OVERVIEW

Most public sector organisations will be suffering unprecedented reductions in funding in the next few years. At the same time, the general public and politicians will be expecting the current level of public services to be maintained. This will require huge improvements in the productivity of staff, organisational re-structuring, shared services to make use of scale, better use of IT, rationalisation of the public sector estate and much better procurement.
In May the government will have just celebrated its first anniversary and seven months will have passed since the comprehensive spending review, therefore this timely conference Managing the Deficit - A Progress Report will be an opportunity to discuss what has been achieved to date. It will also provide insight into how much more needs to be done.

Another purpose of this event is to showcase some of the excellent work that is taking place in the public sector and which has wider application. 'Lean' is a structured approach to involving the workforce in delivering higher productivity, through streamlining processes and through fewer errors. Re-engineering one's organisation and making best use of IT can create step-changes in efficiency. A shared services operation can also contribute enormously.

The programme will address what the cuts mean, summarise where the greatest opportunities may lie, and also reflect on the way some services may have to change. Delegates will be provided with practical ways to manage with less. The panel debate '20 ways to save' will provide delegates with practical examples of where and how public sector bodies have made savings and an opportunity to follow-up on these. Ways to save are rarely applicable to just one part of the public sector; they can often be applied in the private sector as well. So this session, with expert panellists, will be of value to all delegates, whether public or private sector, who are having to tighten their belts.
The transformation of the public sector to deliver value for money has begun. However, the classic school report line 'could do better' certainly springs to mind.
At Managing the Deficit - A Progress Report we will hear of the work so far undertaken to deliver encouraging results. It is no secret these successes are just the tip of the iceberg and much much more still needs to be done. Efficiency experts will divulge their top tips for success and delegates will leave with inspirational examples of how they can apply proven budget saving strategies within their own organisations and meet the challenging targets they face.