Zurich Municipal Management Services has warned that local authorities are exposing themselves to potentially catastrophic risks through their handling of major projects.
In an address to delegates at the Chartered Institute of
Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) conference, Tilden Watson, principal consultant at Zurich Municipal Management Services, warned that failure to assess risk could lead to long term problems for local authorities.
Watson said: "A combination of `initiative overload' and a shortage of staff with the necessary project management skills is leaving authorities exposed to these very risks.
"If the risks associated with these multi-million pound projects are not recognised and tackled at a strategic level within public service providers, a wide range of important and high profile projects could come crashing down like a house of cards - further damaging the reputation of the public sector for managing major projects."
