CIPFA Solutions

Information on CIPFA Solutions, our expert advisory service

How CIPFA Solutions can help you

Why is CIPFA Solutions the partner of choice for the public sector

Public services need to be delivered against a myriad of challenges. They are facing unprecedented pressures and risks on what appears to be all sides of their operations. These include

A record number of Section 114 notices in local authorities and a large number expecting to issue a Section 114 in the next couple of years. In effect, we have more ’insolvencies’ in local government than ever before.
Increasing demand for Health and both Adult and Children’s Services which shows no sign of slowing down.
A growth in the use of companies and commercial operations and investments that in some cases has been singularly unsuccessful.
A shortage at all levels of adequately skilled and experienced finance staff that is impacting on the effective operation of public services.
Stretched budgets struggling to cope with demand in an environment where budgets are not really increasing in real terms but costs are.
A significant number of public bodies are either subject to intervention or in the case of local authorities have applied to central government for Exceptional Financial Support. This number appears to be growing.

Any one of these pressures would have been seen as a major issue for the sector only three years ago. An increasing number of public services are now affected by multiple significant and critical pressures on their services. The sector needs more support to deal with the challenges they face.

More public bodies including local authorities are recognising that there needs to be fundamental change to the scope, operation and delivery of their services. Local authorities are looking for new delivery models for services. Service improvement is key to survival and to delivering cost effective services to citizens in all areas of the public sector. We are also seeing more organisations but particularly local authorities look to undertake major transformation projects which we haven’t seen in recent years. There is also an open debate about the size and scope of the public sector which is leading to the very real discussion on the structure and organisation of local government in the future.

All of these issues means that public bodies are looking for a partner who:

is trusted
listens
lives and breathes the principles and ethos of the public sector
understands the pressures and needs
reinvests its profits into the sector
brings a credible wide range practical professional and commercial skills.

CIPFA Solutions delivers against these expectations. Through its work over the last five years, it has demonstrably and successfully delivered in all of these areas for the sector as a whole and has worked with police, fire, health and in excess of 200 local authorities. We care, we know you and we are committed to helping you.