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Consultants' reports: where do they end up?
Consultants' reports commissioned by public sector authorities are clearly valued in advance of their preparation. But what happens to them once they are complete? It is surely reasonable to argue that all publicly-funded work should be published by the commissioning authority, even if the recommendations are not adopted or ignored. Often this does not happen. As a result, work may be quickly forgotten, even within the authority that paid for the work.
Consultants cannot expect their recommendations to be adopted in full and without question, because public consultation and debate, and political considerations, will inevitably modify and shape what is seen as appropriate. But consultants' work contains much more than recommendations. Surveys, audits, visions, reviews, consultations, and so on, are all potentially valuable in building up the authority's fund of experience and knowledge to inform better decision making.
The publication on this website of various reports that otherwise would no longer see the light of day is aimed at making a small contribution in this direction.
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