A survey by Gartner found that greater business agility will bring substantial savings and heavily influence the strategies and future spending priorities of UK public and private sector organizations. Agility is about making better use of people and technology to create real benefits and finding ways to be fast and flexible in meeting the needs of citizens and the organization. The survey maps out a benchmark of public service agility.

Despite initiatives to increase the proportion of staff from ethnic minority groups across the Civil Service, progress has been slow. The overall ethnic minority proportion has risen to 7.6 per cent, but this figure conceals the acute under representation at the higher management levels.The Civil Service Race Equality Network was launched last year with the remit to set up an umbrella network. 

Councils are being encouraged by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to think about moving public counters away from the town hall and into one stop super shops. Developments would be funded through the public finance initiative and proposals must reach the ODPM by 3rd January 2003.Super shops provide for a range of public services to be delivered under one roof. Retail outlets can also be included in schemes.