LGA Group launch 'Freedom to Lead' proposals

LGA media release - 29 January 2010 

Should the numerous inspectorates which assess public services in each area be merged into a single entity that could save taxpayers’ money and deliver better assessments of how services are delivered for local people? This is one of the questions that council leaders are being asked by the Local Government Association (LGA) Group as part of a consultation into the future of inspection and regulation.

The consultation document published today, Freedom to Lead, sets out proposals on which council leaders' views are being sought before March. Its questions invite the sector’s views on inspection and regulation in order to offer the next government a way to save money, cut red tape and provide better services for local people.

With the Total Place agenda - seeking to reduce service duplication, and provide better value for money - now backed by each main political party, the LGA Group is asking councils whether a more co-ordinated approach to inspection and regulation would complement this approach.

Questions on which council leaders' views are being sought include whether there should be:

•          devolved autonomy to shape the total amount of local public spending in any one place
•          a slimline set of national indicators relevant to each locality
•          three-year area financial settlements for the whole public sector
•          new-style area agreements negotiated with local people, rather than central government
•          a national inspectorate for local public service delivery
•          a single improvement framework for local public services.

 Cllr David Parsons, Chairman of the LGA's Improvement Board, said:

 “Local government has made huge strides over the last decade in terms of both performance and value for money.  It is the most efficient part of the public sector and has seen the biggest improvement in performance. 

 “The social, economic and environmental challenges facing people are intense. In addition, councils now face a lengthy period of spending constraint and real term cuts. However, public expectations remain high and people will look to councils to find new ways of maintaining and improving their services.

 “Local government leaders are rightly looking for ambitious solutions. We need much less central control if we are to deliver better services and lead our local areas. At the same time, increasing local accountability will strengthen democracy and save public money.

 “We want to build a consensus around the need for change, plus the broad agenda we have put forward. We want to hear from councils, their local partners and others on our propositions. We also want to hear from the main political parties as to how these ideas fit in with their plans.”

Author: LGA Media Office
Contact: LGA Media Office, Tel: 020 7664 3333

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