Search Mobile

collapse

already registered?

Please sign in with your existing account details.

Email address

Password

need to register?

Register to access exclusive content, sign up to receive our updates and personalise your experience on brownejacobson.com.

Privacy statement - Terms and conditions

Forgotten your password?

collapseSign

Home

Insights

Resources

Blogs

Risky business

risky business

7 February 2011

Our recent shared services report confirms that local authorities are increasingly seeking efficiencies through outsourcing or similar partnerships. There are undoubtedly savings to be made. But also high level risks.

For example, after several years of outsourced operations, it might be difficult and expensive to bring the services back as in house skills may have been lost, even if the partnership with the private sector partner has been a success.

There is also an inevitable loss of control, where front line services are affected, leading to reputational and political risks that are hard to state in cash terms.

These risks can, and should, be managed through a sound outsourcing contract, but they cannot be avoided entirely and are not easy to quantify.

For many authorities, increased outsourcing will be a vital tool to save costs and adopt an enterprising approach to service delivery. A similarly enterprising approach to risk and reward will also be needed.

related opinions

Moratoriums

The new Part A1 moratorium was introduced partly in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on businesses. The moratorium is not intended to be used to simply delay the inevitable insolvency of a company, but rather to allow breathing space for that company to restructure and/or achieve an effective rescue.

View blog

Covid-19 insolvency measures extension

From 26 March 2021 the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (Coronavirus) (Extension of the Relevant Period) Regulations 2021 will come into force with the effect of extending several of the temporary measures brought in by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 (CIGA).

View blog

An exit for public sector exit pay

It took over 5 years for secondary legislation implementing the £95,000 cap on public sector exit payments to be brought into force; only a few months later, the Government has announced that the Public Sector Exit Payments Regulations 2020 (the “Regulations”) will be revoked, citing “unintended consequences” which have been identified after “extensive review”.

View blog

The Debt Respite Scheme and its implications for creditors

The Debt Respite Scheme (Breathing Space Moratorium and Mental Health Crisis Moratorium) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020 is due to come into force on 4 May 2021. It’s a snappy title but what exactly is it?

View blog

View all blogs