There are ‘signs' that councils in Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland will learn from each other, according to Wales' first minister, Rhodri Morgan. He added that there was nothing to stop councils learning from other countries, but encouraged greater working between the four. ‘When we do something which works, we want to let other people know about it,' he told delegates at last week's SOLACE conference in Cardiff. ‘Public services are now heading in the right direction, but must keep heading this way. Councils also needed to work with their partners in Whitehall and the assembly government, he added. Sir Emyr Jones Parry, former British permanent representative to the UN and ex-UK permanent representative on NATO, added that innovation was driven by partnership, which did not recognise boundaries. He said there was a need to increase productivity, investment in education and development, and deal with taxes, healthcare and an ageing population in the West. ‘None of these issues can be neatly encapsulated. They transfer over boundaries. A council cannot cope with a major problem, such as emissions, if the neighbouring council is not.'
