The timely article by Alison Moore perfectly set out the situation facing public sector organisations up and down the country as the general election gets ever nearer (And then there were none, October 23).
More local authorities will surely be following the example set by East Lindsey and South Holland districts in merging their back offices and others will follow those by merging chief executives. Whether pressurised into action or not, every council wishing to be more efficient is already considering such action in a variety of ways.
Inevitably consultants will be involved in these changes
Many employees become worried about their own future whenever efficiency plans like this are used. But they should be more worried when local authorities do not pursue such efficiencies. Most consultancy management and staff are just as steeped in local government and committed to its future as those directly employed by councils. If they aren’t, they shouldn’t be considered.
The evidence of firms is that less are employed on the old tasks, but many more are employed in new roles across the public and private sectors.
It is simply not true that there is only one standard size public sector cake and a slice more for one person means a slice less for someone else. Consultants are about making a bigger and tastier cake, but with better ingredients and a more satisfying role for the cooks and the consumers.