OVERVIEW

Public sector organisations have unparalleled opportunities to free themselves from the shackles of Whitehall and to focus on serving their communities. Some of this has been brought about through the Localism Bill, which provides a general power of competence through which local authorities can do anything that is legal. This creates the possibility that some will become more like businesses, generating a significant proportion of income through commercial activities. There is potential for that income to be invested in creating local businesses, local employment and the sort of non-mandatory services that may be increasingly difficult to afford for those reliant on central government and council tax funding. These are the services that turn 'places' into 'communities'. Whilst there are many examples of commercial enterprise, most local authorities obtain only a tiny proportion of their funding from it. As the conference will show, there is huge scope to increase income generation through a much more entrepreneurial and business-like approach.

Generating income is not new to the National Health Service, but again this has mostly been on a relatively small scale. The increasing independence of hospitals, through being given foundation status, together with the NHS reforms and increasing competition, will compel them to operate much more like businesses; those that fail to make the transition to a commercial mentality will struggle to survive. Leadership is key to releasing the entrepreneurial potential of staff, whilst simultaneously maintaining focus on medical care and services.

Many social enterprises have been hard hit by funding reductions. Reliance on government funding is a shaky foundation as government policies regularly change and funding will always be dependent on the state of the economy. The alternative is to become as self-sufficient as possible and, increasingly, social enterprises are finding alternative sources of funding. One approach is to identify those services that are provided free of charge but for which clients may be willing to pay. They may, in fact, value the services more because they are paying.

Public Sector Income Generation: Raising Revenue, Investing for the Future will focus on the opportunities for income generation across the public and third sectors and consider how organisations and personnel within them will need to adapt in order to realise them. With practical examples on offer, this event is ideal for those public sector organisations and social enterprises with the vision, determination and capability to take advantage of the new environment.