Standards in public life

High profile transgressions have raised awareness of the importance of standards – but whose standards? And what does this mean for those of us whose day-to-day life is more likely to involve public transport than private jets or back-handers?

Working with local councils and charities, we’re all too aware of the need to secure best value for money. Afterall, those we work with are on the front line. The choices are stark – does the youth service get funded or does the money go into security for a vulnerable household? The reality is that there’s never really enough to go around.

Decades of cost-cutting have hollowed out services resulting in few real choices beyond statutory commitments and touchpaper issues. So where does the money go, afterall, councils are spending more and more but services seem to be reducing. If not in a brown envelope, where is all the cash?

Across the country, the standards we expect our elected officials and public servants to uphold are one’s that exceed those of the various companies that have swooped in to run essential services. From children’s homes to schools, adult social care to housing, the ones that are investing upfront are private equity providers. Traders. Companies led by canny investors that have seen the hollowed-out state of public services and are stepping up to fill a gap. The proverbial pact with the devil being made across the country by councils high on standards and low on cash. Private charters and expense accounts may catch media attention, but it’s the daily grind of profiteering on the back of communities that condemns us to a cycle of ever reducing standards in public services.