Money matters

摘要

Collaboration and partnership have been the watchwords for local government over recent times but I'd like to vote to add another word - 'pragmatism'. As our financial relationships with others become more complex and challenging, this key skill is becoming increasingly important. Sometimes it is a hard sell. Are we failing in our professional duties if we take into account the financial health of the group rather than just our own authority, especially when there is a conflict between the two? Trying to find a 'win-win' is always best, although sometimes it has to be a 'win-win slightly less' in pure financial terms. What about the wider benefits that don't necessarily have a pound sign attached? That is when the magic ingredient of pragmatism needs to come to the fore.