Better Local Services: Improving local government delivery through innovation and partnerships

Report of the Asia-Pacific Regional Symposium held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 2005

Today local governments, across the Commonwealth, face a major challenge in providing basic services in their jurisdictions. With large scale budgetary deficits, and rising expectations of the citizens, they are under constant pressure to respond to increasing infrastructure needs in their regions. Increasingly many local bodies have turned to non-public sector agencies to partner for asset creation as well as for service delivery. Recognizing the nature of these issues, partnerships between local governments and private and non-governmental organisations are seen as bold and innovative strategies to improve performance of the services delivered by local authorities. The Symposium facilitated a very worthwhile exchange of information, ideas and opinions. In particular, it documented a number of case studies of Local Government Service Partnerships that are summarised in this report.

To obtain hard copies of these publications please contact Dr Munawwar Alam, email m.alam@commonwealth.int