The research programme announced by Local Government Minister Hilary Armstrong is designed to support the Government’s modernisation agenda. The Best Value initiative is stimulating innovation across all areas of council activities and one of the key research projects will look at innovation and best practice. 

The public health Green Paper, Our Healthier Nation, places emphasis on health inequalities. It recognises that the causes of ill health are directly related to social and economic factors and highlights the relationship between poverty and health. 

Local councils are barred from marketing their services to other public or private sector bodies. The legislation forbidding trading is based on the belief that it would be unfair to private companies if, for example, councils were able to offer IT services to another council or housing management services to a property company. 

Ideas for delivering better public services and expertise in putting them into practice are being exported to Europe and the rest of the world. The ideas and expertise span across health strategy, finance, organisational performance and training.The European Commission plans for a community-wide framework to improve public health mirror Britain’s new public health strategy. 

Publicnet was launched one year ago, at a time that marked a completely new approach to public services and their management. In the months that followed the launch, Publicnet charted the shift from the 19th century model with public bodies bringing their budgets and other resources to bear on problems within their remit, to a focus on the so called ‘wicked issues’ such as abuse of drugs and social exclusion. 

The new drugs strategy announced by Ann Taylor, MP, Leader of the House of Commons, focuses on education and prevention. It also signals a shift of resources away from enforcement and towards preventing drug mis-use in the first place.The ten year strategy, set out in the White Paper “Tackling Drugs to Build a Better Britain” was drawn up following extensive research by Keith Hellawell, UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordinator and his deputy, Mike Trace. 

The Department for Education and Employment is taking a corporate approach to the development and presentation of strategy by creating a Strategy and Communications Directorate. By bringing the two areas together, the Department will ensure that policy development and presentation across the Department is coherent, consistent and effective, and that its partners, customers and the public have the best possible access to information about its work. 

Benchmarking is to be adopted throughout the public sector to improve services and motivate staff. Trials in more than 100 public bodies over the last 18 months have shown that benefits come from comparing performance with other organisation, including those in the private sector. 

A private intranet for government offices throughout the UK has been launched by Public Service Minister Dr David Clark. Although only a limited number of people currently have access, it is expected that all major departments will be connected by the end of the year. 

Ted Gaebler, the co-author of Reinventinting Government is staging a masterclass in London on 18 and 19 June 1998. The class is based on the theme Transforming Governments Through Entrepreneurial Thinking and World Class Performance.Through his many contacts with public sector organisations throughout the world he seeks to banish bureaucracy and develop empowering, flexible and catalytic government.