Government to seek experts' views on public service reform

26 November 2010

The Government has invited experts, public service managers and providers of public services to submit their ideas for public service reform.

Their views will help shape the Government’s Public Service Reform White Paper, which was announced in the Spending Review and will be published next year.

The Government wants to reform public services by shifting power away from central government to citizens, communities, and independent providers, so that they can play a greater role in shaping services. 

Ministers particularly wants views on how to drive further reform further in areas such as:

• Extending innovative payment and funding mechanisms
• Developing new rights for communities and public employees to buy and run services
• Setting proportions of certain services that should be provided independently
• Bringing external investment and expertise into service reform
• Increasing democratic accountability at a local level

The Government is also looking for suggestions on how best to ensure that continuity of service is maintained in any public service that is provided by voluntary, community or business groups.

The Government particularly wants to receive specific examples on how these reforms could be successfully implemented from the following groups:

• Public services industry
• Voluntary and community organisations
• Independent providers of public services
• Managers of public services
• Think tanks and research bodies
• Service users with views to share

Views can be submitted until Wednesday 05 January 2011. More information can be found on the Treasury website