摘要: |
A senior local highway officer told Highways recently: 'As local government, we are a monopoly. Nobody likes a monopoly. They like to feel they've got a choice. I can't exactly tell my residents to go ask another council to maintain their road.' True enough but not the whole story. The council has a monopoly but the market it chooses from is varied and the delivery models are increasingly complex, as our cover story, the latest Highways/Norse round table discussion, highlights. Councils are increasingly deploying a range of hybrid models to find the best delivery method not just overall but for each component of the service. In this at least, the council has a wealth of choice. A major trend is a growing desire in councils for flexibility and control, balanced against efficiency, prompted by the desire to sweat the asset and the model. Councils also want to remain agile in the face of change and in reaction to shocks. |