Letter: Time for radical rethink on public sector

I was particularly struck by his point on the savings that could be made if all public sector bodies followed the example of Scottish Water over the past few years - no less than 2.25 billion could be clawed back and used to sustain vital services for those most in need.

The fundamental question from this analysis is why the productivity lessons learned from Scottish Water's example aren't being implemented across the whole of the public sector. Imagine the savings gain if we had a regulator that actually had the real power to focus on the costs, effectiveness and efficiency in local authorities in the same way the Water Commissioner concentrated the mind of Scottish Water's management. This could ensure that taxpayers received both high-quality services and value for money.

Of course, that kind of efficiency saving will take a serious culture change in local and national government, but it's not the only culture change we need.

Frizzell's argument that we in Scotland have an ingrained expectation that "the council" or "the government" should be responsible for almost everything highlights, I think, one of the biggest challenges that the Scottish people face in the coming months and years.

We need to move away from a model where the public sector delivers all the services that society needs to one where it acts as an enabler for us to get the best services, regardless of who provides them.

Politicians of all parties have admitted that we need to start "doing things differently". It's time that we moved away from the attitude of "government knows best" and do things with people, not to them, as well start looking at how we can help the people of Scotland do more to help themselves.

JOHN DOWNIE

Director of public affairs

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Mansfield Place

Edinburgh