Building Societies Association
The Government has today announced that mutualism will be at the forefront of their vision for Britain’s future.
In the report, ‘Mutual Benefit: giving people control of public services’, the Government sets out how it will accelerate opportunities for mutuals to develop and flourish across three key areas of public services.
Commenting on the plans, Tessa Jowell MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said:
“This is the moment for mutualism. In the wake of the global financial crisis and the parliamentary expenses scandal, it is clear that people are no longer prepared to trust large organisations over which they have no control. This is particularly important as we are talking about services that are of such great significance in the personal lives of the people that they serve.
“In the future, mutuals will play an increasingly important role in delivering public services. Mutual organisations are controlled by their members; they are exceptionally well-suited to strengthening relationships between staff, users and the wider community – and these stronger relationships will lead to better outcomes for all.”
The Government paper puts forward plans for:
• new and improved opportunities for tenants to manage their own homes and housing services;
• the opportunity for local areas to pilot ways of running Children’s Centres as part of local mutual federations;
• improving the sustainability of User-Led Organisations that explore ways for communities to have a formal role in the governance of employee-led social enterprises that spin out of the traditional public sector.
The full plan can viewed via the link below -
