After coffee we had a session on making difficult decisions...

Sir Andrew Foster highlighted his respect for the values of public service and the people who work in the public services. We need to use the financial challenge we are facing to help us shape the change to a new future for public services where we ask ourselves what we want from our public services. Andrew outlined three core principles which should drive this future approach to public service:

• we need to shift from public service to a powerful public where we foocus on the responsibilities of citizens and customers to design, shape and create public services;
• we must redirect power away from the centre to be balanced around place and scale focused around the citizen or customer;
• we must reconnect finance with purpose by a much more transparent system to strengthen choice and reconnect citizens and customers with their services.

The 'perfect storm' creates an opportunity for a new paradigm of public services with greater responsibilities for the citizens in terms of the services they want and need.

Chris