cadence comments about cuts

6 Dec 2011

Consultation - Mayor and cuts

The local press in Sheffield are getting excited about the City Council spending £21K on a consultation exercise on the cuts (ideas for). The May 3rd 2012 referendum on whether to have a Mayor or not is provoking some debate too. It's a touchy subject in South Yorkshire due to Doncaster's experiences with their elected (night?) Mayors ... more

10 Oct 2011

All in it together?

I do not think the 'all in it together' phrase was used much at the Conservative conference last week. The response that lots of our clients have is 'yes, and some of us more than other' ... more

28 Sep 2011

What we do ... (and why)

We are often asked 'what is it that you do'? An answer along the lines of public policy research and strategy projects can cause a number of reactions. Sometimes it results in a glazed look and no further questions or more often than not the question 'what is that you do'? is repeated. The best way of answering is often to talk about real projects we are involved in and usually one of the areas we mention will interest our inquisitor. Dealing with cuts, commissioning, museums (yes museums), homelessness ... more

5 Sep 2011

Autumn

Once again the government is getting in a muddle in trying to square its different priorities. new planning regulations to encourage enterprise and recovery, versus localism and the big society. There is nothing more likely to bring a community together than an objection to a planning application ... more

17 Jun 2011

CBI moaning about reform back down

The CBI are apparently not happy that David Cameron is not reforming public services in the way they hoped. They are talking about the 'forces of inertia' winning over ... more

13 Apr 2011

Fit for purpose (and cuts)

The public sector has always struggled as a buyer. Paying well over the odds for paper clips and light switches tends to get the Mail enraged, but the problem is inevitably more complex than that. Anyone who bares the scars of filling in a local authority PQQ will have some inkling as to why things go wrong. The term 'fit for purpose' is the one that always create tension here in Cadence HQ ... more

9 Mar 2011

Not a lone star state - Texas Volunteers

Quite a startling article in the Society Guardian today about the volunteers of Plano, Texas, USA. Expect an invasion of Coalition advisors looking for Big Society ideas soon ... more

3 Mar 2011

There is no alternative? A bit of a pickle

There is a real head of steam building up for cuts protests and saving the NHS. No doubt protests have their place, but is there an alternative to the current cuts proposals? If there is who is going to articulate it? ... more

18 Feb 2011

Grumpiness - the easy option

These are difficult times. The cuts are stressful for many organisations and individuals. It would be easy to end up being grumpy about it all. We all shout at the radio sometimes (OK it is just us then). That does not really work when you are a charity working out how to not just survive, but thrive ... more

11 Feb 2011

First cut is the deepest?

Rod Stewart said the 'first cut is the deepest' and that seems to be the case as the full impact of the CSR starts to bite in council budgets. In Rod's 1980s hey day there was plenty of agro between Labour Town Halls and the Tory government. Is it going to happen again? ... more