National Leisure and Cultural Services Forum
Leadership Learning Programme
A personal perspective
on
Public services, local government
and
the challenges for culture and sport.
Pete Murphy BA MA FETC MRTPI CIMSPA FSA
Nottingham Business School
9th October 2013
The brief for this session
• Explore some of the changes of the last 15 years and
identify the key drivers of that change
• Solicit participants views on the 4 ‘capita’ scenarios for
local government – followed by a group discussion around
those scenarios
• Give some personal views on what the future might hold
for public services and local government in the UK
• Identify some of the challenges for culture and sport in
local government
The last 15 Years – how do you view
them - which is your perspective?
• Blair, Brown, Cameron and Clegg (Politics)
• Pre-Olympics, Olympics, Post Olympics (Externals)
• Comprehensive Spending Reviews Pre-2008, 2008-2010
Post 2010 (Financial)
• Best Value, CPA, CAA and Localism (National
Frameworks)
• Partnerships, Collaborations Values (Local solutions)
• Complexity, the Garbage Can Theory of Organisations and
Evil, Toxic and Pathological examples of Leadership.
Philosophical Underpinnings
• Rediscovery of “Society” and the appreciation that public services
can and should create “Public Value”
• Changing the nature of the Central/Local Government
Relationship - from “political balance” to “spending the publics
money” efficiently, effectively and economically.
• Changing assumptions of Local Authorities and (some) other
Public Agencies as being generally competent but with citizen
rather than provider supremacy
• Changing the objective and ambition of central government - to
“continuous improvement” in all services in all public authorities
and agencies.
Philosophical Underpinnings (cont)
• Appreciating the need to address both single and multi-agency
problems and issues in local communities.
• Appreciate that Central Government should be part of the solution at times it can be seen (and has been) part of the problem.
• Developing effective interventions, - change the nature and type of
intervention or engagement with under-performing agencies
• Underpinned by a “fit for purpose” and sustainable tax and financial
support regime.
• A move from competition to collaboration as the basis of public
service delivery – designing collaboration into the delivery system
The “Tipping Points”
or step changes in the improving
Central/Local relationship
• The establishment of Central/Local Government Partnership in
1998
•
The results of the first round of LPSA negotiations (2002) and
“Invest to Save” Rounds 1, 2 & 3
• The review of the “Gershon” Efficiency savings programme
(CSR 2004) across all the major public sectors
• The Prime Ministers Delivery Unit report son the first Local
Area Agreements (Feb/March 2007) – from margins to
mainstream
Mixed success with implementing the local
government and public service
modernisation agenda
• Power of Well Being
• LSP’s and Community
Leadership
• Community Strategies
• New Political Structures
• Best Value, Public Value
CPA , LPSA’s and LAA’s
• New Ethical Framework
• E- Government and Internet
• Finance and Tax
• Legal Parameters
• New Vision drawn from
Community
• Objectives & Priorities
• Quicker Decision Making
• Efficient/Effective/Economic
Service Delivery
• Probity & Openness
• Innovatory delivery
• Sustainable funding regime
How labour thought it fitted together
•
A new legal framework -– but no power of general competence
•
Community value and engagement through LSP’s to provide a wider
vision – responsibility but no powers .
•
Community Strategies – with a coherent focus and mutually agreed
objectives (a co-ordinating plan) for all local stakeholders but reflecting
national targets and voluntary
•
New constitutions - more effective decision making structures, open,
transparent, quicker and more robust decisions – but earned autonomy
rather than real freedoms
•
Co-ordinated and mutually reinforcing investment and support - both
financial and non financial (particularly E-Government) – but council tax
reform collapsed
The Coalition Government - policy resonances,
history and previous global crises
• The oil crises and the post 2008 financial meltdown minimise the state to facilitate a flourishing private sector
• Dismantle the planning system and emphasize property rights
over public interest law
• Create flexible, unplanned, de-skilled labour markets
• Infrastructure (Utilities, Energy, Communications, Transport,
Housing) - long term finance subjected to the crowding out
theory i.e. minimize public investment to facilitate private
sector
• Enterprise growth and innovation are the result of individual
genius, IT entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and small
businesses provided regulations are lax and taxes low
The Coalition and the policy process in
Whitehall
• The development of the 2012 Health
and Social Care Act
• The NHS Transition Board
• ‘Public Health and Health and Well
Being Boards: antecedents, theory and
development
• Evidenced based policy making or
policy based evidence making?
The development of the Health and Social Care Act 2012
and
The Public Health explanatory model
The Coalition Government
• When has
hard evidence and the public
interest …..
…ever got in the way or
trumped…
…political prejudice ,
ideology, powerful vested
interest or potential personal
preferment…
…for these people
Evidence of their (mis)use for evidence?
It is in the national media!
• Michael Gove revealed to be using PR-commissioned puff-polls as
"evidence” (New Statesman May 2013)
• Swedish free school operator to close leaving hundreds of pupils
stranded (Guardian 31 May)
• Eric Pickles announces plans to scrap Audit Commission’ BBC
news 13th August 2010 – and the DCLG research department and
its databases
• MP Maria Miller's Leveson connections "flagged up" in expenses
probe, claims newspaper (Daily Mirror 12th December2012)
• Jeremy Hunt to outline plans for more GPs - His instruction is
contained in a “mandate” being issued to Health Education
England (Independent 31st May 2013)
Public sector reform agenda - the coalitions
abdication of responsibility for public service delivery
• Civil servants responsible for policy but not for delivery
• Comprehensive Spending Reviews but no Public Service
Agreements
• The Open Public Services White Paper and the commissioner
– provider split e.g. distinguishing Fire Authorities and Fire
Services responsibilities
• The NHS Structure and the Commissioning Board – avoiding
parliamentary scrutiny of ministers.
• Principal Agent and New Public Management not Public
Value
4 Capita Scenarios
National Commissioning
A centralised, declining role for local government
• Local government becomes focused on cost reduction and
reduces capacity to engage with new agendas
• Government takes central role for new agendas,
commissioning-for–results nationally
Delivering for Place
A centralised and growing role for local government
• Extended control and remit
• Very high accountability to national agendas
Local Government By-pass
A localised declining role for local government
• Independent public entrepreneurialsim explodes
• Local government is bypassed
Smaller spider, bigger web
A localised and growing role for local government
• Small solutions work
• They are joined up by active local government
Local Government Bypass or managing decline.
A localised, declining role for local government as independent public
entrepreneurialism explodes
• Local Government is bypassed – only residual services not wanted by
private sector or third/community sector - but there is pride!
• The ‘private’ concept of entreptrepreurialism and small start ups (low
tax, low wages, youthful enthusiasm and thriving markets)
• The Jazz band jamming and the locally networked councillor and
manager - a decline in political parties influence
Still need strategic service integrators from outside!
Smaller spider, bigger web
A localised and growing remit for local government
• 3 or 4 tier system of councils and community interest
companies – accountability and governance?
• Actively joined up by local authorities and critical
organisation by local councillors and heroic managers
• Has the French system delivered economic, efficient
effective public services? – and where is the regional tier?
• Are we developing the individual councillors with the
capabilities, capacities, skills and integrity to implement tis
scenario?
National Commissioning
A centralised, declining role for local government
• Focuses on cost reduction and reduces capacity to engage
with new agendas – the local political abdication scenario?
• Government takes central role for new agendas,
commissioning-for–results nationally - the centralised
determinism of the early Blair years (local eyes and ears?)
• Local authorities reduced to having discretion around how
they deliver not what they deliver
• Conducting the Orchestra
• Does this Chinese or principal agent solution work in an
inherently contested adversarial political and legal
constitution?
Delivery for Place
• Police commissioners and public health counter-balanced
by departmental annual outcomes statements
• Exercising scrutiny and control over other local service
providers
• Commonality of political and budget control – little public
engagement
• Strategic service integration partnerships
• Scotlands. National Performance Framework and Single
Outcome Agreements
A personal perspective on key drivers
2015 - 2020
• The way society resolves the tensions of democracy and
bureaucracy, the relationships between citizens/councils;
local/central government and local/central politicians
• The relationships between legislature and executive; the
government and the judiciary and the state and the press /
media
• UKs relative position in the wider world – as UK loses
influence and external influences impact more on UK
• Events dear boy events! – increasing numbers of wide
scale emergencies and crises make the world seem a
smaller more joined up ecosystem
As a result
• Growth will be the national economic policy driver (not austerity); but
autocracy rather than engagement will be the governments temptation;
while a search for an alternative to GDP will start to emerge
• Neo-liberalism remains dominant ideology – but post 2020 global
sustainability and BRIC power will be its undoing
• Public wellbeing, the holistic view of communities and pragmatism
will be the focus of local politicians who reject the current
scapegoating and negotiate greater power and influence from the
centre
• Because of increasingly stark international comparisons acute
infrastructure inadequacies and systemic underperformance in services
and innovation will begin to be tackled
In short
• At times of crises populations turn to their elected
politicians and expect them to help them.
• In the UK system, national politicians need local
politicians and local politicians are often the next national
politicians – the legitimacy of the ballot box is often
underestimated particularly by big business
• Local communities are facing long term issues and local
communities will turn to local politicians as local
authorities become bigger players odespite a diminishing
resource base
Continued
• Contrary to popular myths and conventional wisdoms local authorities will innovate, organisationally and
systemically, if given the opportunity.
• Health and wellbeing and the Public Health agenda will be
the Trojan horse of holistic collective interest
• Although history is created by the victors in the long run
the “evidence will out” and judicial reviews return!
• A lot of current issues are primarily long term – they need
long term, strategic and systematic responses
• This leads to a renaissance for local authorities rather than
local democracies
Challenges for Culture and Sport
• How do we rescue policy and strategy from the malign
incompetence of the centre?
• How do we strategically relocate its influence on the local
agenda?
• How do we evidence its value and impact to individuals
and communities so as to justify long term investment?
• How do we build capability and capacity to sustain its
contribution for the long term?
• How do we future proof this new role and position?