I have always enjoyed the series of jokes which start, ‘Which is the odd one out between the following three..?’ I thought of this over three recent documents – Sir Michael Lyons’ review, the LGA’s People and places, and the prime minister and Gordon Brown’s UK Government’s approach to public service reform. The Lyons report presents a useful, well-researched, and well-argued case for strengthening local government. It emphasises the need for a stronger role for councils in ‘place making’, in developing social wellbeing, and in ‘convening’ across all public services. People and places fits well with Sir Michael’s report, and seeks to answer how we can best meet the challenges in our localities. The LGA report focuses on four objectives: l to improve public services, widening access and choice, and offering opportunity for all l to ensure value for money and make better use of taxes l to create vibrant, prosperous, safe and friendly places where people are proud to live l to restore trust and strengthen local democracy, giving people back power and influence over their lives, services and the future of where they live. But each of these objectives is being held back by the central control exerted over local government. This centralism has wasted the public’s money and has sapped the energy, enterprise and innovation of frontline staff. And it has denied local choice and eroded local democracy. The LGA’s report concentrates on just four conclusions. The first is that we need to define more clearly the role of central and local government. This requires agreement on some 30 national outcomes which local government will take responsibility to deliver, backed by local targets and clearer accountability. Second, in order to focus on council’s place making and to extend their role, we are proposing devolution of national and regional powers – for planning, transport infrastructure, public transport, economic development, learning and skills, and housing. Third, an enhanced role for local council members and the devolution from local authorities to neighbourhoods. Fourth, a clear commitment, and a timetable for the rebalancing of local government funding. None of this is easy, but we now have a once-in-a-generation opportunity for a renaissance in local government. We need to understand where the Government is coming from. The report on the UK Government’s approach to public service reform sets out four elements of reform: l top-down performance management – ie, pressure from the Government. The Government has some role but this does sound remarkably old fashioned l the introduction of greater competition and contestability in the provision of public services. This may be right, but local government is far ahead of organisations such as the NHS in embracing private and voluntary sector provision l the introduction of greater pressure from citizens, including through choice and voice. This is picked up in People and places l measures to strengthen the capability and capacity of civil and public servants in central and local government to deliver improved public services. While this may not be exactly the ‘odd one out’ of the three reports, it certainly reflects a centralist Whitehall view. Nevertheless, we have shared ambitions between central and local government and a growing consensus across Westminster that we need to decentralise and deregulate to achieve our objectives. The Bournemouth conference offers an important opportunity to discuss this. We need an unstoppable campaign to secure bold and radical reform. n Lord Bruce-Lockhart is chairman of the Local Government Association.
