Communities and local government minister Ruth Kelly met top leaders at the Local Government Association conference to ask what they wanted in the local government White Paper. At the meeting in Bournemouth, the leaders of 10 counties, mets and London boroughs were asked what was on their ‘wish list’. Among the discussions was a call for a ‘duty of co-operation’ on local partners, such as the police and health bodies, to ensure they worked with local authorities on local issues. Funding issues also came up. One leader told The MJ: ‘If the Government cannot fund local government in terms if revenue costs – or if it won’t – then unless the limits on capping are raised then the only course of action we’ve got is cuts.’ Ms Kelly was not drawn on the issue and claimed that there was now stability with two and three-year funding settlements. There was also a call for councils to be able to raise capital, for example, through bonds. The leaders were asked to bring examples of good practice from their authorities, and of things they would like to do but couldn’t, because of central government restrictions, or because it would be ‘hard to sell locally’.
