in the UK is at a serious tipping point. Care costs are spiralling out of control as increasing numbers of people are living longer, but with a frail disposition, placing a heavier... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/dilnot-why-we-should-all-care 447,445 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/dilnot-why-we-should-all-care Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Phil Bartlett, CEO of MyCSP (My Civil Service Pension), gives an insight into the scheme’s genesis and progress made so far. Three years ago we had a problem. In fact we had a whole range of problems. We had 11 very different pension administration organisations, both public and private sector, administering the same pension scheme... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/mycsp-the-story-of-mutuality-from-inside-a-mutual 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/mycsp-the-story-of-mutuality-from-inside-a-mutual Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Ken Worpole, Emeritus Professor at The Cities Institute, London Metropolitan University, spoke at the UK Public Parks Summit, organised by the Heritage Lottery Fund and BIG Lottery Fund. He revisited his seminal Park Life report, which kickstarted the revival of urban parks in 1995, and here explains the need to invest in our parks. In... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/park-life 447,443 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/park-life Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Yasmin Batliwala, chair of the Westminster Drug Project (WDP), discusses the introduction of Payment by Results into the criminal justice system. In December 2010, the Government launched its drug strategy, ‘Reducing Demand, Restricting Supply, Building Recovery: Supporting people to live a drug free life’. As stated in the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/payment-by-results-in-criminal-justice 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/payment-by-results-in-criminal-justice Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT To celebrate Plain English Day, December 10, Juno Baker offers some advice on clear communication. Reports ‘signal direction’ and ministers ‘launch’ initiatives to ‘drive change’, so it may feel quite natural to ‘embark’ on an ‘improvement journey’. Often there’s even a... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/plain-english-day 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/plain-english-day Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Martyn Hart, chairman of the National Outsourcing Association, explains more about the newly-launched skills academy aimed at bridging the public/private gap. In the summertime, we had G4S. In the autumn, West Coast rail. Hopefully there will be no more outsourcing fiascos over the next few months, and we can have a winter of relative... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/sourcing-skills-firmly-on-government-agenda 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/sourcing-skills-firmly-on-government-agenda Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT “It feels like the 1960s again to those of us who can remember the scandals of the private rented sector and lack of decent affordable housing.” Despite Government statements that it will be the house building industry that will boost the economy, new build starts have slowed down over the last 12 months, with the worst... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-ongoing-roles-of-councils-providing-or-enabling-the-provision-of-affordable-housing 447,441 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-ongoing-roles-of-councils-providing-or-enabling-the-provision-of-affordable-housing Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Dr Sebastian Catovsky, head of adaptation for the UK Committee on Climate Change (CCC), discusses the challenges of two major environmental threats, and how infrastructure investment can counter this. Investment in a modern effi cient infrastructure system is a key pillar of the Government’s economic strategy. The £250bn of... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/the-role-of-infrastructure-investment-in-preparing-for-floods-and-water-scarcity-in-a-changing-climate 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/the-role-of-infrastructure-investment-in-preparing-for-floods-and-water-scarcity-in-a-changing-climate Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Andrew Forth, a policy adviser at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) who leads the organisation’s work on public sector procurement, explains what still needs to be done. Every year the UK’s public sector spends £230bn on buying goods and services from the independent sector. With the public sector confronted by... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/why-procurement-reform-needs-to-be-at-the-heart-of-public-sector-reform 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/why-procurement-reform-needs-to-be-at-the-heart-of-public-sector-reform Sat, 01 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT Procurement expert Andy Heslop discusses the application of commercial pressures in non-commercial organisations. A senior commercial manager, working in a large county council, proposed a new set of arrangements for managing residential care. He told me that the immediate response of his colleagues in the adult social services team was... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/creating-a-commercial-community 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/creating-a-commercial-community Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Dave Palmer, a solicitor at national law firm Dundas & Wilson, explains the impact for the public sector of a recent court decision on legal representation at internal disciplinary hearings. Having an employee’s lawyer involved in an internal disciplinary hearing can be a significant headache for a disciplinary manager. A recent... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/disciplinary-hearings-the-end-of-the-lawyer 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/disciplinary-hearings-the-end-of-the-lawyer Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Police reform: elected police and crime commissioners Dr Floyd Millen, director of public affairs think tank yesMinister, discusses the abolition of police authorities and their incoming replacements. There was no grand design for policing in England and Wales; its development was never logical or systematic but was moulded by the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/for-they-only-seek-to-serve-us 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/for-they-only-seek-to-serve-us Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Procurement offers a means to channel billions to the UK’s most innovative businesses. Stian Westlake, executive director of UK innovation foundation, Nesta, explains not only why it is critical, but how to make it happen. The debate about Plan A or Plan B rages now as fiercely as it did in 2008. But the prospects for economic... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/innovation-and-procurement-tracking-down-the-holy-grail 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/innovation-and-procurement-tracking-down-the-holy-grail Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT At the end of last year Michael O’Connor retired from his job as Director of Children’s Services at Westminster City Council and at around the same time became a trustee at CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people. He argues that there are lessons that local government and the voluntary... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/lessons-for-local-government-from-the-third-sector 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/lessons-for-local-government-from-the-third-sector Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Fraud costs the UK billions every year, placing a huge strain on government – but with access to national addressing and digital mapping data, the defence against it is growing, as Graham Hughes from Ordnance Survey explains. The public sector is rich in data. From running public services through to recording and collating public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/mapping-the-fight-against-fraud 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/mapping-the-fight-against-fraud Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT In 2008, the PEPPOL (Pan-European Public Procurement Online) project was launched with the goal to enable businesses to communicate electronically with any European government institution in the procurement process. OpenPEPPOL’s secretary general, André Hoddevik, and communications director, Carmen Ciciriello, explain more.... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/peppol-the-backbone-for-electronic-public-procurement-in-europe 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/peppol-the-backbone-for-electronic-public-procurement-in-europe Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Chris Painter, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy and Management at Birmingham City University, uses alternative scenarios to game longer-term impacts of Coalition government reforms and to develop a richer analysis than the orthodoxies that tend to take hold in official circles. Much metaphorical ink has been spilt – not least by... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-service-reform-outcome-scenarios 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-service-reform-outcome-scenarios Mon, 01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT Dr Andy Asquith, director of the Public Management Group at the School of Management at Massey University – Albany in Auckland, New Zealand, explores public sector issues there and in the UK. New Zealand /Aotearoa – Land of the Long White Cloud, home of the All Blacks (and 40 million sheep) and the place where New Public... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/news-from-the-colonies 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/news-from-the-colonies Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Dr Robin Singleton, Associate Director at the Institute for Collaborative Working, emphasises the importance of developing competencies and behaviours for successful collaborative working in a changing market. New expectations Changing markets and a struggling economy lead us to look at increasingly more innovative ways of carrying... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/people-and-the-power-of-collaborative-working 447,438 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/people-and-the-power-of-collaborative-working Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Tim Pryce, head of public sector at the Carbon Trust, explains the staging scale of the opportunity for energy efficiency across the sector. In an era where the need for austerity and cuts are frequently discussed, opportunities can often be overlooked. The case for the public sector to invest in comprehensive carbon management programmes... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/public-sector-looking-to-carbon-management-to-drive-resource-efficiency 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/public-sector-looking-to-carbon-management-to-drive-resource-efficiency Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Judy Craske, project director at Shaping the Future, describes an innovative £4m talent management programme that could transform social and economic development in North West Wales. With the UK economy in a double-dip recession and news headlines full of the struggles of the unemployed, it is becoming more and more difficult for... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/shaping-the-future-a-regional-project-with-worldwide-potential 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/shaping-the-future-a-regional-project-with-worldwide-potential Wed, 01 Aug 2012 00:00:00 GMT Government needs to take lessons from the private sector and look beyond big wins to tackle fraud effectively, argues CIFAS chief executive Peter Hurst. Much of the Government’s work on fraud, error and debt is coming to fruition this year. It’s important work – perhaps not the most exciting item on the... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/Driving-a-culture-of-fraud-prevention-across-the-whole-public-sector 447,454 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/Driving-a-culture-of-fraud-prevention-across-the-whole-public-sector Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Tom Hadley, director of policy & professional services at the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), discusses why it is more important than ever for the public sector to balance cost-control and quality of service when procuring for recruitment services. The 2012 Budget affirmed the Treasury’s intentions to extend... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/Effective-and-flexible-resourcing-models-are-crucial-to-future-delivery-of-public-services 447,434 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/Effective-and-flexible-resourcing-models-are-crucial-to-future-delivery-of-public-services Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Justin Taberham, director of policy at CIWEM (the Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management), discusses the urgent need for an integrated water management strategy. We seem to have a schizophrenic attitude towards water. When it rains we all panic about floods, trying to get rid of water ‘down the drain’ as... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/Our-schizophrenic-attitude-towards-water 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/Our-schizophrenic-attitude-towards-water Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Public to private sector streamlining The key to success during the streamlining of public sector organisations is to avoid enforcing abrupt change and to enable cultural and structural shift, argues Andrew Harvey, chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He discusses the challenges of privatisation, and provides his insights... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/Safeguarding-Success 447,440 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/Safeguarding-Success Fri, 01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT Matt Pennell, ex-editor of Building Schools Journal and conference programmer for the Building Future Education event, discusses funding for new schools. No-one working in local government has had it easy in the past two years, but officers responsible for school building projects really deserved your pity. Capital budgets were cut... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/Baby-boom-puts-new-schools-back-on-the-agenda 447,443 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/Baby-boom-puts-new-schools-back-on-the-agenda Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Mary Dhonau, chief executive of the Know Your Flood Risk Campaign, explains what can and should be done about flooding. Flooding represents the biggest natural catastrophe risk in the UK. The floods of 2007, which cost the country £3.2bn* with the average insurance claim totalling £30,000**, demonstrated the devastating... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/Flooding-The-role-of-public-sector-bodies-and-local-authorities-in-mitigating-flood-risk 447,433 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/Flooding-The-role-of-public-sector-bodies-and-local-authorities-in-mitigating-flood-risk Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT The public sector is being pulled in two directions; maintaining safety whilst reducing regulation. Richard Evens, commercial training director at St John Ambulance, explores the issues. Without a doubt the public sector is experiencing some of the toughest operating conditions in history. Budget cuts combined with a need to increase... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/Health-Safety-Business-as-usual 435,447 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/Health-Safety-Business-as-usual Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT Leonie Greene, head of external affairs at the Renewable Energy Association (REA), discusses UK policy on the issue Twelve years ago Germany produced just 3% of its total energy from renewables. In just over a decade that has increased nearly four-fold. Billions of euros have been invested in renewable heat, power and transport. What is... http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com/Comment/Public-sector-should-be-at-the-heart-of-renewable-energy-delivery 447,437 http://www.publicsectorexecutive.com:80/Comment/Public-sector-should-be-at-the-heart-of-renewable-energy-delivery Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT The Coalition’s reforms present a chequered picture two years into its term of office. Coherence is not always apparent, but where patterns can be discerned there are justifiable grounds for concern about the direction of travel says Chris Painter, Emeritus Professor of Public Policy and Management at Birmingham City University. To...