No special treatment for NHS and education, says man from MITIE

BY protecting the NHS and education the Government is reducing the scope for securing necessary improvements in public sector value, a Birmingham meeting was told.

John Telling, group corporate affairs director at MITIE, the strategic outsourcing and energy services company, was speaking at a CBI senior executive lunch sponsored and hosted by accountancy firm Grant Thornton in Birmingham.

He said: “The Government has made progress in many areas as it seeks better value from public services but there is a lot more to do. Now is the time to put its ideas into practice and to pick up the pace.

“The budget deficit reduction targets will not be achieved with more lengthy consultations and reports.

“Embracing new business models such as mutual joint ventures and partnerships will free the talented people working within public services to create better and cheaper solutions. Increasing competition and joined up commissioning will help to create a new model for public services in the 21st century.”

Jon Roberts, Grant Thornton’s regional head of public sector assurance for the West Midlands, said: “John gave a thought-provoking presentation which pulled no punches and highlighted the need for innovative thinking.

“Our experience working with local authorities is that they are starting to embrace major transformational change through outsourcing and collaborative working with the private sector.

“Further austerity measures announced in the Budget mean that further transformation will be necessary if the sector is to continue to provide quality services and value to the public purse.”