Knowledge

Daring to Share - The future of the back office in local government

Date Uploaded: [ 18-04-2008 ]      Filesize: [ 310k ]

Collaboration is the future.  While the media coverage of the Gershon report has focused attention on the loss of Civil Service jobs within central Government, one third of the efficiency savings required by the report is to come from local government. Central to delivering these savings is far greater collaboration between authorities in sharing back office operations. Gershon states “Many public sector bodies try to provide all internal functions themselves or through individually negotiated contracts. 

In some areas like back office functions, procurement, or where hundreds of bodies are providing a similar service, this is unlikely to be the most efficient way forward. Instead new ways of sharing services need to be developed”.

It is our view that collaboration is the end game for back office operations in local government. However, getting there will require some traditionally powerful obstacles to be overcome. It is also our view that for collaboration to work commercial third parties will need to become engaged both in creating and supporting the operation of collaborative operations. 

This point of view explores the current position of most authorities, a conceptual route map for collaboration in the back office for local authorities, the possible delivery models, barriers to implementation, the role of third parties in making this collaboration viable. It concludes by looking at what individual authorities need to do to prepare themselves.

» Access 'Daring to Share - The future of the back office in local government' Here