21 June 2002
The sociology professor and director of the London School of Economics, speaking to the CIPFA conference on June 13, said ministers needed to be more radical in their plans for assemblies covering the English regions.
He added that so far they had 'made a failure' of devolution and should devolve a much wider range of powers to the elected chambers.
'The government talked the rhetoric of devolution but was making a virtue of circumstance,' Giddens told delegates. 'The current white paper doesn't go nearly far enough. There should also be fiscal devolution.'
He argued that the government should link its stated aim of devolving power in organisations such as the NHS with the regionalism agenda. 'The government's rhetoric on frontline services should go along with regionalised and localised structures.'
Giddens also criticised the government for succumbing to an audit culture in its first term of office. The excessive demands made on public bodies had been, he said, 'not only primitive but actively counter-productive'.
Although there had been 'a retreat from this heavy-handed audit culture' since last year's general election, he said, the government needed to show greater faith in public sector workers' desire to do their jobs well.
'Professional commitment should be the driving force behind audit and accountability, not a heavy-handed bureaucratic structure,' he added.
PFjun2002
