Public Services White Paper

Choice and Control · Direct control – individuals should be given direct control over the public money spent on their behalf on services to which they are entitled. In these circumstances, we should shift power directly to the individual through personal budgets, often delivered as direct payments. Personal budgets give citizens cash budgets that they can then use to choose services in the way that suits their lives best..[NB not new] · Choice Champions – We want to encourage existing independent champions for consumer choice, like ‘Which?’ and the newly announced HealthWatch, to be agitators for choice in open public services – e.g. reporting their opinions on the quality of choice for people. · Redress for lack of choice - If choice is not available, we will provide a means of redress for people. We will consider whether the Ombudsmen can play a greater role in this. We will also explore legislating to enshrine an overarching right to choice in individual services. · Redress for service failure – We will consult on how best to raise standards in public services, including ‘coasting’ schools and we will consult on ways to establish zero tolerance of failure on a service-by-service basis.

Data to support choice –Open to Exploitation

In each of the individual services, we will explore how people are prompted about the choices available when accessing services (e.g. registering with a GP) and options for switching at intervals thereafter. We will consult on the best ways to do this. We will consult on the best ways to do this. Government data will be open and accessible. We will consult on how to ensure all providers of public services, from all sectors, share information on performance and user-satisfaction (e.g. so that services can be subject to rankings and ratings that are commonly used in the private sector with sites like Tripadvisor).

Radical decentralisation of powers · Local autonomy - local authorities will be more free from central government control, having a general power of competence, fewer restrictions on funding, less regulation and performance management from Whitehall, and new opportunities to raise revenue [NB not new] · Ultra-localism - explore the scope for a new relationship between local authorities and their communities by passing power down, so that neighbourhood councils (i.e. parish, town and community councils) can take greater control over local services. ·

Neighbourhood councils - make it easier to establish neighbourhood forums and other groups like parish councils so that citizens are able to take advantage of the freedoms to run their own services. · Community Budgets - every place will be able to use a Community Budget to pool funding at the local level so councils and their partners have the freedom to redesign services and pool funding to tackle complex social problems. [NB not new] Opening Services to New Providers · Decentralised commissioning · Transparent governance - arrangements will be more transparent so users can hold management to account more easily. For example, through requiring all Academies to be subject to Freedom of Information requests, and requiring Foundation Trusts to hold their board meetings in public.

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