The Role of Local Government
Background – Changes in the last 10 yrs
Since 1997 central government has been pursuing an agenda of local government modernisation designed to tackle some of the fundamental public service, governance and accountability concerns facing local authorities and the public sector more widely. From CCT to Best Value, one of the biggest changes has been in performance management and the rating of authorities in relation to the CPA regime and the drive for continuous improvement and value for money. This has now moved on to Gershwin and the move towards efficiency savings.
Nick Raynsford (MP) in a discussion in 2004 said the changes in recent years have been incremental and have led to incremental improvements. The changes he said have been responses to immediate problems and what is needed was a longer term vision dealing with the fundamentals about what local government should be doing in 10 years time.
For the purpose of this presentation it is important to highlight central government modernisation agenda which include:
The requirement that local authorities must produce community and neighborhood renewal strategies
The requirement that local authorities must create Local Strategic Partnerships as a method of engaging the necessary local players in the development of such strategies
The introduction of Best Value to replace compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) as the mechanism for reviewing, and where appropriate outsourcing, public service delivery
The publication of a National Procurement Strategy for Local Government
The introduction of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment as a way of assessing local authority effectiveness
Greater freedoms and financial flexibilities for high performing local authorities
The introduction of negotiated Local Public Services Agreements which also bring greater freedoms to those local authorities willing to strive for stretching targets
Constitutional reform
Since 1997 central government has been pursuing an agenda of local government modernisation designed to tackle some of the fundamental public service, governance and accountability concerns facing local authorities and the public sector more widely. From CCT to Best Value, one of the biggest changes has been in performance management and the rating of authorities in relation to the CPA regime and the drive for continuous improvement and value for money. This has now moved on to Gershwin and the move towards efficiency savings.
Nick Raynsford (MP) in a discussion in 2004 said the changes in recent years have been incremental and have led to incremental improvements. The changes he said have been responses to immediate problems and what is needed was a longer term vision dealing with the fundamentals about what local government should be doing in 10 years time.
For the purpose of this presentation it is important to highlight central government modernisation agenda which include:
The requirement that local authorities must produce community and neighborhood renewal strategies
The requirement that local authorities must create Local Strategic Partnerships as a method of engaging the necessary local players in the development of such strategies
The introduction of Best Value to replace compulsory competitive tendering (CCT) as the mechanism for reviewing, and where appropriate outsourcing, public service delivery
The publication of a National Procurement Strategy for Local Government
The introduction of the Comprehensive Performance Assessment as a way of assessing local authority effectiveness
Greater freedoms and financial flexibilities for high performing local authorities
The introduction of negotiated Local Public Services Agreements which also bring greater freedoms to those local authorities willing to strive for stretching targets
Constitutional reform
References: 1. 25/11/06 http://www.publictechnology.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=761 2. http://www.nlgn.org.uk/mod_media_articles.php?article=259 3. http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1506527,00.html 4. Tania Branigan, political correspondent Wednesday June 15, 2005 The Guardian 5. The Guardian Utopia Street Wednesday March 27, 2002 Devolution: Challenging local government? 6. Earned Autonomy - Warren Hatter, Head of Research, NLGN, Saturday, July 23rd, 2005 - First magazine