More independence for local councils? Here’s a quick chance to show you mean it, John!

Avatar

Council ElectionsBy Tim Swift

John Denham wants to give local Councils the chance to ‘say no’ to more Whitehall powers. And he’s going to consult about drawing up a charter to say so.

But why wait, John? Why not act straight away by cancelling the parts of the Local Government and Health Act 2007 which will force every Council, in the next few months, to either opt for an elected Mayor or give even more powers to a leader who in principle will be appointed for a four year term? Why not either drop this all together – for I see few signs in local government of any great demand or enthusiasm for this change – or at the least, leave Councils with the choice about the level of powers and the term of office they want to give to the Council leader?

Why has Labour sold out to the myth of the strong leader? How does it help local communities, who feel too often that their elected councillors are powerless to prevent an all-powerful executive from ignoring local views and wishes?

How does it help us enthuse a new generation of Labour activists to commit to stand for Councils when the role of a backbench councillor too often is frustrating and ineffective?

What does the idea of giving the bulk of a Council’s powers to one individual have to do with Labour principles of solidarity, of socialism and co-operation?

And why do we believe that individual leadership is more effective than collegiate governance? Surely, it was the myth of the strong leader that apparently allowed Sir James Goodwin to drive RBS into the ground? It was the culture of the strong leader that apparently enabled Sir James Crosby at HBOS to sack the bank’s head of regulatory risk instead of listening to his concerns.

If we believe “that by the strength of our common endeavour we achieve more than we achieve alone”, then why do we not reflect that in the way we want our local Councils to be run?

More from LabourList

DONATE HERE

We provide our content free, but providing daily Labour news, comment and analysis costs money. Small monthly donations from readers like you keep us going. To those already donating: thank you.

If you can afford it, can you join our supporters giving £10 a month?

And if you’re not already reading the best daily round-up of Labour news, analysis and comment…

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR DAILY EMAIL