• Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Conference
  • Events Calendar
  • Webcast151
  • MOTB
  • Log In
  • Register

Room 151

  • Treasury
  • Technical
  • Funding
  • Resources
  • LGPS
  • Development
  • 151 News
  • Blogs
    • David Green
    • Agent 151
    • Dan Bates
    • Richard Harbord
    • Stephen Sheen
    • James Bevan
    • Steve Bishop
    • Cllr John Clancy
    • David Crum
    • Graham Liddell
    • Ian O’Donnell
    • Jackie Shute
  • Interviews

Agent151: The DWP dictionary

1
  • by Agent 151
  • in Agent 151 · Resources
  • — 1 Sep, 2015

Lord Freud, the welfare reform minister, recently wrote an article extolling the virtues of ‘collaboration’. Agent 151 nearly spat out his cornflakes.

In a bold move by DWP, Lord Freud has announced that the meaning of the word ‘collaboration’ has been successfully redefined to fit better with its business model.

A spokesperson for the Oxford English Dictionary denied that the meaning had in fact been officially amended but warned that over time nearly all words take on new nuances and that some can, in fact, come to mean the exact opposite.

For example, the word ‘wicked’ can mean both ‘evil’ and ‘very good’; the word ‘peer’ can mean both ‘a person of equal status’ and ‘a member of the nobility’; and the word  ‘resign’ can mean both  ‘to quit’ and ‘to get a new contract’. DWP added that it also had plans for the words ‘successful’, ‘consultation’, ‘universal’, and ‘welfare’.

No, none of that is true, before you rush out and tweet it. But Lord Freud, minister for welfare reform, has been writing about the importance of collaboration, which is just as surprising.  “If you can garner support from the people implementing the change, your reform is more likely to succeed”, he declares in an article for Local Government Chronicle.

This is nothing short of a Damascene conversion, as there was no ambition to garner support from councils in the early stages of the universal credit programme.  Indeed, DWP’s track record on collaboration concerning universal credit has been nothing short of appalling.

It began with a top-down policy diktat. The welfare system had to be reformed and universal credit, in which councils would play no part, was the answer.

On that decision it is hard to find any trace at all of collaboration with other organisations, and especially councils.

Stephen Baker, chairman of the Local Government Delivery Council and chief executive of the Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils, sums the problem up nicely: “…over the years councils have had to respond to various national initiatives which invariably start with a proposed solution.

“This typically results in either attempts to shoehorn in or adapt a ‘one size all solution’ with all the associated costs – the worst possible outcome for customers.”

After that uncompromising start, several decisions were made that had very significant consequences for councils.

The consultation responses on the localisation of council tax benefit all suggested keeping it as part of universal credit. This was ignored. Issues were raised about the Single Fraud Investigation Service. They were ignored.

The NAO’s early review of the universal credit programme was damning on many counts, but on the subject of collaboration recommended that: “The Department should set clear expectations about how interdependent programmes should work together both within the Department and across government.” In other words, the NAO found that DWP wasn’t collaborating effectively with anyone at all!

I can picture Lord Freud jumping up and down at this point, waving his arms. “What about the pathfinders!” he is saying. And he is right: the pathfinders turned out to be the best thing about the universal credit programme.

Through the pathfinders, which worked mainly because of local collaboration between councils and Job Centre Plus staff, many of the initial problems were ironed out.

But let’s be honest: at the time the pathfinders were established, no-one at DWP thought they were important. Huw Meredith, Local Authority Liaison, DWP UC Programme, recently admitted that if the DWP were to repeat the process of changing the welfare system they would recognise earlier the true delivery partner status of local government; implement co-production earlier; and aim to build greater confidence and transparency from the outset.

We should welcome Lord Freud’s acknowledgement of the importance of the role of councils in making universal credit work.

However, let’s not get carried away. As recently as July 2015, Ipsos Mori carried out research on behalf of DWP that found that ‘lack of clarity’ for councils about the timescales for universal credit was causing ‘uncertainty’, ‘preventing certain decisions being made’, and ‘hindering the amount of preparation that can be done’.

Somewhat hilariously, a DWP spokesperson said in response: “As this survey shows… we are working closely with [councils] to ensure this runs smoothly.”

Share

You may also like...

  • Wandsworth launches mutuals Wandsworth launches mutuals 3 Sep, 2015
  • Matt Bowmer: 151s, a strategy for skills and Silverstone – part 3 Matt Bowmer: 151s, a strategy for skills and Silverstone – part 3 18 Mar, 2015
  • Struggling tourist attraction causes council cashflow problems Struggling tourist attraction causes council cashflow problems 25 Jul, 2019
  • Looking ahead: Investment market prospects for 2019 Looking ahead: Investment market prospects for 2019 21 Jan, 2019

1 Comment

  1. salford says:
    2015/09/04 at 10:34

    Highly enjoyable. Thank you Agent 151 !

    Log in to Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

  • Register to become a Room151 user

  • Latest tweets

    Room151 1 day ago

    The vaccine may help settle cash flows but inflation remains a risk: Sponsored article: Lauren Sewell examines the prospects for long-term borrowing as Brexit settles and vaccines are deployed against Covid-19. On the 9th October 2019 Whitehall sent… dlvr.it/RqZXCr pic.twitter.com/PzgOZOGQ0k

    Room151 1 day ago

    ESG in liquidity: Sponsored article: Gavin Haywood looks at the integration of ESG in Federated Hermes’ money market funds. Federated Hermes has over 300 public sector clients invested in our AAA rated money[...] dlvr.it/RqZX5f pic.twitter.com/E87sBXsay8

    Room151 2 days ago

    New realities of investing cash and liquidity: “What to do now?”: Sponsored article: Brian Buck looks at the “unique challenge” for cash management strategies. As investors assess the ongoing impact of the pandemic on their business, levels of cash and… dlvr.it/RqVbk9 pic.twitter.com/ZElVASmEUV

    Room151 3 days ago

    Extra finance promised by the government receives a broad welcome: Sponsored article: The financial pressures facing local authorities this year continue to pose challenges for council treasurers. While the launch of the UK’s Covid-19 vaccination… dlvr.it/RqTzTF pic.twitter.com/HCjH0pyHR5

    Room151 3 days ago

    A savvy approach to managing your cash: Sponsored article: Caroline Hedges examines the need for active cash management to achieve a higher than average return. Last year saw the already mountainous pile of negative-yielding debt around the[...] dlvr.it/RqTzMK pic.twitter.com/uP0RQYTJLt

    Room151 4 days ago

    Putting alternatives at the heart of multi-asset portfolios: Sponsored article: Nick Edwardson looks at the assets that provide the “most attractive opportunities”. We believe that asset allocation is the primary driver of investment returns and that the… dlvr.it/RqQ2Qt pic.twitter.com/WLBzvRRRUQ

    Room151 4 days ago

    Thriving in the pandemic: Avoiding the stragglers: Sponsored article: George Crowdy looks at the sectors providing opportunities for sustainable investment. Throughout much of 2020, we talked about why sustainable investing has thrived in the pandemic,… dlvr.it/RqQ2NQ pic.twitter.com/dxiPWKFsPl

    Room151 4 days ago

    The development of CCLA’s mental health benchmark: Sponsored article: Amy Browne examines the importance of investing in mental health in the workplace. We are living through a public health emergency in more ways than one. Physical health[...] dlvr.it/RqQ2Jx pic.twitter.com/o6yRSCX3oF

    Room151 5 days ago

    Brexit: What the EU trade deal means for the UK economy: Sponsored article: Hetal Mehta looks at the impact of Brexit on economic prospects. Four and a half years after voting to leave the EU, on Christmas Eve the UK finally[...] dlvr.it/RqLBDt pic.twitter.com/No62srfE8h

    Room151 5 days ago

    Cash dethroned: The quest for liquid yield: Sponsored article: Peter Hunt and George Carne ask how treasury departments can balance the need for yield and liquidity. The massive stimulus and waves of liquidity provided by central banks[...] dlvr.it/RqLBDj pic.twitter.com/05g6Zhu1kU

    Room151 5 days ago

    Richard Harbord: Delayed “capital determinations” make section 25 opinions a new crunch point: The severe pressure on local government budgets now means section 151 officers confront a tricky call on  whether they can make a judgement on the robustness… dlvr.it/RqLBDV pic.twitter.com/vTAbDKFzkI

    Room151 1 month ago

    PWLB Consultation: Analysis straight from Dickens: Helen Radall and Paul McDermott present a legal examination of the new PWLB borrowing rules as Charles Dickens might have imagined it. Free and easy PWLB (“Marley” to his friends)[...] dlvr.it/RnmwLq pic.twitter.com/yFxcPrQqEG

    Room151 1 month ago

    Room151’s top stories from a momentous year: 2020 was the year in which local government grappled with Covid-19, funding strains, controversy over borrowing rules and the threat of financial collapse. It has been an exhausting and historic[...] dlvr.it/RnlpZg pic.twitter.com/g3myNyox6J

    Room151 1 month ago

    Tracy Bingham: 2020, a year best forgotten but also one of learning: Many will rush to erase 2020 from their memories but, writes Tracy Bingham, there were also many lessons about finance teams, strategic planning and leadership. 2020: A year we’d… dlvr.it/RnlpY2 pic.twitter.com/m7G1krrtCu

    Room151 1 month ago

    Settlement must address ‘precarious’ local government finances: Dan Bates crosses his fingers for “no nasty surprises” in this week’s funding settlement but argues the “bigger prize” is post-Covid financial certainty. Thursday (17 December) should be the… dlvr.it/Rnj9dG pic.twitter.com/KLKjjuBqJE

    Room151 1 month ago

    PWLB consultation: Big change on the way but there are ‘grey areas’ and opportunities: The consultation on PWLB borrowing has concluded creating a new landscape for funding property acquisition. Our experts look at the implications. Tracie Langley The… dlvr.it/RndRvJ pic.twitter.com/KEqXEBmEfq

    Room151 1 month ago

    2021: Better income outcomes?: Sponsored article: Investors should be mindful of structural challenges posed to income generation as a result of rapid thematic change. Jon Bell looks at the prospects for the coming year.[...] dlvr.it/RndRsw pic.twitter.com/TxVk8aXkMq

  • Categories

    • 151 News
    • Agent 151
    • Blogs
    • Chris Buss
    • Cllr John Clancy
    • Dan Bates
    • David Crum
    • David Green
    • Development
    • Forum
    • Funding
    • Graham Liddell
    • Ian O'Donnell
    • Interviews
    • Jackie Shute
    • James Bevan
    • Jobs
    • LGPSi
    • Mark Finnegan
    • Recent Posts
    • Resources
    • Richard Harbord
    • Stephen Fitzgerald
    • Stephen Sheen
    • Steve Bishop
    • Technical
    • Treasury
    • Uncategorized
  • Archives

    • 2021
    • 2020
    • 2019
    • 2018
    • 2017
    • 2016
    • 2015
    • 2014
    • 2013
    • 2012
    • 2011
  • Previous story Newham’s special purpose vehicle, council expenditure, pay rises not certain, enterprise zone jobs boost
  • Next story Reserve cap plans face criticism

© Copyright 2021 Room 151. Typegrid Theme by WPBandit.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies from this website.OK