The newly established cross-party Council of Leaders, chaired by minister for local government Jim McMahon, is a positive step. Creating a forum for dialogue marks a shift from previous administrations who have adopted less than constructive behaviours towards the sector in recent years.
This should be only the start of a wider process to deepen understanding between national and local government. Whitehall sees its role as devising policy, local government's role is merely to deliver it. Absent for too long has been any feedback loop to alert when badly conceived policy clashes with reality – the prolonged Universal Credit rollout, for example.
Civil servants could be required to spend some time in councils, to experience being on the receiving end of national policy
This structural weakness at the heart of Whitehall urgently needs addressing. It's no good the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government sending council chief executives letters asking them to identify reasons why they might possibly have a budget gap. This suggests a lack of grip of the consequences of the department's own policy after years of systemically under-resourcing councils for the demand challenges they face.
The new Government has an opportunity to shift the institutions at SW1 to actively seek insight beyond its small postcode. An open, more participatory approach to policymaking through a wider set of stakeholders is much needed. The productivity plans councils submitted at the cusp of the new administration could be a start: they should provide a rich evidence base about existing barriers to efficiency that are created by national legislation and regulation. Civil servants could be required to spend some time in councils, to experience being on the receiving end of national policy.
The shift to mission-led government should enable this – mobilising the energy in local areas to work towards shared goals. This would entail a different but potentially more impactful relationship with the centre, based on mutual remits and respect.
Jessica Studdert is interim chief executive at New Local
