November

APSE in the Press

• Local Government Sustainability. Permanent secretary to the MHCLG Melanie Dawes recently told the Public Account Committee that the local government sector is ‘sustainable’ for the rest of the spending period as they only needed to provide statutory services. In response to Ms Dawes, APSE Chief Executive Paul O’Brien told the MJ, “I’m not as confident as Ms Dawes is. I think it’s a sad day when we are pruning services back to statutory responsibilities and we are happy about the level of service.” To read the full article, click here [PAYWALL].
• ‘Living wills are not enough on their own’. The Government has recently announced that in in the summer of 2019, a handful of suppliers will participate in pilots aimed at transforming procurement from a system of mere contracting to one that takes stock of social value. This will include drawing up living wills – a contingency plan for the continued delivery of services should the supplier fail. Speaking to the MJ, Paul O’Brien said that, while outsourcing was a fad during the 1990s and 2000s, asking suppliers to draw up contingency plans now shows that the Government’s ‘unquestionable faith in the market’s ability to deliver’ has been shaken. To read the full article, click here [PAYWALL].

Latest Briefings

• Findings from the Care Quality Commission’s State of health care and adult social care report 2017/18. This briefing focuses on the outcomes described within the report related to adult social care, conveying the reports’ findings on quality of care, pathways from hospital to home and funding, workforce and capacity matters. Click here to read online.

• State of the Market 2018: Sports & Leisure Services. The survey covers a range of issues of interest to officers and councillors responsible for Leisure services. These include pricing; membership packages; IT system usage; the increasing convergence with health; attitudes to absence. Click here to read online.
• State of the Market Surveys 2018: Highways, Winter Maintenance, Street Lighting. Questions cover a range of issues of interest to officers and councillors responsible for these services. Click here to read online.

New Municipalism – APSE Policy Seminar on 23 January

APSE’s first seminar of 2019 - ‘Delivering the New Municipalism: Taking Back Entrepreneurship’ - explores the emerging role of councils as proactive disruptors in local economies. The event will look in detail at APSE’s research on new municipalism and the different strands to the philosophy including local government’s role as the ensuring council; finance and future funding; commercialisation and income generation’ insourcing and social justice outcomes. Professor Steven Griggs, lead author of ‘The new municipalism: Taking back entrepreneurship’ will be addressing the conference alongside Dr Peter Kenway, author of ‘Hollowed out: The impact of financial localisation on neighbourhood services’. For programme and booking information click here.

Environmental Services Innovation Awards 2018

APSE is delighted to announce the winners of the Environmental Services Innovation Awards 2018, as well as Streetscene and Horticulture Apprentices of the Year! The winners were presented with their awards at the APSE Refuse, Recycling, Street Scene, Grounds and Parks Seminar in Nottingham on 18 October. Congratulations to all of our excellent finalists! For a full list of this year's finalists and photographs from the event click here.

For more information about this year’s (and last year’s) submissions, you can download the APSE Environmental Services Innovation Awards Brochure. The brochure contains summaries of the shortlisted initiatives and can be downloaded for free from the APSE website.

APSE Energy Views

APSE Energy has recently launched Energy Views; a blog highlighting important initiatives in the world of energy, climate change and renewables. Last week the blog included posts on the latest House of Commons briefing paper “Brexit: Energy and Climate Change”, as well as recent cases of energy companies ceasing trading. The blog is updated regularly so you can keep up to speed with the latest energy news and views.

APSE Parks Portal

APSE has recently launched the APSE Parks Portal; a free online resource for members who want to keep abreast of developments in parks and horticultural services. The portal includes information on relevant APSE briefings, state of the market reports, advisory groups, seminars, research and our role in the Parks Action Group. Click on this link to access the parks portal.

Public Sector Solutions Expo

APSE was thrilled to be an official supporter of the Public Sector Solutions Expo at Manchester Central on 20 November. Paul O’Brien chaired a panel discussion at the event; exploring the way local government is embracing a commercial approach to service delivery. If you are interested in developing a commercial approach to service delivery.

London Councils Summit 2018

APSE exhibited at the London Council Summit at Guildhall, City of London on Saturday 17 November. The conference was open to London councillors of all political parties and senior borough officers from the 32 London boroughs and the City of London Corporation. Keynote speaker James Brokenshire paid tribute to the passion of London councils for their communities but acknowledged the need for long term action on social care.

Upcoming seminars and advisory group dates

Seminars / Energy Seminars / Advisory groups National, Wales, Northern Ireland Scotland, Southern,

APSE Training courses

Click here for the full list of current APSE Training courses.