Northstar Strategic Business Support and Advice

Living In The Thin Air Economy

Estelle Rowe — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 20:25:22 +0000

A few people have commented on my Twitter ‘thin air’ mission statement. A while back I heard the brilliant Andrew Mawson, renowned social entrepreneur, speaking to a group of budding social enterprises in Manchester.

He spoke with passion about the ‘thin air’ economy – what it feels like for young people, trying to apply their talents and qualifications to something resembling a decent career; for businesses making ends meet while consumer spending nosedives; and for the public sector trying to protect the vulnerable in the face of savage grant cuts.

Some people will know the side-effects of breathing thin air. It’s exhausting, your vision might be a little shaky and eventually you start to feel really queasy. Prolonged exposure [...]

Co Production Improves Lives and Costs Less

Estelle Rowe — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:14:06 +0000

Following the latest rantings in this blog on the subject of public sector partnerships and Whole Place budgets, my colleague Keith Morris told me about some excellent work in the West Midlands on Co Production.

Well-executed co-production approaches in public services (or even instead of them) both improve people’s lives and cost the taxpayer less. But making the case the co-production is more likely to require dialogue than just bare numbers.

The latest meeting of the West Midlands Co‑production Practioners’ Network in January received accounts of some very impressive co‑production projects that you can find details of read here.

I’ve been working in this arena for many years and very much agree with Robert about there being a difference between partnerships of convenience and truly meaningful local collaborations.

Robert’s points on the shared understanding of the needs of the community and the broad understanding of the entire process from the perspective of the service consumer are linked. Often the users’ journey has grown from what once may (or may not!) have been a clear path, to one which is complicated by alterations or bolt-ons. Often this path will have been ‘designed’ by partners’ own understanding of community needs, rather than a collaborative one.

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People power is the key to success in Whole Place Community Budgets

Estelle Rowe — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:04:37 +0000

A huge amount rides on the effectiveness of the four new ‘Whole Place’ Community Budget pilots announced by the government at the end of 2011. Local government, not to say other cash starved public and social sector bodies are crying out for a new system which will finally allow the freedom and flexibility to put cash and effort where it’s most needed at a local level. The challenges are massive, yet as Sue Goss from OPM puts it in her excellent Public Finance article this month, the wind is perhaps fairer than it has ever been.

However, it is people that start revolutions, and success will depend on individuals in every far flung corner of the pilots taking full [...]

Mixing art and business for good

Estelle Rowe — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:58:33 +0000

We just started a mini-gallery… which will showcase a rotating collection of striking and affordable art produced by Northstar’s very own and very talented artists in residence.

Here’s why….

The structure of the labour market in the western world is rapidly changing. Seth Godin, the founder of Squidoo.com talked in a recent interview about how people should approach work in future. He says that the current “recession is a forever recession” because it’s the end of the industrial age, which also means the end of the average worker. Read more.

Godin says that instead of waiting around for someone to tell you that you [...]

Turn Procurement and Commissioning Strategies On Their Heads

Estelle Rowe — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:54:48 +0000

I was at a seminar this morning – the topic in question ‘Supporting Social Enterprises to Deliver Public Services’. A vast subject area, knowledgeable speakers and a varied audience, so, interesting discussions.

Later today, fellow attendee and speaker @NeilHind pointed out a survey by the LGA today that shows only 9% of local authorities intend to promote employee mutuals and social enterprises in taking over the delivery of public services. Only 5 of 187 councils had been approached by staff wanting to set up employee-led bodies.

From what I see, not all, but many public sector contracts simply seek old style services at lower cost. So why would local authority employees, battered by cuts, re-organisations and general all-round criticism, suddenly [...]

New Approaches To Local Authority Finance

Estelle Rowe — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:35:04 +0000

With the 2012/13 and beyond budget discussions currently in full flow, councils are once again faced with the job of maintaining service costs and quality amidst the three pronged attack from high demand, low income and increased customer expectation/involvement. There is little doubt that local authorities are starting to change their business models in order to cope, and alongside that, new sources of finance and approaches to commissioning them are beginning to emerge.

The NLGN launches its ‘Capital Future’ report tomorrow (7/12/11), predicting that councils will soon be turning to bond finance for infrastructure projects and the like, owing to the increase in the price of PWLB borrowing. There is also the question of how to raise the ‘capital’ [...]

New Support For Mutuals

Estelle Rowe — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:58:41 +0000

The Mutual Pathfinder progress report is published today

Also, yesterday Francis Maude announced new support to help staff-led mutual organisations set up and spin out from the public sector. The new £10million Mutual Support Programme (MSP) will provide business and professional services to groups of staff or existing mutual organisations.

Shared Services Savings Not Living Up To Expectations

Estelle Rowe — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 11:16:34 +0000

Yesterday the LGA launched its updated shared services map of England. It shows that 219 councils across the country are engaged in 143 shared service arrangements. Sure, the predicted figure of £156.5 million in efficiency savings from those arrangements is a big number in absolute terms. But is it just me thinking that it’s a piffling amount in the grand scheme of things?

It’s not the financial situation that’s holding councils back – everyone understands how dire that is. Maybe the answer lies at least partly in what we learned this year from an extensive shared services training programme I helped to commission in the North West. Local authority shared services are no different to any other area of [...]

Social Enterprise – the time is now

Estelle Rowe — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:22:45 +0000

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Annual Poverty and Social Exclusion report out today shows that the poverty rate for working age people without children rose again. It now stands at a staggering 20. And sadly it comes as no surprise that 6 million people are either unemployed, lacking but wanting work, or working part time because no full time job is available. The report makes for grim reading and it’s likely to get worse as a consequence of Tuesday’s economic predictions.

Local strategic partnerships and other such bodies are scratching their heads wondering how on earth they can wring out several more millions from their collective budgets and still keep up with demand. But the new reality is that they [...]