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Big shake-up in public services Big shake-up in public services
(30 minutes later)
The Welsh Assembly Government is to create a series of new groups to help organisation which deliver public services to work more closely together. The Welsh Assembly Government is to create a series of new groups to help those who deliver public services work more closely together.
Local Service Boards will be in charge of directing services that involve a number of different bodies.Local Service Boards will be in charge of directing services that involve a number of different bodies.
Ministers have been told that services in Wales from rubbish collecting to care for elderly people are delivered in an inefficient and patchy way. Ministers have been told that services in Wales from refuse collection to care for elderly people are delivered in an inefficient and patchy way.
They have promised changes "on an unprecedented scale".They have promised changes "on an unprecedented scale".
The announcement is in response to a report published in July by Sir Jeremy Beecham, a former chairman of the Local Government Association.The announcement is in response to a report published in July by Sir Jeremy Beecham, a former chairman of the Local Government Association.
From policing to hospitals and from schools to rubbish collection, public services are paid for with public money and delivered by public bodies like local councils, health boards and police authorities. Sir Jeremy said pubic services from policing and hospitals to schools and rubbish collection, were overly complicated, suffered from skill shortages and organisations "looking after their own patch" rather than collaborating to improve things.
'Clinging on'
In July, Sir Jeremy published his report into the way these services are delivered in Wales.
In his report he said too much red tape and not enough working together had led to a patchy record of delivery in the services provided by local councils, local health boards and police authorities.
Speaking ahead of the assembly government's response on Tuesday, Sir Jeremy told BBC Radio Wales that he wanted to see commitment from the assembly government and other organisations to collaborate effectively and "build in challenge" to their working practices.
He said public services were overly complicated, suffered from skill shortages and a "cultural problem" about collaboration.
BEECHAM RECOMMENDATIONS Reducing bureaucracy, simplifying grant regimes, less inspection and regulationMuch more joint workingNo major reorganisation of structures but review in 2011Willingness to embrace "mixed" provision including public, private and not-for-profit sectorsEnhanced role for scrutiny in the assembly and local government Piloting contracts between the assembly government and partnerships of local organisationsManaging performance better, rewarding good performance and intervening earlier when neededRedress where service failure occursBEECHAM RECOMMENDATIONS Reducing bureaucracy, simplifying grant regimes, less inspection and regulationMuch more joint workingNo major reorganisation of structures but review in 2011Willingness to embrace "mixed" provision including public, private and not-for-profit sectorsEnhanced role for scrutiny in the assembly and local government Piloting contracts between the assembly government and partnerships of local organisationsManaging performance better, rewarding good performance and intervening earlier when neededRedress where service failure occurs
"Providers of public services can be rather defensive, rather looking after their own patch with insufficient delivery of the kinds of personalised services [people] really need," he said. The assembly government's response is to say it will be putting itself at the heart of changes, with a series of national standards so that people can expect the same level of service across Wales.
He added that he wanted to see public bodies pooling budgets and responsibilities at a local level to extend their range of services, with a role for the private sector where relevant. It is to create the local service boards - probably 22 to match the number of councils in Wales - with a unit in Cardiff Bay to monitor their progress.
He said: "It's necessary to make the Welsh pound go further in the provision of services." The local service boards will start in the next financial year, with some gaining budgets for some services in 2008-9. The boards gradually take on more power and gain bigger budgets.
But he said the public also had to recognise that familiar, local public services may need to go in order to obtain a more effective service in its place. Each board will also involve organisations for which the assembly government does not have direct responsibility, such as the police.
The changes aim to ensure local service boards make public services fit around people's needs.
However, the boards have no legal powers, at least to begin with. Instead, they will build on existing partnership arrangements.
Ministers insisted they were not creating a new level of bureaucracy but instead are bringing together those bodies which do the work currently.
They said their plans involve "change on an unprecedented scale" but they are also following the Beecham report's advice and ruling out a wholesale shake-up of local council, for the time being.
Ahead of the announcement, Sir Jeremy said it was necessary to "make the Welsh pound go further" in the provision of public services.
But he added that the public also had to accept changes in services locally.
He said: "People in the community have to recognise that opportunities are being lost. Clinging on to small school six-forms, clinging on the every last hospital bed, may actually prevent a better service being provided.He said: "People in the community have to recognise that opportunities are being lost. Clinging on to small school six-forms, clinging on the every last hospital bed, may actually prevent a better service being provided.
"Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom needs to face up to the kind of choices that will actually lead to better services, even if they are not quite in the same familiar places that we currently enjoy.""Wales and the rest of the United Kingdom needs to face up to the kind of choices that will actually lead to better services, even if they are not quite in the same familiar places that we currently enjoy."
Joe Hudson, chairman of the Association of Directors of Social Services in Wales, said the organisation broadly supported the recommendations and welcomed the view that a local government reorganisation was not appropriate.
The assembly government is due to announce its response to the report and although big changes are expected, a wholesale shake-up of local councils is not thought to be planned.