Pathfinder councils have been urged to be as radical as they can by local government minister John Healey. Speaking at the annual conference for pathfinder councils in Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Dorset, Mr Healey said: ‘We can't simply deliver a centralised, standardised service if we want to meet the needs, aspirations and performance required in widely differing local areas. ‘Pathfinders should be as radical as they want to be.' The four areas were awarded pathfinder status by the Department for Communities and Local Government in 2007/08 to improve two- and multi-tier local government through integrated working.
