Integration across government and Whole-Place Community Budgets : fourteenth report of session 2013-14, report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence

For many years Governments have sought to breakdown silo working in departments and ensure better integration across departments to ensure more effective services and better value for money.

The Cabinet Office and the Treasury are best placed to support and promote integration across the Government, as they are responsible for coordinating policy and allocating monies.

However, they are failing to provide the necessary strategic leadership and are not doing enough to tackle the barriers to integration.

These include the lack of good information to identify where the Government could do better by joining services, funding arrangements which make it difficult for bodies to invest in joint working, and the risk that Accounting Officers are reluctant to pool budgets in case they lose control and authority.

In contrast, the Whole-Place Community Budgets programme has involved local public bodies and central government working together to develop evidence-based plans for new integrated services.

Four local areas have analysed in detail the expected costs and benefits of integration and their findings show clear potential for improving outcomes and reducing costs. The Department for Communities and Local Government, which manages the Whole-Place Community Budgets programme, has provided effective support to date.

However, if other central government departments are not committed to Whole-Place Community Budgets it may, like similar initiatives in the past, fail to deliver any significant and lasting change.

The programme must be evaluated properly to see whether the early promise translates to real change on the ground and improves value for money.