A fundamental reform of public services to encourage greater use of the private sector has been called for by leading business group, CBI Scotland.
The organisation wants to see a stronger emphasis on public authorities looking to the private and not-for-profit sectors to deliver frontline services to raise standards and improve affordability.
CBI Scotland public services group chairman Duncan Mackison told the CoSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities) conference in St Andrews yesterday there was a desire for focus on outsourcing to give private service providers the right to bid to deliver public services.
Mr Mackison said the UK”s biggest-ever peacetime deficit should be an opportunity to rethink how and when public money is spent.
He said, “Good examples of private and third sector providers working with local and public authorities in Scotland do exist, but they need to become much more widespread and commonplace.”Christie Commission
In its submission to the Christie Commission, which is reviewing Scotland”s public services in light of Westminster funding cuts, CBI Scotland recommended public authorities continue to make the fundamental decisions on public service provision.
Mr Mackison said, “However, we do think all tiers of government should increasingly look to others to provide services, whether they be from the not-for-profit or private sectors, either on their own or in hybrid models involving collaboration with each other or with other public sector providers.
“Tapping into the wide range of innovative service delivery and funding models on offer from the private or not-for-profit sectors was a view endorsed by the Scottish Government”s own independent budget review panel, which last summer advocated a mainstream role for external providers in the delivery of public services.
“This outsourcing agenda should be about ensuring best value for money and encouraging innovation in service delivery.”
He added, “”That is why we have suggested to the Christie Commission that external organisations should have a right to bid to deliver public services, to encourage new ideas and new ways of working and to attract external private investment into public services.
“Our hope is that local government will lead the way on this agenda, taking advantage of its closeness to service users to put its customers first, and thus rejecting the anti-private sector measures too often enacted by our legislators.”