14 March 2008
Chief officers of public services in Scotland remain to be convinced of the benefits of shared services and whether these can produce projected savings of £750m, a survey has found.
The survey by CIPFA in Scotland and international services company Serco identified serious concerns about the shared services agenda and warned that the challenges facing those interested in making shared services a reality are 'not inconsiderable'.
The findings in the report Shared services Scotland: the £750m question, were considered at the CIPFA Scotland annual conference at Aviemore on March 13-14.
The report follows an extensive survey of chief officers in public services and recommended that the level of predicted savings from shared services should be critically re-examined. 'Doubts as to whether the £750m per annum savings can be made may reflect uncertainty concerning policy intentions,' the report stated.
Almost a third of respondents suggested that the agenda is 'not particularly clear or not at all clear'.
PFmar2008
