Barnet Council Environment Committee examined various options for  the future of Street Scene in September 2016. Barnet UNISON was highly critical of the options appraisal and recommended the full in-house provision and rejection of continued management by Barnet Group and outsourcing. The Committee recommended a further report on the in-house option. Subsequently, a report to…

The Chinese translation of the summary report of The New Health and Social Care Economy study of Sefton MBC, Liverpool and Greater Manchester City Regions and the North West regional economy. Thanks to Prof. Li Bing, Beijing.

Two joint briefings by UNITE Somerset and ESSU on the transfer of Somerset County Council’s Learning Disability Provider Service (LDPS) to a social enterprise operated by Dimensions (UK) Limited. The first briefing (July 2016) made the case against transfer and recommended an improved in-house service. The second (March 2017) detailed the draconian changes to all…

ESSU Briefing raises critical issues for non-profits engaging in core state functions. The London Homelessness Social Impact Bond (SIB) was designed to reduce rough sleeping, but led to two charities to work in partnership with Home Office agencies to ‘reconnect’ non-UK nationals by voluntary repatriation, administrative removal or deportation. Identified eight critical issues for non-profit…

Details 11 buyouts, 20 terminations and 43 projects with major problems, plus many bailouts, accounting for 28% of PFI/PPP contracts by capital value. The public cost of buyouts, bailouts, terminations and major problem contracts is £27,902m, when combined with the additional cost of private finance, interest rate swaps and higher PFI transaction costs. This could…

New research reveals the rapid growth and power of offshore secondary market infrastructure funds – a £17.1bn (€20.1bn) industry buying and selling equity in PFI/PPP project companies. The three-way profit gain – original SPV shareholders, secondary market fund sales and shareholder dividends of secondary market funds – means the total annual rate of return could…

New research reveals the rapid growth and power of offshore secondary market infrastructure funds – a £17.1bn (€20.1bn) industry buying and selling equity in PFI/PPP project companies. The three-way profit gain – original SPV shareholders, secondary market fund sales and shareholder dividends of secondary market funds – means the total annual rate of return could…

London Borough of Barnet Council recently decided to retain the Adult Social Care service in-house. That policy reversal did not last long. The Street Scene options appraisal (waste collection, recycling, street cleaning, grounds maintenance and fleet management) includes a designed to fail ‘in-house (pre December 2015)’ option. It is now examining options involving Local Authority…

*China Social Welfare* journal has published a 6,000-word summary of the Alternative to Private Finance of the Welfare State, a global analysis of Social Impact Bond, Pay-for-Success and Development Impact Bond projects by Dexter Whitfield. Thanks to Prof. Li Bing, Beijing.

Chapter 6 from In Place of Austerity: Restructuring the economy, state and public services, Dexter Whitfield, Spokesman Books, 2014