Consumer-ownership in Public Services and Utilities

In this chapter we will be describing and analysing sectors in which consumer-ownership is sometimes found, but in which the public interest is often dominant and there is a strong political interest in the way the service is funded and produced: health care, education, utilities and leisure. In some countries this leads to the public sector not only funding the provision but also providing it through local government or public corporations. They are sectors in which producer groups also have an interest and are sometimes reluctant to let consumers wholly own and control the organisation that delivers the service. Producers may prefer to own it themselves, or to take part in multi-stakeholder governance through a hybrid form that also includes consumers and employees. If the governance is likely to be contentious, the stakeholder groups may prefer to leave governance to a set of trustees in a non-profit, or to a public body that is governed by elected members.