The Emergency Services Network (ESN) is theoretically deliverable, but whether it can actually be delivered under current conditions is a different question altogether.

Based on its track record – years of missed deadlines, unresolved technical challenges, and ineffective leadership – it’s fair to ask if this program is simply too broken to fix.

A realistic assessment suggests that ESN could still be delivered, but only if there are radical changes to how it is managed, executed, and prioritised.

Without those changes, the program will continue to drift further into failure, regardless of how much time or money is thrown at it.

Would Anyone Invest in the Current ESN Management Team?

Let’s put it bluntly: no serious investor or private-sector board would put money behind the current ESN leadership team. Here is why:

No Recent Track Record of Results

The “turnaround” executives overseeing ESN have had more than three years to deliver meaningful progress, and they’ve failed. Budgets have ballooned, timelines have slipped, and the same fundamental risks remain unresolved.

No Evidence of Strategy or Execution

Effective leadership requires a clear strategy, decisive execution, and measurable results. The ESN team has shown none of these. Instead, the program seems to lurch from crisis to crisis, with no coherent plan for recovery that is visible.

Entrenched in Bureaucracy

Even the “revitalised” ESN leadership has become part of the Home Office establishment, where optimism bias and a culture of denial dominate. They’re not challenging the status quo; they’re perpetuating it. Investors look for leaders who can cut through bureaucracy and drive change, not those who conform to it.

Failure to Build Confidence

The emergency services – the key stakeholders in this project – have lost faith in the ESN and its leadership. Without their trust and engagement, no amount of investment or effort can turn the project around.

No Accountability

In the private sector, failure at this scale would result in leadership changes long before reaching this point. The fact that the same team remains in charge despite a litany of failures would scare off any potential investor.

What Needs to Change for ESN to Succeed?

If ESN is to have any chance of being delivered, it requires a complete overhaul of its leadership, approach, and expectations.

This is what must happen:

Replace the Leadership Team

The current team has had its chance. Bringing in experienced turnaround specialists with a proven track record in delivering complex programs is non-negotiable.

Reset the Vision and Scope

The original vision for ESN – replacing Airwave with a fully integrated, nationwide communications network – needs to be revisited. Focus on delivering core functionalities that meet the immediate needs of emergency services.

Introduce Independent Oversight

An independent authority, free from the Home Office’s bureaucracy, must oversee the project. This body should have the power to enforce accountability, resolve conflicts, and ensure progress.

Rebuild Stakeholder Trust

The emergency services must be brought back into the fold. Their input is critical to designing a system that works, and their trust is essential for the program’s success.

Adopt a Phased Delivery Approach

Stop chasing a mythical end date. Deliver a “new” ESN in phases, starting with the most critical functionalities and building incrementally from there.

The Verdict

Under its current management and approach, ESN cannot – and will not be delivered.

The program is salvageable – but only if the government makes bold decisions to replace the leadership, reset the scope, and prioritise incremental progress.

No investor would back the current ESN management team – and neither should the government.

It’s time to bring in people who can deliver results, not just more excuses.

Anything less ensures a repeated pattern of failure – and wastes even more taxpayer money..

About the author

David Hilliard is founder of Mentor, specialists in strategic program execution.

You can call him on 0118 359 2444 or email david.hilliard@mentoreurope.com.