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

Room 151

Impact Awards –>
  • 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...

  • Sponsored: Driving regional growth through the government hub programme Sponsored: Driving regional growth through the government hub programme 10 Oct, 2019
  • Doubts over shared service benefits prompt finance plan U-turn Doubts over shared service benefits prompt finance plan U-turn 24 Apr, 2019
  • Councils mount defence as TaxPayers’ Alliance takes aim at pay Councils mount defence as TaxPayers’ Alliance takes aim at pay 12 Apr, 2017
  • Richard Hardbord: Revaluation strategy Richard Hardbord: Revaluation strategy 28 Sep, 2015

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

    Impact Awards: Cheltenham’s tech hub and Hackney’s recovery from cyber attack: The CCLA/Room151 Impact Awards spotlight  finance teams with a direct impact on their local communities and the environment. This week we explore Cheltenham Borough Council’s… dlvr.it/Rxg53h pic.twitter.com/iH8oGKOfSs

    Room151 2 days ago

    Collaboration the key to district recovery post-pandemic: Regeneration and economic growth will depend on districts’ ability to secure funding and work with public and private partners, argues Sanjiv Kohli. Covid hit us in March 2020 and immediately[...] dlvr.it/Rxb4VK pic.twitter.com/FiMynEQVPU

    Room151 7 days ago

    Impact Awards: Liverpool’s cafe culture and Warrington’s investment in homes: The CCLA/Room151 Impact Awards showcase  finance teams with a direct impact on their local communities and the environment. This week we spotlight Liverpool City Council’s… dlvr.it/RxJsKb pic.twitter.com/dEYpaz6HP0

    Room151 7 days ago

    Doing something in #localgov #finance for housing or regeneration? Check out the 'Place Shaping' category room151.co.uk/impact-awards/… sponsored by @31tenConsulting in the CCLA/Room151 Impact Awards. #timetoenter !! pic.twitter.com/dU99vE6Wws

    Room151 1 week ago

    Doing something in #localgov #finance for Adult Social Care & Health? Check out the ASC&H category room151.co.uk/impact-awards/… sponsored by Fundamentum Social Housing REIT in the CCLA/Room151 Impact Awards. #timetoenter !!

    Room151 1 week ago

    Doing something in #localgov #finance for the environment? Check out the 'carbon management' category room151.co.uk/impact-awards/… sponsored by @ACSLLP in the CCLA/Room151 Impact Awards. #timetoenter !!

    Room151 1 week ago

    So what are the seven categories for the CCLA/Room151 Impact Awards? Here they are room151.co.uk/impact-awards/… #localgov #finance #outcomes

    Room151 1 week ago

    Why should LGPS be concerned about rising inflation?: The impact of the coronavirus pandemic, lockdown and wider economic uncertainty created  deflationary pressures which raise important considerations for the Local Government Pension Scheme writes… dlvr.it/RxF7Fs pic.twitter.com/JlcjROBIpz

    Room151 1 week ago

    JOB ALERT: LPFA Finance Director vacancy: London Pensions Fund Authority Finance Director and s151 Officer Competitive salary and benefits The largest Local Government Pension (LGPS) provider in London with around £6.5 billion of assets and 135[...] dlvr.it/RxBdJP

    Room151 1 week ago

    Richard Harbord: Further signs that local government finance is failing: The crisis in Liverpool and a fix for education budgets are further indication that local government finance is in need of a root and branch review. Even for those students[...] dlvr.it/Rx9PSV pic.twitter.com/sAanC2gEyu

    Room151 2 weeks ago

    Impact Awards: Finance helps launch school meals company and support business during lockdown: The CCLA/Room151 Impact Awards will showcase the way finance teams have a direct impact on their local communities and the environment. This week we spotlight… dlvr.it/RwnlF4 pic.twitter.com/AJhne1MVG4

    Room151 2 weeks ago

    "This work has made a vital, practical contribution to ensuring people have been supported through the pandemic." #impact #151awards #covid #s151 room151.co.uk/treasury/impac… #impactcasestudies #councilfinancemakesadifference

  • 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.