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Former communities and local government secretary, John Denham, has claimed his old department punched below its weight and lacked influence in Whitehall policy-making until the advent of Total Place. Mr Denham, now shadowing his old job, told The MJ in an interview: ‘The CLG had too limited a view of itself, and often didn't see itself as a player in government, and did not see itself as a policy-maker. ‘Local government needs a department which is more than just a channel of resources.' But he said the creation of the Total Place initiative, as well as climate change and adult social care, gave the CLG inroads into the rest of Whitehall, adding: ‘We proved to the CLG that it had influence, and I think it will be reluctant to lose that.' Mr Denham was an enthusiast of the Total Place initiative which he admitted was already in place when he arrived at the CLG in July 2009, following the resignation of Hazel Blears. But he insisted that its potential was due to the buy-in from other key departments, saying: ‘The main thing was that it was owned by Cabinet ministers. When I was in charge, Ed Balls [education], Alan Johnson [health] and Liam Byrne [Treasury] all supported Total Place. While it's true one doesn't need to be told what to do by a minister, one does need health, education and police on board.' He added: ‘I see no signs of Andrew Lansley [health], Michael Gove [education] or Theresa May [Home Office] taking the slightest interest in Total Place. Nor have I seen CLG ministers unambiguously support Total Place. The Whitehall networks are still there, but won't work without ministerial support. Without real leadership at ministerial level, it will depend on local relationships, and that won't be enough to make it fly.'

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WHITEHALL

CLG 'lacking weight' in Whitehall

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