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Last updated: 20 July 2009
Across government, one of the key Cabinet Office tasks is to drive forward public service reform and ensure that public services are high-quality, responsive and deliver value for money. This is a particular priority in the current economic climate.
In March 2009 the Cabinet Office published Working together: Public Services on your side5, setting out the Government’s plans to accelerate public service reform over the coming year.
These plans included measures to build on the progress already made in improving the provision of services in health, education, policing and employment, and handing more power to local communities to shape the services they receive.
To drive this work forward, and in response to challenges posed by the economic downturn, the Public Service Reform (PSR) group was formed in April 2009. It consists of the following Cabinet Office units:
Launched in May 2009 by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office Liam Byrne, the Innovators Council is a group of inspirational thinkers from the public, private and third sectors who want to encourage ideas on how we can radically improve public services.
Membership is drawn from a range of backgrounds, and is supported by a small multi-disciplinary team in Cabinet Office.
The creation of a public service reform group, drawing together everyone who works in this area, will alow us topool Cabinet Office resources and really focus on improving public services for citizens. Sarah Fogden, Deputy Director, Service Transformation
‘Change in the years to come has to be driven by front-line staff - not ordered from the top,’ said Liam Byrne about the launch. ‘My view is very simple: front-line staff doing the job day-in day-out will often see the clearest what needs to change.
‘That’s why I’m asking this panel of experts to join me in seeking out, developing and implementing the next generation of innovative ideas; ideas that will allow us to continue the reform of public services and deliver a smaller, stronger centre of government that encourages innovation and allows it to flourish.’
To set the process in motion, the Department has introduced a six-strong Innovation Team who will work alongside experts from other organisations to sift, collate and analyse all the entries from the public. They will also play a key organisational role in meetings of the Council. Helen Begley, a member of the team, said:
‘We believe very strongly that the best ideas come from those closest to the actual delivery of public services.The Innovators Council will be considering ideas from the people in these positions. It will be taking ideas from the public to the top tables of Whitehall.’
This feedback will inform the Government’s Public Service Reform programme.
In May, Liam Byrne issued a call for ideas, asking frontline staff and citizens how people who deliver public services can better work together and how we can cut out duplication and waste in public services.
These ideas were presented to the Council in June.
They will select the best ideas and then use their influence to develop, test and implement them. Council members include Lord Victor Adebowale of Turning Point and the Sunningdale Institute and Charlotte Hogg, Managing Director of Experian. Helen Begley added: ‘The kind of ideas we want to see are those that will radically reform services, and those that will be discussed and developed will hopefully go on to shape the way we live.’
There will be three meetings of the Council over the course of 2009, and ideas can be submitted via:
www.publicexperience.com6 or can be emailed to innovation@cabinet-office.x.gsi.gov.uk.
Who's who in the Council? - visit the Innovators Council website7.