The silos of Westminster and Whitehall are not impregnable. Hard-won lessons from the Total Place initiative point the way to improved public service alignment
The political leadership in our town and county halls too often undermines collaboration with local businesses and the voluntary and community sector. Leaders must up their game or consider their...
The government will review local government finance 'this time next year', Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles told an influential group of MPs this week.
Councils will be able to promote financial discipline across a range of organisations as part of the Total Place programme, influential local government figures have predicted
There is widespread scepticism about the effects of Total Place and other initiatives to integrate public services, according to a CIPFA survey of 435 chief financial officers
Councils are calling for radical public service reform as the government prepares to release the results of the Total Place pilots, intended to identify billions of pounds’ worth of savings.
The first reports from 13 pilot projects provide a wealth of data. One thing is clear: public services focus too much on symptoms and too little on causes
Total Place could help solve the problem of drastic funding cuts for local services. But it’s going to be a steep learning curve for both Whitehall and town halls, says John Tizard
Councils in London have renewed their calls for greater independence after a report showed they could save 15% of their total budget if they were given more powers over local spending
The shadow communities secretary has given enthusiastic backing to the local government collaboration programme, predicting it will ‘eclipse’ previous partnership schemes
Much is expected of the Total Place initiative – ministers are hoping it will join up services while producing huge savings. Guy Clifton warns, however, that the consequences have not been properly...
The scale of the public sector deficit demands no-holds-barred solutions. So could Total Place – the latest weapon in the government’s armoury – help to lower costs without damaging vital services?...
Planned capital funding is set to be halved. So how can public bodies break out of their silos, and make the most of the £21bn available? John Tizard and Robert Hill have some ideas
The government’s Total Place programme has a lot riding on it. But will scrutinising all public money spent in a location really lead to better but cheaper ways of providing services?
