Thursday 17 December 2015

News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 17th December 2015



This is your last collaborative working news and update for this year! Thank you for your contribution to SSA’s work and sharing this newsletter with your colleagues so that they can stay up to speed with the collaborative transformation sector.

Almost 800 people have attended our taught and facilitation sessions this year, confirming that public sector collaboration does require a professional level skill set. Our tool boxes are in use in over 500 public sector organisations and we have over 200 online tools, templates and techniques to support practitioners and leaders.

So, until we meet again on the other side of the Christmas and New Year holidays, here is your 60 second summary of collaborative working news and jobs…

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Devolution

Northumberland County Council - Have your say on Devolution

Residents in Northumberland are to have their say on plans for a combined authority for the region. Northumberland County Council has launched a consultation on the proposals for the devolution of powers from central government to the new North East Combined Authority (NECA). Read more >>>

Devolution for South West ‘would create jobs’

District councillors have discussed the first steps of the proposed Heart of the South West (HOTSW) devolution bid, which could eventually see EDDC, alongside 16 other South West local authorities, gain more autonomy from Westminster. Read more >>>

Call to bring Cambridgeshire alongside Suffolk and Norfolk in ‘devolution revolution’

Cambridgeshire councils should consider teaming up with counterparts in Suffolk and Norfolk to create an “Eastern motor”, the communities secretary has said. Read more >>>

As Scotland and Wales demand greater devolution Northern Ireland is handing power back to Westminster

On Wednesday 18 November, members of the Northern Ireland Assembly filed through the division lobbies for the vote that will define the 2011-2016 term of the devolved legislature. Read more >>>

Cllr Phil Davies standing down as chair of Liverpool city region Combined Authority

The chairman of the Liverpool city region Combined Authority is standing down from the role - just weeks after a devolution deal was signed. Read more >>>

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Local Government

Majority Of Local Councils Now 'Share Services'

Tight budgets sees almost all local councils in the UK sharing services including IT and other services Nearly all local councils in the UK are sharing services with their fellow authorities as the pressure on the public purse string continues to be tightened. Read more >>>

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Outsourcing

New data laws will have implications for outsourcing contracts

Successful outsourcing projects have always relied on a clear and commercially reasonable allocation of risks between the parties for all aspects of the relationship. Read more >>>

Outsourcing care - can the sums add up?

It was a contract which was centre stage in the debate over outsourcing in the NHS in England. Read more >>>

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Health and Social Care

New £1.5million health centre officially opens in Highland village

A brand new health centre was officially opened in a Loch Ness-side village yesterday. The £1.5million Drumnadrochit Health Centre is located just off the A82 Inverness-Fort William road, just a few yards from the ageing and cramped health centre it has replaced. Read more >>>

Funding for East Riding Child Mental Health Services

NHS East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has been awarded £600,000 to transform child and adolescent mental health services in the area. Read more >>>

Wales budget: health and education among the winners, but councils face losing £88million

Health services in Wales will receive almost £300million extra next year, but councils will lose around £88million from their budgets. Read more >>>

Why the NHS needs social workers on board

As chief social worker for adults in England, I meet many social workers and see at first hand the positive difference their practice makes to improving people’s lives. Read more >>>

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Blue Light Transformation

Cheshire fire and police chiefs join forces to share a new HQ

Cheshire fire and police chiefs have today agreed to join forces and share a single headquarters. Read more >>>

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Education

Jisc issues tender for second shared services datacentre in north of England

Education network provider issues tender for second shared services datacentre, while warding off DDoS attack. Read more >>>





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Thursday 10 December 2015

News Summary of Collaboration and Shared Services from 9th December 2015



Here’s a great new collaboration metaphor for you, from Matthew Taylor at the RSA. Excellent for use in your next meeting…

Collaboration as superconductor

Deep collaboration should be the superconductor of civic energy. But in reality the energy flow is far from perfect. Improvement and innovation will be less than we want or need until we recognise these sources of resistance and set about removing them. Read more >>>

SSA has a stand at the IEWM Conference in Birmingham this Friday. If you are going, come and say hello.

The Devolution agenda is getting a bit wonky as there appears to be some reversal by Whitehall in what was on the table. So let’s start with Devolution, followed by the rest of the collaboration news from the last few days…

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Devolution

Devolved regions must elect mayors even if one or more councils disagree

Devolved areas may be forced to elect a mayor even if one or more constituent councils disagree with the proposal, communities secretary Greg Clark has made clear in an amendment to the Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill. Read more >>>

Devolution deal hangs in the balance, claim council leaders

Council leaders say the deal to devolve more powers and gain millions for the region are under threat because of new amendments to a government bill. Read more >>>

Is Hampshire devolution doomed?

It all seemed to be going so well. Hampshire and Isle of Wight's bid for devolution was seen as a southern front-runner. An economy close to the scale of Wales bidding for control of its own destiny. Read more >>>

 

Sheffield City Council leader: Mayoral veto plan 'unacceptable'

Plans to give South Yorkshire's elected mayor the power to veto unanimously supported decisions under a government devolution deal are "unacceptable", the leader of Sheffield City Council says. Read more >>>

 

How can we make regionalists and wonks agree about devolution? Talk about accountability

Much of the debate over devolution is currently being argued out in terms of identity versus practicality. Read more >>>

Osborne’s devolution experiment will hit poorer councils where it hurts

In older, and frankly more chauvinist times, Stanley Baldwin identified “the prerogative of the harlot through the ages”, as “power without responsibility”. Read more >>>

New Birmingham leader vows 'We'll catch up with Manchester'

Birmingham City Council's new leader has pledged to battle for a better devolution deal, promising "we will catch up with Manchester". Read more >>

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Local Government

Government to invest an extra 31m in the One Public Estate programme

Over 100 councils have joined the third phase of the One Public Estate programme, which is also set to receive a further £31m from the Government. Read more >>>

Kent councils sign District Deal

Two councils in Kent have signed an agreement to work together on delivering key strategic projects. Ashford Borough Council and Kent County Council have signed a new District Deal to increase joint working between the two councils. Read more >>>
Read more >>>

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LEPs

New plan for Midlands engine could help create 300,000 jobs

A new plan to make the Midlands an ‘engine of growth’ which could help create 300,000 jobs and boost the national economy by £34bn will be unveiled today at the University of Birmingham. Read more >>>

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Health and Social Care

National award for Bradford respite care service

A life changing initiative which also helps free up hospital beds in Bradford has secured a national award after winning a public vote. Read more >>>

Better Care Fund struggling with red tape, CIPFA warns

The flagship government project to bring health and social care funding together is being hindered by red tape that must be tackled if services are to be integrated, a CIPFA report has found. Read more >>>

Watchdog warns of 'conflict' within integrated health and social care services

The imminent integration of health and social care could lead to conflict between health boards and councils with no clear plan over who will be accountable if something goes wrong, the public spending watchdog has warned. Read more >>>

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Blue Light Transformation

Green light for shared police and fire station plans

Plans have been approved to merge Maltby’s police and fire stations. Maltby fire station will close and Maltby police station will be modified to accommodate fire service vehicles and staff, under the plans approved by Rotherham Council. Read more >>>

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Housing

SFHA: Housing must be involved in health and social care integration

The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has called for housing to be fully involved in the future integration of health and social care services in Scotland. Read more >>>





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