News
Cost Benefit Analysis and Evaluation Guides
An Introductory guide to evaluation designed to help local partnerships develop a robust and effective evaluation approach to assessing the value and impact of their service transformation work is now available here.
This is complemented by a Cost Benefit Analysis guide, developed by a number of Government departments, to help local partnerships assess and evaluate public service transformation proposals. The guide provides a systematic approach to understanding the costs and benefits of public sector transformation programmes and projects.
Transformation is a complex activity, and these guides will help those involved better understand fiscal, economic and public benefits, how these are apportioned across local and national organisations and communities, as well as more intangible impacts made visible by other less data driven evaluation approaches.
From the Public Service Transformation Network news feed 3 April 2014
Manchester ingenuity adopted by Whitehall
A cost-saving methodology devised by a team of analysts based in Manchester has gained Government backing and will be adopted as best practice by local authorities across the UK.
Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) is an economic tool that enables local authorities to expertly measure value for money, economic and social impacts, when evaluating public service proposals.
The framework has been created and developed by a team based at New Economy, Greater Manchester’s economic think-tank and advisor on best policy practice.
The CBA toolkit has been incorporated into a technical guidance document that is being circulated by HM Government, the Public Service Transformation Network and Whitehall partners.
It will enable local government and local enterprise partnerships to determine where the benefits of improved service provision arise and to apportion them to local agencies and to central government departments.
The approach outlined in the document has already been applied and tested in the Government’s Whole Place Community Budget Pilots – the UK’s flagship scheme for public service reform.
Mike Emmerich, chief executive of New Economy, said:
“This project is a fantastic example of how Greater Manchester continues to be at the forefront of economic thought and analysis. The city’s strengths in this area are rooted in the industrial revolution when the ‘Manchester School’ in its support of free trade, used a balance of evidence and economic theories to influence government policy. I’m pleased to see that we’re continuing this tradition today.”
Julian Cox, of New Economy, said:
“The CBA model has already proved a major success and is being used by partnerships in Greater Manchester. With Whitehall backing, it will now help to further support important decisions on UK investment approaches across public, private and third sector agencies.”
“In fact, interest has even been shown beyond the borders of the UK with demonstrations having already taken place on behalf of local governments based in both Italy and Spain.”
The guide, ‘Supporting Public Service Transformation: Cost Benefit Analysis Guidance for Local Partnerships’, is available to view here.