Overview

This bill aims to increase public ownership and control of public services. It seeks to prioritize public sector and not-for-profit providers, enhance transparency, and give users more influence over how services are delivered.

Description

The bill introduces several key measures:

• Mandatory Consultation: Relevant authorities must consult the public for at least 28 days before outsourcing or privatizing services, allowing them to express their preference for public or private provision and whether assets should remain publicly owned.
• Internal Bids: Authorities must consider internal bids from their own staff before considering external bids for contracts.
• Prioritizing Social Enterprises: The Secretary of State will create regulations prioritizing bids from public sector bodies, not-for-profit organizations, and social enterprises, considering public benefit.
• Break Clauses: All public service contracts must include a break clause, allowing authorities to terminate and re-tender the contract under certain conditions (such as a high number of complaints).
• Transparency: Details of all bids and awarded contracts must be publicly available.
• Freedom of Information: Companies contracted to provide public services become subject to the Freedom of Information Act, allowing public access to relevant information.

Government Spending

The bill will lead to increased government spending as it requires additional resources for consultations, internal bid processes, and regulatory activities. The exact figures are not specified in the bill.

Groups Affected

• Public Sector Employees: May benefit from increased job security and opportunities for internal bids.
• Not-for-profit and Social Enterprises: Could see increased opportunities to bid for public service contracts.
• Private Sector Companies: May face reduced opportunities to win public service contracts.
• The Public: Will have more opportunities to participate in decisions about the provision of public services and greater access to information about those services.
• Relevant Authorities: Will face increased administrative burdens through consultation and reporting requirements.

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