total place budgeting

Anchor networks – the delivery engine of Total Place 2.0?

It’s time to break free from the siloed, centralised straitjacket of public spending. That’s the bold message from the Institute for Government’s latest report, which urges a radical rethink of how money flows through public services.

Instead of ringfenced budgets and top-down controls, the report – The Case for Total Place 2.0 – calls for a return to joined-up local decision-making, where councils, the NHS and other local bodies collaborate to meet the real needs of their communities.
“a rare win-win that today’s system urgently needs”
The OG Total Place – an ambitious initiative first launched by Gordon Brown’s Labour government in 2009 – empowered local agencies in 13 pilot areas to pool resources, tackle complex problems together, and deliver smarter, more human solutions. The results? Better outcomes for residents and long-term savings – a rare win-win that today’s system urgently needs to rediscover.

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5 things you always wanted to know about anchor networks*

This article originally appeared in the Municipal Journal.

*but were afraid to ask

As the challenges facing the UK deepen and multiply, the institutions of our towns, cities and regions are increasingly motivated to work collectively to influence the creation of better lives for people in the places they serve. That is why, today, CLES are publishing our guide to setting up a network of anchor institutions.

From starting up a network to maximising its impact, from big city to satellite town, local authority-led networks to those that have engaged the private sector, How to Build an Anchor Network provides an overview of the different types of networks and the advantages (and disadvantages) associated with them, and how best to exercise your collective power once it is harnessed.

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