2006

News and Events

ESSU Research Paper No 1: A Typology of Privatisation and Marketisation by Dexter Whitfield

A paper setting out a four part typology of privatisation and marketisation. The typology provides examples and explanation of the different types of privatisation and marketisation; methods; political, social and economic objectives; and the impact on the state and public services.
2006-11-15 17:36:43

Options Appraisal Opposes Outsourcing and Offshoring of Prescription Pricing Division, NHS Business Services Authority

ESSU was commissioned by UNISON Northern to prepare a detailed report on a PPD/KPMG proposal to outsource and offshore prescription processing. This comprehensive report examines value for money, risk assessment, insourcing trends, public cost analysis and other issues. A decision to outsource was expected in November 2006 but has been postponed indefinetly following intervention by the Health Minister.
2006-11-03 12:28:25

Revised Employment Risk Matrix

The European Services Strategy Unit has devised an Employment Risk Matrix which assesses the degree of changes in four categories of risk: * Risk of changes to terms and conditions of service. * Pensions arrangements (not covered by TUPE regulations). * Risk of changes to staff consultation and representation. * Risk of problems with secondment agreement. Download from Employment Impact section in the Outsourcing and PPP Library.
2006-11-03 11:01:22

North Tyneside – A Commissioning Council? Evidence Base for the Alternative Plan

In June 2006 North Tyneside Council published an edited version of a Business Transformation Plan prepared by management consultants KPMG in conjunction with Council officers. Local government trade unions in North Tyneside (including teacher unions) commissioned this report from the European Services Strategy Unit to assess the Council’s transformation plan and to provide an evidence base to support their opposition to this plan.
2006-09-24 20:57:26

Yorkshire & Humber Regional Centre of Excellence: Shared Services Seminar

Dexter Whitfield presented research on strategic partnerships and shared service projects to chief executives and senior officers from local authorities in the region in September 2006.
2006-09-24 11:59:37

Financing Infrastructure in the 21st Century

A paper on Financing Infrastructure in the 21st Century: The Long Term Impact of Public Private Partnerships in Britain and Australia was presented by Dexter Whitfield to senior public sector managers, PPP advisers and trade unions in Adelaide, Australia in July 2006. It was organised and funded by the Don Dunstan Foundation, Australian Institute for Social Research, University of Adelaide, Australia. A copy of the paper will be available for downloading soon.
2006-09-24 11:55:44

Analysis of Strategic Services Partnership proposals for Southampton UNISON

The ESSU has undertaken an analysis of proposals for a Strategic Services Partnership in Southampton which examined the implications for services and staff. It assessed standard and variant bid proposals for ICT and related services and employment models.
2006-09-24 11:47:56

Leisure Trust Failure: Alternative Option for East Hertfordshire District Council

East Hertfordshire’s Leisure Services contract with Enfield Leisure Centres Ltd (Aspire Trust) has a major financial crisis. It is £500,000 in the red in the first year of a five-year contract. Resignations of senior staff and the possible liquidation of the Enfield Trust add to the scale of the crisis – a crisis in the making during the evaluation of the market testing bids in 2005.
2006-09-04 16:54:41

Aberdeen Futures: Whose Community Planning?

New Report: Aberdeen TGWU ACTS Branch commissioned the European Services Strategy Unit to undertake a critical evaluation of Aberdeen Futures and the city’s community planning participation framework. The objective was to assess the extent to which the scope of participation had resulted in a shift of power in the decision making process and to identify the extent to which Aberdeen Futures has involved trade unions and community organisations in its activities.
2006-09-03 09:20:42

New BOOK: New Labour's Attack on Public Services

New Labour is creating markets in public services on an unprecedented scale. Education, health and social care, children’s services, housing, planning and regeneration, the criminal justice system and the welfare state are all being marketised. Contents: How neoliberalism drives marketisation - How markets operate - Typology of privatisation and marketisation - The five-stage marketisation process - Public costs - The impact of market failure - Why public provision is essential - Alternative modernisation strategy - Strategies to oppose marketisation - Lessons for Europe. Spokesman Books, April 2006, £11.99 (bulk rates available) Download leaflet and order form:
2006-04-13 15:58:00

Caring for People, Not Making Markets

A response to Durham County Council plans for Phase 2 of Investing in Modern Services for Older People by Durham County UNISON The report examines the limits of expanding the social care market in the County, the impact of further homes closures and analyses the options. The County Council voted narrowly to stop further closures following a UNISON and community campaign.
2006-04-13 15:51:42

PFI Journal No 52

The April 2006 issue of the PFI Journal contains an article by Dexter Whitfield, The marketisation of Teaching, which examines th potential impact of the Building Schools for the Future programme on education (see Outsourcing and PPP Library).
2006-04-13 14:56:39

Procurement Toolkit added to Outsourcing and PPP Library

The Procurement and Commissioning Toolkit for Local Government (see news below) can now be downloaded from the Outsourcing and PPP Library.
2006-04-13 13:48:45

Newcastle excludes facilities management and ICT from Building Schools for the Future contract

Newcastle City Council has set a national example by excluding soft facilities management services (catering, cleaning, grounds maintenance, security and waste management) and Information and Communications Technology (ICT) from the BSF/PFI contract. The ICT contract alone is valued at £16.5m.
2006-02-05 10:11:18

Aberdeen Futures

The Centre has been commissioned by Aberdeen TGWU to analyse the impact of the Aberdeen Futures (City Alliance, Civic Forum and other elements of the local strategic partnership) and the community planning process.
2006-02-05 10:03:29

Public Private Partnerships in Ireland

Dexter Whitfield from CPS gave a paper at the Public Private Partnerships: Public Services or Corporate Welfare seminar organised by the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies at Trinity College, Dublin in December 2005.
2006-02-05 09:59:49

Secondment of Staff for New Tyne Tunnel

The case for seconding the 95 staff employed on the existing Tyne Tunnel rather than transferring them to the operator of the New Tunnel was set in a detailed report for Newcastle UNISON (see also How to Exclude Support Services from Building Schools for the Future and PFI Projects report in 2005 news section). However, the Passenger Transport Authority decided to transfer staff to the new operator when the tunnel is built. See Employment section in Outsourcing Library.
2006-02-05 09:41:44