The paper is the first opportunity the government has had to flesh out its intentions on the role of the private sector in public services, an issue that will be central to debate at the TUC conference to be held this week.
Under terms laid out in the paper, the government proposes to change the law to enable it to force Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to bring the private sector in to manage failing schools.
But it also states, in a section on new partnerships with all schools, that 'the private sector could provide strong management support for schools, which are increasingly complex organisiations to manage'.
David McGahey, managing director for education at Amey, which confirmed this week to The Facilities Business that it has discussed with LEAs the provision of core services to non-failing schools, said there were many ways in which the private sector might support LEAs and improve performance. 'There are still constraints, areas we would wish to explore as time goes by, but we realise the development of the new style needs time to grow and develop,' he said.
The motions due to be put forward at the TUC conference on Wednesday still dispute the merits of extending the private sector role in public services. Unison in particular has stressed that it vehemently disapproves of the involvement of the private sector in core services across the education and health sectors.
The union said it believes it 'has a strong enough argument to sway the government's line on PFI'. A spokeswoman added that continued privatisation could lead to industrial action.
Norman Rose, director general of the Business Services Association, which represents many facilities contractors working in the public sector, said while union action could not force the government to 'go back on its commitment to improving public services', it could unsettle the government's PFI plans.
Rose said that Unison's decision to single out the involvement of the private sector in 'core' services in its motion was a softening of its previous objection to private sector involvement per se, but stressed that it did not signal a compromise with government. 'It is a clear campaign tactic to put forward a motion that the TUC will pass,' he said.
Source
The Facilities Business