Strategy
Business Strategy Services
Comprehensive strategy solutions for every business
Strategy defines your Path. Goals on that path define your Success
Reinvent your Strategy
We are experts at designing strategies that redefine what's possible
The key to sustained success lies in understanding where to play and how to win—identifying the right opportunities, markets, and strategies to achieve a lasting competitive edge. This requires a strategic shift towards innovation and reinvention, supported by visionary leadership and a reimagining of your organisation's role in the global landscape.
Today's executives face the dual challenge of navigating successive digital transformations while also building a clear strategy that aligns
culture,
purpose, and
execution. Success in this demanding environment requires a profound alignment in strategy and vision across your leadership teams and a disciplined focus on the opportunities that will position your organisation to thrive in the future.
“The competitor to be feared is one who never bothers about you at all, but goes on making his own business better all the time.”
Henry Ford
95%
Number of employees who say they don't understand their company's strategy
48%
Of organisations fail to meet half of their strategic actions
60%
Of organisations do not tie financial budgets to strategic priorities
Speak to one of our experts
How we help our clients
Our team of experts has decades of experience providing sustainable strategies to both private and public companies
Corporate Strategy
Using data-driven insights and market research, we align our approach with your unique corporate vision and objectives, ensuring a strategic pathway that is both ambitious and achievable.
M&A Strategy
Designed to guide organisations through the complexities of mergers and acquisitions. We understand that successful M&A transactions require meticulous due diligence, strategic alignment, and agile PMaaS to unlock value and drive growth.
Go-to-Market Strategy
Designed to help businesses effectively launch their products and services in competitive markets. We understand that a successful GTM strategy is crucial for maximising market penetration and achieving sustainable growth.
Strategy Stress Tests
A rapid review and assessment of your activities in key Go-to-Market areas against our tailored strategy health-scoring matrix
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The Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy Stress Test is a Cambridge MC methodology to rapidly review your GTM Strategy and associated business plan. We test against best-in-class parameters (chosen according to your target segments, regions and portfolio), and challenge the assumptions underpinning your current strategy.
This process enables us to quickly identify any adjustments or gaps in your strategy and provide detailed recommendations to reframe your priorities.
3 Stages
- Interviews and data analysis to understand the correct criteria to stress test your strategy. Insights from our decades of industry experience shape the test and strategy options.
- 1–5 scoring system for the selected criteria. Data modelling runs simulations to test different strategies against your market & identified risks.
- A range of actions and identified risks are presented to your leadership. These recommendations include actions, investment costs and timelines.
Benefits
1.
Fixed Price
A cost-effective way to stress test your strategy before commiting time and resources. We deliver an enhanced strategy that features time and cost-saving opportunities.
2.
Fast Delivery
Delivered in 3-5 weeks by a cross-functional team of experts who are selected for relevant expertise.
3.
External Viewpoint
Our experts are free from internal biases and other influences which may interfere with your strategy — we are not afraid to challenge assumptions and give an honest appraisal of risk vs reward.
Other Stress Tests
We have a range of strategy stress tests that provide fast but deep insights into your current position, the biggest risks and the quick wins that were hidden from view
Case Study
A Rapid Strategy Stress Test to Accelerate a GTM Strategy for Africa
Cambridge Management Consulting used its Rapid Strategy Stress Test to help a global high-speed connectivity leader refine and accelerate its Go-to-Market (GTM) strategy for Africa. The methodology assessed their current strategy across 11 best-in-class parameters, identifying gaps, testing assumptions, and providing actionable recommendations.
Key outcomes included refining country prioritisation using a 15-parameter framework, optimising pricing methodology, and recommending fractional sales capabilities and strategic GTM partnerships.
The approach also involved market sizing, competitor analysis, and trend evaluation. The client's strategy was enhanced to better target opportunities, maximise resource effectiveness, and adapt to local needs, resulting in an ongoing collaboration with potential for expansion.
Our Strategy practice is led by Mauro Mortali
Managing Partner - Strategy, Transformation and Change
With over 25 years of experience in both leadership and governance positions across the corporate, education, and charity sectors, Mauro is the Managing Partner for our Strategy Practice. Having held senior strategy and innovation positions, Mauro blends traditional strategy capabilities such as deep insight, analysis and critical thinking with the collaboration, creative and co-creation skills of Design Thinking. One of Mauro’s passions is narrative development and storytelling, and he brings this into his strategy work in order to enable his clients to win the hearts and minds of their stakeholders and customers.
Mauro’s role with Cambridge MC is to help organisations design, develop, and deliver strategies with an emphasis on activation to achieve their goals. Mauro is also an executive coach with a focus on performance and wellbeing, working with both individuals and teams to identify and maximise their strengths. This also enables him to bring a human-centred approach to strategy development.
As an Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation, and an accredited Strengthscope Practitioner, Mauro combines deep insight and creative thinking to drive individual and team excellence.
Our team can be your team
Our team of experts have multiple decades of experience across many different business environments and across various geographies.
We can build you a specialised team with the skillset and expertise required to meet the demands of your industry.
Our combination of expertise and an intelligent methodology is what realises tangible financial benefits for clients.
Some of Our Strategy Experts
Jeff Owen
Managing Partner – Procurement & Commerical
A highly-experienced COO/Operations Director, board member, and consultant in the Telco sector, Jeff holds an impressive track record of creating scalable operational infrastructure to drive profit from commercial activities with Six Sigma methodologies.
Strategy Case Study
ELIXIR
We were contacted by ELIXIR, an inter-governmental life sciences research network, to help with a strategy and leadership challenge.
ELIXIR was in the middle of an organisational transformation, following a period of intense and rapid growth over the preceding 6-month period.
Dr Blomberg, ELIXIR's CEO, recognised the need for clarity in ELIXIR’s mission and that help was required to define their values. Following initial discovery discussions with members of the Cambridge MC Management team, a bespoke plan was created. We delivered a mission workshop for the 8-person Senior Leadership Team, which would be the first in a series of workshops and coaching relationships that ran into the following year. On the basis of our success and a growing relationship, further team-building sessions were requested and conducted by Ben Clarke.
Strategy
Case Studies
Successful divestiture and auction process managed by Cambridge MC Cambridge Management Consulting was appointed by the Post Office Limited (the Post Office) to support them on a strategic review of their consumer telecommunications (phone and broadband) business. Following a thorough review of strategic options, it was decided to make a divestiture of the business through an auction process with the outcome that Post Office Telecoms was sold to Shell Energy Retail Limited, SERL, (Shell) in the first quarter of 2021. We were engaged to work with the Post Office and other external advisors to manage the process. The Strategy Given Cambridge MC’s close understanding of both client and sector, we took a leading role in the sale process. We worked closely with the financial and legal advisors to prepare an information memorandum issued to a carefully selected pool of potential buyers. We worked collaboratively with the other advisors, providing insight on the sector and likely buyers. This created a focused and targeted approach to the sale. We provided telecoms, commercial and technical expertise in the review and assessment of all purchase bids, inputting recommendations to the client’s senior management team. We assisted in negotiations with the bidders and input to shortlisting and down selection of the preferred bidder. Interdependencies The Post Office Telecoms Business Unit was highly outsourced, therefore the relationship with the lead outsourcing partner was key to the success of the sale. A good relationship was established with the outsource partner through regular and structured discussions, resulting in a comprehensive and informative output from the review. Cambridge MC carried out a careful review of the existing outsource arrangements, particularly with respect to exit and transition of services in the event of a change in outsourcing partner. Vendor due diligence Vendor due diligence was carried out in two phases; first with a small group of potential bidders, and secondly with a carefully selected preferred bidder. Cambridge MC populated and assisted with the management of the Virtual Data Room and Q&A process, acting as an interface between the bidders, the Post Office’s subject matter experts and the lead outsourcer. Legal Cambridge MC worked collaboratively with both the internal legal team and Norton Rose Fulbright (external legal team). We assisted with the timely creation and review of all sale-related legal documentation, including guidance notes for bidders on the existing outsource agreement and the structure of the novation agreement. Transitional Services Agreement (TSA) Cambridge MC led on the design and content of the Transitional Services Agreement (TSA), working collaboratively with the legal, commercial and procurement teams. This involved negotiation of terms with the preferred bidder and development of a robust separation plan with the Post Office’s operations. Following completion, we executed against the TSA and separation plan. Governance Cambridge MC supported the Post Office’s governance processes throughout, including the preparation of board and shareholder approval papers. Outcomes & Results 1. Smooth TSA process Cambridge MC provided a complete solution with ongoing accountability for early deliverables 2. Exit of services We quickly established ourself as the lead on exit and transition of services. This proved invaluable both in assisting the due diligence of the preferred bidder and also in structuring the transaction documents to enable a successful sale. 3. Advisory roles Cambridge MC provided strategy advice to Post Office executives during the sale process, to ensure that the Post Office maximised its sale price and maintained the probability of delivering an outcome during the tough market conditions of Covid-19. 4. Results Post Office Telecoms was sold successfully to Shell in Q1, 2021. "The Cambridge MC team have been instrumental in delivering a successful sales outcome for the Post Office Telecoms Business Unit” Meredith Sharples, Director, Post Office Telecoms
edenseven Supports Peterborough City Council toward their Sustainability Journey By developing a model of their current portfolio to project a forward path. Peterborough City Council owns a portfolio of several thousand rooftop solar panels that are used to provide renewable energy to their tenants. In addition to providing obvious benefits in terms of a reduction in carbon emissions with clean energy, the Council also receives income through the Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme. FIT was designed by government to promote the uptake of renewable and low-carbon electricity generation. Project Overview The Council needed to assess the current value of the portfolio and asked edenseven to develop a model to forecast the predicted electricity usage and corresponding income. The model needed to be: Robust and auditable, following industry best practices. Flexible, to allow for testing different scenarios and assumptions. Provide visibility of future quarterly income and cost patterns. Allow users with limited experience to change assumptions and assess results. Skills & Knowledge Understanding of solar PV installations, performance, and cost drivers. Understanding of FIT tariff schemes and the variables that affect them (e.g. installation date, capacity, RPI). Ability to create complex yet robust and user-friendly data models. Ability to interact with stakeholders to ensure the model captures and reflects the needs of the Council. Outcome & Results Project Model : edenseven developed a model that met the Council’s expectations. Financial Clarity : The model allowed the council to assess financial value as well as expected income and cost flows. Adaptability : Although the initial aim was to use the model to evaluate the portfolio, its flexibility allowed it to be used as a tool to track changes on the portfolio over time.
Ensuring that University of Bristol remains the university of choice for students, academics and partners in a globally competitive market The University of Bristol is a Russell Group University and a leader in many global league tables, including the QS World University Rankings where in 2023 it ranked 9th in the UK. To strengthen its competitive position, the University is undertaking an ambitious digital transformation strategy. As a foundation of this strategy, the Modern Network will deliver a significant increase in capacity, flexibility, automation, resilience, security and experience for all users. Cambridge Management Consulting was selected as the consulting firm to help the University establish and refine the requirements, design the network in collaboration with University of Bristol experts and lead the technical procurement for a Modern Network. Cambridge MC’s technical and commercial expertise helped University of Bristol navigate a complex procurement exercise and deliver the first stages of the transformation programme. The Challenge The current University of Bristol campus network requires significant modernisation to support the University’s Digital Strategy. All staff, students and visitors interact with the University's network every day, whether it's connecting a device to Wi-Fi, emailing a colleague, or running a session on the University’s Digital Learning Platform. The University of Bristol recognised that improving their global competitiveness requires a step change in the digital experience offered to all users and so it launched its Modern Network programme. Key objectives of the Modern Network are to introduce a high-performance network that gives users access to comprehensive teaching and learning resources, as well as specialist equipment, data, and scalable fibre for innovative research. The Modern Network programme also aims to enable students to connect with friends and family, and socialise online from wherever they are on campus, at any time, day or night. The new network will enhance the Wi-Fi coverage and capacity to give users the best digital experience round the clock. The University realises that a significant increase in network performance is needed to support data intensive activities, including centralised and de-centralised computing, large scale sensor networks, media rich applications like augmented and virtual reality, data intensive instrumentation and modelling. The architecture designed is going to be more flexible, highly scalable, adaptable and evergreen. Security will be improved to cope with the continuously evolving threat landscape and to enable Modern Network users to safely perform their activities from any location in the world, with a consistent, hassle-free experience. The Modern Network will deliver a reliable platform with world-class operational capabilities, making the services easy to consume, monitor and manage. The Strategy Cambridge Management Consulting used its expertise and knowledge to quickly establish a comprehensive set of requirements and to test market appetite to deliver a Modern Network via an RFI. Requirements Management used a structured approach based on a Cambridge MC requirements catalogue. This accelerated the process of engaging University of Bristol stakeholders to validate requirements and helped to shape the University’s procurement process. An efficient and comprehensive stakeholder engagement process also saw the development of multiple personas that were used to explain how the Modern Network would deliver capabilities for students, academics, researchers and professional services colleagues. Cambridge MC, in conjunction with the university, then helped to shape a structured procurement approach. Modern Network capabilities were put into 3 main procurement categories to provide purchasing and transformation flexibility. Cambridge MC led the Procurement technical dialogue. Working in partnership with experts from the University of Bristol, a highly scalable, flexible, secure and resilient target state network was designed. The design is modular and makes use of multiple technical patterns. This provides a repeatable, standardised way for the University to deliver capabilities that can have customised performance service and levels. To assist the Procurement activities, Cambridge MC also created a Model Modern Network. The Model allowed a consistent financial assessment to be made at each stage of the Procurement, including providing a detailed estimate of the transformation milestones and payments. The Cambridge MC team also shaped the Modern Network programme. It was broadly shaped into mobilisation, discovery, design, prove, pilot and deploy phases. Cambridge MC are providing support in the early transformation phase to help the University of Bristol deliver the ambitious programme. The resulting Modern Network will be a high performance, flexible, resilient and secure platform. It will introduce self-service and automation, such as zero touch deployments and autonomous networks for research activities. It will leverage programmatic control and AIOps to improve the digital experience and inclusiveness, sustainability and the global competitiveness of the University. A technical modernisation like this requires a similar shift to a world-class operating model. Cambridge MC supported the service management redesign throughout the procurement phase. Using comprehensive requirements structured around ITIL, the team co-designed the enhanced set of service capabilities and are now helping University of Bristol to introduce these services. The new service management approach will provide full end-to-end visibility of the network, formal SLAs and SLA management and enhanced fault, change, configuration and knowledge management. This will complement the new technical capabilities and provide significant benefits to the University. The Team Cambridge Management Consulting provided procurement, commercial, technical business analysis and service management expertise. Cambridge MC also provided expertise for the procurement and post-procurement implementation activity. Cambridge MC worked exceptionally well with the University's digital and procurement teams to ensure end-to-end success for the University. Not only did the Cambridge MC team help support, but they also provided extensive knowledge transfer to, the University to minimise the future need for external support, minimise future costs for external consultants and help further develop the in-house ICT and procurement capabilities. Outcomes & Results 1. Cambridge Management Consulting's attention to detail ensured there were clear winners of the Procurement lots, with no challenges or disaffected potential suppliers. The winners of the three lots were all world-class organisations with a desire to support the University with its ambition to deliver a first-class service. 2. Cambridge MC have since assisted the University with other aspects of their Digital Strategy and continue to be engaged to help University of Bristol transform.
By consolidating their data centre estate and making flagship locations more efficient. The client, a major financial institution, had a large portfolio of data centres and was initially concerned that one of them was approaching the end of its life. After a review of their data centre estate, our consultants identified that not only were operating costs out of control (several times higher than market rates would indicate) but the team in charge of strategy was not aware of the IT strategy or its impact on data centre requirements. The hybrid cloud strategy adopted by the CIO team would create a significant reduction in IT load in their data centres—perhaps up to 50% in the long-term. This would have reduced the efficiency of the data centre estate even further. Their flagship data centre was under 50% utilised, making it highly inefficient, both in terms of OpEx and energy usage, and these costs would increase significantly if the DC estate strategy was not reviewed. The Challenge The bank had two main challenges: 1) To ensure that their data centres were resilient and stable (a regulatory requirement) and financially efficient. They had a large estate of data centres, including several standalone facilities, and many dozens of on-premise computer rooms in corporate HQ buildings. Many of their legacy data centres were old and inefficient. 2) Their flagship data centre was less than 50% utilised and was costing a significant multiple of the standard operating cost for a similar facility. A significant proportion of the extra cost was due to the low utilisation. As well as the physical and financial issues, the organisation was suffering due to a lack of coordination between the property department, who owned and paid for the buildings and power, and the IT department, who were the customer, but who made no direct financial contribution to data centre costs. The IT strategy was to adopt a hybrid cloud platform that would reduce IT loads by up to 50%, but the property teams were not even aware of this. The Solution Our consultants first had to bridge the gap between the property teams and the IT department at the bank. A lack of engagement between the two teams meant that there was a fundamental lack of understanding of the requirements for data centre capacity in the medium- and long-term. The supplier (the property team) had little or no idea of what the customer (the IT department) required. The IT department was also finding it difficult to express their requirements in terms that the property team could act on. So, the approach that had been adopted was one of over-engineering and over-provision. Our team started by analysing the utilisation across the data centre estate and modelling the impact of the hybrid cloud strategy over time. This included a sensitivity analysis that looked at different scenarios that would affect the proportion of IT workloads migrated into the cloud. This gave a clear picture of how total utilisation was likely to look over the two-year period that the cloud migration was forecast to last. Our main recommendation was to consolidate the data centre estate into the smallest possible footprint. Filling the flagship data centre to a reasonable level would halve the running costs overall and improve total system resilience. Emptying older data centres would release properties from the portfolio that could then be disposed of. This had additional benefits in HQ buildings with older computer rooms that had effectively locked the bank into buildings that were of no strategic interest to the organisation. Outcomes & Results 1. The bank is now on a long-term programme of consolidating their data centres. 2. The target number of standalone facilities was reduced by over 50% and the target number of computer rooms in HQ buildings was reduced by over 90%. 3. The hybrid cloud programme is almost complete. 4. Utilisation in the flagship data centre has increased and will continue to grow as IT systems are migrated out of legacy data centres slate for disposal. 5. The IT team has become significantly more involved in data centre strategy and is working more closely with the property team to ensure alignment.
Strategy insights
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Cambridge Tech Week As Cambridge Tech Week approaches, there is a spotlight on innovative technological solutions that can accelerate local authorities towards their net zero targets. This year, a standout contribution comes from edenseven, an environmental consultancy with strong ties to the region. In collaboration with Peterborough City Council and a consortium of other organisations, edenseven is developing an innovative digital platform, cero.places, designed to accurately measure emissions, report on interventions, and provide insights for the council's decarbonisation strategy. As we gather at Cambridge Tech Week to celebrate and explore world-class technological advancements, the work of edenseven and Peterborough City Council serves as a compelling example of how tech-driven solutions can level the barriers to a sustainable future. The Opportunity Local Authorities have the capacity to impact roughly one third of UK emissions, according to the Climate Change Committee’s 2020 report, being able to control significant portions of local transport, social housing, and waste, as well as influence the behaviours of local businesses and communities. 327 out of 394 (June 2024) Local Authorities have declared a climate emergency, of which 114 have a net zero target and 280 have a plan (CAPE.mysociety.org). This demonstrates both a belief in the importance of responding to climate change, and a willingness to act . The Challenge While there has been support from central government, including the establishment in 2022 of regional Net Zero Hubs, the assistance website – Net Zero Go - in 2023, and substantial funding, the Climate Change Committee summed up the main challenge: ‘In England and Northern Ireland, there is no overall plan on how local authorities fit into delivering net zero. The onus is on local authorities to work out their own course based on piecemeal policy and communications from Government.’ This ‘working out their own course’ is demonstrated by the 2024 Local Government Association Sustainability Survey , which showed significant variation across authorities: 92% are reporting their authority’s scope 1 and 2 emissions, but only 35% are reporting their scope 3 emissions . 52% report their local area’s scope 1 and 2 emissions, and only 15% report their area’s scope 3 emissions . 37% use their own tools to arrive at their authority’s carbon emissions, 33% use a purpose build tool, and 19% used an external consultancy. To measure area wide emissions, 52% use the BEIS inventory, 16% use an external consultancy, 16% use SCATTER, and 8% have developed their own tools. But there is no single platform which provides both area-wide and authority accounting, and certainly not one which also combines pathway strategies and project tracking for local authorities. The absence of a common framework and approach to report emissions is problematic, as good measurements are key to building effective emissions reduction strategies , setting measurable and ambitious emission goals, and tracking progress accurately. Our Technology Solution The absence of a common framework is clear, but the solution is clearer: good measurements and accurate tracking require robust and dynamic data and management , which can be found in a technological approach. Using Peterborough as an example of a region whose environmental strategy could benefit from further structure, the holistic and objective nature of a technological solution stands to resolve the following boundaries: Understanding of the emission totals across the authority and area. A consistent a simple way to manage emission data across the council. Creating standard reports quickly and easily for different audiences (eg. senior executives to local communities). Consolidating and tracking all intervention projects across the council area. Measuring and illustrating the impact of ongoing projects both individually and collectively. As part of Peterborough Accelerated Net Zero (PANZ), edenseven, a sustainability consultancy based in the UK with strong connections to Cambridge, has been developing a digital platform with which to respond to these very challenges, and more, cero.places . In affiliation with their in-house carbon accounting platform, cero.earth , this system is being designed to specifically help Peterborough City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council to successfully record and report their carbon emissions, climate strategies, and intervention projects aligned to these strategies. With the potential to further benefit other local councils , cero.places also has the built-in capacity to identify potential intervention projects , capture stakeholders , track funding , and communicate updates to the public . As such, leveraging the numerous positives and innovations of technology, cero.places will support councils to easily and accurately record, manage, and report on their emissions, strategies, and projects in a consistent way, providing a standardised approach to the project. Furthermore, partners, and the public, will be able to see the projects they are involved with and the impact that their interventions are having on reducing emissions and achieving targets. What's Next? Although cero.places is being designed using Peterborough and Cambridgeshire councils as test cases, the underlying tech will be flexible enough that it can easily be customised to any local authority , integrating with their tools and systems. The long-term vision is to make a platform that becomes the go-to for local authorities to manage their net zero journey end-to-end . About edenseven edenseven is a sustainability consultancy and technology provider that uses data and market experience to enable the private and public sector, and their supply chains, to play their part in tackling climate change while achieving sustainable growth. For more information, visit their website . About PANZ edenseven is delivering Peterborough Accelerated Net Zero alongside consortium partners: Peterborough City Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Nordic Energy, Energy Systems Catapult and PECT. Innovate UK are funding £2.75m of this £3.2m project. The work described here is just one of several work packages. For more information, read more here .
It is no secret that Local Authorities throughout the UK have found themselves in a period of economic turmoil; struggling with a lack of funding and how to distribute it - or, often, deciding to withhold it. Since Northamptonshire County Council issued section 114 (the local council equivalent to declaring bankruptcy ) in 2018 – the first to be issued in nearly two decades – an average of two regional authorities have issued their own section 114 notice each year since. Three local authorities issued section 114 notices last year alone, including the largest in Europe, Birmingham City Council . Referring to this escalation, Jonathon Carr-West , Chief Executive of the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU), said: “This year’s State of Local Government Finance report reveals the desperate, ruinous financial situation councils find themselves in. “With over half of councils warning us they are at risk of bankruptcy within the next Parliament, it is no longer possible to blame individual governance issues.” What are the Causes? Funding The key driver is lack of central government funding. Council’s cannot borrow to run services and so rely on income and reserves in order to pay for day-to-day services. Central government funding cuts have seen councils lose nearly 50% of their government funding since 2010. This has been partially offset by council tax rises, but still means local authorities have lost nearly 20% of their funding in real terms since 2010, with those representing the most deprived areas reaching nearly 30% . Adult Social Care During this time spending on Adult Social Care (support provided to adults, including both older people and people of working age, with physical disabilities, learning disabilities, or physical or mental illnesses) has increased dramatically. An ageing population is driving increased demand while the cost of care home placements has increased by 35% . Child Social Care Spending on Children’s Social Care has increased significantly, particularly since COVID-19 with the number of children in secure units and children’s homes and the number with Education, Health and Care plans both increasing by over 30% between early 2020 and early 2023. The cost per placement has increased by almost 20% over that time period. Both Adult and Children Social Care costs have increased far above inflation over this time, coming on the back of a huge reduction in core spending power. Temporary Accommodation Finally, the cost of providing Temporary Accommodation has risen sharply over the past few years. An LGA report revealed that local councils were spending at least £1.74bn to provide temporary accommodation, with a severe shortage in social housing resulting in a portion of this going to private alternatives including hotels and B&Bs. These figures represented the current situation as of March 2023, when 104,000 households were living in temporary accommodation, an 89% increase over the past decade. Only 8 months later at the close of 2023, this had risen to 112,660 households in temporary accommodation—with the funding required to balance this increasing exponentially, pushed higher by a cost of living crisis and inflation. What are the Consequences? The most immediate and simple way look at this is that while bills have increased significantly for the average council tax-payer, services have been significantly scaled back. Cuts to park budgets, economic development, culture services, and the reduction in spending on Public Health, education, housing services, children's centres and everything else that local government is responsible for have left many cities, towns and villages looking neglected and often struggling with anti-social behaviour and boarded-up high streets. Behind the scenes, many of the essential back office functions have been stripped to the bone in order to protect frontline services: call centres are understaffed; planning services unable to cope with demand; not enough project managers, accountants or procurement staff to deliver on council ambitions or the transformation projects to reduce costs on essential services; not enough HR staff to support those on the frontline and not enough administrative staff to support the social workers, education & skills teams, the transport teams and the rest of local government trying to prop up essential local services. Local government is the government that touches all of us every day, even if we don’t always realise this. The new Labour government will need to focus on this issue for the benefit of every individual, community and region. How Cambridge MC can Help Local Councils If you are currently working in local government and are feeling the impacts of the economic crisis as outlined here, the Public Sector and Education team at Cambridge Management Consulting can work with you and your council to alleviate some of this pressure in both the short- and long-term. Our skilled procurement and contract management team can help you reduce costs; our programme and project management function offers fractional or interim leadership and full lifecycle support for challenging transformation projects; and our process and change management teams can help with process re-design and automation. We can also support your organisation with a range of cyber security issues you may be facing; potential or live, and our Digital and Innovation team can help solve your problems in new ways, using the latest technology to improve outcomes for your residents as well as reducing costs. Led by Craig Cheney, previous Deputy Mayor of Bristol City Council, our service combines an in-depth knowledge and awareness of the Public Sector, its operations, and challenges, with a business approach to help you identify and evaluate obstacles and opportunities for movement within your budget. Learn more about Craig and our Public Sector & Education service, and get in touch with our professionals at https://www.cambridgemc.com/public-sector-and-education , or use the form below.
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Case Studies
Our team has had the privilege of partnering with a diverse array of clients, from burgeoning startups to FTSE 100
companies. Each case study reflects our commitment to delivering tailored solutions that drive real business results.
CASE STUDIES
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