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Former Sunderland chief executive, Ged Fitzgerald, felt it was time to try his hand at a two-tier local government system when he switched to Lancashire CC. He tells Heather Jameson about the differences. As local government everywhere is switching from two-tier local government to one, Ged Fitzgerald is bucking the trend. The former chief executive of Sunderland City Council has just moved to Lancashire CC – and finds himself, for the first time in his local government career, in a two-tier area. Ged was attracted by the opportunity to return to the North West – his home patch, and also where his parents live. But it was also the chance to work in a new system which made the Lancashire job so appealing. He explains: ‘I didn't know what two tier would be like. I'd never worked in a two-tier area. And I've not been surprised by it, but it has been hard.' In Lancashire, Ged faces a mish-mash of 12 districts, two unitaries and the county council – in addition to all the usual partners. The council did not, however, put itself forward for the recent round of unitary battles. ‘With a population of 1.2m across the county, it would be two big to be one, single unitary, but how would we break it up?' Instead, it's all about working together in the county – but not under the banner of Total Place, as one might expect. And that is a concept he is sceptical about. ‘I'm wary of Total Place, as something that's the latest buzzword on the conference circuit. For me, it still has to pass the "so what" test. ‘Having said that, we are clearly watching with interest.' The ‘so what' test is one which crops up several times during our conversation. In short, if it isn't making a difference to people, then it isn't the way forward, as far as Ged is concerned. And while Total Place was something colleagues toyed with before he left his last role, he is adamant that Lancashire was not ready to go down that particular road. Instead, the authority developed the concept of Team Lancashire, ‘a virtual brand which was meant to rally around the county'. He says it has been a channel for funding from the Regional Improvement and Efficiency Programme (RIEP), and that three multi-area agreements (MAAs) for Pennine Lancashire, ReBlackpool and the M6 Corridor have been developed. Team Lancashire aims to pull in all the partners and bring a ‘coherence' to the county as a whole. So far, he says: ‘I'm delighted by the nature of relationships.' And, there are benefits too – of not being ahead of the game when it comes to new initiatives. ‘We are not a pilot. But sometimes, being a non-pilot gives a certain flexibility.' Ged was one of a cadre of high-profile chief executives in the North East who have since dispersed throughout the country. South Tyneside's Irene Lucas has gone to the CLG, Mark Lloyd to Cambridgeshire CC, and most recently, North Tyneside chief Andrew Kerr has taken the role of chief executive of the newly-unitarised Wiltshire Council. ‘I loved my time in the North East, but I'm from the North West,' he says, and he was keen to return ‘home' to be closer to his elderly parents. But, despite its excellent reputation, he says the North East does suffer from being ‘quite insular' and removed, particularly from Whitehall. Lancashire, on the other hand, has more of an atmosphere of ‘not whingeing, but just getting on with it'. The two-tier system was one of the major attractions. ‘I wanted to test if I could make a difference in that atmosphere,' Ged says, where the trick is to have ‘influence rather than power'. ‘Lancashire has not achieved its potential compared with places such as Merseyside, in my opinion.' And Ged will need to use his influence if he is to improve the county, which ‘clusters around average'. He doesn't blame the current inspection regime, but sees little value in what it does. ‘Clearly, we are at a crossroads with inspection. The current regime has lost its way. It doesn't paint a picture of an area. I have no problem with our CAA result, but it doesn't pass the "so what" test. What value for money does it provide? ‘My leader says, "There's only one set of taxpayers in Lancashire". Since taxpayers don't distinguish between county council, district councils, the police and all the other public sector bodies that their tax pays for, it is the public sector's duty to "make sure their money is spent as efficiently and effectively as possible," across all the bodies. ‘We have to make the existing structures work more,' he explains. The financial effects of the recession have, according to Ged, speeded up the process of joint working but, he says: ‘I think was emerging anyway.' He continues: ‘I don't believe in structures, I believe in relationships with people.' But still, he says: ‘I wouldn't have taken Total Place as a starting point.' And while the recession hasn't hit Lancashire as badly as expected, he knows it will be a bleak decade for the public sector. ‘I'm not one for doom and gloom,' he says. But there must be a shift: ‘We have all prided ourselves on doing things efficiently. But now we have to look at what we need to stop doing.'

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WHITEHALL

Time for two tier

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