Kate Blatchford
Former researcher
All work
Commissioning for success
This publication examines the difficulties of ‘opening up’ public services through choice and competition and identifies some possible remedies.
Testing New Commissioning Models
Testing new commissioning models offers many benefits: implementation can be investigated, contracts perfected, and mistakes minimised. Yet there is a
Kicking the habit
The Children in Care and Adoption league tables serves a reminder of how hard it is for departments to relinquish their oversight over local services.
Incrementally revolutionising public services
David Cameron yesterday lunched the Open Public Services White Paper.
Revolutionising government art starts with white paper
There has been much speculation about the forthcoming Open Public Services White Paper. Will it ever be published?
Why the government needs to improve the mayoral offer
The elected mayors debate is heating up, feedback from 11 cities planning referendums on elected mayors suggests that greater clarity is essential.
Cameron's Big Society speech: a day for mutual learning?
The Prime Minister has today laid out what the Government will do to support the Big Society.
Why localism is a load of rubbish
The announcement on restricting local authority discretion on waste suggests the government does not get its own localist agenda.
Why Community Budgets are worth watching
Community Budget pilots present an opportunity to demonstrate the much heralded decentralisation agenda in action.