Public sector staff excluded from modernisation
The modernisation of public services has left many finance staff feeling uninvolved in the process, according to a survey.
Two thirds of public sector finance officers say they have not been fully involved in modernisation programmes across the local government health and other sectors.
Of the senior managers surveyed 60% also said a significant strain was being imposed by the process of bringing their organisations up to date.
Published at CIPFA’s annual conference in Brighton, the survey did reveal some optimism about the future of public services.
Steve Freer, chief executive of CIPFA, said: ‘It is not a complete surprise that some finance staff do not feel entirely confident about the modernisation process.
‘There is a huge amount to know and to do. What is clear is that FDs do need to be at the heart of the action.’
Jeremy Kite, senior partner at Zurich Municipal Partners Management Services, which carried out the survey, warned ‘serious organisational weaknesses could arise if finance managers were excluded from the modernisation process.’
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