Public sector leisure offers a very different service to that of 20 years ago. Here, Sarah Watts, MD of Alliance Leisure, explores the changing face of leisure and the newcomers to the country’s public sector leisure portfolio.
ByJohn Enstone*
Deficit reduction measures are producing slimmer budgets. In the struggle to preserve frontline services public bodies are searching for ways to do the same with less. Outsourcing is one avenue to explore. Costs can be reduced, but that is not always the result. The author sets out the pros and cons of outsourcing.
Although front line services have been given some protection from the swinging budget cuts, there will be casualties and children’s services will be among them. Some cuts will have a knock on effect. Failure to intervene in the lives of children now will mean that other budgets, such as health and police, will rise in the future. The author questions whether those other budgets should help to fund children’s services now on an ‘invest to save’ basis.
By Lee Hull.
Limiting the effect of savage budget cuts on frontline services tops the agenda of most public sector organizations. Sharing services is one of the approaches being adopted and the author outlines how the shared services scene is unfolding.
Read more on SHARED SERVICE COULD BE A LIFE SAVER FOR FRONTLINE SERVICES…
By Ewen Anderson
In an uncertain economy, our instinct is to make the best with what we have, rather than splash out on new products. Car owners are an obvious example. They eke out another thirty thousand miles from their old vehicle, patching her up at the garage every time she develops another rattle. The fact that a new car would save on fuel, tax and running costs – not to mention stress – is eclipsed by this determination to battle on grimly as before.
Over the past few months the education sector has felt the knock on effect of the Government’s changes. The diminishment of programmes such as Building Schools for the Future (BSF), school budget cuts, and the introduction of Free Schools and Academies has presented new – and for some, tough – challenges. The BETT 2011 education show offers a wide range of ideas for responding to the challenges.
By Jason Cromack.
The public sector is frequently considered slow to innovate and to be near the bottom of the league in best business practice. This perception, which is far from reality, is challenged by the author. He highlights the success of collaborative procurement in the public sector and points the way for the private sector to follow the example.
Read more on COLLABORATIVE PURCHASING – PUBLIC SECTOR SHOWS THE WAY…
By John Woolham, Guy Daly & Liz Hughes.
Many older people are enjoying life. That is what the authors found from their research. But a significant number are not. The reasons are many and varied and the summaries of those reasons give indications of what might be done to improve the quality of life.
By Christian Bason.
Creating new solutions with people, not for them, can help drive radical innovation in the public sector. By focusing on citizens’ own experiences and resources, co-creation can help identify truly valuable services. Public managers should embrace co-creation to deliver better services and outcomes at less cost.
Read more on USE CO-CREATION TO DRVIE PUBLIC SECTOR INNOVATION…
By Sandra Buckley
Commercialisation is not a new concept in the Higher Education (HE) sector. For well over ten years there has been much talk about the marketisation of universities, including varying levels of concern and opposition. However, in the face of HE budget cuts of £200million and individual institutions expecting an average funding shortfall of 26%, the financial pressures are now more acute than ever before.
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