Title

The last decade of local government has seen a massive shift in improvement. From best value to comprehensive performance assessment (CPA) the agenda has edged forward. However, incremental change is no longer enough, according to the latest Solace Foundation Imprint pamphlet. Now local government must make the leap from modest improvement to big innovations to take local authorities to the next level. The pamphlet, Getting so much better all the time, outlines much of the improvement journey local government. According to contributions form Sir Michael Bichard and IDeA chair Cllr Ian Swithenbank, there are short-term issues facing local government, like the shape comprehensive area assessments and local area agreements, but then there is also a far ‘bigger picture'. ‘It is about local government's ability, as a sector, to manage itself. This is about having more responsibility for its own improvement and reducing the burden of regulation. It's about being an equal partner with central government in delivering national and local priorities.' There is, in the pamphlet, a recurrent theme of moving away from top-down regulation and towards a more peer orientated performance assessment system. Clive Grace and Steve Martin from Cardiff University say: ‘The local government sector could take much more responsibility for setting stands and reviewing progress against them. Going well beyond the IDeA's ground-breaking work in peer review.' They caution against CAA being ‘modelled too closely on CPA' and called for a more ‘citizen-led' system. Even head of Ofsted, Christine Gilbert agreed the inspection system has to change as it has always been too ‘resource intensive'. ‘The need for improvement to be owned and led by local areas is fundamental. Self evaluation is integral to this and part of an iterative process of improvement,' Ms Gilbert says. But she adds that inspectors cannot ignore poor performance. Wigan chief executive and chair of the chief executive's Task Group Joyce Redfearn says partnership working has achieved the most significant improvements in recent years. She says it is up to the Task Group and the LGA's improvement board ‘to learn and share between the regions and to challenge and improve even the best of what the sector has to offer'. Offering a private sector view, Richard Marchant from Capita warns communication is key to partnerships. He calls for a forum for local authorities and private sector partners to have a ‘mature debate and set the agenda for transformational change'. Chief executive of London Councils, John O'Brien has devoted most of the past decade to improvement at the IDeA and ODPM and DCLG. He too calls for a shift to more locally-driven improvement. In London, Capital Ambition, the London Councils programme to drive improvement has had some great successes. However, he says London Councils is moving on. Spring will see the launch of the London Collaborative, which will bring together local government, police, health, the GLA and others to work on the capital's public service improvement programme. He says the vision for London is not just about ‘fixing things that aren't working' but it is about ‘the big issues of the future'. For copies of Getting so much better all the time, see ¶: www.solacefoundation.org.uk/publications Key challenge Westminster City Council chief executive Peter Rogers and IDeA chief executive Lucy De Groot outline other key challenges for making local government more efficient. They are: politically-led place shaping making a reality of user and citizen-led improvement partnership working transformation and innovation, and commissioning

Title

WHITEHALL

Getting better all the time!

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING