FMA ’s Post

Whitehall sources have been briefing that a major reorganisation of local government in England is planned, with ministers expressing frustration at the inefficiency and inertia of many councils. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is due to publish a White Paper with proposals to streamline administration in 10 identified pilot areas. English local government is a diverse patchwork at best, a hidebound bugger’s muddle at worst. There are 317 local authorities, with most of the country administered by a two-tier system at county and district level, with a single tier for London and other metropolitan areas, as well as some parts of the shires. Local authorities come in no fewer than five types: 21 county councils, 164 district councils, 62 unitary authorities, 36 metropolitan districts and 32 London boroughs. The first two divide the provision of public services between them, while the last three all administer the full range of council services. Finally, there are two outliers: the City of London Corporation and the Council of the Isles of Scilly. The Government’s new proposals will replace the two-tier system with larger unitary authorities of around 500,000 people and see the extension across England of elected mayors. The Government sees these new local authorities and mayors as a key part of its programme of economic growth. But they fail to acknowledge a more fundamental problem. Local government suffers from a damaging nexus of poor accountability, low visibility, lack of legitimacy and shortage of talent. Each feeds into the other, but at the root of it is financial dependency. ✍️Eliot Wilson https://lnkd.in/eQS7V__D

We are briefed to expect a White Paper on English devolution from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government which is trailed as the biggest reorganisation of English councils since the Local Government Act 1972. It is needed and in principle welcome; Jim McMahon, the minister in charge, said earlier in the year that unitary authorities and elected mayors were an intrinsic part of the government's model for devolution. But we also need financial devolution, so that more revenue is raised where it is spent: currently councils receive the majority of their funding as a grant from Whitehall. Radical subsidiarity is the only way we can hope for democratic, accountable, responsible, transparent and high-quality local administration. Fingers crossed...

In part three of Local Government Chronicle re-examination of Total Place ahead of a potential incoming Labour government, Barry Quirk reflects on lessons from the pilot in Lewisham under the last Labour government. His conclusion: "Some still argue that the solution to current problems lies in some form of ‘whole place community budgets’. But where councils have hard budget boundaries and other partners have porous sub-regional budget boundaries, it is difficult to realistically combine budgets and maintain service equity across boundaries. "Yet of all the lessons of the past three decades, Total Place deserves the most attention. It emphasises the service user, the client, the patient – not the institution. And it encourages agencies to focus on service and community outcomes, rather than be subject to professional or provider capture." Worth reading in full #localgovernment #place #TotalPlace #politics https://lnkd.in/ewU2qyW3

Chris Wormald officially starts his role as the new Cabinet Secretary today. His primary responsibility is to advise the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, as well as oversee the civil service. Here is a refresher on what the role involves: https://lnkd.in/ec8C4_f5 Wormald has a tough job primarily for three reasons: 📝 Wormald’s role will be instrumental in marshalling the civil service’s machinery behind the government’s priorities. As the head of the civil service, he must ensure that officials across all departments deliver the Labour Party’s manifesto commitments and policies. This is particularly challenging as the government is seeking a ‘reset’ with the Plan for Change, after an initially not-so-great five months in charge. 📌 He will need to make sense of a mission-led government, as it is still not entirely clear what this means, particularly regarding the delivery aspect. Civil servants often struggle to work across different departments, but the idea of a mission-led government specifically requires the ability to break down silos and work in synergy. 📉 In his Plan for Change speech early this month, the Prime Minister openly challenged the civil service when he said that “too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline”. See below an analysis by the Institute for Government. Beyond the well-known problems of pay and promotion, what do you think the priorities for a reform of the civil service should be? https://lnkd.in/e2pqHkwn

Phew, what a week its been. The MHCLG festive gifts keep arriving thick and fast. Perhaps they have saved the most radical for last? Our public policy team provide an initial look at  the devolution paper “Power and Partnership: Foundations for Growth”. The paper sets out the Labour government’s plans for devolution and local government, aiming to drive economic growth, raise living standards, and enhance local governance through unprecedented devolution of powers and funding. The paper sets out to standardise and rationalise the patchwork of local government arrangements across the UK, encouraging the replacement of two-tier authority systems with single unitary authorities. The government will facilitate local government reorganisation for two-tier areas, and for unitary councils where there is evidence of failure or where boundaries are hindering ability to deliver. They will invite proposals for reorganisation from these areas with new unitary areas most likely to be larger than a population of 500,000. More at the link below. We need to draw breath. Perhaps that's it until January? If it is, enjoy the festive break - its going to be busy in 2025. 🎅 🎄 #devolution #radicalreform #nppf #planningreform

#ADVOCACY Want to change government policies, increase (or even prevent cuts in) funding? This advice from Pierre Poilievere is so relevant, even if it is directed at the corporate and right-wing side, and even more so if the Conservatives win the next federal election. Please pass this on.   Poilievre wrote "they will get nothing from me unless they convince the people first. So here is a how-to guide for dealing with a Poilievre government.   "If  you  do have a policy proposal, don’t tell me about it. Convince Canadians that it’s good for them. Communicate your policy’s benefits directly to workers, consumers and retirees. When they start telling me about your ideas on the doorstep in Windsor, St. John’s, Trois-Rivières, and Port Alberni, then I’ll think about enacting it.   "To be clear, that will not happen because you testify at a Parliamentary committee, host a “Hill Day” to meet MPs and Senators, hold a luncheon 15 minutes from downtown Toronto/Ottawa, or do media no one sees. Your communications must reach truckers, waitresses, nurses, carpenters — all the people who are too productive to tune into the above-mentioned platforms.   "If I do pursue your policy, I expect that you will continue to advocate for it with those same Canadians in those same neighbourhoods until the policy is fully implemented....   "cancel your lunch meeting at the Rideau Club. Fire your lobbyist. And go to the people." --- Warren Kinsella @kinsellawarren May 3 If he does this, it'll be the biggest upheaval in Ottawa in decades. Huge. "Pierre Poilievre: Memo to corporate Canada - fire your lobbyist | National Post" #cdnpoli https://t.co/iQ2RAaHZyZ

Angela Rayner, deputy prime minister, will this week announce a fast-track consultation to overhaul planning rules, as she seeks to deliver 1.5mn homes including “social and affordable houses at scale”. Rayner will set in train an eight-week consultation — most of it taking place over the summer holidays — before returning to Westminster in the autumn to confirm the big shake-up of planning rules in England. Central to the plan is the restoration of mandatory housing targets, which were scrapped by former housing secretary Michael Gove, and the relaxation of rules for building new homes in the greenbelt. Rayner is expected to add about 100,000 homes a year to the mandatory targets given to councils in a change to how local housing need is calculated, according to government insiders briefed on the proposals. At least half of the homes built there would have to be “affordable”, government officials said. Credit: George Parker at Financial Times One must question the context (or grant funding planned) for the "affordable homes" Is the small 'a' significant? Have Government officials checked the commercial viability? Is this strategy joined up with the Net Zero Carbon ambition? If delivering more affordable homes was Rayner's “No 1 priority,” has anyone asked Ed Miliband (Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero) what his "No1 priority" is? Can we hope for a joined-up plan? Please.... #sustainabilityleadership SDG 11 & 13

Articles and insight on the size of the civil service always makes me think of an idea Victor Hugo discussed in his Les Misérables novel about how the size of the tax office in the nineteenth century is proportional to the health of the country and it's business... the need for more tax collectors is driven by their being more tax, due to more business and a healthy economic environment, so Jean Valjean's thoughts went. Not sure if it stands up to deeper scrutiny but reflecting on this latest data haul we can see that spend on security is up and culture is down! https://lnkd.in/eX_8Bmk4

Local Government Can Help to Deliver the Government’s Planning Reform Agenda 📝 Following yesterday's announcement of the government's updated National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), Curia, as a not-for-profit policy institute, is committed to helping deliver these vital housing reforms. In 2025, Curia will work with local government to set out ways in which they can proactively work to deliver the Government’s ambitious planning reforms. We aim to work closely with local governments to tackle key challenges, including planning capacity, sustainability, and the needs of the future economy. Through our roundtables and collaborative policy initiatives, we will focus on practical solutions that ensure the goals outlined are met, translating them into lasting, positive impacts for communities across the UK. Want to learn more? Read on 👇 https://lnkd.in/dCpvEJt6 #policy #planningreform #governmentagenda #ukpolitics #localgovernment #initiatives #roundtables #planning #practicalsolutions

It was disappointing to witness the Prime Minister's brief address at the Local Governance NZ Conference. The Prime Minister should have been given more than 10 minutes, allowing time for questions and meaningful dialogue. Instead, it felt like a mere statement to the audience, almost a condescending reprimand. This comes at a time when the government is surrounded by a region facing significant challenges. Local businesses are closing their doors weekly, battling ongoing difficulties just to stay afloat. The most pressing issue is the crumbling infrastructure, which has suffered from years of inadequate investment. This speech seemed to lump all regions together, failing to acknowledge those that have diligently and wisely invested in their infrastructure. The decision to abolish the four wellbeings (cultural, social, economic, environmental) is concerning. These are fundamental values that underpin the functioning of any community. It's difficult to understand how anyone could disregard these values if they aim to foster a community that is both respectful and valuable. I hope that all councils will continue to uphold these wellbeings as guiding principles for their communities. The notion of limiting Council's "nice to have" projects based on perceived minimal or nil returns is subjective. Community projects are just "nice to haves" because their returns are intangible, and therefore considered unnecessary? It will be interesting to see what "management tools" the central government introduces to impose on local governments. Introducing performance benchmarks for financial performance and customer service delivery could be beneficial, though it’s worth noting that there are already regular surveys on customer service, and financial performance is audited. While the central government has been cutting jobs to save money and fulfill election promises, creating another layer of unnecessary bureaucracy seems counterproductive and a waste of taxpayer money. Of course, these changes will proceed, and all councils will comply because they must, but this will come at a cost to the ratepayer, just when councils are struggling to keep rates low. "The days of handouts are over" apparently, but the days of change are not. The biggest concern is the increasing overreach of central government into local government affairs. Where will this end? What will the future mandate of local government be if decisions made at the local level can be so easily overturned at the central level?