Martin backs inquiry into employee ownership in the public sector (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

Martin backs inquiry into employee ownership in the public sector

July 22, 2010 9:42 AM

MPs from all sides of the House of Commons will come together this week (Thurs July 22) to investigate how employee ownership can be introduced into the public sector.

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Employee Ownership is launching a short, informal inquiry to help identify policy challenges and practical solutions to ensure employee ownership can be both meaningful and successful for public sector workers.

APPG Chair Jesse Norman said: "The Coalition Government have made strong commitments to introducing more opportunities for employee ownership in the public sector. If delivered, this will be an important opportunity for frontline workers to take greater control over how they deliver services - but there are practical barriers that policy-makers will have to overcome.

"Our aim is to look closely at areas where employee ownership is likely to have an immediate effect, and come up with practical challenges and recommendations to ensure the Government's ambitions are realistic and achievable."

APPG Co-Chair Martin Horwood said: "Promoting employee ownership is a longstanding Lib Dem idea and one that has now been picked up by the coalition government. We came very close to achieving an employee buy-out at the Cheltenham engineering firm FormFlo which closed at Christmas. If the profile of employee ownership had been higher perhaps the owners of that company would have explored the idea earlier and we might have saved more than 100 local jobs. Employee ownership is a very different, positive and empowering approach to company ownership."

The first evidence session of the inquiry will be held in the House of Commons (Thatcher Room, Portcullis House) this Thursday (July 22) from 3-5.30pm. The first session will focus on the Royal Mail - an area in which the Coalition Government has already committed to examine the opportunities for employee ownership.

The panel for this inquiry will be APPG Chair Jesse Norman, and Co-Chairs Martin Horwood and John Woodcock. The evidence session will speak to representatives and experts from within the employee owned sector.

The APPG will aim to publish its recommendations on the back of this inquiry later this year.