Title

Healey: Some councils will need to challenge local political culture (Pic: Mark Wohlwender) Partnership working has become a lynch-pin of how local government works in the UK. It makes perfectly good sense. In bringing together the additional knowledge, expertise and resource of other organisations, there is a far greater likelihood of a council being able to identify and deal with the complex needs and priorities of its area. Next year's round of Local Area Agreements will take this a step further, with local partners given extra support to co-ordinate delivery planning and combine budgets and with a premium on greater innovation and integration. But could more be done to gear up for this? As the one democratic institution in a locality, it is important that a local authority provides – and is seen to provide – strong strategic leadership. This is not just about making sure services meet local need and demand. It is also about defining a future for the area and a vision of the good society. The most confident politicians can do so by reaching beyond the narrow circles of their own power base. Gordon Brown has shown how councils might be smarter in taking on this challenge, through his inclusive approach to running government and radical appointments he has made since becoming Prime Minister. He believes the challenges we face throughout the country can only be met by drawing on the widest range of contributions. I'd now like to see each of our local authorities establish ‘A Town Hall of All the Talents'. In doing so, councils should reach out and bring in people who share their vision and who value public service. This should not be restricted by political affiliation – or, indeed, a lack of it. Of course, local government is great at getting ahead of a national curve, though it rarely gets recognised for doing so, and it should come as little surprise that there is already evidence of councils embracing this approach. Look at Lewisham, where the Mayor Steve Bullock has appointed special advisers, not because of their party allegiance but because they are experts on community cohesion, the environment and improving life chances for young people. Or Hackney where Jules Pipe has brought in Mike Tomlinson, former Chief Inspector for Schools to drive up education standards. Or Kensington and Chelsea, where Sir Terence Conran is leading a local commission on issues relating to the borough's shopping areas. Beyond the capital, in my own local authority of Rotherham, the first chair of the Local Strategic Partnership was a highly respected local business woman and in Greater Manchester the Police call on CRE commissioner Yaseer Ahmed to support their independent race advisory group. I am sure there are plenty more examples around the UK. I have been privileged to hold this ministerial post for less than three months but it is evident to me that local government has an improving track record, combined with a confidence and determination, to make things work for the better. Opening the town hall door to new talents will further break down barriers, change perceptions and show how modern councils want to deliver the best for their area. It will reinforce a council's role in the crucial partnerships and forums that underpin local governance. It will also bring new ideas to enrich and enliven local debates. In short, it will help making local politics more meaningful again. Including young people in all of this is vital. Even where the political will exists, it remains the case that most young people feel removed from the activities of their town hall which may seem to have as little bearing on their lives as freemasonry. Youth cabinets, young people's budgets and innovative programmes – like the young advisors in East Manchester who joined regeneration projects and worked with councillors to set up surgeries just for young people – will all help. But to reach beyond the few and offer opportunities to many more, how about every local authority allowing each councillor and senior officer to be shadowed by a fifteen or sixteen year-old, who then gets to submit an account of the experience to a broader national study of life in our town halls? Perhaps this is something that could be organised nationwide for a future Local Democracy week? From appointing expert advisers to creating new citizens forums, and from strengthening inter-agency partnerships to bringing young people into decisions that affect them, local authorities can make more of the wealth of local talent in their area. For some councils the notion of ‘a town hall of all the talents' will be merely be a matter of putting things on a firmer footing. For others it will challenge the local political culture and the way that ‘things are done round here'. Either way, I'm certain this is an idea whose time has come. John Healey is local government minister

Title

WHITEHALL

A town hall of all the talents

SUBSCRIBE TO CONTINUE READING