New development: Mutual solutions to shaping public service delivery

Abstract

There have been a number of developments in approaches to public service delivery in the UK, partly as a response to austerity measures, as well as a shift to new models of public sector, private and third sector provision. This article considers the development of public service mutuals—those organizations that have spun out of the public sector, and where employees of the new providers play a key role in shaping and delivering public services at local and national levels. The authors identify areas where further work is needed to better understand these new models and to consider whether the perceived benefits associated with traditional mutual models are applicable when applied to public service provision.

Keywords:

• Mutuals
• public service delivery
• public service ethos
• public service mutuals

Notes

*It is beyond the scope of this article to provide an overview of the implications of the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and social value; for more detailed discussion see CIPFA (2015). For approaches to commissioning see Shafique (2013).