The Christie Commission and the quiet revolution in public services

29 June 2011

The much anticipated report from the Christie Commission was published today. It ends the virtual silence, at a national level, on public service reform since the previous Finance committee published its excellent report into preventative spending.

The CSPP welcomes this methodical and thoughtful report and shares its vision for public services in Scotland. For some time we have argued for our public sector to embrace demand management, introduce local democratic drivers and develop a common sense of ownership through co-production and community based decision making.

Yet as our Big Event clearly demonstrated last week, the time for talking and producing reports is over. Action is urgently required . The Christie Commission report cannot suffer the same fate as the Independent Budget Review. This is not purely a budgetary issue but a social and economic imperative.

There is an emerging consensus across Scotland that our public services need to radically change. What we need now is political leadership and courage to translate this vision into a reality.

Click here to read the report.