This survey of user satisfaction carried out by the Society of IT Management shows that councils that have outsourced their ICT service perform significantly less well on this measure than councils that run an in-house service. User satisfaction is 13% lower in the ten largely outsourced councils in the group than in the 75 other councils with more traditionally run ICT services.Detailed examination of two large councils where user satisfaction was measured before and after the outsourcing, reveals a 27% reduction in satisfaction in one and a 32% reduction in the other. Similar differences occur on a host of other measures such as perception of value for money and the performance of the ICT unit. The report also examines the relationship between ICT user satisfaction scores and Comprehensive Performance Assessment scores. An earlier study showed an association, in that councils rated as ‘excellent’ from the overall CPA assessment also had higher levels of user satisfaction with the ICT service.This association still holds, but only if three ‘excellent’ councils with large-scale outsourcing arrangements are removed from the analysis.
Charities and the Government are being warned against seeing of public service delivery by voluntary organisations as an end in itself. The words of caution come in a report from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, which says an increased role in service provision is an excellent opportunity for the voluntary sector to reach more of the individuals and communities it exists to support.The report delivers a resounding endorsement of the role of voluntary organisations in the reform of public services but warns that charities that engage in public services delivery must do so because it helps them meet their objectives. Public service delivery, says the NCVO, is only one of a number of different roles the sector fulfils.
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Parent Governor Representatives who are elected to sit on local authority scrutiny committees are to get special guidance on the important contribution they are making to local decision-making and accountability within the education system.The Centre for Public Scrutiny and The Department for Education and Skills have jointly produced an induction pack to help new Parent Governors to understand their role and the practical issues associated with being a ‘citizen governor’. The pack, released today, stresses the importance of building relationships, particularly through the innovative introduction of local authority mentors who help to develop a shared understanding of the role and encourage parent governors to be effective representatives.