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In advance of next week's Local Government Association conference and exhibition, Dame Margaret Eaton, chairman of the LGA, outlines the key issues likely to exercise delegates' minds This year's LGA annual conference could not come at a more crucial or pivotal moment for local government. Spending cuts and political change leave the sector facing the biggest challenge in a generation – but also the enormous opportunity to achieve radical reform which will benefit the people we are elected to serve. In Bournemouth next week, we will have the first major debate on the future of public services since the coalition government announced its inaugural Budget. Indeed, it will be the first-ever LGA conference held under a new government. Among hundreds of senior figures from town halls across the country, we will be hearing from senior ministers, a leading member of the shadow cabinet, and a high-profile voice from the private sector. And these discussions and debates can play a key role in shaping the future of public services for years to come. The demand to do more for less and balance growing public expectations with tighter finance, is one that looks set to define our sector for the foreseeable future. Councils are already the most efficient part of the public sector, and have led the way in taking difficult decisions to save money, while continuing to deliver vital services the public relies on. But we are capable of more. With the great challenge of becoming more efficient, comes the huge potential to radically transform the way the state works. But, in order for us to deliver the best service to the public, the whole system of government needs to change. We need nothing less than wholesale reform to give power to locally-elected people who are closest to the residents they serve. From the moment the new coalition government took its first steps into office, the LGA has lobbied its members to scrap the bureaucracy which suffocates local innovation, to scale back the costly, ineffective quango state, and to give councillors greater flexibility to respond to the needs of the people who elected them. Already, we have secured pledges to reduce cumbersome inspection and abolish the CAA, and we have successfully petitioned for town halls to be allowed to decide where new homes should be built in their areas. This is just the start. Reform is long overdue. Our offer to the Government would save taxpayers £22.5bn over this Parliament, while empowering local people and protecting frontline services. Councils are determined to root out waste throughout the system, so they can get on with delivering the highest standards in public services for millions of people. This year's conference gives us a platform to discuss some of these key challenges. At a time when almost one million young people are not in employment, education or training, we will be discussing how to get the best out of Britain's young people during this time of financial hardship. The LGA firmly believes that through an integrated approach, we can provide support for young people at every stage of their lives, from starting at school to entering the world of work. The ongoing debate about the role of local government in education is at a crossroads. We will be finding out what role local authority leaders, and education leaders, believe councils should play in the provision of learning. We will be hearing how councils are reforming the image, reputation and effectiveness of the social work profession, which has been under immense scrutiny since the tragic case of Baby P. Council services were put under intense pressure by the extreme weather last winter, with unprecedented demand for salt to grit the country's roads, and the huge efforts needed to ensure bins were still collected, schools remained open and that older and vulnerable people were cared for. We will be discussing whether the country was adequately prepared, and what we can do differently in future. The conference will also discuss the role councils have in shaping future society, providing new housing, caring for older people, protecting the environment, and doing more to promote sport and healthy living. There is one key theme which runs through all of these issues. By cutting red tape, removing burdensome bureaucracy and giving town halls the independence to properly serve people in their areas, we can deliver even more and better services, for even less money. The LGA has a collective voice of hundreds of councils and tens of thousands of councillors, giving us enormous scope to influence. By working together now we can demonstrate our innovation, our ability to improve people's lives and the unique opportunity our proximity to the public gives us to respond to the needs and aspirations of those we serve. Never has there been a more important time for us to stick together to drive through our aim of giving power back to the people who know their areas best.

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WHITEHALL

Give us the tools and we can do the job

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