Publication of the White Paper Open Public Services, the blueprint for reform of public services, has been deferred until May. It was planned to publish with the Budget. The radical nature of the paper and the shape it will take was signalled strongly in the consultation document published in November 2010.There is speculation that the delay results from a Cabinet split and a desire not to adversely affect one or both parties of the Coalition in the local elections on 5th May.

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Public service employees are being encouraged to form mutuals to deliver services to fulfil the Government’s aim of creating innovative alternatives to public service delivery and promoting the Big Society by supporting people to stand up and do something about the problems they see. Measures to widen the appeal of mutuals to employees and to encourage their development are likely to feature in the forthcoming Open Public Services White Paper.

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Social Impact Bonds provide a funding stream to support innovative ideas that can help in tackling complex social issues through prevention and early intervention. Examples of their use include reducing re-offending and tackling alcohol and drugs abuse. The use of Social Impact bonds is likely to receive a boost in the forthcoming Open Public Services White Paper.

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This vision of what the public service landscape may look like in 2020 has been compiled by Roger Britton who is with Worcestershire County Council. It is the outcome of discussions with people involved in public service across the country and of collaboration with Local Government Improvement and Development. There is much scope for debate about the detail of the vision but what is really important is to figure out what needs to be done now to prepare the workforce and organisations for the future which will probably look something like the vision set out in the following paragraphs. Your views on what needs to be done will be most welcome. Please email: editor@publicnet.co.uk.

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Ian Arundell, public sector specialist at web traffic management company Zeus Technology, highlights the problems of providing a reliable service to users of public service websites. He also explains how the risk of a web crash can be limited.

Read more on MAKING WEB PERFORMANCE A POLICY…