Anyone working in local government or across our other public services will know how long it takes central government to make decisions.
According to Local Government Association (LGA) research, the UK is one of the most fiscally centralised countries in the developed world.
Analysis from the independent Institute for Public Policy Research finds that countries with a greater level of devolution experience lower levels of regional inequality. All the evidence points to the fact place-based approaches to meeting the specific needs of communities are more effective and approaches such as the Supporting Families programme demonstrate the value of early intervention and preventative activity. It is therefore essential local leaders are given the tools and resources to tailor services to local needs – given the opportunities, councils will deliver better outcomes than a centralised system characterised by micro-management and duplication.
This was one of the central themes of the Total Place initiative I led back in 2009. Total Place sought to reassess the relationship between local and central government and establish a new direction for local public services and local authorities, with a range of freedoms and a new relationship with Government. One of its central ambitions was to enable collaboration between public service providers at a local level to improve outcomes for local people, and secure better value for public money spent locally.
Much of this aligns with the LGA’s own aspirations for a White Paper for local government. The work aims to consider the benefits of place-based policymaking with the intention of developing a plan for the first King’s Speech after the General Election to secure a national-local partnership in which local government can work to its full potential for people, places and the planet. It is essential the next government establishes a clear vision for the future of local government, one that is based on the public’s priorities, including councils and local communities.
It was therefore useful to discuss the practicalities of the LGA’s proposals with parliamentarians, academics and think-tanks. The cross party discussion which I chaired involved local leaders: former communities secretary John Denham, who has produced a new paper calling for place-based budgeting; Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee chair, Clive Betts, as well as think-tanks, such as the Institute for Government (IfG) and the New Economics Foundation. We sought to establish what powers and responsibilities should be further devolved closer to communities and how we could collectively reignite a place-based approach to local public services.
This discussion will help frame the LGA’s forthcoming White Paper for local government and support councils and their partners develop a plan for the first King’s Speech after the General Election to unlock the potential of places and strengthen public services in a period of continued fiscal restraint.
Local leaders must be able to access devolved powers and investment without the need for complex or lengthy institutional change. Over the last decade national government has taken steps towards greater decentralisation, with devolution deals now covering more than 60% of England. However, a new approach is needed.
Councils want genuine partnership with central government. Public services can be delivered faster, better, and more efficiently at a local level. Empowering councils can drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth, improve people’s life opportunities, and deliver better value for money for public spending.
Lord Bichard is a cross bench Peer and a vice president of the LGA, and was previously chief executive of Brent LBC and Gloucestershire CC. He was also permanent secretary of the Department for Education and Employment; director of the IfG and chair of the National Audit Office
