Constitutional reform was one of the government’s greatest achievements during Labour’s first term. Devolution for Scotland and Wales, reform of the House of Lords, the Human Rights Act and the restoration of democratic strategic government for London – all of these brought fundamental and long-lasting changes in the relationship between the state and the citizen.
At the same time equally fundamental changes were being introduced in relation to local government. Although these received less national publicity than some of the other constitutional changes, they will represent comparably far-reaching reforms when carried forward over the next few years. They are, of course, crucially important because a vibrant local tier of democracy is fundamental to a flourishing democratic society. The two cornerstones of the Labour government’s agenda for local government reform have been, first, the need to strengthen democratic accountability and civic leadership and, second, the need to ensure the delivery of high-quality services to local communities. Both of these are crucially important if we are to achieve local government which truly commands the support and respect of local communities.
Key changes have included the introduction of new political management structures, a new ethical framework and a clarification of local authorities’ responsibilities to meet the social, economic and environmental needs of their areas. Too often in the past the public have felt alienated by arcane committee structures and procedures which made it difficult to understand and participate in the decision-making process. Equally, local councillors often felt constrained by limitations on their powers and competence to meet the needs of their communities in an imaginative and constructive way. As the new structures bed in, I believe we will see real gains in terms of more efficient, transparent decision making and more effective civic leadership. But parallel improvements in the quality of service delivery are equally vital.
The Best Value regime is fundamental to this. Best Value provides a framework within which all councils can seek continuous improvement in the way in which they deliver services. Despite the inevitable teething troubles associated with its introduction and the associated inspection regime, most authorities are already deriving real benefits from Best Value. There is enormous scope to learn from the experience of the best performing authorities and this is where the Beacon Council scheme also helps spread good practice. The introduction of Local Public Service Agreements has shown that there is a real appetite in local government to stretch performance and, in exchange, to win new freedoms and flexibilities. We will be extending LPSAs to all upper tier authorities and are also seeking to involve district councils in collaborative ventures.
E-government and electronic service delivery offer huge opportunities for further dramatic changes in the years ahead. This will enable authorities to provide better quality and better integrated services and above all to make themselves far more accessible to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The foundations are, therefore, clearly in place for dramatic and far-reaching changes in the operation of local government over the next few years. Our objective is a vibrant local tier of democracy, responsive to the needs and aspirations of local communities and commanding the confidence of the local electorate.