Two important reports came out this month on the future of public services. First is the 'Putting people into public services' report of the National Consumer Council. They look at the critical area of regulation, often not considered by commentators but crucial in ensuring services, whether publicly or privately provided, meet standards and expectations. Regulators are often remote, hidden and ha...

Action to improve public services and cut the number of public bodies should save at least £40 million a year, according to an update on the Scottish Government's Simplification Programme.

LABOUR has accused the Scottish Government of trying to "usurp" the role of parliament by launching legislation that will affect a range of public bodies.

Devolution has to be judged a spectacular failure in Scotland. The performance of the economy and the key public services entrusted to the Scottish Parliament have all stagnat

The Public and Commercial Services union will discuss during its annual conference whether to put up candidates against politicians who it thinks undermine jobs and public services

The Scottish Parliament will launch its five-year Gaelic Language Plan next week. The plan outlines the Parliament’s core commitments to expanding the Gaelic services and resources it provides to the public. The plan builds on current Gaelic provision available at the Parliament in a number of ways including introducing a bilingual corporate identity, providing Gaelic awareness training to s...

Over at Ctrl-Shift Ive tried to sketch out the impact of VRM (buyer-centric commerce, customer-managed relationships, user-driven identity) on public services:It seems to me the effects of VRM on public services will be of four sorts. It will improve public services. It will cut costs. It will de-tox the “database state”. And it is the perfect basis for co-creation of our public servic...

Buried in the Observer this past weekend was support for mutual forms of ownership of public services in an editorial about the Royal Mail, as part of a range of means of provision:Arguments based on the intrinsic virtue or innate evil of private sector involvement in public services are increasingly irrelevant. Public institutions must in the future rely on a wide mix of structures, formed in rec...

The Sword of Damocles hangs over Scotland's public spending. But many of the people who receive "free" public services could afford to pay for them.

SERVICES DEBATE Stage 3 of The Legal Services (Scotland) Bill will be debated at the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday. The focus has been on alternative business s