How to define a public service mutual: public consultation launched

• Civil Society Minister Mims Davies has launched a consultation on the definition of public service mutuals in order to provide clarity and increase understanding amongst the sector.
• The call for evidence aims to help public sector commissioners in particular who award contracts, and grow the role of mutual organisations.

Public service mutuals are currently defined as organisations that have left the public sector but continue to deliver public services, and have a significant degree of employee ownership, influence or control. However evidence suggests this current definition is misunderstood and unclear, and needs updating to reflect the changing public service delivery landscape. The public consultation will aim to:

• Strengthen the understanding of ‘public service mutuals’. Doing this will give public service commissioners and broader stakeholders increased confidence that mutuals represent the values government wants to see in public service delivery.
• Provide greater clarity for social sector organisations on what requirements are needed to be considered a public service mutual.
• Raise awareness and understanding of the benefits of the mutuals model, informing decisions about who delivers public services.

Mims Davies, Minister for Sport and Civil Society, said:

We know that mutuals have more engaged staff, increased productivity and deliver more innovative services and this is why we’ve been supporting the growth of mutuals over the last ten years.

We need to make sure we have a clear understandable and updated definition to increase confidence in the sector which can inspire further growth over the coming years.

The consultation will be open for 12 weeks following which the government will publish a revised definition that reflects current priorities for public services.

Further Information

More detail including the consultation document can be found here