News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 3rd June 2015

Let’s start with important SSA news!

The 200 SSA tools, templates and techniques are now available online for unlimited download and use within your organisation and across your partnerships.

It means that hundreds of project staff across your organisation, or partnerships, can have access to the tools, for about the cost of each partner sending three people on an SSA programme! Click here for more details.

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Combined Authority Working

Last week we discussed whether combined authority mayors, could result in the end of Police and Crime Commissioners. In Greater Manchester’s combined authority, the PCC has successfully stood for the position of temporary mayor. Maybe jumping before being pushed..?

Greater Manchester selects interim mayor

The police and crime commissioner was chosen over Lord Smith, the leader of Wigan Council and the current chair of the combined authority, after two hours of deliberations. Read more >>>

George Osborne’s (Conservative Policy) demand of a mayor for combined authorities, doesn’t seem to be putting some of the other Northern Powerhouse Labour council clusters off the idea…

Northern city leaders to bid for “game changing” devolution package

The Government’s Northern Powerhouse project is a step closer to being backed by West Yorkshire leaders as ministers are told to make the region a “game-changing offer”. Read more >>>

The key point is that if these massive collaborations are to work, then the skills of collaborative working that you possess, through the SSA programmes, will be integral to the success of the devolution agenda. Start getting involved now.

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Making Difficult Collaborative Working Decisions

One of the skills of an SSA, or SS(PRAC) is to have the courage to state  that  a collaboration or shared service should not go ahead, because it’s not going to work. For example…

Council drops joint venture plan

Middlesbrough Council has dropped plans for a joint venture to deliver key services. The council's executive decided in January to explore an 'alternative delivery model' with the Norfolk County Council-owned Norse to deliver services in the environment, property and commercial services department. Read more >>>

Meanwhile, after many years of denial, our Australian shared service cousins are finally taking the beleaguered ServiceFirst project to the vets to be put down. This is a 1+1=1 ½ shared service in which, “…government agencies attempted to save money on technology and services procurement by consolidating their resources into a centralised provider that was usually outpaced and out-priced by competing private sector plays”. It makes you wonder how many back-office shared services in the UK public sector are just building larger ICT, HR, Finance, etc silos based on yesterday’s needs and legacy laden technology…

NSW swings axe on troubled shared services

The New South Wales Baird government has finally come good on its promise to swing the axe on its unloved internal public sector technology and services provider ServiceFirst, announcing that what is left of its legacy workload will be carved-up between outsourcers Unisys and Infosys. Read more >>>

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Third Sector

Shared services in Scottish charity sector are boon to Annodata

Managed service provider Annodata has signed up its 400th customer in the Scottish charity sector, through its collaboration with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). Read more >>>

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Housing

North west landlords merge to form 17,300-home group

City West Housing Trust has merged with Villages Housing Association and For Works – its former direct labour organisation (DLO) – to form For Viva. Read more >>>

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