Business issues

Public services

Public services touch the lives of everyone in society – and businesses have a major role to play as users, funders and suppliers in improving these services to meet the needs of UK citizens

Creating effective public services markets - from education and healthcare, to policing and welfare - is a key element to how succesfully government at all levels can transform public services to meet the long-term demands facing them.

It requires bold thinking about the way we design and run public services, to ensure they provide both good outcomes and better value for money.

Business has a vital role to play in improving public services and helping government get the most out of its markets. Having a diverse range of providers increases quality, stimulates new ways of working and encourages greater efficiency – essential to encouraging growth and dealing with the deficit.

The best providers from the public, private and voluntary sectors should compete on a level playing field – government needs to enhance its capacity to create and manage markets to make this happen and promote public confidence in their use. Real transparency should be at the heart of all public sector contract

Through our Public Services Network, we seek to bring together business, public sector, the voluntary and charities sector and other interested groups to establish a dialogue on the right ways to proceed.

PSN