Don't let failures deter spending

摘要

Councils should not be held back from responsible commercial investments due to high-profile failures by their counterparts, according to a panel of experts.The issue was discussed at an event held by the Localis think-tank and consultancy Human Engine following the publication of their report The Commercial Edge.Localis chief executive Jonathan Werran suggested the sector had been 'tarred' by the costly mistakes made by some local authorities, resulting in a 'poisonous narrative'.Associate director at the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, Andrew Burns, agreed the debate around commercialism had 'generated heat rather than light'. He said some of the reactions to recent failures resulted from activity being concealed by a 'cloak of commercial confidentiality' until things went awry, and that 'good governance and scrutiny' were required.