I have long argued that our system of government works best when ministers are firmly in control of their departments.  It helps to break down Whitehall's tendency to think in silos, it gets the machinery focus on ends as well as means, and it keeps the civil service on its toes.

The same is true in local government, where the best and highest performing councils are invariably those that are genuinely member-led: the elected councillors being ‘hands on' with day-to-day operations has an energising effect that filters down through every level.

I'm not saying that politicians ought to make a habit of ignoring their officers' recommendations.

We are, after all, very lucky to have a body of officials in this country with an abundance of talent and experience.

But, any democratic organisation would stand to benefit if their elected representatives started to take a more assertive and active role in delivery.

There is a catch to this, which is that we need our councillors to have the necessary skills and ability to be strategic thinkers and decision-makers within increasingly complex organisational structures, responsible for multi-million pound budgets.

It requires individuals who have had significant exposure to the world outside of politics; people who know how to operate in a commercial environment and people who can bring this know-how to the table.

This is particularly true of executive members.  The main political parties have a pivotal role to play in this regard, and there is more we can all do to attract candidates who sit outside of the political bubbles that often exist at a local branch level.  It is no longer enough to be recruiting from a limited ‘gene pool' of local members and activists.

We need candidates to be chosen on the basis of their merit and passion for the wards they hope to represent.

If we can achieve this on a consistent basis, we will see a real upturn in the quality of local decision making.  And it will be no bad thing for public trust in politics, either.

Eighty-nine per cent of FTSE 100 chairmen believe that politicians lack commercial experience and, as a consequence of this, are holding back British businesses.

This probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to most readers, but it is an insight that we must all take seriously.  Because, while the Treasury may have a tight grip on the macro-economic levers, it is the decisions taken at a local authority level that ultimately underpin our county's performance and our prospects for growth.  In other words, the competence of local politicians and their support structure is of paramount importance.

I am reminded of Lord Heseltine's growth review paper, which I hope for the most part doesn't line the recycle bins in Whitehall any time soon.  His analysis was vehemently critical of municipal planning practices, where he felt there remained ‘no sense of urgency or any understanding of the economic cost of delays.'

If we are going to prove that our sector is serious about working with businesses, and if we want to demonstrate an ability to be as efficient and responsive as our private sector counterparts, we would do well to start with planning services.

We now have a legislative and policy framework that, if not perfect, is well established and broadly understood by all.  But the regulatory cost of planning
is still far too high.  Delays, which increase land and property price volatility, are very often avoidable and unnecessary by-products of how the rules are interpreted and applied.

To achieve real change on the ground, we need those charged with implementation to adopt a more commercial mindset.  That goes for councillors as much as officers.

They need to be interacting with applicants in real-time, both pre and post application.

And, they need to be grounding contribution requirements in reality, accepting that different types of development have different risk profiles, margins and returns for developers.

Many planning departments already look to actively facilitate delivery at every stage and I witnessed this approach on many occasions as a minister, so I know it can be done.

You would be amazed at the benefits this ‘can-do' attitude brings – not least of all to local businesses in the supply chain and, ultimately, to local residents who benefit from developments of a higher quality, and which bring a net benefit to the neighbourhood.  It would be wrong to put the blame on planning authorities – many of whom are leading the charge.  It is the statutory consultees which are very often the
root cause of delay, dither and needless frustration for business.

For a start, wouldn't it be refreshing if they began producing (timely) statements of support for schemes, which indicate acceptable constraints, rather than waiting until the very last minute to issue a bland list of objections.

Ministers are already taking action on this, but I foresee significant further measures down the road if publicly-funded bodies like English Heritage and the Highways Agency don't get their act together now.

Bob Neill MP is vice-chairman (local government) of the Conservative Party.