A blog by Carolyn Bartlett, newly elected ACE Board Member and Chief Strategy and Transformation Office for the Valutation Office Agency

The sun shone for the second Tea at the IfG, where a small group gathered on the terrace, overlooking The Mall.  We were even treated to a display from the mounted Queen’s Life Guards, returning to Buckingham Palace from Horse Guards Parade following their daily inspection.

This venerable location and long-standing tradition made me muse about the under-representation of ALBs in the research corpus and history books, and the relative lack of considered attention they have been given in work to improve the effectiveness of government.

The Association of Chief Executives itself was only established in 2006.  Within the Cabinet Office, the Public Bodies Team is run by just a handful of civil servants.  Much of the thinking on the effectiveness and efficiency of around 300 ALBs – with a combined spend of over £220bn – is being driven by select committees, think tanks and bodies like the National Audit Office.  That means the role of ACE is increasingly important in influencing the public service reform agenda.

Our conversation ranged across leadership, legitimacy and the ALB landscape now and into the future.  Members were able to share insights and experience on getting the best from Boards, finding savings to reinvest in services, optimising sponsor relationships, driving transformation and multi-year planning, the advantages and challenges of different models of accountability, the scope for benchmarking – and much more.

As we emerge from the first stage of the pandemic and look forward to the next chapter of public bodies reform, the ability to come together face-to-face for peer support and informal reflection is more valuable than ever.  Whilst the sessions are scheduled for two hours, you can pop in for however long you can spare within that window.  The format and setting are relaxed and the conversations are led by members and their interests.  It’s an opportunity to make new friends and learn from others, and you can be assured of a warm welcome.  And the views and biscuits are pretty good too!

Our ACE Tea at the IfG sessions take place on the Fourth Tuesday of every month from 16:00-18:00 at our ACE home, the Institute for Govenrment (IfG).  Register for upcoming sessions here.