Seddon joins Cameron thinktank
LGC contributor Professor John Seddon has been recruited by David Cameron as member of the advisory board to a new thinktank.
ResPublica is a new public policy thinktank founded by Phillip Blond.
ResPublica work on a variety of research projects, such as examining how the UK can develop more innovative public services by empowering front-line professionals and their client communities.
Prof Seddon’s ideas for systems thinking in the public sector were drawn on heavily in ResPublica’s first report, The Ownership State, which he launched with Mr Blond at a Conservative Party Fringe event in October.
The report describes how new forms of delivery could be used to drive change in public services.
Prof Seddon backs one of pledges proposed in the LGC localist manifesto project, ‘Replace Compliance with Responsibility’.
This follows his call earlier in the year for the Audit Commission to be abolished.
He argues that public sector managers should be free to choose both methods and measures which, he argues, would reduce the costs of both the inspection regime and that of public sector managers complying with inappropriate policy ideas.
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Readers' comments (2)
Anonymous | 26-Nov-2009 3:33 pm
And on the day that Steve Bundred announced that he was leaving the Audit Commission. Happy birthday John Seddon! Seriously though it is important that the political parties (not just the conservatives) understand. The message is important and not political. It is about ideas and thinking that will aid and encourage change and improvement in the sector.
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Dave Gaster | 26-Nov-2009 8:58 pm
It's really a pleasure to see a possibility of real joined up thinking for the centre. My main wish within the new ways of thinking is that we learn to find a middle ground, so that short term ideological change for the sake of change doesn't lead to masses of structural manoeuvres, which may cause a gulf in capacity prior to step improvement.
If we can join up Local Government from the array smaller organisations that now proliferate, and also massively reduce the burden of arbitrary targets, then we will possibly move out of recession without too many more false dawns.
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