By Vivienne Russell
15 October 2010
Whitehall should scale back the paperwork it
gives to and demands from councils, the Local Government Association says
today.
The LGA is calling for the guidance
surrounding statutory duties to be scrapped and for local government laws to be
simplified. It says a ‘broad and clear’ General Power of Competence should be
enacted instead.
The association also wants central government reduce its data demand and only collect statistics where they have a proven value to local people.
The LGA’s report Delivering more for less II: transparency inaction, highlights the volume of paperwork that has emanated from Whitehall over the past decade. It says 74,000 pages of rule and instructions have been given to councils – equivalent to 40 pages for every day Parliament has been sitting.
LGA chair Margaret Eaton said: ‘The sheer quantity of bureaucracy is in danger of burying important measures which are both important and useful.
‘There is no justification for the sheer
quantity of form filling, data returns, reviews and micromanagement being
foisted on local government. Red tape of this kind wastes valuable time and
resources which councils need to spend delivering essential frontline
services.’
Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles this week announced the abolition of Local Area Agreements and the national indicators that underpin them.
‘There are
66 pages of guidance telling councils how to report on national indicators,’ he
said on October 13.
‘Instead of national indicators, I promise you that we will only require one set of data from you.
The Localism Bill, expected to be published next month, will bring in a General Power of Competence.
