Those who argue outsourcing endangers accountability are still fighting the last war

Critics of the practice of outsourcing – paying external organisations to provide public services – point to a lack of democratic accountability and public service ethos in justifying their view. But is this fair? Simon Parker, the Director of the New Local Government Network think tank, and a veteran of the CBI’s Public Services Strategy Board, argues that it isn’t, and that critics are fighting the last war, with new models of partnership between the state, private, and third sectors becoming the new norm.