How far has local government improved in recent years? Or more to the point, how far does the Government perceive it has improved?
At the advent of CPA, the perception of local government was of an inefficient, ineffective, bureaucratic system which was failing to get the job done. And that was the view of the Civil Service – which doesn't exactly have the most dynamic of reputations.
Now, in the dying days of CPA – may it rest in peace, never to return to haunt us – the picture has changed somewhat. It has served its purpose – it has made central government realise just how good councils are – and pulled those which weren't up by their boot-strings.
Less and less do we hear the rhetoric that the private sector is so much better than the public sector. More often, now, we get the reality – there are excellent and appalling examples of practice in both sectors.
Now, with the economy in tatters, it is the public sector which is providing the solutions. Remove cash from the equation, and councils are coming through.
This week, The MJ is reporting on councils bailing out people with mortgage arrears when the banks are backing off. Local authorities in Kent are also moving into trading on the fuel markets in an effort to boost their efficiency, cutting out the private sector middleman to make services more efficient for citizens.
As BAA is being broken up, it is a council consortium which is leading the way for takeover at London Gatwick Airport. Even the 2012 Olympic hopefuls who were expecting private cash to boost their chances have been hit by the crashing economy, as companies tighten their belts. It will be public cash which will fund their endeavours.
Local authorities behaving like private firms may not get the support of everyone – depending on one's ideology. It's no longer as clear as a simple political divide, with the Labour local government minister, John Healey, one of the strongest advocates of charging and trading.
But what is clear, is that councils are up to the job – and more.
Heather Jameson,
Deputy Editor, The MJ
