Financing the Big Society: Commissioners

About this seminar series

We  ran a four-part series of breakfast seminars in November and December 2010 on Financing the Big Society.

The Spending Review signaled two clear trends for the provision of public services in the future:

1. an increasing emphasis on the use of outcomes-based commissioning
2. a desire to diversify provision to include more civil society organisations and SMEs.

When combined with the wider cuts agenda, these trends will require a revolution in how 'Big Society' providers finance themselves, in particular the requirement to access more risk-based capital.

• How should providers, commissioners and financiers respond to this agenda?
• What role will the Big Society Bank play?
• What new financing models are likely to emerge?

About this event: Commissioners

Commissioners are being expected to transform the way they approach their jobs.

A switch of emphasis to outcomes demands new metrics to be agreed with providers that capture the contribution Payments should be reflective of social value created rather than simply costs incurred if innovation and growth are to be encouraged.

The wider market also needs to be balanced across traditional public sector, private sector and CSO providers.