Originally published 20 December 2004. This article is retained from the tCI archive. Law, policy or practice may have changed since publication.
So we’re now all going to be more efficient ……There will be 80,000 fewer civil servants; £20 billion less will be spent - and more resources will be allocated to the front line so that the taxpayer gets better value public services.
Well that’s the theory!
Seriously, however, Sir Peter Gershon’s report on public sector efficiency makes a compelling argument, and has already persuaded long-term sceptics that overdue reform can happen this time around. He forensically analyses the duplication, overlapping responsibilities, proliferation of regulatory bodies and missed opportunities for procurement and shared use of resources. Scarcely is there an aspect of public administration that does not appear to him to be capable of being done better.
So what happens to public and stakeholder consultation?
In the super-efficient post-Gershon world, will there be room for active public engagement? Or will decisions be taken at the speed of light for implementation just as the ink dries on the purchase order (or probably, its electronic equivalent). There are probably chief executives who welcome the new regime because they might be able to dispense with the irksome necessity of consulting people. Faster decision-making is what they want, preferably by those who know the answers already! Is there not a danger that consultation becomes viewed as one of those liberal phases we went through over the turn of the millennium, but is now obsolete in a world of greater efficiency?.
Fortunately not. Look closely at Gershon and a very different picture emerges. Reducing over-regulation at the top means greater flexibility lower down. It means that local Councils, NHS Trusts, Police and other essential public service providers will have to find ways of getting even closer to citizens in order to deliver what they want in ways the public prefers. But with local Government expected to yield £6.4 billions of the Chancellor’s Gershon-inspired savings, there won’t be room to go on a consultation spending spree. There will probably be fewer consultations - but better.
The Institute sees many positives to come from the Gershon report, but there is no doubt that consultation professionals also face significant new challenges. For example, much of the expected savings for central and local Government are expected to come from “channel switch” - a jargon term for persuading people to interact with public agencies through new technology rather than in traditional ways. In the context of public engagement, it means more e-consultation. But, this must not be at the expense of essential inclusivity, and the priority given today to consulting the hard-to-reach. Getting this mix of methods right will be a major challenge.
Trigger point
- Attend the Institute Seminar Making Consultation Meaningful, which will focus on post-Gershon challenges this Autumn
This is the 16th Tuesday Topic; a full list of subjects covered is available for Institute members and is a valuable resource covering so many aspects of consultation and engagement