From Future of Local Services to the Public

Contents 1 World markets 1.1 Summary  1.2 Impacts  1.3 Relevance  1.4 Key references

World markets

This DTI foresight scenario for the UK in 2030 is deemed most likely by CIPFA and partners in their 2007 report The Future of Services to the Public.

Summary 

A potential future for the UK where people aspire to personal independence, material wealth, and mobility to the exclusion of wider social goals. Integrated global markets are presumed to be the best way to deliver this.

This scenario outlines a reduced role for the state in the lives of citizens, and a greater role for business in personal choise and freedoms. The model also works on the basis of greater devolution of political power.

Impacts 

With the increasing political resonance of the choice agenda it addresses issues directly relevant to local service provision, such as:

• education
• social services
• healthcare
• taxes
• This scenario could lead to a reduction in the local provision of key services.

Relevance 

The scenarios for the future developed by the CIPFA report are relevant for all policy-makers, who are affected by the extent to which the relationshop between public and private provision of services may shift over the next 20 years.

Key references

CIPFA (2007) The Future of Services to the Public - reviewing the pressures and challenges for long term change www.cipfa.org.uk/download/FSP_Vol1.pdf