Ed Mayo and Henrietta Moore

Mutual hospitals, non-profit schools and co-operative housing are the future for public services according to this pamphlet, the outcome of six months testing and debate on the web-based think-tank www.themutualstate.org.

Community-based services, including health, childcare, residential care, housing, leisure, crime prevention and education are ideally suited to mutual forms of governance, with the involvement of different stakeholders including employees, government and customers varying according to the nature of the service. The defining ideal is local public services designed and delivered by local stakeholders, offering accountability, flexibility and value for money.

The report calls on Government selectively to free up frontline public services, starting with health, education and local authority services to operate as independent social enterprises supported by the state rather than running them as arms of government.