Charities aren’t just the cheap option for public service delivery
This thought provoking article looks at charities competing to deliver public services. Apparently the issue is not how further savings can be made to the public purse, but who gets to decide what the funds are spent on: is there really much difference between a charity or a government department delivering a public service it asks. The article illuminates a plethora of views that continue to divide commentators. It opens up the distinction between the mandatory and discretionary activities at local authority level, asset transfer, uncertainty over government reforms (health, welfare) and who is best placed to decide how public funds are used (commissioners, deliverers, end users)?
In my role as Visiting Fellow, I have been at Nottingham Trent University this week, talking at a symposium with people from Chinese local authorities about how the Rural Excellence Programme was a cracking example of the application of the principles of the Learning Organisation to the delivery of rural services. They have a huge national programme of formal learning programme structures as part of their scary determination to improve public sector delivery. Made me think hard that just at the time we are turning off most of our resources dedicated to shared learning amongst authorities they are really investing in just that process. The similarities between their world and ours are amazing. One even put up a slide showing how important it was to break down departmental silos in Chinese Local Government. Uncanny! Please contact me if you would like a copy of my presentation.