UKGI, as the government’s centre of excellence in corporate finance and corporate governance, has today published a new paper on arm’s length bodies: the case for them and how to optimise their use.
A key part of UKGI’s mission is to support departments across Whitehall to be most effective in their role as shareholders of arm’s length bodies, and we currently manage a portfolio of 16 such government bodies. In this paper we have drawn on our expertise across both the public and private sectors to identify how, where and why arm’s length bodies are used by government, and to define seven critical success factors for setting up and managing them.
Written with contributions from colleagues in the Cabinet Office, Treasury, the Infrastructure and Projects Authority and the Department for Transport, and with a foreword by the Chief Executive of the Civil Service, the paper is intended to help inform debate across Whitehall and beyond on the effective use of arm’s length bodies for specialised delivery, as well as to share practical know-how and expertise in this area.
In his foreword, the Chief Executive of the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary writes:
“This practical paper complements and supports the Cabinet Office’s guidance and provides real life examples to add to current thinking in this area. Based on expert practitioner knowledge, it identifies the core characteristics of an arm’s length body that are desirable for specialised delivery and sets out the critical criteria for government to enable the success of such bodies, including highlighting the importance of the shareholder function. Our success relies on continuing to build sophisticated skills and capabilities in this area.”
For further information:
UKGI: [email protected]
Citigate Dewe Rogerson: Toby Moore, Andrew Hey, Jos Bieneman – 0207 638 9571