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In hindsight, their formative years weren't the easiest of upbringings... but in spite of this, the Regional Centres of Excellence (RCEs) matured into a well-balanced family which leaves a lasting legacy for local government. By studying their shared history, we can learn some important lessons for the future of improvement and efficiency as we move into the CSR07 period. Originally set up to help deliver the National Procurement Strategy, the RCEs brief was soon to expand considerably to support local authorities deliver the Gershon efficiency drive. To adapt quickly to this wider brief, the centres were given a strong central lead. This was right for the time, but as they developed momentum and a greater sense of a common purpose, the need for a central push became far less. We now find ourselves at a point where the balance of ownership of the improvement and efficiency agenda has swung firmly back towards local government. Critically, each centre was founded on the principle of accountability. They were overseen by management boards of chief executives where regional needs and priorities informed their work programmes. There's no doubt this enabled strong buy-in regionally, created trust and fostered collaboration. Rightly, we see the same principle of accountability embodied in the emerging Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships. It also provided the right environment for innovation. The centres were uniquely placed to break down traditional barriers to collaboration by creating the conditions for dialogue and co-operation. Around 400 projects have been funded which will deliver better outcomes and efficiency gains well into the future. Without the pioneering work of the centres, we would not have seen the creation of a construction framework agreement so large it can manage up to £3bn worth of projects, local government's first insurance mutual in more than 100 years, or a partnership of 19 authorities which has saved £4.4m on legal bills in one region alone. Besides all these wonderful projects, the centres have also brought coherence to the wider efficiency picture. For the first time, they have assembled a national picture of local authority spending and price benchmarking. This has unearthed vital evidence, previously invisible, that has enabled the centres to challenge ingrained procurement habits and develop new strategies for major areas of spending to ensure public money is used wisely. The spend analysis has shown where local government must focus its efforts to give local authorities the best opportunities to maximise efficiencies. It's on the major areas of spending – buildings and highways construction and maintenance, adult care services, children's services, waste management and goods and services – that local authorities must concentrate. And it is not just the amount of spending which has driven the centres to prioritise these areas, but the fact that demand pressures are on the rise. Whether it is the threat of landfill tax fines or the demographic timebomb of our rapidly ageing population, the analysis clearly points to where we must maximise our efforts. So, as the RCEs programme draws to a conclusion, what have we learned from the last three years and how can we apply this learning to the future? Here are my main conclusions: the sector knows best – local government has an enviable track record of efficiency, but we need a step change in ambition across all local authorities. With the right support arrangements in place and by raising its game, local government can continue to lead the public sector in efficiency and improvement don't lose what works – the centres have laid strong foundations for local government, whether it's a portfolio of innovative projects or strategies for dealing with the major areas of spend. We mustn't lose this legacy, although we should look again at delivery mechanisms, particularly for the big spend areas base activity on evidence – at both regional and national levels, the centres have generated a huge amount of data about local government's spending habits which must be used to inform future efficiency activity don't reinvent the wheel – while regional accountability has brought many benefits, the duplication of similar projects between regions hasn't been one of them. The new RIEPs must introduce mechanisms to ensure that best practice and knowledge are successfully transferred to help all local authorities, irrespective of their location engage councillors – with a few exceptions, councillors have been pretty much absent from regional efficiency work. We need to take out the intellectual and the technical, and link efficiency activity to the day-to-day political reality of local councillors. After all, they are the ones who take decisions and are accountable to local people involve all councils – ask any centre and they will reply that some councils do not engage in regional activity. This cannot continue under the new RIEP structure and with the right challenge and support structures in place, I hope all councils will be actively involved in their regional improvement and efficiency programmes buy-in from other government departments – if securing buy-in from all councils needs addressing, then so does central government buy-in. The case must be made to convince government departments that the RIEPs offer the best way to support the delivery of excellent local area agreement outcomes measure success – this is a tough one to crack, and I can't say that the RCEs have been 100% successful in this area. But local government must have the evidence at hand to convince its doubters, as well as its backers, that its efficiency and improvement programmes are generating tangible, measurable results. New evaluation software, called mietool, offers a solution to this perennial problem. And finally, trust. Our services play such an important part in the wellbeing of our country. That's why we cannot afford to lose faith in local government, nor its ability to deliver. Peter Bishop is programme manager at the Regional Centres of Excellence

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WHITEHALL

Heading for maturity

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