By David Bicknell
Chris Brophy from law firm Capsticks has put together some useful thoughts on the Open Public Services White Paper
His conclusions make interesting reading. He says:
“It might be said that there are a lot of aspirational aspects to the White Paper but the crucial point for those that are open to inspiration, to changing their own public organisation or to developing a business from the public body, is that the mutual or social enterprise pathway is still being encouraged and people should really be reaching for the stars on it. The time is right to leave behind old, comfortable ways because they are simply not going to survive in the new financial era – even if you want them to. It is time to explore the potential in your own colleagues and the desire at Board level of your own organisation to fundamentally change the way in which you are operating. It is not quite now or never but the early bird catches the worm. And the worm is important for sustaining you through the winter. It is time to put into practice all you have learned about how to improve services from an intimate knowledge of the difficulties of doing it within the public sector. Applying that knowledge to latent, innovatory tendencies and grabbing on to all the help and support you can from around you might just well lead you to another place. If things get tough and people are having a go at you but you are enjoying doing things that you want to what you do, keep doing them; it is the only way to get where you want to be.
A listening period will now follow the publication of the White Paper until September, when a programme of work will be set out, followed by the government’s establishment of the priorities of the departments in November. Then, the proposals for legislation. Plenty of opportunity to gear up in the meantime.”
There are some further thoughts here too
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