Lord Bichard marks closer relationship between the Institute and the Public Chairs' Forum

Arm's length bodies (ALBs) face unprecedented challenges but will continue to play an important part in governing Britain, according to the Executive Director of the Institute for Government.

Speaking at an event marking the launch of a closer relationship between the Institute and the Public Chairs' Forum, Lord Bichard said that ALBs were "key to the Institute’s mission of helping Government to become more effective", but that change was needed.

"Too often in the past the debate on ALBs has focussed on numbers, not what they do and how effectively they do it – and how government measures the relationship", he said.

Lord Bichard gave some principle findings from the Institute’s forthcoming report on Arm’s Length Bodies. These included:

• a confusing ALB  landscape – at least 950 Arm’s Length Bodies report to Whitehall, of at least 11 distinctive 'types', where like bodies have unlike forms
• lack of clarity over responsibilities and degrees of political control – which causes duplication, conflict and activities to fall through the cracks
• variable performance management – where reviews often degenerate into tick box exercises and relationships between ALBs and sponsoring units don’t always work well.

Bichard called for more peer learning within Government and between bodies to face the challenges ahead.

"Bodies can also learn from each other – and the Public Chairs' Forum will play an important role in bringing chairs together which is why we are delighted to support them through this new partnership", he said.

Also speaking at the event was Cabinet Secretary Sir Gus O’Donnell and head of the Public Chairs' Forum Chris Banks.