After nine months in office, the prime minister is ‘listening and learning’. He’s admitted to making a few mistakes, but Gordon Brown still believes he is the right person to lead the country.
Well, by the time you read this, the country will have given him a good idea of whether or not they agree. The people have spoken and Brown is unlikely to relish their message.
Local elections are rarely fought on local issues. With council tax generally under control, the great English and Welsh public will have used their vote to signal concerns over falling house prices, the 10p tax debacle and the worsening economy.
Few of the voters last Thursday will have been aware of exactly which services are provided by their council. Fewer still will have understood how these services are funded.
As Professor George Jones points out in a report this week for the Public Management and Policy Association, citizens need to know who is responsible and who is accountable for decision-making.
People will vote on local issues only if they believe their council has clout. But in recent years, local government has seen its powers curtailed by ministers, bypassed to quangos and devolved to community groups.
It is there to do its master’s bidding and to take the blame when things go wrong.
Jones is calling for a new constitutional settlement and an independent commission to oversee the relationship between Whitehall and town hall. He also wants reform of local government finance, with councils receiving their funding from both property and income taxes. This, the professor says, will help to revive local politics and encourage more people to vote – and to vote on local issues.
Brown is unlikely to sign up to the Jones agenda, but the PM urgently needs some Big Ideas to show that he does have the necessary vision and leadership skills. Reviving local democracy is not a bad place to start.
