A government task force charged with cutting red tape has called on local government to grow up. A report by the Lifting The Burdens task force, which is chaired by Nottingham City Council chief executive, Michael Frater, has called for a fundamental change in the relationship between Whitehall and town halls. The report argues that the relationship between local and central government needs to change from that of a child to a parent to more of an equal role. It also calls for the Government to cut the amount of inspection by one-third, as well as the number of performance indicators. ‘Initiatives such as best value and CPA have certainly played a part in raising performance,' said Mr Frater. ‘But such centrally driven, prescriptive, one-size-fits-all measures have started to inhibit the ability of local government to respond to local needs and preferences – something the Government has now publicly recognised. ‘In this report, the task force suggests ways to create a more equitable, mature and trusting relationship between central and local government so that councils can get on with the job of finding sustainable, local solutions.'