Resist going ‘back to the future’ on public services

The Con Dem Government's Open Public Services white paper asserts that going back to purchaser/provider splits will enhance public services. We know from the experience of our members In health and local government since the 1980's that falsifying public services to act as ‘clients and contractors’ is playing a game of shop and does nothing to enhance service quality or cost. Instead it introduces marketization into public services to ripen them for privatisation. This APSE briefing explains why splitting off public services along market driven lines is simply bad practice and one that sensible public service providers reject.
PM

Adios Audit Commission‏

Pickles has made no secret of his distaste for the Audit Commission. Even before the ink was dry on the Con Dem coalition Pickles had made great play of the Audit Commission being found to have used their public funds on lobbyists to argue for their own preservation. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/7945123/Eric-Pickles-interview-slimming-down-the-public-sector.html