12 January 2007
The Scottish Executive's consultation paper on public sector reform is little more than lightweight theorising, a leading public finance academic has said.
Arthur Midwinter, visiting professor at the Institute of Public Sector Accounting Research at Edinburgh University, addressed the Institute of Governance on January 11. He said that the consultation paper, Transforming public services, issued last year, sought to build on progress made by taking a broad look at public service delivery.
He added: 'Regrettably, the document is little more than a bland piece of lightweight theorising over the need to improve the Executive's network-based approach to community planning, Best Value and performance reporting.'
The professor added: 'The local government structure is a mess. It was designed to pursue a wholly partisan and ideological agenda, which dismantled regional government, removed powers from local control and facilitated the enabling authority model, in which councils would shift from a service delivery role to a funding and regulatory role.'
Ministers are assessing responses to the paper, which sets out the principles on which public sector reform should be based, but avoids plans for structural changes.
Midwinter said the paper recognised the problems that Scotland's fragmented public sector organisations created. But he added: 'This concern is based on a somewhat simplistic set of assumptions about the impact of professionalism on provision.'
To improve planning performance and accountability, the Executive would need to reshape the public sector fundamentally, he said.
Midwinter also suggested that Scotland's 32 unitary councils should be reorganised around the boundaries of its14 health boards.
PFjan2007
