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Derek Myers offers an antidote to the current gloom and doom engulfing local authorities Is there something deep in the local government senior psyche which relishes bad news? Maybe, deep down, it's a self-esteem thing, or we have doubts about our product? Perhaps we welcome challenge, as it's a chance to let testosterone rip. Some of my colleagues go on as though the entire £170bn of public sector debt is coming out of our coffers, and all we can do is brace ourselves. Anyway, here's my antidote. Ten reasons to be cheerful: 1. We have had a good decade Our services are arguably the best they have ever been. We have renewed a lot of kit, trained more staff, built a lot of new buildings, and acquired some confidence. If you have to go on a diet, best do so having put on a few pounds. 2. We are all localists now From the Conservatives' Control shift to John Denham's Strengthening local democracy, local government is enjoying some rhetorical limelight. Ipsos MORI findings reveal the public accept that debt must come down, they don't like tax rises or cuts much, and believe that efficiencies are the Holy Grail. Our best argument is that future cost avoided is the new efficiency. Taking the public sector pot as a whole – £74bn just in London is a lot of lolly – then our USP must be that councils are the best stewards of investment in the few that much public spending represents. Only we can galvanise the workless, train the under-equipped, make the hard to love into responsible neighbours, and encourage the tubby into more exercise. Local government has now gone beyond service provision into the post-service world of behaviour modification. Most of these behaviour imperatives – work, recycle, exercise, look after your children, be nice, eat properly, use less carbon – save public money in the long term. Councils can be the preferred instrument of better-focused, bespoke, responsible, tax-borne, redistributive expenditure. The triage nurse for the new Spartan, public services emergency room. 3. We are not that big Just to show intellectual flexibility, having argued we can claim to be the pioneers of a less-expensive state enterprise, let us also recognise we are but a small fish in the whole public sector shoal. Yes, local government is 20% of all public expenditure, but that still leaves 80% elsewhere. Strip out education – now a national service, locally administered – and our stake shrinks again. In a storm, it is silly to think we will be the only lightening conductor, even if the NHS seems to be enviably well-insulated. 4. Disasters do not always happen Remember the Millennium bug? Sars? Swine flu? Maybe we have something to fear, but ‘fear itself' is a lot worse. 5. Recession is good for prices In my council, fuel prices are down, my highways contracts are going to save £450,000, pay expectations are eminently reasonable. Commodity prices are still soft. 6. Everybody's saving more and we still like shopping ONS reports that the overall indebtedness of the UK went down by 0.3%. Fair enough, it's only a bit, but it takes us towards a new place where maybe ordinary folk will conquer their consumer lusts and realise their local quality of life is precious and worth paying for. A new kitchen or a decent local park? Let's make that argument. I have always thought the local government product range is a good one. If the new consensus is that we do not want to pay for these things collectively, then some things need to be re-marketed to invite people to continue to buy unsubsidised services or contribute in other ways. 7. We could still go Japanese? Or Danish? The UK has been in gross debt proportionately higher than it is now for a majority of the last 250 years. And famously, Japan has a bigger national debt than we do, and has come out of recession sooner. Now, my economics degree was a long time ago, and I'm not a politician, but at least we might hope for a measured economic plan after the hustings are over. Or there could yet be a Danish revolution where high taxes are normalised in return for very high levels of services– a high quality of life and more pastries 8. If it comes to it, we are good at this stuff Local government is the poster babe of the public sector when it comes to making efficiencies. No-one does it better. 9. Jack's alright. If you are in work, and have a mortgage, the recession has given you a break. More spending power as VAT has come off and your interest rate has fallen. Cheer up. 10.Keep smiling. England won the Ashes and qualified for the World Cup. Strictly Come Dancing is back on the TV. There's always more to life than work. Remember that leadership is mostly management of morale, and your staff won't appreciate a misery around the place. Derek Myers is chairman of the SOLACE management board

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WHITEHALL

Reasons to be cheerful

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