By Nick Mann | 16 January 2012
The government’s approach to providing and funding public services is ‘not appropriate for the modern day’, the Local Government Association said today.
It called for a review of Whitehall structures, quangos and accountability mechanisms to reflect the greater diversity in the way public services are funded and provided, particularly in areas such as education and employment support.
The council leaders advocated greater use of Community Budgets and payment by results for funding and managing local public services. According to the LGA, these have already proved successful in helping troubled families and could save millions of pounds if they were implemented more widely.
Before Christmas, four areas were named aspilots for new ‘whole place’ Community Budgets which, unlike the previous single-issue projects, aim to cover all public services.
The LGA urged the government to ‘move quickly’ on this agenda, explaining that the Community Budgets to date showed that central and local government could work effectively in bringing the funding of public services ‘into the twenty-first century’.
LGA chair Sir Merrick Cockell said change was needed to take services to the ‘next level’ and to address complex issues while also making savings.
‘Having been given unprecedented spending cuts of 28%, councils and local agencies are pressing ahead and making structural changes happen locally,’ he said.
‘Now it is the turn of Whitehall, which has so far been relatively shielded from the spending cuts. We need a shake-up of the ways government departments are currently organised to ensure they meet the needs of 21st century public services.
He added: ‘Councils are calling for real pace and urgency in taking forward Community Budgets to achieve this.’
Later today, the Commons communities and local government select committee will begin an inquiry into Community Budgets and the benefits they have brought to families with multiple problems.
