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European Services Strategy Unit

The European Services Strategy Unit (continuing the work of the Centre for Public Services) is an independent organisation, founded in 1973. It is committed to social justice through the provision of good quality public services by democratically accountable public bodies implementing best practice management, employment, equal opportunity and sustainable development policies.

ESSU provides detailed research and analysis of regional and city economies and public sector provision, marketisation and privatisation, modernisation and public management, infrastructure and public private partnerships, jobs and employment policies and impact assessment. It provides a range of services to government, public bodies, community groups and trade unions-see our services page.

ESSU produces a range of publications which are free to download from the publications pages.

ESSU has an Outsourcing and PPP Library on this website where you can access and download analysis and information on the consequences of outsourcing public services, Public Private Partnerships, Building Schools for the Future (BSF) and Strategic Service-delivery Partnerships (SSPs).

Public Sector Research ONLINE provides detailed guidance on how to research and investigate public policy, public services, the economy, government, companies, consultants, trusts, organisations and individuals.

Latest News and Events

Updated PPP Database
The PPP Database has been updated to include the South Tyneside MBC contract with BT which commenced on 1 October 2008. This has resulted in changes to the regional, employment and market share tables.
2008-10-03 09:09:29
Future Shape of the Council: London Borough of Barnet
The London Borough of Barnet commenced the Future Shape of the Council project in May 2008 to review the organisation of the Council, challenges and changing demands on the capacity of the Council. The European Services Strategy Unit (ESSU) has been commissioned by Barnet UNISON to provide research and critical analysis for the Branch in the consultation process. The work will include a series of Briefings which can be downloaded here. The first six are: Assessment of Strategic Hub Proposals, Public Service Principles and Values, Employment Charter, Scope of Contract Reviews, Service Transformation and The 'Shrinking by Outsourcing Models: Implications for Staff.
2008-09-09 11:03:05
PPP Briefing: Strategic Service-delivery Partnerships and Outsourced Shared Services Projects
This 20-page Briefing, commissioned by Northumberland, Durham and Northamptonshire UNISON branches, is a summary for elected members, staff and service users of the current evidence against SSPs and outsourcing of shared services projects. It covers finance, savings and investment; accountability and transparency of JVCs; performance; risks levels; employment and job creation; and in-house capability to transform services.
2008-07-23 12:34:31
Leisure Trusts Briefing
A summary of the case against the formation of Leisure Trusts. It examines the performance of leisure trusts, access to capital and savings, social enterprise and community ownership, service integration, the effect on jobs, service improvement, community participation, democratic accountability and increased risks.
2008-07-14 15:41:45
Policy Context of Regeneration in Newcastle
A revised edition of this discussion paper for the West End Community Development Consortium is available. It includes sections on the national policy framework, the government's development strategies, community participation and the role of the community & voluntary sector in service provision, lessons learnt and best practice, and community participation.
2008-07-09 14:36:25
Commissioning and Procurement Toolkit for Local Government and Health
New Commissioning and Procurement Toolkit for UNISON Northern (April 2008). It is divided into 11 parts covering: The Political Economy of Commissioning and Procurement, Developing a Branch strategy, Reviewing Services, Efficiency reviews, Shared Services Projects, Options Appraisal, The case for in-house provision, Capital works and BSF/PFI/PPP projects, Procurement and commissioning process, Protecting jobs, terms and conditions and Community and social benefits from procurement.
2008-06-10 11:44:58
Updated PPP Database
The PPP Database has been updated to include the Glasgow City Council contract with Serco Group and Avon and Somerset Police Authority joining Southwest One, the shared services joint venture with Somerset CC and Taunton Deane DC operated by IBM. This has resulted in changes to the regional, employment and market share table.
2008-06-09 17:31:26
Updated PPP Database
The PPP Database has been updated to include the Glasgow City Council contract with Serco Group and Avon and Somerset Police Authority joining Southwest One, the shared services joint venture with Somerset CC and Taunton Deane DC operated by IBM. This has resulted in changes to the regional, employment and market share table.
2008-06-09 17:31:26

See our news and events section for more.

Latest Publications

Barnet: Shrinking the Council
The London Borough of Barnet launched a Future Shape of the Council project to review the organisation of the Council. The European Services Strategy Unit (ESSU) has been commissioned by Barnet UNISON to provide research and critical analysis for the Branch in the consultation process. A series of Briefings can be downloaded: Assessment of Strategic Hub Proposals, Public Service Principles and Values, Employment Charter, Scope of Contract Reviews, Service Transformation and The 'Shrinking by Outsourcing Models: Implications for Staff.
2008-09-25 18:23:24
Book Review: Confuse and Conceal: The NHS and Independent Sector Treatment Centres
The book by Stewart Player and Colin Leys exposes how a succession of New Labour Health Ministers, advisers, senior civil servants and staff recruited from the private sector operated in the Department of Health to restructure the private health care sector with a network of Independent Sector Treatment Centres (ISTCs). Equally important, it chronicles the failure of scrutiny.
2008-04-17 08:56:33
Southwest One: Lessons and New Agenda for Public Services in the South West
Somerset County Council and Taunton Deane District Council signed a £400m Strategic Service-delivery Partnership contract with IBM in September 2007. The Joint Venture Company, Southwest One, is the first SSP to have a framework agreement to enable other local authorities and public bodies to obtain services bypassing the procurement process. It is also the first to potentially include a Police Authority as a partner (Avon and Somerset Police Authority negotiating to join the partnership) and the first to combine secondment with a 10-year assurance to staff in the founding authorities. This report exposes the unprecedented use of commercial confidentiality in the procurement process, identifies effective ways for UNISON to respond to the new agenda and ensure a good industrial relations framework in Southwest One. It also proposes regional and national public policy changes to improve the accountability and transparency of options appraisal and procurement processes.
2008-01-25 09:01:33
ESSU Research Report No 3: Cost Overruns, Delays and Terminations in 105 Outsourced Public Sector ICT Contracts by Dexter Whitfield.
The Research Report identifies the scope of major cost overruns, delays and terminations in 105 outsourced public sector ICT projects in central government, NHS, local authorities, public bodies and agencies in the last decade. There has been wide reporting of individual and department or authority-wide project failures in the national and ICT press but little analysis of the overall scope and evidence. The value of contacts is nearly £30billion with an average cost overrun of 30.5%.
2007-12-12 18:45:28
Somerset ISiS or Crisis? An Assessment of the proposed Strategic Service-delivery Partnership with IBM
The report is critical of: the unprecedented degree of secrecy in a public sector project; the continual overuse of commercial confidentiality by the ISiS project team; the lack of public consultation and public debate; the lack of rigorous scrutiny of the project, to ensure the protection of public services and allay public concerns. The report raises major questions about the way the ISiS project has been managed; the absence of any form of public impact assessment of the project; and the adequacy of the proposed retained client structure and governance arrangements. It was commissioned by Somerset County and Taunton Deane DC UNISON branches.
2007-08-23 14:10:19
Financing Infrastructure in the 21st Century: The Long Term Impact of Public Private Partnerships in Britain and Australia by Dexter Whitfield
A detailed study of the longer-term impact of changes in the design, structure and financing of PPP/PFI projects, external economic and political drivers such as growth of the secondary market and government modernisation policies, and the effect of economic, social and employment change. The report also examines PPP/PFI performance, democratic accountability and transparency, the impact on jobs and concludes with an assessment of alternative public sector investment strategies. Copies of the 80 page report are available from: Don Dunstan Foundation, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia. Email – dunstan.foundation@adelaide.edu.au Price £10.00 includes airmail postage.
2007-07-16 13:32:28
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This document was last modified by Dexter Whitfield on 2008-03-28 13:49:41.
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