Confidence in public services: It's about more than money

For any market to work, it needs to earn the confidence of the people who use it. With public services, where market failure or success can change people’s lives for better or for worse, this truth is even more important. These services are paid for by the taxpayer; people have the right to know how that money is spent, to ensure their expectations are met.

However, high-profile failures by government, the business community and others in the planning and delivery of vital services have knocked public confidence in the market’s abilities to deliver. To win that back is no easy task; the responsibility to boost accountability, transparency and trust lies with all of us involved in delivering public services.

Recently we asked YouGov to conduct some research into public trust for us which reveals that only about half of people think business makes a positive contribution to society, and 60 per cent of people believe that business does not do enough to regain trust when it has been lost. Furthermore, our survey highlighted that people rank providing value for money, putting customers before profits and delivering what is promised as some of the most important factors affecting their trust in business.

Therefore, to win back confidence, all players in the game must demonstrate their value to the public – above and beyond the specified outcomes of a contract. Quietly doing the basic job is good, but it’s not enough. For businesses, this means ensuring the services they run are embedded in and clearly reflect the values of the community...

Read on at Ethos Journal here

Ethosis aimed at public sector leaders, politicians, academics and policy specialists debating the future of public services today.