Newcastle City UNISON commissioned this report from the Centre for Public Services which successfully made the case not to establish a Leisure Trust and to develop leisure services as an integral part of neighbourhood management (2003).

City Design, Newcastle City Council’s architectural department, was facing decline and possible closure in 2003/04. This report, commissioned by Newcastle City UNISON from the Centre for Public Services, examines the future demands for high quality design of public buildings, public spaces and the public realm. It examines the options for the service and includes a…

After years of pay cuts and diminishing working conditions 200 mainly female, low paid, part-time workers were sacked in early 1998 for taking a stand against their treatment. Commissioned by Unison North West Region, this report examines the mismanagement which underlies the workers’ treatment through the establishment of the Tameside Community Care Trust. The report…

This report is the culmination of the centre’s research, commissioned by RAGE and Birmingham UNISON, into the issues surrounding the privatisation of care services for the elderly in Birmingham. The report contains a comprehensive analysis of the wide-ranging social and economic implications of the transfer of care services to the private sector, and demonstrates the…

This report is written in the context of a critique of Birmingham Social Services Department’s Best Value review of care services for the elderly. It documents the findings and recommendations of the RAGE consultation of service users, families, local community organisations and staff directly working in the residential care service in October/November 2000 and presents…

This report was written in response to the proposed transfer of Birmingham City Council’s residential care homes into the hands of an independent trust, and contains a detailed analysis of the issues arising when such public services are transferred to independent trusts. The report contains market analysis of the conditions in which independent trusts must…

The local authority and a KPMG report recommended that two homes be closed and the remaining five homes be reconfigured and retained in-house or closed or transferred to the private sector. This UNISON commissioned report from the Centre for Public Services presents an alternative strategy and makes the case against closure.

In 2001 the local authority decided to withdraw completely from residential care provision requiring the closure of three homes and the conversion or recommissioning of the four remaining homes. The strategy also called for a further transfer of 30% of the home care service to the independent sector. This report examined the potential impact of…

Essex County Council sold it’s ten remaining care homes in 2005 to Excelcare Holdings Plc. Staff were assured that TUPE would protect terms and conditions and would last “indefinitely”. Less than two months later, Excelcare demanded changes in rotas and working hours, followed by radical changes to terms and conditions which included a reduction in…

Externalisation is a form of privatisation which is often couched in carefully worded language in order to hide its true impact- ‘joint working’, ‘partnership’, and ‘collaborative working’. This report uncovers the truth behind the jargon, exposing the true nature of the externalisation of services and the wide range of negative consequences, and making the case…