Public Private Partnerships

Public Private Partnerships

Public Private Parnerships (PUPS) are currently en-vogue amongst the worlds governing agencies. They are one of the means by which the private sector has penetrated the lucrative and guaranteed returns of the public sector. Supporting the dominant ideology of public bad private good ethos they are promoted as the maain policy solution in various countries and sectors, including water. For example, in Scotland there have been 21 Public Private Partnerships to build Wastewater Treatment Plants, necessitated by the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive. The Governments of the day, in the mid to late nineties, decided that they did not have sufficient funds to pay for these and sought partnerships and investments from the private sector. There is some doubt that PPP's provide value for money. This is also the case in other sectors in the UK, such as health, education and prisons. There is also concern that Public Private Partnerships represent the gradual privatisation of public goods and services and the gradual erosion of an ethos of social solidarity and public service.