By Brian Klingbeil
Public services are under intense pressure to cut costs and technology budgets are no exception. The author explains how a major shift in technology now offers a way to deliver more for less. Cloud computing has arrived on the scene at a time when the search for efficiencies is at its peak. Cloud computing is like the electricity grid. It is Internet-based and shares resources, software, and information to computers on demand.
By Bill McIntyre
The spending review to be published in October 2010, will probably reveal that the cuts in public service budgets are the most severe in living memory. In the private sector many businesses have been through this experience much more recently. The author describes how some businesses cut budgets in a controlled and more structured fashion, whilst others don’t and make it more difficult to deal with the effects. This is the lesson for the public sector.
Read more on LEARNING FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR ABOUT CUTTING BUDGETS…
By Nathan Marke
With public sector budgets being cut extensively until 2013, increasing workforce effectiveness is a top priority. But with funding in short supply some organisations are continuing to support ageing, costly infrastructures. The author explains how a better connected workforce can drive productivity and process efficiency, removing costs and delivering value overall. He relates his experience in the London Borough of Brent.
Read more on DRIVING PRODUCTIVITY WITH A BETTER CONNECTED WORKFORCE…
By Alison Weatherhead
The continuing pressure to cut costs in the public sector has led to many local authorities looking to squeeze the best possible value from their contractors by re-negotiating and re-packaging. This is creating uncertainty about employee rights. The author sets out a path to navigate this legal minefield.
To provide better service and a better deal financially, local authorities are currently restructuring many contracts – even long-standing arrangements. This usually means splitting services between multiple contractors or re-packaging contracts, leading to fewer providers.
This has a knock-on effect for employees and, invariably, the question as to whether the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) are triggered rears its head.
There used to be a lot of uncertainty over whether TUPE came into play or not. New TUPE Regulations were introduced in April 2006 and were heralded as a new dawn, promising clarity and certainty. It is only now, with some cases reaching the courts, that the legal position is becoming clear.
But clarity raises many questions. What do these cases show us about determining whether individual employees are covered by TUPE transfer rules when a contract is being split or re-packaged?
What are the potential implications for both local authority procurement and those tendering for such contracts?
And how can public bodies structure their services so that the re-tender of services goes through without incurring unnecessary trouble and cost?
Read more on WHERE DO EMPLOYEES STAND WHEN CONTRACTS ARE RE-PACKAGED?…
By Sue Charlelsworth
“Urban geochemistry” is a rapidly evolving science. With the UN Population Division estimating that almost all global population growth in the next 30 years will be in urban areas, it needs to be. Greater concentrations of people in intensely developed areas of asphalt and concrete are creating more “artificial” environments with their own particular issues around contamination and health.
By Paul Hughes
Mobile usage is very heavy right across the public sector and the bill is substantial. The savage budget cuts have brought close scrutiny of all costs and mobile bills are attracting attention. The problem is that the search for savings in individual bills is very time consuming. The author describes how it is possible to automate the number-crunching and analysis.
By Wingham Rowan
The author explores the case for ‘national e-markets’, which could create economic opportunities for people in poverty. These would be safe, convenient, accessible Internet marketplaces with ultra low overheads. The private sector alone cannot create these
marketplaces, but they could quickly be realized using the same model that created the National Lottery.
By Julian Holmes
The savage budget cuts make it imperative to look at the track record of monumental failures for government IT projects. The author examines where projects are going wrong. He also looks at what realistically could and should change and what impact this would have on those who work in IT for the Government.
Read more on GOVERNMENT IT PROJECT FAILURES: IS THERE A BETTER WAY?…
The Prime Minister and the Health and the Communities Secretaries have set out their vision of public services of the future. The Local Government Association has set out a vision which involves a radical re-think of how services are delivered with decision making moved from Whitehall to local areas. The Whitehall and Town hall visions are markedly different.
Read more on DOUBLE VISION ON PUBLIC SERVICES OF THE FUTURE…
By Rachel Terry and Richard Gibson.
Many older people who own their own homes face a dilemma. Although they are asset rich, they can also be income poor. They can trade in some of their assets by releasing equity on their property. But to do so is fraught with difficulty and the trade in involves risk. The authors describe what is being done to simplify the process and limit the risk.
Read more on CAN EQUITY RELEASE HELP OLDER HOME OWNERS IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE…
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