It was the title that caught my eye: Blears challenges councils to match Government on Devolution
Seemed quite combative for those tasked to work together to serve us.
But it is worth sharing as there are some green bits (well, one) in there:
Communities Secretary Hazel Blears today unveiled a radical re-engineering of the relationship between the state and local councils and communities bringing Government much closer to local people.
The full-set of Whitehall performance indicators that will come into force for local councils next April are published today. They show the Government has slashed the number from 1200 to just 198 giving councils major new freedoms to direct their focus and resources at the issues local people care about from tackling anti-social behaviour, cracking down on gun culture, stepping up work to improve local education standards and tackling climate change.
In a speech to the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (Solace) in Cardiff, Ms Blears also delivered a direct challenge to local government - who have long called for greater freedom - saying they must use this "once in a generation" opportunity to deliver better services and make a positive difference in their local community.
Ms Blears also set out other major new freedoms for local Government including:
* Up to £5billion to be transferred out of ring-fenced budgets - this will allow local councils and communities to shift resources to local priorities such as tackling crime or worklessness.
* Business Rates Supplements - a powerful new tool enabling local authorities to work with business to invest in projects that could not otherwise proceed to promote the long-term economic growth and productivity of their areas.
* From next April there will be no new mandatory targets on councils (apart from the 17 statutory targets for educational attainment and early years). The Government will not prescribe any of the targets in Local Area Agreements (LAAs), but will aim to agree them with local partners as part of the negotiation, and councils will be required to involve local communities in the process.
The New Performance Framework for Local Authorities and Local Authority Partners: Single Set of National Indicators is published today
What do you reckon?
2 comments:
This fills me with dread ......
"Business Rates Supplements - a powerful new tool enabling local authorities to work with business to invest in projects that could not otherwise proceed to promote the long-term economic growth and productivity of their areas."
Now if the idea is to encourage businesses to promote local economic growth wouldn't you have thought that they might have termed it as 'subsidies', 'rebates' or 'concessions'?
I seem to recollect that the term 'supplement' means to add something on to that which already exists, or am I going senile?
All I know is that there is the faintest whiff of lots more on the LA/quango payroll/pension plan to administer, assess and dole out this little lot.
Look at today's report on the Criminal Compo Board, where running it has consumed more than 3 times the money put in the hands of those who need it.
That sums up this sorry country's attitude to service, at least in the minds of those we pay to serve.
I was at a 'do' recently where those making stuff were outnumbered three to one by those there from the quango tasked to work with us.
The main topic of concern was that 'we', the doers, were not cooperating enough on the forms and research documents that they needed to 'help' us - or rather shunt around to show the box ticking was expanding well and justify their salaries, trip claims, per diems , etc.
So I decided against renewing as in any case I had seen little benefit of paying my sub.
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